Let’s Go to the Sea.
That sudden remark made Sehee naturally assu it was a joke.
Of course, there was ti.
There was no filming tomorrow, nor were there any other scheduled plans.
Since she had deliberately kept her schedule free to focus on Mine, there was nothing else planned.
And with it being winter break, there was no need to go to school either—plenty of free ti.
Seoyeon was probably in the sa situation.
Even so, the suddenness of the suggestion made it feel like a joke.
Wasn't that obvious?
To suddenly say, Let’s go to the sea right after filming ended?
Why?
That thought had barely crossed her mind when—
"Huh?"
Sehee realized she was already standing at the winter beach.
Since they had taken the early morning train, they arrived just in ti for sunrise.
It felt so surreal that Sehee could only stare blankly at it.
"...What are we doing here?"
Gazing at the sea, Sehee called out to Seoyeon beside her.
Unlike herself, who had co along with barely anything, Seoyeon had carefully stopped by ho to pack her things before coming.
"First, we should get so sleep."
"..."
"Staying up all night is bad for your skin."
Was she really the type to be this ticulous about such things?
So, they found a place to stay and took a nap.
By the ti they woke up, it was already 1 p.m.—the sun was high above them.
Not having brought a change of clothes felt oddly uncomfortable.
Maybe I should just buy sothing nearby.
She had the money, so that might be the best option.
Just as she was considering this, Seoyeon spoke.
"First, let’s buy swimsuits."
"...Huh?"
"Since we ca to the sea, we should swim, right?"
Sehee couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious.
Since she had packed thoroughly, there was even a possibility she had actually brought swimsuits.
Swimming... in the winter sea?
For a mont, Sehee seriously wondered if she had done sothing terribly wrong.
Was her acting that unbearable?
Enough to be thrown into the freezing ocean?
She could vividly picture herself diving into the icy winter sea and ending up in an ambulance.
"Sorry, I didn’t bring my wallet."
"Oh?"
In reality, there were plenty of ways to pay without a wallet.
As long as she had her phone, at least.
Seoyeon glanced briefly at Sehee’s handbag before nodding knowingly.
"Ah, makes sense."
"...Makes sense?"
Why did that reaction feel strangely off?
What did she think of her to respond with "Ah, makes sense"?
Sotis, Sehee was genuinely curious about what image of her existed in Seoyeon’s mind.
Well, I guess being rich, she might not be familiar with Samsung Pay or things like that.
In truth, the gap between Sehee’s self-image and Seoyeon’s perception of her wasn’t all that big.
After all, this was practically the first ti Sehee had even been to a fast-food restaurant with her.
If she had never gone to a fast-food place before, it made sense she might not know about Samsung Pay.
"Then, let’s just dip our feet in the water and play around."
Do we really have to go into the water?
Sehee shook her head firmly, but there was no escaping as Seoyeon grabbed her hand and led her forward.
I think I might get frostbite.
That was her first thought as soon as her bare feet touched the icy seawater.
Her feet were so cold it made her entire body feel even chillier.
"Isn’t it nice to walk along the beach like this?"
"Aren’t you cold?"
"Nope."
How was she not cold?
Suddenly, Sehee recalled a variety show Seoyeon had fild before.
Survival on a Deserted Island.
The filming location had been Papua New Guinea, a tropical region.
Since they had gone at the hottest ti of year, everyone had sweated buckets and lost a ton of weight.
Park Jungwoo had once said:
"I almost died from the heat, but she was completely fine. I never saw her sweat even once."
He had been serious when he said that.
Curious, Sehee had asked Seoyeon about it.
"If you sweat, you sll like sweat."
"...?"
Wait, so... she doesn’t sweat because she doesn’t want to sll?
Sehee stared at her in disbelief, making Seoyeon awkwardly look away and clear her throat.
"...It’s not that bad at this level."
That response had made Park Jungwoo seriously wonder—
If that heat was "not that bad," just how hot would it have to be?
And until the end of filming, he never once slled sweat on her.
Is it the sa for the cold?
Her feet were freezing.
As Sehee shivered while splashing through the waves,
Seoyeon looked at her silently.
"Are you cold?"
"Isn’t it weirder that you’re asking that?"
Sehee's voice carried a rare hint of sulking, making Seoyeon smile faintly.
Then, she slowly bent her knees and said,
"Hop on."
"Why?"
"If your feet are cold, I’ll carry you."
Wouldn’t it be easier to just step out of the water?
That thought crossed her mind, but since Seoyeon was offering, she climbed onto her back without hesitation.
"Stretch your legs forward."
"Why? Like this?"
Carrying her lightly, Seoyeon alternated between rubbing each of Sehee’s feet with her hands.
Compared to her warm body, her feet were freezing.
"...That tickles."
"You said your feet were cold."
As if the cold didn’t affect her, Seoyeon's body radiated warmth.
Even her ice-cold feet quickly started feeling warr under Seoyeon's touch.
Once they were warm enough, Seoyeon adjusted her hold on Sehee and continued walking along the shore.
The sound of splashing footsteps echoed in their ears.
With the winter beach nearly empty, it felt like the two of them were wandering through a dream.
"Sehee."
"Hm?"
"Have you ever heard of a company called Shinyeon Company?"
"No."
Hearing the unfamiliar na, Sehee wondered if it was a newly established managent company.
But judging by Seoyeon’s reaction, it didn’t seem to be an agency.
"It’s just a typical advertising company in Seoul."
"Okay."
"It’s not particularly successful, but since it’s a subsidiary of a major conglorate, it won’t go bankrupt either."
"Did they offer you an ad deal?"
"No."
Then why bring it up out of nowhere?
"I only found out about it recently, so I was wondering if you knew anything."
That made Sehee frown slightly.
How was she supposed to know about that?
"Oh, is it a New Like subsidiary?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm, did they invest in stocks or sothing?"
"No. I was just curious if you knew about it."
That was pretty random.
She didn’t know every single subsidiary under New Like.
In fact, she probably didn’t know most of them.
Which made Seoyeon’s question feel especially odd to her.
"Seoyeon."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you want to co to the sea today?"
Had she just wanted to take a walk along the beach?
If so, Sehee thought that was fine too.
Being carried on Seoyeon’s back made her forget the cold.
And strolling along a winter beach like this was a rare experience.
"When I act, I think of the sea."
"The sea?"
"Yeah."
The small aquarium she had once mimicked—
Now an ocean.
"When you look at the sea, don’t you feel overwheld by sothing?"
A flood of emotions, not just imagined but truly her own.
Just like walking along this shore right now.
When Seoyeon acted, she played in an ocean of emotions.
"Or maybe not? I did, at least."
Seoyeon Smiled, Sowhat Embarrassed.
In her past life, when she first saw the ocean, she had felt nothing.
The comparison between the aquarium of her childhood and the vast sea had been just a taphor.
But after being reborn—
The first ti she saw the ocean again, Seoyeon finally realized the stark difference between her past and present self.
Was it when she was in third grade?
Around the ti she had just turned ten?
The first ti she saw the sea...
In her previous life, the ocean had been nothing more than a beautiful painting.
After all, she had that illness.
But seeing the ocean with her own eyes this ti was different.
Sothing in her chest tightened and resonated within her.
So I really am different now.
She had realized that truth so clearly.
And she had thought—
Soday, she wanted to convey this overwhelming feeling she felt while looking at the ocean—
"I wanted to show that through my acting, to the people watching ."
That was why she had prepared for so long.
She needed ti—
Ti to make sure her fragile heart wouldn't waver at any emotion.
Ti to gain the strength to face countless unfamiliar feelings head-on.
That was Seoyeon’s ten years.
"Sehee, what do you want to show people through your acting?"
"I..."
Sehee hesitated for a mont, unsure of how to answer.
Not because nothing ca to mind, nor because she was embarrassed to say it out loud.
It wasn’t that.
"Let guess."
Since Sehee remained silent, Seoyeon spoke calmly in her place.
"Starlight."
At that mont, she felt Sehee’s fingers tighten around the fabric of her collar.
"Acting like starlight, right?"
No response ca.
But Seoyeon knew this silence was an affirmation.
At the sa ti, she also understood why Sehee couldn’t bring herself to say it.
"I looked up Baek Seoran’s performances recently."
Lately, she had noticed that Sehee was reaching for sothing—
Not her usual stable acting, but sothing beyond that.
That performance reminded her of Baek Seoran’s acting.
A dazzling, star-like performance.
Like the radiant stars embroidered across the night sky.
That brilliance was beginning to shine through in Sehee’s acting.
The overwhelming emotions she felt when looking at the ocean weren’t there—
Instead, it was an entrancing beauty that made people lose themselves in watching.
"Yeah... you’re right."
Sehee finally opened her mouth.
"I wanted to act like that."
As a child, her mother’s acting had been like radiant starlight.
She had thought— I want to act like that soday.
So, she had secretly practiced.
And when she received praise, she had been happy.
She had believed that if she kept learning from her mother, she would be able to act just like her.
Her younger self had simply thought so.
“A curse.”
Not long ago, she had overheard Han Yegun muttering that as he watched her acting.
The curse her mother had placed on her.
Sehee hadn’t been able to deny it.
Because, just as he had said—
Her mother’s acting was a curse to her.
A shackle that bound her.
A radiant starlight.
A North Star guiding her path.
"But... it’s strange, isn’t it?"
She clutched onto Seoyeon’s collar as she spoke.
She didn’t waver.
One of the few things she prided herself on was her resilience.
And yet, she could feel cracks beginning to form.
"I’m nothing like her."
Just like when she had once scread at her father as a child.
How would Seoyeon respond to that?
Would she affirm it? Or deny it?
Seoyeon was kind in monts like these—
She would undoubtedly say no.
On a normal day, she would have been blunt and said yes.
But when the person in front of her was vulnerable, she softened.
The waves washed up against the shore, leaving small footprints on the wet sand.
"It took ten years."
"What did?"
"The ti I spent preparing to act the way I do now."
At that, Sehee let out a small scoff.
"Are you telling to wait too? That ti will solve everything? Well, maybe... if I wait ten years, it might work out."
"No, that’s not what I ant."
"Then what?"
Seoyeon’s voice blended with the sound of the waves, speaking gently.
"I think... you finished preparing a long ti ago."
Sehee had already debuted in a drama for the first ti.
Had already been called the princess of daily dramas.
During the ten {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} years that Seoyeon had been away, Sehee had steadily continued acting.
"You just haven’t realized it yet."
She had already starred in a movie with over ten million viewers.
She had already won the Best Actress Award—an award Seoyeon hadn’t received.
"I ca back because I saw your comrcial."
It was the first ti Sehee had heard this.
She never imagined that it was her comrcial that had made Seoyeon decide to return to the industry.
"You’ve always been a model student, Sehee. You’ve prepared step by step. For a very long ti."
Unlike Seoyeon, who had to force herself into emotional acting—
Sehee had always known how to act.
Perhaps it was because she had watched her mother act since she was young.
But if she had no talent, it wouldn’t have been possible at all.
"So, you were already prepared long ago."
As a child, Jo Sehee had been more ambitious than she was now.
She had envied Seoyeon’s acting.
Had waited all this ti, hoping to act alongside her again.
Right now, she was simply rushing, choosing an easier path.
Because out of all the acting she had seen, her mother’s was the most brilliant.
Because so many people expected her to act like her mother.
That was why she couldn’t start—
Couldn’t act as herself.
"Of course, I understand. The most amazing acting you’ve ever seen was your mother’s—so you can’t let it go."
That was why—
Seoyeon spoke firmly.
"I’ll make you forget."
She would make Sehee recall that version of herself—
The one who had once been furious at her, calling her a nepotism case.
"I’ll cover it over with my acting."
The steps along the beach ca to a stop.
At the sa ti, so did Sehee’s thoughts.
Because she had just heard sothing completely unexpected.
"People look at and say it."
Seoyeon slowly turned her head, glancing at Sehee, who was still on her back.
"That I’m a genius actress."
A genius actress, just like her mother, Baek Seoran.
In other words, they were equals.
"Then that ans it’s worth trying, doesn’t it?"
She smiled as she said that.
Her golden eyes reflected the colors of the setting sun.
Shining, like the sun mirrored in the ocean.
Watching that, Sehee let out a short laugh.
Because, well—
How could she deny it?
"...Yeah, I guess you’re right."
If she hadn’t believed that—
She wouldn’t have waited ten years.
For this young star, who shone like the sunset.
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