Chapter 57 : Lead Role Competition (9)

“My acting was definitely better…!”

Even until the second week, The Watcher had the upper hand, but from the third week, things changed.

Usually, from the third week onward, it’s rare for tens of thousands of viewers to be drawn in each day.

It’s only natural for audience numbers to decline over time.

However, Assassination experienced a significantly slower decline in audience numbers compared to The Watcher.

During screenings, public opinion was clearly similar.

Both films had such high-level acting that it was difficult to determine which was superior.

Famous actors.

An interesting story.

The Watcher was an action-centered movie, so its plot didn’t leave a deep emotional impact.

Still, it was entertaining enough that I thought it would be hard to say which was better between The Watcher and Assassination.

But my expectations didn’t align with the actual audience votes.

Despite drawing in crowds with its spectacular action, The Watcher gradually lost audience favor.

Meanwhile, Assassination steadily maintained its ticket sales and ultimately won with a lead of over a million votes.

I also watched Assassination, but the result was hard to understand.

“Why the hell did we lose this badly?! It was so close!”

“I don’t really know much about movies, so stop asking me..?”

When I snapped in frustration, Jaeyoung cautiously observed my reaction.

It wasn’t Jaeyoung’s fault, so I couldn’t blame him.

Regardless, public reception was positive.

Both movies were fun, but people seemed excited about the idea of seeing me dance.

“Siyeon, you can’t stir things up any further here.”

“…Fine. A loss is a loss.”

“Sigh…?”

Honestly, I wanted to argue about it.

But I couldn’t.

Not accepting an already determined outcome was just foolish.

“Don’t accept any interview requests. Jeon Jiwon will handle all the interviews and statements anyway. Same for shows like Audio Star.”

“Uh, okay. But still, Jeon Jiwon is your senior…”

At the very least, I didn’t want to talk about this for a while.

Since the bet had concluded, there would surely be interview and guest appearance requests.

Even though I lost, I couldn’t accept that I lost due to my own skills.

I definitely didn’t want to fake a smile and say, ‘As expected, my senior is amazing~’ in front of the cameras.

No matter how I thought about it, my acting was better.

For the rest of the year, I planned to focus entirely on preparing for my entrance exams at Han Performing Arts High School.

“Finally, we’ll have junior students too, heehee!”

“So exciting!”

“Why does she keep talking only in sound effects?”

“Waku waku!”

“Just ignore her. She’s been watching weird anime lately.”

Korea Performing Arts High School.

Alongside Seorim Arts High School, it was one of the most famous arts high schools.

It had a variety of active clubs.

Not only were the departments well-connected, but club bonds were also strong.

Many alumni had become well-known figures, and the support from seniors was high.

For broadcasting and arts-related clubs, those at Korea National University of Arts were the most famous.

But even at the high school level, the activities were nearly on par with university programs.

“Senior, you’re writing the script for this year’s Hanseo Festival, right?”

“I don’t know. What’s the point of writing a script when your acting is rock bottom?”

“Aiiing~ Senpai!”

Among these clubs was Daehangong, the theater club at Han Performing Arts High School.

With the best acting output in the school, Daehangong was already bustling during the vacation.

It was because of preparations for the Hanseo Festival, which started at the beginning of the school festival season.

Especially for theater, the preparation period was extremely long.

Without early planning, it was impossible to put on a proper performance at the Hanseo Festival.

“Hey, I heard there are a lot of famous students among the new freshmen this year.”

“Like who?”

“There are trainees from major entertainment agencies, active idols, and former child actors… but more importantly, I heard Kim Siyeon is coming.”

“Kim Siyeon??”

“Nani?!”

Kim Siyeon.

As soon as that name was mentioned, the club members swarmed around Choi Juhun.

As a third-year directing major, he was the main director of Daehangong.

Upon hearing this, Shin Yurim, a third-year creative writing student who had been lying down silently, twitched.

“But honestly, Kim Siyeon isn’t at a teenage level anymore, right?”

“She won the Best Acting Award for her very first project. How is that even possible? No, seriously, a middle schooler winning Best Acting?!”

“Her performance in The Watcher was a massive hit too. But why did she challenge Jeon Jiwon?”

For quite some time, the club members chatted about Kim Siyeon.

From a national perspective, her recognition wasn’t exactly top-tier.

Although she generated a lot of buzz, her career was still short.

However, within the industry, among aspiring actors, or among teenagers, she was practically a household name.

Especially at Han Performing Arts High School, where all three groups overlapped.

Kim Siyeon was almost treated like a legend.

Anyone even slightly involved in the field knew how incredible she was.

“If we act alongside her, we’ll be heavily compared. Even Ju Hyewon was compared to her.”

“That was because of the action scenes… but even in acting, she was on another level.”

“Honestly, isn’t she a robot? She doesn’t seem like a normal person when she’s not acting. Kinda cold and reserved.”

“Still, Assassination was bound to win. That movie was just too well-made. Regardless of Kim Siyeon and Jeon Jiwon’s skills.”

“Yeah. The punishment is happening at the end of the year, right?”

While everyone praised Kim Siyeon, opinions about the The Watcher vs. Assassination battle leaned toward Assassination.

Even though they were just high school students, they were studying performing arts and acting.

With at least a bit of professional insight, they saw that Assassination was the superior work.

Since both movies had garnered significant attention, the outcome was obvious.

Daehangong members understood that in this industry, personal skill alone wasn’t enough to succeed.

They had all learned this through years of making plays together.

And this experience was the reason Daehangong alumni excelled in broadcasting and entertainment after graduation.

“…Hey.”

While the club members were chattering, Shin Yurim suddenly spoke.

“H-Hey?”

Hanari, who had recently been obsessed with anime, exaggerated her reaction.

The others subtly glanced at Shin Yurim.

As a third-year, she had a reputation for being intimidating.

“Aren’t we supposed to be preparing for the Hanseo Festival?”

“W-Well… We need a script or at least a plan first… We haven’t even decided whose script we’re using.”

“Here.”

Shin Yurim tossed a script to the club members.

Normally, the playwright members would each present their own proposals, and one would be selected from them. However, no one objected to Shin Yoorim’s actions.

That was because she was a genius who had been writing all of Daehangong’s plays since her first year, even surpassing her seniors.

Having already made her debut in the literary world through the Sinchon Literary Awards with her plays, there was no reason for anyone to reject her scripts.

“Leave the main role open. I’m going to assign it to one of the freshmen.”

“H-Huh? But I wanted to do it…”

“Nari, your job is to bring Kim Siyeon into our club once school starts.”

“Eh?”

“I’m giving the lead role to her.”

“Ugh?”

After saying that, Shin Yoorim left the clubroom.

“…Wow.”

Choi Jooheon let out a hollow laugh as he began planning.

“I got in too, Siyeon!”

Ji-young jumped around excitedly in front of the computer screen.

Today was the announcement day for admissions to Hankong Arts High School.

I was accepted into the acting department, while Ji-young made it into the practical music department.

It seemed this year’s batch had an especially competitive pool of applicants.

Of course, that didn’t really matter to me.

Still, just in case, I had gone all out for the entrance exam.

The girl who was supposed to act alongside me in the test got too overwhelmed and broke character.

Even in that situation, I maintained my emotions and passed with ease.

I heard there were even current idols applying for the practical music department.

It looked like Ji-young had also gotten in without much trouble.

“Ugh… I… I didn’t make it, Siyeon.”

On the other hand, Dongsoo didn’t pass.

Honestly, that was expected. There was no way Dongsoo would get into an arts high school.

Still, I had forced him to apply, thinking it would be convenient to have him around.

He obviously had no talent in acting, music, or dance.

But since he often read weird novels by himself, I suggested he try for the creative writing department.

As expected, he didn’t make it.

Given Hankong Arts High School’s long history, its literary department was just as competitive as the broadcasting fields.

Not only did it produce literary authors, but many of its graduates also became renowned playwrights, drama writers, and scriptwriters.

“Wasn’t the entrance test just writing? What did you write about?”

“Well, um… It was about a bullied college student who becomes a magical girl…”

“Never mind.”

I was a fool for expecting anything.

It looked like I wouldn’t be going to the same high school as Dongsoo after all.

But since he was still useful, I had no intention of letting him go.

“Even if you’re going to a different school, I’ll still be giving you work. Make sure you answer my calls. Don’t even think about running away.”

“Y-Yeah… Ugh… Sniff…”

“Whoa, Dongsoo is crying. Siyeon made him cry.”

“W-What? Why are you crying…?”

Suddenly, Dongsoo started sobbing.

No matter how roughly I treated him, this wasn’t something to cry over.

I even bought him a limited-edition figure with his earnings as compensation for all the unpaid work I made him do.

He had been so happy to receive it back then.

“I-I really wanted to go to the same high school as you and Ji-young… I worked so hard… Sniff… Sob…”

Tears dripped onto his sleeves as he wiped his face.

Glancing at his bag, I noticed that, aside from his laptop, it was stuffed with books.

There were so many that it must’ve been difficult to carry.

And they were all books on writing techniques.

“Dongsoo…”

It was only after seeing those books that I realized the true meaning behind his tears.

“It’s okay, Dongsoo. We’ll still see each other since we’ll all be in Seoul.”

“Sniff… Hic…”

Ji-young smiled, comforting him.

I still wasn’t good at this kind of thing.

But I could somewhat understand how he felt.

Thinking back, Dongsoo seemed to have genuinely enjoyed the time he spent with us.

Comparing his expression now to when he was being bullied before, he definitely looked happier these days.

I considered patting his shoulder, but the sight of his crying face quickly changed my mind.

“Stop crying, Dongsoo. I’m still going to make you work.”

“Sniff… O-Okay…”

Teenagers at this age are like that, I suppose.

Crying over not going to the same school as their friends.

It reminded me of the cadets at the academy who had acted the same way.

Crying because they didn’t get placed in the same class as their friends.

I guess that meant Dongsoo and I were friends.

At least, he thought of me as one.

Realizing that gave me a strange feeling.

“Stop crying.”

A farewell between friends.

Along with Dongsoo’s pathetic tears, I experienced my first farewell.

A couple of months later, Ji-young and I enrolled in Hankong Arts High School.

Contrary to my expectations, Chaeyoung didn’t enroll here.

Instead, the moment I stepped into the entrance ceremony, I felt suspicious gazes directed at me.