A sense of unease permeated the Kyungsung Lady film crew as they prepared for an overseas shoot.
Particularly among the actors, who were carefully observing each other.
Some of them couldn’t help but glance toward actor Lee Sang-soo.
It was inevitable.
An actor who had failed once overseas.
In contrast, here on set was the youngest recipient of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Best Actor award.
Stella Baldwin.
A smiling, golden-haired girl.
Her white dress and sapphire-blue eyes made her look like a fleeting blossom.
"Wow, she’s stunning."
"She looks so different in person compared to the movies."
Had she overheard those comments?
Stella turned her gaze toward the group who had been chatting and smiled warmly.
“Thank you.”
Of course, for Seoyeon, who knew Stella’s true nature, the moment felt more like a big "Ugh."
Right now, Stella looked like an angel, nothing like how she acted when they were alone together.
‘And she’s only responding in English.’
From her current demeanor, it was as if she were saying, "I don’t speak Korean at all."
The only time she had spoken Korean was during her first meeting with Lee Jiyeon and Jo Seohui—when Seoyeon had also been present.
Other than that, she spoke exclusively in English.
"She’s fake," Lee Jiyeon remarked, crossing her arms as she watched Stella.
"She feels like one of those people with a rotten core."
"Agreed. I had high expectations after seeing her movies, but..."
Jo Seohui clicked her tongue as she watched Stella greet the staff at the airport.
For someone like Seohui, who was acquainted with heirs from other conglomerates, Stella’s behavior felt all too familiar.
Smiling on the outside while harboring several metaphorical serpents inside.
For Seohui, who had imagined Stella as an innocent angel, her impression now felt distinctly unsettling.
"Ju Seoyeon, she understands Korean, doesn’t she?"
"Yeah, she does. How did you figure that out?"
Was it from that little slip earlier?
If so, Jiyeon had sharp instincts.
"If she didn’t, there’s no way you’d have been able to talk to someone that shady."
"...I can speak English too, you know."
"Yeah? What grade did you get in English?"
"...."
The harsh reality of measuring everything by grades was as cruel as ever.
Seoyeon couldn’t help but lament inwardly.
Wasn’t it enough to just speak Korean well?
She’d never really been interested in English, even in her past life.
"Just kidding. Anyway, you’re not a fan of people like that, are you? The ones who are two-faced."
Jiyeon spoke in a low voice.
And she was right—Seoyeon didn’t particularly like people who were different inside and out.
Especially since Seoyeon, with her knack for reading emotions, could usually see right through them.
‘But Stella’s true nature... it’s unclear.’
That was the strange part.
Was it just acting?
But if that were the case, her behavior and speech wouldn’t be so erratic.
If she were acting, she’d be perfectly polished, like the angelic image she showed to everyone else.
Yet, she didn’t display such behavior toward Seoyeon.
‘It’s... similar to familiarity, but not quite.’
What exactly was it?
Seoyeon felt a vague, perplexing emotion.
An unease she’d sensed when watching Stella’s movies or observing her actions.
And a peculiar, intertwined feeling that followed.
For a moment, Seoyeon pondered over the person Stella Baldwin.
The first thing that came to mind was her "story."
‘The adopted daughter of Asher Baldwin.’
Adopted—meaning she was originally an orphan.
In the United States, there are no formal orphanages; instead, the foster care system places children in families.
The idea is to raise abandoned children in proper households rather than institutions.
Foster families receive government support, but if deemed incapable of raising a child properly, the child is moved to another home.
‘Five times.’
That was the number of families Stella had cycled through.
Early in the morning, before Stella woke up, Seoyeon had looked into her background.
Stella had been moved between five foster homes until, at seven years old, she caught Asher Baldwin’s eye and became his adopted daughter.
Why had Asher Baldwin encouraged Stella to pursue acting?
Why had Stella chosen acting out of all possible paths?
No answers were available, even after scouring the internet.
Lost in thought, Seoyeon found herself staring at Stella until their eyes met by chance.
It seemed Stella had noticed her gaze.
Smiling, Stella waved warmly.
Seoyeon, caught off guard, waved back awkwardly.
She might be a shady kid, but her looks are undeniably striking.
"Ju Seoyeon."
"Huh?"
"You’ve already gotten close to her, huh?"
"What?"
Wasn’t all she’d done just wave?
Jiyeon, with an unnecessarily grumpy face, spoke and turned her gaze elsewhere.
"I’m not particularly close to her."
"Really?"
After all, Seoyeon and Stella had only met the day before.
Hearing Seoyeon’s response, Jiyeon nodded slightly, her narrowed eyes briefly relaxing.
It wasn’t that Jiyeon was upset about Seoyeon getting close to someone.
It was just that Stella... felt off.
‘It’s like standing in front of a masterpiece in a gallery.’
It wasn’t about her personality being awful or her words being sharp.
It was a fundamental unease that made Jiyeon not want Seoyeon near Stella.
‘She reminds me of Ju Seoyeon from back then.’
Jiyeon thought about it.
Back then, she’d been too young to fully understand that discomfort, but if she met Seoyeon from the past now, she imagined she’d feel the same way about her as she did about Stella.
*****
Thus, they arrived in Japan.
Seoyeon hadn’t expected to return to Japan so soon.
Meanwhile, Stella, who had recklessly shown up in Korea unannounced, was promptly escorted away by the bodyguards waiting for her at the airport.
"I’ll be going now," she said lightly as she walked past, glancing at Seoyeon with her piercing blue eyes.
"But your eyes aren’t red today. Does that only happen when you sleep?"
Stella, for her part, had plenty of questions about Seoyeon.
Chief among them were her eyes.
When they locked eyes /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ early that morning, Seoyeon’s eyes had been red. But by the time morning came, they were brown—tinged slightly red but unmistakably different.
‘Are they sleeping lenses?’
Stella knew it didn’t make sense, but the question lingered in her mind.
Truthfully, Stella wanted to spend more time with Seoyeon, but staying any longer would undoubtedly incur her father’s wrath. So, she had no choice but to let the bodyguards escort her away.
"What a shame. But we’ll see each other again soon."
Leaving those cryptic words behind, Stella disappeared as suddenly as she had arrived—a whirlwind of a woman.
"Director Baek Min?"
Jo Seohui cautiously asked after hearing Stella’s enigmatic remark.
"Let’s get moving too," Director Baek replied with a smile.
Whenever he answered like that, it usually meant he had something in mind.
For the record, they weren’t heading straight to the filming location. First, they would check into their hotel and make a stop elsewhere.
Their destination was Japan’s YHJ Broadcasting Station.
Though it wasn’t immediately apparent, YHJ staff were currently embedded with the Kyungsung Lady production team.
"This is going to be huge, don’t you think?"
The staff from the Japanese broadcasting station, who had been accompanying the team to film a documentary about Seoyeon, exchanged incredulous smiles.
"Stella showed up out of nowhere? And just to meet Ju Seoyeon?"
"Honestly, we already felt Ju Seoyeon wasn’t ordinary, but Stella’s actions are surprising. I can’t even guess what she’s thinking."
Having observed Seoyeon’s acting up close while filming Kyungsung Lady, they were well aware of her remarkable talent.
To be blunt:
‘The scene where she fought Michiko was truly a masterpiece.’
All the actors had given their best performances during that scene, making Seoyeon’s acting shine even more.
With her co-stars responding so effectively, Seoyeon’s performance reached new heights, stealing attention—even from Jo Seohui, who was already a well-known star in Korea.
"But still, just for that..."
They had heard why Stella came to Korea.
Asher Baldwin had been watching a Japanese drama when he saw Seoyeon’s cameo performance. He had been so impressed that he singled her out, expressing his desire to cast her.
Upon hearing this, Stella had immediately flown to Korea.
"A documentary about an actress catching the interest of the Baldwin family... Won’t people accuse us of exaggerating?"
"Eh, but what can we do? We’ve already filmed everything."
"Then there’s nothing else to do."
"Exactly, right?"
From their perspective, it was simply thrilling.
How much of a sensation would this broadcast create once it aired?
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Just thinking about it filled them with anticipation.
*****
"I want to go to Akihabara."
As Seoyeon was being taken to the YHJ Broadcasting Station in Tokyo, this was the only thought filling her mind.
There were so many goods she hadn’t been able to buy the last time she visited.
And as if sensing her thoughts:
"Since there’s no shooting scheduled for today, the younger actors can relax and enjoy their free time," said Director Baek Min, his tone casual and breezy.
"Really? We’re free to do as we please?" Jo Seohui asked skeptically.
But Director Baek just smiled.
"Seohui, do I really sound that untrustworthy? You always seem to ask me like this."
"Oh, no, that’s not it... not exactly," she stammered.
Though in truth, it was exactly that.
Even Seoyeon found it hard to take his words at face value.
‘He’s like one of those shady characters from manga or movies.’
Always wearing a gentle smile, yet his approach to work was as ruthless as it got.
He had the kind of appearance that wouldn’t seem out of place declaring, "I’ll rule the heavens."
"Ju Seoyeon, you’re planning to buy more goods again, aren’t you?" Jiyeon asked, arms crossed.
"Huh? G-Goods?"
"Your mom asked me to make sure you don’t buy too much. She said you’ve run out of space to store them."
Seoyeon was taken aback.
Not because Jiyeon was keeping tabs on her purchases on behalf of Sua, but because:
‘What the heck do you even talk about with my mom?’
Jiyeon had always been uneasy around Sua, likely because of an incident back in middle school when she had recklessly lashed out at her.
But lately, the tension between them seemed to have evaporated, and they were unusually close.
Why was that?
Seoyeon gave Jiyeon a suspicious look, but Jiyeon simply returned her gaze with an expression that said, "What? Why?"
"Yeah, Sua told me the same thing," Jo Seohui chimed in.
Seoyeon was stunned again.
‘You too?’
She could understand Jiyeon, given they had known each other since childhood, but why Seohui? She had no reason to be involved with Sua at all.
Seoyeon looked back and forth between Jiyeon and Seohui, her eyes full of questions, but neither offered an explanation.
‘Well, it’s not like they can just say...’
‘It’s because you always spend your donation money on your mom.’
Spending her donations on Sua had become a routine for Seoyeon, so naturally, it led to frequent visits.
These days, they settled the accounts weekly, but there had been a time when they met almost daily.
"You’re going to Akihabara again, aren’t you?"
"Yeah. It’s close by."
"...Fine, but hang out with us before you go shopping. Don’t just wander off on your own."
"Got it."
Still, what could Jiyeon or Seohui even enjoy in Akihabara?
‘A game center might not be bad.’
Akihabara had several large game centers, mostly focused on crane games.
And so, the three of them headed straight to Akihabara.
One upside was that, unlike in Korea, they didn’t need to cover their faces here.
"Well, I don’t usually need to anyway," Jiyeon quipped.
Still, for the more recognizable Seoyeon and Seohui, walking around freely without disguises felt liberating.
Of course:
‘But no one dares to make eye contact.’
With their faces fully visible for the first time in a while, the trio noticed people averting their gazes as they passed.
At crosswalks, people gave them a wide berth.
‘It’s Jiyeon’s fault.’
‘It’s because Seohui has that intimidating aura.’
‘And Seoyeon keeps glaring at everyone.’
Each thought it was the other’s fault, never their own.
After some minor bumps along the way, they finally arrived at a game center.
"Wow, this place is pretty cool," Seohui said.
"They’ve got plushies instead of just figures. That one’s cute."
While the two admired the unfamiliar crane games, a voice interrupted them.
"Hi."
A blonde girl suddenly appeared before them, angelic in her beauty.
The commotion she caused was immediate and loud.
"See? I told you we’d meet again soon," said Stella Baldwin, smiling brightly at Seoyeon.
How had she known they’d come to the game center?
"...How did you know we’d be here this time?"
At this point, it was almost stalker-like.
"Well, I heard it from your managers."
"...Our managers told you?"
"Yep."
Stella’s gaze shifted to Jiyeon’s hand, which held a camera recording the trio.
It was, of course, equipment requested by the Japanese production team to film the three having fun.
"Since I’m in it, it’ll be good publicity, right?"
Well, she wasn’t wrong.
Seoyeon gave Stella a pitying look, still struggling to shake her poor first impression of her from Korea.
"Don’t make remarks like that here in Japan."
"Huh? Like what?"
"Stuff like ‘all Asians look the same.’ This is being recorded."
"Oh, should I not?"
The fact that she even needed to ask was astounding.
Not just Seoyeon, but Jiyeon and Seohui also looked baffled by her comment.
"Hmm? Oh, ah, I see. It’s kind of a black joke, you know?"
"A black joke?"
"Yeah, like how Black people joke about themselves. Overseas, people treat me as Asian, too."
This revelation surprised them.
Apparently, Stella was often categorized as Asian abroad.
"Though honestly, I don’t really care about where half my blood comes from."
A mixed heritage.
Though Stella looked entirely foreign to Seoyeon at first glance, on closer inspection, there were some distinctly Asian features in her appearance.
"Well, whatever. I’ll try to tone it down, okay?"
"How about not making those jokes at all?"
"Ahaha, don’t be so harsh. Anyway, how about that? I’m really good at it," Stella said, pointing to a punching machine.
Jiyeon visibly shuddered, while Seohui instinctively glanced at Seoyeon.
The memory of a shocking incident back at the mansion came to mind.
And Seoyeon, for her part:
"I’m good at it too," she said with a casual shrug.
To be honest, Seoyeon had never tried a punching machine before.
But she’d torn up plenty of sandbags, so she was confident.
"Really? Want to have a contest?"
"Sure."
"How about we make a bet? Loser pays for dinner."
"Seriously?"
Seoyeon nodded immediately.
It wasn’t her suggestion, so she was in the clear.
‘I should look up some high-end omakase spots.’
With Stella’s wealth, there was no need to settle for anything cheap.
"Okay, I’ll go first," Seoyeon said enthusiastically, stepping up to the machine.
As the beautiful girl stood in front of the punching machine, the attention of everyone in the game center naturally gravitated toward her.
"Oh, if you punch like that, you’ll hurt your hand."
"Who is she? She’s gorgeous."
"She looks so familiar, but I can’t place her."
Most comments were critiques of her posture.
Typically, you were supposed to grab your wrist with your other hand before punching to maximize strength and prevent injury.
But Seoyeon simply raised her right hand, ignoring the advice.
Not that she was worried about hurting herself.
‘I’ll just go easy.’
That was all she thought.
BANG!
A thunderous sound filled the center, as if the machine had exploded.
Even with shock absorbers in place, the noise was deafening.
Everyone turned to stare.
"Ju Seoyeon, the punching machine isn’t resetting. Is that normal for Japanese machines?" Jiyeon asked, glancing at the malfunctioning device.
It looked off.
Normally, it should display a score, but nothing appeared, and the machine wasn’t resetting.
Of course, Jiyeon’s concern was simply that the machine might have broken.
"Huh?"
Stella, still smiling, tilted her head as she circled the machine.
"...Huh?"
Something definitely seemed wrong.