Chapter 200: Genius Actor (1)
Chapter 200: Genius Actor (1)
Yuito, a reporter for Tokyo Daily, was truly glad he had taken the time to learn Korean.
If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to call out to Seo-yeon, let alone conduct an interview.
Where did she leave her interpreter to be wandering around alone?
He had more than a few questions.
Why was she alone, and why was she dressed in Jirai-kei fashion?
Was it a simple disguise?
If so, there were plenty of other options.
"I mean, we caught her, but what kind of interview are we even going to do?"
"Ah, it happened so suddenly that I haven't even thought of what to ask."
Yuito and his colleague, Ouki, exchanged these whispers.
For the record, Seo-yeon had stepped away for a moment, saying she had to make a call to Korea.
She was likely asking for advice regarding this impromptu interview.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Seo-yeon returned after about ten minutes.
As she quietly took her seat, Yuito found himself momentarily dazed, staring at her.
It suits her so well it’s almost scary.
Yuito unconsciously swallowed hard.
As Seo-yeon looked at him with calm, indifferent eyes, he found it difficult to speak.
Even though her face was partially covered by a mask, she possessed a certain... aura.
An atmosphere that seemed to weigh down on the person facing her.
He began to wonder how he had even found the courage to approach her in the first place.
However, they were reporters.
They had to land this scoop no matter what.
"First of all, as I mentioned earlier, we are reporters from Tokyo Daily."
At Yuito's words, Seo-yeon nodded while looking at the business card he had given her.
I have no idea what this says.
She wanted to check it with Papago, but the atmosphere didn't exactly feel right for that.
Still, she could recognize the symbol on the card and the kanji for "Tokyo."
Well, if they were just paparazzi, they would have just taken photos in secret and left.
Of course, if they had, Seo-yeon would have chased them down and confiscated the film.
Regardless, seeing their polite demeanor and the way they confidently handed over their business cards, they were most likely legitimate reporters.
"How did you know it was me?"
"Ah, that was..."
It was Ouki, not Yuito, who answered.
He explained that he had seen her reflection in the cafe window when she took off her mask.
So you could see through from the inside.
She had thought the glass was opaque because it was tinted.
However, she had only removed her mask for a split second, which made her realize how impressive a reporter's observational skills could be.
To think they recognized her from just that brief moment.
"Um, will there be photos included in the interview?"
"Huh? Oh, no. We won't include them if you don't want us to!"
That statement made her trust them a bit more.
But Seo-yeon shook her head.
"You can include photos."
"Pardon? But..."
"If it's an interview, wouldn't people need photos to believe it's real?"
Generally, all sorts of articles were published in Japan.
That also meant there was a lot of fake news.
"I've never worn clothes like this in Korea, so people will know the photos were taken in Japan."
At those words, Yuito and Ouki locked eyes.
I mean, for them, it was great.
In fact, it was so good they were almost flustered.
An outfit she had never even worn in Korea.
And her appearance? She had gathered everything that Japanese people loved.
On top of that, it was the Jirai-kei style currently trending in subculture.
While a "real" Jirai-kei girl might give off an impression people want to avoid, it felt completely different when an actress wore it.
"Th-then, please allow us to take one photo."
"M-me too..."
Seo-yeon posed with a V-sign as the photos were taken.
They seemed to turn out quite well, and Seo-yeon was satisfied.
I need photos to change my image.
She was determined not to repeat the same mistake she made with the gorilla meme.
These photos were filled with her strong resolve to become a "Jirai-kei actress" instead.
Good, they came out pretty.
Seo-yeon nodded to herself.
For the record, Seo-yeon had already received permission for this interview from Nova Entertainment.
And from none other than CEO Kang Chan-yul himself.
「An interview? In Japan?」
"Yes."
「There are so many tabloids over there, though~.」
"They're called Tokyo Daily."
「Oh, they're not bad. They're a pretty decent newspaper in Tokyo. Not tabloid-tier.」
Seo-yeon kept in touch with CEO Kang Chan-yul occasionally.
Naturally, they were on good terms.
To CEO Kang, Seo-yeon was the goose that laid golden eggs.
Moreover, since he had watched over her since her days as a child actor, he felt more like a friendly uncle than a CEO.
That was why Seo-yeon had called him directly.
Eun-ha unnie would probably say no.
Eun-ha prioritized safety above all else.
Besides, even if she told Eun-ha, Eun-ha would have to ask the CEO anyway, so it was more efficient to call Kang Chan-yul directly.
And I don't want to disturb her sleep.
After getting permission from the CEO, Seo-yeon considered telling Eun-ha, but she soon shook her head.
It hadn't been long since the afternoon started, so there was a high chance she was still asleep.
Waking her up would be rude, and Seo-yeon didn't want to do that.
She could just tell her when she got back.
"So, how will the interview proceed?"
As Seo-yeon spoke, having organized her thoughts, Yuito and Ouki swallowed nervously.
Now that they were actually facing her, they were at a loss for where to begin.
What should we ask first?
I don't know.
Suddenly, Yuito remembered that Seo-yeon had stayed in Akihabara for a long time and had mentioned "VTubers" on a broadcast.
In that case...
"Do you have any Japanese manga you like?"
"Manga?"
At that question, Ouki looked at Yuito with startled eyes.
In truth, it was common in any country to ask about their own culture.
Asking a "Do you know Japan?" type of question wasn't strange, but of all things, why manga?
No matter how you looked at her, Seo-yeon didn't seem like the type to enjoy manga.
She had mentioned VTubers yesterday, but not many people thought she was being serious.
Ouki felt the same way.
"I like fighting manga."
"Pardon?"
"Things like Baki or Kengan Ashura."
"?"
Why fighting manga all of a sudden?
The two reporters couldn't help but be bewildered.
"M-may I ask why?"
"Because I can get a lot of inspiration from them."
Where on earth could one get inspiration from a fighting manga?
O-of course, Yuito knew those were great works.
He was even a considerable fan himself.
But the question "But why???" wouldn't leave his head.
Usually, those were manga enjoyed by men rather than women, weren't they?
"Also, I like being strong."
Seo-yeon let out a huff through her nose and shrugged her shoulders.
It seemed she quite liked Yuito's question.
"Should I show you later?"
"Yes?"
Show him what?
Yuito became curious about what exactly she could show him from those manga.
S-she's joking, right?
The Japanese reporters didn't know what Seo-yeon had done on Hyper Action Star.
Even if they had seen it, they would have dismissed it as exaggerated variety show antics.
Regardless, the impression of Seo-yeon available in Japan was from the trailer of the movie The Chaser or the currently airing Dream Future.
It wasn't strange to see her as a delicate person.
"Ah."
Realizing something belatedly, Seo-yeon hurriedly added more words.
"O-of course, I'm joking. I'm physically weak, so I have a bit of an admiration for things like that."
"Aha."
As Yuito nodded, Seo-yeon spoke again.
"Please make sure to include that comment in the interview."
"Pardon? Which comment?"
"The part about the manga and why I like them."
"Aha, um. Understood."
Yuito nodded as if he finally understood.
At that reaction, Seo-yeon breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
I slipped up.
She had set out to shed her violent image, so giving an interview like that would have defeated the purpose.
Fortunately, he was a Japanese reporter and let it slide.
But is she really weak?
Yuito did feel a bit uneasy.
After all, the way Seo-yeon had been crawling on the floor in that variety show didn't exactly scream "delicate"...
"Ahem, then I'll continue with the questions."
Yuito proceeded to ask Seo-yeon questions one by one.
"What is the reason for your visit to Japan?"
"Who is your favorite Japanese actor?"
"What is your favorite Japanese food?"
The answers were relatively ordinary.
Compared to the manga talk, most of them were quite standard.
Seo-yeon gave her answers with a somewhat disappointed face.
There were a few unique answers, but compared to the first question, most were mundane.
So why?
She answered in detail about games and manga, but seemed largely uninterested in the rest.
Usually, wouldn't an actress be more interested in other things?
Is it a concept?
There were many celebrities in Japan with various "concepts."
Some were unique, and some even had over-the-top personas.
However, actors from overseas didn't really need to adopt such concepts.
They already had a certain level of recognition in their own country.
An actress who liked Jirai-kei fashion and games.
She even had extensive knowledge of anime.
It's certainly the kind of answer a specific target audience would love, but...
A specific target audience—meaning the otaku demographic.
She knew too much for it to be a prepared script, which left Yuito quite confused.
"Then, for the final question..."
What should he ask for the last one?
As he was thinking, he suddenly remembered the comments posted on Twitter after the broadcast aired.
Specifically, one regarding a certain director.
"By any chance, do you know Director Kakeba Hiro?"
"Pardon?"
Seo-yeon thought for a moment.
While she possessed a vast knowledge of the entertainment industry, unfortunately, she didn't know much about the overseas scene.
"I'm sorry, I haven't heard of him."
"No, it's fine. He's likely an unfamiliar director in Korea. Recently, he's been rising as a genius director in Japan."
He was a director who didn't use the filming methods common in Japan, but rather focused on techniques suited for an international audience.
Currently, he was filming a drama.
His popularity was decent, but that was more because his work deviated from the typical sensibilities of Japanese dramas rather than a lack of quality.
In fact, it was surprising he achieved such ratings despite that.
"It seems he saw your variety show appearance, as he posted on his personal Twitter. And not just once, but several times."
"Really?"
Come to think of it, Twitter was practically the national social media of Japan.
People of all ages and genders used it frequently.
Yuito showed Seo-yeon the recent posts left by Kakeba Hiro on his phone.
Translated, of course.
==
@kakeba_hiro
I watched the variety show and became interested in the actress Ju Seo-yeon, so I watched the Japanese trailer for The Chaser.
Even in short scenes, there are many moments where her acting prowess is evident.
It was a performance that proved her ghost acting was no mere fluke.
@kakeba_hiro
The more I look, the more the gap between Dream Future and The Chaser strikes me.
The same actress, but a completely different atmosphere in each work.
Perhaps that's why people can't quite connect Jo Ha-rin and Ju Seo-yeon.
(Their images are so different.)
@kakeba_hiro
I heard that Japanese broadcasting stations were quick to contact Sky Garden, which recently ended its successful run in Korea.
To be honest, back then I thought, 'Well...' but now I've changed my mind.
She is an actress I would love to film with if given the chance.
==
There were many such posts.
Seeing those tweets made Seo-yeon feel a bit embarrassed.
No matter who you are, being praised like that to your face is bound to be bashful.
More importantly, that wasn't acting.
Since everyone already misunderstood it as acting, nothing she said would get through anyway.
And Seo-yeon preferred it being misunderstood as acting.
If... if it became known that she had run away because she was truly terrified, her image would be ruined beyond repair.
More importantly, a Japanese drama.
It wasn't that she wasn't interested.
In fact, she had only ever seen one, and that was just from catching glimpses while her mom watched it.
The feeling she got back then was that the sensibilities and acting were definitely different.
"...What do you think?"
"Pardon? Oh, I'd love to meet him if the opportunity arises."
It wasn't just empty flattery.
If he was called a genius director in Japan, there was no harm in making a connection.
Besides, he clearly thought highly of her.
"In that case."
At Seo-yeon's words, Yuito hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Would you like to meet him?"
"Pardon?"
Seo-yeon couldn't help but be a bit flustered by the sudden suggestion.
She hadn't expected him to ask if she wanted to meet him right then and there.
*
"But what does that have to do with a cameo?"
Later, Seo-yeon returned to her hotel room.
Even though it was a short interview, it had taken up a significant amount of time, so it was too late to go meet him immediately.
Eun-ha, who had been worried that Seo-yeon might have already met him when she mentioned Director Kakeba, felt a bit relieved.
"You gave me a heart attack. Tell me these things properly..."
Fortunately, it seemed she hadn't met him alone.
It appeared they had only exchanged some general information over the phone.
"The reporter and Director Kakeba Hiro seemed to know each other. They were high school classmates or something. He said he'd try to get in touch since the opportunity arose."
Of course, it felt a bit vague.
They weren't in frequent contact, but more like they were on speaking terms?
Well, that seemed to be enough to get him moving.
"So, Director Kakeba said okay? And that's the cameo?"
It was Sora who spoke up after hearing Seo-yeon's words.
Naturally, she was interested since he was a Japanese director.
"To be precise, they asked to meet at the filming set. And said if the opportunity arises... could I appear as a cameo?"
Even though it must have been a sudden contact, Kakeba had readily given the okay at Yuito's word.
Was he that interested in Seo-yeon?
Or was Reporter Yuito just a very good talker?
"Do you know him, Sora? Director Kakeba."
"Mmm, I know of him... but honestly, it's not like I was particularly active as an actress in Japan."
Since she had aspired to be an actress, Sora knew of him.
She had seen several of the dramas he had filmed.
He had a very youthful sensibility.
And he was a director who favored restrained emotional lines, which was rare in Japan.
Anyway, at least no landmines exploded.
Park Eun-ha breathed a sigh of relief.
She had thought she'd already done the cameo and finished filming.
Honestly, if Seo-yeon said she was going to do it, Eun-ha couldn't stop her.
She wasn't the type to be stopped in the first place, and there hadn't been a single instance where Seo-yeon failed when she set her mind to something.
If all of this was instinct, it was truly terrifying.
Seo-yeon is a bomb, but in the end, her explosions always turn out to her advantage.
Whether it was instinct or if she really thought things through before acting, Eun-ha didn't know.
Regardless, Eun-ha didn't oppose Seo-yeon appearing as a cameo.
There was nothing to lose by appearing in anything.
At Eun-ha's reaction...
Success.
Seo-yeon felt inwardly relieved.
After all, there's nothing like a broadcast to change one's image.
First, she would let the news leak through online articles.
Then, if she made a brief cameo in a drama, wouldn't the perception of her as a ghost disappear?
Besides.
The reason she was being so proactive wasn't just because of her image.
The Japanese OTT market was quite large, and if she could break into it when the opportunity arose, it would be useful in many ways.
Then I can use filming as an excuse to come to Japan often to pla—I mean, to work.
Seo-yeon nodded at her truly perfect plan.