Chapter 115: Competitors (1)
Chapter 115: Competitors (1)
"Na-hee, you need to make the most of the momentum from Dream Future. You should go on variety shows, and I’ve already lined up a CF for you. You can handle that, right?"
"Then what about the group activities...?"
At Cha Na-hee's words, the head of the celebrity management team patted her shoulder as if telling her not to worry.
"I know, I know. Actually, I’m thinking of having a really great person produce for you this time. So you need to work hard, Na-hee. Summer Girl has potential. With the right song, you guys will definitely blow up."
"Ah, yes."
"Of course, we should renew the contract before that. Does your contract end next month?"
"It’s this month."
"Right, don't put it off too long; let's get it done in advance. You know, right? We’re counting on you, Na-hee."
Cha Na-hee sighed at the team leader's words.
An idol.
And Summer Girl was quite special to Cha Na-hee as well.
First of all, she had a solid core fanbase that loved her, and the group enjoyed a decent amount of popularity.
Of course, they were nowhere near the level of a top-tier girl group, but being at this level was something to be grateful for.
In the first place, the fact that an idol could film dramas or commercials meant they had sufficient recognition.
'But.'
There were a few things weighing on her mind.
First, she didn't feel like she completely blended in with Summer Girl.
She knew the reason.
The leader, Rabin, didn't like Na-hee.
Normally, Na-hee, as the most popular member, would have had a strong voice in the group, but Rabin was the niece of the CEO of Hoyeon Studio.
Naturally, the other members had no choice but to follow Rabin's lead.
Of course, they didn't exactly mistreat Na-hee, who was currently the only one in Summer Girl generating income, but still.
'I'm conflicted...'
She wondered if it was really right to keep going like this.
Amidst those thoughts, Na-hee headed to where Seo-yeon would be waiting for her.
She was worried about whether the innocent Seo-yeon could hold her own among the wildcat-like Rabin and the other members.
"You're back early."
"...?"
The moment she opened the practice room door, she was taken aback.
Rabin was sitting there meekly with Seo-yeon's hand resting on her shoulder.
No, it wasn't just Rabin; the other members of the group were also sitting in a row on their knees.
It was a sight that screamed, 'Let's all be on our best behavior, okay?'
Na-hee couldn't help but tilt her head at the bizarre scene.
And after Seo-yeon left.
Rabin began to walk on eggshells around Na-hee, but Na-hee never did find out the reason why.
*
Anyway, thanks to that, Seo-yeon was able to properly learn singing from Na-hee.
As if proving her reputation as a talented idol wasn't just for show, Na-hee's vocal skills were far superior to those of an average trainer.
"You really learned properly!"
When she relayed that, even the vocal trainer at Nova Ent was impressed.
Seo-yeon felt a bit smug as well.
"I didn't know you were such a social butterfly, Seo-yeon."
"?"
"Ah, no. I just thought you were very shy."
It seemed the trainer truly thought so.
In fact, it wasn't exactly wrong.
'It's not that I'm that shy.'
She certainly had that side to her when it came to people her own age.
On the contrary, she found older people easier to deal with.
Since Na-hee was three years older than Seo-yeon, she was definitely easier for Seo-yeon to talk to.
Anyway, after being told by Nova Ent to "feel free to use our practice room," she received another round of training from Nova Ent's vocal trainer.
"...This is good."
Producer Lee Min-hwa looked at Seo-yeon with surprised eyes.
She was the producer for the new drama, Sky Garden.
"At this level, I think we can definitely move forward with the OST recording."
At Min-hwa's words, Seo-yeon realized that the OST work hadn't been a guaranteed deal from the start.
They must have decided to proceed only after confirming Seo-yeon's singing ability.
Come to think of it, Seo-yeon hadn't even officially confirmed her appearance in Sky Garden yet.
'If I'd known, I would have taken my time learning.'
She had gone through hell to learn everything in a crash course.
Seo-yeon let out a small sigh.
"By the way, Seo-yeon, I know you've been very busy lately. Will you be able to appear in Sky Garden?"
"I think it'll be fine."
"I heard you even have a meeting scheduled for next week..."
Ah, so that was why today's meeting had been moved up a bit.
Her manager, Eun-ha, must have adjusted the schedule in advance.
"...Your stamina is truly impressive. Just how many projects have you done without a break now?"
Min-hwa muttered while staring at Seo-yeon, who was quietly looking back at her.
A high school student.
She heard Seo-yeon would soon be eighteen.
In the past year, Seo-yeon had appeared in one play, one drama, and one movie—three projects in total.
In between, she also did variety shows and filmed commercials.
While there were actors who were known for being prolific, she had never seen someone live so busily from their very first year of activity.
"I'm really okay. This isn't even that tiring."
"I-is that so?"
It didn't seem like she was bluffing.
Seo-yeon looked genuinely composed.
She didn't give off any of the sharp, high-strung energy typical of celebrities living such a hectic life.
"...Then, Seo-yeon. Can we consider your appearance in Sky Garden confirmed? I'll send the formal contract to your agency later."
At Producer Lee Min-hwa's words, Seo-yeon fell into thought for a moment.
'Sky Garden was originally a drama that performed quite well.'
Furthermore, there weren't many opportunities for Seo-yeon to play a role that matched her actual age—a high school student.
'The problem is that Sky Garden was originally a drama that aired on a general programming channel.'
This was a point of divergence from her memories of her past life.
Originally, Writer Min Se-hee debuted with a drama on a general programming channel after participating as an assistant writer for Dream Future.
That debut work was Sky Garden.
It was the first drama on a general programming channel to surpass a 15 percent nationwide viewership rating.
In the Seoul metropolitan area, it had even exceeded 20 percent, breaking all records.
'I don't know how it will fare on a major network.'
Common sense suggested that a major network should yield much higher ratings.
The problem was that certain plot developments were only permissible because it was on a general programming channel, so there was no guarantee the same story could be told on a major network.
From Min Se-hee's perspective, a major network would be better than a general programming channel.
However, major networks also had many more people interfering.
Since there was a high probability the story wouldn't go exactly as the writer intended... its success wasn't a absolute certainty.
'At the very least, it won't fail. No matter how much they mess up the script.'
She had to find a way to handle this part.
Producer Lee Min-hwa, who was in charge of Sky Garden this time, was certainly a capable producer.
...Which was actually the worrying part.
Because there was a high probability she would follow the established formula for success on public broadcast.
"Yes, I definitely want to appear in Sky Garden."
"I see. That's a relief. The Drama Director will also... ahem. No, everyone will be happy."
"...?"
It felt like the Drama Director had been mentioned for a split second.
Seo-yeon felt a bit puzzled but nodded anyway.
In any case, the OST issue seemed mostly resolved.
"Ah, if there's anything else you need besides the OST, please let me know anytime. I'll try to reflect your wishes as much as possible."
Producer Lee Min-hwa even seemed to have a great deal of personal liking for Seo-yeon.
For her to say something like that meant Seo-yeon was being treated very specially for this production of Sky Garden.
In that case, there was no reason to refuse.
"Ah, then..."
Seo-yeon made a few requests to Producer Lee Min-hwa.
The essential "OOPArts" of Sky Garden that remained in her memory.
They absolutely had to be part of this.
*
Recently, an interesting rumor had been circulating in the entertainment industry.
A rumor that GH Group was investing in a new movie and creating a web variety show featuring action actors.
And that the actor selected through the web variety show would be cast as the lead in the upcoming movie.
"It seems GH Group, having tasted success with The Chaser, is looking to solidify their position."
"The action in The Chaser was great, after all. They must have decided to lean entirely into action movies this time."
"Entertainment movies are the trend these days, anyway."
It was likely something that couldn't be aired on public broadcast.
So, it would be on a general programming channel.
Or a variety show being planned for the web.
A survival variety show where actors compete for the lead role in a movie invested in by GH Group.
And the fact that rumors were spreading meant that some places had already been contacted.
To find that information, reporters had no choice but to scramble.
"Seon-ah. Do you have any info?"
"I do."
"I figured you wouldn't... wait, what?"
At the senior reporter's words, Reporter Han Seon-ah of Sunyang Media made a V-sign with her fingers.
While pounding the pavement recently, she had picked up some information.
"The age range is roughly mid-to-late teens to mid-to-late twenties. It seems they're looking for a lead actress among that demographic."
"An actress? And the protagonist of the movie they're filming is set to be young?"
"Likely. It seems there are already a few who have directly requested to appear. Thanks to some loose-lipped actors who couldn't keep quiet."
There were a few actors whom GH Group had directly invited to appear.
Those actors were young stars who had recently generated a lot of buzz in movies or dramas.
In other words, they were the young, trending actors who would carry the future of the entertainment industry.
"I heard it's an action movie... did they just contact anyone?"
"For now, I suppose. They'll be dropped from the survival show if they don't have the skills anyway."
"Hmph, a stunt double will just do the action for them anyway..."
"They probably have no intention of doing that."
Dangerous stunts would be handled by stunt doubles, but it meant the lead actor would have to perform most of the action themselves.
That way, it could be filmed much more realistically and dynamically.
In other words, you could say they were going all out on the action.
"Gathering all the young trending actors... it sounds interesting, but can they afford it? Besides, wouldn't actresses avoid action?"
"That's probably why they're targeting young actors. Young actresses aren't in a position to be picky about roles."
"Aha."
In the first place, young or rookie actors were cheap.
Furthermore, since it was a survival variety show, the appearance fees would likely be fixed from the start.
The 'lead role' itself was the bait the actors would be fighting for.
If they weren't confident, they could just refuse from the beginning.
'But would young actors want to miss out on a spot where other trending actors are participating?'
Just participating was an opportunity to build a network.
And they would likely believe they were the best among their peers.
Actresses were said to avoid action, but by the same token, it was a great opportunity.
It was a rare chance to plant an image in the public's mind as an actress who works hard at action as well.
'This will be fun.'
Han Seon-ah wrote the article with a beaming smile.
A young, trending actor.
A place where any actor with ambition would have no choice but to participate.
Then, her own little star would surely be participating as well.
Ju Seo-yeon.
Han Seon-ah was already in a good mood at the thought of writing a new article.
*
"Action acting?"
Jo Seo-hee tilted her head at the offer to appear in a variety show that had come her way.
It was a bit awkward to say, but Jo Seo-hee had never done action acting.
She had never even appeared in an action movie to begin with.
"Why me?"
"It seems they've contacted all the actors in Seo-hee's age group who have some recognition."
"Aha."
A variety show being planned by GH Group.
She didn't know if it would be on a general programming channel or the web, but she had heard about the movie GH Group was investing a massive amount of capital into.
Any actor would covet that lead role.
'Besides, if it's a large-scale survival audition, rookies will practically be putting their lives on the line.'
Since it was a survival show, not only the actors who were directly contacted like this, but also a large number of unknown actors would try to participate. They would likely recruit them separately through online applications.
They were probably directly requesting appearances from actors who could generate buzz.
"You're going to refuse, right?"
Seo-hee's manager, Shin Yu-kyung, knew Jo Seo-hee's tendencies.
She didn't particularly like action acting, and Jo Seo-hee didn't really need to appear in this kind of variety show.
It seemed all the young trending actors had been contacted, but...
'Honestly, they're nowhere near Seo-hee's level.'
Shin Yu-kyung had that much confidence.
Jo Seo-hee's recognition wasn't something that could be compared to her 'peers.'
It was an insult to compare her to young actors who had just briefly flared up in popularity.
"I'll do it."
"Right, the refusal... wait, what?"
Shin Yu-kyung stared blankly at Jo Seo-hee.
Of course, Jo Seo-hee, whose mind was elsewhere, didn't notice Shin Yu-kyung's gaze.
'This is it.'
Recently, Jo Seo-hee had been occasionally talking with Lee Ji-yeon or Seo-yeon because of Gyeongseong Lady.
During those conversations, she had caught a glimpse of information about 'a certain variety show' that Seo-yeon had mentioned in passing.
'She's definitely going to be in it.'
Seo-hee felt a bit better.
She didn't particularly have the confidence or the intention to win the audition for that movie, but...
A chance to test her acting chemistry with Seo-yeon before the filming of Gyeongseong Lady.
Just thinking about it made her feel inexplicably good.