Chapter 29: Past and Present Collide

What’s she talking about? Can’t let go of our college days? Or am I forgetting something like a goldfish?

“We were friends, weren’t we?”

‘Was she friends with me all by herself?’

No way. She’s definitely teasing me.

“What? You two were friends? If classmates count, I’ve got tons of friends!” Yeom Hae-jin chimed in.

“That’s not what I meant,” Ryu Byeol retorted.

“You two were always bickering. Friends, my foot!”

To clarify, we didn’t fight. Just had disagreements. But neither Ryu Byeol nor I made excuses. To others, it probably looked like fighting.

“Still, get along now. You’re doing a drama together,” Yeom Hae-jin urged.

“Dunno if we’ll get along,” Ryu Byeol replied.

“Why not? It’d be great for the drama’s synergy…”

Ryu Byeol cut her off, dismissive. “We’re rivals in YoungYoung. Doubt we’ll get chummy.”

That was a jab. Back in college, during our play Hee-jae, she’d throw shade at me. I used to just take it.

‘But I’m living a new life now.’

I’m ready to meet her challenge.

“You’re not the only one,” I said.

“I don’t plan on getting along either.”

“Hah… bold attitude.”

I shrugged, flashing a grin. “Obviously. I’ve been burned by you more than once.”

“Burned? You just struggled on your own.”

‘Here we go again.’

She always does this—stirs your thoughts, raises questions, gives no answers.

While I debated what to ask, she stood, script in hand, as if done.

“Hey, where’re you going? We’re not finished!” Yeom Hae-jin protested.

“Quiet.”

“…What?”

“You’re cute when you’re quiet.”

And she left the bar. I forgot how eccentric she is.

Yeom Hae-jin and I stared at each other, faces full of question marks.

“Drink?”

“Yeah, let’s drink.”

As I sipped, the sub-quest chimed success.

‘This?’

[Sub-Quest ‘Approach Ryu Byeol after the awards ceremony’ completed.]

[Reward Obtained: 2 Points]

Adding the previous 0.6, I had 2 points.

[Im Bada]

Appearance: A ▲

Acting: A+ ▲

Immersion: C

Vocalization: C ▲

Charisma: F ▲

Sociability: C ▲

‘Invest in immersion?’

Immersion’s key. Sometimes it breaks during script practice.

[Im Bada]

Immersion: B

I looked up. Yeom Hae-jin was staring, sulky.

“What?”

“No drink?”

“Oh, sorry. Let’s drink.”

We’re drinking till we drop tonight.

★★★

A week later.

Park Bu-jeong learned about Banggooseok Yeopo through a friend, a Cheon Ian fan. It’s a healing talk show where actor Cheon Ian chats with friends.

But she had no reason to watch. Not a Cheon Ian fan, not into this kind of show.

Then—

[(Banggooseok Yeopo) Ugh, Im Bada’s so cute]

The post caught her eye, praising Im Bada’s hardworking, earnest charm.

‘Banggooseok Yeopo?’

She knew Im Bada’s clips from the show were trending on Twitree, always ranking high.

“Im Bada… that actress?”

The supporting actress from Save Me. How cute could she be? Cute in a variety show?

Curious, she clicked a highlight clip titled [#Banggooseok Yeopo] ‘Is “Hardworking” Im Bada’s Middle Name?’—20 minutes, 400,000 views, 500 comments.

[Talk Variety Show (?)]

The subtitle appeared, and Cheon Ian entered PD Ong’s office.

[Cheon Ian: I’ll do the talk, but add some labor.]

[PD Ong: Labor, out of nowhere?]

[Cheon Ian: Yeah, like fishing by the river or harvesting veggies.]

They shook hands, camera-facing, full of determination.

Skip.

Nothing special.

“Boring.”

Park Bu-jeong fast-forwarded to Im Bada’s part.

“Uh… hello? Hello.”

[Im Bada, Rookie Actress. Latest Work: Save Me]

Her eyes darted, sizing up the scene. Alone, with no other guests, she questioned the staff.

“Only one camera for me? Am I supposed to be alone?”

Awkwardly glancing around, she kept talking, feeling the need to say something.

“It’s my first variety show, so it’s exciting…”

Park Bu-jeong found Im Bada’s cautious yet curious demeanor, like a kitten, adorable.

“…Cute?”

Her intense Save Me character made her real self surprisingly charming.

While chatting with a writer, Tae Jin-hwa arrived, casually dressed but exuding elegance.

“Hello… sunbae-nim?”

Im Bada’s greeting met silence, with subtitles mirroring her inner thoughts.

An oddly tense vibe. The screen cut to Tae Jin-hwa’s interview.

[Q: Why didn’t you return her greeting?]

[Tae Jin-hwa: She’s cute.]

Im Bada’s interview was dead serious.

[Q: Why didn’t Tae Jin-hwa sunbae return your greeting?]

[Im Bada: I didn’t know she was shy. I’ll approach her slowly.]

Mutual misunderstandings piled up, with subtitles going wild.

[When will these two get along?]

[Misunderstanding duo? We’re excited. Note to viewers: They’re not fighting, so relax.]

“Pfft.”

Park Bu-jeong, who rarely laughs at variety shows, chuckled, eyes glued to Im Bada. Then the show’s labor segment began.

[Im Bada, diligently carrying bricks!]

“Sunbae-nim! Sunbae-nim! Sunbae-nim?”

@g_12: 3:15- her voice is so nice, like a nightingale

Park Bu-jeong quietly liked the YouTube comment.

As they cleaned the house and yard, Tae Jin-hwa’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

“Phew… refreshing.”

[Tae Jin-hwa Trait: Hates mess.]

Tae Jin-hwa scanned the area, tapping Cheon Ian’s shoulder.

“Noona, what?”

“Hungry?”

“Nope.”

Denying it instantly, Tae Jin-hwa frowned, lowering her voice. “You’re hungry. You should be.”

“No, I’m—ow!”

Tae Jin-hwa grabbed his chin, turning toward the porch where Im Bada slept.

Why show this?

“Still not hungry?”

“Let’s get tasty food from the market.”

“Fine, I’m hungry. But first…”

Tae Jin-hwa carefully placed food she brought next to Im Bada.

Sweet. But Park Bu-jeong’s eyes were on Im Bada, tightly shut and clutching her hands in sleep.

While the sunbaes sneaked to the market, Im Bada woke, seeing the food and gasping to PD Ong.

“Wow…!”

“Bada-ssi, why not eat? You seem hungry.”

As everyone wondered, she covered her mouth, mumbling, “Too precious…”

Handling snacks like sacred treasures, she pocketed them.

“…Look at her eyes.”

Madness tinged with emotion.

Forgetting hunger, she built a brick hearth, face smudged with dirt. Park Bu-jeong screenshotted it. Too cute.

“Now I get why they call her Potato.”

Potato, Nightingale—nicknames born from Banggooseok Yeopo.

When she tried carrying the sunbaes’ market haul, Tae Jin-hwa fiercely refused.

[Standoff over the bags!]

“Why’d you tremble every time you saw me?”

[Potato’s startled counterattack]

“I’m a fan.”

A fan who stayed quiet? Curiosity sparked.

Tae Jin-hwa’s stunned close-up. Im Bada’s fan-outing turned into full-on fangirling in a low tone.

[Fangirl Mode ON]

“How much I admire you, sunbae-nim!”

Cheeks flushed, she listed Tae Jin-hwa’s past works with reviews.

When Cheon Ian approached—

[Fangirl Mode OFF]

“Cheon Ian sunbae-nim, give me the meat, I’ll handle it.”

Her businesslike tone and blank face toward Cheon Ian were stark.

The clear ON/OFF fangirl modes had viewers in stitches.

She wasn’t rude or dismissive—just formal. But Cheon Ian’s face grew sulkier.

[Q: How’s it feel to be Fangirl Mode OFF’d?]

[Cheon Ian: Must defeat her.]

[Note: New viewers, don’t misunderstand. They get along.]

Behind his interview, Im Bada laughed brightly with Tae Jin-hwa.

“What can I do? Gotta endure. She’s a longtime fan,” Cheon Ian said.

The subtitles hit him again. [Truly lonely?]

At sunset, preparing dinner, Tae Jin-hwa fed Im Bada a wrap with pork and ssamjang.

“Delicious!”

“I have a mouth too.”

“Such a neat wrap! As expected of sunbae-nim.”

“Yes.”

Celebrities eat carefully to avoid smudging makeup. But her cat-like face?

“Wow… total cat.”

As the pork party ended, by the crackling firewood, Cheon Ian’s talk show began.

“Bada, how’ve you been?”

“I live with gratitude daily. Seeing Tae Jin-hwa sunbae-nim, whom I only admired from afar, makes me happy.”

[Fangirl Mode to the End]

“Our Potato really respects Noona.”

Her blushing ears proved it. Tae Jin-hwa silently handed her a foil-wrapped potato.

“Potato.”

“Potato—I mean, thank you.”

“What’s this? I’m not needed on Banggooseok Yeopo.”

After wholesome talk, Im Bada washed dishes. But—

“I don’t wanna be charmed, but she keeps catching my eye.”

Park Bu-jeong, denying her cute face and long fingers, heard Cheon Ian at the sink.

“This too. This? This. This.”

To Park Bu-jeong, it sounded like, Still not charmed? Not cute yet?

The screen shifted.

Seeing Cheon Ian’s dirty dishes, Im Bada’s eyes lost life. Then, as if possessed, she sang a quirky tune.

“Labor’s great, labor’s fun? Labor’s the best.”

The sunbaes watched her sing.

“Cute,” Tae Jin-hwa said.

“Is Noona possessed?” Cheon Ian asked.

Her singing radiated cuteness.

The 20-minute highlight ended. But Park Bu-jeong didn’t move on, diving into comments.

@waiting: Didn’t expect much, but it was fun. Worth watching for healing. Im Bada’s personality surprised me.

@PotatoLover: Thought she’d be slick, but her hard work’s nice.

@waiting: You came for Potato?

@PotatoLover: Yup, saw a potato in the thumbnail.

@LonelinessChewer: I envied Im Bada when this show started. But the more I watch, I envy Cheon Ian. Why? He knows them.

Park Bu-jeong really envied Cheon Ian for seeing Potato in person.

“…What do I do?”

She was hooked on Im Bada. The idol stan Park Bu-jeong opened the door to actor fandom.

[(Im Bada) Can I binge her filmography now?]

Starting her actor fandom with Im Bada’s filmography.

Park Bu-jeong @Q_E

Drama account, but one post: Im Bada’s cute, right?

★★★

3 p.m. at H Entertainment. I heard the worst news from Yeom Hae-jin.

“So…”

“Yeah?”

“Tae Jin-hwa sunbae-nim rejected YoungYoung?”