Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: They'll Probably Only Last a Day
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Suddenly, that same little kid from before popped up(?).
At the appearance of the kid who had called him 'mister' for the first time in his life,
Lee Seong-min felt his already hazy mind from the heat grow even dizzier.
'Ah... no, why is this little rascal suddenly here...? What is her mom doing? Leaving a child alone like this... Huh?'
In that moment, a certain fact suddenly came to mind.
From their first meeting, the kid had given him a bad impression, but separately from that, Lee Seong-min belatedly remembered who this child's mother was.
Chae Soo-jeong.
The person he had personally tried to cast last time but failed to even speak to.
The fact that this child was here now meant Chae Soo-jeong the actress was likely nearby as well.
With just one more simple scene to shoot after this and a bit of a break in the schedule afterward, Lee Seong-min thought he might have a chance to accomplish what he failed last time.
And so, shaking off his heavy fatigue and pulling himself together once more, Lee Seong-min asked the little kid who had been staring at him with a strange expression.
"Um... have you been well, little miss? It's dangerous to wander around alone like this. Where's your mom?"
Lee Seong-min asked with a handsome smile that could make any woman swoon.
Even though the other party was a child, this smile had once instantly stopped his infant niece from crying, so he was confident it would easily win over even this prickly little brat.
"Not telling."
"..."
Of course, life doesn't always go as planned...
Another unexpected blow landed, making his throbbing nape ache even more.
"Ahem... Come on, won't you tell me? This big brother is worried. I'll take you to your mom, so can you tell me where she is?"
"Don't worry, mister. I came with that sister over there."
"...Huh?"
Lee Seong-min turned his gaze in the direction the kid pointed.
Right away, he could only stare that way with a slightly puzzled expression.
There was a woman lightly waving at him while chatting casually with some familiar staff members.
Ha Yu-ra.
Why was that woman here? As Lee Seong-min wondered, he began to notice some odd things in his view of Ha Yu-ra.
"Why is she like that? Why are her legs wrapped up?"
"Sister twisted her ankle earlier. Playing soccer."
"Huh? Soccer? What does that have to do with anything...?!"
In that instant, something flashed in Lee Seong-min's mind.
One of the currently popular variety shows,
not just any variety, but sports...
sports where female celebrities played soccer (written as soccer, but basically futsal).
Its name was...
"...Soccer Girl? She got like that filming that?"
"Yeah. Bumped into some sister."
"Ah..."
Hearing the story up to there, Lee Seong-min roughly understood the situation.
'Come to think of it, there's an indoor futsal court right next door, huh? No wonder I saw vehicles from other stations...'
Feeling a strange curiosity, Lee Seong-min started thinking he should wrap up filming quickly and go check it out.
Such was Lee Seong-min, and Chae Seon-hwa looking up at him with a peculiar expression.
Meanwhile.
Watching those two,
someone hiding inside a pillar alternated glances between the clock and their faces with growing impatience.
'Now... just a little longer...'
*
SBC's variety show Soccer Girl.
It started as a simple concept of what if idol female singers played soccer, but now it had exploded in unexpected popularity, expanding its world massively.
Not just singers, but even famous actresses from rival stations were cast, forming six soccer teams and holding a full league.
Among them, teams with the worst records or unable to continue due to players' circumstances were eliminated, and vacancies filled with guest invites to reform the teams. That's how Soccer Girl operated.
This had brought a huge number of female actresses onto the show,
and now, any female actress with some recognition had to make at least one appearance on Soccer Girl as a rite of passage.
Of course, those who were good at soccer got promoted to regulars.
And right now,
the captain of one of Soccer Girl's six teams, FC Wyverns,
a 30-something actress with a fairly tall stature for a woman, a well-trained muscular build, and a somewhat masculine appearance.
Known among the public by the nickname 'Big Sis,'
Yeo Hyo-min was watching the two in front of her with a subtle expression.
"Long time no see. Please take care of me today, Senior Yeo Hyo-min."
"Yeah. Run hard today."
Ha Yu-ra, the actress greeting her politely.
Watching her elegant demeanor, as if attending an upper-class banquet rather than playing soccer, Hyo-min nodded and returned the greeting, but...
Separately, her gaze toward Yu-ra held no trust whatsoever.
'I get the rough circumstances... but I can't expect much skill from her, can I?'
Ha Yu-ra, who had appeared in an SBC drama last year and even won an excellence award, had deep ties with SBC.
And now, she had achieved massive success with ZTVC's drama The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
It would have been better if it was an SBC drama, but regardless, the Soccer Girl production team couldn't pass up an actress whose popularity had skyrocketed and who had connections here.
With the timing perfect as some players dropped out due to schedules.
As a result, Ha Yu-ra had joined Soccer Girl at SBC's invitation, but...
Regardless of the circumstances, to Yeo Hyo-min, who was deadly serious about soccer, this recruitment based purely on fame just meant one more burden added.
'I was hoping for someone who could actually contribute to the team... but she looks completely disconnected from kicking a ball.'
Having experienced this many times before, Hyo-min quickly analyzed and was already half in resignation mode.
Her gaze then shifted to the woman standing quietly behind Ha Yu-ra...
Honestly, someone who looked even less reliable than Ha Yu-ra.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Chae Soo-jeong."
"Yeo Hyo-min, as introduced. Nice to meet you."
"Speak comfortably. You're way my senior."
"Hmm, is that so? Alright, then take care of me today."
If Ha Yu-ra gave off the vibe of an upper-class lady, Chae Soo-jeong exuded the image of a refined noblewoman.
She looked light-years away from soccer, but separately from that, Yeo Hyo-min felt a bit of curiosity toward Chae Soo-jeong herself.
'That person... the actress who played Han-seo? Looks like Ha Yu-ra brought her along.'
She had really enjoyed the drama The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
The most standout character there was naturally the lead, Han-seo... the Queen Dowager.
A unique, high-difficulty role with multiple shades.
Though Yeo Hyo-min hadn't fallen under Han-seo's 'deceptive' charm like some women and gotten emotionally wrecked, as a fellow actress, she highly rated the acting skill.
Of course, separate from Chae Soo-jeong's acting prowess, she had zero expectations for her soccer contribution.
'Didn't notice in the drama due to the makeup, but up close, she has quite the chest. That's gotta be a disadvantage in sports.'
Size-wise, Hyo-min wasn't far behind surprisingly, but hers suited the term 'pecs' more.
Her shoulders broad like a man's, her body made of muscle not fat.
In contrast, Chae Soo-jeong had what you'd call the 'ideal woman's figure,' so it was easy to imagine the issues when running.
Sports bras existed, but even so, that size would probably be quite uncomfortable.
Analyzing Chae Soo-jeong coldly as a fellow 'soccer girl' rather than a celebrity, Yeo Hyo-min could easily picture what lay ahead.
'Both of them... probably gone after today.'
It was a variety show, but Soccer Girl decided survival and elimination strictly on merit.
That was exactly why viewers loved this simple program.
In that regard, Yeo Hyo-min was certain Chae Soo-jeong's lifespan here would be as short as Ha Yu-ra's, who came with her.
'Well, for her, it's probably more about interviews than soccer anyway. Terrestrial airtime is merit enough.'
For rookie Chae Soo-jeong, the chance to show her face on terrestrial TV held value in itself.
Plus, SBC, which had roped her into this, likely had keen interest in the mysterious newbie suddenly blowing up.
Of course, neither Yeo Hyo-min nor SBC expected her to last long on Soccer Girl.
Meanwhile,
separate from Yeo Hyo-min, who held zero expectations,
the very woman who had come here...
Chae Soo-jeong was approaching this with deadly serious resolve.
'Soccer Girl... I watched it sporadically in my past life, but who would've thought I'd end up on it myself.'
Women's soccer was inherently low-level by nature.
Especially with non-pro athletes like celebrities.
But regardless of the level, watching them sincerely give their all kicking the ball made you want to cheer for them earnestly at some point.
Not wanting to let that passion down,
Chae Soo-jeong had resolved to go all out in today's shoot.
Of course, this was influenced not a little by her past life's dedication to soccer, showing up religiously to morning games until a week before dying.
'Haven't had much chance to kick a ball while raising Seon-hwa. Time to run and feel good for once.'