Chapter 184: Seizing the Initiative (2)
Chapter 184: Seizing the Initiative (2)
The moment their eyes met was brief.
A few seconds at most.
It was that fleeting instant when she spun around and cast a glance toward the children sitting in the audience.
However, Seo-yeon’s vision accurately picked out Gil Da-hyeon sitting there.
And it wasn't just Gil Da-hyeon.
She clearly saw the five or six other girls beside her—her own classmates.
The completely unexpected sight almost made Seo-yeon’s eyes waver for a moment, but she quickly broke into a beaming smile.
‘Before, I was embarrassed because I wasn't prepared.’
But now, she was fine!
Seo-yeon struck one of Harara’s signature cute poses toward the children, inviting a reaction.
"I heard that Zeroro is plotting another ba~d plan today!"
"Harara, I know the location, so there's no need to rush yet. You have to go to school."
As Harara spoke, a wooden board with a penguin illustration moved near the mascot penguin perched on her shoulder, and the lines flowed out.
Contrary to its cute appearance, the voice was incredibly cool and deep.
Hearing that voice, Seo-yeon felt her slightly overheated body cool down.
Right, it was fine.
She had been a little—just a tiny bit—flustered, but wasn't she standing on this stage as an actress?
Her heart was thumping, and a cold sweat was breaking out, but it was no problem!
‘No, it’s not fine at all!’
Seo-yeon wept inwardly.
Honestly, any other kind of acting would have been perfectly fine.
She felt it would have been better to show her friends a performance of her playing a serial killer.
Harara was just... something else.
Even now, as she let out a cute voice and formed a heart with her hands, her winking eye almost trembled.
This was because Gil Da-hyeon and the other girls were making expressions that were truly difficult to describe as they watched Seo-yeon perform.
How would it feel to watch a classmate act all cute right in front of your eyes?
Seo-yeon found it hard to even imagine that emotion.
Then, the spotlight shifted back to Zeroro, and Zeroro’s lines began.
"Harara should definitely be in school right about now. Knowing this would happen, I already told the teacher I’d be leaving early today!"
Zeroro, dressed in a black dress, let out a mischievous giggle.
The diligent villain, Zeroro, who had prepared for this day by informing the teacher of her early dismissal in advance.
In other words, Jo Seo-hee felt a sense of relief as she watched Seo-yeon’s performance just now.
‘As expected, she’s different on stage.’
Acting for children could sometimes be more difficult than expected if one entered into it without much thought.
No actor thinks they can just wing it because it's a children's play, but sometimes it happens subconsciously.
However, children's theater often requires more exaggerated lines and gestures.
Furthermore, the expressions can be so childish that an adult actor might find it hard to immerse themselves in the dialogue.
Of course, most overcome this through practice, but Seo-yeon’s practice time had been short.
Yet, in that brief period, Seo-yeon seemed to have perfectly adapted into Harara.
‘What she told me was true.’
Seo-yeon had said this to Jo Seo-hee when she was worried after seeing the previous Shorts video:
"I’m a bit emotionally blunt, so I’ve never really felt nervous while acting."
Recalling those calm words, Jo Seo-hee thought back to Seo-yeon’s acting in the past.
Even as a child actor, in situations where everyone else was trembling, Seo-yeon’s expression never changed.
It was the same during Hyper Action Star.
Unlike the others who felt burdened by the kind of performance they had to give, Seo-yeon’s acting flowed out without a hint of hesitation.
Considering that even Jo Seo-hee needed a bit of preparation, Seo-yeon’s emotional control—being able to spit out lines and act instantly—was astonishing.
‘Emotional acting was her specialty.’
Everyone who met Seo-yeon said the same thing: that her ability to convey emotion was the best among any actor they had ever met.
In her childhood, that manifested as method acting, but now, there was no need for that.
Method acting is ultimately a means to immerse oneself in a role.
Since "Cha Seo-ah," Seo-yeon hadn't encountered a role that required such deep emotional acting.
"But isn't being nervous different from being embarrassed?"
"There's no reason for an actor to be embarrassed about acting."
Seo-yeon had answered calmly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"In the first place, I’ve never felt that kind of shame—well, rarely."
She was going to say "never," but she corrected herself as memories of her recently kicked-around blankets came to mind.
Jo Seo-hee had nodded at Seo-yeon’s reaction.
‘I was worried because she looked so embarrassed in the Shorts, but...’
Seeing such strong will, she thought it would be okay.
And indeed, during the rehearsal, Seo-yeon was a true professional.
"I have to start the commotion early today! If I’m late, I won't be able to do my preview studies!"
Having finished her thoughts, Jo Seo-hee—or rather, Zeroro—delivered her line.
A scene of her busily creating something appeared, and then the scene transitioned again.
Now it was Harara’s turn.
Harara was shown wandering the streets to stop Zeroro’s incident.
When she encountered some lackeys, a scene played out where she didn't even transform, but instead swung the penguin on her shoulder to beat them up.
"...Harara is a magical girl, right?"
Gil Da-hyeon, who had been watching the stage quietly, muttered.
More importantly, why was she hitting them with a stuffed penguin?
Wasn't that the friend she was talking to on her shoulder just a moment ago?
"That’s because Uranos is Harara’s weapon," her friend Min-ji explained, clearing up the confusion.
"Uranos?"
"That’s the penguin’s name. When Harara transforms, the penguin transforms into a magic wand too."
No, why does a penguin have such a grand name?
Come to think of it, the penguin’s voice was quite cool.
Seeing as no one thought it was strange, the penguin must have a cool voice in the original work as well.
‘Isn't it a mascot?’
It looked completely cute, but its voice had a weightiness to it, like... what was it, Optimus Prime?
Well, considering it was fighting to save the world, maybe that level of gravity was necessary...
‘Something... something feels off.’
In the first place, wasn't Harara currently skipping school without permission?
Zeroro at least said she was leaving early, but Harara hadn't even shown up for class.
The kids were laughing and loving it, but was this right?
"Everyone except Harara is diligent, so it's fine. It's a very educational anime."
"...Is it?"
Regardless, the play continued.
While Zeroro was plotting her plan, all her lackeys were defeated, so she made a grand entrance with a giant doll behind her.
The full-scale battle with Harara began.
"Hmph, Harara! Today will be different! I’ll show you the true power of the great Zeroro!!"
Then, lights flashed on stage as special effects went off.
At that sight, the children clapped and cheered.
And the "Harara Uncles" in the row in front of Da-hyeon raised both arms high.
"Harara transformation! Harara transformation!!"
"We’ve been waiting for this!"
"Go for it!!!"
The thunderous voices of the men made Da-hyeon and the girls sitting behind them flinch.
"They... they must really like Harara."
"I feel kind of grossed out."
Wasn't today Seo-yeon’s first performance?
Did she already have fans? Or did they just purely like Harara?
Da-hyeon was genuinely curious about that.
Anyway.
Simultaneously with the uncles' shouts, Harara’s transformation music began to play.
‘It’s time.’
Seo-yeon grew tense at the music.
This was the very scene that had appeared in the Shorts with millions of views.
Harara’s transformation scene!
Normally, she would have been fine since she had mentally prepared herself.
She had done it perfectly well during the rehearsal, too.
But doing this in front of her school friends was not easy.
"Love and consideration. And respect and kindness. The Magical Girl of Benevolence!!"
With flashing effects, the brilliant spotlight that had been on Zeroro shifted to Harara, revealing Harara in her changed outfit.
"Harara~, Hararara~!!"
Seo-yeon held up her pink magic wand and encouraged the children in the audience to respond.
"Harara! Harara!!!"
The male voices mixed in with the children's felt particularly thunderous, but since the children's response was even louder, it felt okay.
On top of that, she could hear her classmates' voices, and Seo-yeon’s earlobes began to feel a bit hot.
A heat she had never felt before while acting.
‘I can't be awkward. I can't be embarrassed!’
Seo-yeon smiled brightly and waved her magic wand repeatedly while chanting "Harara."
Since her ability to convey emotion was usually praised as her greatest strength, if Seo-yeon felt embarrassed during the performance, that emotion would be clearly felt by the audience.
She couldn't let that happen.
She couldn't disappoint the children who had come all this way to see the play.
But!
‘Ughhh!’
She was so, so embarrassed.
Seo-yeon felt a burning heat on her face.
Fortunately, thanks to the bright lighting with its reddish tint, it wouldn't be that obvious to the audience.
"That’s enough, Harara! This time, even you won't stand a chance! Not against the Super-Monster I’ve created!!"
However, Jo Seo-hee, standing on stage, could catch a glimpse of it.
Because she was a fellow actor.
And because she was relatively close, she could see Seo-yeon’s earlobes turning a deeper and deeper red.
And Seo-yeon’s face as she whipped around at her words, biting her lower lip, was—very rarely—filled with an immense sense of shame.
‘Eh? What? She’s cute.’
For a moment, even though she knew she shouldn't think like that on stage, the thought slipped into her mind.
From a position where her face wasn't visible to the audience, it was clear that Seo-yeon couldn't properly control her expression.
Since she was standing with her back to the audience, they probably couldn't see that face.
Encountering that look on Seo-yeon’s face, Jo Seo-hee suddenly began to feel excited.
Seeing that face made her heart feel strangely ticklish, and she felt a strong urge to see more of it.
"Not a chance! Harara Flash!!"
Zeroro was sitting atop a giant teddy bear installed on the stage.
Harara delivered a magnificent kick toward it.
"Harara Flash. It’s a technique where Harara instantaneously strikes the jaw to snap the opponent back to their senses. That’s why it’s called Harara Flash. It’s the technique Harara uses most often."
"It wasn't a magic spell?"
"That’s something else."
While Da-hyeon and her friends were having that conversation, the staff below the stage were momentarily startled.
"Was there a wire action included in this sequence?"
"Eh? No? We cut that out because it required too much practice. There are no action scenes this time."
In the first place, wire action wasn't something you could do just by practicing for a bit.
One could get seriously injured if they practiced half-heartedly.
"Then how did she just do that Harara Flash? If there are no wires?"
"I don't know either. She practically flew."
"I guess Actress Ju Seo-yeon has a great vertical leap."
Was this really a problem that could be solved with just jumping ability?
Regardless, the audience's reaction was full of cheers, so they figured it was fine.
Anyway, amidst Zeroro’s struggle, Harara’s techniques struck the Super-Monster one after another!
"Harara Heartlight!!"
"That’s when Harara strikes the opponent’s chest with a powerful right hook..."
"Min-ji, you know a lot about this."
"M-my younger sibling watches it a lot."
In any case, the audience's reaction reached its peak during the flashy action scenes.
However, Seo-yeon shot a sharp glare at Jo Seo-hee.
Jo Seo-hee, who was supposed to climb down from the doll and make a grand exit after being hit by Harara’s magic, wasn't coming down.
"Hmph, I’m still fine, you know? It’s okay! Because the Super-Monster is invincible!"
She was shouting non-existent lines from atop the doll, caught up in the excitement.
It seemed she quite liked seeing Seo-yeon tremble while shouting Harara’s techniques.
Of course, the audience loved the suddenly increased action scenes, and the staff loved it too, but Seo-yeon found it harder to endure.
So, she decided to end it.
"Zeroro. Even for a Super-Monster, this is the end. I’ll blow you away in one go!"
"Huh?"
At Harara’s sudden words, Jo Seo-hee looked down at her from the doll.
The doll was nearly three meters tall.
Jo Seo-hee, who had been sitting relatively safely atop it with her body connected to a wire, flinched at Seo-yeon’s words.
Because that line was Harara’s finishing move.
"Now, children. Please give Harara your strength."
Harara held up her magic wand and waved it toward the audience.
"Harara~, Harara Starlight Power!!"
The more she said such things, the more Seo-yeon’s earlobes were dyed a deep crimson.
She hid the heat rising in her face as much as possible and smiled naturally.
Seo-yeon, whose redness had now spread past her face to her neck, whipped around with the audience's cheers at her back.
Her face was filled with shame as she looked at Jo Seo-hee.
Seeing those smoldering eyes, Seo-hee let out a hiccup without realizing it.
‘I overdid it.’
Just as that thought occurred, Seo-yeon leaped high from the stage.
She reached a height even above Jo Seo-hee’s head as she sat on the teddy bear.
Seo-hee hurriedly tried to scramble down from the doll, but...
"Where do you think you're going?"
Harara was faster.
Zeroro looked up at Harara in surprise.
Harara—no, Ju Seo-yeon—had a face flushed bright red and eyes that were strangely moist.
The moment she saw that, Jo Seo-hee gave an awkward smile.
"Are... are you going to hit me?"
"Yes."
At the same time, a new Harara technique:
"Harara Magical Drive!"
While holding Zeroro’s body, Harara jumped from atop the doll and slammed Zeroro’s head down.
Of course, since it was a soft doll, it only resulted in the doll’s head being half-crushed.
Zeroro then exited the stage, dangling from her wire.
"Ooh, a technique I’ve never seen before!!"
"Big sister is so cool!!"
"Is that a magic technique?"
"It has 'Magical' in the name, so it must be, right?"
It must have had quite an impact, as it was the debut of a technique that would later be reverse-imported into the animation.
Of course, Jo Seo-hee had to work hard for quite a while afterward to soothe the pouting Seo-yeon’s feelings.
Separately from that, Mirinae Land actively used this play for promotion.
As a result:
[Mirinae Land, Harara Play Shorts reach 5.82 million views]
With an amazing promotional effect, the play was a massive success.
Even when Seo-yeon wasn't performing, the number of people visiting the theater increased.
And it was right then that Seo-yeon’s second Harara Shorts and Harara-related advertisement offers started coming in.