Chapter 90

Seoyeon had quite a few thoughts about the role of Joo Ha-rin, to be honest.

[Dream Future] was fundamentally about pairing people in twos as couples.

Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha.

Park Min-yul and Joo Ha-rin.

Ha Yoo-seong and Jin Hye-min.

In terms of structure, that was how it was. Among them, Joo Ha-rin’s storyline was particularly complex, and that complexity stemmed from her one-sided love for Kim Si-hwan.

“One-sided love, huh.”

Honestly, it was a feeling that Seoyeon found difficult to even guess at. Seoyeon still lacked a great deal in terms of emotional interactions with others.

Being unable to properly make friends probably had something to do with that. Just like with love, she couldn’t quite settle on a satisfactory definition of friendship either.

The only thing she could call a friendship was her long-standing connection with Jiyeon.

“But one-sided love…”

Seoyeon sat alone in the dimly lit living room, staring at the TV in deep thought. This had become routine ever since filming [Dream Future] began.

When she had free time, Seoyeon would intermittently watch romantic or love dramas. While [Dream Future] had eccentric and quirky characters, as stated on its website, it wasn’t a comedy.

It was, unequivocally, a coming-of-age romantic drama focused on the characters’ mental growth. The setting revolved around an idol audition and centered on six idols who were participating in the audition.

“I guess I just don’t get it.”

Empathy.

In the past, Seoyeon didn’t understand the importance of it, but recently she had begun to grasp it. To truly delve into method-acting rather than mere emotional mimicry, one must deeply empathize with the character.

In other words, a role that you can’t empathize with makes the method itself difficult from the start.

“Joo Ha-rin is a character that doesn’t necessarily require deep immersion.”

Right from the beginning, it was clear that the character was carefree and lively. If she simply acted purely and authentically, Seoyeon was confident she could do it well. Her performance in the previously aired ‘Web Promotion’ had received good reviews.

Even the cast and crew gave her a thumbs up during the first filming session. Perhaps this was because her acting stood out when compared to the other idols.

But.

Even though Seoyeon participated to improve her image, something still lingered in her heart.

“So.”

Park Jung-woo fiddled with the straw of his cold Americano and spoke.

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Yes.”

Staring blankly at Seoyeon, Park Jung-woo found her absurd response amusing.

‘Lacking awareness!’

Somewhere around the filming set’s café. Their meeting was a casual one, and they took care to remain unnoticed by others.

‘Does she not realize how incredibly dangerous this question is?’

If Jung-woo hadn’t known Seoyeon well, he might have misinterpreted her. Especially given that his own role in [Dream Future] was Kim Si-hwan, the object of Joo Ha-rin’s one-sided affection.

It was a somewhat risky question.

‘She’s this ignorant about such matters, huh.’

Sometimes Seoyeon was bewilderingly innocent. Over the years, Jung-woo had observed that this lack of knowledge shared a common theme when it came to emotions involving others: anger, jealousy, or even love.

Seoyeon sometimes acted as if she had no knowledge of such emotions. While anger and jealousy might’ve been understandable, love was a completely different matter, leaving even Jung-woo at a loss.

“Well.”

“No?”

“Do you understand how busy I’ve been until now?”

From a very young age, Seoyeon hadn’t attended school regularly but had been constantly working as a child actor. A continuous cycle of advertisements, dramas, and movie shoots.

Thus, she had barely interacted with people, save for the occasional actor colleagues.

Of course, there were younger actresses or idols who had approached Jung-woo, but…

“In that case, it might be too much to expect.”

“Huh.”

Jung-woo finally understood why Seoyeon had reached out to him. Among the people she knew, Seoyeon had the most acting experience out of anyone, besides Jung-woo. The others? Not so easy to reach.

As Seoyeon sat deep in thought, Jung-woo spoke up.

“Even if it’s too much for me, there is someone else who can answer your question.”

Seoyeon immediately understood who he meant.

“Someone you know.”

With that, Park Jung-woo briskly reached out to someone and began walking.

They returned to the broadcasting station after the day’s shoot and headed to the second floor, where they found a set.

It seemed like they were shooting an ad. And it was here that Seoyeon would meet…

“Actress Eun-seon Jeong.”

Upon hearing Seoyeon’s greeting, a woman turned around.

An elderly actress whose wrinkles were deeper than when Seoyeon had met her 10 years ago.

***

“Long time no see.”

Eun-seon Jeong nodded graciously, seeing how Seoyeon had grown up.

In a waiting room specially arranged by the staff, Seoyeon and Eun-seon faced each other.

Honestly, seeing Eun-seon again after such a long time, Seoyeon felt a stirring in her chest that she hadn’t experienced before.

“Tension.”

It was a feeling she had become aware of during her pubescent years, experiencing the full range of emotions.

“You seem even more age-appropriate now.”

“Is that so?”

Seoyeon didn’t quite understand. Jiyeon had also said something similar.

“You look like you’re aging in reverse.”

Instead of growing younger like before, Jiyeon mentioned that Seoyeon looked more mature now. In middle school and now as a high schooler…

Jiyeon, who once relied on Seoyeon for care, was now the one caring for her.

“But I think it’s for the better.”

Seoyeon also realized that.

So when asked if she ever found it bothersome, Jiyeon replied:

“You used to look like a perfect doll. But since middle school, you’ve definitely improved.”

It was during her tumultuous adolescent years that Seoyeon had really begun experiencing her emotions. Like a small boat rocking wildly on the emotional sea, she had made a lot of mistakes.

“Anyway…”

Jiyeon hesitated for a moment before continuing,

“Your thoughts are so much clearer to me now.”

“But is that…a good thing?”

“A good thing.”

Given their decade-long relationship, it was natural. Jiyeon said just that.

‘I see.’

Seoyeon understood what Jiyeon meant. Perhaps her doll-like demeanor from childhood had been influenced by her past life. The unfamiliarity with emotion in her past life had probably led her to wear a mask, trying to project a more “human” appearance.

But thanks to her loving parents, she didn’t need to simulate emotions as she had in her past life. If she hadn’t pursued acting, she might have continued wearing that mask much longer. However, through acting, Seoyeon became aware of her humanity.

Understanding emotions, and gradually accepting them during her teen years.

There were certainly some unchanging parts, but combined together, those parts formed the current Joo Seoyeon — someone who, though often slow in reacting, becomes extremely passionate once swept up by an emotion.

Seoyeon was quite fond of this current version of herself.

“I heard you’ve been having concerns about acting lately.”

“Yes?”

“Actor Park Jung-woo told me.”

Seoyeon wondered how he knew she had concerns about acting. She hadn’t directly asked anything about [Dream Future] — she had only slightly prodded the conversation.

Park Jung-woo, after all, had experience with romantic acting. She had watched his past work in teenage dramas, where his youthful romance performances had created a lot of buzz. She had quietly admired it and thus wanted to ask him directly.

Was it because he had experienced love that he could act it out so convincingly?

“Frankly, [Dream Future] doesn’t seem to require such deep emotional performances.”

Eun-seon Jeong calmly answered Seoyeon’s unspoken concerns.

“On the surface… yes.”

“Does it?”

To others, [Dream Future] might just seem like a comedy, especially with its elements of dance and songs.

But beneath all that, there was Joo Ha-rin’s internal struggles, embedded in the drama of acting and storytelling.

“In the past, I may have mentioned that method acting was required for deep emotional performances, but I’m sure this time it’s different.”

“…”

“I think what I’m saying comes from a genuine desire for you to improve.”

Method acting or emotional acting.

Seoyeon genuinely wanted to fully immerse herself into the role of Joo Ha-rin.

“First off, don’t rush yourself. There’s no need to.”

“Huh?”

“Of course, I haven’t seen much of your acting yet, Seoyeon.”

Since her work was still not widely released to the public.

“Still, observing you, you do have a bit of an ambitious streak.”

“That’s…”

“Though there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve, there’s also no need to rush.”

Eun-seon Jeong sincerely believed this. After ten years, Seoyeon was still young.

“Romantic acting. If you love, you’ll surely understand that deeply. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Love doesn’t always have to be beautiful, nor does it always follow the same form.”

If someone were to fall in love, but if it turned out they weren’t compatible, or if the relationship was initiated with malicious intent, even though it might have started as love, the outcome could be anything but happy.

“Experience doesn’t always help, though it might aid in understanding. It’s not the solution to everything.”

With this, Seoyeon looked at Eun-seon Jeong expecting some kind of next step.

“When you were younger, Seoyeon, you’ve already demonstrated remarkable emotional acting without needing method acting.”

From there, it’s a matter of slightly adjusting, shaping it to fit the ideal form.

As Eun-seon mentioned, Park Jung-woo’s acting reflected this.

“If and when you want to comprehend other feelings, your time will come.”

Even the kind of love Seoyeon seeks now…

Eun-seon smiled softly at Seoyeon.

After 10 years, to the girl who had finally become a human child.

“Perhaps all you need to do, Seoyeon, is to portray that imagination in your acting.”

And that, said Eun-seon, would be enough.

Even if the emotion is unfamiliar now, even if Seoyeon herself doesn’t fully grasp it yet, as long as she’s human, she will inevitably understand.

***

– Is the live simulcast of Dream Future happening?

– Yeah, so I heard!

– Is it like a variety show?

– Looks that way from the ads, lol.

The first episode of [Dream Future].

Particular scenes were already creating buzz online through the web promotion, capturing substantial attention.

The debut of Just X’s Yeon-woo in acting, combined with the involvement of actors Park Jung-woo and Joo Seoyeon, who were recent hot topics themselves, ensured the show was highly anticipated.

The intrigue was undeniable, though whether it was deeply serious or mere curiosity remained to be seen.

– Normally, previews are all it’s about.

– Honestly, we aren’t watching dramas to laugh, right?

– It’s not like it’s a sitcom or anything.

There was curiosity about what exactly would come next. How would the funny moments from the previews play out in the actual show?

The first part felt similar to the previews, reminiscent of early 90s drama sentiment.

– Actually, it’s not bad?

The individual stories of Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha entering the audition drew viewers into the narrative. Unlike raw unedited variety show footage, this video was carefully edited, creating a completely different feel.

– Park Jung-woo is definitely the real deal.

– When you take out the singing and dancing, the immersion works.

– Hmm… a little bland though.

The anticipated scenes didn’t exactly come, resulting in mixed reactions. Half appreciated it, half didn’t.

Then, after the two leads’ segments,

The spotlight shifted to the remaining four main players.

First up.

Seoyeon appeared on the TV screen.

Joo Ha-rin, arriving late to the audition, accidentally bumps into Kim Si-hwan.

Thus starting Joo Ha-rin’s act, and suddenly…

– Huh?

Audience reactions began to shift.

Not just comedy elements,

But a proper drama unfolding.

This was the moment when [Dream Future] started to hit its stride.

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