I stayed facedown on the bed, thinking. I had to look fine. I didn’t want to show even the slightest opening on a set where Do Gyeoul was.
I cleared my throat and answered.
“Yeah—!”
The door opened cautiously, and footsteps ca in.
‘...Wait.’
Manager Choi used to play volleyball. She was much taller than most people. Naturally, her stride was wide.
But the person who just ca in—
“...Why are you here?”
At the unfamiliar sound, I lifted my head. I could tell who it was just by the hand.
The one who had co into the waiting room was Do Gyeoul.
“I was curious.”
“...About what.”
“Just.”
Dressed in a nurse uniform, Do Gyeoul stood right beside . I could feel her gaze looking down at .
“Yeoreum, you—”
Her calm voice made the already cold room feel even colder.
Maybe because the sweat that had soaked my back had dried, my body heat felt drained. The dampness left behind that unpleasant chill unique to wet clothes.
“How did you do it earlier?”
“I’m going to rest. If you have sothing to say, go through my manager.”
“The sweating. How do you even do that?”
She didn’t listen to at all. I slowly got up from the bed. A slight dizziness hit , but I didn’t show it.
‘If you won’t move, I’ll just leave.’
There were a lot of extras around. Which ant there were a lot of eyes.
There was nothing to gain from clashing with Do Gyeoul here. Rumors of discord would only hurt my career.
“Hm? Yeoreum.”
Do Gyeoul grabbed my wrist.
Maybe because I’d been too tense earlier, I couldn’t easily put strength into my hand to shake her off.
“I used makeup.”
Would brushing it off like this work? Being alone with her made it feel all too real that I was on the sa set as Do Gyeoul.
I don’t want to be taken from again. I don’t want to be pushed aside. I don’t want to be replaced by soone else.
“That’s a lie.”
My answer didn’t work. Do Gyeoul smiled brightly.
Her voice sounded like she was genuinely amused.
“Ahaha. Yeoreum, you’ve never done sweat makeup before, have you?”
She smiled as she narrowed her eyes, studying from top to bottom. Then, like she was teaching a child, she said,
“Yeoreum, sweat like that flows in a straight line. Like—this.”
She lifted her other hand and ran her index finger down my cheek.
“Most of the ti, when you make a path with a stick, it’s straight. That way it cos out clean. No need to rack up two or three NGs, right?”
Her touch felt like she was tracing the path of sweat, morizing it.
“But real sweat changes direction along the texture of the skin... since moisture gathers differently in certain spots. Even the direction of fine hairs affects it. Very subtly... it flows in a zigzag.”
I could see myself reflected in Do Gyeoul’s clear eyes.
“...”
She wouldn’t understand, but for people like , there were things that just happened.
Monts that didn’t dull over ti, that stayed sharp.
“Even if I tell you, you won’t get it.”
“That’s fine.”
What people called everyday acting. Fragnts of life you absorbed without effort.
“I want to know.”
I took a slow breath. My body was still telling it was hard to face Do Gyeoul. But—
The actors who had wanted my autograph before filming. The faces that lit up when they said we should et again.
“It just happens.”
I’m not that Han Yeoreum anymore.
“For , it does.”
If spreads my face further, will I stop feeling this way in front of Do Gyeoul? If I get more followers, build a stronger filmography, win a grand prize—
“...Really?”
Knock, knock—
At that mont, there was another knock outside the waiting room.
“Yeoreum! I got drinks!”
It was Manager Choi. The grip on my wrist loosened.
“Co in.”
Do Gyeoul spoke instead of . Manager Choi, arms full of drinks, pushed the door open with her [N O V E L I G H T] shoulder and walked in.
“Oh? Were you talking?”
“Yes. I just stopped by... I was about to leave.”
Do Gyeoul slowly stood up. Her gaze remained fixed on .
“I’ll go, then.”
The mont she left and closed the door, I grabbed drinks from Manager Choi’s arms at random.
I cracked open a cold ion drink and gulped it down.
“Yeoreum, are you really thirsty?”
Even after downing one can in a single go, it didn’t feel like enough. I grabbed a second can imdiately.
Ding.
A status window popped up.
Ding.
Not just one—
Ding!
‘...Three?’
There were three.
「Mission Overseas Fans」
Keyword:
Shall we ride the wave of rom-com queen Hallyu? Your lovely energy is ready to cross the sea and reach the island nation. Wear the crown of a rom-com queen and steal the hearts of Japanese viewers.
Success Condition [Achieve Japan NetHolics TOP 10!]
「Mission Overseas Location」
Keyword: Global
The place you appeared in has beco a pilgrimage site. Congratulations! But a true star doesn’t just influence ‘dostically’—they extend their reach ‘internationally’ as well.
Now go on an ‘overseas location shoot’ and turn it into a ‘famous travel destination.’
Success Condition [A travel agency opens a tour nad after the project]
「Mission Even If Unseen」
Keyword: Dubbing
You must breathe life into a character with nothing but your voice. Can you move the dreams of children and the tears of adults around the world while hiding your identity?
Success Condition [Attract 5 million viewers]
I spat out the orange juice.
“Yeoreum! Yeoreum, are you okay?”
* * *
In a suite at the Four Sevens Hotel, NetHolics executive Andrea and Jegal Rok sat facing each other.
The head of Studio Another had been silently staring at his coffee, weighed down by the atmosphere between them.
“....”
“....”
They sat in silence. As the bitter aroma of coffee grew stronger, it was Jegal Rok who spoke first.
“What did you think?”
Andrea, still wearing her usual smile, set her teacup down on the table.
“It was impressive. Very much so.”
From her attitude, Jegal Rok imdiately sensed sothing had gone wrong. It was instinct, honed through years of business.
“The speed at which things are being handled was quite remarkable. Truly.”
JC prided itself on having top-tier infrastructure in Korea. Investnt, production, distribution—there was nothing lacking.
‘But.’
To NetHolics, that wasn’t necessarily an appealing point. It was a double-edged sword.
“...But an exclusive contract will be difficult.”
At this mont, if NetHolics handed full control to JC under an exclusive deal, everything would proceed smoothly—but the profit margins would shrink.
Everything ca down to the size of the pie.
The IP already belonged to NetHolics, but what they were aiming for was what ca next.
“Still, when producing large-scale original works, Studio Another will be the first place that cos to mind. The sets, the filming environnt—I was genuinely impressed.”
Studio Another was currently the number one production company in Korea.
But not every project needed this level of quality. Andrea understood that better than anyone.
For example, in romance—
Even with moderate quality, there was a core audience that would watch purely for the chemistry between actors.
The so-called K-drama core fans. Their base was solid.
There was no need to insist on expensive JC ENM productions.
Based on what NetHolics had gathered from the set, they could now pick and choose mid-sized studios to suit their tastes.
“I see.”
Jegal Rok didn’t try to hold her back.
Right now, Korea desperately needed NetHolics’ capital.
After the Korean content ban, the entire industry had staggered. Aside from projects backed by JC ENM, only two had truly succeeded.
Do Gyeoul’s .
Hong Suryeon’s .
While Andrea was in Korea, smaller production companies had likely been reaching out to NetHolics at bargain prices. To them, this mont was no different from Black Friday.
No one pays extra when they can buy cheap.
Jegal Rok understood that. He set his coffee down with a clean, precise motion.
“Then please look forward to the completion of . Thank you for coming all this way.”
When no new deal was proposed, the NetHolics executive tilted her head slightly. It wasn’t the reaction she expected.
“Oh, right.”
As Jegal Rok headed for the door, Andrea spoke again.
“I hope you use that scene as the key mont in the teaser.”
Even without elaboration, Jegal Rok imdiately understood which scene she ant.
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