"Dayeon, it's our day off today. Want to go to Mirinae Park?"
To start with, it was a coincidence.
Gildaheon, the class president of Seoyeon’s class, had never really gone to places like amusement parks.
Since childhood, her family’s financial situation hadn’t been good, so there was no chance to visit amusement parks. And once things got better as she grew up, she naturally lost interest in going.
So, when her friends invited her to an amusement park, her initial reaction was one of mild surprise.
Amusement park? Isn’t that something only kids go to?
"What are you talking about? You’ve never been to an amusement park?"
"Nope."
"How can you say that like it’s normal? Then let's go today!"
"But what about studying?"
When she looked at them with a hint of reproach, as if asking how their last exams had gone, her friends averted their gazes.
But exams were exams, and they needed to relieve some stress, didn’t they?
"They say there will be celebrities at Mirinae Park today."
"Celebrity?"
"They’re putting on a Harara play at Mirinae Park, but it’s apparently received mixed reviews so far."
Dayeon knew Harara—it was an animation her younger siblings loved.
Her siblings even had a few toys from Harara, unlike her, so she’d seen the related merchandise.
"But we see celebrities all the time."
"No!!! It’s different!!"
Sure, Seoyeon from their class was a big-name actress, and Dayeon knew she was a celebrity. Honestly, it was still fascinating to see her sitting naturally at her desk in the classroom.
But, seeing a classmate and running into a celebrity outside were completely different experiences.
"President, you probably don’t realize it, but this is all part of social experience. Later on, you won’t even be able to play like this, even if you want to."
Hearing her friend say something so serious, Gildaheon found it amusing. It was like hearing something adults would say, coming from kids.
"...Alright, if that’s the case."
Having never gone, she felt a bit of curiosity.
"Great, you’re coming, right? Should we invite the others too?"
"Sure, I don’t mind."
She thought this might actually be good. Dayeon usually thought her hobbies were fine with just watching movies and dramas.
But, as her friends said, this would be an experience in itself.
Despite the constant poking and fussing, Jo Seohui was an actress. An actress with a strong sense of professionalism, no less.
When she was younger, she looked down on Seoyeon, thinking she was just a talentless parachute entry. ...This was probably why Seoyeon still treated her like a reluctant friend.
Anyway.
Even though this was a children’s play, Jo Seohui had no intention of treating it lightly.
On the contrary, because it was a performance for children, she wanted to give it her best. Childhood memories last long.
So, she wanted to leave them with a good memory, something that would make them smile whenever they recalled it.
"So, don’t do it like the shorts you did last time."
With a hint of concern, Jo Seohui told this to Seoyeon. For a moment, Seoyeon’s eyes widened at the word “shorts,” but she quickly realized it referred to the Harara Shorts.
‘Did she watch it too?’
Well, it would be strange if she hadn’t seen it, considering how popular it was. Recently, even in class, there were people eager to bring up the topic.
Of course, they couldn’t bring it up easily. After all, Seoyeon in the video and Seoyeon at school had such different images.
It was more disconcerting than funny.
"You know this as well."
If an actor seemed embarrassed on stage, the audience would feel uncomfortable, too. That’s because the actor’s role is to draw empathy from the audience.
Actors are people who make fiction feel real. That’s their role, and they must fully immerse themselves in it on stage.
They don’t need to be method actors, but...
That’s the basic posture of an actor.
"I think you’ll do fine, but you looked so embarrassed in the shorts."
Of course, even actors have areas they struggle with. Jo Seohui wondered if Seoyeon was just uncomfortable with this type of performance.
"If I’ve committed to it, that won’t be a problem."
Seoyeon understood Seohui’s concerns well. It was probably because of how she came across in the shorts.
Even actor Park Donghwan, who would be performing alongside her today, was watching her with a worried expression. She’d received the script beforehand.
She had also practiced whenever she could between other shoots.
‘The Harara back then and the Harara now are different.’
As an older sister, she had to show her younger sister a cool side, didn’t she? Even though she’d lost Zero Ro to Seohui, if she performed well as Harara, maybe her sister would like Harara instead of Zero Ro?
‘Besides, I need to be extra careful on a small stage like this.’
Especially since it was a stage for children, their parents would likely be there too.
Parents are sharp.
If anything went wrong, if they felt their child had a negative experience, they’d be quick to react. Performing poorly on such a stage would surely draw negative comments.
"Unnie! Should I stay with Manager Johee ajumma?"
"...Ajumma?"
Seoyeon glanced back to see Jo Seohui’s manager, Shin Yookyung, smiling calmly. But Seoyeon noticed that Yookyung’s smiling lips were trembling slightly.
"Suyeon, you should call her ‘Unnie,’ not ‘Ajumma.’"
"But she’s older than you guys."
"Ouch."
"...Well, there are lots of people older than you."
"Mmm, okay then."
Suyeon looked up at Yookyung with innocent eyes, as if asking whether it was okay to call her ‘Unnie.’ Yookyung flinched under her gaze.
At twenty-something, Yookyung was in that ambiguous age range where she could be called ‘Ajumma’ by Suyeon but was still young enough to be ‘Unnie.’
‘I hope Manager Shin Yookyung doesn’t hold a grudge against Suyeon for calling her Ajumma.’
Seoyeon couldn’t help but worry a little. She had no idea how deeply the “Ajumma” comment might sting Yookyung.
"So, let’s start with a light rehearsal. We still have four hours before the actual performance."
They had arrived early to rehearse. During that time, Suyeon was going to explore the amusement park with the manager.
Meanwhile, Seoyeon and Jo Seohui were about to go through a light run-through for the play.
「Zero Ro! Up to your bad tricks again, huh?」
As the rehearsal started, Park Donghwan, sandwiched between the two actresses, let out a small gasp of admiration.
‘Honestly, I didn’t think it would suit them at all.’
He probably wasn’t the only one who thought so.
The other actors on set likely felt the same.
Although it was a children’s play, there were a total of six actors in this performance. This number included Seoyeon and Seohui.
Four of them were actors who had previously performed in Harara. While some grumbled about the sudden addition of celebrities, the play’s poor performance left them with little choice.
But those complaints quickly faded once they heard that Joo Seoyeon and Jo Seohui would be performing.
‘I heard rumors that Jo Seohui is from the Newlike Group family, and I guess it’s true.’
‘They have the same last name, after all. But that was just a rumor.’
‘Are Joo Seoyeon and Jo Seohui friends? They show up together often.’
‘They even appeared together on Hyper Action Star, so maybe?’
It seemed that they got along well because they were the same age. But aside from that...
‘Both of them have such intense looks; I wonder if they’re suited for Harara.’
Anyone could look fitting as Zero Ro. But it was hard to imagine anyone fitting as Harara.
That seemed to be the consensus. Judging from their looks, this wouldn’t be easy.
One had a cold, icy aura, and the other looked like an imposing noble lady.
They hardly seemed a good fit for the cheerful Harara.
But the moment Seoyeon held Harara’s magic wand and started the play, those worries vanished.
「Ow~! How can you just throw cars around like that?」
「No, it shouldn’t just end with an ‘Ow.’ You just got hit by a car.」
Harara and Zero Ro’s banter continued. Watching the lively exchange, it was clear that Seoyeon’s Harara perfectly matched the animated character from the show.
The most impressive part was how she replicated the voice to match the animation’s tone.
"Seoyeon, have you done voice acting before?"
"Huh? I learned it."
"Oh, do actors get into voice acting these days?"
After the rehearsal ended, the other actors crowded around Seoyeon, asking questions. With Seohui’s natural fit for Zero Ro, there were no concerns there.
The real question was about Harara.
The concerns about Seoyeon’s suitability had melted away with her performance, though she looked a bit embarrassed.
‘Seems I do have a friendlier vibe than Jo Seohui.’
Very few people approached Seohui. When she tried to approach Seoyeon, she hesitated as others surrounded her, unable to step forward easily.
‘Anyway.’
Learning about voice acting hadn’t been something she’d picked up for her acting career. But it had proven useful after all.
So it was worth learning anything she could.
‘I bet Lee Jiyeon would be better suited for voice acting than me.’
Maybe she’d persuade Jiyeon to perform in a Harara play someday. It seemed like a great idea.
That way, she wouldn’t tease her about the shorts as much as before.
Despite the constant poking and fussing, Jo Seohui was an actress. An actress with a strong sense of professionalism, no less.
When she was younger, she looked down on Seoyeon, thinking she was just a talentless parachute entry. ...This was probably why Seoyeon still treated her like a reluctant friend.
Anyway.
Even though this was a children’s play, Jo Seohui had no intention of treating it lightly.
On the contrary, because it was a performance for children, she wanted to give it her best. Childhood memories last long.
So, she wanted to leave them with a good memory, something that would make them smile whenever they recalled it.
"So, don’t do it like the shorts you did last time."
With a hint of concern, Jo Seohui told this to Seoyeon. For a moment, Seoyeon’s eyes widened at the word “shorts,” but she quickly realized it referred to the Harara Shorts.
‘Did she watch it too?’
Well, it would be strange if she hadn’t seen it, considering how popular it was. Recently, even in class, there were people eager to bring up the topic.
Of course, they couldn’t bring it up easily. After all, Seoyeon in the video and Seoyeon at school had such different images.
It was more disconcerting than funny.
"You know this as well."
If an actor seemed embarrassed on stage, the audience would feel uncomfortable, too. That’s because the actor’s role is to draw empathy from the audience.
Actors are people who make fiction feel real. That’s their role, and they must fully immerse themselves in it on stage.
They don’t need to be method actors, but...
That’s the basic posture of an actor.
"I think you’ll do fine, but you looked so embarrassed in the shorts."
Of course, even actors have areas they struggle with. Jo Seohui wondered if Seoyeon was just uncomfortable with this type of performance.
"If I’ve committed to it, that won’t be a problem."
Seoyeon understood Seohui’s concerns well. It was probably because of how she came across in the shorts.
Even actor Park Donghwan, who would be performing alongside her today, was watching her with a worried expression. She’d received the script beforehand.
She had also practiced whenever she could between other shoots.
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‘The Harara back then and the Harara now are different.’
As an older sister, she had to show her younger sister a cool side, didn’t she? Even though she’d lost Zero Ro to Seohui, if she performed well as Harara, maybe her sister would like Harara instead of Zero Ro?
‘Besides, I need to be extra careful on a small stage like this.’
Especially since it was a stage for children, their parents would likely be there too.
Parents are sharp.
If anything went wrong, if they felt their child had a negative experience, they’d be quick to react. Performing poorly on such a stage would surely draw negative comments.
"Unnie! Should I stay with Manager Johee ajumma?"
"...Ajumma?"
Seoyeon glanced back to see Jo Seohui’s manager, Shin Yookyung, smiling calmly. But Seoyeon noticed that Yookyung’s smiling lips were trembling slightly.
"Suyeon, you should call her ‘Unnie,’ not ‘Ajumma.’"
"But she’s older than you guys."
"Ouch."
"...Well, there are lots of people older than you."
"Mmm, okay then."
Suyeon looked up at Yookyung with innocent eyes, as if asking whether it was okay to call her ‘Unnie.’ Yookyung flinched under her gaze.
At twenty-something, Yookyung was in that ambiguous age range where she could be called ‘Ajumma’ by Suyeon but was still young enough to be ‘Unnie.’
‘I hope Manager Shin Yookyung doesn’t hold a grudge against Suyeon for calling her Ajumma.’
Seoyeon couldn’t help but worry a little. She had no idea how deeply the “Ajumma” comment might sting Yookyung.
"So, let’s start with a light rehearsal. We still have four hours before the actual performance."
They had arrived early to rehearse. During that time, Suyeon was going to explore the amusement park with the manager.
Meanwhile, Seoyeon and Jo Seohui were about to go through a light run-through for the play.
「Zero Ro! Up to your bad tricks again, huh?」
As the rehearsal started, Park Donghwan, sandwiched between the two actresses, let out a small gasp of admiration.
‘Honestly, I didn’t think it would suit them at all.’
He probably wasn’t the only one who thought so.
The other actors on set likely felt the same.
Although it was a children’s play, there were a total of six actors in this performance. This number included Seoyeon and Seohui.
Four of them were actors who had previously performed in Harara. While some grumbled about the sudden addition of celebrities, the play’s poor performance left them with little choice.
But those complaints quickly faded once they heard that Joo Seoyeon and Jo Seohui would be performing.
‘I heard rumors that Jo Seohui is from the Newlike Group family, and I guess it’s true.’
‘They have the same last name, after all. But that was just a rumor.’
‘Are Joo Seoyeon and Jo Seohui friends? They show up together often.’
‘They even appeared together on Hyper Action Star, so maybe?’
It seemed that they got along well because they were the same age. But aside from that...
‘Both of them have such intense looks; I wonder if they’re suited for Harara.’
Anyone could look fitting as Zero Ro. But it was hard to imagine anyone fitting as Harara.
That seemed to be the consensus. Judging from their looks, this wouldn’t be easy.
One had a cold, icy aura, and the other looked like an imposing noble lady.
They hardly seemed a good fit for the cheerful Harara.
But the moment Seoyeon held Harara’s magic wand and started the play, those worries vanished.
「Ow~! How can you just throw cars around like that?」
「No, it shouldn’t just end with an ‘Ow.’ You just got hit by a car.」
Harara and Zero Ro’s banter continued. Watching the lively exchange, it was clear that Seoyeon’s Harara perfectly matched the animated character from the show.
The most impressive part was how she replicated the voice to match the animation’s tone.
"Seoyeon, have you done voice acting before?"
"Huh? I learned it."
"Oh, do actors get into voice acting these days?"
After the rehearsal ended, the other actors crowded around Seoyeon, asking questions. With Seohui’s natural fit for Zero Ro, there were no concerns there.
The real question was about Harara.
The concerns about Seoyeon’s suitability had melted away with her performance, though she looked a bit embarrassed.
‘Seems I do have a friendlier vibe than Jo Seohui.’
Very few people approached Seohui. When she tried to approach Seoyeon, she hesitated as others surrounded her, unable to step forward easily.
‘Anyway.’
Learning about voice acting hadn’t been something she’d picked up for her acting career. But it had proven useful after all.
So it was worth learning anything she could.
‘I bet Lee Jiyeon would be better suited for voice acting than me.’
Maybe she’d persuade Jiyeon to perform in a Harara play someday. It seemed like a great idea.
That way, she wouldn’t tease her about the shorts as much as before.
“Wow, Dayeon. There are so many people.”
“It’s a children’s play, but it’s not just kids, huh?”
“Why are there so many middle-aged guys?”
“Look at that—there’s a guy in a Harara T-shirt. That’s hilarious.”
Dayeon’s friends, each with bunny ears or mouse ears on their heads, chattered noisily. Despite having already ridden several rides, they were still full of energy.
‘We’ve got pretty good seats here.’
Thinking that, Dayeon settled in. She noticed a man in a penguin costume taking the stage. Curious about who he was, she stared, and her friend Minji filled her in.
“That’s the Harara mascot penguin.”
“...That?”
“It’s because he’s wearing a costume. He’s cute in the animation. In the play, he’s just there to wave a sign.”
Dayeon glanced at Minji. How does she know all this? Do you watch Harara?
“Kids! Are you ready to play with Harara today?!”
The penguin shouted, and children cheered, “Yes!” Dayeon smiled, watching the excited kids.
For the record, the adults in Harara T-shirts also shouted, which was a bit unsettling.
‘But the kids are cute.’
Dayeon liked children. However, she suddenly noticed an odd figure standing out among them.
‘Huh? Isn’t that Seoyeon’s little sister?’
Since Golden Duckling, Seoyeon’s younger sister had become famous. If she remembered right, her name was Joo Suyeon. Next to Suyeon was not Seoyeon or their mom but another woman.
‘Who’s that?’
While she pondered this, the stage darkened, signaling the start of the play.
「Oh no, what should I do? If I fail again, the Dark Lord will punish me.」
A bright spotlight illuminated a girl in black on stage, talking to herself, and a murmur of awe rose from the audience in the front rows upon recognizing her face.
“That’s Jo Seohui playing Zero Ro.”
“Jo Seohui? Really?”
“They said a celebrity would be here, but they didn’t say who.”
“They’re planning to reveal it after the first show.”
They hadn’t specified which celebrity would be there, likely aiming to create buzz after the first performance and then launch full-scale promotions.
The promotional material had indeed stated the first show would remain undisclosed.
The first show of a play often involves special events, and they were leveraging this fact.
「Harara’s punch hurts the most. Why does she even carry a magic wand?」
Seohui’s grumbling was endearing, her tone reminiscent of a highborn lady, making Dayeon admire her secretly.
She had seen Jo Seohui’s movies multiple times, but seeing her perform live in a play felt different.
A completely new experience.
Dayeon felt it was worth coming to the amusement park just for this.
「Oh, yes. That sounds good. You won’t have it easy this time!」
Clenching her fists, the light on Zero Ro dimmed. Then the stage brightened, fully illuminating it.
Standing center stage was a young girl with a small penguin puppet on her shoulder.
The moment she appeared, Dayeon and her friends were taken aback.
“What the...?”
“No way.”
They murmured in shock as they saw her friend from class.
‘Joo Seoyeon?’
Seoyeon was playing Harara?
Dayeon couldn’t even imagine Seoyeon acting as Harara.
「Ah~, what nice weather. I should have hit Zero Ro even harder yesterday.」
But that assumption shattered quickly.
Seoyeon—or rather, Harara—was nothing like the Seoyeon Dayeon knew.
Her typically sharp eyes were wide open, and the usual stern line of her mouth was replaced by a soft smile.
A lively girl stood on the stage.
「Right?」
Harara turned to the audience, smiling brightly as if asking the children for their agreement. And then, in an instant, her gaze met Dayeon’s.
It was a brief but impactful moment.