Chapter 125

*Hyper Action Star* had an impact that surpassed expectations.

Although Seoyeon’s action scenes were impressively out-of-the-box, the final twist delivered by Seohui Jo added a fresh layer of enjoyment.

– Haha, Jo Seohui betrayed her there.

– Weren’t they friends?

– Prioritize survival first, then we can talk about friendship later.

With such online reactions, Jo Seohui believed her actions weren’t wrong, especially since widespread approval came from most internet communities.

Seoyeon was indeed strong, but her over-exertion led some to question, “Is this why auditions have any meaning?”

Such was her overwhelmingly dominant performance that questions began to arise.

However, the betrayal thrown in by Jo Seohui at the end proved that even Sooyeon Joo wasn’t invincible.

In fact, the PD of *Hyper Action Star*, Lee Ki-tae, remarked:

“Ms. Seohui, you were truly amazing. The production staff was all genuinely impressed.”

He had personally complimented her to that extent.

*Honestly, I didn’t plan to betray her in the first place.*

Jo Seohui hadn’t initially intended to betray. Supporting Seoyeon adequately already felt satisfying.

Besides, she wasn’t overly set on passing the audition anyway.

It seemed like just a taste test, and acting alongside Seoyeon would be enjoyable.

In reality, despite the brief time, it turned out to be somewhat entertaining to perform together with Seoyeon.

However…

Jo Seohui realized: This is a variety show. If one person overpowers, there will inevitably be complaints about *Hyper Action Star*, and perhaps even unfavorable remarks about Seoyeon herself.

Being too dominant can actually lower the ratings since it closes the narrative.

Thus, Jo Seohui wanted to give Seoyeon a slight edge of relatability—perhaps a humanizing element—and decided this kind of twist would make it more interesting as a show, which made her not regret the betrayal.

“Yeah, I don’t regret it, but…”

Jo Seohui: “Excuse me, Ms. Sooyeon, are you there?”

Sooyeon: (Read)

Jo Seohui: “If you’ve read it, could you not reply at least?”

Sooyeon: (Read)

Jo Seohui: “Excuse me?”

Sooyeon: (Busy emoji)

Incidentally, before the *Hyper Action Star* filming, there had been proper replies from Seoyeon. However, after filming, there weren’t any proper replies anymore. When replies did come, they were just casual “hmm” emojis.

Jo Seohui realized.

“She’s upset…”

It felt like all the effort to build goodwill had fallen flat.

Was it like being back to square one? Surely, it wasn’t that exaggerated, was it?

Still, she couldn’t be sure since she had never actually seen Seoyeon get angry.

“Should I apologize?”

Of course, apologizing would be the fastest way. But whether Seoyeon would accept it was a different story.

She might dislike it altogether. It was, after all, a sound judgment for a variety show.

Seoyeon had clearly understood this as her sour-faced attitude was already quite evident.

Seoyeon was thorough in this aspect. Saying “I’m sorry” might simply lead to confusion.

Then, if not apologizing, how could she soothe the situation? Jo Seohui racked her brains.

Thus…

“Why are you always waiting like that every time?”

Lee Jiyeon said, sounding puzzled. Just visible near the school gate was an expensive luxury car that students were curiously observing.

And in front of that car stood someone even more dazzling than the fancy car itself.

“Are you here?”

The air of superiority in her tone amused Jiyeon now.

Compared to Seoyeon’s longer jet black hair, this individual sported somewhat shorter, shiny tresses. Her pale skin and a small beauty mark beneath her eye made her look somewhat sharp.

Whereas Seoyeon’s strong presence came from her overwhelming gaze and lack of emotion, Jo Seohui was a little different. Her sharp eyes, authoritative expression, and regal aura made for a strikingly different persona—one that resembled characters from famous horror comics.

In short, she was someone difficult to approach due to her striking appearance.

‘This too must be the aura of an actress, I suppose.’

Jiyeon sighed. The glaring talent and the gap between them.

Jiyeon couldn’t help but feel the clear disparity.

Compared to Seoyeon who tended to be subtle in her display, Jo Seohui broadcasted her superiority, making it hard to ignore.

“Is it because of Seoyeon?”

“Uhh, hmm! It’s somewhat similar. You, you have great observation skills.”

What observation? Jiyeon had also watched the latest episode of *Hyper Action Star*. She noted how Seohui dramatically betrayed Seoyeon at the finale.

Seoyeon complained and sulked when talking with Jiyeon back at school, but Jiyeon remembered the incident.

“She’s not replying to my messages…”

“Not replying?”

“Just this emoji indicating she’s busy…”

Jo Seohui fidgeted as she spoke. So, she hadn’t thought about the backlash when betraying at the audition?

“Well, of course you did! That’s why you’re here for some advice, right?”

At Jo Seohui’s statement, Jiyeon remembered Seoyeon from school. Despite appearing slightly annoyed, Seoyeon didn’t outright ignore her.

On the contrary…

“I think what Seohui did made the show more popular.”

“Really?”

“Yes. After watching the broadcast, even I noticed my lines increased dramatically.”

Seoyeon said this while munching on a sandwich. Avoiding bullets, deflecting them, and such impactful scenes were all quite good.

However, most of the focus remained centered on Seoyeon, even though the audition format was supposed to showcase various performances from other actors.

“Didn’t anyone else besides Seoyeon do any acting? Isn’t that pretty natural?”

Next to Seoyeon, Jiyeon now understood such dynamics effortlessly. Other actors fixated on scoring points, treating it like a survival game without focusing on acting.

By that point, Jiyeon had realized:

“Points are bait.”

If the focus was solely on the shooting, naturally, one couldn’t deliver a proper performance. Hence, among the 20 contestants, only a few stood out: Sooyeon Joo, Seohui Jo, Hansoyou, and Min Do-ha.

Seoyeon and Seohui were naturally mentioned, while Hansoyou and Min Do-ha left distinct impressions with their respective performances: Hansoyou with superpower-themed actions alongside Seoyeon; Min Do-ha with her thrilling escape scenes that resembled a suspense thriller.

“…Is it truly acting?”

To be honest, Seoyeon seemed slightly frightening at times. It was hard to tell if it was acting or real…

Anyway, these four were currently the hottest topic in online communities.

“Will you listen if I ask you not to ignore me?”

“I am listening.”

“Definitely not! You were thinking about something else!”

Seohui tugged at Jiyeon’s collar, frustrated.

Anyway, due to Seohui’s loud voice, both had moved to a nearby café.

“Can you lower your volume a bit?”

“Okay.”

When Jiyeon subtly glared, Seohui shrunk back cautiously.

‘Is she just pretending at school?’

Despite Jiyeon calling Seohui’s appearance sharp and authoritative, the reality was opposite.

Jiyeon looked more commanding. Seohui considered herself more like a cute cat.

In comparison, Jiyeon seemed more like a stray alley cat, capable and strong.

‘Still, how does she have so many friends?’

It was strange. How could such a seemingly intimidating person have many friends? Could they just be a gang or something?

“Is there any way to make Sooyeon happy? Or something she likes?”

“Likes?”

At this question, Jiyeon indeed thought of something. Seoyeon’s YouTube playlist always featured certain types that she regularly checked and was deeply related to.

“Besides, Seoyeon hasn’t shown any significant likes or dislikes lately.”

Seoyeon had a relatively calm personality. She rarely exhibited hatred for anything and didn’t express much affection for specific items.

“Hmm…”

“Why are you acting like that?”

Jiyeon studied Seohui’s expression. Acting aside, her personality and content seemed okay. If Jiyeon helped with the contents, that would work.

“Do you really want Sooyeon to calm down?”

“Huh? Well, obviously, right?”

Frankly, Jiyeon hadn’t liked Seohui much from the start—probably due to the “parachute” comment incident. Despite feeling slightly better upon seeing Seohui struggle, she still wanted to tease her. Plus, she had been seeking an appropriate “content” idea recently.

“Seohui.”

“Um?”

“Have you ever tried voice acting?”

Surprised, Seohui tilted her head, unable to guess the intent.

***

Meanwhile, while Jiyeon and Seohui were having their conversation, Seoyeon was incredibly busy.

She had too much to do recently. Although she knew Seohui was continuously texting her messages, she couldn’t focus on responding.

She kept texting her during work hours.

“This is Han Pyo-yeol producer, here to assist with Seoyeon’s OST.”

“Hello.”

“Ah, greetings! I’ve been keeping an eye on you recently, Seoyeon.”

Hearty laughter from Han Pyo-yeol had Seoyeon nodding nervously. Acting and music work were entirely different.

“The songs Seoyeon will sing aren’t many, just two tracks.”

Many people had gathered just for two songs. The lineup was handpicked by Han Pyo-yeol himself, and the songs were nearly complete.

“Did you receive the demo version of the songs? Were they okay?”

“Yes, they were excellent. The, um… melodic…?”

“Ah yes, correct! A melodious and soft song that fits Seoyeon’s image perfectly!”

“…”

Melodious? Softness?

Seoyeon took a keen interest in her image. It was just… slightly different, wasn’t it?

She preferred a strong image. For example, like Cha Sooah. Or, her current image after the *Hyper Action Star*, of Sooyeon Joo.

‘Why is my face being photoshopped onto elephants or gorillas?’

Elephants and gorillas were among her favorite animals. They were strong, of course. She also liked hippos—it was all about that strength.

But if her face got photoshopped like that, it was a bit uncomfortable. Like the picture of King Kong munching sea cucumber with her hair added.

Incidentally, Min Do-ha’s image being caught by King Kong often circulated with it.

‘Ah, Min Do-ha… more so than me, perhaps.’

Still, Seoyeon had her sparkly red eyes, and fans who favored a strong image. She even got merged with Cha Sooah’s image before. The strong, action-packed image she aimed for.

She kept such fan art in a separate folder for saving.

But concerning Min Do-ha…

‘Human instrument.’

What had Min Do-ha done to deserve this? Now permanently meme-ified on the internet.

Especially the horrifyingly awkward escape scenes that were cut and merged into various videos. Her distinct screams were even synched to F1 racing scenes, with one video reaching 500,000 views.

‘Maybe being fused with a gorilla would be better.’

Seoyeon slowly nodded. Compared to being turned into a ‘fashion human’ meme, being a ‘fashion gorilla’ might be better.

No one wanted their screams fused into F1 racing engine sounds.

“And…”

Just then,

“In this album production, it has been arranged for ‘Summer Girl’ to sing too.”

“Huh?”

Is ‘Summer Girl’ involved?

“Mostly due to Ms. Cha Na-hee. She also sang in *Dream Future*.”

“Will she be in *Sky Garden* as well?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear?”

If Cha Na-hee joins?

‘Impossible.’

While *Sky Garden* did have idol actors, their performances were often criticized, and none showcased excellent acting.

‘If Na-hee joins, she is likely to take that spot.’

Seoyeon had a vague idea why this happened. It was surely because of the recent success of *Dream Future*.

Seoyeon’s casting in *Sky Garden* was also due to her impressive performance in *Dream Future*. Given the same scriptwriter, Min Se-hee, the chances of bringing a familiar co-star were high.

Particularly, Cha Na-hee proved her worth through *Dream Future* until the end, delivering an acting quality that held ground even against Park Jung-woo.

Thus, it wasn’t strange that she would land a role in the youth drama *Sky Garden* as well.

‘Even Na-hee unnie has an OST role now.’

That thought brought Seoyeon some worry, knowing how the group ‘Summer Girl’ treated Na-hee.

“Shall we start recording then?”

“Oh, sure.”

With the producer’s cue, Seoyeon nodded and headed to the recording booth.

And…

“I might need another visit to Hope Acting.”

There might be a need to reinforce standards again just in case.

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