"Did the meeting go well?"

Drama Department Director’s Office.
Director Ha Tae-oh, who had just taken his seat, looked at PD Lee Min-hwa and asked, his face filled with dissatisfaction.

He could already guess what had happened during the meeting.

"I heard PD Baek Tae-su was quite eager to promote his own drama."
"…Yes."

Eager? That was an understatement.
Baek Tae-su had practically forced his drama into prime-time slots, pushing aggressively to secure them.
With the other PDs constantly checking Baek Tae-su’s reactions, it had left Lee Min-hwa feeling utterly frustrated.

Of course, Heaven’s Garden was a bold project for a public broadcast.
But they had thoroughly prepared for it, and solutions to overcome its weaknesses were firmly in place.

"Fortunately, the decision wasn’t made during that meeting, but it looks like the time slots will be split."

There was a high chance the slots would be divided into Monday-Tuesday dramas and Wednesday-Thursday dramas.
Baek Tae-su had stubbornly tried to push Heaven’s Garden into an awkward time slot.
While Lee Min-hwa had resisted, it hadn’t gone far enough to resolve the issue...

"Recently, Baek Tae-su has been particularly assertive, hasn’t he?"

Lee Min-hwa sighed as she spoke.
Ha Tae-oh silently observed her as she vented her frustration.

Recently, PD Baek Tae-su had started asserting his opinions more forcefully.
In the past, even if he wielded power, he would do so quietly and cautiously from behind the scenes.

The incident with writer Im Jin-ha was a prime example of that.
Rather than stepping into the spotlight, he had preferred to move the pieces from the background.

But lately, that approach had changed.
He was stepping into the foreground more often, taking on the role of a leader.

Considering there was already a Drama Department Director, it was enough to be considered arrogant.
So it was understandable that the situation had been quite awkward for Lee Min-hwa.

In the past, PD Baek Tae-su would have at least outwardly supported Heaven’s Garden, which had been chosen by Director Ha Tae-oh.

"Yesterday, the Vice President called me in."
"Excuse me?"

Director Ha Tae-oh spoke up, surprising Min-hwa.
She had heard that he had stepped out for personal reasons, but could it have been because the Vice President had summoned him?

"There will be a restructuring at KMB soon."

Restructuring?
It was unexpected, but not entirely impossible.

Although Dream Future had performed well recently, KMB dramas had been struggling for some time before that.

"There will be many changes... but the biggest one involves the Drama Department."
"Our department?"
"I’m not sure if we can still call it 'ours.'"

Ha Tae-oh recalled the conversation from the day before.
The Vice President had looked quite serious.

There had been significant pushback, but the President had pushed the issue through with an iron will.
The reason behind it was fairly obvious.

It was to gain the upper hand in the power struggle with the Vice President.

"The Drama Department will be split into two divisions—Division 1 and Division 2."
"What?!"

PD Lee Min-hwa was so shocked she shouted, then quickly covered her mouth.
They were going to split the Drama Department into two?

Why?

"The President claims it’s to strengthen competitiveness."

The Drama Department would be divided into Division 1 and Division 2, where they would compete with each other.
Additionally, it was to prepare for upcoming OTT (Over-the-Top) dramas, so they planned to expand and reinforce the department.
That was the general idea.

"Does this have anything to do with PD Baek Tae-su’s recent assertiveness...?"
"He’s the most likely candidate for the Director of Division 2."

Baek Tae-su had originally been considered a strong contender for the next Drama Department Director.
He was in a similar position as Ha Tae-oh in terms of seniority, and his track record was solid.

But when he lost out to Ha Tae-oh, he had no choice but to take a step back.

"You don’t think..."
"I don’t know... but I can’t say it’s unrelated."

The current President of KMB and Baek Tae-su were closely connected.
Both had attended Seoul Baekcheon Arts University.
They had strong ties through their academic network.

PD Baek Tae-su was part of President Hwang Jung-hwan’s inner circle.
Meanwhile, Director Ha Tae-oh was essentially aligned with the Vice President.

It wasn’t that Ha Tae-oh was particularly interested in office politics, but that was the situation he found himself in.

"Wouldn’t splitting the Drama Department be problematic?"
"It certainly doesn’t seem like it will result in any good press. Regardless, I think it’s best to prepare for various outcomes going forward."

Ha Tae-oh smiled as he spoke.
He knew this wasn’t an ideal situation.

It wasn’t PD Baek Tae-su that worried him.
It was the potential loss of personnel that would come with splitting the Drama Department.

"There’s no need to worry about Heaven’s Garden. We can’t afford to lose the first fight."

Hearing this, PD Lee Min-hwa nodded.

"So that’s why."

The reason they were pushing so hard for PD Baek Tae-su’s drama alongside Heaven’s Garden.
Not just Baek Tae-su’s drama, but also the other dramas being planned by people in his circle were getting a lot of support.

It seemed they were trying to bolster the soon-to-be-formed Drama Division 2.

"And trying to snatch up the prime time slots."

Lee Min-hwa ground her teeth.
Now that she understood what was going on, there was no way she would lose.

Most importantly, she had immense confidence in Heaven’s Garden.
She had been fully reassured of its potential during the script reading session.

"Ju Seoyeon."

Many said that in terms of acting ability, no one in her age group could compete with her.
Typically, media outlets were quite harsh when it came to evaluating young actors.

Even the actors who are now praised for their acting skills had been criticized for wooden performances or lackluster acting when they were younger.
But Seoyeon was different.

"Come to think of it, there are quite a few talented young actors these days."

The most notable were Jo Seohui and Park Jung-woo.
Three other rising stars also came to mind.

But the most prominent among them was undoubtedly Ju Seoyeon.
Even the veteran actors had nothing but praise for her during the recent script reading session.

However...

"It seems she hasn’t fully grasped her character yet."
"Once she gets that down, it’ll be even better."

That was the general consensus.
While Lee Min-hwa didn’t see it as an issue, the actors clearly had.

"In any drama, the protagonist is the most important."

Still, Lee Min-hwa wasn’t worried.
If it was Seoyeon, she was sure the young actress would quickly overcome this hurdle.

"As for PD Baek Tae-su..."

She had no intention of losing to someone as irritating as him.

And right now...
Ju Seoyeon, the key to Heaven’s Garden, was...

"Seoyeon, you’re not attending class, are you?"
"……."

...getting scolded by Gil Da-hyun, the class president.

There were some things that even a high school student couldn’t avoid.
And not even Seoyeon, the actress, could escape them.

"Exams!!"

To be honest, Seoyeon didn’t usually care much about exams.
Since entering high school, she had mostly just winged it.

Her mother, Soo-ah, only cared that she was healthy and growing up well, so Seoyeon never got scolded for her grades.
To Seoyeon, exams were a side concern at best.

That’s how she had always viewed them.

"Ahem! Ahem."
"...Why are you laughing?"
"Isn’t it supposed to be funny?"

After seeing Seoyeon’s report card, her father, Youngbin, burst out laughing, so Seoyeon snatched both the report card and his new graphics card away from him.
At this point, it became a matter of pride.

"I’m aiming to make it into the top 30... No, maybe the top 10 in the next exam."

Seoyeon told Jiyeon this with a determined look.
Ji-yeon’s reaction?

"Oh, sure. Yeah, Ju Seoyeon. You can do it."

She nodded absentmindedly, as if she were indulging a child’s silly remarks.
As if to say, "Oh, she’s at it again."

How unfair.
The real reason Seoyeon was taking this exam seriously wasn’t just to prove her dad wrong.
It was to immerse herself in her role as Lee Yuju in Heaven’s Garden.

And also to maintain her public image.

"That does make sense."

Jiyeon responded with a serious expression.

"Once the drama airs, whether you like it or not, it’ll become a hot topic. And your character is the smartest and a top student, right?"

Lee Yuju wasn’t just holding onto her brother’s portfolio.
She was practically a genius in her own right.
In fact, in the drama, Yuju never once ranked below first place.

Playing that role, it was only natural that people would start paying attention to Ju Seoyeon as well.

"They might run articles like, ‘The top student in Heaven’s Garden, but Ju Seoyeon’s real test scores? She’s better at counting from the bottom...’"
"Seriously?"
"I wouldn’t rule it out."

Reporters were relentless.
Especially when it came to negative press.

"Plus, your competitors might leak rumors as well."

Jiyeon had been in the entertainment industry much longer than Seoyeon.
She had seen all kinds of things, so it was hard for her to dismiss the possibility.

"So, it wouldn’t hurt to put in a bit of effort. It’ll help your image, after all."

It wasn’t just reporters—there were already people at school who were paying attention to her.
In fact, many at school already assumed that Seoyeon was the type to be good at her studies.

After all, just by looking at her, she seemed like a very smart person.

"There’s even a rumor going around in your class."
"A rumor?"
"That there’s a blank space for the second-to-last score in your class rankings."
"...What?"
"People are gossiping about who that could be."

Like some kind of schoolyard legend.
Seoyeon shivered at Jiyeon’s words.

Class rankings weren’t public.
So most students found out through asking each other.

But there was always one blank spot, just one place above the very last.

"No one thinks it’s you, though."
"It’s not me."
"Sure, of course."

Jiyeon didn’t believe her.
But Seoyeon felt wronged.

Honestly, Seoyeon’s grades weren’t nearly that bad.

"Why is it that my memory only seems to work perfectly when it comes to showbiz?"

In her past life, Seoyeon had done reasonably well academically.
She had come close to getting into an "In-Seoul" university but just missed out.

With that knowledge, she figured she could do fairly well without studying much at all.
After all, Yeonhwa High wasn’t exactly known as a high-achieving school, but more for its focus on arts and athletics.

"I was fine until middle school, but I don’t remember anything from high school."

And to be honest, she had been slacking off a bit. Really, she had.

But now, Seoyeon was determined to redeem her honor.

"I’m busy."
"Huh?"
"I don’t have much time left until the audition."
"Oh."

On top of that, Jiyeon was a top student.
She had never once ranked below fifth place in the entire school.

"Honestly, Jiyeon should have been cast in Heaven’s Garden."

She was one of those rare celebrities who was both talented and smart.
It made sense, but contacting Jo Seohui... felt like an attack on her pride.

Besides, Seoyeon was still sulking over the whole VTuber issue.
She planned to stay upset a little while longer.

So, her next choice was...

"Huh? Studying?"

Gil Da-hyun blinked at Seoyeon in confusion.
Even the other students around her went silent and stared at Seoyeon.

Ju Seoyeon!
If you mentioned the most popular person in class, Ju Seoyeon was always the first name that came up.

She was mostly popular for her looks, which was a bit of a problem.
Whenever she came to school, she would sit quietly at her desk, focused on something, making it hard for people to approach her.

Her presence alone was stunning, like a picture-perfect scene.
She exuded the aura of a celebrity.

But now, that same girl had suddenly spoken to Gil Da-hyun.

"What’s going on?"

Gil Da-hyun looked puzzled.
It was rare for Seoyeon to initiate a conversation with her.

After the school festival, Da-hyun had wanted to talk to Seoyeon more, but she had been so busy that there hadn’t been a chance.
Variety shows, dramas, movies.
With her schedule packed between these, Seoyeon had barely been at school.

"The chairman seems to like her, though."

Lately, the chairman’s favorite student was undoubtedly Seoyeon.
After all, wherever she appeared, she was always in her Yeonhwa High uniform.

It wasn’t clear what was so special about the uniform, but every time she was spotted, she was wearing it.
Naturally, this became free promotion for Yeonhwa High.

• "Yeonhwa High School uniforms are so pretty."
• "S-tier quality."
• "It’s because Ju Seoyeon is wearing it, you pigs."
• "Shut up."

 

Naturally, the rumor that the uniforms from Yeonhwa High were stylish spread.
Because of that, the number of applicants for the upcoming year had surged.

"Hmm."

Seoyeon hesitated for a moment before nodding.
If there was anyone at school who closely resembled the characters in Heaven’s Garden, Seoyeon would say it was Gil Da-hyun.

She was the very image of a top student, like a character drawn from a picture.
That was Gil Da-hyun.

"Would you like to study together?"
"Huh?"

The sudden proposal left Gil Da-hyun stunned.