The production of the Heaven’s Garden OST was going smoothly. Thanks to the vocal training by the "Magician," Seoyeon had managed to improve her singing skills significantly.

    Of course, if compared to professional singers, she was still lacking in some areas. However, contrary to her own thoughts, producer Han Pyo-yeol had a different opinion.

    "But your emotions run very deep. That’s incredibly important for ballads."

    Hearing this kind of praise made Seoyeon feel strange in a way. Listening to her own voice layered with music, she couldn’t help but think:

    Maybe I’m actually pretty good at this?

    This newfound confidence led to moments at school where, when her classmates said things like:

    "Who wants to go to karaoke today?" "I do, I do!!"

    Seoyeon would quietly sidle up to the group, eavesdropping on the conversation. She really wanted to go to the karaoke room before anyone found out about her work on the OST.

    But she couldn’t bring herself to suggest it. No one would probably eagerly invite her anyway, and it would seem a bit off.

    It’d feel like I was just going to show off my singing skills.

    There was a big difference between offering to go to karaoke and suddenly wowing everyone with a great performance versus being dragged along and impressing people unintentionally.

    Seoyeon imagined what would happen if she naturally tagged along to karaoke:

    Wow, your voice is amazing~. Seoyeon, you can sing too? Not just act?

    As she daydreamed about this scenario, she noticed that the lively chatter among the students gradually faded.

    "Um, I guess we should be studying, right?" "Should we hit the study cafe? today?" "?"@@@@

    Everyone awkwardly dispersed, deciding to study instead. It was understandable, really.

    While Seoyeon’s image as an actress was one thing, as a student, she gave off a very studious vibe. Her neat black hair, slightly intellectual expression, and beautiful appearance all combined to make her seem like the type who excelled at schoolwork.

    So, when Seoyeon gave them a silent look, it felt as if she were scolding them for not focusing on their studies.

    Ugh...

    Left alone, Seoyeon sighed and packed up her bag.

    I really wanted to go to karaoke...

    This wasn’t even something Jiyeon could help with. Sure, it would be fun to go with her, but Jiyeon wasn’t the type to enthusiastically cheer her on. Besides, hanging out with celebrity friends wasn’t ideal—they’d heard real singers before, so they wouldn’t be impressed.

    Jo Seohui?

    The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it, her lips pouting in mild annoyance.

    Traitor.

    Of course, Seoyeon didn’t actually hold any ill will toward Seohui’s actions. In fact, she thought it was brilliant.

    But she was still a little upset, though. Whatever. She’d see Seohui again next week during the filming of Hyper Action Star, so it wasn’t something she was too worried about. They could talk then.

    Besides, the same issue with Jiyeon applied to Seohui—going to karaoke didn’t seem quite right. Plus, there was the matter of uncertainty:

    What if she sings better than me?

    After all, Jo Seohui was good at pretty much everything. It wouldn’t be surprising if she could sing well too.

    Resigning herself to the fact that she wouldn’t be going to karaoke that day, Seoyeon headed to KMB. There was a meeting regarding Heaven’s Garden, and she had things to discuss.

    At the KMB broadcast station, MDC had been dominating the ratings for the last few years among the top three networks. KMB hadn’t produced a hit in quite some time, leading to a shake-up at the drama division, where a new drama director was appointed.

    The first project under this new leadership, Dream Future, had been a massive hit. In today’s age, a drama achieving over 20% ratings was a remarkable feat.

    Even more impressive was the fact that Dream Future had attracted a remake proposal from a Japanese broadcaster before it had even been officially released overseas. This kind of reception gave rise to high expectations for its international performance, particularly in Japan.

    "Seoyeon’s style is exactly the type they love over there." "Really? I thought Japan favored a more cutesy look rather than model-like girls." "Seoyeon isn’t actually that tall. It’s just her proportions that make her look taller."

    While Seoyeon appeared to be over 170 cm tall, she was actually around 165 cm. She wasn’t short by any means, but she wasn’t exceptionally tall either.

    "And her hairstyle—long black hair? Japanese fans go crazy for that."

    "...Is that so?"

    As they laughed, Seoyeon felt a bead of sweat roll down her forehead.

    An honor student, huh...

    Well, she was an honor student. But did honor students only have to be good at studying? These days, people focused on more than just academics—arts and sports were important too.

    Wasn’t Seoyeon living proof of that?

    Her mom, Suah, always supported her, and her father, Youngbin, did too, though his way of showing it was a bit different.

    Honor student role...

    It seemed like they wanted her to give off a smart, intellectual vibe. Seoyeon, who typically acted based on empathy with her character, started to feel a little worried.

    An honor student seemed like such a distant, detached concept.

    ...

    Seoyeon was lost in thought. It seemed like she might need some help with this one.

    Meanwhile, at Hoyeon Entertainment’s headquarters in Seoul, the building was far more luxurious than one would expect for a third-tier agency. Rumor had it that the CEO was wealthy, and the building certainly matched that description.

    Their only real success had been the idol group "Summer Girl," and even then, it was Cha Nahyi who carried the group.

    Because of that, Cha Nahyi was incredibly busy, especially with her work on Heaven’s Garden’s OST.

    Out of the several insert songs for the drama, three were being sung by Summer Girl.

    I wonder how the group’s practice is going...

    Nahyi couldn’t help but worry about the rest of the group members. Most of them were lazy and didn’t take practice seriously.

    Even though Nahyi tried to help them, they didn’t listen, so progress on the OST was slow. While she could just sing the songs herself, this time it was a bright, energetic girl-group track, and she couldn’t perform it solo.

    "I heard even the vocal trainers ran away. Is that true?" "...Yeah, it’s true."

    Nahyi sighed as she vented to her friend Yena, a popular idol. She couldn’t focus on the variety show they were filming today.

    "And even if I try to teach them, I doubt they’ll listen..."

    The songs for the OST were difficult, making practice essential. But none of the members seemed willing to put in the work, leaving Nahyi in a tough spot.

    "Seoyeon said she’d help, though."

    Her newly close younger friend, Seoyeon, had unexpectedly offered to help. However, Nahyi doubted that an actress like Seoyeon would be able to teach them how to sing.

    Besides, how could sweet, innocent Seoyeon handle those unruly girls?

    What am I going to do...

    Nahyi sighed again, wishing someone would appear and help whip her group into shape.

    And at that moment...

    What the hell is this?

    Ravin was staring at the large screen, deep in thought. Honestly, if it weren’t for the black-haired, red-eyed girl sitting next to him, staring at him like some kind of psychopath, he would have already walked out.

    Everyone sat neatly in their chairs, watching the screen. At that moment, the character on the screen locked eyes with them.

    What the hell is this?

    A strange character appeared on the screen. Seoyeon introduced it as... some kind of magician, or at least that’s what she said.

    It looked like an anime character, but apparently, there was a real person inside.

    “Today, I’ve brought a special vocal trainer,” Seoyeon said cheerfully, looking at their somewhat pale faces.

    Of course, no one knew how to respond to her energetic announcement.

    Neither Summer Girl nor the "Magician Elchevette."

    In other words, even Han Dayoung, who was behind this character, had no idea how things had come to this.

    How did it end up like this?