Jo Seohui had been in a good mood lately.
Seoyeon, who had seemed a little distant recently, was now feeling much more approachable.

"Maybe it's because we went to that high-society party together?"

She wasn't sure of the exact reason, but it was clear that Seoyeon’s attitude had softened.
The frequency of their conversations had increased, and at this rate, Seohui might even be able to get Seoyeon to use informal speech with her soon!

"Things are also progressing smoothly with what Jiyeon and I are working on."

To be honest, Seohui hadn’t been all that interested in what Jiyeon had suggested, at least not at first.
She had only thought of virtual streamers as people using weird avatars to broadcast online.

"But there’s potential here."

After doing some research, Seohui realized the appeal.

"The best part is that your face doesn’t get exposed."

For most entertainers, having your face recognized was inevitable. But with these “virtual YouTubers,” that wasn’t the case.
There was almost no way for someone to figure out their real identity, and even if a controversy arose, it would stop at the level of the avatar.
It wouldn’t deeply affect their personal life, at least from Jo Seohui’s perspective as a celebrity.

"...You could call it a place to gain viewers' attention while feeling relatively less stress."

Of course, no streamer was completely free of stress. But being able to interact with an audience while keeping your identity hidden was a major appeal for Seohui.

A virtual YouTuber.
An avatar.
And an animated art style.

To Jo Seohui, these elements were promising. In fact, she didn’t feel much emotion about it—just that this was how things were done in this world.
If anything, she found the concept cute. Spending money to make something pretty and appealing seemed like a good idea to her.
That was the extent of her thoughts.

People like Jiyeon and Seohui didn’t really care much about anime or virtual streamers. They just accepted it as something that existed.

"Hey, Jo Seohui, aren’t you spending too much money on this?"

Watching Seohui, who was diligently researching the market and creating an avatar, Jiyeon was taken aback.
She had suggested it because it seemed like fun, but she hadn’t expected Seohui to dive in with such enthusiasm.

"It seems like a good side job for days when I don’t have a shoot."
"Well, that’s true."

There weren’t many outlets where celebrities could interact with their audience freely.
Of course, she was hiding her identity as 'actress Lee Jiyeon,' but this was an easy way to casually ask the public for feedback.
For instance, she could say, “I really enjoyed watching that new drama. Have any of you seen it?” and get immediate responses.
While the viewership might not overlap much, she could still gather various opinions.
For a celebrity, interacting with viewers in this way fulfilled a certain emotional need.

Thanks to Seoyeon, Jiyeon had learned about virtual YouTubers, and it became a source of comfort for her.

"I thought she’d take some interest, but..."

Seohui ended up preparing and learning far more than Jiyeon expected.
Actually, Seohui seemed to know more about it now than Jiyeon did.

While Jiyeon had received some help from a "wizard," Seohui had drawn on her family’s resources, gathering all sorts of information.

"But Seoyeon does like this stuff, right?"
"...Seoyeon?"

Jiyeon was puzzled by Seohui’s odd tone.

"Since the party, I’ve been talking to her more comfortably."
"Just you?"
"...Yeah, just me."

Seohui crossed her arms, giving Jiyeon a look as if to ask if she really needed to point that out. But eventually, she lowered her gaze.

Despite her reputation for being intimidating, Seohui found Jiyeon’s appearance more intimidating than her own.
While Seohui’s looks gave off an air of authority, Jiyeon’s appearance seemed to naturally draw money out of people’s wallets.

It’s usually people like that who lead groups of girls around in school.
Though Jiyeon had denied it, Seohui still had her doubts. Could there have been a bullying controversy in her past?

"...You sometimes give me the most unsettling looks."
"I-It must be your imagination."

This girl had sharp instincts. Jo Seohui coughed awkwardly and looked away.

Anyway...

"Things have been feeling good lately."

Apparently, Seoyeon liked virtual YouTubers.
Seohui thought that Seoyeon would definitely be pleased if she appeared on a stream under a friendly avatar like "Ramiel."

And Seohui had already watched Ramiel’s streams several times.
Including the ones where someone, who she assumed was Seoyeon, dumped a ton of money into donations.

Ramiel usually kicked Seoyeon out of the chat.
Sometimes, she’d respond, but only briefly.

"I want that too."

Jiyeon had mentioned that she could lead Seoyeon to watch Seohui’s streams as well.
In that case, wouldn’t Seohui be able to interact with Seoyeon just like Jiyeon did?

In other words, Ju Seoyeon could become her fan!
The thought filled her with a strange sense of pride.

"If things keep going this way, we’ll be best friends in no time."

Lately, she’d been thinking along those lines.

"Ahem, Seoyeon, let’s do our best at today’s shoot, alright?"

Hyper Action Star.
Today marked the final shoot for the actors in Group A.

Once this was done, only the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals would remain.
Since it was such an important day, Seohui didn’t plan on betraying Seoyeon.

If she did, it might end in something worse than just sulking.
With a fresh smile, Seohui greeted Seoyeon.

"..."

But Seoyeon’s gaze was oddly sharp.
It was as if she were scrutinizing Seohui from top to bottom.

"Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?"

Flustered, Seohui asked, but Seoyeon simply shook her head.

'It’s gotta be Jo Seohui, no doubt.'

Lately, Seohui had been the person most frequently seen with Jiyeon.
That naturally raised Seoyeon’s suspicions.

Of course, Seoyeon also thought, "Why would Jo Seohui become a virtual YouTuber?"
But her instincts pointed to Seohui.

Seoyeon’s instincts were usually pretty sharp and often right.

"Hmm..."

When had Seohui gotten so close to Jiyeon?
It stirred some complicated feelings in Seoyeon.

She didn’t normally care much about Jiyeon making new friends.
Jiyeon always had plenty of friends anyway.

But if Jiyeon’s new friend was Ramiel, that was a different story.

"It’s too much."

Seoyeon’s hands trembled.
She had been watching Ramiel since her early days when she barely had any viewers. She’d put in the effort to engage and support her for so long!

But now, Jo Seohui was sitting comfortably next to Ramiel, like a hawk swooping in and snatching up the spot. It was only natural that Seoyeon’s hands trembled with jealousy and a mix of other emotions.

Of course, Jiyeon had no idea, nor could she imagine that her friend was so deeply obsessed with "Ramiel."
But aside from that...

"The fact that there’s a new virtual YouTuber friend..."

That part, Seoyeon liked.

If Jo Seohui really was that silhouette, if she had genuinely taken an interest in virtual YouTubers and joined Jiyeon...

Couldn’t they talk about it together?
Not about the avatar itself, of course, but more as a personal conversation.

She hadn’t been able to have those kinds of discussions with Jiyeon.
After all, Seoyeon tended to separate Jiyeon and Ramiel as two different people.

But with Seohui, it seemed like she’d be the one to bring it up first.
Not about the avatar, but something in that direction.

Then naturally, they could have those conversations.
That was something Seoyeon was looking forward to.

But for now...

"Today’s final mission in the preliminary round is a large-scale fight scene."

Seoyeon liked the last mission for the Hyper Action Star preliminaries.
Aside from how much she liked it, though, there was still a burning fire in her heart.

"Wh-Why are you looking at me?"

At the mention of the fight scene, Seohui looked nervously at Seoyeon.
Something about Seoyeon’s gaze made her feel uneasy.

And...

• "Does Ju Seoyeon have a grudge against Jo Seohui?"
• "After betraying her twice, she probably deserves to get hit."
• "Jo Seohui’s acting is pretty good."
• "Acting? Is that really acting???"
• "Jo Seohui hasn’t moved at all, is she dead?"
• "Seohui’s gonna get wrecked. ????????????"

Anyway, it felt like karma was coming for Jo Seohui after all the previous betrayals, as she was sent rolling across the ground. She tumbled intensely, but, to be fair, she handled it well, making the scene look convincing.

Of course, whether or not it was intentional on her part was unclear.

"And now, we’ll announce the final contestants who have passed the preliminary round."

The top 16. Those who not only showed off their action skills but also proved their acting talent, earning the chance to advance to the top 16.

Min Doha let out a sigh of relief as actor Cha Min-gyu was about to announce the results.

"It’s finally over."

Today, for some strange reason, Seoyeon hadn’t chased after her.
Because of that, Min Doha had been able to take part in the shoot with a much more relaxed mindset.

Yeah, this was what filming should feel like.
What she had been doing up until now wasn’t acting or shooting a scene—it had been real life.

Everyone had been talking about method acting and whatnot, but all of that was nonsense.
Min Doha had been running for her life.
Trying to survive and escape from that monstrous girl.

But now, it was time to say goodbye to that monster, Ju Seoyeon.

"Though today wasn’t quite as exciting as usual."

It didn’t feel like she had achieved the same impact as when she’d been chased around by Seoyeon in the past.

"Yeah, this is more like it."

Min Doha felt like she’d reached her limit during this audition. She had once been confident that she could move well and act to a certain level.

But there were plenty of actors just like that. She couldn’t deliver intelligent performances like Jo Seohui, nor could she shine as brightly as someone like Han Soyu.

She was just average. Without Ju Seoyeon, would anyone have even noticed her?

"Yeah, this is as far as I go."

Min Doha mumbled to herself again as she looked at actor Cha Min-gyu, waiting to hear who would advance to the top 16.

"Ju Seoyeon, Jo Seohui, Min Doha, and Han Soyu."

"Huh?"

"These four are moving on to the next round. Congratulations!"

Suddenly, applause erupted from all directions. Applause to congratulate the winners.

Or maybe applause from those who hadn’t made it. Either way, no one felt like it was unfair that these four had advanced.

Everyone accepted the results.

"Congratulations, Doha." "Your performance was incredible. I learned a lot from you."

The actors who had partnered with Min Doha in the final mission clapped and congratulated her. Of course, Min Doha looked like she was on the verge of tears. For various reasons.

KMB Broadcasting Station.
Drama Department meeting room.

Several PDs had gathered to discuss upcoming broadcast schedules and program placements. They were deciding which shows would be slotted into prime time and how best to cater to the recently shifting preferences of the audience.

"Let’s start with this."

With a smile, PD Baek Tae-su spoke up. He was the same PD who had backed writer Im Jin-ha during the production of Dream Future.

He glanced at PD Lee Min-hwa, who was in charge of Heaven’s Garden, and began to speak.

"What do you think of Heaven’s Garden?"

"Well..."

The other PDs hesitated for a moment at Baek Tae-su’s question. If Director Ha Tae-oh had been present, he would have said it was great.

But Director Ha wasn’t at today’s meeting.
In fact, he couldn’t attend.

He was tied up with personal matters.
And since all the reports would eventually make their way to him, it wasn’t a major issue.

Still, this absence allowed Baek Tae-su to speak with a bit more authority.
He held significant influence within KMB, with few people at his level.

He was essentially positioning himself as the next Drama Director. So, naturally, the other PDs had to be mindful of him.

"To be honest, there are quite a few concerns."

"Exactly."

Baek Tae-su looked back at PD Lee Min-hwa, causing a slight frown to form on her face.

He smiled softly, seeming to enjoy her discomfort.

"You’ve used some great actors. Many of the most talked-about actors are part of this production. For example... Ju Seoyeon."

Ju Seoyeon, who had only appeared in two productions so far, but had left a lasting impression.
She was one of the young actresses the market had its eye on.
And this was her second "youth drama" after Dream Future.

"Although, calling it a youth drama might not be quite right. It’s more of a drama that critiques society."

Baek Tae-su wasn’t just criticizing Heaven’s Garden for no reason.
Many of the other PDs shared the same concerns.

"Originally, this script was supposed to go to a cable channel, right?"

"...Yes."

"That makes sense, especially since it’s lacking romance."

Lacking? No, it didn’t have any romance at all.
For a public broadcast, that was a major issue.
At least, that’s what the higher-ups thought.

"The writer is also essentially a newcomer. Sure, she did a great job covering for writer Im Jin-ha in Dream Future, and I think she’ll achieve great things in the future."

But...

"That doesn’t guarantee this particular project will be a success."

The risk of a first-time writer was considerable.
But Heaven’s Garden couldn’t be judged solely on that risk.

The cast of actors was simply too strong.

"Are you going to add romance?"

"They’re adamant about not including it."

"Hmm..."

"Fortunately, there are plenty of other good projects."

"But it seems like the Director is pushing hard for Heaven’s Garden."

"Yes, the Director’s input has already been reflected quite a bit. But this is a separate issue..."

The PDs exchanged glances, keeping a close eye on Baek Tae-su.

KMB had three major dramas it was backing. One of them was Heaven’s Garden, which the higher-ups saw as a risky gamble.

The other two were safer bets. One of them was being produced by Baek Tae-su himself.

The cast was full of popular actors, and the writer, Kim Myung-yeon, had a track record of back-to-back hits.
And, of course, the drama included a romance, something the higher-ups loved.

"So, what do you think? Which drama should we throw our support behind?"

Baek Tae-su’s words hung heavily in the KMB Drama Department meeting room.