Chapter 143: The Lead is Decided (1)
Chapter 143: The Lead is Decided (1)
The semi-finals of <Hyper Action Star> were over, leaving only the grand finale.
By now, most people already had a general idea of who the final victor would be.
GH Group stated they were still discussing the matter with the director, but no definitive answer had been given.
This meant that even if they did appear in the film, it might be in a role with very little screen time. However, a high ranking or a strong impact on the show would inevitably carry weight. For a rookie action actor for whom every single role was precious, this possibility alone was worth the effort.
Especially for one person.
I’m going to take the lead role, no matter what.
Narumi Sora, the actress who had come over from Japan, was dead serious.
Everyone was talking about the battle for second place. Sora could understand why they felt that way. She had been utterly stunned watching the Group A auditions.
Ju Seo-yeon, in particular.
The performance she displayed had been a massive shock to Sora. Her acting skills were far beyond what one would expect from someone her age, but it was the action that truly provoked Sora.
She’s blocking while looking at the paintballs?
Whether dodging or blocking, the fact that she could do both so skillfully was unbelievable. There were even moments where she seemed to dodge based on sound alone.
Honestly, Sora had wondered if it was staged. But reflecting on her own experience, there didn't seem to be any room for manipulation. Seo-yeon had clearly done it herself.
But still.
Sora didn't want to lose. This time, she planned to reveal all her hidden trump cards. In the interview conducted before the match, Sora made her ambitions clear.
"I will win."
Naturally, the online communities took quite an interest in Sora’s bold statement.
Because Narumi Sora had a relatively cute face, many people took her determined remarks as simply adorable. In fact, looking at the contestants' appearances, everyone except Sora looked quite intimidating.
People went as far as saying things like that. But Sora was fine with it. The semi-finals and the finals were, in essence, one-on-one battles.
A series of sequences unfolding in an abandoned building. Everything would be a criterion for evaluation, and the result would be determined solely by votes. Not points, but votes.
As Sora checked her belongings, she flinched at the weight of Seo-yeon’s gaze constantly fixed on her.
Why is she glaring at me like that?
Was Seo-yeon wary of her too? It made sense. The other two had already faced Seo-yeon and knew her skill level to some extent. She would naturally be on guard against Sora, whom she was facing for the first time.
Meanwhile, Seo-yeon was thinking:
I have to remember to ask her later if she watches VTubers.
She decided she would definitely ask once filming was over.
*
The matchups for the semi-finals were as follows:
Jo Seo-hee vs. Ju Seo-yeon.
Min Do-ha vs. Narumi Sora.
It was a fairly balanced setup. After all, in terms of their past records, Jo Seo-hee had technically "beaten" Ju Seo-yeon before. As for Min Do-ha and Sora, both had concepts involving physical superpowers—one focused on marksmanship, the other on physical enhancement. Since they were simple powers, it came down to a pure clash of skill.
However, the results were rather anticlimactic.
In a one-on-one match, there was no way Jo Seo-hee could beat Seo-yeon, no matter what she tried. On the other side, Min Do-ha put up a good fight but was easily suppressed by Narumi Sora. In this action performance where a winner didn't necessarily have to be decided, a clear victor emerged nonetheless.
Still, Jo Seo-hee’s desperate struggle became quite a hot topic. She had brought her belongings to the limit and used the preparation time to set up all sorts of traps using items found in the abandoned building.
The rules were basically the same. If a contestant was hit by something that would constitute a major injury—like a paintball—it was ruled a "death." Once "dead," they couldn't continue the performance, leading to a natural victory for the opponent. Jo Seo-hee had tried to exploit this aggressively.
However...
"..."
While Seo-yeon warmed up during the prep time, she immediately moved to the upper floors to hunt down Jo Seo-hee. The moment she took a step, she felt something like a string catch her foot. It wasn't enough to trip her; it was something that snapped easily.
Simultaneously, a volley of rounds fired from both sides. Seo-yeon simply ducked and dodged them all.
That was just the beginning. Jo Seo-hee had prepared incredibly hard. Seo-yeon dodged every shot fired from all directions or threw sponge balls she found nearby to break the mechanisms.
Pouring water.
Raining bullets.
Bombs made of water balloons.
Seo-yeon evaded them all, staying within the limits allowed by her "regeneration ability" concept, and broke through to crush Jo Seo-hee.
It was a predictable outcome. No one actually thought Jo Seo-hee would win.
"Still, there was a lot to see from both sides."
"We didn't see much acting, but since we've seen plenty of that leading up to this, I think they focused purely on the action."
Actor Cha Min-gyu, who watched the semi-final struggle, commented, and announcer Yoon Kyung-deok, acting as the MC, nodded in agreement.
If Jo Seo-hee and Ju Seo-yeon’s match was centered on action, Min Do-ha and Narumi Sora’s match leaned more toward acting. The action side was unexpectedly brief because Min Do-ha was defeated so quickly.
Min Do-ha certainly possessed excellent marksmanship. Having made it to the semi-finals, she clearly had skill, even if luck had played a part. She utilized props and shot accurately, though not to the extent of Jo Seo-hee. However, she fell to Narumi Sora, who closed the distance with incredible agility.
The semi-finals clearly showcased Narumi Sora’s potential for action. Public interest surged toward Sora, the dark horse who had reached the finals. Naturally, talk of the final showdown between Seo-yeon and Sora began to spread everywhere. This would be the first time the two truly faced off.
[<Hyper Action Star> Viewership Surpasses 8%!!]
[Will the Finals Hit 10%? The Delightful Rebellion of <Hyper Action Star> Actors.]
Articles began to pop up around that time as well. While the show had previously mostly circulated through online communities and clips, the general public was now starting to take a massive interest.
"But seriously, there's something about her."
Jo Seo-hee, who had been battered by Seo-yeon’s action and eliminated in the semi-finals, spoke up. Even though she lost, Seo-hee didn't mind. She never thought she could win in an action fight anyway.
Jo Seo-hee wasn't exactly the athletic type. Honestly, if it weren't for Seo-yeon, she would have been eliminated in the preliminaries. She found more value in the fact that she got to act with Seo-yeon before they started Gyeongseong Lady.
"The final is a single match in a space narrower than the abandoned building, right? Then individual action will be even more important."
Seo-yeon agreed. She had watched Narumi Sora and Min Do-ha’s match, but there were many things she couldn't tell just from watching. Above all, seeing Narumi Sora move so extraordinarily suggested she was no ordinary actress.
"It's surprising she was unknown. I wonder why she came to Korea instead of staying in Japan."
Jo Seo-hee muttered to herself before glancing at Seo-yeon. Then, she added, "Work on Gyeongseong Lady will start in earnest soon. The script is still being written, though."
"It wasn't finished? Ji-yeon was reading it."
"The writer said there were things they wanted to revise. You'll probably get the script around the time the audition ends... You can decide whether to join after reading it."
Seo-yeon was quite positive about appearing in Gyeongseong Lady, but she was a bit worried about her schedule.
The beginning of next year is going to be really busy.
There was a high probability that three projects would be running simultaneously.
Gyeongseong Lady.
And if she won the finals and became the lead, Mine.
Once those were over, there would be the audition for Director Jo Bang-woo’s movie.
For now, <Sky Garden> is the priority.
With dramas being added to the mix, her workload might increase even further. If it weren't for the strong body Seo-yeon possessed, it would have been a grueling schedule.
"And... I heard you're appearing on a variety show early next month?"
"Ah, yes."
"I'll make sure to watch it."
Jo Seo-hee said with a smirk. Having filmed <Hyper Action Star> with Seo-yeon, even if only for a short time, she felt it. That acting talent was the real deal. Next time, she wanted to film together with a focus on acting, not action. That was why Gyeongseong Lady was so important.
I need to push the scriptwriter.
If the script wasn't good enough, Seo-yeon might turn it down.
But...
Jo Seo-hee bit her lip, glancing at Seo-yeon. There was something she wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to do it because of the "original sin" of having betrayed her so many times in the past.
Why does she keep using formal language only with me?
They were the same age. Jo Seo-hee felt a bit hurt.
*
Time flew by for Seo-yeon. It had to, given how much she had to do.
Filming for Sky Garden.
Preparing for the fan meeting Cha Na-hee mentioned.
A week passed just like that. At least <Hyper Action Star> was ending this week.
Though it feels like the audition is just the beginning.
Of course, she didn't assume she would definitely win the finals. Seo-yeon thought of her opponent, Narumi Sora. Sora had only stood out in the semi-finals, but her acting and action were undoubtedly the real thing. Although she was a Japanese actress, her acting style resembled that of Korean cinema.
She said she's a fan of Hong Kong movies, so why Korea?
That part was a bit puzzling, but Seo-yeon didn't mind. She just had many other things she wanted to ask if she got the chance later.
And so, the day of the <Hyper Action Star> finals arrived.
"Finally, the day has dawned. Today! The day we crown the winner of <Hyper Action Star>."
The MC for the finals was announcer Yoon Kyung-deok, who had also hosted the semi-finals and was currently very popular. The audience was much larger this time; tickets for the finals had sold out in just ten minutes.
In the audience sat Kang Tae-jin, Director of the Cultural Business Division at GH Group, and Han Ye-geon, the slated director for Mine. The two were looking toward the stage.
"Who do you think the winner will be?"
"Well."
Han Ye-geon judged based on what he had seen so far, remaining strictly objective.
"It'll be Ju Seo-yeon."
"I think so too."
"So, I wonder if the finals even have any meaning," Han Ye-geon muttered, watching the stage.
The screens on stage were showing highlights of the two finalists' performances. A lead role in a movie invested in by GH Group was quite a tempting prize.
But it's not like success is guaranteed.
To be precise, it was a position with a high probability of success. Massive investment, powerful advertising, and a large production budget—since GH Group was footing the bill for everything, the chances of success were higher than for almost any other movie.
Audition programs were always like that. It felt like it was over once you won, but that was actually the starting point. That was why Han Ye-geon had been indifferent when he first heard about this audition.
"...However, if they show something here, things might be different."
"Who are you pinning your hopes on?"
"Both of them. Otherwise, there's no flavor to it. Honestly, I was hoping Han So-yu would make it up."
"But she lost to Narumi Sora in the Round of 16."
"So, I hope Sora performs well enough to justify that."
Otherwise, it would be a truly dull final.