Chapter 100

“Have you had a chance to look at the revised script?”

The newly appointed main screenwriter of the drama, Min Se-hee, asked cautiously while observing Seoyeon’s reaction. She seemed anxious, as if worried that her changes might be rejected.

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Ah, thank goodness. Honestly, I still feel like I don’t have the skills to be the main screenwriter…”

“Ah, Min Screenwriter.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Min Se-hee’s uncertain tone prompted a subtle warning from director Kim Pil-seok. The implication was clear: how could a screenwriter lacking confidence in their own work possibly succeed?

“That kind of talk is disrespectful to the viewers who are watching our drama. It’s also disrespectful to the actors who must act based on your scripts, and to me as well.”

“Yes…”

Min Se-hee looked somewhat deflated at this. However, Seoyeon couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned for her.

‘Min Se-hee…’

The name rang a bell somehow. Seoyeon’s memory, which encompassed countless videos and creative works from her past life for emotional training, quickly retrieved the information about Min Se-hee.

Among this repository of knowledge were details about games and the entertainment industry. Though her favorite things from her past life were gradually fading, specific facts could resurface with clarity, as if pulling the right book off a library shelf.

It wasn’t long before she remembered Min Se-hee. What struck her was that Min Se-hee’s active period wasn’t with KMB but with a cable TV station.

The reason for the shift from KMB to cable wasn’t entirely clear, but what was evident was that Min Se-hee wasn’t someone to underestimate. In fact, considering her later success, she wouldn’t have been recommended by Park Jung-woo otherwise.

“Um… First of all, Writer Im, who previously handled the scriptwriting, was unfortunately let go due to some issues, but the original script was very well-structured.”

“Is that so?”

From an acting perspective, there were certainly parts of Writer Im’s script that felt melodramatic, but Seoyeon wasn’t particularly surprised, given her previous experience watching the drama in her past life.

“There was, however, a natural balance in how the characters were distributed. Excluding the forced changes to the character Hae-rin, everything felt quite fluid. But due to those forced changes, some cracks appeared.”

Min Se-hee pointed out some sections of the new scripts.

“I thought the best approach would be to restore these parts closer to their original state while adding new elements to highlight the charm of the Hae-rin character. The overall screen time increase isn’t that significant, so I focused on emphasizing the romance between Hae-rin and Min-yul.”

As she spoke, Min Se-hee remembered a previous conversation with Park Jung-woo, who had gently advised her.

“Shouldn’t we avoid forcing the romantic storyline when showcasing Hae-rin’s appeal? Is there any specific reason behind this?”

“Yes, but… This part was originally supposed to be included, so I felt it was necessary to restore it. Is there something wrong with it?”

“No, it’s not wrong. It’s just that different actors have different strengths. Or, perhaps they’re not ready yet.”

Or, perhaps there’s a better direction. Park Jung-woo understood this to some extent but chose not to explain further to Min Se-hee.

“Perhaps we should listen to the actors’ opinions on this.”

“But if we do, revising the scripts again might take too much time.”

“I’m sure the actors will handle it appropriately. Don’t worry so much.”

Park Jung-woo smiled and assured her, and Min Se-hee reluctantly nodded. Honestly, it was hard to say no to Park Jung-woo, given his good looks.

“Ahem… There are some dialogue and scene adjustments I’d like to make.”

“Okay.”

Seoyeon accepted the new script Min Se-hee handed over. It was hastily written, clearly fresh from creation. It came off as raw.

Upon reviewing it:

“ Hmm…”

Seoyeon slightly widened her eyes.

“The dialogue has been made simpler.”

The relationship between Hae-rin and Min-yul became more understated, almost resembling close friends or colleagues.

“However, in this particular scene, Hae-rin’s charm is highlighted. It’s an important duet with Min-yul.”

The context is this: Min-yul and Hae-rin are headed towards the finale stage. This platform determines who among the competition will secure a spot in the top ten.

As a challenge, the rules dictate that performances must be as mixed-gender duets.

The theme revolves around showcasing dance and singing through an idol song.

“Before heading onto the stage, Min-yul reveals feelings he has hidden from Hae-rin. Hae-rin, in turn, reacts to this revelation.”

Initially, Seoyeon thought this scene was pretty decent until Hae-rin’s role diminished. Once her role was reduced, Min-yul’s character also became less engaging due to their prior coupling dynamics.

“Yes, so I thought that forcing a romantic storyline might make it seem artificial. What do you think, Seoyeon?”

Seoyeon nodded at Min Se-hee’s words but thought further.

“But… It seems the overall plot hasn’t changed much, has it?”

In other words, the only changes are the relational dynamics between Min-yul and Hae-rin roles, played by Ma Yeon-woo and Seoyeon respectively. It almost felt like a regression to the original script which emphasized romance.

“Actually, in the original storyline, Hae-rin failed an audition.”

“As you know, Hae-rin’s singing is her weakness.”

This explained why Hae-rin’s prominence began fading from episode eight onwards—she failed the audition.

After explaining this, Min Se-hee hesitated momentarily.

“Hae-rin… won’t fail anymore.”

“Pardon?”

“Also, what kind of dynamic do you think would suit between you and Min-yul’s relationship?”

At Min Se-hee’s query, Seoyeon blinked.

Typically, actors follow scripts as written, with minimal input beyond execution. While actors occasionally provide feedback, doing so excessively can lead to controversy.

‘This is wild…’

While pondering this, Seoyeon glanced at director Kim Pil-seok, whose calm demeanor seemed to signal encouragement.

Was it permissible to adjust the script this late in production? Or was it possible to tweak the script dynamically on the fly?

Both scenarios require exceptional writing talent, and given the revised flow, executing all adjustments effectively seemed incredibly challenging.

Would it even produce a polished final product?

‘But…’

Seoyeon reflected. The revised script clearly restored Hae-rin’s original screen time, including a love story with Min-yul.

Reintroducing this storyline late in the series felt anticlimactic.

Additionally, Hae-rin now succeeds at the audition, marking a significant change in the plot progression.

‘And the romance storyline.’

A romance storyline was indispensable given that “Dream Future” was originally designed as a drama with six main characters forming various couples. Omitting the romantic aspect would be nonsensical.

Seoyeon’s pride as an actress now played a role. She had no intention of compromising the quality of the drama for her personal preferences.

‘But regardless of my preferences, the concern remains: can I truly pull this off?’

She reviewed the script, quickly skimming through dialogues while mentally reconstructing Hae-rin’s previous scenes from her past life. Comparisons were drawn with the newly revised dialogue.

This reminded her of her early days filming her first commercial and recalling Lee Ji-yeon’s performance.

Each scene came into focus.

And the emotions tied to each scene.

What Seoyeon could and could not accomplish.

“Seoyeon?”

Min Se-hee watched as Seoyeon quietly examined the script.

“Rolling, action!”

The production staff’s call spurred Ma Yeon-woo into heavy footsteps.

“Nervous…”

Indeed, Cha Soo-ah, or Seoyeon, presented many challenges for Ma Yeon-woo. Recalling Cha Soo-ah’s intense presence caused discomfort, despite other “Just X” members teasing him for being timid.

“I guess it’s just exhausting…”

Acting still felt daunting for Ma Yeon-woo. But the revised script altered his character’s fate from failure to success.

Though Ma Yeon-woo personally cared little about these details, his manager expressed significant concern regarding Min-yul’s diminished presence.

“Honestly, I could just step back…”

Feeling fatigued, Ma Yeon-woo climbed onto the set, readying to film the concluding audition scene. The set mimicked the familiar stages often seen during music shows, a place well-known to him.

Staring blankly at it, he was suddenly interrupted.

“What are you doing?”

“!!”

“Tak!”

A hand tapped Ma Yeon-woo’s shoulder as somebody spoke and turned away. Glancing towards the source, Ma Yeon-woo saw Seoyeon pivoting.

“We should get filming.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Something was unusual about her demeanor.

Her expression remained stoic, her eyes slightly red as usual, but the vibe was different.

She radiated energy, akin to an athlete preparing for a major game.

“Do your best up there.”

“What, I always do…”

True, he always gave it his all—his feedback just frequently labeled as poor acting.

“Hey, you’re the senior, right?”

This comment was accompanied by Seoyeon’s rare genuine smile, bright white teeth visible.

“Huh?”

“I mean, as an idol.”

Her uncommonly cheerful expression finally revealed her intent to Ma Yeon-woo. He realized: this performance allowed her to shed the “Min-yul” persona completely.

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

Though no brag, Ma Yeon-woo did feel confident about singing and dancing.

***

“This is important today.”

Han Bong-sik, boasting 1.35 million YouTube subscribers, anxiously awaited the seventh episode of “Dream Future.” Leveraging his recent success in live-streaming “The Chaser,” he now actively covered “Dream Future.”

“Isn’t Joo Soo-yeon’s screen time increasing? Due to her rising popularity from ‘The Chaser.’”

– Wouldn’t this risk distorting the content?

– Even so, we must increase her presence.

– Fact is, Dream Future was odd from the beginning.

– That’s true.

Despite lukewarm anticipation, the drama retained viewers’ attention.

“Today, we’re seeing the final audition battle between Hae-rin and Min-yul. Based on prior plot development, Hae-rin falling out aligns with the narrative.”

Han Bong-sik speculated about the outcome and shared thoughts on how “Dream Future” would evolve.

“Alright, it’s starting.”

Han Bong-sik hoped for increased screen time for Hae-rin and suitable material for live streaming.

“Even with Joo Soo-yeon, reversing Dream Future’s declining trajectory is a tall order.”

Still, human psychology naturally fosters hope. As Han Bong-sik and internet viewers tuned in, the seventh episode commenced.

The characters Ma Yeon-woo and Joo Soo-yeon, portraying Min-yul and Hae-rin, appeared, beginning the episode.

Initially, Dream Future unfolded as usual… until roughly ten minutes in.

“Somehow…”

A rare solo part for Hae-rin that resonated deeply, showcasing her evolving emotions without supporting characters. Here, she finally acknowledges the deep feelings Min-yul has for her.

These emotions mirror what she once felt for Kim Si-hwan. The emotional weight felt too overwhelming for a rural girl unfamiliar with love.

“Somehow…”

Hae-rin’s whispered musings conveyed her inner turmoil. Her unease and unfamiliarity with these feelings brought genuine adolescent freshness to the scene.

It guided viewers to immerse themselves in Hae-rin’s personal narrative. This pivotal moment helped viewers pause their channel surfing and focus on Dream Future.

---