NOVEL FROG Chapter 90
Joo Seo-yeon had a lot on her mind about the role of Joo Ha-rin.
DING DING!
Dream Future basically pairs couples in twos.
Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha.
Park Min-yul and Joo Ha-rin.
Ha Yoo-seong and Jin Hye-min.
Structurally, that’s how it goes.
Among them, Joo Ha-rin had a particularly complicated storyline, which was her unrequited love for Kim Si-hwan.
THUD!
“Unrequited love, huh.”
Honestly, Seo-yeon found that feeling difficult to even imagine.
Her emotional exchanges with others were still lacking in many ways.
Not being able to make friends probably stemmed from such reasons.
Like love, friendship too.
She couldn’t find a proper definition for that either.
Her only long-term connection, Lee Ji-yeon, was the friendship she labeled.
POOF!
“But unrequited love…”
Seo-yeon fell into thought as she stared at the TV in the dark living room.
It was becoming her daily life while filming Dream Future.
When she had free time, Seo-yeon watched romance dramas or dating shows.
Although Dream Future was vibrant and full of personality, it wasn’t a comedy drama, as mentioned in the site’s introduction.
It was, in fact, a youth romance drama focused on the mental growth of the characters.
The backdrop was an idol audition, centering around six idols who participated.
“Well, I really don’t know.”
GUESS WHO!
Empathy.
She didn’t use to understand its importance, but these days, she did.
To enter method acting, she had to truly empathize with her characters.
In other words, if she couldn’t empathize with the role, method acting itself would be tough.
“Joo Ha-rin is a role that doesn’t require deep immersion.”
She was meant to be a light and cheerful character.
If it was merely about acting, Seo-yeon was confident she could do well.
Her performance in a previously aired ‘web promotion’ received rave reviews.
During the first shoot, everyone raised their thumbs up.
After all, comparisons to idol acting made that stand out even more.
But.
Seo-yeon still felt some unresolved feelings lingering within.
Despite originally participating in the drama for a simple image overhaul.
“So.”
Park Jung-woo stirred his straw in a cold Americano as he spoke.
“Have you ever dated?”
“Yes.”
GASP!
Park Jung-woo was flabbergasted by Seo-yeon’s reply as he stared at her blankly.
WHAT!
They met discreetly at a nearby café, so there weren’t many people recognizing them.
“Does he not realize how dangerous that question is?”
If he didn’t know Seo-yeon well, he could have easily misunderstood.
Especially since Jung-woo’s character in Dream Future was the object of Joo Ha-rin’s unrequited love, Kim Si-hwan.
Thus, a potentially risky question.
“Guess that shows how out of touch he is.”
Sometimes, Seo-yeon had an oddly naïve side.
All this time, Jung-woo had watched her and realized that this behavior shared one common trait.
Certain emotions felt when getting intertwined with others.
Anger, jealousy, or love, like in the present moment.
Seo-yeon sometimes acted as if she didn’t know those feelings.
However, when it came to love, Jung-woo had no say.
Since.
“None.”
“What?”
“Do you have any idea how busy I’ve been?”
She never really went to school.
A child actor all her life.
Endless ads, dramas, and film shoots.
She hardly had much experience interacting with people.
The few actors she occasionally mingled with.
Of course, some young actresses or idols had approached Jung-woo.
“But that’s probably out of the question.”
HA-HA!
He could roughly guess why Seo-yeon reached out to him.
After all, among those she knew, Jung-woo was the only senior actor with more acting experience than her.
The rest were mostly hard to reach.
Seeing Seo-yeon lost in thought, Jung-woo said.
“Well, even if it’s difficult for me, there’s someone I can introduce.”
He could see exactly what kind of dilemma Seo-yeon was facing.
As far as Jung-woo knew, she was the only one among her peers who took acting seriously.
Even if she would likely deny it.
“Is it competitiveness, or…?”
Occasionally, Jung-woo perceived Seo-yeon’s acting like a quest.
Every new role.
Every new scene.
With each shot, it felt like she was discovering something unknown.
Of course, Jung-woo didn’t know what that was.
In that case, he had to introduce someone who would know.
“Who is it?”
“You know her.”
Then, Park Jung-woo made a quick call and confidently walked.
After finishing today’s shoot, they went to the broadcasting station.
Upon reaching the second floor, they found the set.
They were likely filming some commercial.
And it was here where Seo-yeon would meet her.
“Jeong Eun-seon!”
As Seo-yeon spoke, a woman turned around.
An esteemed actress with deeper wrinkles than when she’d seen her ten years ago.
*
“Long time no see.”
Jeong Eun-seon calmly bowed her head, looking at the grown-up Seo-yeon.
In the waiting room specially prepared by the staff, Seo-yeon and Jeong Eun-seon faced each other.
Honestly, after meeting Jeong Eun-seon again after such a long time, Seo-yeon felt a flutter in her chest unlike before.
Nervous!
“Honestly, you look more fitting for your age now.”
“Really? Is that so?”
Seo-yeon wasn’t sure.
Lee Ji-yeon had said something similar before.
“You look like you age backward.”
She said that Seo-yeon seemed more grown-up back then.
During middle school, the younger Ji-yeon took care of Seo-yeon, but now Ji-yeon was looking after Seo-yeon.
“But I think that’s great.”
Seo-yeon agreed.
So when she asked if it wasn’t bothersome, Ji-yeon replied.
“I looked a bit like a doll back then. But it’s definitely improved since middle school.”
The time when puberty hit hard.
In other words, it was Seo-yeon’s turbulence period.
She was wobbling on a small sailboat over the ocean of emotions.
…It had led her to trouble a lot.
“But more than anything.”
Ji-yeon hesitated before saying.
“I can clearly see your thoughts now.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Of course it is.”
With a relationship spanning ten years, it was self-explanatory.
BRAVO!
“Oh, I see.”
Seo-yeon understood what Ji-yeon meant.
The reason she seemed like a doll in her childhood was probably due to her past life’s influence.
An unfamiliar emotional self from a previous life.
Wore a mask on the ordinary human Joo Seo-yeon.
Moreover, kind parents wrapped such a Seo-yeon in love, so she didn’t have to ‘mimic emotions’ like in her past life.
If she hadn’t acted, she would have worn that mask even longer.
However, through acting, Seo-yeon became aware that she was an ordinary human.
Recognizing emotions.
Adapting to those feelings during puberty.
There were certainly unchanging parts, but combining all that, she had become the current Joo Seo-yeon.
Though she still had her dull moments, when swept by emotions, she charged forward excitedly.
Seo-yeon was quite fond of the current version of herself.
“I heard you’ve been struggling with acting lately.”
“Huh?”
“Park Jung-woo told me.”
How did she know about her acting concerns?
Seo-yeon hadn’t asked about acting in Dream Future.
She was just trying to probe gently.
After all, this wasn’t Jung-woo’s first day performing romantic scenes.
She had watched some youth drama he had previously starred in.
His youthful love story had made quite a stir.
Seo-yeon had genuinely been impressed while watching it, so she wanted to ask him directly.
Based on someone experiencing feelings, could such acting be possible?
“Clearly, Dream Future doesn’t seem to demand deep emotional performances.”
Jeong Eun-seon answered Seo-yeon’s concerns quietly.
“On the surface… yes.”
“I see.”
To outsiders, Dream Future might just seem like a silly drama.
With singing and dancing suddenly thrown in.
But there certainly lived Joo Ha-rin’s inner turmoil within.
Acting.
Drama.
“So I assume you’re not saying this out of a desire to get lost in emotional acting like before?”
“……”
DING DONG!
“I’ll take it as advice because you want to help.”
Emotional acting.
Or method acting.
Seo-yeon wanted to immerse herself in Joo Ha-rin fully.
“First off, there’s no need to rush.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, I haven’t seen much of your acting so far.”
Since the dramas or movies Seo-yeon had shot were not out to the public yet.
“However, I observe that you are quite ambitious.”
“That’s…”
“I understand wanting to excel, but there’s no need to rush.”
Jeong Eun-seon sincerely believed that.
Even after ten years, Seo-yeon was still young.
“When it comes to acting out love, if you truly care, you will understand it deeply. However, it may not always be the case.”
“What do you mean it may not be?”
“Love doesn’t always take a beautiful form. It doesn’t always manifest in a single way.”
Let’s say someone falls in love.
But if the other person doesn’t match with them.
Or approached with malice, the beginning may have been love, but the end could be disastrous.
“Experience doesn’t always help. It may assist in understanding, but it’s not everything.”
Seo-yeon fixed her gaze at Jeong Eun-seon, silently questioning what to do then.
“As a child, Seo-yeon already displayed remarkable emotional acting. It doesn’t have to be through a method.”
A tiny bit,
She only needed to add her thoughts to that.
Dressing it up in an ideal form.
According to Jeong Eun-seon, that was how Jung-woo acted.
“If you wish to understand different emotions someday, the day will come.”
Including feelings like the love Seo-yeon currently longed for.
Jeong Eun-seon smiled at Seo-yeon, who was looking at her.
Ten years later, finally to the girl who was still just a child.
“If Seo-yeon expresses what she imagines in her acting…”
BAM!
Then that would be more than enough.
Jeong Eun-seon said.
Even if it’s a strange emotion.
Even if Seo-yeon believes she can’t quite grasp it.
As long as she’s human, it’s something she can’t help but understand.
*
– Is Dream Future airing live simultaneously?
– I heard so!
– Is it going for a variety show vibe?
– Sounds that way from the commercials, LOL!
The first episode of Dream Future.
Through a web promotion, some scenes had already caught significant attention online.
Just X’s Ma Yeon-woo’s first acting attempt.
Plus, it featured the recent talk of the town with Park Jung-woo and Joo Seo-yeon getting involved in the broadcast.
The buzz was guaranteed.
But whether it showed serious interest…
– Usually, this kind of thing is all about the promotions.
– Honestly, people don’t watch dramas for the laughs.
– Right? It’s not a sitcom!
Just simple curiosity about what’s going to happen.
Questions about how the funny scenes seen in the trailers would play out in reality.
Indeed, the beginning of episode one felt similar to the trailer.
Almost reminiscent of early 90s dramas.
– But this is surprisingly good!
The individual stories of Kim Si-hwan and Song So-ha auditioning drew viewers in.
Yet, unlike just raw footage from a variety show, the edited video felt entirely different.
– Park Jung-woo’s definitely a legend!
– Not dancing or singing, and yet it’s totally relatable.
– Hmm… but it’s kind of boring.
When the expected scenes didn’t appear, ambiguous reactions began to flow.
Mixed responses of praise and critique.
So, as the two leading stories wrapped up, we shifted to the other four main cast members.
And then came the first scene.
Seo-yeon appeared on the TV screen.
Late to the audition, Joo Ha-rin inadvertently bumped into Kim Si-hwan.
And as Joo Ha-rin’s acting commenced.
WHAT?!
Viewers’ reactions began to change gradually.
Not just simple laughter.
But a solid drama.