“Siyeon, I think you should do this at least once.”
“What is it?”
“An interview. You probably don’t even know how your rumors are circulating these days, do you?”
“Huh?”
Jeyoung turned the computer screen to show me.
There were stories about me and Jeon Jiwon circulating on the internet.
“It seems like the rumor about you provoking Jeon Jiwon at that time has spread. It hasn’t gone viral yet, but if this continues, there might be a controversy about your personality. Fortunately, Jeon Jiwon has been patient with it.”
“Hmm.”
I wasn’t so naive as to ask, “Why would that be a controversy about my personality?”
I figured it was likely thanks to Dongsoo’s help that things hadn’t gotten too out of hand on the internet yet.
Soon, the public might find out.
No matter how right I may be, the public might think differently.
It seemed like Jeyoung was right; I would need to appear in an interview and manage my image.
Rather than explaining the controversy, it would be better to indirectly address it, just as Jeyoung suggested.
I wanted to say, “Why is the internet reacting like this over something so trivial?” but, well, that’s just how the world works.
“Alright. What kind of interview is it? A magazine? Or something else…”
An interview probably means a program like a celebrity talk show or a magazine interview.
There aren’t many types of activities that celebrities do under the category of ‘interview’.
“Actually, it’s a bit unclear to call it a traditional interview… It’s a program called <Audio Star>.”
“…Huh? That’s a variety show!”
But if it has the nature of a ‘variety show’, things change.
And if it’s <Audio Star>, didn’t they already say it’s a talk show from the start, not an interview?
“But still, it’s basically just sitting and talking. And isn’t this one of the best places to get publicity for it? Among interviews?”
“If it’s just talking, then it’s a talk show, not an interview. And it’s not just talking; there are even personal tricks you have to do.”
“Hey, those things aren’t forced like before. Don’t worry about that, I’ll make sure of it. Actually, Director Heo Jinwoo also mentioned that he wants to promote the movie by appearing on variety shows and things like that.”
“Ugh…”
<Audio Star> is a popular program.
Lately, idols and actors have been making appearances on variety shows for promotional activities.
“But if I go on that, my mysterious image will be ruined.”
“Hey, mysterious image is old news. These days, a friendly concept works much better.”
“I’m not saying that.”
I just wanted to be the kind of actor with a mysterious image.
I don’t want to go on variety shows and do things like walking on mudflats, like other actors.
“…Alright. I’ll go this time. But I’m not saying I’ll appear on other variety shows.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on talking about Jeon Jiwon’s incident either. Let’s just get through this situation safely. And…”
Jeyoung paused for a moment, looking at the computer, and then closed his mouth.
“I heard Jeon Jiwon will also appear with you.”
“Huh?”
“And Jeong Wooseon too. It seems like it’s a movie industry special. Jeon Jiwon already accepted the offer, so it seems like they’re not planning to attack you. Go, handle things well, be polite. If it works out there, you won’t fall from grace.”
“Fall from grace?”
“That means being kicked out of the entertainment industry due to a personality controversy. That’s falling from grace.”
So, I would appear alongside Jeon Jiwon.
That actually made me feel better. Jeon Jiwon had been positive about my challenge at that time.
And she had won, so it seemed like she wouldn’t hold a grudge.
Besides, she had already apologized for the incident.
“Alright.”
I answered lightly, but I knew the situation wasn’t light.
As Jeyoung had put it, I was on the verge of “falling from grace.”
The news circulating on the internet now was closer to baseless rumors rather than confirmed truths.
If I don’t clear things up now, and the public accepts these rumors as truth later on…
Then, I might really fall from grace.
And so, I ended up appearing on my first variety show since “Garterbelt.”
The MAC entertainment studio.
The <Audio Star> set was much more complicated than I had imagined.
“There are so many cameras…”
The screen of Audio Star only showed a small room.
In the vast studio, only that small room was set up as the set. On the open side, various staff and cameras were clustered together.
The behind-the-scenes of the variety show was fascinating.
But during “Garterbelt,” there was an audience and a more theatrical space.
Variety shows in studios were meticulously staged.
Still, I didn’t mind the many cameras. It felt similar to a drama shoot.
“Ah, Siyeon!”
In the waiting room, Jeong Wooseon and Jeon Jiwon, who had arrived earlier, were chatting.
Jeong Wooseon waved his hand enthusiastically when he saw me.
I bent down to greet him and entered the waiting room.
Since this was a place where I needed to be humble, I needed to lower my posture as much as possible.
Also, out of the four guests, I was the only one who wasn’t a big-name actor.
Lee Jaejeong, who hadn’t arrived yet, was also a major actor on par with the others.
“Hello.”
“Hi?”
Jeon Jiwon, sitting with her legs crossed, greeted me with a charming smile.
Actors with that level of experience seemed to naturally have an aura and atmosphere that ordinary people couldn’t have.
Their daily actions and speech all felt like something out of a movie.
In contrast, I briefly thought that I seemed colorless and scentless.
“I’ll apologize again for what happened before.”
“It’s okay. It’s all in the past. It was fun. Come, sit down.”
“Sit down, Siyeon. This person isn’t like that. Haha.”
I sat on the chair next to the two of them, who were sitting on the sofa.
“This is your first variety show appearance, right? Don’t be nervous, just do it naturally. Just show your raw self, people will love it.”
“Yeah. People will probably be really curious about you. Don’t try to put on a front, just show yourself. Then, there won’t be any problems.”
They gave me advice even though I hadn’t asked for it.
I was still anxious about my first appearance, but their words seemed helpful.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, don’t worry too much.”
Why do they keep saying it will be fine?
Maybe it’s because they both know about my recent controversy.
They’ve been in the industry long enough. They’ve probably seen a lot of situations like this.
Soon, the last guest, Lee Jaejeong, arrived.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. Haha.”
Lee Jaejeong shook my hand firmly.
He looked to be in his thirties, but he somehow gave off the feel of an elderly grandfather.
The things he said were also similar to what the others had said.
It seemed that Lee Jaejeong was appearing on <Assassination> this time, so he came along with Jeon Jiwon.
A little while later, filming for <Audio Star> began.
“High-class music show, Audio Star! Today, we have the big names of the movie industry!”
The opening of Audio Star. MC Kim Jinkuk made his announcement with the opening lines.
The broadcast officially began with the introduction of the four guests.
“Yes… all four of you are very famous. In fact, it’s not easy to bring all of you together like this… How did this happen?”
Another MC, An Gura, who started the program without leaving any time for audio, was known for never lying. He was famous for asking sharp questions with sincere eyes.
“This time, we are releasing movies around the same time. Me and Jiwon, and here, Wooseon and Siyeon, are all in the same project, actually.”
“Ah~ things are a bit chaotic right now. We’ll talk about that later. Siyeon, how old are you? 15?”
An Gura asked with a look of disbelief.
Finally, the question came, and Siyeon took a deep breath before answering.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Not only your appearance, but your acting skills… how is it possible that you’re a 15-year-old middle school student?”
“At 15, you’re the same age as my daughter. And she’s nothing like you. Every day she’s asking for a new phone… doesn’t want to study. Your mother must love you.”
“Exactly. This is…”
The MCs kept speaking without pause.
It seemed like they were speaking many more words than what was shown on the broadcast.
The staff checked the situation continuously, meaning that only the carefully selected words made it to air.
Siyeon realized that making a variety show was much harder than she thought.
“So, people are in an uproar right now. Is it really true you’re 15? Are you a frozen human? Were you raised in a Shaolin temple? Let’s talk about that first. Let’s talk about your looks, and where did you learn acting and martial arts?”
“I saw <Here Heart> last time, and your action scenes…”
“I’ve never taken acting lessons. But I’ve had an interest in martial arts since I was little, so I learned a bit here and there.”
“Come to think of it, this video is famous, right? This one.”
“Ah~”
The video of Siyeon’s appearance on “Garterbelt” played on the screen outside the studio.
The cast members watched the video and admired it.
‘It’s chaotic.’
Just like that, the scenes started coming together quickly.
The shoot began with light questions about Siyeon.
Siyeon decided that acting was something she was naturally good at, and martial arts was a skill she had been born with.
So answering the questions was not difficult for her.
As the shoot continued, they finally started talking about the movie.
Then An Gura carefully brought up the incident.
“By the way… oh, this is a situation I’ve never seen before. Did Siyeon and Jeon Jiwon have an acting duel?”
The moment had arrived. It felt like it was bound to come.
This was, after all, the part most people were curious about.
Jeon Jiwon, maintaining her smile, began explaining the situation.
“Ah~ so Siyeon was auditioning for the lead role when Jeon Jiwon entered.”
“Actually, I was very greedy. I really liked the movie <Assassination>. The role of Im Yeon-ok was such a good fit for me that I pushed for it. I’d like to apologize to my senior once again for that.”
“Hahaha! How good must the movie have been if you were that greedy? Now I really need to watch it.”
Just explaining the acting duel was enough to make it interesting and give enough airtime.
It was a rare situation, and if Jeon Jiwon accepted the apology, the controversy would likely die down.
“It was fun. And at that age, you can do things like that. Actually, Siyeon was so talented that I also thought, ‘Let’s see if I can compete with her’ at that time.”
Jeon Jiwon continued speaking leisurely.
Jeon Jiwon didn’t have any bad feelings toward Siyeon, nor did she want to get rid of her.
But she wasn’t unfamiliar with similar situations in the entertainment industry.
Siyeon was incredibly talented, and she wasn’t a bad person either.
While it might have been an impulsive challenge, it wasn’t born from bad intentions but rather from ambition.
With a bit more restraint and pride, Siyeon could surely reach the top of this field.
Jeon Jiwon also knew the public very well.
Stars who rise so quickly are also easily brought down.
Maybe the time Siyeon needed to be most cautious was now.
Having risen so quickly, now was the time to build the foundation.
Jeon Jiwon knew how talented Siyeon was.
Honestly, at that time, Siyeon’s acting was hard to catch up to.
So even if Siyeon’s skills weren’t the focus this time,
As a newcomer, it was important to cultivate a modest image.
For example, even though she boldly challenged a senior actor, it could be framed as a defeat and a return to intense practice.
To create that situation, Jeon Jiwon decided to play the villain this time.
“And actually, I knew I would win. No matter how good Siyeon was, the victory was mine.”
“Hahaha! As expected from Jeon Jiwon.”
Such arrogant words.
It was important for Siyeon’s controversy to be balanced out by showing a little bit of a bad side in Jeon Jiwon’s character, so that the issue would disappear.
Jeon Jiwon knew how to handle public issues.
Now, if Siyeon played along, there would be no more trouble with this incident.
Just as it seemed like everything would end well…
Snap –
As soon as the conversation shifted to skills, Siyeon’s expression momentarily crumpled.