“Phew… I was nervous.”
After finishing the interview, Ji-young came back.
Ji-young says that she will represent the group in the dance battle at this Hanseo Festival.
Originally, Ji-young was the main vocalist, but she had to give up her position to the seniors in the singing part.
Still, the fact that she earned a spot as a representative through dance clearly meant she had real talent.
“But did you see Chae-young?”
“No, I don’t think she’s here yet.”
The Hanseo Festival is held alternately at each school’s location every year.
This year, it was at Han-gongye’s turn, so people from Seorim Art High School were arriving at Han-gongye one by one.
It seemed like Chae-young and the theater troupe hadn’t arrived yet.
“…What should I do if I meet Chae-young?”
“Well… I don’t think there will be much to talk about. Everyone will be busy preparing for their own parts.”
“Still…”
What should I do if I face Chae-young?
That was something I was also thinking about.
In fact, since both schools prepare their plays behind the scenes, I was bound to bump into Chae-young.
Since the play was first, I headed to the stage earlier.
“Senior.”
“Siyeon, let’s start with makeup right away.”
The play we prepared this time, ‘Electric Jajang’, was a very demanding one.
The hardest part was that the characters had frequent makeup changes during the play. Sometimes, after finishing one scene, we had to apply thick makeup for the next scene.
Then we’d have to remove it again and reapply for the next scene.
There were two moments like that, so my skin was probably going to get damaged today.
While I was getting my makeup done, the playwright, Shin Yoo-rim, approached me.
“Kim Siyeon, do you think we can win today?”
“Yes.”
It wouldn’t make sense to lose with this script.
I don’t know how amazing the other side’s play will be, but ‘Electric Jajang’ is a work that could stand up to professionals.
“I heard there are a lot of famous people from Seorim. Do you think our Siyeon will do better?”
Hanari, who had finished her makeup, said excitedly.
It seemed like Hanari was quite nervous.
But since she was the second best after me, I wasn’t worried.
“By the way, isn’t that Chae-young? Siyeon, wasn’t she your friend? I think she was mentioned on a show a while ago.”
“Yes, we’ve been friends since kindergarten.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. What did she say?”
“She didn’t say anything specific. It’s been a while since I last saw her.”
“Speaking of which, didn’t TM break up a long time ago…”
Then, people who were chatting with the makeup team next to us.
I just quietly closed my eyes and reviewed the script.
“Oh, the Seorim people are here.”
A little while later, the Seorim theater troupe arrived together.
Their atmosphere was completely different from ours. As soon as they arrived, they quickly started preparing.
“Those guys are so scary. Their discipline is too strict.”
“We’re not that easy either.”
“Do you want to die?”
Shin Yoo-rim muttered while watching the Seorim theater troupe.
It was clear that the Seorim troupe had a much stricter atmosphere than ours.
I spotted Chae-young in the distance starting to get her makeup done.
Her expression was a determined one that I had never seen before.
“Kim Si-yeon? Can we do an interview for a moment?”
“I’m in the middle of my makeup.”
“We thought it would be nice to capture you even while you’re getting your makeup done.”
“Do as you wish.”
The documentary team that arrived with us immediately requested an interview.
This year’s Hanseo Festival documentary has been receiving a lot of attention even before its release.
Part of the reason, of course, is that the public likes this kind of concept.
But it also had to do with the recent provocation Chae-young made towards me.
“This time, Seorim Art High’s Chae-young made a public provocation. How did you feel about that?”
“I didn’t think much about it.”
“Oooooh~”
“Does that mean you think you can beat Seorim Art High?”
“I don’t know if we’ll win, but I don’t think their play will be better than ours.”
“Ooooohhhhh~”
I answered casually, but the crowd around me erupted in cheers.
The Seorim side was eyeing us suspiciously.
After the interview ended, Chae-young, who had finished her makeup, started walking towards me.
Their makeup and outfits were much simpler than ours, with no drag concept or anything like that.
Honestly, I was a little jealous.
“What, what is this? Is Chae-young coming over here?”
“Is she trying to pick a fight?”
The members of our group started murmuring.
Though I was getting my makeup done and couldn’t see her, I could sense it.
“Kim Si-yeon.”
Chae-young, who had reached me from behind, spoke in a low voice.
It was an awkward air that I had never felt before.
I never imagined I would feel uneasy about something like this.
This moment felt strangely heavy.
“…Yeah.”
“Today, I’m going to beat you.”
“I’ll take back everything you took from me, and I’ll show you today that my skills are superior to yours.”
With those words, Chae-young turned and walked away.
I wondered what she meant by “taking everything from me.”
And I thought my skills were better, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.
“What, what is this? Is this some kind of drama?”
Hanari, who had been hiding in the corner, quickly ran over and asked.
“I don’t know either.”
“Eh?”
“I want to know too.”
The main PD of the documentary ‘Pre-School Battle,’ Jae-hyuk, set up a camera under the stage and waited excitedly.
Students were continuing to arrive at the grand auditorium where the main performances were to take place.
“Director, the order has changed, so Seorim is going to perform first.”
“Really? Oh well, doesn’t matter.”
The order of the plays changed, and Seorim would perform first.
The drawing I had in mind changed, but it didn’t matter.
The core of this “Arts High School War” was, of course, the fiery competition between the two schools.
Among them, each arts high school had a fair distribution of active idols and actors.
Naturally, the audience was extremely interested in their showdown.
With a built-in audience secured by the presence of famous figures, hidden gems from each school would emerge, delivering performances on par with professionals, shocking everyone.
It was a perfect formula for success: the battle of celebrities and the dark horses appearing between them.
It seemed that “Arts High School War” would produce many new stars.
“Usually, plays aren’t that popular, but the crowd is amazing.”
“It must be because of those two.”
But among them, the two receiving the most attention right now were none other than Lee Chaeyoung from Seorim Arts High and Kim Siyeon from Hangong Arts High.
Kim Siyeon was a monstrous rookie, winning Best Actress at her first acting awards and appearing in two films that surpassed ten million viewers.
And her childhood friend, Lee Chaeyoung, a rapidly rising actress, was taking on the challenger role against Kim Siyeon.
Thanks to Chaeyoung’s bold provocations, many people became interested.
Additionally, since Kim Siyeon had been inactive for a while, it was an opportunity for people to see her acting again.
This whole event became a hot topic on social media, which was growing in influence among the younger generation.
As a result, “Arts High School War” was receiving unexpected levels of anticipation.
“No matter what, Kim Siyeon will win, right?”
“Well, probably? But Hangong Arts High’s genre is kind of unusual. I heard their students are doing drag?”
“Drag? Huh… But I also heard their playwright is an absolute genius.”
While such discussions were happening, it was finally time for the performance to begin.
Following the host’s announcement, Seorim Arts High’s stage started.
“And that small soul became light. Marseus! Who is this ring truly for?”
“Don’t hesitate, Silieria. At the end of this light lies a sacred name, doesn’t it?”
Seorim Arts High’s play was a modernized remake of a Shakespearean work.
Even those unfamiliar with medieval plays could easily get immersed due to its outstanding quality.
“…PD, are you sure high school students created this play? The teachers didn’t help?”
“Why do you think it’s the best arts high school in the country? At this rate… Hangong Arts High might actually lose.”
Most importantly, Chaeyoung’s acting was beyond high school level.
When she was attacked, it felt like she was truly coughing up blood. When she was in ecstasy, the audience felt uplifted along with her.
Jaehyuk had watched countless plays before, but even compared to professional productions, Chaeyoung’s acting was flawless.
Her intense vocal delivery clearly showed how much she had practiced.
‘…This might make Lee Chaeyoung popular. Guess it’s not for nothing that she’s Joo Hyewon’s daughter.’
She had star potential. Honestly, she wasn’t particularly special as a child actress.
But now, seeing the traces of her relentless effort, her future seemed somewhat predictable.
“…Even Kim Siyeon should be careful.”
Until now, not for a single moment did anyone think Kim Siyeon would lose.
After all, she was a two-time box office actress with an acting award for Best Actress.
And anyone in the industry knew how absurdly good Kim Siyeon’s acting was.
But perhaps because she had taken a break for a while, or maybe because Chaeyoung’s acting was that overwhelming, for the first time, everyone watching the stage shared the same thought—
Maybe, just maybe, Lee Chaeyoung could actually defeat Kim Siyeon.
However.
“A… musical?”
“Wait, is Kim Siyeon actually singing right now?”
As soon as Hangong Arts High’s performance began, the audience’s reaction flipped in an instant.