Chapter 118: Hyper Action (1)
Chapter 118: Hyper Action (1)
One day, a new variety show set to air on a general programming channel was unveiled.
It was a show with a decent budget, backed by investment from the GH Group.
However, that alone wasn't enough to garner much interest from viewers.
Variety shows on general programming channels were often known for being more provocative than those on public broadcast stations, and they tended to be hit-or-miss, drawing polarized reactions.
The fact that it had massive capital behind it or was scheduled for a prime-time slot didn't matter much.
Especially because...
"A survival audition show?"
"Again?"
The market was already oversaturated with survival audition shows to the point of exhaustion.
The majority of the public reacted with distaste at the prospect of yet another show picking out new idols.
Since the genre had already been tainted by manipulation controversies, the general sentiment was that if you'd seen one, you'd seen them all.
But then.
Today, the trailer for the much-discussed variety show, Hyper Action Star, was released.
On YouTube, and on television.
"Ah, isn't there anything good to watch...?"
Han Bong-sik, a YouTuber with 1.37 million subscribers, scratched his head as he searched for a new video to review.
Since he had already reviewed all the recently popular movies and dramas, it was hard to find anything suitable.
'The subscribers I gained from the Ju Seo-yeon hype seem to be dropping off a bit, too.'
As rapidly as the numbers had climbed, many people were now unsubscribing.
A comment popped up in the chat.
Han Bong-sik shook his head at the suggestion.
"Agh, I'm a reviewer. A reviewer. How am I supposed to review a variety show?"
An actor audition show?
Han Bong-sik’s ears perked up at that.
But could an actor audition even work as a variety show?
Was it just going to be people acting on a stage and getting judged?
"What kind of show is it? I mean, it's not like I never do variety shows. You never know."
As Bong-sik made his excuses, the title was posted along with comments teasing him.
'Hyper Action Star?'
It was a peculiar name.
It was hard to guess what kind of show it was just from the title alone.
Seeing these reactions from viewers who hadn't heard the news yet, it seemed the show didn't have much recognition...
-
Jo Seo-hee.
The moment he heard that name, Han Bong-sik was stunned.
And for good reason—Jo Seo-hee rarely appeared on variety shows.
At most, she would do a few interviews for promotion.
Among actors her age, she was the same type as Park Jung-woo.
"...Jo Seo-hee in an audition show? Ah, that's a lie. No way. An actress of Jo Seo-hee's caliber gets to hand-pick her scripts."
Jo Seo-hee was a young actress.
She was only a high school student, but her career was far beyond what a typical high schooler could achieve.
She had already appeared in two "ten-million-viewer" films and had starred in several dramas that drove high ratings, from the golden age of public broadcast dramas to the present.
She also had a close relationship with the veteran actress Jung Eun-seon, so Jo Seo-hee's acting career had always been a smooth, paved road.
She was considered a symbol of good luck in the industry, to the point where people said even a failing project would succeed if she was in it.
On top of that, she was a young actress who stayed out of trouble.
"Looking at the description here, it says GH Group is filming a movie this time. They're picking the actors to star in it, and the winner gets to be the protagonist. Oh, but it's a female lead? That's why it's only actresses."
"I'm not sure..."
Honestly, he couldn't really imagine it.
But his interest was piqued.
He was curious why Jo Seo-hee had joined, but there was one more thing.
"Seeing as Ju Seo-yeon is in it too..."
Han Bong-sik agreed with the viewers' comments.
Ju Seo-yeon.
To Han Bong-sik, she was practically a goddess.
She was the person who had boosted his subscriber count by hundreds of thousands in one go.
In fact, even without Jo Seo-hee, Ju Seo-yeon alone was enough reason to watch the show.
Even if the ratings were bad, he'd watch out of courtesy.
Han Bong-sik was a YouTuber who knew how to show loyalty.
"Let's take a look first. You have to see it to know."
He was also saying that to himself.
The video wasn't long anyway.
Ten minutes.
That was the full version; the short clips on TV or YouTube were just two-minute ads.
'Wait, isn't ten minutes long for a trailer?'
With that thought, he pressed the play button.
First, he saw numerous actresses arriving at a certain building.
It looked like a building used as a set.
They entered and began sitting at large circular tables.
All at different times.
Groups of 20, five times in total.
The number of participants was 100.
Those details flashed by.
"Whoa, even this actress is in it."
Actresses that anyone interested in action movies would recognize flickered across the screen.
Of course, most were unfamiliar faces.
Stunt actors who had come to raise their profile and become "real" actors.
And then.
"There she is."
The group Jo Seo-hee belonged to appeared on screen.
This was about two minutes into the video.
As soon as Jo Seo-hee appeared, the other actresses were visibly shaken.
There were many such comments, but no one denied her cold, stunning beauty.
Especially compared to the stunt actors, the difference in appearance was like heaven and earth.
A villainess.
More than anything, she was an actress who suited that image.
However, the reason she wasn't pigeonholed into that image was because of her acting skills.
When she appeared in that ten-million-viewer movie, she gave off a very gentle impression.
She was the one who turned the theater into a sea of tears, yet now she looked like the epitome of an arrogant villainous young lady.
The way everyone avoided the seat next to Jo Seo-hee was honestly almost comical.
It could have made her look like an outcast, but her arrogant attitude made it feel like she was the one ostracizing everyone else.
Just as the seats were almost full, a female student in a school uniform appeared.
Ju Seo-yeon.
After looking around for a moment, Seo-yeon frowned slightly and sat down right next to Jo Seo-hee.
At that, Jo Seo-hee was seen smiling.
Jo Seo-hee's reaction toward Seo-yeon felt completely different—much warmer than how she treated the others.
Moreover, the two of them sitting side-by-side created a strange synergy.
Not just Jo Seo-hee, but Seo-yeon also had a cold atmosphere about her, as her expression rarely changed.
When she stared blankly with those reddish eyes, there was a pressure that made people instinctively lower their heads.
On top of that, there was the presence radiating from her terrifyingly beautiful features.
An aura befitting an actress.
It felt as if the two of them were in a different world entirely.
While those reactions poured in, the video continued.
「You're late.」
「I ran here right after school.」
「...Isn't your school Yeonhwa High School?」
At the same time, the video showed the distance between the filming location and Yeonhwa High School.
Just like the viewers' reactions, the people on screen were also buzzing.
And then.
「You ran? Nice joke.」
A monologue was heard in the quiet silence.
「Oh my, isn't it a bit much to dismiss it as a joke just because you can't do it yourself?」
Tension flared at Jo Seo-hee's sharp, defensive retort.
A war of nerves between actresses.
Just as it seemed that way, Seo-yeon stopped her by poking Jo Seo-hee in the side with her finger.
Fortunately, nothing else was said after that.
Immediately after the tension broke, the PD of Hyper Action Star appeared and began the explanation.
The faces of teams A through E, who had appeared earlier, flashed by.
「Since we've gone to the trouble of setting this up, let's start with a little taste.」
With the PD's words, the screen cut between scenes.
Starting with Group A, the actresses began "acting" out jumping out of a window while rappelling.
「What kind of superpower were you thinking of when you jumped?」
Assuming they had superpowers, they had to perform rappel action while acting.
Most of the actresses were too flustered just trying to jump.
Those further down the line at least tried to act after some thought.
The actresses' performances flashed by in short bursts.
"Huh?"
Han Bong-sik's eyes widened.
This was because Ju Seo-yeon was captured in a solo shot.
Unlike the others who appeared briefly, she was shown alone.
What was happening?
Just as he thought that.
Shocked reactions began to scroll rapidly up the chat window.
This was because Seo-yeon had run and jumped straight out the window without even having a rope properly tied around her waist.
Seeing her, some of the other actresses even screamed.
However, Seo-yeon, who had jumped just like that, performed a mid-air flip, bounced off the air mat, and landed cleanly.
Looking at the chat, Han Bong-sik wondered if it could be true.
But seeing her look at the air mat with a dissatisfied expression...
'Wait, was she really going to jump even if there wasn't an air mat?'
No, surely not.
Even as he thought that, there was a strange sense of trust that if it was Ju Seo-yeon, she would somehow be fine.
Then, Cha Min-gyu, who had descended first and was waiting as the instructor for Hyper Action Star, asked her.
He asked what kind of superpower she was thinking of when she jumped.
To which she replied:
「Regeneration.」
Contrary to those reactions...
Seo-yeon looked strangely proud, as if she was satisfied with her own answer.
Of course, at Seo-yeon's attitude, the viewers...
They reacted that way, while in Jo Seo-hee's case...
"Miss Seo-hee, aren't you going to rappel?"
"You said we could just go down."
"The, uh, ability?"
"Hmm, a smart genius? A rich person works, too."
Saying so, Jo Seo-hee simply took the elevator down.
Because she was the only one who took the elevator, she actually stood out more.
And with that shot of Jo Seo-hee captured like a cameo at the end...
The video concluded.
"Uh..."
Han Bong-sik looked at the finished video, contemplating what to say.
What should he say?
"This... looks like it'll be fun."
Just that.
But for a variety show, no more words were needed.
And as if to prove Han Bong-sik's words...
[<Hyper Action Star> Trailer surpasses 3 million views in just two days!]
[Clash of young action stars, who will be the protagonist?!]
Hyper Action Star instantly became the center of attention.
A movie invested in by the GH Group.
And a competition between young actresses fighting for the lead role.
Among them, the ones who received the most attention were none other than Seo-yeon and Jo Seo-hee.
Setting aside their fame, they had left that strong of an impression.
Of course, if there are those who leave a deep impression, there are also those who do not.
Thud!!
"Is this... all?"
Min Do-ha muttered, gritting her teeth.
Ten seconds.
That was the total amount of time she appeared in the video.
And most of it was the scene where she was picking a fight with Seo-yeon.
The rappel scene flashed by for about two seconds.
Min Do-ha's rappel action was skillful, but there were several others in other groups who could do it to that extent.
Simply being good wasn't enough to stand out or leave a deep impression.
In fact, Min Do-ha's name couldn't be found in any of the articles.
"...Ju Seo-yeon."
She didn't care about Jo Seo-hee.
That girl wasn't even serious about this variety show in the first place.
But Ju Seo-yeon was different.
A monster who had returned to the entertainment industry after ten years.
"Next time, I definitely..."
She didn't like it.
She absolutely did not want to lose to an actress who had taken a ten-year hiatus despite her popularity and only recently returned.
Yes, absolutely.
And at that same time.
"Uh... so, what did you just say...?"
That actress Min Do-ha was gritting her teeth over, Ju Seo-yeon...
"I'd like to try out the E-sports club for a bit."
She was looking at the somehow frozen male students with a bit of excitement.