At first, nothing particularly noteworthy happened.
The three girls sipped on the non-alcoholic beers Jiyeon had brought while chatting idly.
Being actresses working on the same movie, most of their conversation revolved around topics like films and dramas—subjects that weren’t exactly "student-like."
‘Or maybe they are?’
After all, talking about movies and dramas wasn’t unusual for students. The only difference here was that their discussions leaned far more into technical and professional territory.
Seoyeon listened attentively to Jiyeon and Seohui’s conversation.
It wasn’t that she had nothing to say, but much of her knowledge was a mix of current events and her memories of the future.
If she accidentally let slip something from the future, it could create unforeseen complications.
Even an offhand comment could turn out to be a significant variable.
‘Then again, I’ve done plenty of reckless things, so does it really matter?’
“By the way, Seoyeon,” Seohui said quietly, leaning toward her.
She had noticed that Seoyeon hadn’t been saying much and wondered if she was feeling left out.
“You haven’t run into Ro Woo lately, have you?”
“No, not really. Oh, but he did message me once.”
“...He messaged you?”
At that, Seohui’s gaze darkened noticeably.
Usually cheerful and carefree, her sudden intensity startled Seoyeon.
‘Okay, she really looks like a villainess right now.’
She could almost picture her commanding, "Guards, off with the head of this commoner girl!"
Paired with the flowing silk of her pajamas, the look only enhanced the aura of a dignified yet intimidating noblewoman.
‘No wonder people avoid her when we’re out together.’
Seoyeon sighed internally.
Between Jiyeon’s sharp and carefree demeanor and Seohui’s aristocratic elegance, she couldn’t help but feel a little out of place.
She might come off as stoic, but the other two could easily intimidate others without even trying.
And yet, both of them had wide social circles. Jiyeon had a lot of friends, while Seohui’s connections in the industry—and beyond—were downright extraordinary.
‘Even Ro Woo was interested in her.’
Ro Woo, a pivotal figure behind the Shine Moon club that would later become the epicenter of various scandals, clearly had his sights set on her.
As a major networking hub that spanned connections from the upper echelons of society to the entertainment world, Shine Moon had every reason to court someone like Jo Seohui.
Especially since her ties extended beyond celebrities to include high-profile figures in business and politics.
‘Getting her onboard would mean a treasure trove of VIPs for Shine Moon.’
No wonder Ro Woo was persistent.
[“Hey, Seoyeon, could you maybe set up a meeting with Seohui for me? She’s ignoring all my messages.”]
That had been the gist of the message Seoyeon received from him.
Though the tone was casual, it was clear he was pushing hard to win her over.
Seoyeon had simply scoffed and ignored it.
‘Is it because of Seohui? Or is he after me because I’m a rising star?’
The amusing irony was that neither of them could legally enter a club as minors.
Initially, Ro Woo had tried the angle of “No one will notice if you dress up and come in quietly; I’ll even save a spot for you.”
When that didn’t work, he shifted tactics to “Of course, it’s fine after graduation too!”
Clearly, he’d picked up on their lack of interest.
‘And of course, Jiwoo-unnie is involved too.’
Naturally, Seoyeon had reached out to Pyo Jiwoo, asking if she’d been seeing Ro Woo lately.
[“Huh? Oh, no, I haven’t.”]
Jiwoo had denied it outright, though her hesitant tone hinted that she might not be entirely truthful.
Seoyeon had considered steering the conversation to Ro Woo’s activities but decided against it.
‘It’s not like Shine Moon has any scandals out in the open yet.’
Any accusations would come across as baseless slander without solid evidence.
‘Besides, who knows how Jiwoo-unnie would react?’
If it turned out she was genuinely dating Ro Woo, no amount of reasoning would sway her.
Jiwoo wasn’t the type to passively let go of a boyfriend—even if it meant storming a club with a knife in hand.
Her unwavering loyalty and tendency to lash out when provoked were both admirable and terrifying.
‘I’d need hard evidence first... but could she even take on Shine Moon?’
The last club she had confronted had been well-known and heavily guarded, with around thirty bouncers.
Given Shine Moon’s shady underbelly, it probably had even more.
‘Thirty-something guards... maybe about the same? I wonder how far Jiwoo-unnie could get with a knife.’
Seoyeon found herself genuinely curious.
Not that she wanted such a situation to unfold, but part of her couldn’t help but wonder about the viral "Swordmaster Pyo" memes she’d seen in her past life.
“Seoyeon?”
“Ah, yes? What is it?”
Startled from her thoughts, Seoyeon quickly responded to Seohui’s questioning look.
“Oh, you just spoke informally,” Seohui noted, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Ah, that was unintentional.”
“Can’t you just keep doing it?”
“I’m more comfortable being polite for now.”
There was something about addressing Seohui formally that felt natural to Seoyeon.
Perhaps it was her refined "young miss" aura, or maybe it was the maturity she seemed to exude.
It was ironic, considering that Seoyeon’s accumulated memories technically made her the older one.
‘Though, I guess hormones always win out in the end.’
Seoyeon understood that the human psyche often followed the body’s lead.
Mental states shaped by hormonal imbalances were difficult to control, as she knew from personal experience.
She vividly remembered the one time in her past life when she’d experienced something akin to depression due to medication she’d briefly stopped taking.
During that time, she had felt utterly devoid of purpose.
It was a stark reminder of how even a small chemical imbalance could drastically alter one’s perspective.
‘At least now I can feel emotions fully. That’s better than before.’
Lost in thought again, Seoyeon sighed at herself.
Meanwhile, Seohui watched her with a puzzled expression.
It wasn’t like Seoyeon to slip up and speak informally, even by accident.
‘Is it because of this?’
Her gaze drifted to the non-alcoholic beer cans Jiyeon had brought.
Though technically alcohol-free, they did contain trace amounts—about 0.01%.
Could that tiny amount have had an effect?
‘Well, it wouldn’t hurt to get more.’
“Looks like we’re out of beer. Should I grab some more?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, we are,” Jiyeon agreed, glancing at the empty cans scattered around.
“Wait, do you even have more in the house?”
“There’s probably a fridge with some,” Seohui replied casually.
“A fridge with beer?”
Seoyeon blinked in surprise.
‘How many fridges does this house even have?’
The idea of a dedicated beer fridge felt surreal, but then again, this was a mansion.
“Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
With that, Seohui darted off toward the wine room.
Next to it was a smaller room housing various beverages in a compact wine cellar and refrigerator.
Though she rarely ventured there, she remembered seeing a stash of non-alcoholic beers before.
“This should do.”
Grabbing a variety of cans, she stuffed them into a bag and tiptoed back out.
She didn’t want her father catching her raiding the wine room, even if it was just for non-alcoholic drinks.
“Seohui?”
“!!”
She froze, turning to see Han Seoyoung looking at her curiously.
“Y-Yes? What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering who was there. Looks like you’re having fun.”
Relieved that she hadn’t been caught in the act, Seohui exhaled quietly.
“W-Well then, I’ll be going now.”
“Alright.”
Watching her scurry off, Han Seoyoung couldn’t help but smile.
It wasn’t often she saw Seohui so animated.
‘I wonder if that’s why she’s been biking everywhere lately?’
Once accustomed to commuting in chauffeured cars, Seohui had recently started riding a bike instead.
Perhaps it was her way of making casual meetups with friends more accessible.
It was remarkable to see her embrace her age and act like a typical teenager for once.
‘It’s a good change.’
For years, Seohui had been overly mature for her age, especially in the decade following Seoyeon’s disappearance.
It was clear the loss of two shining stars in her life had left a deep impact.
At least now, one of those stars had returned.
With that thought, Han Seoyoung turned away and headed back inside.
+++++
“I-I brought it! Here!”
Seohui tossed a can of beer to Seoyeon with a hint of desperation, and Seoyeon caught it, looking confused.
She popped it open with a psst and took a sip, finding it much colder and more refreshing than the ones Jiyeon had brought earlier.
‘Oh, so this is what it’s supposed to taste like.’
Jiyeon’s cans had been lukewarm, and while the novelty had been fun, they didn’t compare to the crisp chill of a properly cold beer.
Even the flavor seemed subtly sweeter. It was becoming clear that different beers had distinct tastes.
“Anyway,” Seohui began, holding her own can, “back to what we were saying earlier about acting. Since there are a lot of romance scenes with Jiyeon and me in the upcoming shoots...”
She took a small sip before continuing.
“Now that your acting is hitting new heights, Jiyeon has to match your level, you know? It wasn’t as much of an issue before because the earlier scenes were mostly about Yuina taking the lead.”
Seoyeon had already filmed some scenes with Jiyeon where she played Yuina with obsessive intensity.
The premise of the scene was simple: Yuina calls for Yeonseonye to figure out what’s happening between her and Michiko.
During their conversation, Yeonseonye reveals her conflicted feelings for Michiko, while Yuina, watching her, feels a tumultuous mixture of emotions.
The scene culminates in Yuina displaying a subtle but forceful possessiveness toward Yeonseonye.
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“Seoyeon, you really nailed that obsession,” Jiyeon commented.
“Right? Even I was surprised. Portraying obsession is easy enough, but showing it subtly is much harder.”
After all, it required expressing the character’s emotions clearly to the audience without making their actions or dialogue too overt.
Seoyeon had managed to perform it so naturally that even Seohui, watching from the sidelines, had felt her heart race.
“But seriously, Seoyeon, what’s your secret? Your acting’s improved so much...”
As she spoke, Seohui paused.
Seoyeon’s face was flushed. Her eyes were flushed. Everything about her seemed redder than usual.
“W-what the—”
Jiyeon, noticing the same thing, quickly grabbed one of the cans.
“This isn’t alcohol-free! It’s non-alcoholic beer!”
“Huh? Isn’t that basically the same thing?”
“No, they’re completely different!”
Alcohol-free beer contained less than 0.01% alcohol, while non-alcoholic beer could have up to 0.99%.
“So... is Seoyeon drunk?”
“How would I know? I’ve never seen her drunk before.”
Even on school trips or retreats, when others snuck alcohol, Seoyeon had remained indifferent, simply watching from the sidelines.
Her peers hadn’t dared to offer her any, so neither Jiyeon nor anyone else had ever witnessed her drunk.
‘But now...’
Seoyeon, who had been sipping her drink, seemed to realize her can was empty.
Wobbling slightly, she reached for another.
Both Jiyeon and Seohui watched in stunned silence as Seoyeon’s hand fumbled around and grabbed another can.
POP!
The can exploded in her hand.
“What the—?”
Seohui’s eyes widened to dots, completely frozen.
“I-I didn’t mean to...”
Thinking she’d failed to open the can properly, Seoyeon clumsily tried to clean up, but there was nothing nearby to wipe with.
She resorted to using the hem of her pajama skirt to mop up the mess.
Then she slipped, landing flat on her stomach and rolling over the half-burst can, getting herself soaked in the process.
Jiyeon and Seohui could only watch, too dumbfounded to react.
Was it even possible to get this drunk on non-alcoholic beer?
“Jiyeon, the ground is moving. Is there an earthquake?”
“No, no, just stay still. Don’t move.”
“I’m scared of shaking... Remember the rides? I was scared back then, too...”
Listening to Seoyeon’s slurred, almost baby-like rambling, Jiyeon gulped nervously.
She had no idea how to handle this situation.