Chapter 170: A Young Dream (3)
Chapter 170: A Young Dream (3)
Lee Min-hyuk, the eldest son of the Lee Hyuk-soo family.
It was a role with as much weight as the protagonist, Lee Yu-ju.
Because of that, he frequently appeared in scenes alongside her.
"You... what did you do to Min-seo?"
Lee Min-hyuk spoke to Lee Yu-ju, who was sitting alone in the library, his breath heavy with suppressed rage.
"You should be quiet in the library."
Her voice was low.
She didn't even look at him.
Her gaze remained fixed on the book she was currently reading.
It was just an ordinary book, nothing to do with their schoolwork.
The fact that she even had the time to read such a thing felt like a blatant display of the gap between Min-hyuk and Yu-ju.
Of course, that wasn't necessarily the case, but for some reason, that was how Min-hyuk felt.
If it’s Lee Yu-ju, it’s possible.
Min-hyuk thought to himself.
And for good reason—most of Lee Yu-ju’s actions had a hidden purpose.
From provoking the other kids on the first day of school to starting to teach Min-seo about the portfolio.
Lee Yu-ju had even set conditions.
And she had done it right in front of him.
"Don't tell your parents until after the mock exams."
What was it she didn't want them to know?
It was obvious.
It was the portfolio of Lee Yu-ju’s older brother—the one she possessed. She was handing over the entire life record of a prodigy who had entered Baek-yeon University’s medical school at the top of his class to someone as stupid as Min-seo.
Why didn't she give me that warning?
Even if Min-seo kept it a secret from their parents, Min-hyuk could just tell them himself.
Had she not considered that?
No, did she actually think Min-seo would listen to her?
She knows.
Min-hyuk gritted his teeth.
She knew there was a watchdog who would prevent Min-seo from telling their parents.
And that watchdog was him.
If his parents found out that Min-seo was receiving help from Lee Yu-ju, all their attention would shift to Min-seo.
She knew he wouldn't let that happen.
Knowing that Lee Min-hyuk could never tell his parents, she had said those words to Min-seo right in front of him.
With that faint, fishy smirk on her face.
"Don't ignore me! Answer me right now!! Lee Yu-ju!!"
"Cut, cut, cut!"
At the sudden voice, Lee Min-hyuk—or rather, Kim Hyun-seok’s—concentration shattered.
Turning his head, he saw the director, Kim Il-su, shaking his head.
"Hyun-seok, it’s too much."
Kim Il-su approached Hyun-seok as he spoke.
"Wait, come over here. Let's have a talk."
As the director called him over privately, the other young actors swallowed hard.
The fact that he didn't resume filming immediately and called Hyun-seok aside meant there was something he was significantly dissatisfied with.
However, such occurrences weren't exactly rare on this set.
It happened frequently whenever someone filmed a scene with Lee Yu-ju—or rather, Seo-yeon.
She barely even has any lines.
At first, he had tried to tell himself she was just lucky.
He had thought that even after seeing The Chaser and Dream Future.
It was a desperate attempt at self-justification. To think he had tried to dismiss such acting as a fluke.
Reality was cold.
As is often the case with creative works, the audience rarely notices the fine details.
But from the perspective of an actor who has to work alongside them, the difference is painfully clear.
I can't do it, but my partner can.
Without stumbling over a single line, without letting her emotions waver.
The moment the acting began, Lee Yu-ju was already standing there.
Not the actress Ju Seo-yeon, but Lee Yu-ju.
How can she do that?
The moment that thought took hold, he began to falter.
Especially when it was an actor younger than him, or a peer, inferiority naturally began to well up.
It was only human.
It all came down to how well one could control it.
It depended on one's morality and character.
"Hyun-seok."
"Yes."
Under Director Kim Il-su’s quiet gaze, Hyun-seok’s shoulders stiffened.
Though he had been critiqued several times before, this was the first time he had been pulled aside like this.
"You're putting in too much strength."
"Strength?"
"Acting requires you to relax to a certain degree."
Take, for example, the emotional acting Seo-yeon primarily utilized.
It was similar to method acting, but ultimately focused on 'naturalness.'
By becoming the character herself, she aimed to express those actions and emotions naturally.
That alone was enough to make people applaud.
"Of course, there are times when exaggerated acting is necessary. But looking at the scene, it’s a static one."
Excessive emotion.
If one showed emotions that protruded sharply in such a static scene, the viewers would naturally feel it.
"The acting feels cringe-worthy."
At Kim Il-su’s blunt words, Hyun-seok’s face turned pale.
For Hyun-seok, who had always been praised for his acting, the director's words were almost terrifying.
"I don't think you were like this in other dramas."
He muttered, sighing as he looked at Hyun-seok.
He could guess the reason.
Just looking at the internet, there are tons of posts comparing them.
When appearing in a scene with the protagonist Lee Yu-ju—that is, Ju Seo-yeon—it was inevitable.
When two actors perform a scene together, the one who is lacking stands out even more.
To be honest, it wasn't even a scene that should have caused him to falter so much.
But Kim Hyun-seok was clearly conscious of Ju Seo-yeon.
And it showed in his acting.
"Don't look at things like the internet; just focus on your own acting. You're doing well enough, Hyun-seok."
Director Kim Il-su patted Hyun-seok on the shoulder and headed back to the set first.
Of course, Hyun-seok knew what the director meant.
He was telling him not to be nervous and to just do his own thing.
As if that’s possible.
Even if told not to look at the internet, how could he not?
People around him would naturally bring it up.
He could see them trying to be considerate.
They avoided the topic of the drama he was in.
Even his parents, who would usually chatter happily if he had a significant role, were the same.
Was he being compared that much?
Was he getting that much hate?
Once those thoughts started, he couldn't help but look.
"...How pathetic."
Hyun-seok let out a sigh with a self-mocking smile.
In the end, the words he had said during their first meeting had turned out to be nothing but nonsense.
Ju Seo-yeon was the real deal, and he was the fake.
A talented actor.
In the end, that talent was bound to fade in the light of an even greater one.
*
The atmosphere on set was restless.
Or rather, it was a bit contradictory.
Broadly speaking, the atmosphere was actually quite good.
The adult actors looked very encouraged by the drama's current performance.
"Seo-yeon, you're still in high school, right? I'm jealous. Man, I got so much flak when I was that age."
"I even had articles written about me. 'Are the young actors these days really okay?' like that."
"Ah, I remember that, I remember."
"You were in that with Yoon Jong-hyuk, weren't you?"
"That's right."
It was ironic how the actors who were criticized back then had grown up to be some of the most respected actors in Korea.
Among the cheerful actors, Lee Mi-ran—who played Gil Su-jin, the matriarch of the Lee Hyuk-soo family—looked at Seo-yeon with eyes practically dripping with honey.
"Seo-yeon is scary, I tell you. Whenever we have a scene together, I find myself paying extra attention."
"It's all thanks to you, senior."
"Oh, listen to her being so humble."
Seo-yeon gave a clumsy smile as Lee Mi-ran laughed, covering her mouth.
Is this okay?
The acting of the adult cast was receiving rave reviews.
With the viewership ratings doing well, it was only natural for them to react this way.
Of course, there were characters who were being criticized.
Mostly the villains or those whose acting was relatively lacking.
But even in those situations, there were no particularly dark shadows.
"Ah, I'm really lacking. Maybe I should join a theater troupe and practice."
"Stage acting and drama acting are different. I found that doing dramas on general programming channels actually helped. It’s like the tension in my neck finally relaxed?"
"Ah, I know exactly what you mean."
The actors chatted away.
When Seo-yeon left them and slipped back toward the younger actors...
Whoa, it’s dark over here.
Where had that initial bravado gone?
Many were depressed after being hit with a barrage of criticism.
Of course, there were those who were fine.
Like Park Se-jin, who played Lee Min-seo.
Then there was Han Seong-jin, the friend of Kim Hyun-seok, who was currently radiating the gloomiest aura.
And finally, Cha Na-hee.
"I don't have much screen time anyway, so I'm fine," Cha Na-hee said in a small voice. "And I know that feeling. I got criticized a ton."
"..."
"W-wait, I'm not saying anything against you, Seo-yeon!"
Cha Na-hee hurriedly waved her hands.
Regardless, Cha Na-hee didn't have many appearances at the moment.
Since Song Ga-yeon hasn't had her big scenes yet.
Her current role was just a student in the same class who frequently talked to Lee Yu-ju.
Someone who didn't know much about the portfolio and just wanted to be friends with her.
Because of that, Lee Yu-ju didn't understand Song Ga-yeon and was wary of her.
At least, up until episode 4, which was currently airing.
"Well, I think it's a good thing," Cha Na-hee said with a shrug. "It actually helps motivate you. It was like that for me, too."
Was it?
But Cha Na-hee was the type who did well because her own pride was so strong.
Thinking about it, her activities as a member of 'Summer Girl' were the same.
If one were treated so poorly by their company, it would be natural to lose motivation.
Yet, even though Cha Na-hee was leading Summer Girl alone while being treated like an outcast and not being on particularly good terms with her members...
Well, it was more like they were the ones unilaterally rejecting her.
Even so, Cha Na-hee was the one working the hardest.
In that regard, Seo-yeon thought Cha Na-hee was truly amazing.
"Of course, that's just my case... but still, it's better than having no worries at all."
"Is it?"
"Because it means they were that sincere about this job."
Sincerity.
Seo-yeon nodded slowly at Cha Na-hee’s words.
It felt like she was right.
Then, something suddenly occurred to her.
"Na-hee."
It was something she had recently heard from Sua.
"Was being an idol always your dream?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Now that she’d said it, it felt a bit embarrassing.
Asking someone what their dream was out of the blue made Seo-yeon’s face flush slightly, a rare occurrence.
"Yeah," Cha Na-hee answered nonchalantly. "I wanted to be an idol from the start. I work hard at acting, too, but the more things you can do, the better."
Idols had to act eventually, too.
Mostly in how they interacted with fans or the 'characters' they showed on variety shows.
She said she did acting because she thought it would help with that.
"So, there's something else I'm interested in lately~."
As she spoke, Na-hee glanced at Seo-yeon.
She had become quite close with the 'Wizard'—or rather, Han Da-young—who had come in as a voice trainer while working on the Sky Garden OST.
"Well, I don't know about that yet."
"I see."
"Yeah. But why the sudden question about dreams?"
"...It's nothing."
Na-hee found Seo-yeon’s reaction strange.
Why ask that all of a sudden?
As she wondered, she suddenly thought of Seo-yeon’s character, Lee Yu-ju.
"Lee Yu-ju is definitely a pitiful character."
"Is she?"
"Of course, the goal Lee Yu-ju is currently chasing is one she set for herself. I think that's impressive... but I don't know if it's what she really wanted to do."
What she really wanted to do.
At those words, Seo-yeon tilted her head slightly.
For some reason, her mind felt cluttered.
"What do you think about me?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Seo-yeon shook her head.
That was something she had to decide for herself, not someone else.
*
The following week.
Episodes 3 and 4 of Sky Garden aired, and the viewership ratings rose slightly to 12 percent without any significant drops.
It wasn't as dramatic a rise as the first week, but it was a solid performance.
For reference, its rival, Grand Game, was cruising along at 16 percent.
It hadn't risen further, but there were no signs of it dropping either.
However...
The reactions themselves felt a bit sharper than usual.
Not necessarily bad, but not exactly glowing either.
"Seo-yeon, Su-yeon went to play with a friend today. She should be at the playground, could you go pick her up?"
"Okay."
"Thanks, sweetie~!"
Seo-yeon gave a faint smile at the sight of Sua giving her a thumbs-up.
Lately, Sua seemed to be in a very good mood.
Specifically, since Seo-yeon started filming Masked Singer.
Sua wasn't usually one to watch variety shows.
She only watched them regularly if Seo-yeon was on them.
But in the case of Masked Singer, she had been watching it faithfully even before that.
It started when Gray Crow appeared, right?
It seemed to be around that time.
Well, Gray Crow was a good singer.
She was currently a powerhouse close to entering the Hall of Fame.
...Surely I won't win in the semi-finals.
For the record, Seo-yeon was hard at work preparing a new song with Summer Girl and the Wizard.
She couldn't exactly sing a Summer Girl song again, so choosing a song was difficult from the start.
Then.
"Ah, I like this song. What do you think?"
"Huh? Oh, it's good. But it might be a bit hard to sing?"
"I thought this one didn't have many high notes."
Unfortunately, Seo-yeon wasn't skilled enough to hit very high notes.
Her strength lay in songs where she could bring out the emotion.
It helped that she had looked up songs by a certain singer after enjoying a song she’d heard from Lee Ji-yeon previously.
"Senior Yeo-hee’s songs are great. I recommend this one too."
"Really? That's a relief."
And so, Seo-yeon decided on a song by Yeo-hee for the semi-finals.
"Unnie!!"
As she walked along lost in thought, Su-yeon, who had been playing in the sand, came running toward her.
"You'll get hurt if you fall while running like that."
"It's okay! Su-yeon is strong!!"
Su-yeon said, throwing her arms up in the air.
...She is pretty strong.
Her little sister didn't seem to have the same monstrous physical strength as her, but she never got sick and was a very healthy, sturdy girl.
"Unnie, I was playing with a friend. Can she come with us?"
"Sure, I don't mind."
As she spoke, she turned her head and saw a young girl approaching them a bit later.
The girl looked incredibly shocked to see Seo-yeon.
And the moment Seo-yeon saw the girl, she couldn't help but freeze as well.
After all, she was the girl who had gotten an autograph from her at the Dream Future fan meeting.