Chapter 117: Competitors (3)
Chapter 117: Competitors (3)
Not a single actor in the room was unfamiliar with Seo-yeon.
There was the film that had recently become the talk of the town, The Chaser.
And then there was Dream Future, a youth drama that had surpassed a twenty percent viewership rating.
Appearing in just one of those would have been enough to turn heads, but she had been in both.
Furthermore, her roles hadn't been minor.
Both projects had generated buzz for various reasons, and that buzz was entirely rooted in her acting.
‘But ordinary acting and action acting are different.’
Even as they thought this, the performances she’d shown in the movie and the drama were things that could never have been filmed without incredible athleticism.
In the case of The Chaser, one might argue a stunt double could have done it, but Dream Future was the kind of project where that wasn't an option.
"Ran here? What a funny joke."
Min Do-ha muttered under her breath.
She hadn't intended for anyone specific to hear, but because the room was so quiet, her voice carried quite clearly.
‘Then again, for someone who claims to have run five stations...’
‘She doesn't look exhausted at all.’
‘She’s not even sweating.’
Was she just saying that to show off her stamina?
The actors’ eyes shifted subtly.
Cameras were installed everywhere.
There was a high probability that the footage from this meeting would be aired later as part of the variety show.
If it were a major network, they would likely cut any remarks that might damage an actor's image, but since this was a general programming channel, they might broadcast everything raw.
Therefore, it was necessary to watch one's tongue as much as possible.
‘Well, I suppose they’d think that.’
Seo-yeon didn't particularly feel like refuting their thoughts.
She had been aware since childhood that her physical abilities were special.
...No, in a sense, they were excessive.
There were times she felt like she belonged in a different world entirely.
However, unlike the composed Seo-yeon...
"My, isn't it a bit much to dismiss it as a joke just because you couldn't do it yourself?"
Jo Seo-hee, who was sitting next to Seo-yeon, let out a smirk and spoke.
This, too, was a mutter to herself, but in this silent space, there was no one who failed to hear it.
‘This girl...’
Min Do-ha scowled and turned her gaze toward Jo Seo-hee, but...
"What?"
She couldn't say a word back to Jo Seo-hee, who was staring at her with sharp, piercing eyes.
To begin with, they were in different leagues as actors.
Jo Seo-hee herself was close with many veteran actors and had many allies within the broadcasting stations.
From what Min Do-ha had heard, there were even rumors that she was a third-generation chaebol.
Apparently, she came from an incredibly wealthy family.
The confidence radiating from her body exerted a massive pressure on Min Do-ha and the other actors.
‘...Even though she can't even do action acting.’
At the same time, Jo Seo-hee was famous for her inability to perform physical roles.
It was almost strange that she was even here.
But as much as Min Do-ha wanted to criticize that, she was silenced by Jo Seo-hee’s gaze.
It didn't matter what kind of background Jo Seo-hee had; Min Do-ha was simply overwhelmed by that cold stare and her sheer presence.
Was this what a villain from a movie or drama felt like?
Jo Seo-hee was definitely younger than her, yet Min Do-ha felt as if she were facing a cobra.
"You..."
Just as Jo Seo-hee was about to continue.
Seo-yeon poked Jo Seo-hee in the side with her finger.
When Jo Seo-hee looked at her, wondering what was wrong, Seo-yeon gestured toward the cameras with her eyes.
"Hmph."
Honestly, she hadn't done anything particularly eye-catching for the cameras.
Jo Seo-hee had merely pointed out Min Do-ha’s narrow-minded comment.
At least, that’s how it would appear.
Given Jo Seo-hee’s personality, she wanted to completely crush Min Do-ha right then and there, but...
"Fine."
Thinking that Seo-yeon was worried about her made her feel a bit better.
In the past, she wouldn't have cared at all.
As Jo Seo-hee’s sharp gaze softened, the other actors finally let out a breath.
It was like watching a snake charmer taming a terrifying cobra with nothing but a flute.
‘Are those two close?’
‘What exactly is their relationship? They seem quite intimate...’
‘I’m pretty sure they’ve never worked on a project together, right?’
The actors' analyses were mostly correct.
Truly, nothing had happened between them!
Of course, from Jo Seo-hee’s perspective, she hadn't taken a liking to Seo-yeon for no reason.
Seo-yeon was the first actor of her age group that Jo Seo-hee had ever lost to in terms of acting.
And she was a fan who had purely fallen in love with Seo-yeon’s performance.
The joy of Seo-yeon’s return after a long wait—all those things were combined into a complex...
‘...Even so, I don't really get it.’
Seo-yeon thought about Jo Seo-hee’s general behavioral patterns for a moment before shaking her head.
Regardless, Jo Seo-hee, the self-proclaimed friend, was burdensome to Seo-yeon in many ways.
It felt like a fierce dog was clinging to her out of affection...
Since the dog tended to snap and bite at anyone else, it was a difficult situation.
Wasn't she supposed to be famous for having great social skills? Why was she like this?
‘And her looks, too...’
She resembled a character from a horror manga Seo-yeon had seen on the internet.
Very beautiful, but strangely terrifying. Tomi... what was it?
It was a name like that.
While Seo-yeon was lost in thought, the actors who arrived a bit late took their seats one by one.
Just as the gathered actors were exchanging glances and feeling the tension...
"It seems everyone has arrived."
A man smiled warmly as he looked at those waiting in the room.
He had a gentle impression.
However, the actors’ eyes widened the moment they saw him.
That was because he was Cha Min-gyu, one of Korea’s representative action stars.
And standing beside him was a middle-aged man.
"I am Lee Gi-tae. I’m the producer for this Hyper Action."
He introduced himself and scanned the room.
"To start, a total of one hundred actors will be participating in Hyper Action."
The mention of a hundred people caused a stir among the actors.
"This is Group A. There are twenty people per group, making a total of five groups."
He explained the general rules of Hyper Action.
It wasn't about working together to achieve something.
Rather, only the five most standout individuals could advance to the next round.
‘Are the auditions being conducted by group?’
Seo-yeon looked at the twenty-five participants.
Their faces were filled with confusion.
It seemed the meetings were being held by group.
In other words, for now, the competitors were the twenty-five people in Group A.
From them, the judges would select the five most impressive individuals through missions.
Then, in the final round, the twenty actors who passed the preliminary rounds would compete against each other.
‘If there are 100 people, it won't be filled with just actors.’
Seo-yeon had memorized almost every actor.
To be precise, it was closer to "knowing" them through her memories of her past life.
Seeing unfamiliar faces mixed in, there were likely many stunt actors who weren't mainstream actors yet.
Stunt actors who had joined for a chance to become action stars.
Among them, she saw many faces she had seen at the Cheonghong Action School.
Even if they didn't get a role in this movie, there would be plenty of opportunities if they made a name for themselves on the variety show.
Every actress confident in her athleticism must have gathered here.
Mainly those desperate for recognition.
That was why this audition was even more cutthroat.
"The missions will officially begin once filming starts, but..."
PD Lee Gi-tae trailed off.
"Since we’ve gathered like this, let’s do a little teaser."
A teaser?
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
At that moment.
The dim room brightened.
Specifically, the blinds went up all at once, clearly revealing the windows that had been hidden until now.
"...Ropes?"
Someone muttered.
And just as they said, several ropes were placed in front of the windows.
"It’s called rappel action."
The one who spoke was Cha Min-gyu, who had been standing next to Lee Gi-tae.
"It appears frequently in movies like Mission Impossible. Action where you descend using a rope."
Of course, no one in the room was unfamiliar with it.
However, they were currently on the third floor of the building.
He was telling them to show off their rappel action while descending from the third floor.
It wasn't an easy task to attempt immediately without any mental preparation.
"That’s all for today’s meeting. You may leave via the elevator or the stairs."
However, this Hyper Action was a variety show.
Every scene right now was being filmed by cameras.
If viewer voting was involved later, all of these scenes would inevitably be part of the evaluation.
Acting, after all, was about leaving a strong impression on the audience.
"Then, Mr. Cha, we’ll leave it to you."
At Lee Gi-tae’s words, Cha Min-gyu nodded.
He put on a basic safety harness and cast a glance out the window.
Naturally, safety measures were in place outside the window in case of a fall.
The height of the third floor.
The moment he stood before the window, Cha Min-gyu’s gentle face instantly turned sharp.
He looked like an elite agent.
‘Acting.’
As everyone thought, Cha Min-gyu descended the rappel in an instant, looking like a trained operative.
The actors marveled at his skillful display.
It wasn't just about going down.
‘What matters is how strong an impression you leave.’
He had to show a character.
Cha Min-gyu had just demonstrated that himself.
"Now then, who would like to go first?"
At Lee Gi-tae’s question, Min Do-ha was the first to raise her hand.
With a confident face, she scanned the other actors.
"I’ll go first."
She was confident.
Especially in rappelling.
Her hobby was bungee jumping, and she actually had experience performing similar stunts.
Standing before the window after skillfully putting on the equipment, she showed no sign of fear.
Just like the performance Cha Min-gyu had just shown, she brought to mind an elite agent.
"Oh, and I should mention."
Lee Gi-tae spoke to Min Do-ha as if he had just remembered.
"The movie we’re filming this time is about people with superpowers."
Superpowers?
Min Do-ha was momentarily flustered by Lee Gi-tae’s words.
What kind of superpowers?
He didn't specify.
It was as if he were telling them to use their imagination and act accordingly.
‘No, it’s fine.’
Min Do-ha shook her head.
What could she possibly show as a superpower in a rappel action?
‘Ugh!’
Furthermore, performing a superpower in front of so many people was no easy feat.
There were no special effects.
Without any CG work, acting out superpowers or magic would simply look ridiculous.
It had to be done through imagination alone.
Since she had to do it right now, Min Do-ha decided to give up on the superpower aspect.
She didn't have time to come up with a superpower since they had started so abruptly.
I’ll just show them a proper rappel, she thought as she jumped from the window.
"Wow!"
The actors marveled at her.
Inside the room, a TV screen showed Min Do-ha rappelling outside.
It seemed the entire scene was being filmed from the outside as well.
The way she landed skillfully on the first floor was very proficient, even if it wasn't quite at Cha Min-gyu’s level.
"Hmm..."
Lee Gi-tae, who was watching, nodded with an unreadable expression.
"Then, who’s next?"
At Lee Gi-tae’s prompt, the actors looked at each other, gauging the situation.
Not only had they not thought of what superpower to act out while jumping...
‘If I go now, I’ll definitely be compared to Min Do-ha.’
‘I should go after someone who does a mediocre job...’
Most of them were thinking the same thing.
Just as Jo Seo-hee clicked her tongue and was about to raise her hand...
"I'll do it."
Seo-yeon stepped forward.
Everyone’s eyes turned to her.
Compared to Min Do-ha, who was over 170cm tall, she had a small and slender frame.
Seeing her, some felt inwardly relieved.
Honestly, Seo-yeon didn't have the look of someone who would be good at action acting.
Seo-yeon looked down at what was laid out on the ground for a moment.
A soft air mat was prepared to ensure no one would be hurt even if they fell.
After seeing it, Seo-yeon slowly backed away from the window.
"Seo-yeon?"
Lee Gi-tae asked with a puzzled look.
That was because Seo-yeon hadn't even put the safety harness around her waist yet.
No, she hadn't even gripped the rope.
‘Is she backing away because she’s scared?’
Just as that thought crossed his mind...
"Huh?"
Someone muttered blankly.
Suddenly, Seo-yeon began to sprint toward the window.
She grabbed the window frame, vaulted over it, and jumped straight down.
From the third floor.
*
"What kind of superpower were you thinking of when you jumped?"
Cha Min-gyu, who had come down first, asked Min Do-ha.
Min Do-ha couldn't give a proper answer.
She hadn't really thought of a superpower performance when she jumped.
So...
"Ma-Marksmanship? Ah, my superpower is... having incredibly good eyesight."
She spoke, recalling a hero movie that had just come to mind, and Cha Min-gyu nodded.
It was a clever enough answer.
If she had good eyesight, she didn't need to do anything special while rappelling.
"In that case, it would have been better if you had shown that your eyesight was exceptionally good before you came down."
"...Yes."
Min Do-ha replied, biting her lower lip at Cha Min-gyu’s remark.
A painful mistake.
Just as she was letting out a sigh of regret...
Something flew through the air and landed on the air mat.
Then, with a bounce, she stepped down and made a clean landing.
She then looked at the air mat with a slightly dissatisfied gaze.
As if she wished the air mat hadn't been there...
‘Ju-Ju Seo-yeon?’
It was actually an absurd sight.
The third floor wasn't that high, but it was high enough for a person to be seriously injured.
No, more than that.
‘Did she just jump?’
Min Do-ha’s mouth hung open.
Seo-yeon didn't have any safety equipment on her body.
‘No, that... that’s not rappel action.’
Cha Min-gyu seemed equally flustered.
However, the courage she showed by jumping, trusting the air mat, was impressive.
It didn't matter if it wasn't rappel action; as long as she made it down somehow, it was enough.
"What... superpower were you thinking of when you jumped?"
When he asked Seo-yeon the same question he had asked Min Do-ha...
Seo-yeon, who had been staring at the air mat, turned her head.
"...!"
For a moment, Cha Min-gyu flinched at Seo-yeon’s gaze.
Red eyes.
It was as if Cha Seo-ah from The Chaser, whom he had seen not long ago, was standing there.
He felt a chilling aura emanating from Seo-yeon.
Acting.
He could feel that everything she was doing now was part of that performance.
And as if enjoying Cha Min-gyu’s reaction, Seo-yeon gave a thin smile.
"Regeneration."
A superpower often called a 'healing factor' in hero stories.
If she had that, there was no problem at all with jumping without safety equipment.
And for Seo-yeon, that was easier to act out than anything else.