Chapter 133: High Society (1)
Chapter 133: High Society (1)
éclat Étoile was launching a new clothing brand.
Its name: Argenté Camellia.
It was a brand that emphasized femininity and a more premium strategy.
The reason Seo-yeon remembered this from her past life was that it had been a hot topic on internet communities for quite a while. Of course, her memory for such things was crystal clear anyway, so she likely would have remembered it even if it hadn't been particularly impressive.
‘If I recall correctly...’
There had been several issues.
The most prominent one was the durability issue. It wasn't just a matter of the fabric quality; the very structure of the clothes meant that the waist area would easily tear during any strenuous movement.
To make matters worse, this coincided with an issue regarding the actress chosen for the advertisements. A major catastrophe occurred when the skirt of a dress worn by an actress at an awards ceremony ripped right on stage. It was the definitive event that shattered Argenté Camellia’s image.
‘Second was the design.’
Since the brand emphasized femininity, the design was naturally crucial. Embracing femininity meant offering a merit that made women willing to endure a certain level of discomfort.
However, Argenté Camellia failed in that regard. The designer had exercised such "original" flair that the result was just bizarre. To be precise, the designs themselves were quite pretty, but they were so eccentric that they were nearly impossible to coordinate with other clothes.
And as for wearing only Argenté Camellia...
‘éclat Étoile’s brand value isn't quite at the level of a true luxury house.’
It felt too awkward to show off the brand on its own. While it was said to be doing well in France, it was strictly a domestic brand. One might treat it as a "semi-luxury" brand at best, but it lacked the weight to carry an entire outfit. That was exactly the kind of brand it was.
‘Finally, the price.’
As mentioned, éclat Étoile was a brand hovering around the semi-luxury tier. Naturally, the newly launched Argenté Camellia followed suit. Consequently, the prices were... considerably expensive compared to ordinary clothes.
Given all this, it was perhaps inevitable that the brand became a laughingstock on the internet. The ridicule spread beyond female-dominated communities to male-dominated ones as well. It ended up failing after becoming synonymous with "poor value for money."
It was an incident that dealt a blow heavy enough to make éclat Étoile itself stagger. In fact, considering she hadn't heard any news of the brand afterward, the worst-case scenario might have...
"What do you think, Seo-yeon?"
Seo-yeon, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality at Manager Park Eun-ha’s voice.
"For now, I want to do it."
"Really? It’s definitely a good opportunity."
"But..."
éclat Étoile was currently a precious brand that served as the foundation for the massive amount of pocket money Seo-yeon was spending. Since a significant portion of that was going toward Ramiel’s Super Chats, it would be problematic if the brand went under.
Sua tended to manage the money Seo-yeon earned as an actress directly. However, she was relatively generous when it came to letting Seo-yeon spend the money earned from advertisements.
"I’d like to meet with éclat Étoile later. I think I need to hear the details first."
"Huh? Okay. I’ll coordinate the schedule, then."
It was rare for Seo-yeon to speak this way. Usually, she either liked something or she didn't; she was a person of clear binaries.
‘Is there something up with éclat Étoile?’
The question naturally arose. Park Eun-ha had immense trust in Seo-yeon’s intuition. After all, every project, variety show, and advertisement she had chosen so far had been a hit. It would be stranger not to trust her.
‘I should look into this separately.’
There was always a reason when Seo-yeon hesitated. Eun-ha felt the need to verify what that reason might be.
*
Episode 5 of Hyper Action Star.
Because the viewership ratings had steadily declined from episodes 2 to 4, mentions in online communities had also noticeably decreased. Group A’s content had been so provocative that the auditions for Groups B through D felt relatively bland. It didn't help that those groups had prepared more cautiously after seeing Group A.
The evaluation had dropped largely because the superpower acting didn't feel immersive. To put it simply, while the actors had prepared how to show their powers, they hadn't put much thought into how to receive them.
It was only natural. Every actor wants to shine more than anyone else. "Receiving" an opponent's acting well ultimately means making the other person shine. Even knowing it was an audition, they subconsciously avoided doing so.
And so, the mission for the ten remaining members of Group A was...
"Flag Snatching."
Actor Cha Min-gyu spoke while looking at the Group A actors. It was a chase where they had to attach flags to their backs and steal them from one another.
"And you must utilize parkour."
Parkour meant they had to perform actions using the terrain and obstacles. Indeed, the set was filled with various structures.
On the screen, Seo-yeon was captured looking visibly pleased. The fact that Min Do-ha was standing right next to her with a gloomy face made her stand out even more.
Just as the viewers suspected, Min Do-ha was currently feeling utterly miserable.
‘Of all things, Flag Snatching again.’
She had a bad feeling. A really bad one.
And just as Min Do-ha predicted...
"Why are you only chasing me!! There are plenty of other people!!"
Min Do-ha ran with everything she had. She was literally desperate. She couldn't just give up her flag because of her pride.
‘Why, why did I choose marksmanship as my superpower...!’
She couldn't even resist. I should have gone with telekinesis too!! Then I could have at least blown that girl away once.
"Hello there."
"Kyaaaaaaak!!!"
As Seo-yeon vaulted over an obstacle right next to the sprinting Min Do-ha, Min Do-ha screamed and fled. Watching her, Seo-yeon looked around for a moment before snatching the flags of a few other actors nearby.
She took them as naturally as if they had belonged to her all along. The actors who lost their flags stared blankly at Seo-yeon’s back as she flitted away. The movement was so effortless.
The activity in the community began to heat up. In the parkour mission, Seo-yeon was literally flying. At first, she seemed to be wandering around aimlessly for some reason, but it seemed Min Do-ha’s screaming retreats had triggered something in her.
「Ah, Actress Min Do-ha is shaking off Actress Ju Seo-yeon and running away again.」
Ramiel, who was currently live-streaming the show, barely suppressed a hollow laugh. Seeing Seo-yeon on screen brought back memories of the past.
‘Poor thing.’
Ramiel sincerely pitied Min Do-ha. Seo-yeon was undoubtedly chasing her because she genuinely thought Min Do-ha was "selling" her performance well. That was also why she was keeping her alive. How could she eliminate someone who reacted so deliciously?
Besides, obstacles of that level were nothing to Seo-yeon. She didn't even need parkour; she could clear them all with a simple jump. She was only rolling around for the sake of the atmosphere and the performance.
‘Didn't she tell me she was going to manage her image?’
Ramiel recalled Seo-yeon saying that with a very serious face. At school, Seo-yeon had told her:
"I'm going to stay a bit low-key for a while."
"?"
"I need to reclaim my original image. I'm an actress, but my image has become too strange."
So she was aware of it.
Ramiel had wanted to say that, but she thought it was a relief that Seo-yeon was finally looking after her reputation.
However...
「...Umm.」
You really want to manage your image, right?
Ramiel felt like a trauma she had buried in childhood was resurfacing. Back then, she had once asked Seo-yeon to play tag, only to feel genuine terror. Why were her eyes glowing red as she ran? Even now, thinking about it gave her nightmares. Being thrown and rolled around just like Jo Seo-hee was now.
Seo-yeon was exactly like that.
But.
What was different from back then was...
"?"
"Ah, sorry."
Jo Seo-hee was holding Seo-yeon’s flag. It happened right before the mission ended. Perhaps feeling bad for tossing her high into the air once, Seo-yeon had specifically spared Jo Seo-hee. In that gap, while Jo Seo-hee was crawling around, she had snatched Seo-yeon’s flag from atop an obstacle the moment Seo-yeon went to take Min Do-ha’s.
It was only possible because she had zero presence. In this parkour mission, all Jo Seo-hee had done was wander around hesitantly with her poor running skills and physical ability, only to be caught and tossed by Ju Seo-yeon.
Anyway.
The Flag Snatching ended with Seo-yeon taking first place again, but...
The "Ju Seo-yeon Protection Squad," which had been growing in numbers, stepped up to defend her image. It was a bit like saying, "Our Seo-yeon doesn't bite," but it worked.
"Group A feels like it has a decent balance."
"It feels like Seo-yeon-ssi appropriately lets herself get eliminated at the end."
"Actress Han So-yu’s acting was good this time too. The superpower acting definitely feels best when Han So-yu and Ju Seo-yeon are paired up."
"And Seo-hee-ssi has a great character. It feels like she’s bringing her character to life well. She’s utilizing her acting skills to the fullest."
The staff and PDs smiled as they tallied the acting scores for this episode of Hyper Action Star. The viewership ratings, which had been falling, had climbed back up to 7 percent. Although it was a bit concerning that all the attention was focused on Group A...
‘Better than having nothing to show at all.’
PD Lee Gi-tae let out a sigh. No, he should have scheduled Group A for later. If he had swapped the order of Group D and Group A, it would have been easier to defend the ratings. It was a bit regrettable, but it couldn't be helped.
"What do you think, Director Han?"
"..."
Director Han Ye-geon was seriously reviewing the footage they had just shot. He watched the scenes that were purely comedic with an incredibly solemn expression.
Director Han Ye-geon. That alone explained his personality.
‘They call him a young genius, don't they?’
It was said that when it came to directing action scenes, he didn't fall behind even the masters. That must be why the GH Group hired him. Visual beauty and action—he sought to push those to the limit. Much like the hero movies that were popular in the West recently.
‘Honestly, it’s a gamble.’
The level of action and CG that audiences expected these days was calibrated to Western superhero films. If it fell short, it would only be undervalued or mocked. That was why people in Korea generally avoided making movies with such fantasy elements. Who would make one if it was difficult to film, expensive, and only invited the audience's ridicule?
"I..."
Han Ye-geon finally spoke. Lee Gi-tae grew slightly tense at his brief silence. There were rumors that Han Ye-geon was a director who demanded a lot from his actors. He wondered if the director was about to criticize Seo-yeon for being more of a variety star than an actress today.
"I have seen many actors in my time."
He paused the screen on the scene where Ju Seo-yeon was chasing Min Do-ha. To others, it might have just been funny and entertaining, but to him, it was different.
"But I have never seen an actor with such a powerful presence."
"Ju Seo-yeon certainly has a strong presence."
"No, I don't mean it in that simple sense. It’s not just about capturing the screen; it’s 'anticipation.'"
"Anticipation?"
Han Ye-geon nodded.
"The anticipation of what this actor will do next. The vague imagination of what she will show us. This actor has that in spades. That’s why the viewers keep waiting for the scenes she appears in."
Because it feels like she’s going to show them something.
"That anticipation will be incredibly helpful not just for the acting, but for the film’s commercial success as well."
What kind of acting will she show? What will she do in this scene? Ju Seo-yeon had that quality. Han Ye-geon smiled as he watched Seo-yeon lose her flag to Jo Seo-hee. Truly, a performance where one couldn't predict a single step ahead until the very end.
"You’ve managed to find quite a monster."
At Han Ye-geon’s words, Lee Gi-tae looked at Seo-yeon in a new light once again. If those words came from the mouth of that arrogant genius, it meant Ju Seo-yeon was an even greater actress than he had imagined.
And.
As for where that monster of an actress was right now...
"What are you doing?"
Jo Seo-hee spoke while stealing a glance at Seo-yeon, who was dressed in a glamorous gown.
"We have to go in now. You said you wanted to know what high society is like."
"..."
They were at a lavish party being held at a hotel. Seo-yeon had a look of deep, inward regret on her face.