With Lee Sangsoo confirmed for the role, the once-stalled filming of Gyeongseong Lady picked up pace. Jo Seohui, ever resourceful, was filling the gaps left by Kang Seohyeok and other departing actors by networking relentlessly to bring in replacements.
Seoyeon found it fascinating. While even Director Baek Min and the investors had struggled to recruit actors, they seemed to show up when Jo Seohui got involved.
As she walked to school, Seoyeon mentioned this to Jiyeon.
"Well, that’s because she has quite the reputation."
Jo Seohui was known to be the heiress of Newlike Group, ranked third among conglomerates. Of course, she had never openly mentioned it herself.
"In fact, you’re probably the only one she’s hinted at it to."
During the last Harara performance, Seohui had casually mentioned that the theme park was managed by her family.
"Besides, she’s a well-liked actress among veteran actors," Jiyeon added.
Seoyeon found it oddly intriguing. Sure, Seohui was undeniably pretty, but there was something about her that gave off a strangely intense aura—she’d look like a villainess with just a fan in her hand, and if you ran into her at night, she’d resemble a scene from Tomie.
"Newlike Group is far bigger than any of the investors backing Gyeongseong Lady, after all."
The main backer for Gyeongseong Lady was a company called BestOne, a platform that had recently entered the cultural industry, investing in music, films, and anime.
"But if Jo Seohui’s in it, why didn’t Newlike Group invest in the production?"
"She probably asked them not to. She’s not the type to like relying on her family for help."
"Is she really?"
"Come on, Seoyeon, you’d be the same way if you were in her shoes."
Seoyeon was about to reply that she definitely would’ve taken advantage of it, but she shrugged in agreement instead, not wanting to come across as petty.
'Seems like those two have gotten close.'
Seoyeon glanced over at Jiyeon. Recently, it didn’t seem like Jiyeon was getting private acting lessons from Seohui anymore. They’d spent time together, probably bonding over their similar tastes in clothes and shopping styles. When they were together, men rarely approached them.
‘She never goes shopping with me, though,’ Seoyeon thought, feeling a bit slighted.
"So... you’ve been shopping together a lot lately?" she asked casually.
"Want to come along, Seoyeon?"
"Why not?"
"You’re not usually into shopping. You just grab something and go."
Seoyeon couldn’t argue with that. She wasn’t someone who spent much time picking out her clothes. It wasn’t due to any lingering habits from her previous life; she actually liked wearing cute and pretty outfits. Skirts were surprisingly practical for high kicks.
Still, Seoyeon wasn’t exactly a shopping enthusiast.
She typically chose clothes at random, satisfied with how they looked on her. But Jiyeon was the type to spend hours shopping, checking out makeup, and browsing random items.
‘Isn’t this where someone usually drags you off for a shopping spree because they “can’t let that pretty face go to waste” or something?’
In the novels and comics Seoyeon had read, if there was a character indifferent to shopping, the people around them would often pull them along for a shopping makeover.
When she hinted at shopping to her mom recently, Sua’s response was completely sensible.
"If my daughter doesn’t want to shop, I won’t drag her."
And then there was Youngbin, who’d recently lightened up after resolving some company matters.
"Isn’t clothing just an outer shell to you?"
Seoyeon had confiscated his computer in response to that dismissive answer.
‘Why is she suddenly interested in shopping?’
Jiyeon wasn’t the type to force someone along if they weren’t interested. But hearing Seoyeon’s question, Jiyeon saw no reason to say no.
Besides, there was something Jo Seohui had asked of her about a week ago, around the time Seoyeon had been preparing for Lee Sangsoo’s audition.
"She kind of treats me as something separate from ‘Alice’ and myself," Seohui had said during their last shopping trip, looking pensive.
"Seoyeon’s particular about things like that."
"Is that... normal?"
"I’d say so."
Jiyeon didn’t know all the slang from the virtual YouTuber world, but she’d picked up on some terms just from watching the chat during streams.
"She kept asking me to open Super Chats. Why would she want to spend money there?"
"If you say that to Seoyeon, she’ll get mad."
"Really?"
Seohui couldn’t understand why. If she had something to say, couldn’t she just call directly? Honestly, she wanted to talk to Seoyeon about what had happened during the Alice stream.
On-stream, Seoyeon had been so warm and approachable—she’d love to see that side of her in real life, too!
Messages in the chat had been enthusiastic:
"All her IDs and passwords are the same."
"Isn’t that risky?"
"She says it’s just convenient."
The thought process seemed oddly boyish. Anyway, Jiyeon had sworn Seoyeon to secrecy about her identity as Alice, leaving Seohui to suffer in silence.
Knowing a secret but unable to share it felt stifling. She even wanted to bury her face in her pillow and scream, “I’m Alice!” at night. Of course, if she did, her family would probably drag her straight to the hospital.
One day, her father, having accidentally seen her stream, had said, "Apparently, GH Group has taken an interest in that sort of thing."
"GH Group?"
"There’s an executive there who’s really into it."
Seohui thought streaming could make for an interesting hobby, but was it really something to invest in as a business? Sure, it had potential, but it was still a bit underground.
"Still, Seoyeon treats me as a friend," Jiyeon had assured her.
"She does?"
"She’s just formal with you because of something that happened a long time ago."
"..."
In some ways, Seoyeon holding a grudge for something from ten years ago seemed childish.
‘She probably just finds it easier to be formal with Seohui.’
Jiyeon couldn’t pinpoint Seoyeon’s reasoning, as she mostly acted on whims.
"All right, I’ll bring it up next time."
Jiyeon appreciated everything she’d gained from knowing Seohui, beyond just acting lessons.
"Seoyeon."
Reflecting on the past week, Jiyeon decided she’d try to help Seoyeon connect with Seohui a bit more. After all, they’d be working together on Gyeongseong Lady, so becoming closer wouldn’t hurt.
"Want to join me and Seohui for shopping?"
"Oh, um, sure."
Seoyeon nodded slowly, feeling like a child who’d just asked to tag along.
Despite setting a shopping date, Seoyeon couldn’t help but worry. After all...
"Are you... are you Ju Seoyeon? I love Sky Garden!"
"Hey, it’s Ju Seoyeon!"
"Wow, her face is tiny!"
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёwebnovel.com.
Without some sort of disguise, people would instantly swarm her. She understood why celebrities hired bodyguards.
Headlines constantly highlighted Sky Garden’s soaring popularity.
[Sky Garden: Soaring to the Top! Episode 18 Breaks 30% Viewership!] [The Winner in Household Drama: Sky Garden Reaches 30%, Grand Game at 11%]
Articles like that were everywhere. With only two episodes left, Sky Garden had shifted its focus to Lee Yiju’s growth after Episode 14, drawing viewers with its intense, sensational plot.
It had even surpassed 30% viewership, a staggering figure, and 8% higher than in her previous life.
Seoyeon hadn’t fully grasped the significance of high ratings as a child actor, but now she understood. Wherever she went, people recognized her immediately.
‘I really need to work on my disguises.’
Now she understood why Park Jungwoo constantly nagged her about this. Meeting up with him would be challenging for a while.
Thankfully, they’d already met, and he had confirmed his participation in Seoul Escape.
‘With him on board, most of the issues are sorted.’
Now all she had to do was beat the competition for her role in the audition.
While reflecting on this, Seoyeon wandered through KMB, the broadcasting station, greeting people along the way.
"...Huh?"
She locked eyes with a tall woman who looked strikingly familiar. At once, the woman’s gaze sharpened.
Realization struck Seoyeon—this was Ko Mi-eun, the lead actress of Grand Game, and the one whose show had been overshadowed by Sky Garden.