Chapter 74: The Ultimate Idol Who Came to End the War (1)
Hong Soo-yeon delivered her first line.
“Grandma! Why didn’t you wake me up?!”
“You’re up? Hurry and eat before you go to school.”
“No, I’m not going to school today. I told you—I have an audition!”
Hong Soo-yeon frantically washed up and hurriedly changed clothes.
“Grandma, I’m leaving!”
Even as she rushed out, she didn’t forget to give her grandmother a hug.
“What about breakfast?”
“I’ll eat when I get back!”
With that, Soo-yeon ran out the door, leaving Lee Ok-ja, who played the grandmother, staring after her with a worried expression.
“Cut!”
After replaying the video once, Park Woong-deok said it looked good.
Both Soo-yeon and Ok-ja, who had been nervous, exhaled in relief.
“Whew…”
Jung Se-yeon—who had been nervous right along with them—also let out a sigh and looked at Kim Si-woo.
“I’m glad it ended well.”
“So, Se-yeon, you should stop being nervous too. Just relax and watch.”
“A-ah… yes.”
After that, the filming flowed smoothly.
Hong Soo-yeon put on a flawless performance, announcing her spectacular movie debut.
Even when Park Woong-deok requested adjustments mid-scene, she executed them perfectly, living up to everyone’s expectations.
“Soo-yeon’s acting is good.”
“Well, she is a genius. Not an acting genius, but…”
She was the kind of genius who could memorize everything perfectly in one go.
It wasn’t that she lacked acting talent—her extraordinary brain simply overshadowed her natural talent.
But even she had a weakness:
Improvised lines.
Whenever an actor suddenly ad-libbed, Soo-yeon couldn’t respond properly.
Anytime an ad-lib happened, filming stopped.
Eventually, the actors began holding back their ad-libs until they discussed them with Park Woong-deok first—then rehearsed them with Soo-yeon before retaking the scene.
They did it to accommodate her.
Filming continued late into the night.
They were trying to finish everything possible within that set before moving on.
“Cut! Good work, everyone.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
And so the first day of filming ended smoothly.
Everyone began packing up to go home.
Managers rushed around organizing their actors…
Except for one person, standing alone.
Hong Soo-yeon.
“You worked hard. Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Si-woo approached her and took care of her.
Since he was the one who brought her into the project—and since she didn’t have a manager—there was no one else to look after her but him.
‘I should really assign her a manager… I’ll ask her on the way home.’
Si-woo greeted everyone, then put Soo-yeon in his car and drove her home.
On the way back, he brought up the thought he had earlier on set.
“Soo-yeon.”
“Yes?”
“You need a manager, right? And a coordinator and stylist too. What kind of person would you want?”
“Huh? But… I don’t have money for that…”
“Don’t worry about money. I may not look like it, but I’m actually pretty rich.”
Sure, she went to a salon for hair and makeup before arriving,
But on set, she usually relied on random staff for quick fixes.
“If you plan to keep working, you’ll need a proper team. I can’t get them immediately, but… Or if you want, I can introduce you to a different company?”
He even considered sending her to an agency that could give more professional support.
After all, their contract only said she would repay her debt through acting.
There was nothing forbidding her from joining another agency.
But suddenly, Soo-yeon’s eyes filled with tears, and she spoke with a trembling voice.
“Why… Did I act badly today?”
“Huh? No, no… I just thought since I’m the one who brought you in, maybe I’m not taking care of you enough. I figured if you joined a proper acting agency, you could focus more on acting. Like Triple Actors—where Ji-young noona works.”
“I don’t want to.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll work harder. So… please don’t send me somewhere else…”
Seeing Hong Soo-yeon, who seemed to be misunderstanding things badly, made Kim Si-woo feel strangely touched.
“Alright… then let’s first focus on getting you a manager, a coordinator, and a stylist.”
“Yes.”
“And just so you don’t misunderstand—your acting today was great. It was your first movie shoot, but you didn’t get nervous at all in front of those veteran actors. I’m really proud of you.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
As they talked about the film, Soo-yeon brightened again—and before they knew it, they arrived in front of her home.
“Okay, we’re here. Get home safely. Ah—how are your little brother and your grandmother doing?”
“Yes! Grandma has been going on walks near the house, and my brother says his classes are fun, so he always comes home late.”
“That’s good. Next time, let’s all go on a trip together.”
“Yes!”
After saying they’d see each other tomorrow, Si-woo headed home.
***
The Next Morning
After picking up Soo-yeon and stopping by the hair salon, Si-woo walked in naturally, looking for the salon director.
“Director.”
“Yes, Writer Kim.”
“Do you know any skilled coordinators or stylists you could introduce? The sooner, the better.”
“Huh? I could find someone quickly… but why? Are you planning to stop coming to our salon?”
“No, no. It’s just… she keeps needing help from other actors’ stylists on set, So I feel a bit awkward making her rely on them.”
“Hm… then you’ll need someone today too, right? In that case, the on-site fee would be about… this much?”
The salon director held up two fingers.
“Alright.”
Si-woo nodded, thinking she meant 200,000 won to send the youngest stylist along.
Then the director held out her hand.
“Please take care of me from now on. Her name is Oh Su-ji. She’s currently the head stylist at a small salon.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll accompany you personally today.”
“Ah…”
In that moment, Si-woo suddenly realized what those two fingers actually meant.
“So the price is…”
“2 million won. Oh—of course, that includes the hair and makeup we did at the shop today.”
“Understood.”
He was surprised that Director Oh Su-ji would go herself,
But he figured it was fine for one day.
And besides—they were bound to work together long-term anyway.
“As expected, you’re generous. Si-woo, you would’ve succeeded no matter what you did. Alright everyone, I’m going out on a location job today! You all wrap up the shop yourselves and go home, okay?”
“What? Director, you’re going on-site? What about today’s clients…?”
“Hey! I don’t have any reservations today! And today was supposed to be my day off anyway!”
The staff looked uneasy when they heard Oh Su-ji was leaving.
“It’s about time you all worked without me here, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m on location today—keep that in mind.”
“Okay…”
They were worried, but none of them dared complain.
That’s how much Oh Su-ji was respected—like a mentor, a pillar—as important as a second parent.
After Soo-yeon’s makeup and hair were finished, the three of them headed to the filming site.
***
On Set
Early in the morning, the set was already busy with staff who had arrived at dawn to prepare equipment.
“Hello.”
As Si-woo walked around greeting people, Oh Su-ji looked around in fascination.
“So this is what a filming set looks like…”
“Is this your first time on set? I thought you’d been to many.”
“I started my own shop from the beginning… I’ve seen tons of celebrities, but this is my first time coming as a stylist.”
While Si-woo was surprised by her answer, Park Woong-deok approached them.
“Writer Kim, you’re here? Oh? Isn’t this Director Oh Su-ji?”
“Oh? Director Park, long time no see.”
It seemed Oh Su-ji and Park Woong-deok already knew each other, and they greeted each other warmly.
“Have you been well?”
“I’ve been getting by, you know.”
“But at the Taesan Arts Awards last time, you went to another salon… I was a little hurt.”
“That’s because I called your shop and they said the reservation slots were full.”
“Oh my… you should’ve just called me directly. I would’ve made time for you even if my schedule was packed…”
“Hahaha. Then I’ll contact you directly next time.”
Many famous people had passed through Oh Su-ji’s hands, so not only Park Woong-deok but several others recognized her and came over to greet her.
“Oh! Hello, ma’am.”
“Huh? You work here too?”
Former staff she trained, actors who had gotten makeup at her shop, managers who knew her—Oh Su-ji was practically a celebrity on set.
“Haha… You’re more popular than me.”
“Director… you look even more amazing today.”
Hong Soo-yeon also admired her alongside Si-woo.
As time passed and the preparations finished, the actors moved to their designated shooting spots.
“Alright, let’s stay strong today. Cue!”
With Park Woong-deok’s signal, filming resumed, and aside from the actors, everyone held their breath.
Even Oh Su-ji, pressured by the heavy atmosphere of the set, instinctively focused on watching the actors perform.
Hours passed as Hong Soo-yeon and the other actors delivered passionate performances, and soon the announcement marking the end of the morning shoot echoed.
“Let’s eat before we resume.”
“Yes!”
People stepped outside, where a food truck and a coffee truck—sent by Jung Se-yeon’s fans—were waiting.
Jung Se-yeon had arrived around lunchtime after finishing her morning schedule.
“Everyone, come eat!”
“Oh! Se-yeon, you’re here? Since our Jung Se-yeon is treating today, make sure to thank her as you eat!”
People took their food and coffee, expressing their gratitude to Se-yeon.
“Thank you for the meal, Se-yeon.”
Among them, Kim Si-woo also approached to thank her.
“Yes, Writer Kim. Enjoy.”
After filling his plate, Si-woo sat down. Soon, Oh Su-ji, Hong Soo-yeon, Park Woong-deok, and Jung Se-yeon joined him.
“How was the morning shoot?”
Se-yeon cautiously asked while eating.
“It was perfect. With your part wrapping it up, it’ll be just right.”
“Haha… that’s a lot of pressure.”
Even though Jung Se-yeon had reigned at the top of the music industry at a young age, the pressure was unavoidable.
Acting—unlike dancing or singing—was something she had less experience with.
No one knew better than Se-yeon how unforgiving the professional world could be.
“It’s fine. Even if you mess up twice, I’ll cover for you however I can.”
At Si-woo’s open declaration to protect her, Se-yeon burst into laughter.
“What is that? What if you get criticized for it?”
“Well… that can’t be helped. And honestly, I’d rather take the criticism than watch you get discouraged.”
“Then I guess I have to make sure you don’t get criticized at all.”
When lunch ended and everyone returned to set, the actors began warming up with their scene partners.
“Ahem… haah.”
Se-yeon had changed costumes, fixed her makeup and hair, and was loosening her voice.
As Si-woo watched her, he felt a tug on his sleeve—Hong Soo-yeon had approached.
“Ajusshi.”
“What’s up?”
“Can I watch the monitoring too? From next to you?”
“Hang on. Director Park, Soo-yeon wants to sit next to me and monitor—would that be okay?”
“As long as she stays quiet, it’s fine.”
“See? Just don’t make noise and watch quietly.”
“Yes!”
Soon after, everyone—actors and staff alike—turned toward the director, indicating they were ready.
“Good! Let’s finish quickly and get off early today.”
It seemed Park Woong-deok was in the mood for drinks and had his eyes set on early dismissal.
With his cue sign, Jung Se-yeon’s acting began.
In truth, Jung Se-yeon had dominated the music world as an idol, singer-songwriter, and female solo artist.
Every time she released a song, it camped at the top of the charts.
Her popularity was so immense that even boy-group idols with massive fandoms had to step aside.
So when she announced her move into acting, even as a star, she became the center of gossip.
But she started small—bit roles, background characters—and slowly learned the craft.
Her hard work paid off, and people in the industry gradually began to acknowledge her as an actress.
Now, she was attempting to transform herself again—this time on a bigger stage than ever before.