NOVEL NEXT Chapter 256
“Uh…”
Gil Da-hyun was genuinely curious about what to say now.
It wasn’t that she had nothing to say, but rather, she had too much to say.
Honestly, Gil Da-hyun was curious too.
No, everyone present couldn’t help but be curious.
“Is that really a bear? It says it’s a wild bear?”
“…That.”
“Originally, this bear is a Japanese black bear, and its habitat is quite far. There are rumors it was found in Shizuoka, so it’s speculated it might have come from there.”
“…”
Just as she was about to make an excuse, a live interview with another actor or director came on, leaving no room for excuses.
Moreover, the screen was now showing Seo-yeon riding around on the bear.
A quick check online:
– What’s with the bear riding lololol
– Did Jo Seo-hee faint???
– I’d faint too if a bear was riding like that…
– Is Joo Seo-yeon out of her mind??? Hitting the bear’s head like that while riding it???
– Hey, can’t you see Joo Seo-yeon training the bear?
– It’s ridiculous, the bear’s just tame, yeah.
– Joo Seo-yeon’s so tame the bear’s calm, lol.
– I’m the bear, this is accurate.
This level of chatter was only on fan communities.
Soon enough, she’d probably be all over humor communities as the actress who slapped a bear’s head.
Opinions ranged from being glad the bear was tame to wondering what happened off-camera.
“The face has bruises, and the ribs are broken. It’s speculated it might have been pushed out of a territorial dispute.”
“Is the bear usually that tame?”
“No. It wouldn’t be like that unless it was full… In fact, it was on an empty stomach, so it was very dangerous… But it doesn’t look dangerous at all…”
Later, an animal researcher who came to the set was shown.
Of course, even the researcher couldn’t believe the bear’s behavior.
Despite the danger, the footage was peaceful.
Joo Seo-yeon riding the bear, and the actors freaking out.
Among them, Reika bravely:
“Can I ride it too?”
“Get on the back.”
“Really? Thank you!!”
By the way, Reika was speaking Japanese, and Joo Seo-yeon was speaking Korean.
Neither understood each other, but they communicated through body language.
– What, is the bear a motorcycle? Just hop on.
– Tsk… tsk tsk…
– My brain can’t process this situation, it’s so confusing.
The problem was, while the bear was roaming around, except for Joo Seo-yeon and Reika, the other two actresses were in shock, unable to believe the situation.
By the way, they didn’t even set up a tent, let alone cook.
“Are we sleeping like this tonight?”
“Looks like it.”
Practically a refugee situation.
The food the actresses made was happily eaten by the bear.
Anyway, living like barn pigs, the actresses were finally saved the next day when Stella Baldwin arrived.
“Huh? Stella Baldwin??”
Gil Da-hyun was shocked.
No, everyone present was shocked!
The bear had a bit of a Disney vibe, but this was something else.
It felt like a real-life character suddenly popped out.
Stella, who always smiles like a fairy, being licked by the bear was surreal.
Even Stella froze like a mannequin, a rare sight.
“Doesn’t America sue for stuff like that?”
“It’s a safe bear…”
“Didn’t they say it was dangerous earlier?”
Seo-yeon had nothing to say.
Saying “I was on its back, so it’s fine” would’ve sounded weird.
‘Did I just lose my image?’
She started to worry.
The internet was already taken over by “Bear Rider Joo Seo-yeon,” swallowing up the cute magical girl image she’d worked so hard to build.
Dangerous.
Cold sweat formed on Seo-yeon’s forehead.
“By the way, is that Stella? Wow, Seo-yeon, do you know Stella too?!”
Anyway, while the bear was snoring away, Stella worked hard to fix the situation.
She set up tents and cooked.
Meanwhile, the four actresses just sat there, dumbfounded.
– Is this real?
– Stella doesn’t seem like the type to do this, lol.
– They’re like Dooly’s gang. Exactly three, so Dooly, Doonoor, and Ttochi.
– Joo Seo-yeon: Feed me. If you mess around, you’ll become bear food. Behave.
– Stella: You damn gorilla…
Anyway, Stella’s usual image isn’t that great either.
She manages her image well, but there’s always a vibe of “I’m different from you” in her interviews and actions.
While some people like that, she has just as many antis.
An actress with clear likes and dislikes.
Separately, no one could criticize her acting skills.
The problem was, in the footage, Stella was unusually affectionate toward Seo-yeon.
“Seo-yeon, what are you doing?”
“Playing with the bear.”
“Play with me too~.”
“No.”
“Haha, so mean!”
When Seo-yeon was playing with the bear, Stella would approach and talk to her.
At the time, Seo-yeon was too distracted by the bear to notice, but looking back, Stella talked to her a lot.
So, naturally, people speculated that Joo Seo-yeon and Stella were quite close.
Moreover, Stella’s interviews inserted throughout the show were the final blow.
“Oh, did we seem close? That’s nice to hear.”
Stella smiled brightly at the camera.
“At first, I was a bit surprised by the bear, but it was fun. It’s not something you’d experience in America, right?”
Up to that point, the interview was normal.
But.
“Have I met Joo Seo-yeon before? Hmm~, yes. I wanted to meet her so badly that I went to Korea. My father praised her acting, so I got curious.”
Who is Stella’s father?
A world-renowned master.
None other than Asher Baldwin. At that statement, the Japanese studio panelists were visibly shaken.
How much praise did Asher Baldwin give for Stella to go all the way to Korea to meet Seo-yeon?
“At first, it was curiosity. So, when I met her in Korea, I was a bit surprised. She’s very similar to me.”
Of course, that wasn’t about looks.
Acting.
Or that kind of vibe.
At first, there were more mocking comments online about Stella’s interview.
– Did the Korean broadcasting station pay her?
– Lol, she’s just trying to get that Korean coin.
– Joo Seo-yeon’s doing well, but saying she’s similar to Stella? Nah.
– The bear-riding actress is similar to Stella???? Something’s off, right?
– One thing’s for sure, Joo Seo-yeon’s better at fighting.
But those comments disappeared as Stella’s interview continued.
“Her acting. Her acting clearly conveys emotions. I like that kind of acting too. The kind that lets you share emotions with others.”
It was an interview, but it felt like a message to someone.
Maybe because of time constraints.
Or because she had a lot to say but was too shy to say it directly.
That shyness came through in the interview.
‘Wait.’
Watching that interview, Seo-yeon started to worry.
‘When was this interview filmed?’
Fortunately, her curiosity was quickly answered.
Because Stella mentioned it herself.
“I’ll be heading back to America in three hours. I didn’t expect to come all the way to Korea for an additional interview.”
Three hours before heading back to America.
Meaning, one hour before meeting Seo-yeon at the airport.
More cold sweat formed on Seo-yeon’s forehead than when she was worried about her image.
“Seo-yeon, are you hot?”
“A, a little.”
Seo-yeon nervously continued watching Stella’s interview.
Most of Stella’s interview was about Seo-yeon.
She gave brief answers about the other actresses, but it was different for Seo-yeon.
“Actually, I’m trying to seduce her a little.”
“!!”
At Stella’s playful remark, Seo-yeon’s eyes widened.
No way, right? But as she thought that…
Of course, as an actress. Oh my, were you surprised?”
At those words with a peculiar nuance, Stella flashed a mischievous smile. As if she knew Seo-yeon was watching this.
“I’m going to tell her to come to Hollywood.”
Stella spoke seriously.
“I’ve come to want to make a movie with Seo-yeon. Not just a minor role, but a proper movie.”
At that, the Japanese caster conducting the interview asked curiously. The mention of a minor role implied that Stella and Seo-yeon had already filmed something together.
“Ah, yes. We filmed in Japan. The Korean movie, <Gyeongseong Young Lady>.”
Stella blatantly mentioned the title of the movie. She said she had a minor role in it, and although it was a brief moment, it was very enjoyable.
Naturally, the internet went wild again at her words. Who would have thought that Stella, of all people, appeared in a Korean movie?
“Of course, in that filming, it wasn’t just Seo-yeon, there was also a great Korean male actor… but that’s a secret.”
Stella smiled brightly after saying that. As if to say the interview ends here.
“Then the interview is over, I have to go woo Seo-yeon now.”
“That’s a Hollywood story, right?”
“Huh?”
The Japanese caster, as if not falling for it this time, spoke up. Stella narrowed her eyes and smiled softly at that.
“Yes, something like that.”
Then, looking at the camera again.
“Then. I’ll be looking forward to the next time we meet.”
It sounded like words meant for the fans. But Seo-yeon knew. No, she couldn’t help but know. That these words were meant for her.
“Truly.”
And so, Stella’s interview ended.
“Seo-yeon, what’s your relationship with Stella?”
“……”
Gil Da-hyun’s question was probably just asking if Seo-yeon was close with Stella. Although the nuance was a bit odd, Stella had spoken quite plainly.
But Seo-yeon was at a loss for words.
‘It’s awkward to say we’re friends.’
Because the atmosphere wasn’t one where that would be believed.
***
The Japanese variety show spread across the Korean internet in an instant. There were two big topics.
One was Seo-yeon riding a bear. The second was Stella.
The two topics competed, so the mentions of Seo-yeon’s ‘Bear Rider’ relatively decreased. For Seo-yeon, that was quite fortunate.
Of course, the second topic wasn’t ordinary either, which is why it became a hot topic.
“So what happened to the bear afterwards?”
“A bunch of people came and took it away.”
“Was it really a trained bear? Seriously?”
“Y-yeah, it must have been trained.”
“Right? They lied on the Japanese show about it being a wild bear, didn’t they?”
Even students who usually didn’t talk to Seo-yeon flocked to her to ask about it. Thanks to that, Seo-yeon became an instant star… well, she was already a star. Anyway, she unexpectedly got a lot of opportunities to chat.
It spread on the internet, was picked up by blogs, and soon entertainment articles started appearing.
[What kind of movie is <Gyeongseong Young Lady> that Stella mentioned?]
[Who is the ‘great male actor’ Stella Baldwin mentioned?]
[Joo Seo-yeon shines on Japanese variety. A hot topic with <Bear Rider>.]
[Joo Seo-yeon receives a love call from a famous foreign actress: ‘Come to Hollywood’.]
These are the articles that catch your eye first when you look at the internet. It’s rare for a topic related to a Japanese variety show, not even Korean, to become such a hot topic.
But considering that this wasn’t just any Japanese variety show, but a promotional show for the Korean movie <Gyeongseong Young Lady>, it’s not that strange.
In fact, Stella Baldwin talked quite a bit about Seo-yeon. So much so that Nova Entertainment called Seo-yeon in to talk about it.
“Seo-yeon, were you that close with Stella Baldwin?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Wow, really. How far are you planning to go? What about our company? Are you going to break into overseas markets for real?”
Kang Chan-yul, the head of Nova Entertainment, said that with a big smile. Actually, thanks to Seo-yeon’s recent activities, a lot of actors have been coming to Nova Entertainment this year.
Moreover, <Gyeongseong Young Lady> had not only Seo-yeon but also Lee Ji-yeon. The effect of Ji-yeon also shining in this Japanese variety show was quite good, so there were a lot of discussions going on about her too.
‘Jo Seo-hee, and now Stella Baldwin?’
Kang Chan-yul looked at Seo-yeon sitting in front of him. Seo-yeon, sitting there with a calm face even in this situation, just seemed amazing.
Anyway, with this much attention, it would be normal to be nervous, but she didn’t seem nervous at all.
‘…That’s a relief.’
Seo-yeon was actually a bit relieved by this situation. She thought the image of ‘Bear Rider’ would skyrocket, but Stella’s interview somewhat offset that.
‘But it’s still there, maybe time will solve it?’
Of course, Stella’s attitude was quite meaningful, so there were a lot of strange posts. In many ways.
– Is the bear Joo Seo-yeon rides a polar bear?
– The polar bear is smiling now…
– So what’s the relationship between Stella and Joo Seo-yeon??
– You guys are going to get sued.
Most of it is just joking. After all, Seo-yeon and Stella weren’t the type to meet often. Linking a Korean actress with the fairy of the century was a bit ambiguous in many ways.
Bloggers and meaningful comments were made, but internet articles just emphasized their friendship, without mentioning anything special. Probably due to Korean sentiments and the risk of dangerous articles.
If there were false reports, Stella’s side wouldn’t stay quiet, so that’s probably why.
“So, GH Group contacted us.”
“GH Group?”
“Yeah, maybe because of this Japanese variety show. Or because of Stella Baldwin… but they asked to thank Seo-yeon.”
Thank me? What does that mean?
Seo-yeon looked puzzled at those words.
“The filming for <Mine> is about to start.”
“Has the casting finally been completed?”
“Yeah, as you know, <Mine> is an OTT drama targeting overseas markets, not the domestic market.”
“Yes.”
“So, they were trying to cast a famous Hollywood actor for the male lead in <Mine>.”
“…A famous foreign actor?”
“Yes, I don’t know exactly who. But they kept contacting him and got rejected.”
Kang Chan-yul stroked his chin. So GH Group was about to give up and change their direction to a less famous actor with less acting skills. But just yesterday.
“They got a call.”
“From that actor?”
“Yes.”
A Hollywood actor participating in a Korean OTT drama? Maybe if <Child's Game> was a big hit, but in the current Korean drama scene?
‘What’s going on?’
This didn’t happen in my past life either.
“But what does that have to do with thanking me?”
“…Well.”
Kang Chan-yul also looked a bit flustered as he spoke.
“They said they decided to appear because of actress Joo Seo-yeon.”
“What?”
This was completely unexpected.