Chapter 135: High Society (3)
Chapter 135: High Society (3)
Low of JustX.
Even among the members of JustX, a group with an exceptionally high crime rate, his standing was unrivaled.
Later, he would shake the entire nation of South Korea with a drug scandal centered around the club he operated, 'Shine Moon.'
Even when other celebrities involved with him were swept up in the controversy, he was the only one released shortly after.
Seo-yeon remembered the community’s collective fury back then, which was why the memory remained so vivid.
Even without these nonsensical memories, I probably would have remembered him.
That was how representative the incident was within the entertainment industry.
"Ah, when is it? There’s still a bit of time left. We’re opening next week."
Next week.
That meant the club where the incident would eventually occur hadn't even opened yet.
So this is where he gathered people.
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes as she looked at Low.
Even in her past life, it was a place plagued by rumors of 'solicitation' and the like.
Naturally, Seo-yeon didn't look upon the people gathered there with any favor.
"What are you looking at?"
"Oh, it’s nothing."
Jo Seo-hee followed Seo-yeon’s gaze, scanned the room, and frowned when she saw Low.
She let out a faint sigh.
"It’s best not to associate with him if you can help it."
"Is that so? But JustX is a pretty popular idol group these days."
"They are. But the rumors aren't good."
Covering her mouth with her fan, Jo Seo-hee spoke in a low voice that only Seo-yeon could hear.
"…I heard Low is connected to the CEO of RY in many ways. There are rumors that RY’s capital went into the club he’s opening this time."
"How do you know things like that?"
"Hmph, I have my ways."
The way Jo Seo-hee smiled as she spoke made it clear she genuinely disliked Low.
Looking at her like this, she really didn't feel like someone Seo-yeon's age.
I wonder who Jo Seo-hee’s parents are?
Seo-yeon was starting to get curious.
By the looks of it, she wasn't just any silver spoon. To be invited to a place like this, she had to be the child of a prominent family.
She really is a villainess.
Seo-yeon nodded to herself.
No wonder she was so good at betrayal.
As Seo-yeon stared at Jo Seo-hee with that thought, she noticed the other girl flinch.
"W-Wait, why are you looking at me like that after I gave you a perfectly good answer?"
"…I was just thinking about what happened on the variety show."
"T-That was a v-variety show! A variety show!"
What Jo Seo-hee had done was certainly the kind of behavior that shone in variety programs.
Seo-yeon had no intention of criticizing her for it. In fact, the viewers had loved it.
But regardless of that.
It’s frustrating that I fell for it twice.
Having been caught twice while chasing after Min Do-ha, Seo-yeon felt like a beast lured in by bait.
As Seo-yeon glared with sharp eyes, Jo Seo-hee broke into a cold sweat.
It’s scary when you look at me like that!
She hadn't become famous as Cha Seo-ah for nothing.
Because the emotions felt through her appearance were strangely sparse, being stared at like that made one's heart drop.
Furthermore, since her beauty was beyond comparison, it felt even more inhuman.
I think I understand a little why people are scared of me.
Is this why they say empathy is important? Jo Seo-hee felt like she finally understood why others found her intimidating.
Anyway.
There are people from many different professions here besides celebrities.
There were internet streamers, and even athletes.
And among them, as Jo Seo-hee had warned, there were those who tried to approach Seo-yeon.
Snap!
However, they all flinched and backed away at the sound of a fan snapping open.
It seemed difficult for them to get past the barrier that was Jo Seo-hee.
Of course, there were those who could cross that wall of a fan.
"Oh, Seo-hee Unnie. You came?"
The host of this birthday party was a young girl.
Was she one year younger than them?
She was dressed very extravagantly and held a luxury bag in her hand.
"I thought you said you weren't coming."
"Things just turned out that way."
"And this person is… Ah! Cha Seo-ah?"
"This is Actress Ju Seo-yeon. She’s my… ahem. My f-friend."
As she said that, Jo Seo-hee glanced at Seo-yeon to gauge her reaction.
Seo-yeon simply looked back at her blankly without saying a word.
I guess it’s okay to call her a friend!
Thinking that, Jo Seo-hee felt secretly pleased.
"Hello. I’m Chae Min-young."
"Yes, hello."
Seo-yeon accepted her greeting calmly.
At that simple reaction, devoid of even a hint of surprise, Chae Min-young frowned.
"My parents currently run the Hyoyoung Group."
"Aha."
"…."
Seo-yeon just gave a small exclamation of admiration.
Chae Min-young’s brow furrowed at the mechanical response. It clearly wasn't the reaction she had expected.
"Don't do that."
Instead, Jo Seo-hee reacted with a shudder.
"It looks really tacky."
"Ugh! I-I just told her because I thought she might not know!"
Chae Min-young shouted back.
And then.
"U-Unnie, don't you ever expect to work with our group! I’m going to tell my dad everything!"
"Hmph, do whatever you want. Oh, I’m so scared."
At Jo Seo-hee’s snort in response to her threat, Chae Min-young trembled and turned her back… but she didn't leave.
She bowed politely to Seo-yeon before disappearing.
At least she has manners.
Had she said she was about to enter high school?
Perhaps because of that, Seo-yeon thought to herself.
"She’s a bit cute."
"…Her?"
With a face that asked, Is there something wrong with you?, Jo Seo-hee looked at Seo-yeon.
No, more importantly. You’ve never said anything like that to me.
"Ju Seo-yeon, you—"
Just as Jo Seo-hee was about to say something about it.
"Ah, we meet here."
Low, who had been busy promoting his club, approached the two of them.
He waved coolly, seemingly approaching for Seo-yeon rather than Jo Seo-hee.
"Is this the second time? Or the third?"
"I’m not sure."
And I don't care.
Low’s eyes narrowed slightly at the cold response, but they soon curved into a smooth smile.
"It must be fate. If you’re interested later, come by once."
He said as he held out a small business card.
It was a card with the address of <Shine Moon>, the club he was opening soon.
Jo Seo-hee’s eyes sharpened when she saw it.
"…Are you crazy? We’re minors."
"Huh? What. Really? I thought that was just your concept."
A concept?
Seo-yeon was secretly shocked.
She had often seen Jo Seo-hee being misunderstood, but this was the first time she had been treated that way.
"Ah, I’m not saying you look old. You just have that kind of aura, you know? I naturally assumed you were an adult."
He then glanced at Jo Seo-hee before leaning in to whisper to Seo-yeon in a low voice.
"And, being a minor doesn't necessarily mean you can't use the club. If you’re interested, you can let me know."
"…."
Seo-yeon narrowed her eyes at his words.
Low flinched for a moment under her gaze.
"Ah, I’m joking. Just a joke."
He said that and quickly vanished.
It seemed he felt there was no point in saying more with Jo Seo-hee standing right there.
"…He’s out of his mind."
Jo Seo-hee let out a hollow laugh as she watched Low walk away.
There are things you can joke about and things you can't.
A club for a minor?
Furthermore, since she was an actress, it sounded even worse.
It made one wonder if there was some ulterior motive.
"Just throw that away."
"Okay."
Seo-yeon looked at the Shine Moon business card in her hand.
Of course, she had no intention of just throwing it away as Jo Seo-hee suggested.
Who knew if there might be a use for it later?
And.
Seo-yeon saw Low approaching Chae Min-young and her group, who were standing a short distance away.
To say it was simply because he was an idol, Chae Min-young and her friends welcomed him with high-pitched squeals.
Fans?
That was the only way to interpret their reaction.
As she watched him talk to Chae Min-young with a kind smile, Seo-yeon’s eyes narrowed.
A strange unpleasantness.
A bizarre sensation that made the emotions inside her feel sticky.
The feeling of encountering a being fundamentally different from herself.
Loathing.
Yes, this was loathing.
Seo-yeon exhaled quietly as she watched him.
She had learned many emotions, but the one she felt today was exceptionally foul.
*
Nothing much happened at the party after that.
Meeting various people from high society was certainly a somewhat unique experience.
Also.
"Is there no way to talk to her?"
"Jo Seo-hee is right next to her, so…"
It was an opportunity to see just how much recognition she had.
In fact, there were many people who tried to approach Seo-yeon.
It was just that Jo Seo-hee brushed most of them off.
It made Seo-yeon wonder once again what kind of family Jo Seo-hee came from, seeing as everyone backed off with a single flick of her fan.
"It wasn't very helpful because she invited so many nouveau riche people. There are better parties sometimes."
Jo Seo-hee said on the way back.
"If the host is a celebrity, people from the industry come often."
She explained that these parties were often held to manage and build networks.
Not just birthday parties like this, but creating special occasions to enjoy themselves casually.
"Sometimes, you can do well and build a connection with someone high up. Well, not that it matters to you."
Still, she told Seo-yeon to let her know if she was ever interested.
Of course, Seo-yeon just nodded; she didn't particularly want to go to another one.
In any case, roles were coming in well enough without her having to do that.
Low of JustX.
Rather, that was what weighed on her mind.
The way he was contacting Chae Min-young.
She wanted to believe it wasn't the case, but seeing as he had given her a business card like that, one could never be sure.
…Should I tell Ji-woo Unnie?
For reference, the club Pyo Ji-woo had once cleared out single-handedly was even larger than 'Shine Moon.'
The reason that incident had become such an issue was that the club had as many as thirty guards.
If it was Pyo Ji-woo, who had broken through all of them to strike her target, she could probably put an end to this somehow.
Of course, that won't happen.
It was half a joke.
No matter what, you couldn't do that in modern society.
It would definitely end up on the news.
Anyway.
But I think I have a general idea.
Seo-yeon felt like she understood a bit of what the protagonist, Lee Yu-ju, would have felt in <Sky Garden>.
Her cynical nature.
And the loathing she felt toward others.
Perhaps that was how all those parents obsessed with academic prestige looked to her.
Including herself and her own parents.
Therefore.
"We will be doing the script reading today."
Seo-yeon held the script in her hand.
Today was the first script reading, and the gazes directed at Seo-yeon were sharper than usual.
As if to test the 'protagonist's' mettle.
My first lead role.
Seo-yeon’s grip on the script tightened.
She had taken on quite a few roles so far and felt she had delivered results beyond what was expected.
Villains, and supporting roles that were practically leads.
They were all roles with a certain amount of weight.
But in the end, she couldn't be called the 'protagonist' in the true sense of the word.
She had realized something at the party just now.
"If it’s Ju Seo-yeon, isn't she the one who played Cha Seo-ah?"
"Really? I watched The Chaser."
Generally, the Seo-yeon people remembered was still 'Cha Seo-ah.'
Jo Ha-rin from Dream Future was mentioned occasionally, but it was negligible compared to Cha Seo-ah.
Probably because Cha Seo-ah was the villain who drove the plot.
If one had to pick Seo-yeon’s representative work, everyone would still choose The Chaser.
Other works might actually be seen as secondary.
In that sense, Sky Garden is different.
The protagonist.
In fact, this was the place where Seo-yeon’s status as an actress would be truly tested.
And the pressure a protagonist received was incomparable to other roles.
If you fail, everyone dies.
That was essentially the look in their eyes.
And it was true.
If the readers or viewers cannot immerse themselves in the protagonist of any creative work, the work dies.
Only when one can immerse themselves in the role and make the viewers follow along can they be called a protagonist in the true sense.
"I’m sure you’ve all read it, but please film this as if you’re filming a thriller."
They should all be aware of the content.
Director Kim Il-soo said as he looked around the room.
"Atmosphere is important for this work. The tone of the acting must match that."
After saying that, he looked at Seo-yeon.
Seo-yeon, holding the script, looked almost serene.
A young actress.
Kim Il-soo did not doubt Seo-yeon’s acting ability.
He had seen too much to doubt it.
The younger actors seemed unhappy that she had been pre-cast, but he wasn't.
Of course, he would have been angry if an idol with no acting skills had been parachuted in like this.
But Seo-yeon was not that kind of actress.
And Ha Tae-oh, the current Director of the Drama Bureau, was not the type of person to make such an unreasonable demand.
The Director’s eye is accurate.
He was a man who had reached that position without a single failure.
And except for Seo-yeon, he had never pushed for a specific actor to be cast in a drama like this.
So, rather, he was looking forward to it.
To see what kind of acting Seo-yeon would show.
And.
"Shall we try Scene 17 first?"
"Yes, that sounds good."
"Hmm, I understand."
The one who answered Kim Il-soo was a middle-aged actress.
It was Actress Lee Mi-ran, who played the role of the mistress of the 'Lee Hyuk-soo household' and Lee Hyuk-soo’s wife in <Sky Garden>.
I heard her specialty is emotional acting.
Lee Mi-ran thought as she looked at the quiet Seo-yeon.
Perhaps it was a specialty that suited this role well.
When it was announced that she would be appearing in <Sky Garden>.
She had met with Actor Kim Dae-heon, who had appeared in The Chaser.
It was because she wanted to know about Seo-yeon, who had taken the lead role.
"You’ll get hurt if you take her lightly."
"I don't take her lightly."
"No, you’ll subconsciously think that way when you face her. First of all, she’s young, right? And her career isn't actually that long."
Ten years if you count her time as a child actor.
However, most of it was a hiatus, and she had only properly appeared in two works so far.
Looking at her career alone, one could harbor doubts about her skill.
But.
"You’ll know when you see her yourself."
Kim Dae-heon, famous for being a powerhouse actor, had stated firmly.
And, just as he had said.
"Whew."
Seo-yeon exhaled and lifted her head, which had been bowed.
Then, her calm eyes changed strangely.
No, the very aura around her shifted completely.
Everyone in the room for the script reading must have felt it.
Seo-yeon’s eyes, filled with a terrible loathing.
No, the person in front of them was no longer Seo-yeon.
It was the character she played.
'Lee Yu-ju.'
She stood before Lee Mi-ran.
Goosebumps erupted.
At that absurd transformation, Actress Lee Mi-ran couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
Because it was a transformation no young actress should have been capable of showing.