Chapter 58: Cable Variety Show (1)
Chapter 58: Cable Variety Show (1)
A strangely chilling atmosphere enveloped the room.
It was a testament to how impressive Seo-yeon’s performance had just been.
Setting aside whether it was good or bad, her synchronization with the character was suspiciously perfect.
‘Has she actually… done away with a few people?’
Director Bae Jin-hwan, who had unconsciously entertained the thought, slapped his own cheeks.
What on earth was he thinking about a young girl?
Regardless, it seemed he wasn't the only one who felt that way, judging by how the other actors' eyes darted around, searching for each other's gaze in confusion.
“…Did I make a mistake?”
When Seo-yeon spoke, looking slightly dejected by the atmosphere—
“No!”
“Absolutely not! Right?”
“Everyone’s just shocked because you were so good, Seo-yeon.”
“Yes, yes, exactly.”
Starting with the male actors, even Jung Si-hyun—who played the role of Han Ye-hwa—quickly chimed in.
They realized that despite her polished appearance and professional demeanor, Seo-yeon was still a teenage girl. It wasn't that there was an actual problem with her acting.
It was simply that her performance had been genuinely terrifying.
“Is that so?”
Of course, Seo-yeon wasn't actually dejected.
She had only acted that way to test the waters.
However, it was true that she had been nervous. Seo-yeon felt a secret sense of relief at their reactions.
‘Was it too much?’
No, this was the right level.
Seo-yeon reassured herself.
She understood why they were reacting this way.
The role of a lifetime.
At the very least, this role might fall into the category of a "career-defining role" for Ju Seo-yeon.
‘To be precise…’
Rather than for the person named Ju Seo-yeon, it was for her past self.
A role that resembled her life from her previous existence.
“Ahem. First, let’s try a few more scenes.”
Director Bae Jin-hwan spoke up to clear the air.
Furthermore, he wanted to see if the eeriness he felt from Seo-yeon just now was an illusion.
He wasn't the only one. The other actors felt the same.
“Could I try one this time?”
The one who raised her hand was Jung Si-hyun, the actress playing the victim, Han Ye-hwa.
She swallowed hard as she looked at Seo-yeon.
‘So, that’s Ju Seo-yeon.’
Jung Si-hyun was internally tense.
And for good reason.
There was a "victim" of Ju Seo-yeon’s acting in her own agency.
“No, seriously, it’s just too much.”
The woman speaking was aggressively poking at a salad with her fork in a restaurant.
Though she was now in her mid-to-late thirties, her skin was smooth and wrinkle-free. Ha Ye-seo, established as one of South Korea’s representative powerhouse actresses, spoke with indignation.
“Why does she have to come back after ten years just to spit on my grave?”
“You could just film it again, Unnie.”
“…Are you joking? How is an old lady like me supposed to play a role like that now? I’d be the Queen Dowager Yeonhwa, not Princess Yeonhwa.”
An old lady?
Jung Si-hyun clicked her tongue inwardly.
Only a woman who knew better than anyone that she didn't look like an "old lady" could say such a thing. If anyone actually teased her by calling her that, she’d fly into a rage.
“Anyway.”
After rinsing her mouth with a drink, Ha Ye-seo continued.
“So, you’re acting with that girl this time?”
“Yes. I heard she was cast as the villain. The role of Cha Seo-ah.”
“Hmm, a villain.”
Ha Ye-seo recalled the young Seo-yeon she had seen long ago.
Her acting technique had been unrefined, but she was a child actor unlike any other.
How did Ha Ye-seo feel when she saw Seo-yeon’s acting back then?
“It was eerie.”
“Pardon?”
“Emotional acting that didn't fit a child. It felt like her emotions were… skewed. That’s why Jung Eun-seon gave her such a hard time.”
“I guess her personality wasn't great ten years ago either.”
“Beyond just being 'not great,' she was just a tactless old woman.”
Is it okay to talk about a veteran actress like that? Jung Si-hyun wondered, but then again, what couldn't be said behind closed doors?
“Anyway. Be careful.”
“Yes?”
“Unless you want to have your grave spit on like me.”
Honestly, Ha Ye-seo wanted to act with Seo-yeon again.
To settle an old score.
Yes, exactly. She desperately wanted to redeem herself for the past.
Ha Ye-seo chewed on a cherry tomato as she looked at the junior actress before her.
A woman with excellent acting skills, great looks, and a future to look forward to.
‘She definitely has talent, but she’s been acting in a greenhouse for too long.’
Perhaps this movie was a great opportunity.
To break down a wall, one must first see what that wall is made of.
Ha Ye-seo had also quietly watched the first stage performance of the genius child actor who returned after ten years.
“Do your best.”
That was why Ha Ye-seo said those words to her junior.
Jung Si-hyun didn't think much of the rare encouragement from her senior. No matter how good she was, she was still just a teenage actress.
Or so she thought, but seeing her in person, the feeling was completely different.
If she wasn't careful, she might become a victim just like her senior.
No, it would be even more pathetic.
At least Ha Ye-seo had never appeared in the same scene as her.
But what about her?
Han Ye-hwa was the character who appeared most frequently in scenes with Cha Seo-ah.
After all, she was the victim dragged away by her.
“Alright.”
Director Bae Jin-hwan gave the signal.
He thought it would be good for the two of them to test their chemistry.
“Let’s see… it’s Scene 37.”
S# 37.
Unlike the scene with the detective, this was an intense part.
‘I need to see if that acting just now…’
‘Was a fluke.’
‘Or the real deal.’
The actors’ gazes all shifted toward Seo-yeon.
Seo-yeon and Jung Si-hyun.
Two young actresses.
The two of them stood up from the table and faced each other in the open space. The scene was too intense to perform while sitting at a table.
In a spot where the light didn't quite reach, Jung Si-hyun stood and looked at Seo-yeon.
Long black hair, contrasting with pale skin.
Looking into her eyes, she felt as if the hazel irises were gradually turning a deeper shade of red.
It made it even more unsettling.
Even though the acting hadn't started yet, it felt as if Cha Seo-ah herself was standing right there.
Clutching the script in her hand, Jung Si-hyun visualized the scene in her head.
She took a breath.
When she squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, Han Ye-hwa was in an alleyway.
She was running through a narrow alley, with heavy footsteps chasing after her.
The sound of footsteps, which had been distant, gradually grew louder.
「Haah, huff. Haah.」
Han Ye-hwa gasped for air, her breath ragged.
She tried to cover her mouth with both hands, but she couldn't stifle her frantic breathing.
「Why… just why…」
With a fading voice, Han Ye-hwa looked ahead.
She saw an alley blocked by piles of trash.
The footsteps behind her had stopped.
Had they given up?
Han Ye-hwa, who had been facing the wall, slowly turned around.
And there she was.
At the entrance of the alley, a woman was watching her.
In her hand was a hammer.
A common tool found anywhere.
But that tool was stained with something that should never be on it.
Red blood.
The hammer that had just struck her boyfriend’s head was gripped in that hand.
「Why! Why are you doing this!!」
As she screamed, the woman finally began to move.
The woman was smiling.
A joyful smile, as if she were delighted to have found the escaped Han Ye-hwa.
If that were the case—
If that were the case, she wouldn't have felt this much terror.
「Just because.」
The woman spoke with a smile.
The smile on her lips was like unpleasant makeup plastered onto a doll’s face.
「Because it hurts here.」
A monotone voice.
「Because it’s so hard to watch.」
The woman’s pace began to quicken.
Bit by bit.
By the time Han Ye-hwa tried to pull away, gasping for air, the woman was already right in front of her.
Her face was thrust inches from Han Ye-hwa’s.
As if she were reading the emotions held within her eyes.
「It would be so nice if everything were this easy to understand.」
Fear.
Horror.
Those emotions were so vivid and easy to read.
「Like this.」
The girl’s expression shifted.
As if she were mimicking the terrified expression on Han Ye-hwa’s face.
It resembled her.
A human face mimicking terror was…
Utterly repulsive.
「Like this?」
A face distorted by fear.
It was as if she were looking at her own expression through someone else’s face.
「I don’t know.」
The girl’s hand moved.
She prepared to swing the hammer.
Han Ye-hwa had to push her chest away with all her might.
No, she should have pushed her away.
And after a struggle, she should have broken free.
She had to continue the scene.
But Jung Si-hyun froze as she looked at the face of Cha Seo-ah looking down at her.
She was completely crushed by that presence.
Despite her desperate struggle, she was supposed to be struck by the swinging hammer and lose consciousness.
That was how the scene was supposed to go.
“That’s enough.”
The dark alleyway returned to an indoor room with bright lights.
Bae Jin-hwan wiped the sweat from his forehead and stroked his chin.
“You both did very well.”
Those words were sincere praise.
At least, they were until Jung Si-hyun was overwhelmed by Seo-yeon at the end.
Until Jung Si-hyun froze after seeing Seo-yeon’s face up close.
Normally, he would have given feedback on the mistake, but this time it felt a bit ambiguous.
In fact, he felt as though he had undervalued Jung Si-hyun as an actress.
‘But…’
The actors fell into thought as they looked at Jung Si-hyun, who stood there with a hollow expression.
‘The moment they were together, she was completely invisible.’
When they were slightly apart, Jung Si-hyun’s acting was worthy of applause.
But from the moment she was pinned down by Seo-yeon…
The character of Han Ye-hwa vanished entirely.
‘The play.’
Did the acting she showed in the play help this much?
It felt like watching a performance, not a script reading.
It was exaggerated, but because she was the villain, it fit perfectly.
No, because of Ju Seo-yeon’s presence—showing such a perfect synchronization that one wondered if it was even acting—the character of Han Ye-hwa and the actress Jung Si-hyun were completely buried.
‘It’s true that it’s a scene where the villain should stand out.’
‘But it’s difficult if she’s overwhelmed to this extent.’
Each actor wondered what it would have been like if they were in the same scene as Jung Si-hyun.
It wouldn't be easy.
That kind of pressure was the sort of acting only great veterans who could dominate a scene alone possessed.
She had that kind of power.
‘I’ll have to be careful.’
In particular, Kim Dae-heon, the lead actor playing Im Seung-cheol, steeled his resolve.
He had never been told his acting was lacking anywhere.
‘But…’
Kim Dae-heon chuckled softly.
He was also a bit excited.
He looked forward to seeing what kind of magnificent picture would be painted when he appeared in a scene with that girl.
He was eager to see what kind of performance he would deliver.
“…….”
And.
Jung Si-hyun, who had just performed with her, bit her lower lip.
She bowed her head as she faced Seo-yeon.
She was truly ashamed.
“I’m sorry.”
“Pardon?”
“Next time, I’ll do it without making a mistake.”
Jung Si-hyun apologized to an actress ten years younger than her.
It was also a form of self-reflection.
If she hadn't made a mistake, a truly amazing scene would have been captured.
She had ruined it.
‘Next time.’
She vowed never to make a mistake like this again.
She resolved never to ruin the performance Seo-yeon had just shown.
‘…Um.’
Seo-yeon’s lips parted as she looked at Jung Si-hyun, but then she clamped them shut.
She didn't know what to say in a situation like this.
Should she comfort her?
No, in times like this, giving encouragement was…
“F-Fighting.”
“Pardon?”
“O-Oh, never mind…”
Seo-yeon cursed her own lack of communication skills.
Sincerely.
And.
One week later.
As the play Close Your Eyes came to an end with its final performance.
A call came from the cable station Lee Ji-yeon had reached out to.
A program that had been airing on a gaming channel for ten years.
From none other than Play Until the King.