Chapter 75: Does that even make sense?

The next morning, at a café.

A woman who stood out more than usual occupied a seat in one corner. Though her lower face was covered with a black mask, just her eyes alone left a strong impression.

Of course, her striking eyes weren’t the only reason she stood out.

It was her outfit.

A dress filled with frills and adorned with black ribbons.

Her hair was styled in twin tails—something commonly referred to as a “menhera” look. The woman’s identity was none other than Go Eun-bi.

A virtual streamer affiliated with NeoLive—Shikarin.

And in group chats, she was known as “Deer.”

At the moment, Go Eun-bi was rummaging through her phone to make a call.

Because, well, when you’re waiting for someone at a café, killing time with a phone call is common sense, right?

So, it didn’t really matter who was on the other end. As long as they could keep her company for a while, anyone would do.

Thus, Go Eun-bi picked the easiest target. Someone she was close with, had no reservations around, and—just by looking—seemed to have plenty of free time.

“…?”

But what was this? The person wasn’t picking up.

“…Why isn’t she answering? That jobless bum?”

Go Eun-bi was genuinely dumbfounded.

“Lee Sua, you’re really annoying me from the morning…”

The Lee Sua in Go Eun-bi’s mind was the definition of unemployed.

But not just any unemployed person—she was a somewhat useful one.

She contributed nothing to society, yet whenever Go Eun-bi wanted to play games, she would always log in without hesitation.

A doll that was only useful to Go Eun-bi? Something like that.

“Tch…”

Go Eun-bi grumbled to herself.

Calling Sua was always fun.

Teasing each other without restraint, sharing honest conversations—it was all enjoyable. But if she didn’t pick up, there was nothing to be done.

So, Go Eun-bi called someone else.

Kim Sun-ah, also known as “Rat.”

Luckily, Kim Sun-ah answered.

“Well, well, who do we have here? Isn’t this Eun-bi?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Mhm, what’s up, Eun-bi?”

“Nah, I’m just waiting for someone at a café and got bored. But why isn’t Sua answering? So annoying.”

“Hm, let’s see… Hasn’t Sua been busy lately?”

“What would she be busy with? Did she start something new again? Soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming… She never sticks with anything.”

“Not sure? Maybe she started acting?”

“…Acting?”

Go Eun-bi unconsciously furrowed her brows.

It felt like she had just heard something as absurd as the sun rising from the west.

“Acting? Does she think she’s an actress now?”

“She told me she even landed a lead role, but that’s probably a joke. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s messed around with us. Realistically, she’s probably just taking acting classes or something.”

Go Eun-bi clicked her tongue.

“Does she have money to burn or something? What a fun life she’s living. Trying out every possible field at least once—I’m jealous. Meanwhile, I’m busy working…”

“Work? Now that I think about it, what does Eun-bi do these days?”

“Me?”

Eun-bi was caught off guard for a moment.

“I do something incredibly difficult, fulfilling… and, well… highly valued by society. I mean, I’m Go Eun-bi. Anyway, the person I was waiting for is here. Gotta go.”

Click.

Eun-bi hung up the phone.

In normal human relationships, acting this way would get her cut off a hundred, no, a thousand times, but this was only possible because the people in the group chat had known each other for so long.

They were all close, without any pretenses.

And, as it happened, the person she had been waiting for had arrived.

“Eun-bi!”

A woman approached, waving enthusiastically.

She was the eldest among the virtual streamers at NeoLive. The one who had quit acting after being wronged by Director Kim Jun-ki.

As expected, her expression was bright today as well. And why wouldn’t it be? Director Kim Jun-ki had been completely buried in disgrace.

The two were planning to wander around the city together today, but since they shared the same profession, work-related topics often came up.

The older woman spoke first.

“Oh, right. Eun-bi, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“The list of short films we’ll be promoting at the festival has been decided. There are thirty in total. These are the ones that made it to the finals.”

“Thirty…?”

Eun-bi made a disgusted expression.

“But they’re all short films, so they’re really brief. Just think of it like watching thirty video donations. Plus, the ad revenue for this is going to be massive. From what I heard, it’s going to be record-breaking.”

“Really? Then that’s a whole different story.”

Eun-bi’s eyes sparkled. As expected, money made the world go round!

Then suddenly—

She thought of Sua.

“But, unnie.”

“Hm?”

“You once tried to become an actress, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“That’s why I’m asking… Becoming an actor is really tough, isn’t it?”

“Why? Are you interested in acting now?”

“No, it’s just… I have this friend who’s kind of clueless. Suddenly, at this age, she wants to learn acting. Does that even make sense? Do people like her actually have a chance of making it in that industry?”

“Hmm…”

The older woman looked genuinely deep in thought.

To be honest, Eun-bi hadn’t expected some grand answer, but her unnie had always been like this. If Eun-bi asked something, she would give the most detailed and thoughtful response possible.

“Eun-bi, is your friend pretty?”

Eun-bi hesitated for a moment.

She thought about it for a long while before answering.

“She gets told she’s pretty a lot. But not as much as me.”

The older woman nodded. Typically, when someone spoke like this, it meant the person in question was probably quite beautiful—maybe even more so than the speaker.

So, first things first—confirmed that this girl was prettier than Go Eun-bi.

**Which meant… she must be stunning.**

That at least gave her a slight chance of making it big.

Just like how virtual streamers with a good model design and voice had an advantage, actors benefited greatly from having a beautiful face.

“Alright, then does she have any talent?”

“No?”

“Perseverance?”

“None.”

But the answers that followed were all disappointing.

No talent. No perseverance.

No matter how beautiful she was, acting would be tough for her.

Maybe if she were aiming to be a model… but an actress? That would be a whole different challenge.

“Hmm, first of all, Eun-bi.”

“Yeah?”

“I feel sorry for your dear friend, but…”

“Not dear at all.”

“Huh?”

The older woman thought she had misheard but continued speaking.

“Tell her to keep acting as just a hobby, and if she ever starts receiving offers, make sure she’s cautious.”

“Why?”

“No matter how pretty she is, if she can’t actually act, she’ll start getting a lot of shady offers. The kind where they say, ‘Spend a night with me, and I’ll give you a great opportunity.’”

“…Huh?”

“And, of course, that ‘great opportunity’ never actually comes. She just ends up giving away her purity for nothing.”

Eun-bi quickly jotted this down in her notes app.

She might love teasing Sua to death, but that was a privilege reserved only for her. She didn’t want her friend to go through something like that.

After finishing her notes, Eun-bi stretched.

“I really have to tell her this. Thanks. Ah, but more than that, I’m worried watching those films will be boring. If it were a drama, I’d be completely immersed.”

“What? Eun-bi, you like dramas?”

“More like, I like Kim Sun-il.”

A magnificent piece of trash—Kim Sun-il.

Eun-bi hadn’t known about Kim Sun-il for long. She had only recently come across him in a teaser video, but even that brief encounter was enough to make her fall for him.

It was like someone had taken a crow and sculpted it into the form of a handsome man. Dark, mysterious, and exuding an irresistible allure. He perfectly matched Eun-bi’s tastes.

As a result, she was now eagerly awaiting the premiere of *Special Task Force 808.*

“Oh? You too? Then… *Special Task Force 808*?”

The two exchanged glances for a moment.

Then, as if it had been planned, they grabbed each other’s shoulders.

“Unnie, do you want to watch the first episode together?”

“Eun-bi, should we watch the first episode together?”

Meanwhile, Sua had just woken up.

They say the early Arctic fox catches more prey. That was the kind of mindset Sua had these days, waking up early. Right now, she was immediately checking the new script she had received.

[*Crescendo, Starting Tomorrow*]

– Sufficient implementation elements

– Grade 1.9

And just like that, she was impressed.

“Whoa, the rating is high right from the start. I like this.”

When she checked the roles, she noticed they had changed as well.

**001 – Kim So-hee**

**002 – Park Min-seo**

**003 – Lee Seung**

“Alright, let’s start the trial!”

Sua immediately started the trial.

And soon, after finishing, she was left in deep thought.

“…She’s not just a piano prodigy?”

Kim So-hee was a piano genius with Savant Syndrome.

Which made Sua feel a growing sense of unease.

These days, she was improving.

Through Kim Yuhan, she was gradually internalizing a more advanced way of thinking, and recently, by experiencing various roles, she had been diligently nurturing her talent as a “musician.”

But suddenly—Savant Syndrome?

What if she suddenly developed similar symptoms one day?

‘…That’s actually kind of terrifying.’

Go back to being dumb? That was the last thing she wanted.

But then—

[Current Status of Special Perk Holder]

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[No disadvantages are present.]

“…What?”

What the hell?

“Hey, no way.”

Just as Sua was feeling wronged—

*Ding-ding-ding!*

Her phone started ringing like crazy.

It wasn’t that multiple people were calling her.

Just one person—sending messages like a madman.

It was Park Jun, the director of *Sword.*

Sua immediately understood why he was spamming her.

[Sender: Park Jun]

▷ Sua!

▷ We did it! We actually did it!

▷ *Sword!* We got accepted!

▷ We made it to the finals!

An absolutely insane piece of good news was waiting for her.