LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 79
“…….”
Lee Ji-yeon sighed at the noisy classroom since morning.
The class was strangely buzzing.
The reason? It was just because of one person wandering awkwardly around the room for no reason.
‘Just wait until lunchtime.’
They were from another class, and after the school festival, exams would be right around the corner.
No matter how much Yeonhwa High School slacked off on academics, there were still basics to uphold.
“Ji-yeon, your friend…”
“Is it okay to leave them like that? Ah, they’re looking this way.”
Whenever Ji-yeon played with other students, that person would stare over like a drenched dog.
It wasn’t too annoying.
“It’s just how they are.”
“Really?”
Joo Seo-yeon was originally like that.
In fact, that was all an act. It was probably a protest asking her to come and talk first.
Sometimes it was real, but at least now it was acting.
After watching Seo-yeon for a long time, Ji-yeon understood this very well.
“That’s too much.”
Finally, when lunchtime rolled around, Seo-yeon said, “You could make friends besides me.”
“I’ve made them.”
Ah, the class president?
Ji-yeon couldn’t quite remember their name, but it seemed they had the vibe of talking to the class president.
‘Hmm.’
Not exactly a friend, but it was clear they had spoken freely with each other.
Seo-yeon might have a slightly weird personality, but she wasn’t a bad person, so they’d probably become friends quickly.
That thought crossed her mind.
“……”
While Ji-yeon was thinking this, Seo-yeon pondered a bit.
‘Should I mention yesterday’s broadcast?’
Regardless of Ramiel, she wanted to say thank you.
She had recreated the story from her childhood without forgetting about it.
After praising her for her birthday, she fainted, so she didn’t get to watch the whole thing live, but upon waking up in the morning, she searched for the rest.
The remainder was an average debut broadcast.
She hadn’t been able to see Ramiel’s first debut broadcast back then, but this time she managed to watch it live.
‘The first broadcast—there was a lot mentioned for a personal one.’
Firstly, it seemed the audience was drawn in because it was filled with money.
Moreover, her acting skills, alongside a distinct voice learned properly, led to speculation that it might have been promoted by some company for technical prowess.
‘……’
As she debated whether to reach out or not, Seo-yeon eventually shook her head.
Ji-yeon chuckled at Seo-yeon’s actions.
She had heard quite a bit about Vtuber culture recently.
Being stubborn as Seo-yeon was, she was certain that she would never bring it up herself.
The boundary separating Ramiel from Lee Ji-yeon was clear.
Still, seeing her like that, it was evident she had received a gift yesterday.
For Ji-yeon, it had been a fairly long time of preparation.
‘Ten years of watching her.’
What Seo-yeon wanted to say.
And she couldn’t help but understand everything related to Ramiel.
“Isn’t the PV coming out today?”
“Ah, yes.”
Seo-yeon nodded.
Tonight at 10 PM, the PV for [The Chaser] would be released.
And it would officially begin promotions, aiming for a release in three months at the quickest or four months at the latest.
She heard that the exact date would be announced within this month, so it was really not much time left now.
“I need to work hard too.”
At Ji-yeon’s remark, Seo-yeon diverted her gaze for a moment.
Currently, she was achieving quite decent results on cable, but her public image wasn’t the best.
‘A drama or movie she could appear in…?’
Seo-yeon eyed Ji-yeon with a sidelong glance.
Objectively, Ji-yeon’s acting was decent.
However, that was only compared to her age, and certainly, there were aspects to improve when compared to real adult actors.
But she definitely had the potential to grow.
‘If only there’s an opportunity…’
Yet, no specific projects came to mind.
In the first place, with Ji-yeon’s current career, it was difficult to get involved in most of them.
Plus, personally, she wanted to work on a project with Ji-yeon…
Tak.
Lost in thought, Ji-yeon tapped Seo-yeon’s shoulder with her palm.
Curious about what was happening, Seo-yeon turned to look.
“…What’s up? It seems noisy?”
Is that so?
Seo-yeon lifted her head and looked around.
She could hear the murmurs of the noisy students.
They were heading somewhere quickly, as if a celebrity had arrived.
…A celebrity?
Ji-yeon and Seo-yeon’s gazes intersected.
Neither of them hesitated to rise from the bench where they had been sitting.
*
“Late.”
“……”
At the sharp remark of the woman, Seo-yeon wondered briefly how to respond.
‘Has everyone gotten into the habit of making surprise entrances lately?’
A woman with sharply defined eyes and brown hair bleached and tied back.
She truly resembled a haughty princess or queen.
If she weren’t in a brown school uniform, one might mistake her for an adult.
“Joo Seo-yeon? No, are you her friend?”
“……Well…”
Ji-yeon felt like she was about to say ‘that thing’ just now.
She was careful with her words since they were in the same industry.
But it was definitely an entrance that warranted being called ‘that thing.’
“Jo Seo-hee?”
“Is it really Jo Seo-hee? Wow, you’re really pretty!”
“Do you two know each other?”
They could feel the weight of the students’ gazes on them near the school gate.
Even the student supervisor teacher was watching, captivated.
Wouldn’t they usually intervene?
‘Why is Seo-hee even…’
With a sigh at the looks of the students swapping between her and Seo-hee.
“What’s going on?”
“You can talk casually.”
Seo-hee said so, looking like she was bothered by Seo-yeon’s previous remark about not being that close.
They were the same age.
While it was clearly okay to speak casually, Seo-hee had a strangely older vibe about her.
Plus, she had even debuted earlier than Seo-yeon, making it hard to approach.
“…Hmph. Fine.”
Seo-hee seemed to give up and gestured behind her.
Then a woman who appeared to be Seo-hee’s manager came with something in hand.
It was a paper bag filled with boxes.
“Birthday present.”
“?”
“For you and Director Park’s gift.”
There was only one person who could be referred to as Director Park.
Park Jung-woo.
“If you come yourself, you know there’s bound to be a problem, so they told me to bring it.”
Tsk, Seo-hee clicked her tongue.
“Ah, of course, personally, I’m treating it as a courtesy.”
“Courtesy?”
“Yeah. So, as you said… we aren’t that close, right?”
Seo-hee said with a grin.
“So I thought I’d try to charm you a little.”
“……”
As Seo-hee said that, Seo-yeon took a step back, and Seo-hee laughed.
“I didn’t mean it like that. Just joking.”
“Yes.”
It was a little awkward to say, but to Seo-yeon, Seo-hee, who seemed to be the quintessential villainess, felt quite burdensome.
That said, it didn’t seem bad to befriend a same-age female actor.
‘How strange…’
When did Seo-hee become close enough to ask for gifts from Park Jung-woo?
As those questions arose, she inspected the paper bag handed to her.
It was packed with expensive-looking items.
Ironically, they were all products that Seo-hee personally promoted.
What astounding self-esteem.
That was one thing Seo-yeon wanted to emulate.
“Next year.”
Then, Seo-hee spoke.
“Huh?”
“I think this year seems busy, so I want to arrange a promise for next year, is that okay?”
No.
Seo-yeon wanted to say, but she nodded, thinking she might as well listen.
“Do you know Director Baek Min?”
“Yes, he’s the director of ‘Emergency Declaration’, right?”
“Exactly. I was in that movie too.”
What is this? A brag?
With that thought, Seo-yeon regarded her.
“Back then, we became friends, and I happened to hear that he’s making a movie next year.”
Director Baek Min was famous for making high-quality movies.
Achieving great results with a small budget and gaining significant influence with the public.
‘Ah, could it be?’
As she thought that, a specific movie surfaced in Seo-yeon’s memory.
“I didn’t hear what the movie was about, but I heard they would be casting many actresses.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“…That makes sense?”
“Ah, no.”
Seo-yeon nodded.
Baek Min’s film.
It had certainly performed excellently.
With audience numbers around 4 million.
It couldn’t be called incredible, but given the genre, it was a remarkable figure.
Plus, the film definitely made a significant impact on the public.
Most importantly, it received rave reviews overseas, was mentioned at the Academy Awards, and won numerous awards internationally.
It was a great opportunity to raise global recognition.
“Acting in a Baek Min movie would teach me so much.”
Basically, Seo-yeon wanted to act alongside her in a movie.
That was probably what she meant.
Since a quality project means a stage where one’s acting skills could shine.
In fact, this upcoming Baek Min film required a lot of acting.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Hmm.”
Seo-hee seemed somewhat displeased with Seo-yeon’s answer but eventually nodded.
“Did I bother you?”
“No, I don’t particularly dislike the idea of acting together.”
“Really? Hmm, I get it.”
Whether it was a feeling or not, Seo-hee seemed pretty.
No, it felt like she was heavily disappointed.
She seemed quite confident when talking about Baek Min’s movie.
“…Anyway, if you want to collaborate, let me know. I’ll mention your name in the auditions.”
After saying so, Seo-hee briefly glanced at Ji-yeon by her side.
Then, she added,
“If you want, I can mention your friend too.”
With that, she hopped into her van and sped off.
She must have only come by for a short break during lunchtime.
Seo-hee mentioning Ji-yeon was not merely for that reason.
‘What if she targets my friend and brings her along?’
It was a rather shallow scheme, but Seo-yeon found it troubling.
‘She might not know what the film is about…’
If that were true, she couldn’t have confidently said to Seo-yeon that they should work together.
It made sense.
Baek Min’s next film was titled ‘Gyeongseong Young Lady.’
A film depicting love between women, a same-sex movie.
*
The first release of [The Chaser]’s PV.
A work by Director Bae Jin-hwan, known as the magician of visuals.
It was a project that garnered immense anticipation from the public, but there was an underlying anxiety due to the thriller genre.
Naturally, recently released Korean thriller films had faced a poor streak, which had led to widespread fatigue among the audience when it came to thrillers.
“In five minutes.”
Producer Cha Jin-hwan exchanged glances with the promotional team for the PV and waited for the 10 o’clock release.
His heart felt like it was drying up.
If it had been the second or third PV, he would have been indifferent.
But the first PV was the initial gauge to see the public’s reaction.
No matter how much people claimed PVs were all about fluff, if even that didn’t elicit any response, the chances of it becoming a failed film skyrocketed.
Why do films that make a comeback after poor showings gain attention?
In reality, it was an unusual situation.
As expected, Producer Cha Jin-hwan didn’t want that to happen.
“It’s up!!”
And, the PV for [The Chaser] began to surface across countless communities.
‘Please.’
And perhaps in response to Producer Cha Jin-hwan’s prayers.
[Movie: The Chaser 1st Teaser]
Views: 2,170,344
Daily views surpassing two million.
This was the highest view count for a film teaser released this year.