“And cut! Good job everyone!” Kim So Eun breathed a sigh of relief as she hurried to the tent where her belongings were packed and ready to go.  Usually, after filming for the day, So Eun would stay and chat up her sunbaes.  It was her typical way of learning from such great veterans of the tv industry whenever she got a new project, but tonight was different.  Tonight, she was going to her first major concert.  Tonight, she needed to keep a promise to a friend.

                “So Eun-ah!” So Eun was trying to carry her purse along with two carrier bags while still wearing her Goryeo-era hanbok so she couldn’t turn to greet Lee Yo Won, who was the female lead in her latest sageuk “Horse Healer” but she tried to reply.

                “Unnie, I’m kind of in a hurry, but we will talk tomorrow.  Promise!”  She managed a clumsy bow as she ran towards her white van, praying that Yo Won wouldn’t think her rude, but it wasn’t really anything new with her behavior.  Whenever So Eun’s mind was set on something, it would be going 100 miles an hour about just that one thing, disregarding anything and everything happening around her. It was a quirk most found disconcerting early on, but So Eun’s good natured charm, her down-to-earth personality, her responsible and reliable work ethic, and her sunny disposition disarmed those who looked askance at this behavior.  This intense focus was, after all, was what set her apart from other actresses of her generation.  Others may have better talent or a prettier face but nobody worked with such mindless dedication and almost superhuman endurance as much as Kim So Eun.

                Kim So Eun almost tripped as she made her way to her van.  The hill where they were shooting was full of holes and crags and the small stones hurt her feet, which were only covered with the flimsy material of Goryeo-era shoes. Still, she made it safely inside.

                “Aigoo, so late!” She cursed at herself.  Why did she always want to fulfill every single commitment all the time anyway?  She didn’t have to shoot three extra scenes today because everybody was so understanding on her promise to go to 2PM’s comeback concert.  Byung Hun-sunbae himself assured her that it was fine. Seung Woo-oppa even offered to shoot late with her tomorrow so that she could catch up, but she had to be the martyr and the extra hardworking junior and shoot in advance so that she wouldn’t have to interfere with the others’ schedules, but she knew she had to do it.  The pain of a missed opportunity still hurt and she knew that her past projects were not what fans expected after she unexpectedly stole peoples’ hearts as Ga Eul-yang, probably the most famous supporting female character of any drama.  After that project, offers from magazines to CFs bombarded her, but that time has passed.  Her stint in the daily and weekend timeslots has widened her horizons and matured her perspective, though it wasn’t quite the path that those in her own demographic might have wanted.  Longevity in the industry was what she needed.  She couldn’t affort to be a flash in the pan so she needed to refine her basics and the fundamentals of her acting.  That was when she shut off her ears from the entertainment news and the naysayers and instead focused on how she was going to survive after the “Fourth Period Mystery” scandal.  She did everything to distract herself from the criticisms even as she practiced ways to better her craft.  After her long daily drama “Fine Windy Day”, she went on a long trip to relax and slowly gain back some normalcy in her psyche.  She suspended all photoshoots and projects, even rejecting projects like “City Hunter” and “The Princess’s Man”.   She spent more time with her family and friends, just chatting and laughing and breathing freely as she felt the world slow down after the flurry of fame those last 2 years.  She even got back to school and became a normal student, studying in cafes and meeting in study groups until she was sure that she was ready to finally accept a project again.  Though “A Thousand Kisses” was quite the drama disaster, she appreciated the chance to come back to the entertainment industry she so loved, warts and all, after her short hiatus.  Besides she learnt so much and enjoyed so much the time she spent with the cast and crew and that was what mattered to her at the end of the day. Dailies and weekenders might be the safe route, but it was So Eun’s chosen path, steady and reliable, and she did not regret it.

                Now, after back to back projects from being an angel in a webseries, which she admitted was due to her inner nerdy nature, to being the belligerent bad daughter, which she enjoyed immensely especially since it was in a cable network and didn’t give her the stress of ratings, to that little sweet and tender variety show she kept close in her heart called “Music and Lyrics”, So Eun finally thought she could handle a star maker, a vehicle that would finally prove that she has what it takes to survive and flourish as a serious actress.  Making a commitment in sageuk, especially in one so high profile as “Horse Healer”, was a very big step in her career.  She really wanted to do so well so badly that she promised to bring her very best to the table and act her heart out.

                “Miss,” Her driver’s mumble brought her out of her thoughts.  She blinked and looked at her watch.  She was already 10 minutes late.  “Traffic’s bad.  We might not make it until 30 minutes in.”

                So Eun looked at the trail of cars in front of her pleadingly but no amount of pout can move the rush hour traffic. Their shooting location today was at the edge of town and the concert venue was at the heart of the city, so she knew she had to make a decision.  She eyed the sign to her far right, looked on either side of the road and made a split second decision.  Pulling off her hanbok and taking her purse, she hurried out of the car and ran into the traffic.  Her driver didn’t even know what hit him as he watched helplessly as his young, spunky agasshi charged across the streets to get to the terminal on the other side where a fast bullet train waited for passengers to send them all the way back to Seoul.  He opened his mouth, but just closed it with a sigh.  He couldn’t do anything now. At least she didn’t forget her long scarf and shades this time.