Seoyeon had been testing the waters lately, trying to engage in conversation with writer Min Se-hee. There were two main reasons for this. One was purely personal.

As for the other reason…

"The script has changed a bit recently."

"Yes, yes."

Min Se-hee nodded, stammering. In the world of drama, a writer holds considerable power, especially if they are a star writer. But Min Se-hee wasn't a star writer.

In fact, this was practically her first work. So when a well-known actor spoke up, she couldn't help but be cautious.

Especially when it came to…

‘Seoyeon is a bit intimidating.’

If Seoyeon had heard that, she might have been a little down, but it was true. Seoyeon, with her hamster-like cuteness, was also an imposing presence to someone like Min Se-hee.

Seoyeon's image? Cute face but with the power to obliterate multiple people in battle—a strong, overwhelming persona. This perception had somehow started to seep into the script recently.

"Why does Lee Yu-joo get hit with a chair here?"

Seoyeon was genuinely confused. After all, she'd seen Sky Garden in her past life.

Despite usually feeling nothing toward romance-heavy dramas, Seoyeon had actually enjoyed Sky Garden. At least, that’s what she assumed. For that reason, she had a lot of faith in the show.

And for good reason—it had garnered legendary ratings on cable television. Now that it was set to air on national TV, suddenly a chair shot?

There definitely hadn't been such a scene in the past. Sky Garden had maintained a delicate tension throughout.

"It’s just that, with your current image, action scenes have been well-received…"

"Do you really think I’d go around hitting people with chairs?"

"Ah, no, not that… It's just that action has become such a hot topic recently…"

It seemed the popularity of Hyper Action Star was starting to influence the script. But seriously, a chair shot?

It was turning into a delinquent drama out of nowhere.

"I don’t use chairs."

"…?"

"I don’t need them. I can handle things with my bare hands."

For the record, the scene in question was originally part of the script. Lee Yu-joo, being somewhat of an outcast at the elite Sun High School, had her fair share of enemies.

She was the top student in her grade, which naturally attracted jealousy and some ill will. At one point, a minor scuffle occurred, and the eldest son of the Lee Hyuk-soo family, Lee Min-hyuk, stepped in to save her.

It was a moment that had viewers wondering, "Is he the male lead?"—a moment that stirred hearts. At least, until the next episode revealed that the harassment had been orchestrated by Lee Min-hyuk himself.

‘Yeah, the writer's inexperience is showing here.’

In her past life, she wondered how such a drama had managed to come out so well. There must have been other shaky elements at the time too.

‘Maybe the actors kept things together during filming.’

Thinking back on it now, that was a likely scenario. But what mattered right now was her current script.

"You're right. That scene doesn’t quite fit the tone of the drama."

Fortunately, Min Se-hee agreed to revise it. However, she seemed a bit disappointed. Did she really want to see Seoyeon deliver a chair shot that badly?

‘I do have a chair ad deal, though.’

Although, the school chairs were a different brand. If she had used the advertised chair in the scene, it would have been a legendary product placement moment.

"Well, I’ll have to revise the script now…"

Just as Min Se-hee was about to leave, Seoyeon hurriedly grabbed her by the shoulder.

Though the initial reason for approaching her was the script, Seoyeon thought it might be a good opportunity to ask something she had been wanting to for a while. After all, who knew how much longer Min Se-hee would be on set.

"Eek!"

Min Se-hee's reaction was rather dramatic, as if she were a mouse being grabbed by the neck by a cat.

"…"

"I was just a bit startled."

Though Min Se-hee tried to downplay it, the truth was she was more than a little startled. After all, Seoyeon’s hands were the same ones that deflected paintballs and tossed people around like they were weightless.

If someone like Min Se-hee were caught by those hands, it was clear she would be flattened like a dried fish.

It suddenly dawned on her.

‘Lee Yu-joo wouldn’t need a chair either.’

If her hands were her greatest weapon, why would she need to use a tool? Of course, Lee Yu-joo and Seoyeon were different characters, but that thought lingered in her mind.

"Anyway."

Seoyeon took a moment to choose her words before speaking again.

"I have a script for a movie that I really want to work on."

"Excuse me?"

"A movie script… I was wondering if you could help with it."

Min Se-hee looked at her, surprised. Of course, there were actors who ventured into directing.

But wasn’t Seoyeon still quite young for that?

"I’m not going to direct it. But I do want to make this movie."

"That’s quite an ambitious idea."

More than that, Min Se-hee was curious. What kind of movie did Seoyeon want to make?

"But it’s not impossible."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Although Sky Garden was Min Se-hee's debut work, she had participated in several projects behind the scenes. So, she was somewhat familiar with how things flowed.

"The process differs depending on whether it’s a small indie project or something with a larger budget. I assume you’re aiming for the latter?"

"Yes."

"Then you’d need to secure a studio and find investors. That would be the most challenging part…"

Of course, securing investment was the hardest part. But ironically, Min Se-hee thought that might actually be the easiest part in Seoyeon’s case.

‘Jo Seohui.’

Jo Seohui’s family was incredibly wealthy, ranked among the top in terms of financial power. Lately, her family had even shown an interest in the entertainment industry, likely due to her involvement in the arts.

Then there was also…

‘GH Group.’

From Hyper Action Star, it was clear how much GH Group valued Seoyeon. Watching that show, Min Se-hee had quickly figured out that the whole thing had practically been created for Seoyeon.

If Seoyeon said she wanted to make a movie, GH Group would be one of the first to offer their support.

"You’d star in the film yourself, right?"

"Yes."

"An actor’s name value affects production and investment. There's a saying that half of a film’s budget is the actor’s fee. So if your name draws in a big budget, the production becomes easier. And if…"

"And if?"

"If you work with a star writer and a renowned director, it’ll become even more certain."

With a strong script and an excellent team, making a movie wouldn’t be impossible. However…

‘I’m not quite at that level yet.’

Min Se-hee sighed. Although she was curious about Seoyeon’s movie idea, she wasn’t confident she could handle it.

"…Well."

Seoyeon hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"If I were to make a movie, would you consider writing the script? That is, if the concept aligns with what you’re interested in."

For once, Seoyeon was unsure. She had a movie in mind, but she didn’t want to involve others if it was bound to fail.

If possible, she wanted to create something successful. But of course, didn’t everyone who made a movie want that?

"Me? I’m not a well-known writer… I’m sure you could find someone more established."

Min Se-hee responded with a flustered tone. She wondered if Seoyeon was joking, but Seoyeon’s face was serious.

"I believe you can do it."

Seoyeon was confident. From what she had seen of Sky Garden, she felt that Min Se-hee’s style matched the kind of movie she wanted to make. She trusted that Min Se-hee would bring her vision to life.

"I’m sure you’ll become a star writer."

With determination, Seoyeon spoke.

"I’ll make it happen with Sky Garden."

She voiced her conviction.

"I’ll make sure of it."

Hearing those words, Min Se-hee couldn’t help but nod. After all, if things went as Seoyeon said, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for her either.

 

Seoyeon reflected on two people she had met during a fan meeting. No, it was something she had been thinking about for a long time, ever since she started her acting career.

Maybe the reason she clung solely to acting was because it was her only way to communicate with them—through the screen or TV.

‘Ju Seoyeon.’

Her name. She repeated it silently in her mind, recalling her memories from her past life. Somewhere in there, her name was present too.

Though faint now, it wasn’t her own memory, but a word remembered from someone else.

That someone was a person she had recently met.

‘I have to graduate.’

From her past self. But not yet. She had realized during the recent fan meeting that there was still lingering attachment from her past life.

As long as her past self existed, there were emotions she would never be able to fully experience. That, she believed, was not a good thing.

This movie would be her preparation for that graduation. It would take time, but step by step.

She hoped this film would be her graduation ceremony.

With that thought, Seoyeon exhaled.

‘Anyway.’

She lifted her head, looking around her room.

But today, it wasn’t quite the same. This space was a set for a variety show.

It was called Golden Ducklings.

Seoyeon’s new challenge, a variety show, specifically an observational one. Honestly, even though it was called an observational show, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do.

‘…What should I be doing?’

The PD of Golden Ducklings, Jeon Ha-young, had said, “Just live your life as usual.” But it felt like she was emphasizing the opposite.

After all, it was a variety show.

‘Other people seem to be doing all sorts of things.’

Seoyeon pondered seriously. Should she do something more active, like other people?

‘Studying was enough for now.’

She closed the notebook she had been scribbling in. To be honest, it wasn’t really studying.

It was more like vague planning for the future… though it was packaged as studying for the cameras installed in her room.

Anyway, Golden Ducklings was a show about young stars showing their daily lives. If she was seen neglecting her studies, it would spark controversy.

• Isn’t she a student? She doesn’t even study!
• LOL, why would she study when she’s already rich?

 

Snarky comments like that were frequently posted online. Because of that, the cast made sure to include at least a brief scene of them studying.

The difference between having it or not was bigger than one might think.

As she tapped the chair lightly, Seoyeon muttered.

"Should I say something?"

She wanted to naturally place the chair as a product placement… but it felt awkward. This was the chair she would soon be advertising.

Though the actual commercial hadn’t been filmed yet, it didn’t hurt to practice.

‘But how do I even advertise a chair?’

For reference, Seoyeon had replaced all the chairs in her home with ones from Aidis. She wanted to promote them naturally, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as she’d hoped.

"…"

Now what?

Seoyeon sat there, thinking seriously.

Normally, what she did was either play games, watch VTubers, or consume various video content.

She usually exercised in the mornings, so going now would be awkward. Plus, the gym would be crowded in the afternoon, and she felt too self-conscious to work out with all those eyes on her.

‘Hmm.’

She sat back down. Should she just watch VTubers, as usual?

While she was pondering that…

"Sweetie~ Mom brought some fruit."

"Huh? What?"

Seoyeon turned her head naturally in response, only to freeze when she saw Soo-ah walk in.

‘What is this?’

Soo-ah was different from usual. Normally, she dressed casually, like a typical housewife.

But today, she was fully styled from head to toe, as if she'd been professionally coordinated. She looked flawless.

Looking like that, she could easily pass for someone in her twenties. She didn’t look like someone in her late thirties at all.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Seoyeon thought seriously. It was almost hard to believe that her own appearance hadn't been artificially enhanced.

It must be good genes. Besides the looks, the outfit was eye-catching too.

Comfortable, yet subtly highlighting her figure. Definitely not something Soo-ah would normally wear.

‘Did Park Jung-woo’s mother style her?’

Only someone like that could’ve gotten Soo-ah to dress like this. While Ji-yeon’s mother tried her best, she lacked the skill.

‘She really knows how to play to her strengths.’

Seoyeon couldn’t help but admire it. The first thing she noticed was… well, the size.

Naturally, her gaze shifted to her own chest. It wasn’t out of jealousy, though.

After all, she had inherited those genes herself.

‘There’s no way I’m like that.’

Seoyeon thought that was enough, but recently she had begun to worry. Despite all her efforts to burn fat, the presence of her chest seemed to grow.

She was already at the point where she needed new underwear, so it was only natural to feel some concern.

"So, what’s my sweetie going to do now? Play a game? Or that other thing?"

‘That other thing’ was undoubtedly referring to VTubing. But seeing the look in Soo-ah’s eyes, Seoyeon realized that doing so might get her killed.

Those eyes said, "You better manage your image properly."

‘Ah, image.’

That reminded her of the reason for participating in this observational show in the first place.

Her image. She was here to completely overhaul her strange public persona.

‘So what should I do?’

She had already done some studying. Well, it wasn’t exactly studying.

Should she try something more active, like sports?

‘Gaming?’

Technically, esports is still a sport, right? Just as she was contemplating this…

"Dad’s home."

The sound of the front door opening startled both Seoyeon and Soo-ah, who instantly turned toward the source of the sound.

Why was he home at this time??

Both of them had the same reaction. Normally, Young-bin would still be hard at work at the office at this hour.