NOVEL NEXT Chapter 163
After Seo-yeon’s concept was decided as “Bopalabbit” on Masked Singer, PD Shim Kyung-hoo said,
“I’ll let you know when the detailed schedule is set!”
And then he vanished.
It seemed like he was really pleased that Seo-yeon was participating in Masked Singer, as he had a noticeably light spring in his step.
However, one major point remained.
“I guess I should keep up with Masked Singer for a while.”
Of course, Seo-yeon watched Masked Singer.
For reference, in her previous life.
However, despite having dabbled in various media, Seo-yeon didn’t often watch Masked Singer.
Well, since singing with a mask on didn’t really help her much.
The reason she consumed media was solely to memorize the emotions expressed within.
Naturally, as her face was hidden by a mask and the songs didn’t resonate emotionally, Seo-yeon had only skimmed through Masked Singer with a quick fast-forward.
What could she learn anyway? The shocked faces of the panelists.
The look of horror.
And the emotional eyes of those touched by the songs.
That’s about what she managed to grasp.
And even that, she hadn’t watched since it turned into a celebrity washing show.
“Oh my, our daughter. Do you watch Masked Singer?”
“Yes.”
Today is the weekend.
Seo-yeon had been watching Masked Singer since the morning.
After all, it’s a program she’d be participating in, so she couldn’t afford to make mistakes.
Moreover, since she started truly feeling her emotions, the feelings she got from watching Masked Singer were strikingly different.
She could certainly understand why Masked Singer was a popular program.
The identities of those who sang unbelievably well were actually this person and that person!
The catharsis that comes from it is definitely something.
‘I think Lee Ji-yeon should participate too.’
There were moments when lesser-known actors or comedians would pop up.
Of course, Ji-yeon wasn’t exactly unknown.
Still, she had a decent reputation from her roles in cable dramas.
It wasn’t for nothing that Seo-yeon had been a popular figure at Yeonhwa High School before stepping into the spotlight.
Still, if she went out there, it would definitely help.
“Hey, come look at this.”
As Young-bin, who had been lounging around on the weekend, appeared in the living room scratching his belly, Suah beckoned him over.
At the call of “Hey,” Young-bin lazily scanned the surroundings for a moment.
A strangely cautious gaze.
This was a regular occurrence after filming ‘Golden Ducklings.’
“Today, there are no cameras. Really.”
Maybe Suah felt a bit guilty, and after saying that, Young-bin finally threw himself onto the sofa and sat down.
Then, still half-asleep, he started dozing off.
“Oh dear.”
Suah seemed displeased with Young-bin’s reaction.
She was, after all, a devoted fan of Masked Singer.
‘Sometimes, I feel like Dad awkwardly reacts to being called “honey.”‘
Seo-yeon knew it.
When Suah called Young-bin, she used the expression “Young-bin oppa.”
Perhaps that’s how they addressed each other when they were dating.
Seo-yeon, who was alternating between glances at them, turned her attention back to Masked Singer.
Today, a new contestant was supposed to make it to the king selection round.
The contestant was a woman wearing a black crow mask.
Her outfit was stuffed with feathers, and Seo-yeon wondered how hot it must be.
Aside from that, her attitude exuded a lazy vibe.
It was as if she was reluctantly forced to come on stage.
Due to that, Song Byeong-soo, the MC of Masked Singer, was trying hard to hype her up, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as he’d hoped.
‘Did she not want to come?’
That was the vibe she was giving off.
Naturally, when she stealthily checked the community reactions, it was no surprise that the feedback wasn’t very positive.
It wasn’t that great.
– If that’s the case, why even come out?
– It seems like they put a lot of effort into making the mask, but the person who made it just seems pitiful.
– The songs so far have been just average, and the voice lacks character.
– Still, they sing pretty well, so let’s drink to that!
With reactions like this, it felt like once the identity was revealed, there would be a flood of criticism.
As Seo-yeon, such an attitude didn’t sit well with her.
After all, Seo-yeon usually approached everything with genuine commitment.
Of course, she didn’t like doing anything half-heartedly.
But.
“Well then, I’m looking forward to a fantastic song!!”
With Song Byeong-soo’s shout, Seo-yeon naturally became absorbed in the music that flowed out.
The song was quite old.
About ten years old.
It was an opening song that Seo-yeon couldn’t possibly not recognize.
It was an arrangement of the OST from The Moon That Hid the Sun.
Originally a ballad, the song now mixed in vibrant metal tones.
The crow, which she initially thought was just decoration, held a guitar.
Though it was somewhat hidden by feathers, it seemed the hands were gloveless.
Probably to play the guitar.
People’s gazes were drawn to that figure.
The crow leaned closer to the microphone set up like a pole.
And then.
“!!”
Seo-yeon suddenly doubted her ears.
Was it bad?
No, it was quite the opposite.
It was so impressive that the masked singer who had just performed looked clumsy in comparison.
A clean voice.
Typically, a clean voice is said to lack character and be monotonous.
However, it also has the advantage of being less divisive.
With that clean voice came a natural high pitch.
And Seo-yeon felt a distinct technique clearly.
Unknowingly, her mouth fell open.
Unlike acting, it was easy to assess a singing skill just by listening to it.
Saying her performance was outstanding didn’t evoke the same emotional response.
But now, Seo-yeon was showing the same reaction she had seen from others when they watched her act.
“But wait, I feel like I’ve heard this somewhere.”
However, Seo-yeon wasn’t the type to listen closely enough to recognize a singer’s voice, so she was a bit confused.
It felt like it might have been one of the songs Lee Ji-yeon had recently played for her…
“Oh my.”
Upon hearing that voice, Suah’s face showed a hint of surprise.
But it was just that much of a reaction.
Seo-yeon and Suah waited until the crow finished singing.
“Wow!! That was amazing.”
“I was truly shocked.”
“Ashen Crow, you’re so cool!!”
Ashen Crow was the nickname for the person who had just sung.
In response to all the praise from everyone, the crow merely raised one hand nonchalantly, still acting aloof.
Still demonstrating that he found it all a bother.
But with skill like that, every character becomes unique and colorful.
– No seriously, this is hilarious ㅋㅋㅋ
– Is the crow’s singing insane?? So good ㅋㅋㅋ
– Wow, among the recent masked singers, this one is the best! Who is this?
The community, which had been criticizing until just now, completely flipped their response.
As expected, the result was a landslide victory for Ashen Crow.
With what was practically a unanimous vote, the opposing side slumped their shoulders.
By the way, this round was no ordinary round.
It was a king selection match.
In other words, they had literally destroyed the previous champion.
“It’s been a while, we might just have a long-reigning king making an appearance.”
If you win for a long time, you get inducted into the Hall of Fame.
From Seo-yeon’s perspective, Ashen Crow was nearly that skilled.
Now that she was learning to sing, she could tell how amazing he really was.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, he’s incredible.”
However, Suah was showing a rather strange reaction.
Her face had an itch to say something.
It didn’t seem like she felt bad or anything.
After briefly rolling her eyes around, she subtly turned her body to look behind.
At Young-bin, who had been lounging on the sofa just moments ago.
Young-bin was lying on the sofa, rolling around just a moment ago.
He was still lying there, eyes closed.
It was hard to tell whether he was asleep or awake.
“How was the song I just sang? I nailed it, right?”
Despite her burning desire to ask, when Suah did, Young-bin slowly opened his eyes and yawned.
“You always sing well.”
That was all he said.
Surprised by Young-bin dozing off again with a loud snore, Suah couldn’t help but stare.
As for Seo-yeon…
‘Always?’
Young-bin’s words stuck in her mind a bit.
It didn’t just feel like he recognized the singer who sang that song.
It felt more like he had listened to it countless times before.
A tone of trust that it was nothing special.
Feeling that way, Seo-yeon turned her gaze back to the TV screen.
The Ashen Crow was receiving a crown for becoming the new king.
‘If he keeps holding onto the throne…’
Maybe Seo-yeon would get to see him when she appeared.
The Ashen Crow, lounging on the throne with a lazy demeanor.
*
As she prepared for the new variety show, Seo-yeon often visited the Ho-yeon Studio.
It was to get help from Na-hee to appear on “Masked Singer.”
On the flip side, it was also to support Na-hee’s acting.
She was indeed an actress in “Sky Garden.”
And not just any role, but as Lee Yoo-joo’s friend, the character Seo-yeon played.
“When you stand next to me, it’s more noticeable if you mess up.”
Na-hee would say that.
It was more than just a way to lift her spirits; it was sincere.
Being right next to each other meant their acting would invariably be compared.
This was something that was apparent from the atmosphere on the filming set during “Dream Future.”
When acting alone, there were no issues, but when acting with Seo-yeon, they often had to reshoot.
“Having Seo-yeon around kinda dimmed your presence, Na-hee. Should we change the scene a bit?”
That’s something Kim Pil-seok, the director of “Dream Future,” actually said.
Fortunately, after Seo-yeon consistently supported her acting, Na-hee had shown significant improvement.
“Just a bit more, please show the character clearly. Your emotion line is too faint right now, the emotion line!”
Director Kim Il-soo shouted this out, and they shot the scene again.
At least he didn’t say there was no presence like before, so it was a significant improvement.
“…What does Seo-yeon think?”
“I think your acting has improved a lot.”
“No, I mean in ‘Sky Garden.’”
Seo-yeon hummed her song.
Na-hee finished her acting and took a break.
“Is it really okay? Seo-yeon doesn’t seem worried at all. I feel like this every single time I appear in a drama.”
What if it flops?
That concern.
But Seo-yeon was relatively less burdened by such worries.
‘After all, I know what kind of drama “Sky Garden” is.’
That thought was in the back of her mind, which made her considerably less anxious.
Of course, those who didn’t know this would think Seo-yeon’s mental resilience was unbelievably strong.
After all, the success of a drama is most significantly influenced by the main character.
As the first lead, Seo-yeon naturally had the biggest burden.
“I really think it’ll go well. Truly. More importantly…”
Seo-yeon turned her gaze.
She saw the members of Summer Girl huddled at the entrance.
“Why are you just hanging around there? We’re all part of the ‘Sky Garden’ family, aren’t we?”
‘What family!!’
Rabin nodded with a smiling face but was screaming internally.
‘Why does Na-hee keep bringing that monster?!’
At least recently, it seemed like she hadn’t been doing that weird coin trick anymore.
In the past, Rabin had almost triggered a fit every time she would chime in, but recently she had regained her mental balance.
‘If you hear the sound of clinking coins, don’t turn your head.’
That was the sort of legend that had spread around Ho-yeon Studio for a while.
The entertainers at Ho-yeon Studio, who didn’t know the reason, would giggle, but Rabin, the subject of the tale, couldn’t laugh.
The studio’s celebrities were laughing heartily, but Rabin, the subject of the ghost story, couldn’t find it in her to laugh.
“Do you know that fear?”
“It folds you in half, I tell you!”
“But, Rabin-ssi.”
“Uh, huh? Why?”
“Na-hee unni’s contract is until the end of this year, right?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct?”
At that response, Seo-yeon softly curved her lips, perhaps thinking she was smiling.
“Got it.”
That’s all Seo-yeon replied, because after all, the Summer Girl was simply too small of a group to compete with Cha Na-hee.
*
[The world is ruled by those who hold money.]
[Money is the true justice that moves the world!]
Thus, the airing of [Grand Game] officially began.
A Monday-Tuesday drama.
For those in Drama Department 2, it was the most important indicator.
Naturally, every KMB Broadcasting Company employee had no choice but to be concerned about [Grand Game]‘s ratings.
“Please succeed, please succeed!!”
“Please be mediocre! No, crawl on the floor!!”
As a result of such conflicting feelings, [Grand Game]‘s ratings were updated with:
[Episode 1 Ratings: 12%!! [Grand Game] signals a hit!!]
[Following Dream Future, KMB scores a double hit!!]
It was a remarkably high number.
Naturally, this was absolutely not good news for Lee Min-hwa, the PD of [Sky Garden].
Even more so when she bumped into Baek Tae-soo, the most undesired person to see in the morning.
“Hello, PD Baek.”
“Oh my, if it isn’t PD Lee Min-hwa!”
As Baek Tae-soo greeted her cheerily, Lee Min-hwa cursed inwardly.
“Congratulations on [Grand Game]‘s success.”
“Well, it’s only just started; who knows. Nothing’s certain yet.”
Those were very ominous words, but it didn’t feel like he was just joking or lying. He was sincerely saying that.
And as he slowly opened his smiling eyes, he added, “…[Sky Garden] airs tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it. I hope KMB can hit another home run.”
“A hit… is it?”
“Haha, a home run would naturally be even better. You seem to be worrying about various things because of the drama department; no need to.”
Baek Tae-soo patted her shoulder and turned away.
At that, the employees who had been watching the situation with tense eyes finally sighed in relief.
What if there had been some friction, after all?
‘Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to have any competitive intentions.’
‘Maybe I was overthinking it.’
Some even thought that way.
However, Lee Min-hwa touched the shoulder Baek Tae-soo had just patted.
Her face was smiling, but her eyes were not.
‘He knows that we still hold the advantage.’
Baek Tae-soo had a strong backing in the form of the KMB president.
However, he did not disregard the current drama director, Ha Tae-oh.
In fact, he respected him quite a bit.
‘…Definitely not an easy opponent.’
But that respect came from strength.
Would Baek Tae-soo still act that way after his constant success and being untouchable?
Lee Min-hwa didn’t really know.
But at least she realized her situation was far from good.
‘[Sky Garden] needs to do well.’
The drama was now completed up to episode 5.
Lee Min-hwa, who had checked everything thoroughly, was confident in the drama’s quality.
However, she was uncertain whether the drama’s color would appeal to the general public…
‘Joo Seo-yeon.’
The lead of this [Sky Garden].
An undefeated actress who had never experienced failure in any movie or drama she had appeared in.
Her career was still short, but Lee Min-hwa believed in her.
In Seo-yeon’s prescience.
And the character she portrayed, Lee Yoo-joo.