Chapter 176

Seoyeon frankly thought of herself as rather foolish.

Now, her distant past and her previous life no longer seemed to have a significant connection.

To tie herself up with those memories…

If she couldn’t take care of the present because of just such things, perhaps there was something wrong with her.

However, it wasn’t as easy as just thinking that.

Seoyeon had never truly experienced happiness in her past.

She had thought that way.

Therefore, she believed there shouldn’t have been any regrets.

But, it seemed to be slightly different.

For some reason, an indescribable heaviness remained.

Perhaps, because of this, her middle school friend Jiyeon had said something to her back then.

Because she cherished the life she now lived as “Joo Seo-yeon” so deeply.

For this reason, Seoyeon thought she shouldn’t dwell on her past.

Even if it was something she had enjoyed, or a dream she had wanted to achieve, she believed that holding onto those things meant she couldn’t truly become ‘Joo Seo-yeon’ and leave her old self behind.

That’s what she decided when she was in middle school, at fifteen, towards the end of adolescence.

However, her “Ashen Crow”—Yeo-hee—had told her something different.

Even with those lingering regrets, she was still herself, she had said.

There was no need to rush.

And those words had proven to be correct.

Despite carrying all those regrets, when Yeo-hee sang, in that moment, Seoyeon just thought she sparkled.

The score difference was only two points.

In reality, it might have been the difference of just one person,

But Seoyeon thought she definitely lost in that moment.

In singing competitions, the key is resonance—how much a person can make their audience feel their song.

But Yeo-hee brought her own memories into that song.

Of course, it was something that the general audience couldn’t relate with.

It was a song for one person, not the masses.

Seoyeon could vaguely feel that.

Even so, the Ashen Crow—Yeo-hee—had triumphed magnificently in their own way.

Therefore, although Seoyeon acted slightly petty towards the end, she believed it was acceptable.

“You should change without being tied to the past.”

Seoyeon had heard this countless times and knew it well.

However, what Yeo-hee had shown was entirely different.

That the values of each person are unique and there was no need to rigidly adhere to a specific expectation.

That a truly strong person could carry their past with them.

Because regrets lingering from the past meant there had indeed been something precious missed out on.

Wasn’t it possible that the past held a value greater than what she had expected?

Was it not a waste to discard it all?

It felt like she was saying something like that.

Of course, Seoyeon didn’t understand.

Because she hadn’t been aware of her emotions back then.

But, perhaps this regret was evidence of happiness left behind by her past self.

That thought occurred to her suddenly.

And consequently, Seoyeon made her decision, albeit a little hesitantly.

She wouldn’t change her actions, sticking to her initially set course.

She had simply redefined the meaning of ‘graduation,’ just a slight adjustment.

It was nothing more than that.

“Oh? Seoyeon.”

“Yes?”

“Your acting has improved. The footage from today’s shoot is really good. Wow, can you get even better from this?”

Director Kim Ilsu of *Sky Garden* smiled and said this, his tone filled with appreciation.

Had she improved?

The question lingered, yet she considered it plausible.

Because of this recent experience, she had gained new insights on what she could better portray in the character of Yoo-ju.

It wasn’t something that Director Kim Ilsu required or something Scriptwriter Min Se-hee had advised.

It was simply how Seoyeon perceived it—people are complex, and sometimes even they don’t fully understand their own depths.

Seoyeon herself had experienced this, so perhaps Yoo-ju was the same way too.

“Oh, by the way…”

Then casually approaching, Director Kim softly asked:

“Isn’t this week’s Masked Singer the King’s Battle? Who won?”

At those words, Seoyeon smiled slightly.

It had originally been a promotional entertainment appearance.

However, due to her continuous victories, she had somehow missed that chance.

But,

“This will surely make for great promotion.”

With those words from Director Kim, Kim Ilsu’s eyes widened for a moment.

As soon as he understood Seoyeon’s intention, he chuckled.

If so, then the timing was perfect.

The 10th episode airing soon would indeed be the masterstroke to flip the currently stagnant match.

Thus, Director Kim confirmed it himself.

***

The manager of the Adiz advertisement planning team, Kwak Hyunwoo, was in high spirits recently.

Though the “Joo Seoyeon Challenge” and other strange promotions had surfaced, it was evident that Adiz’s sales had risen.

Specifically after episode 4 of *Sky Garden*, the sales curve had steadily climbed weekly—1 percent, 2 percent.

Though small increases, they added up to quite a substantial amount when compounded.

Thus, lately, Kwak Hyunwoo could walk around the office with a little more confidence and pride.

There was no past objection about casting Joo Seoyeon as their advertising model.

“When did I ever say that? Of course, we had to use her as an ad model.”

Everyone within Adiz felt this way and accepted this attitude quietly.

Apparently, the past incidents had become a sort of “black history.”

“Definitely, the drama is beneficial. After *Sky Garden* started airing, our sales increased smoothly.”

“That’s true.”

“But I expected a sharper rise.”

At that statement by Assistant Kim, Kwak Hyunwoo smiled.

“Now, that’s an illogical expectation. Back then, sure. But these days, unless a drama does exceptionally well, it’s rare to see such a rise. Besides, getting this much exposure through chair PPL is already impressive.”

“So that’s how it is?”

“Yes, from episode 4, her exposure has significantly increased. That timing was perfect. Joo Seoyeon’s smart.”

At this, Assistant Kim was puzzled.

Smart? Watching her on TV, she didn’t seem exceptionally sharp.

Of course, it was out of the question to voice such thoughts to Kwak Hyunwoo, who had already become a dedicated supporter of Joo Seoyeon.

“Since it has reached its peak, it might be good just to maintain this.”

Kwak Hyunwoo muttered this to himself.

Episode 9 of *Sky Garden* airs today, and episode 10 airs tomorrow.

‘If the chair gets more screen time, that would be great.’

Though it already appeared excessively, greed has no limits.

Kwak Hyunwoo simply wanted to extend the effects of the PPL just a little more.

However…

When episode 9 aired on Monday,

And episode 10 followed on the next day,

Such thoughts were all erased.

“Seriously, how can it end like this?!”

The content involuntarily made him exclaim.

***

“Hyeon-seok!!”

Actor Han Seong-jin, who plays the friend of the role ‘Lee Min-hyeok’ Seoyeon assumed, happily laughed while patting the back of Kim Hyeon-seok.

The reason was clear.

[*Sky Garden*’s Counter-attack! Ratings at 14%. Just 1% behind *Grand Game!*]

[The fate of Yoo-ju? Episode 10 ends with growing anticipation]

In the middle of these reports,

[Lee Min-hyeok’s actor, Kim Hyeon-seok—Showcases excellent synergy with Joo Seoyeon.]

He noticed this article.

It was different from the usual criticism of comparing Seoyeon’s performance.

Probably, this is the first positive review of acting in this drama.

“Frankly, I had many concerns during this shoot, but it turned out well, right?”

“…Exactly.”

Still, he had anticipated it somewhat.

Episodes 9 and 10 which had aired recently were especially good.

Reading the article praising his acting:

Initially, actor Kim Hyeon-seck’s performance in *Sky Garden* showed some lacking points. But in the recently aired episode 10, he displayed wonderful acting.

Min-hyeok’s evident feelings of inferiority towards Yoo-ju infused great vitality into his character and seemed to illustrate him as a victim too.

After reading the article, Kim Hyeon-seok couldn’t help but chuckle.

Feelings of inferiority shown vividly…

‘Not really acting there.’

He didn’t explicitly vocalize it. Not to dampen the celebratory mood.

Probably, most on set already knew, so he didn’t feel the need to bring it up. Joo Seoyeon herself was aware too.

‘My own inferiority feelings…’

Episodes 9 and 10 showcased this.

The 9th and 10th episodes of *Sky Garden* dealt with the Lee Hyuk-soo family’s trip. It wasn’t just a family trip but included some of Min-seo’s friends too.

Naturally, Yoo-ju was among the group. Given Min-seo’s nature, Yoo-ju’s presence was unavoidable.

And an accident unfolded during this trip, forming the plot of episodes 9 and 10.

“Be careful, everyone concentrate! An accident could happen!”

This shooting had multiple challenging parts, especially because of the numerous scenes she shared with Seoyeon where their interactions were prominent.

Up until now, he had pretended to be calm in front of Seoyeon, but that was just pretending.

In truth, he wasn’t calm at all.

He merely avoided eye contact as much as possible.

Continuously looking at her made him feel like his suppressed inferiority complex was about to surface.

However, this time was different.

Because her eyes naturally caught his as Joo Seoyeon was right beside him.

‘Something’s changed.’

It was indescribable, but it was clear that Seoyeon’s acting had improved.

As usual, it was Yoo-ju’s acting, yet something felt different.

More vivid, more layered.

How could she achieve this?

Previously, her acting was already hard to match, but now, aligning with her is no small feat.

If one side’s performance is too outstanding and the other doesn’t sync properly, the entire picture gets distorted.

That was exactly their situation at present.

Not just his own, he also messed up Seoyeon’s performance.

“Mr. Hyeon-seok. Put more color into your performance here. Why is the character so bland?”

The already tough shooting became even harder as Seoyeon’s skills continued to grow, making everyone focus on Hyeon-seok again.

The NGs were countless.

Even unspokenly, everyone seemed on edge.

The only calm one was Seoyeon.

She didn’t say much else.

She simply stared at him intently.

And strangely, that gaze was more stimulating than any words.

Had she been criticized in this shoot?

No, not once.

She received only praise.

On the contrary, he was the one ruining such great acting.

An accessory that couldn’t even hold its own.

Inadvertently, these feelings found their way into his acting.

Despite attempting to hide them, they seemed to stubbornly pop up.

However,

“Cut, good job. Let’s continue like this.”

Director Kim Ilsu finally nodded in satisfaction, understanding the situation.

The others cautiously gauged his mood, but Seoyeon quietly approached and said:

“You really captured Min-hyeok’s feelings of inferiority well.”

“Huh?”

“It felt so real that it startled me.”

“Huh?”

Was she mocking him?

No, her serious expression confirmed it wasn’t mockery.

After saying that, Seoyeon approvingly nodded as though proud of him.

What? What’s going on?

Regardless, his acting at that moment felt especially passionate as it felt confrontational.

Yet, Seoyeon seemed to perceive it all as acting.

Thus, once everything wrapped up, the intensity faded.

Recalling that moment, Hyeon-seok chuckled softly and said,

“…Anyway, I’ve decided not to carry personal emotions in my acting.”

“You?”

Of course, his friend Han Seong-jin found it amusing, but irrespective of his growth, *Sky Garden*’s ratings sharply rose post-episode 10.

That said, this wasn’t solely because of *Sky Garden* episode 10.

It was also due to the bombshell dropped on that weekend’s *Masked Singer*.

This synergy propelled its ratings.

***

– We begin

– Yeah, anyway, the winner’s the king~

– The Ashen Crow is indeed the main contender.

– Manrep Rabbit is doing great, but it just feels like they’re doing okay…

For a while, the show *Masked Singer* had seen a drop in ratings, but the recent appearance of Ashen Crow had somewhat revived it.

This was a singer who hadn’t stepped on stage in a long time.

If they won again this time around, it would be their eighth time on the throne, and thus there was expectation.

Even if they lost, there was much anticipation for who this enigmatic figure might be.

Naturally, the reaction from various online communities leaned heavily towards Ashen Crow’s success.

Of course, those who had already previewed the episode knew the outcome but couldn’t share.

However, the turning point came with,

The song selection of ‘Manrep Rabbit’.

– Isn’t it crazy? “Calmony”…

– What era’s song is that?

– Isn’t that the one sung by Shin Wan-seok? It’s a male singer song?

– Probably rearranged.

– Are they crazy to sing a cartoon song at the king’s battle?

– Yes, “Calmony” is possible. That’s a monster hit.

When ‘Manrep Rabbit’ began to sing a nostalgic song,

Communities started heating up from that moment on.

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