“Parachute? What, will you do well?”
She said this as she looked at the doll-like girl in front of her.
Jet-black hair, porcelain skin.
And mysterious eyes tinted with red.
She was like a character out of a fairytale.
Her appearance was so remarkable that it seemed as if she had been chosen purely based on her looks.
Indeed, everyone who had seen her around had been chattering about it.
The staff, her manager.
So she had said that.
Parachute.
This was the word young Seohui Jo hated the most.
As if it suggested she had been given this role without sincerity or dedication.
As if she didn’t belong in the world her mother had immersed herself in.
Jo Seohui clearly thought the girl disliked her during that time.
At least, until she saw her act.
Uuung, uuuuuuung!
Thud, clank, crash!
Still half-asleep, Seohui Jo listened to the sound of her phone rolling on the floor, groggily looking at the clock on the wall.
“…It’s not going to be easy this morning.”
She hadn’t expected she’d be reminded of that incident so early in the day.
Seohui sighed.
She arose from the bed and continued her usual routine.
Light exercise, breakfast.
And while getting ready to go to school, the housekeeper approached her.
“Lately, you seem happier, Seohui-ah.”
It was a casual remark.
Seohui glanced at the middle-aged woman who spoke so casually.
“Just talk plainly, Auntie.”
“Hey, isn’t this plain enough?”
With a friendly laugh, the housekeeper spoke, prompting Seohui to sigh once more.
This was the woman who had taken charge of the household since Seohui was still an infant.
Ever since she was hired when Seohui’s mother was especially busy, she had worked tirelessly in their home.
“Has the movie shooting been tiring?”
“No, it’s going smoothly.”
Seohui said as she adjusted her school uniform.
“Smoothly.”
Yes, that was the perfect word.
“Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo” was going smoothly in every respect.
Not only in shooting terms, but also in the promotion and distribution of the film.
Things were falling into place smoothly.
“Feels like the early chaos was all a lie.”
When a major portion of the cast left, and the investors expressed their concerns, it had been quite tumultuous.
To be honest, when the actor playing ‘Goto Isamu’ stepped away, Seohui herself had felt uneasy.
Because finding a substitute for an actor of that caliber wasn’t easy.
Not just an extra; practically the main antagonist.
The actor had to have both acting prowess and name recognition.
Even though Seohui scoured high and low, it wasn’t easy to find someone suitable.
Especially so since this was not any other movie—it was a Baek Min-directed film. Most actors shied away from it for that reason alone.
To be frank, Baek Min’s films, with their distinctive style, often deterred potential actors.
Senior actors fit for the role of Goto Isamu especially disliked or even avoided them altogether.
“Besides, there’s the homosexual aspect.”
All these elements surely brought about countless complications.
However, this issue was resolved far too easily.
Suddenly, Seoyeon brought in a prominent actor, Lee Sang-soo.
How did she manage it?
“Man, she just does stuff like that without batting an eyelid.”
To Seohui, Seoyeon was an enigmatic being.
She had always been.
She had effortlessly delivered performances way beyond the capability of child actors and earned significant recognition after just one drama.
“And then she vanished without a trace.”
Seohui grumbled inwardly as she attended to her lessons in school.
The shock of Seoyeon’s disappearance had been substantial.
The final performance Seoyeon had displayed had been like the starlight she had been longing for so desperately.
Much like the starlight her mother had shown her.
When Seoyeon arrived at the filming set, she could sense a slightly disordered atmosphere.
Approaching cautiously,
“Whoa!! Mom!!”
A member of the staff leapt in shock at Seoyeon’s quiet approach.
Seoyeon hadn’t made a sound or given any indication of her presence.
“Did you pick up some skills in Japan?”
Seoyeon raised her eyebrows upon hearing such thoughts from the startled staff member.
Approaching so quietly—was this really the appropriate reaction someone should have to seeing an actress?
“A-ah, apologies. There has been a lot going on.”
“What’s all the commotion about?”
“Yes, actor Kang Seo-hyuk has come to visit Director Baek.”
“Kang Seo-hyuk?”
One of Korea’s most prominent veteran actors.
Why was he here?
“It seems that he is filming a movie close by. Apparently, the schedules coincided.”
“Aha.”
Seoyeon was currently at a filming location in Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do.
It’s a place that most period dramas set in the Japanese colonial era pass through, making it one of the most representative filming sites.
Given that, overlapping filming locations aren’t uncommon.
“Even so, since it’s Director Baek, he would not have arranged overlapping schedules this way.”
With this thought, as Seoyeon entered the set, she spotted Director Baek Min and actor Kang Seo-hyuk in conversation. However, due to the many staff members surrounding them, it was difficult to approach closely.
Seoyeon strained her ears and tried to eavesdrop from a distance.
“I heard you’re shooting nearby, so I came by to say hello.”
“Your new work also seems to have a Japanese colonial era backdrop?”
“Ho ho, it just happened that way. Quite a coincidence.”
Their conversation wasn’t particularly tense.
However, considering their situations, it was rather odd.
One being Kang Seo-hyuk, who exited the movie, and the other, Director Baek Min, who met him.
To be clear, Kang Seo-hyuk didn’t cause a huge commotion when leaving; he simply stepped away along with some other actors just before filming began.
While this could be considered a problem, it isn’t something that has never happened, making it difficult to criticize harshly.
“But it seems Kang Seo-hyuk came today to apologize for that incident.”
Though apologies had been relayed a few times already.
After all, it wouldn’t be good for the industry if rumors spread poorly.
Kang Seo-hyuk probably didn’t expect Director Baek Min would so calmly receive his apology.
In truth,
“Could he be meeting me so easily?”
Kang Seo-hyuk was a seasoned actor.
He believed Director Baek Min wouldn’t accept him so lightly.
Director Baek Min was meticulous in his ways, and that was why he agreed to have Kang Seo-hyuk in the movie to begin with.
However, he was swayed by some overly good conditions and decided to leave.
“But there was no choice. The financial offer differed more than twofold.”
The investors were much larger, and the scale of the movie wasn’t comparable to “Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo.”
In “Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo,” the story mainly centered around two young ladies’ mansion and its surroundings, which was the primary setting for the movie.
Frankly, it was close to being a low-budget film.
No graphics were involved—solely focusing on the actors.
“Having lost such an important member of the cast…from Director Baek Min’s perspective, it should have been infuriating.”
So, the reason for his visit today was, officially, to give a proper apology—not only to Director Baek Min but also to all the actors involved.
Even if the schedules hadn’t overlapped, Kang Seo-hyuk would have visited the set once.
There was reason to manage his reputation in the industry, and he surely would have questioned why “Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo” was proceeding so smoothly despite his absence.
“Exactly who has taken over my role as Goto Isamu?”
He looked around the filming site but didn’t see a fitting actor.
Even Kang Seo-hyuk, who was known to be a social butterfly in the entertainment world, didn’t know any of the veteran actors who had taken the role.
“Seems like they had no choice but to cast someone unremarkable in that position.”
If an impressive actor had been cast, the investors surely would have made a big deal out of it for publicity.
The silence suggested that the actor taking over wasn’t anyone extraordinary.
With this thought,
“It’s fine not to apologize excessively. As things turned out, it’s all sorted.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Then, we have to start filming…”
“Ah, apologies.”
After this brief conversation, actor Kang Seo-hyuk said his goodbyes to Director Baek Min and left the filming site.
On his way out, he encountered Seoyeon.
“Jo Seoyeon?”
Wasn’t she one of the main casts of “Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo”?
“Rising star.”
Seoyeon was well-known even among the actors.
Of course, there was a reason.
The actress who knew no failure.
It was even joked that works on the verge of failure came back to life with Seoyeon’s involvement. And it was true, she had left such a trail.
To the point that exaggerated and even manipulated rumors about her spread, indicating how great her achievements were.
Understandably, there were also many critics envious of her success.
Of course, if one were wise, they would find a way to turn her into an ally.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Seo-hyuk. I’ve heard quite a bit about you from actress Jeong Eun-seon.”
He smiled as he greeted Seoyeon.
While his lips curved, his eyes did not.
Because Seoyeon’s reputation was one that Kang Seo-hyuk didn’t appreciate much.
“Our movies’ release dates overlap with ‘Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo.'”
In other words, they were destined to compete for the same audience.
Naturally, Kang Seo-hyuk was sure he wouldn’t lose.
Of course, the films’ genre distinctions.
Kang Seo-hyuk’s movies were typical period dramas that easily drew over five million viewers in South Korea. The scale was incomparable to “Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo.”
Meanwhile, “Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo” merely used the colonial era as a backdrop and did not emphasize those aspects. Moreover, it was a film that explored homosexual themes.
Thus, the number of audiences would naturally be limited.
However,
“There’s the fact that this girl is involved.”
It was only around a year.
A blip in an actor’s life, but the achievements in that short period were nothing short of extraordinary.
Additionally, the troubling fact was that this movie involved not only Jo Seoyeon but others as well.
“Hello, Mr. Kang Seo-hyuk.”
A female voice interjected between Seoyeon and Kang Seo-hyuk.
Seohui Jo had just arrived at the filming location, smiling as she greeted him.
Her demeanor seemed to suggest she was guarding Seoyeon from him.
“Hello, Seohui. It has been a while.”
In Kang Seo-hyuk’s eyes, the young Jo Seohui came back into focus.
Their last meeting had been at her mother’s funeral a decade ago.
Although Jo Seohui had been active in the industry for almost ten years, this was the first time they’d crossed paths on a set.
“I’m relieved to see you in good health.”
“Thank you.”
“Your mother would be pleased to see her legacy carried on by you.”
Jo Seohui’s eyes narrowed briefly at the words, then curved into a smile.
“Thank you for caring.”
“Well, I also have to get back to filming.”
With that, Kang Seo-hyuk turned slowly and left the set.
Jo Seohui and Seoyeon.
They represented, in fact, the future of actresses.
“Something feels a little uneasy.”
Kang Seohyuk left the set with that thought in mind.
As he did, he noticed a large van parked nearby.
“Was that the van Jo Seohui arrived in?”
It felt suspicious.
Yet, it lingered in his thoughts for reasons he couldn’t quite pinpoint.
“Hmph.”
Jo Seohui chuckled sarcastically, looking at the direction where Kang Seohyuk had disappeared.
“What kind of apology is that?”
She roughly guessed why Kang Seohyuk had come.
The unexpected rapid start of “Gyeongseong Yeoung-nyeo” filming had likely been bothersome to him.
Seohui glared at the thought, while Seoyeon caught her recent comment oddly.
“The legacy carried on by you?”
Seoyeon had never inquired about Jo Seohui’s family relations.
Neither had Seohui volunteered such information.
Still, Kang Seohyuk’s words carried significant implications.
“Kang Seohyuk, that’s just his kind of person.”
While Seoyeon was pondering over this, a familiar voice reached her ears.
Turning her head, she found
“Hello, Mr. Lee Sang-soo.”
Seoyeon bowed slightly in greeting. Standing there in casual attire was Lee Sang-soo.
“We were preparing for filming, but we hurriedly stepped aside because of that guy. Ugh, I wonder what he was trying to hide.”
Though internally, there was much he couldn’t handle, externally it wasn’t something Kang Seohyuk needed to know.
“Anyway.”
Lee Sang-soo smiled looking at Seoyeon.
“This is Seoyeon-ya’s first day of filming, right?”
His smile hinted at anticipation.
Nodding, Seoyeon confirmed it. It was Seoyeon and Seohui’s day, followed by Seoyeon and Sang-soo’s scenes. Given Seoyeon’s tight schedule, they intended to film her parts as soon as possible.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Lee Sang-soo gazed at Seoyeon seriously as he spoke. After all, the primary reason he returned to the movie scene was to act alongside Seoyeon.
“Of course.”
At his response, Seoyeon smiled warmly, as if encouraging his anticipation.
And as the murmurs settled in the filming site,
The official filming commenced.
