At first, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Jiyeon sipped on the canned beer she had brought while exchanging casual conversation.
Anyway, since all three were actors currently filming for a movie, most of their conversations revolved around movies and dramas, topics not typical for students.
“Isn’t that a more student-like conversation?”
When it came to discussing movies and dramas,
of course, the conversation was more professional compared to what other female students might talk about, but still.
Seoyeon thought as she attentively listened to Jiyeon and Seohui Jo chat.
Not that she didn’t have anything to say, but Seoyeon’s knowledge was somewhat intertwined with future knowledge.
So, if she accidentally mentioned something about the future, she couldn’t predict the kind of problems that might arise.
Even casual words could unexpectedly stir up significant variables.
Well, despite doing things rather arbitrarily, it might not matter too much?
“By the way, Seoyeon.”
Seohui Jo quietly spoke to Seoyeon.
She was concerned that Seoyeon might be bored since she hadn’t actively contributed to their conversation yet.
“Have you happened to meet Ro since?”
“Yes, not really. Ah, I did receive a message though.”
“—You received a message?”
Seohui’s gaze darkened as she spoke.
Seoyeon was momentarily startled when she saw that look, having only ever seen Seohui’s usual cheerful demeanor.
“As if she’s about to say, ‘Chop the neck of that commoner right away.'”
Dressed in a rather billowy pajama, it only enhanced that impression.
‘That’s why, whenever we hang out together, people tend to avoid us gradually.’
Seoyeon sighed inwardly.
With Jiyeon and Seohui’s appearance like that, Seoyeon couldn’t help but feel at a disadvantage.
While she herself was just slightly expressionless, their presence could make others feel unnerved.
Interestingly, both of them had a large number of acquaintances despite this.
Jiyeon had many friends.
In Seohui’s case, her network was exceptionally impressive.
‘Right now, enough for Ro to take notice.’
Ro, who runs “Shine Moon,” a place that later becomes the hotspot for numerous incidents.
With the extensive connections Seohui held, ranging from above to below, she was inevitably an important figure at “Shine Moon.”
Especially since Seohui’s network wasn’t limited to the entertainment industry but also extended to influential figures in business circles.
Capturing Seohui alone could potentially create a vast number of VIPs at “Shine Moon.”
Hence, Ro couldn’t but cater to her needs.
“Seoyeon, could you possibly arrange a meeting between me and Seohui? I can’t seem to get a response no matter how many times I contact her.”
The message Seoyeon received was pretty much along those lines.
A very friendly tone.
Upon seeing this, Seoyeon clicked her tongue.
Of course, she didn’t reply.
‘Is it because of Seohui or because I’m a trendy actor recently, but they’re putting in efforts to recruit me.’
Ironically, both Seohui and Seoyeon were underage, making it impossible for them to legally enter a club.
Initially, someone tried to coax them by saying, “If you dress up and sneak in, no one will notice. We’ll make space for you quietly.”
Later, this changed to, “Oh, sure, even after graduation is fine!” once they realized Seohui and Seoyeon were avoiding it.
‘Probably sensing that we don’t want to.’
‘Unfortunately, Ji-woo Pyo too.’
Naturally, Seoyeon subsequently contacted Pyo Ji-woo.
Recently, asking if she’d been meeting with Ro or not.
“Umm? No, I haven’t.”
In response, Pyo Ji-woo firmly denied it.
However, her unusually hesitant tone indicated there was something she wished to hide.
Seoyeon wondered if she should casually bring up the topic of Ro during their conversation.
‘But probably not a good idea.’
After all, as of now, there wasn’t any particular issue apparent with “Shine Moon” or Ro.
Pointless accusations without evidence would only serve as hearsay.
‘Anyway, unsure how Ji-woo Pyo will respond.’
Even if it was just a casual flirtation as Ro had suggested, if they were already in a committed relationship, Pyo Ji-woo wouldn’t care much about such things.
She wasn’t the type to storm into a club and break up a cheating lover.
Once she fixated on something, it was hard to control her irrational outbursts.
At the very least, they needed some proof.
‘But can Pyo Ji-woo even break through “Shine Moon?”’
The club she’d previously visited was already a well-known and prominent club.
It had approximately thirty guards.
“Shine Moon” compared to the previous club was perhaps on the larger side.
However, considering “Shine Moon” had some shady elements, there was a higher probability it had more guards.
‘Maybe slightly more than thirty, or approximately the same number.’
Could Pyo Ji-woo armed with a knife break through, then?
Seoyeon found herself genuinely curious about how many guards a knife-wielding Pyo Ji-woo could take down.
Of course, such a scenario should be avoided, but she was still a little curious.
How powerful could “Sword Master Pyo,” who once caused a stir on the internet, actually be?
“Seoyeon?”
“Yes? What?”
Seoyeon hurriedly responded to Seohui who was looking at her with a peculiar expression.
Upon hearing this, Seohui’s eyes widened.
“Hey, didn’t you just speak casually to me?”
“Oh, I did so unintentionally.”
“Can’t you just keep speaking casually?”
“I prefer to use formal language still.”
Something about speaking formally to Seohui felt right.
Perhaps because of her “lady” image.
Her behavior also oddly gave off a senior-like vibe.
Even considering her previous life, she was definitely Seoyeon’s senior, but it was a strange phenomenon.
‘Still, in the end, the mind follows hormones inevitably.’
Seoyeon understood that mental issues were beyond human control.
This was indeed purely a problem concerning the physical body.
She knew well how much changes could be caused by mental illnesses or hormonal imbalances.
Commonly questioned behaviors in cases of depression are mostly due to hormones.
Even though Seoyoen hadn’t experienced depression herself, there was one instance in her previous life when similar symptoms appeared due to medication.
Probably around the time she felt slightly lazy to continue taking her medication.
Then, the feeling was like the sense of living itself had no meaning.
Truly, unable to do anything.
Afterwards, she was careful to take her medication regularly out of fear.
Therefore, Seoyeon would generally be lenient towards behaviors differing from her past.
At least it was better than the inability to fully feel emotions in the past, right?
‘Why do I keep getting lost in thought during conversations?’
Seohui observed Seoyeon pensively and pursed her lips.
After all, Seoyeon had unexpectedly addressed Seohui casually upon this sudden call out.
It was usually something that never happened.
Seoyeon had always been cautious not to make such verbal mistakes thus far.
‘Could it be due to this?’
Seohui glanced at the non-alcoholic beer that Jiyeon had brought.
Of course, non-alcoholic beer has very little, if any, alcohol.
At most, it registers at 0.01.
Thus, despite all three of them enthusiastically chatting while consuming them, there weren’t any noticeable effects.
‘But what if that 0.01% did take effect?’
Seohui nodded in agreement, having formulated a rather impeccable conclusion.
Come to think of it, there was a batch of beer cans that her father had bought at home.
Even the chairman of a giant conglomerate enjoys drinking beer from time to time.
Just that Seohui’s father usually doesn’t relish being drunk, so he mostly drinks low-alcohol beers.
“The beer seems to be finished. Shall I bring some more?”
“Huh? Oh yes, it seems so.”
Jiyeon looked at the pile of empty beer cans on the floor and nodded in agreement.
They hadn’t realized they had consumed so much while casually munching on snacks.
Initially, Jiyeon hadn’t brought too many, not anticipating such consumption.
“By the way, is there beer at home?”
“There should be a refrigerator stocked with some.”
“A refrigerator dedicated to beer?”
Seoyeon was shocked yet again by Seohui’s statement.
Just how many refrigerators do we have?
Well, considering the size of the mansion, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was one specifically for beer.
“I’ll be right back. Wait a moment.”
Seohui darted off towards the wine room.
Next to the wine room was a smaller room containing a wine cellar and a refrigerator for miscellaneous liquors.
Though Seohui had rarely visited this space before.
“Ah, is this it?”
After hastily collecting a few non-alcoholic beers, Seohui quietly slipped out on her tiptoes to avoid being caught by her father.
“Seohui?”
“!!”
Turning around, Seohui saw Han Seo-young looking at her curiously.
Had she been spotted sneaking out of the wine room?
“Yes, yes? Uh, nothing special.”
“Huh? Oh, I just thought someone was around. Looks like you’re all having fun.”
Seohui sighed in relief at Han Seo-young’s calm response.
If she had seen, her reaction would be anything but this casual.
“Uh, I’ll be going then.”
“Ah, sure.”
Watching Seohui rush off, Han Seo-young found the scene rather amusing.
It was extremely rare to see Seohui acting so flustered.
‘Does her recent enthusiastic cycling stem from this then?’
Originally, Seohui, a genuine miss, always commuted by her own chauffeur-driven car, but recently she switched to bicycles.
Probably realizing that traveling by car would hinder her from meeting friends privately.
Considering that Seohui, who had been thoroughly concealing herself as an actress, was now showing such behavior, it was quite surprising.
Maybe she’s becoming more active?
Or should we say, acting more like a normal teenage girl?
‘In either case, it’s fortunate.’
Rather, Seohui had been too mature for her age up until now.
After Seoyeon disappeared for nearly 10 years, Seohui’s relentless engagement in work seemed quite grown-up.
Perhaps the shock of losing the starlight twice was too great.
At least one seemed to have returned.
Eventually, Han Seo-young turned around slowly after looking in the direction where Seohui had disappeared.
*
“Here. I brought it!”
Seoyeon took the beer can that Seohui nearly threw at her, feeling somewhat perplexed.
After cracking the can open and taking a sip, she noted that it was much more refreshing than the beer Jiyeon had brought.
‘Ah, this is how it feels.’
The beer that Jiyeon had brought from home had a slightly warm feel.
Despite the novelty, she had been sipping on it absentmindedly, but it couldn’t compare to an ice-cold beer.
The taste also seemed oddly sweet.
Different beer has different flavors.
“Anyway, continuing the earlier conversation about future acting. Since my romance scenes with Jiyeon are quite numerous, now that Seoyeon’s acting potential has significantly improved, Jiyeon needs to match up accordingly, right? Previously, with Yuna mainly leading, it wasn’t really much of an issue.”
Seohui continued the conversation while holding the beer can with one hand.
“There was indeed once when Jiyeon confidently claimed skills in romances.”
Indeed, there was a scene previously filmed with Joo Sooyeon and Jiyeon.
Here’s the gist:
When Yuina calls out to Yeon Seonye to check the current situation.
Then, Yeon Seonye reveals that she harbors strange emotions for Michiko, prompting a feeling of unease in Yuina.
So, the scene where Yeon Seonye shows a somewhat obsessive attachment was critical.
“Joo Sooyeon’s obsession was well-portrayed.”
“Right? I was honestly a bit surprised. Portraying someone being obsessively attached to romance is relatively easy, subtly displaying it is difficult.”
After all, the audience needs to perceive the emotions, but overtly aggressive actions or dialogue must be avoided.
They were required to naturally express the emotions.
Naturally, it was a challenging task, yet Yuina’s acting at that time so captivated the watching Seohui that she even felt a flutter in her heart.
But, Seoyeon, what trick did you use? Your acting improved tremendously since before…”
Seohui froze halfway through her sentence.
What was a suitable description?
Her face was red.
Seoyeon’s face was red, her eyes too red.
In short, she was extremely flushed.
“Eh?”
Jiyeon noticed this belatedly and hastily checked the beer can.
Not non-alcoholic beer but low-alcohol beer.
“Hey, Jo Seohui, this is low-alcoholic beer!”
“Um? Isn’t it similar?”
“No, low-alcohol and non-alcoholic are completely different!?”
Non-alcoholic is below 0.01,
Low-alcoholic can have up to 0.99 of alcohol content.
“Then, is Seoyeon drunk?”
“How should I know? I’ve never seen Ju Sooyeon drunk before.”
During school trips or retreats,
when classmates would secretly drink alcohol,
Seoyeon would just blankly observe without participating.
Since others weren’t brave enough to encourage drinking with Seoyeon either,
seeing her drunk was a first for Jiyeon too.
“Could it be like how it was in middle school?”
As she realized her can was empty, Seoyeon wavered and tried to grasp another can.
Seohui and Jiyeon’s eyes traced her shaky hands.
Ignoring their questions, Seoyeon clumsily reached for another beer,
with a loud POP!!
The beer can burst open.
“Eh?”
Seohui’s eyes turned to dots.
What just happened?
“Oh, it was an accident…”
Thinking she had merely failed to hold the beer can properly, Seoyeon wobbled to her feet and moved to clean up the spill.
Naturally, there was nothing nearby to clean with, and in an attempt to clean it with her pajama skirt, she tripped and fell amidst the spilled beer.
Watching Seoyeon roll around on the half-open beer, Seohui and Jiyeon stared, unable to think of interrupting.
Was it even possible to get this drunk from low-alcohol beer?
“Jiyeon, the ground feels like it’s rising. Is there an earthquake?”
“Ah, no, just stay still for a bit. Don’t move.”
“This swaying is scary. The last time, when I rode an amusement park ride…”
Listening to Seoyeon’s baby-like babblings, Jiyeon swallowed her saliva nervously.
She had no idea how to handle this situation.
