episode_0070

After a long and exhausting preparation period.

The day of the reading for dawned.

And today, Seo Eisu was reunited with a quite pleasant acquaintance.

“Have you been well, Seo Eisu?”

“I’m always doing well. But more importantly, I was so surprised to hear that Han Seonyul is also appearing in this project.”

Han Seonyul.

The actor who had starred alongside Oh Gyeongbae in , surprisingly found himself working on together.

“Well, I’m just playing a minor supporting role.”

Although Han Seonyul downplayed it, in reality, it was not just a minor achievement.

Since was not your average mainstream commercial film, but a project led by Hong Geunsik.

Either being recognized for their own career like Seo Eisu and being offered a role.

Or being one of the fierce warriors who triumphed in auditions, only they could secure a place in the project.

Han Seonyul belonged to the latter category.

It’s easy to imagine how much he must have struggled, without even an agency, to finally secure his place in .

Seo Eisu was not one to dwell on such things.

But just being able to work with Han Seonyul, someone he could trust and rely on, was enough to genuinely feel happy.

“It’s really great, Han Seonyul. I’ll be counting on you for this project as well.”

“Of course. And thanks for giving me a ride to the reading.”

The two actors rode in the car driven by Shin Jiho, heading to the reading together.

On the way, Han Seonyul subtly felt his emotions stirring.

He glanced briefly at Seo Eisu, who was chatting excitedly.

‘Now we’re finally working on the same project again.’

It’s not the same level of participation.

Seo Eisu is a supporting role.

And Han Seonyul is a step lower, a minor supporting role.

But despite that, they were able to be in the same project, in the same space.

‘Back then, after the confession at Gavi.’

During that six-month period.

Han Seonyul had worked really hard.

‘I knew it since . Seo Eisu, he’ll rise quickly.’

He was confident.

Not just Han Seonyul, but anyone who had worked on together would have had a similar conviction or premonition.

That Seo Eisu would rise quickly.

‘Even though there was that embarrassing confession… But still, that memory is a reminiscence for me. It’s also a milestone.’

So Han Seonyul hoped.

That he wouldn’t just look at Seo Eisu’s back.

That he would quickly stand by his side as a colleague and move forward together.

He made that decision.

And after all his efforts, he had come this far.

His heart couldn’t help but swell.

“Anyway, the reward vacation was really enjoyable.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, yeah. It would have been nice if you had come with me, Han Seonyul.”

“Haha.”

Han Seonyul looked at Seo Eisu teasingly with a pleased heart.

“Oh, by the way, there was this girl, Lee Hyunseong. Well…”

Until the story about Lee Hyunseong came up, he could maintain that warm feeling.

“What?”

“You didn’t catch that? Lee Hyunseong tried to touch my head, so I firmly put a stop to it.”

“Well, what’s next?”

“Oh, that. I’m a clearly principled actress. So, I gave a strong warning in case anything inappropriate happened. I told her not to ask you out like Han Seonyul.”

“You, you, you. What on earth are you doing?”

“Han Seonyul. Why are you doing this?”

Seo Eisu innocently asked.

It was clear that he had no idea how serious his mistake was.

Confessing to someone and getting rejected.

Getting a slap in the face as a result.

And the psychological pain of having that embarrassing incident exposed to all the staff the next day…

“Ah, she’s that kind of woman. Her.”

Han Seon-yul could remember how strange of a woman Seo Yi-soo was after a long time.

He could recall the real Seo Yi-soo, not the idealized memories from the past.

How ridiculous must have Lee Hyeon-seong felt for eavesdropping on someone else’s embarrassing past.

How… pitifully he must have viewed me.

Thinking about it made Han Seon-yul feel suffocated.

The sense of accomplishment from achieving his goal quickly vanished.

Instead, an indescribable sense of desolation took its place.

He fixed a calm gaze on Seo Yi-soo.

“You, really, are a bad woman.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just wait and see. I will definitely get my revenge.”

“Huh! Why are you doing this to me?”

“Don’t know why?!”

He wouldn’t let it go.

This time, he would chew her up and spit her out with his acting.

Han Seon-yul firmly resolved to seek revenge.

The naive affection he once held for Seo Yi-soo during had completely disappeared from his mind.

***

As Han Seon-yul vowed for revenge,

Seo Yi-soo arrived at the reading room wondering why Han Seon-yul was so angry with her.

New actors should always be the first to arrive on set.

That was the opinion of their manager, Shin Ji-hoo.

The two actors arrived at the reading room an hour earlier than scheduled.

So, they thought there wouldn’t be anyone else there.

But when they opened the door and entered, they were greeted by a cheerful voice.

“Hello! I’m rookie actress Bae So-yoon! Nice to meet you!”

A high-pitched voice.

It was a woman.

Surprised by the sudden greeting, Seo Yi-soo and Han Seon-yul turned to look in her direction.

Han Seon-yul’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Are you by any chance So-yoon from ‘My Girls’?”

“Oh… you recognize me. Yes, senior.”

“Oh, don’t call me senior. We’re all rookie actors here. Besides, if we count your idol career, So-yoon is actually our senior.”

“No, Han Seon-yul debuted as a child actor.”

“Child actors don’t count as experience in this industry.”

From what they heard, Bae So-yoon was an active idol.

Although she was a musician, she had dreams of challenging herself as an actress.

Han Seon-yul said, “Let’s just get along. Honestly, in terms of popularity, So-yoon would do the best here.”

“Really? Okay, then.”

Coincidentally, all three of them were the same age, 20.

They decided to be friends and get along.

A quite friendly atmosphere.

But amidst all this, Seo Yi-soo, with a bright smile, kept nodding her head from time to time.

“Go ahead and take your seats. I’ll stay here and greet the other seniors when they arrive.”

“Okay.”

And as they finally left Bae So-yoon at the entrance and walked away,

“Hey, Han Seon-yul. Do you know who that is?”

“Huh? Why?”

“What is an idol?”

Finally, Seo Yi-soo spoke up.

Bae So-yoon mentioned she was an active idol, and Seo Yi-soo didn’t know what that meant.

Shin Ji-hoo firmly instructed Seo Yi-soo to just keep quiet and smile and nod if she didn’t understand something during a conversation with others.

Seo Yi-soo faithfully followed Shin Ji-hoo’s instructions once again.

And Han Seon-yul now knew how ignorant Seo Yi-soo was.

He didn’t know the exact reason, but he didn’t find it strange since he had heard something vaguely from Shin Ji-hoo.

“Oh… you didn’t know about idols.”

So he casually explained about idols to her.

“I see. So, it’s like a troubadour.”

“A troubadour? It’s not entirely wrong. Do you play games these days?”

Anyway, that’s how it was.

Seo Yi-soo and Han Seon-yul chatted as they entered the room.

But then…

“Unlucky.”

A small voice seemed to whisper in Seo Yi-soo’s ear.

Seo Eisu was taken aback! She turned around in surprise.

It was Bae Soyun.

She glared at Seo Eisu with piercing eyes, but as their eyes met, she quickly turned her head away.

“….”

Seo Eisu was sensitive to others’ emotions.

For some reason, she couldn’t understand, but she couldn’t help but notice that Bae Soyun didn’t like her very much.

And Seo Eisu was also easily frightened.

Facing someone else’s sharp emotions, Seo Eisu, who had been excitedly chatting away, suddenly shrank back.

“Seo Eisu? Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?”

“Oh, it’s nothing….”

Seo Eisu found her seat, looking visibly deflated.

***

“Such bad luck.”

Bae Soyun sharply glared at Seo Eisu.

She was in a very bad mood.

Using the excuse of going to the restroom, she quickly left the reading room.

Then she told her manager.

“Oppa. I’m sorry, but I’m going to sit in the car for a bit. Give me the keys.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Seo Eisu is so annoying. What’s wrong with her? What? Is she an idol? Joking?”

The spot where Seo Eisu and Han Seonyul were talking and where Bae Soyun was standing was quite a distance apart.

They weren’t close enough to hear every word of their conversation, but they were close enough to catch some keywords.

And that’s why Bae Soyun could catch one of the words Seo Eisu had said.

Idol, what is she?

There was no one in South Korea who didn’t know what an idol was.

And the fact that such a topic was brought up in a reading room where actors gathered was very clear in its intention.

As a rookie actor from an idol background, Bae Soyun had felt discrimination, disdain, and distance on set without even realizing it, so she thought it was clear why Seo Eisu had said such words.

“Idols aren’t actors, right? Why is some random person who isn’t even an actor at a reading room? Seriously.”

The manager who received the information also stiffened.

“Seo Eisu. She seemed so kind and innocent. That’s why you shouldn’t trust the entertainment industry at face value.”

For the first time in a long time, Seo Eisu’s oddity and lack of common sense had caused a serious misunderstanding.

“Seriously, I find it funny. She’s just a case that briefly shone in one or two works. Well, she didn’t even shine, to be honest.”

The manager grumbled.

Half of it was a sarcastic comment to soothe his frustrated celebrity’s mentality.

“I don’t even know if Seo Eisu is a good actress. But she’s hogging a supporting role in . And now she’s hooked on a Hong Geun-sik’s work? Really? Isn’t she sponsored or something?”

It was baseless slander, but whatever.

In the world of gossip, even the king is involved.

Rumors spread easily as if they were the truth.

But Bae Soyun’s eyes widened at those words.

“Oppa, are you kidding me?”

“Huh?”

“Sponsorship is nonsense. Seo Eisu is just working hard and appearing in projects because she’s a good actress. Don’t say such things, seriously.”

“I was just trying to cheer you up….”

“Do I look so low that you need to cheer me up with that kind of talk? Do you still not know me? And Seo Eisu. She may be unlucky, but she’s a good actress. You don’t even know that.”

“Oh, uh…. Sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Study a bit, oppa. You’re not just an idol manager anymore. You’re an idol and actor manager. How can you not have an eye for acting?”

Bae Soyun was a strong-willed woman.

Once she started lecturing, she didn’t know when to stop.

And until today, she had been a fan of Seo Eisu’s acting.

“I’m sorry…. I really messed up.”

Even though she had tried to belittle Seo Eisu, the manager, who had a fundamentally good nature, lowered his head gloomily with a quick voice.

“Ugh. Fine. I didn’t say that for my sake. Lift your head up. Oppa, are you crying?”

“I’m not crying…”

“Don’t cry. Sniff!”

By this point, it becomes clear.

Starring the great actor Hong Geun-sik, the genius director Choi Da-woon.

And the up-and-coming rookie Han Sun-yul, who tirelessly strives to find her place, along with the fiercely charismatic but meticulously caring Baek So-yoon.

From the blockbuster to the dragon herself, Seo Ee-soo, this project involves them all.

However, this production is not expected to go smoothly.

As time passes amidst anticipated challenges,

Regardless of how much Baek So-yoon may have a grudge against Seo Ee-soo,

And regardless of how much Seo Ee-soo may be disheartened,

As the minute and hour hands tick by, new actors reveal themselves.

And eventually, when every seat at the long rectangular table in the reading room is filled.

“Actor Hong Geun-sik has arrived!”

“The director is coming in!”

The key figures of the production, , make their appearance.

The reading, which can be considered the prelude to the battle, has begun.