Chapter 21
[“We Will Be” — Noh Hye-young, a Rookie Surpassing Lee Juran, Says Reporter Lee Cheolsu]
Reporter Lee Cheolsu nodded in satisfaction as he reread the title of his article.
This should catch some attention.
Ever since Secret Letter surpassed ten million views, Kang Dae-un had been riding high as the next Lee Juran.
So if there’s now a rookie surpassing that “second Lee Juran”? Whether it’s true or not, who wouldn’t be curious? “Who’s Noh Hye-young?”
Even people who’d only seen Lee Juran might click out of curiosity.
Lee chuckled to himself and glanced at the reporter sitting beside him.
Reporter Joo’s article would likely be buried quickly.
Judging by the orders from above, anything not carrying Noh Hye-young’s name would be filtered out of portal homepages anyway.
It’s a dirty world, but isn’t this industry always like that?
“The world runs on money.”
Noh Hye-young, huh. Whoever she is, she must’ve landed herself a strong connection.
Murmuring under his breath, Lee typed away half-heartedly while listening to the other reporters’ questions and the actors’ and director’s answers.
“So passionate, these people.”
He finished his piece — more fiction than journalism — with only the bare minimum of actual production info.
The production press conference had gone smoothly, cheerful even.
Leaning back in his chair, Lee studied the actors on stage.
Kang Dae-un. Noh Hye-young. Both rookies — yet somehow neither felt like one.
Experienced? Or just brazen?
Strangely, he found his eyes lingering more on Kang Dae-un.
They gave off similar vibes, but something about Dae-un’s presence felt… different.
“……”
Something between them was odd.
At a glance, they were all smiles, looking friendly enough.
But Hye-young’s gaze, her expression, even her gestures — all of them were consciously directed at Dae-un.
Lee’s eyebrow twitched. He was good at catching that sort of thing.
He pulled out his phone and searched both names — Kang Dae-un, Noh Hye-young.
A small whistle escaped his lips.
“Same university, same department?”
Even the same agency. That meant they were probably quite close.
Now that smelled interesting.
The kind of gossip rumor-mongers would feast on — maybe even something juicy enough to turn into a tabloid leak.
Lee had already known, from watching Secret Letter, that Kang Dae-un wasn’t just any rookie.
With that level of acting, a few good roles could make her the defining actress of her generation.
But if she and Hye-young had become close during college — enough to join the same agency — and yet one seemed to be conscious of the other?
That reeked of jealousy or inferiority. Classic.
All throughout the press event, the two behaved politely — strictly businesslike. Nothing more, nothing less.
Some people said Lee’s instincts were garbage, but hey — you just poke around here and there until one thing hits.
And suddenly, the dopamine rush kicked in.
He imagined the story, novel-style, like always:
Dae-un, the talented actress, always outshining her friend Hye-young.
Envious, Hye-young snags herself a powerful sponsor and rises to fame first.
Now that sounded plausible. True or not — who wouldn’t want to find out?
If Kang Dae-un really became a generational icon, this story would blow up.
Absolutely.
Lee’s grin widened in satisfaction. It had been a while since he’d felt this kind of thrill.
After the press conference, We Will Be aired its first episode to modest curiosity.
At New York’s JFK International Airport, Uri and Nari met by fate, recalling the day they were both adopted.
The story flashed back — the orphanage where they grew up until age seven after being abandoned at birth, their promise to meet again someday.
Then came the contrast: Uri’s poor but loving family vs. Nari’s wealthy but emotionally cold one.
Each girl’s desires shaped by their upbringing — and the male leads began to appear.
Uri’s mother’s cancer diagnosis, the crushing medical bills, the short two-week study trip to New York — all intertwined.
By the episode’s end, Uri’s eyes glimmered with ambition as she stepped into Nari’s mansion, supposedly to earn money for her mother’s treatment.
It was a strong finish.
The reaction wasn’t bad at all.
└ This is actually good!
└ Whoa, did you see Dae-un’s expression at the end? Gave me chills!
└ Came here after watching Secret Letter. Everyone’s acting’s surprisingly solid.
└ But what’s up with Noh Hye-young? There are so many articles hyping her as “the next Lee Juran.”
└└ She’s not bad, but better than Dae-un? Hmm. Let’s wait and see.
└└ Yeah, gotta see more before judging.
└└ Is she rich like Nari or something? With all that promotion? lol
└ Story’s fresh and fun! Can’t wait for Ep 2! Uri and Nari look so alike.
└ Please keep this tension until the finale! My dopamine’s thriving!
└ Too little screentime for Siwon! Came for him T_T Hope he appears more next week!
Filming kept Dae-un incredibly busy, but she still joined the other leads on variety shows for promotion.
“Oh! Dae-un, good to see you again!”
On Run, People!, she ran into Yoo Hong-seok, who’d recently guested with her on TalkGo.
“Ah, sunbae! Hello!”
“Been well? Glad to see you again for another good project. Hey, Siwon! Let’s catch up later.”
After greeting them, Hong-seok walked off to prepare for shooting.
As soon as he was gone — and no cameras were around — Hye-young scoffed quietly and muttered under her breath, too low for Siwon to hear.
“Must be nice. He recognized you first, even said hi. Guess I’ve got to get famous just to feel less pathetic.”
Though she said it with a smile, her words were sharp and venom-laced.
It wasn’t that Hong-seok was playing favorites — he just knew Dae-un from before, and Siwon was already popular enough from last season.
Just as the air was starting to turn awkward, a staff member approached.
“Kang Dae-un, Noh Hye-young — please come this way to change into your outfits.”
The two received the athletic uniforms prepared for Run, People! and stepped into the dressing room. The sponsor’s logo was printed boldly across them.
As soon as the door shut, a chill filled the air.
Dae-un locked the door and began changing. She could feel Hye-young’s eyes on her — especially where the burn scar used to be. Though that was impossible to see now.
“Kang Dae-un. That ambulance that came to your department — they said it was because of a gas burner, right?”
Pulling on her jersey, Dae-un met Hye-young’s gaze. Hye-young smirked.
“Wow, that was dangerous. If that burner had exploded…”
“Noh Hye-young.”
“…you wouldn’t be standing here today, right? Lucky you.”
How could she be so brazen?
That burner — in this life too — had been set up by Hye-young herself.
Dae-un clenched her fists in silent frustration. No proof, no witnesses, and she was the only one who’d returned to the past.
She couldn’t accuse Hye-young of anything.
“……”
Hye-young’s twisted eyes glared back.
It was as if Dae-un could hear her thoughts: You should’ve been the one hurt that day.
Once dressed, Hye-young strode to the door and flung it open.
“We’re ready!”
She beamed at the staff outside, her expression bright and flawless.
Dae-un zipped her jersey all the way up to her neck.
“Please move to the set!”
“Okay~!”
As they followed the staff, Hye-young shoved Dae-un’s shoulder hard — deliberately.
The pain flared briefly, but Dae-un ignored it and stepped forward.
The set for the opening segment was already prepared.
“Please wait over there for a moment.”
“Yes!”
Cheerful as ever, Hye-young skipped over — and planted herself right beside the PD.
Wait, didn’t he just say to wait over there?
As Dae-un frowned at her back—
“Ah, Dae-un, you’ll enter midway through the opening, so please wait at the far end.”
The PD glanced toward Hye-young as he spoke.
And Dae-un’s skin prickled.
Same height, same hair length — and since both had matching makeup for the drama promotion, they looked nearly identical.
“Got it.”
What was worse — Hye-young didn’t even flinch when the PD called her Kang Dae-un.
She just answered naturally, as if she were Dae-un herself.
When their eyes met, Hye-young’s lips curled upward in a mocking smirk.
“……”
A wave of unease washed over Dae-un.
She tied her hair up with the scrunchie she’d brought — she’d planned to use it later while running, but something about Hye-young’s behavior screamed danger.
“Rolling! Start shooting!” the PD shouted.
