“Oh, where’s Seoyeon? Why are you here alone?”

    Kang Chanyul, the CEO of Nova Entertainment, was in a great mood lately. And why wouldn’t he be? Thanks to Seoyeon’s impressive performances, Nova Entertainment''s stock had seen a significant rise.

    After Hwang Minhwa’s departure, the company was left without any notable actors, leading to whispers that "Nova Entertainment is done for." But now, those whispers seemed like a distant memory.

    “Ju Seoyeon went to learn some singing.”

    “Singing? Ah, is it for the OST work she’s involved in?”

    Kang Chanyul responded casually at first but then paused, sensing something odd in Jiyeon’s tone.

    “Wait, is she working with our company’s vocal trainer?”

    “No.”

    Initially, Seoyeon had planned to ask Han Dayoung, Jiyeon’s VTuber colleague known as the ''Magician,'' for help. However, something came up, and Seoyeon suddenly disappeared. From what Jiyeon heard...

    “She’s learning from... a friend.”

    “A... friend?”

    Kang Chanyul couldn''t help but think such a thought was rude. Did Seoyeon even have any friends besides Jiyeon?

    That’s how limited Seoyeon’s social circle was.

    “And what about our vocal trainers?”

    Kang Chanyul muttered in disbelief. Nova Entertainment wasn’t some small-time company, and of course, they had their own vocal trainers.

    Nova wasn’t just a talent agency focusing on actors; they also managed idols. Naturally, they had several skilled vocal trainers... so why?

    “I’m not sure about that.”

    Jiyeon’s response left Kang Chanyul feeling both exasperated and puzzled by Seoyeon’s actions.

    “Jiyeon.”

    “Yes.”

    “You’re feeling a bit sour, aren’t you?”

    “...”

    Kang Chanyul chuckled as Jiyeon gave him a pointed look. Having known her for so long, he could read her thoughts like an open book.

    ‘Sometimes, they’re just alike.’

    Seoyeon often frowned at how many friends Jiyeon had, but Jiyeon, who usually acted all cool and composed, was pretty much the same in this regard.

    “...Still, make sure to tell her when she gets back that we do have vocal trainers here.”

    “Yes.”

    Despite that, Kang Chanyul couldn’t help but worry if Seoyeon was causing trouble somewhere else. After all, Seoyeon had a unique way of thinking that often set her apart.

    While such a conversation was happening at Nova Entertainment, there was an unusual silence at Hoyeon Studio, the agency of Summer Girl.

    ‘Ju Seoyeon?’

    Labin swallowed nervously as she looked at the girl standing before her. Of course, she knew who she was.

    Wasn’t she the actress who appeared in Dream Future alongside Cha Nahyi?

    ‘She’s the one from The Chaser.’

    Recently, she played the role of a murderer in the million-ticket-selling movie The Chaser. Thanks to that, she had quickly risen to stardom, becoming one of the top contenders in the current trend.

    ‘Why is she with Cha Nahyi?’

    Sure, Cha Nahyi was the most popular member of Summer Girl, but to them, Nahyi was just a boring girl.

    Other than being good at singing and having a pretty face, they couldn’t understand why the public liked her so much.

    And yet, Cha Nahyi had brought none other than Ju Seoyeon as a guest.

    ‘No, no, there’s nothing to be scared of. Ju Seoyeon’s a rookie too.’

    Even if she had a past as a child actor, she had a 10-year gap in her career. She was practically a rookie.

    In terms of time spent in the entertainment industry, Summer Girl had been active longer. What was there to be afraid of?

    “...”

    As Seoyeon stared at them intently, Labin swallowed again. This girl had an intimidating presence.

    Her indifferent gaze made her seem inhuman, like a doll—cold and distant.

    ‘But...’

    Labin couldn’t just sit back and be overwhelmed.

    “Oh, how cute.” “Are you a high school student?” “It must be tough, but you’re doing great~.”

    The members of Summer Girl started chattering after Labin broke the ice. Their use of the word “cute” was a subtle power play, establishing their dominance.

    With her incredible stamina, Seoyeon could keep singing endlessly without tiring. And as she watched Seoyeon, Nahyi was quietly impressed.

    ‘Her voice is good, and her stamina is impressive.’

    She could feel Seoyeon getting stronger with each practice. It seemed like her earlier training had been solid, laying a good foundation.

    But she had internalized it physically rather than mentally, so she couldn’t easily draw on it when needed.

    ‘She performed better during the filming.’

    When filming episode 14, Seoyeon had delivered such a powerful performance that it overwhelmed Nahyi. It was because of that performance that Nahyi’s pride as an idol had been bruised.

    ‘She’s a bundle of talent.’

    Seoyeon was, quite literally, a personification of raw talent.

    “Think of singing as a form of acting.”

    Nahyi explained as Seoyeon looked at her intently.

    “The more you immerse yourself in and understand the lyrics, the better your singing will be. Just like how you immerse yourself in your role when acting.”

    If Seoyeon could consistently do that, she would be able to deliver even better performances.

    ‘The person who asked Seoyeon to sing the OST probably didn’t have high expectations.’

    After all, she’s an actress, right? As long as she didn’t make any glaring mistakes, they’d probably praise her. They likely chose a song that wasn’t too challenging.

    But Nahyi couldn’t be satisfied with just that. After all, she had witnessed Seoyeon’s talent in episode 14.

    “Oh, it’s already this late. Take a break for a moment. I have something I need to take care of.”

    After some time had passed, Nahyi remembered that she had been called by the idol planning team leader earlier today. It was probably related to future activities for Summer Girl. Given that Nahyi’s popularity had soared thanks to Dream Future, there was likely something additional for her to do.

    “Sigh.”

    She was a bit tired, but it was better than not being popular at all. With that thought, she left the practice room.

    ‘It seems like Hoyeon isn’t in great shape.’

    Originally, Hoyeon had been around for quite some time. But it had also been plagued by numerous incidents. For one, they were known to disband groups without hesitation if they weren’t profitable, and there was frequent controversy over favoritism.

    And it seemed that the target of that favoritism was...

    “Oh? You’re alone?”

    She saw a group approaching Seoyeon. It was the members of Summer Girl who had backed off earlier.

    They were all slender and had decent looks, but they weren’t particularly outstanding among idols. Someone like Cha Nahyi was more exceptional.

    “Where’s Nahyi?” “She stepped out for a bit.”

    At Seoyeon’s response, Labin chuckled.

    “She sure likes to keep to herself.”

    Seoyeon narrowed her eyes at that remark. She recalled the rumors about Summer Girl’s potential disbandment.

    “Because of her, we couldn’t even have a proper conversation earlier. What’s she trying to hide?” “She’s probably trying to hog all the attention, isn’t she?” “So, Seoyeon, what do you like?”

    The members of Summer Girl chatted around her, some of them asking rude questions. They asked about her specialties and what she was good at.

    In response, Seoyeon smiled softly.

    “I’m pretty good at magic.”

    “...Magic?” “Do you have a coin?”

    The members exchanged glances at Seoyeon’s words. A coin? Sure, they had some. It was unexpected that she’d be into magic, but it wasn’t unheard of among entertainers.

    “Here.”

    Labin quickly handed over a 500-won coin, and Seoyeon took it.

    “I’m going to turn this into 250 won.”

    “250 won?”

    How could she turn 500 won into 250 won? They watched her intently.

    Seoyeon held the 500-won coin between her thumb and index finger and pressed down. The coin bent in half.

    “?”

    The members of Summer Girl stared dumbly at the coin. Then, as they slowly turned their heads...

    They saw Seoyeon smiling gently. Her red eyes, gazing at them quietly, weren’t smiling.

    “Amazing, right?”

    So, unless you want to be folded in half like this coin, you’d better watch yourselves. That was essentially the message. Seoyeon wasn’t in a good mood right now.

    Anger.

    It was a rare feeling for Seoyeon, but she was definitely experiencing it.