Chapter 231: Polar Opposites (1)
Chapter 231: Polar Opposites (1)
Just as Seo-yeon had looked into Stella, Stella had also gathered various bits of information about Seo-yeon.
For instance, someone in Seo-yeon’s fan community had compiled a summary of her greatest hits.
Among them was a video from Hyper Action Star.
Stella’s reaction upon seeing it was simple.
"What is this, a variety show?"
It was labeled as an audition for an action movie, but honestly, it didn't feel like an audition at all.
It was just a variety show.
In fact, it looked more like a video of Seo-yeon running wild on her own in a show where nothing was even properly choreographed.
She would 'see' incoming paintballs and swat them away with her hands.
There were scenes of her clearing various missions with incredible physical ability.
Then there was the final battle with Sora, which, unlike the rest, felt like they were actually following a set choreography.
"Hmm, a Japanese actress?"
Stella rested her chin on her hand as she watched the screen of her laptop, briefly observing Sora.
She’s better than that girl I saw last time, Goto Reika or whatever her name was.
She couldn't really remember the face.
Part of it was because Seo-yeon’s acting completely overshadowed her, but Stella truly struggled to remember people's faces.
The only faces she could see clearly were virtual ones, not real ones.
She could remember faces from movies or manga.
But if she met them in person, she wouldn't remember them.
In that sense, she should have remembered Goto Reika’s appearance, but she simply couldn't because it had been buried under Seo-yeon’s performance. All she could recall was some clumsy acting.
"Ahaha, this is so exaggerated."
As variety shows often do, most situations were blown out of proportion.
The same went for boring American shows.
Especially in today’s climate, where everyone is looking for something more provocative, it wasn't much different overseas.
Variety shows were now competing with countless internet influencers.
YouTubers and VTubers.
To chase the raw entertainment they provided, traditional shows had to do things the influencers couldn't.
So, Stella didn't think too deeply about Seo-yeon’s feats.
She assumed they were scenes constructed by the broadcast to hype her up, given how much Seo-yeon had flourished over the past year.
However, there were several moments where she wondered if this wouldn't cause a backlash.
Well, that’s none of my business.
With that thought, Stella recalled the plane ticket she had booked online.
Stella simply thought back to the acting she had seen from Seo-yeon—the footage Asher Baldwin had personally obtained and shown her.
My eyes keep drifting to her for some reason.
Chuckling, Stella watched Seo-yeon’s acting, which she had already seen several times.
Her acting.
There was a strange sense of similarity to herself.
Specifically, in the underlying emotional acting.
There was no way that should be the case.
That was why Stella had come to Korea.
She wanted to see if Seo-yeon was really like that in person, just as she had appeared on the small smartphone screen.
Fortunately, the Seo-yeon she saw in reality was exactly like that.
Just as Stella had thought—no, even more so.
"What is this? Like, a prank video?"
'Prank video' was the American term for a hidden camera show.
That was how shocking the scene Seo-yeon had just shown her was.
In a rare moment, the smile on Stella’s lips faded slightly as she circled the broken punching machine.
"Hmm."
Stella scanned the machine.
First of all, the part of the punching machine that Seo-yeon had hit was slightly bent.
Stella knew that, logically, hitting it shouldn't bend a steel frame.
More importantly, the metal parts bolted to the floor had rattled from the impact, and the screws had all popped out.
No matter how she looked at it, it was too strange to be a prank.
The equipment itself wasn't new; it was old, and looking at the fixed parts, it had clearly been bolted there for a long time.
In other words, the punching machine had broken because it was struck by Seo-yeon’s fist.
The surrounding crowd was already buzzing.
The two actresses who had come with Seo-yeon were looking at her with faces full of consternation.
As for Seo-yeon, she was averting her gaze, only shifting her eyes to the side.
She looked just like a puppy that knew it had done something wrong.
"Seo-yeon."
Stella, who had been crouching down to look at the broken hinges that used to hold the machine in place, finally spoke.
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you one thing?"
"Uh, what is it?"
"Marvel or DC?"
Seo-yeon tilted her head at Stella’s question.
She didn't understand what she meant for a moment.
Was she asking which one she liked?
"I'm a Marvel fan."
Seo-yeon answered.
A year ago, the movie Batman v Superman from the DC Universe had been released as a masterpiece of the century, sparking a massive superhero boom in the American film industry, but Seo-yeon still preferred Marvel.
They released the Avengers before building up the narratives of the other heroes.
Seo-yeon was sad.
Regardless, it’s quite a sad thing when a live-action adaptation of a beloved comic fails.
Was the cause of failure that they went too lighthearted, instead of focusing on the serious inner turmoil of the heroes like DC did?
"Okay. Well, Marvel is a bit better, I guess."
Stella said as she raised both hands.
It was a gesture that seemed to say she was harmless.
She felt strangely more subdued than before.
After all, humans tend to watch their step when they witness violence that exceeds their imagination.
"Just in case, you won't hit me, right?"
"I won't."
"Oh, by any chance, can you actually deflect real bullets?"
Stella suddenly remembered the scene in Hyper Action Star where Seo-yeon had swatted away paintballs.
Of course, real bullets were overwhelmingly faster than paintballs, so she meant it half as a joke.
"I'm not sure."
She expected an answer like 'of course not' or 'that's impossible,' but Seo-yeon replied with a very serious face.
Honestly, Seo-yeon was curious too.
She wondered if her skin was bulletproof.
I don't know if I could see them and deflect them, though.
But honestly, she had a vague feeling that she wouldn't get hurt.
"Come to think of it, guns are legal in America."
"...Yeah? And?"
"Do you have one, Stella? A gun."
"I don't personally own one, if that's what you're asking. My bodyguards do, though."
Of course, she had left them all behind when she came abroad.
"You're American and you don't even have a gun?"
"Ahaha, you know that sounds like a really stereotypical remark, right?"
Huh? Was it?
Seo-yeon had simply thought so out of pure curiosity.
She thought Americans carried guns around like cell phones.
"But why?"
"I just wanted to watch from the side the next time you fire one."
"You can see that in Korea too."
"If I'm the one shooting, I can't see the trajectory."
What on earth was she trying to say?
Did she mean she wanted to stand next to the target and watch?
Stella was starting to wonder if Seo-yeon was joking or being serious.
"Ju Seo-yeon."
As the two were talking, Lee Ji-yeon called out to Seo-yeon with an exhausted expression.
When Seo-yeon turned her head to see what was wrong, she saw a crowd of people surrounding them.
Everyone had their smartphones out.
And at the very front stood a man who looked like a game center employee, looking quite troubled.
"..."
Seo-yeon looked at Stella.
"Can't you pay for that instead of the omakase?"
"Ahaha, what? Were you planning on eating something that expensive?"
Stella laughed at Seo-yeon’s bluntness.
Well, what could she do?
"Yeah, sure. A bet is a bet."
Regardless of Seo-yeon’s strength, a promise was a promise.
It was a bit of an expensive meal, but this much wasn't really a problem for her.
*
"What on earth have you been doing in Japan?"
When they returned to their lodgings after hanging out, Park Eun-ha greeted Seo-yeon with those words.
And for good reason.
==
Post: I saw Ju Seo-yeon at a game center
I didn't expect to see that face in Japan, not even Korea;;;
I was at the game center trying to get a figure, and suddenly I thought there was an earthquake.
Everyone got scared and ran out, but she was just standing in front of a punching machine like it was nothing.
It was so absurd I just took a photo.
(Photo of Ju Seo-yeon in front of a punching machine)
Replies:
==
The first thing Park Eun-ha showed her was a post from a Korean internet community.
Since Akihabara was a tourist destination, it wasn't just Japanese people there.
There were plenty of Koreans as well, so it didn't take long for it to pop up online.
Furthermore...
"There are posts on Twitter too. It hasn't trended yet, but there's a video going around."
"...A video?"
"A scene of Seo-yeon hitting the punching machine."
Wait, that was caught on video?
Seo-yeon hurriedly checked the video and felt a bit relieved.
The quality isn't that great.
Seo-yeon’s face wasn't clearly distinguishable.
Instead, Stella’s face, as she watched from the side, was very clear.
It seemed the current topic of conversation was the mysterious 'punching machine girl' and Stella watching her.
She hadn't realized it, but Stella seemed to be quite popular in Japan.
Unlike in Korea, when Stella walked around in Japan, she drew much more attention.
However, because Seo-yeon, Jo Seo-hee, and Lee Ji-yeon were with her, no one dared to approach recklessly.
"Thanks to you, I had a great time. Seo-yeon, you're much more reliable than our bodyguards."
Stella had said that to Park Eun-ha before they parted ways.
She covered her mouth with her hand, acting like a proper lady.
Except for when she was with Seo-yeon, she usually gave off that kind of vibe.
The pure, fairy-like lady that people imagined her to be.
Thanks to that, Park Eun-ha didn't particularly scold Seo-yeon.
"Just don't cause too much trouble. This is abroad, it's different from Korea."
"Yes."
"Right, that's enough. I know you're not the type to cause trouble, Seo-yeon, but I'm just saying it out of caution."
To be honest, becoming a hot topic on Twitter wasn't a bad thing.
The same went for the Korean internet.
The photos and video quality weren't good to begin with, so it wasn't likely to spread properly.
Unless someone saw it with their own eyes, it wasn't something easily believable.
"Ah."
At Park Eun-ha’s words, Lee Ji-yeon let out a flustered exclamation as if she had just remembered something.
Park Eun-ha didn't seem to notice, but Jo Seo-hee, who was right next to her, heard it.
"What's wrong?"
"I filmed everything when Ju Seo-yeon was hitting the punching machine earlier."
"Huh?"
"I think I gave it all to the Japanese staff."
Ji-yeon had been asked by the staff to capture the three of them on video like a vlog while they were out playing.
So, not only their meeting and hanging out with Stella, but also the moment Seo-yeon hit the punching machine was all captured on video.
"Did they say that was footage for the documentary?"
"Probably."
"...Hmm."
Seo-hee thought for a moment.
"Well, wouldn't it be fine?"
"Really?"
"It's never bad for something to become an issue."
And if such a video appeared in the documentary, it was bound to become a hot topic in Japan again.
The 'strong beautiful girl' trope was something Japan was quite obsessed with.
More importantly, Stella.
Seo-hee crossed her arms as she watched Seo-yeon talking with Park Eun-ha.
When they were together, Stella hadn't paid any attention to them.
She only looked at Seo-yeon and only talked to Seo-yeon.
It was different from intentionally ignoring them.
A strange sense of dissonance.
Seo-yeon and Ji-yeon seemed too oblivious to notice, but Seo-hee was vaguely aware of it.
Above all, unlike the others, Seo-hee knew relatively more about Stella’s circumstances.
Given her position, it was easy for her to obtain information about famous overseas figures in various ways.
Especially as part of the New Like Group, the leader of the South Korean cultural industry.
Although they were recently being chased by the GH Group, it didn't change the fact that the New Like Group was the center of the Korean cultural industry.
Jo Seo-hee knew about an interview Stella had done with a small newspaper when she was very young.
The reason why she acts.
Now that her 'fairy' image had been layered over her, that newspaper article was no longer accessible.
But Jo Seo-hee knew.
The reason why Stella acted.
*
And the next day.
"We've invited a special guest for today's shoot."
Director Baek Min said to the actors, who were admiring the magnificent mansion at the filming location.
Since it was quite a sudden announcement, there were some murmurs of surprise from some of them.
Among them, actor Lee Sang-soo just remained still.
"You're already familiar with her from seeing her several times, so you don't need to worry."
At his words, Seo-yeon could vaguely guess who it was.
In fact, at this point, it would be foolish not to know.
After all, the person in question had been sent to hang out with Seo-yeon, Jo Seo-hee, and Ji-yeon yesterday.
The staff weren't idiots; they wouldn't have revealed their hangout spot so easily otherwise.
Stella spoke as if she had come on her own, but it was clear that discussions had been held beforehand.
Probably around the time Stella came to Korea.
It was certain that such a conversation had taken place when Stella stayed at Seo-yeon’s house.
Yes, so to speak.
"Wait, is that..."
The voices of the murmuring actors could be heard.
Seo-yeon slowly turned her gaze.
There stood a girl in a Western-style dress, holding a white parasol.
She looked like a painting come to life.
She walked slowly, very slowly, and stood before Seo-yeon.
Everyone’s eyes followed her.
She possessed that kind of presence.
"Don't worry, it's just a simple cameo."
And then.
"Just like you."
Stella said with a smile.