Spring.
The cute birds chirped, and the colorful flower petals fluttered in the breeze, making it a vibrant season.
And….
“Alright, everyone put down your pens. The person in the back, please collect the OMR sheets~.”
It was the season of midterms.
Whether Ha Eun was preparing for the interview for the fantasy realm, recording the featuring part of Daulby’s new song, or planning to attend the action school introduced by representative Jeong Do-cheol, it didn’t matter. Since Ha Eun was sitting in the last row of the classroom, he had to get up from his seat and collect the OMR cards.
Still, it was a familiar sight for Ha Eun, who was now a second-year high school student, having experienced it five times including middle school.
The act of studying for exams was something he had done even in his past life.
To get into specifics, the difference was that the studying in his past life had little to do with grades and internal assessments.
He also hadn’t been in a condition to attend school in the first place.
However, now he was healthier than anyone else.
Having longed for an ordinary life in his past life….
“Ah, can’t I just skip the test in the arts high school?”
“Such words must be said by someone who studies well. For instance, someone like me.”
‘…Didn’t both of them just line up and sleep?’
No, he wanted to be diligent in his school life, which felt somewhat unfamiliar.
Studying was also part of the school life he wanted to be diligent about.
Rather than being obsessed with “results” such as grades, he studied because he liked the “process” of sitting at the same desk in the same classroom as others and attending the same classes. But what did it matter?
Since his grades were decent, Ha Eun had no particular reason to dislike studying.
On the other hand, Da-yeon, who was in the class right next to Ha Eun’s.
‘If you compare me to that btch Lee Ha Eun again this time, I’m really going to blow everything up….’
She absolutely hated studying.
Given her busy schedule, she wouldn’t have been able to study properly anyway, and she was living a life unbound by school grades.
Therefore, she thought that comparing Ha Eun’s grades, which were relatively better, to her own didn’t make any sense.
The problem was that Da-yeon’s parents subtly brought up Ha Eun’s grades.
As a result, during the exam period, Da-yeon regarded Ha Eun as the so-called “ideal daughter.”
Strictly speaking, Da-yeon’s parents and Ha Eun’s parents were not particularly close friends, but Ha Eun’s grades were such that they well suited the description of an ideal daughter.
Once, she even asked Ha Eun if she was going to quit acting and go to college.
However, the response she received back from Ha Eun, who had smiled awkwardly in front of Da-yeon, was:
“I’ll try to go to college if I can.”
It was enough of an answer to raise Da-yeon’s blood pressure several notches.
“Don’t worry too much, Da-yeon. Even if I go to college, I won’t quit acting—”
“Shut upppp!!”
Thus, after considering Ha Eun as her sworn enemy for a while.
A few days later, after running into Ha Eun at the school store and sharing two packs of strawberry milk and pizza bread, her anger was finally eased.
Whether the same thing would happen during this midterm exam or not remained to be seen.
In any case, that troublesome exam was now over.
-Squelch.
Just like the last 11 years, Da-yeon directed her attention towards Ha Eun, intending to chat about the drama Da-yeon was currently filming.
Well, though it was called chit-chat.
In reality, it was Da-yeon’s one-sided boasting or preening directed at Ha Eun, who had very few lead roles under her belt.
Strictly speaking, even if it was not a leading role, Ha Eun’s unique talent for stealing the scene was still present.
Yet, the value held by the two words “lead role” should not be underestimated either.
Thus, in order to remind Ha Eun that she was currently in a better position than her,
At the same time, to instill a sense of urgency in Ha Eun so that she would be more passionate about her acting career.
“Hey, Lee Ha Eun. Stop grading the exams and come out… …What’s this?”
She intended to call Ha Eun out of the classroom, expecting her to be exchanging glances between the test paper and the answer key.
However, the image of Ha Eun in Da-yeon’s eyes was slightly different from what she expected.
“If you’re going to dress as a boy, shouldn’t you do something about this long hair first?”
“Um, well. It’s a historical drama shoot. I think I’ll be filming with long hair the whole time.”
“Hmm… In that case, let’s start by making the eyebrows a little thicker. Ha Eun, your eyes are already sharp—”
Over there, Ha Eun was currently surrounded by three or four classmates from the same class.
And it was with voices and expressions that didn’t seem particularly distant.
Thinking back, it wasn’t such a strange sight.
It wasn’t like this in elementary school, where there were overwhelmingly normal kids.
At <Narae Art High School>, where several celebrities besides Ha Eun and Da-yeon attended, there were countless kids who could approach her without hesitation.
Ha Eun, who had originally had a calm personality, was the type that was easy to approach.
Completely different from Da-yeon, who had a sharp and pointed personality.
Nevertheless, it felt strange.
For some reason, seeing Ha Eun, who appeared to be perfectly normal over there, felt odd.
-Slap.
“…We agreed to go to the store together. Come out.”
I took Ha Eun out of the classroom by bringing up a promise we never actually made.
Asking about the conversation Ha Eun had with the kids just moments earlier followed.
“What’s this historical drama shooting about? And what’s this boyish dressing?”
“Oh, that’s—”
The story Ha Eun conveyed from there was likewise not particularly strange.
She had wanted to try acting as a boy someday.
Coincidentally, the female lead of a historical drama currently in the casting stage was a character who cross-dresses as a boy.
Also, the novel that inspired the drama was a fairly popular and interesting one. She wanted to be cast in the lead role.
For someone like Ha Eun or Da-yeon, who had the title of actors, it was not such an unusual story.
Simply, the fact that Da-yeon learned about it later than others contributed to her worry.
“Please find out about the drama titled <The Moonlight Pierced by Clouds>. If possible, could you also include the content of the original novel?”
That evening, she asked her manager, Kim Jin-soo, to look into the drama.
She couldn’t distinguish whether it was the drama that worried her, Ha Eun, or that unsettling strangeness.
“When it comes to the female lead ‘Yeom Wol’ and ‘Queen Yoon,’ they’re currently casting. The other roles have already been filled.”
“What role does ‘Queen Yoon’ play?”
“Wait a moment… Ah, it’s the role that makes life difficult for the female lead? She’s in the position of a young mother-in-law.”
It was certain that the fluttering in her heart, which had been felt for some time, had to be resolved somehow.
…Was that the reason?
“Jin-soo oppa, I want to play Queen Yoon.”
“B-but, Da-yeon. Queen Yoon is a villain role. You’ve always said you didn’t want to play villain roles.”
“I don’t care.”
She wanted to take on the role of being disliked by the viewers, something Da-yeon had never done before.
If she could experience once more what had long been the exclusive territory of Da-yeon and get to face Ha Eun, it wouldn’t matter.
After all, Ha Eun would be cast in the lead role.
The outcome would be something she had never encountered before.
She could confidently state that she wouldn’t encounter it again in the future.
So this time, she wanted to compete not over the same role with Ha Eun, but rather take on the role of Queen Yoon and compete against Yeom Wol, whom Ha Eun would portray.
At that moment, she believed that becoming Queen Yoon was the only way to soothe the fluttering in her heart.
Having walked the path of an actor since childhood, Da-yeon couldn’t think of any other way.
“Excuse me, I came for the fantasy realm interview…”
“Oh, you’re a fantasy realm applicant. May I ask what your name is?”
“Diah. It’s Diah.”
“Oh…. Wait… just a moment!”
Then, the frantic-looking female staff member disappeared toward the inner office.
Ha Eun felt puzzled at the sight of the staff member.
Currently, Ha Eun was dressed in what is commonly referred to as an entertainer’s “secret” casual look.
Just like when she filmed a dance video, she had covered her face with a baseball cap and mask, so she figured the staff member wouldn’t recognize her.
After all, the staff had treated her normally until she spoke the name Diah.
The strange part was that the moment she said Diah, the staff member’s attitude changed 180 degrees.
It was even stranger since she hadn’t written her application mail in an odd way or come to the interview at an unusual time.
The staff member who had just disappeared returned in front of Ha Eun ten minutes later.
However, for some reason, there was also another unfamiliar figure appearing before Ha Eun.
‘…Did I come to the wrong place?’
She seriously contemplated whether she should escape the building right there.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed.
“Hello, Ms. Diah. I’m Da Ramji. My real name is Jee Hye-min, so please call me whichever you prefer.”
Brown bobbed hair.
A generally cute-looking face.
But more than anything, the remarkable prominence of her chest left Ha Eun astonished.
It rendered her speechless, caught between the realization that she was indeed face-to-face with Da Ramji and the confusion of wondering if that truly was a human’s bust.
“Um… for now… please follow me. I think it’s better to talk in the interview room.”
Thus, without even realizing it, Ha Eun found herself following Jee Hye-min while glancing at her until they arrived at the interview room.
After sitting in the black wooden chair placed in the center of the interview room at Hye-min’s cautious request to sit comfortably.
“Um…. Do you have any burns or scars on your face?”
The request or demand from another interviewer asking to show her bare face, if possible, came out.
Reluctantly, she took off her hat and mask, only to be met with wide eyes.
“Are you… really actress Lee Ha Eun? You’re not a namesake?!”
“…Yes.”
Ha Eun already knew that her identity would be revealed during the face-to-face interview process.
Therefore, she asked them to proceed with the fantasy realm interview first.
“B-but before we start the interview, may I ask one more thing? Are you the same person as my broadcast manager D.A?”
“Oh, yes. Daramji asked me to just keep the manager authority….”
“T-this really is D.A? This person is really that person?!”
As a result, instead of creating a proper interview atmosphere, it became even noisier.
Within seconds, the word “successful” rang out.
“Why should I, no one other than D.A, have to interview? Let’s get ready to sign an agreement quickly—”
“Calm down, noona. Even so, shouldn’t we ask the necessary questions?”
Thus, while Hye-min was attempting to include Ha Eun in the fantasy realm project with a free pass, she was interrupted by Lee Dong-jin right next to her.
Then, with a decidedly serious expression, Dong-jin continued.
“Ms. Ha Eun, do you have any manga or anime that left a deep impression on you?”
He was testing whether Ha Eun could satisfy the viewers’ needs first.
And until that moment,
Dong-jin believed that she would only mention popular picks like One Piece or Demon Slayer without a doubt.
“Fullmetal Alchemist.”
“Pass.”
Hearing the name of a masterpiece recognizable only to the genuinely discerning immediately withdrew all prejudices and preconceived notions about Ha Eun.
Of course, Hye-min, who was watching Dong-jin’s sudden transformation of attitude from the side, could only feel astounded.
![[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.novelupdates.com/images/2025/02/TS-Surviving-in-a-Yuri-Visual-Novel.png?resize=151,215 "[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel")
