Chapter 64: Ramiel (2)
Chapter 64: Ramiel (2)
"Seo-yeon, Mom brought some fruit—"
Sua knocked on her daughter's door and opened it cautiously, her voice trailing off.
Seo-yeon was slumped over her desk, her head buried in her arms.
Is she dead?
For a fleeting moment, the sight was alarming enough to warrant the question.
However, a YouTube video that had just finished playing was visible on the monitor, suggesting she had been watching something until a moment ago.
My daughter is watching something weird again.
With that thought, Sua placed the fruit next to the slumped Seo-yeon and quietly slipped out of the room. It wasn't as if her daughter acting strange was a rare occurrence.
'Who is it...?'
Seo-yeon slowly sat up and began to munch on a slice of apple from the plate.
As the refreshing sweetness hit her system, her mind felt a bit clearer. Her insides, however, were still churning.
Jealousy!
Seo-yeon hadn't realized it yet, but the feeling scorching her heart—the impulse that made her gnash her teeth into the apple without even noticing—was pure jealousy!
'Someone who can teach Lee Ji-yeon about modeling and equipment.'
No one came to mind. Among the people Ji-yeon knew, who was capable of that?
'Was there someone else besides me?'
Clearly, when Ji-yeon had visited Seo-yeon's house before, she had seemed to know absolutely nothing about VTubers. Had she asked someone else after that and started because she got interested?
"Ugh."
She couldn't bring herself to replay the video.
That Mage.
Wait, if the Mage is already active as a VTuber, couldn't she find out by searching?
Seo-yeon knew a fair amount about the domestic VTuber scene, but she didn't know everyone. There were gaps in her knowledge.
The Blue Mage was one of those gaps.
'30,000 subscribers and about a thousand average viewers.'
For an indie VTuber, those were impressive numbers. Why hadn't she known about her?
More importantly, that wasn't the point. Was there a Red Pill?
'Nothing...'
She could tell the VTuber had been active for over a year, but there was no other information. Judging by the voice, it was someone who had properly trained their vocalization.
'Vocalization?'
Thinking that far, Seo-yeon considered a single possibility. If it was someone close to Lee Ji-yeon with good vocalization, the list of candidates narrowed down significantly.
Surely, someone from the voice acting academy...
Vrrrrt!
Just then, Seo-yeon's phone vibrated. She snatched it up hastily.
—What is it, Ju Seo-yeon? Did you call?
Lee Ji-yeon's prickly voice came through the line. Seo-yeon looked at the monitor, overlapping the image of Ramiel with Ji-yeon.
'Can't I just ask her?'
Right. Why was she making this so complicated?
Seo-yeon intended to ask nonchalantly, but...
'...'
She hesitated. Was it okay to just ask something like this? It was essentially asking for a Red Pill point-blank.
Even if Seo-yeon was certain that Ramiel and Ji-yeon were the same person, hearing it directly from her was a different matter entirely.
"Oh, the midterm... I was calling about the exam range."
—You don't even study.
"..."
Seo-yeon was left speechless. She couldn't exactly argue with that.
*
The next day.
As much as she wanted to go poke around the voice acting academy immediately, she unfortunately couldn't. Seo-yeon was so busy with the movie shoot that she could hardly find any free time.
To make matters worse, today was an early morning shoot, so she had skipped school and couldn't ask Ji-yeon in person.
"Seo-yeon, you look a bit tired."
"I'm fine."
"Really? It's an important role, so you need to manage your condition well. You know that, right?"
"Yes."
Seo-yeon nodded at actor Kim Dae-heon's words. She couldn't very well tell him that she hadn't slept properly because she was fuming after watching a VTuber broadcast.
'Condition management...'
He was right.
Seo-yeon's role was Cha Seo-ah, the main villain of the film. Her importance in the story was immense, and she appeared in so many scenes that if Seo-yeon were to miss a shoot, the number of scenes they could film would drop significantly.
A few times might be fine, but frequent issues would delay the release.
'It's different from when I was a child actor.'
The level of responsibility was different. And so was the weight of the role.
Seo-yeon forced herself to focus.
The filming began.
'Her acting as Cha Seo-ah is almost like she's playing herself.'
Director Bae Jin-hwan had felt a slight lingering dissatisfaction during the previous shoots. To be honest, Seo-yeon's performance as Cha Seo-ah was flawless.
And yet, there was just one tiny thing. He felt like it needed just one more layer.
Specifically, the motive for the murders. The emotions Cha Seo-ah displayed regarding them were ambiguous.
Of course, ambiguity had its own charm, allowing the audience to speculate. Cha Seo-ah's motive. Her feelings about killing.
However, Bae Jin-hwan wanted Seo-yeon to express them a bit more clearly.
Is it too much to ask of a teenage actress?
He started to feel like he was being greedy. Asking an actress who was already doing perfectly well to do even better? Honestly, he ran the risk of ruining a performance that was already great.
But.
Let's see how she does today and then mention it.
What was a director's job, after all? Ultimately, it was to guide and demand the performance necessary to capture the desired scene. If something was bothering him, he had to speak up.
And I'm sure...
With Seo-yeon's potential, she would be able to do it in no time. Bae Jin-hwan had that kind of faith in her.
"Today's scene has been revised. You heard, right? That some of Cha Seo-ah's settings were changed?"
"Ah, yes. The convenience store part-timer, right?"
The one who spoke was actress Jung Si-hyun, who played the victim, Han Ye-hwa. Today was her first scene. Originally, they were supposed to run into each other on the street, but the revised scene changed it to them meeting at a convenience store.
"Scene number 34."
The timeline was the day after the chase with the detective. In other words, after the fourth victim had been found.
Police cars lined the streets. The scene showed busy police officers moving about. In contrast, it showed a happy Han Ye-hwa, foreshadowing her as the next victim.
Han Ye-hwa, the victim and essentially the heroine of this movie. This was her first appearance.
"The atmosphere is crucial for this scene. Si-hyun and Seo-yeon, your vibes need to be in total contrast."
Before filming started, Bae Jin-hwan gave brief directions. The general camera movement, the required mood, and the emotional arc.
For Jung Si-hyun, the acting wasn't particularly difficult. Han Ye-hwa was an ordinary person who couldn't possibly imagine that the ongoing murders would ever happen to her. She just had to act like a happy woman, excited about a date with her lover.
The important part was Seo-yeon. Cha Seo-ah had to face her with a smile while creating a sense of tension. The gloomy emotions of Cha Seo-ah had to be revealed in contrast to the happy Han Ye-hwa.
As intensely and clearly as possible.
"Alright! Let's give it a try."
With a sharp clap of his hands, everyone began moving to their designated spots.
Cameras and audio were checked. The actors moved to their positions. Jung Si-hyun went to the street, and Seo-yeon went behind the convenience store counter.
'I never thought I'd be playing a convenience store part-timer.'
Seo-yeon toyed with the uniform she was wearing. To think she'd be wearing the same uniform as the convenience store she frequented.
'Cha Seo-ah's emotions.'
To be honest, a customer service role didn't suit Cha Seo-ah. Since she suffered from a condition that prevented her from expressing emotions correctly, she shouldn't be able to handle customer service in the first place.
But such realistic details were likely sacrificed for the sake of the plot's entertainment value.
'Or maybe I should think of it as her mimicking others, like I do.'
Acting as if she had hidden or overcome her condition. But in reality, she hadn't changed at all. Cha Seo-ah's acting was more awkward and crude than Seo-yeon's own past efforts.
That was why Cha Seo-ah rarely made expressions. She didn't think deeply about emotions. No matter how she tried to show them, they only ever made others feel uncomfortable.
And then.
The convenience store door opened.
Today was an ordinary day. At least, it was for Cha Seo-ah. Her body felt a bit stiff because of everything that had happened last night, but that was fine. She could just tell herself she'd worked out a bit too hard.
With that thought, she looked at the customer who had just walked in.
—Yeah, Oppa. Nothing's wrong with me. I know, I know.
A woman talking brightly on her phone, holding it in one hand. She had brown hair and a generally cute impression. She had the kind of face that looked like it was born to be loved by others.
—...
There were other customers in the store, but Cha Seo-ah's gaze slowly followed her. The woman with the bright face. Han Ye-hwa, wearing a happy smile.
Slowly, Cha Seo-ah's eyelids began to quiver. Her lips twitched as if convulsing, unable to find the right expression. It was because she couldn't judge for herself what emotion she was currently feeling.
Even though there were other customers, Cha Seo-ah's pupils moved slowly, as if under a spell.
The camera, zoomed in, captured Cha Seo-ah's gaze perfectly.
'What the...'
Bae Jin-hwan's mouth fell open as he watched the sequence. The emotion reflected clearly in Seo-yeon's eyes was unmistakable.
Jealousy.
That intense flame was vividly palpable. It wasn't just Bae Jin-hwan; the other staff members felt it too. A tension existed there that stood in stark contrast to the cheerfully chatting Han Ye-hwa.
The camera director, who was looking at the magnified screen, felt that emotion even more acutely. Seo-yeon had always had a high synchronization rate with Cha Seo-ah. But now, with the addition of Cha Seo-ah's motive—jealousy toward a happy human being—the tension was on another level.
The tension they had seen from Cha Seo-ah until now seemed like 'nothing' in comparison. It was as if they were looking at the real thing...
—...!
Perhaps that was why Jung Si-hyun, playing Han Ye-hwa, flinched as she finished her call and turned toward the counter. She had reacted subconsciously to the unexpectedly intense acting.
It's unavoidable.
Any human would have reacted that way instinctively. If they weren't expecting it, they couldn't help but react to the tension radiating from Cha Seo-ah—and the uncanny discomfort of someone who was human but didn't seem human.
It wasn't a mistake. It was natural.
However, since it was technically an NG for the scene, Bae Jin-hwan was about to shout "Cut" when...
—...The weather is nice today, isn't it?
Han Ye-hwa spoke. She looked at Cha Seo-ah, who was staring at her, with a smile.
—Pardon?
—You look a bit tired. I think anyone would feel that way, working on such a beautiful day.
She added that it was especially true in the spring.
On a nice afternoon, it was only natural for one's body to feel sluggish. Han Ye-hwa held out a glass bottle she had just picked up to Cha Seo-ah. It was a vitamin drink.
—Drink this and hang in there.
Han Ye-hwa said with a kind smile. Cha Seo-ah reflexively took it and watched Han Ye-hwa's back as she left the store. She kept watching until another customer called out to her.
Endlessly.
"Cut!!"
As the scene concluded, Bae Jin-hwan shouted. He had thought it was an NG, but he never expected Jung Si-hyun to pull off such a natural ad-lib.
"That line wasn't in the script, right?"
"No, sir."
"Jung Si-hyun's acting was sharp today."
It was a natural performance. The brief moment of being shaken actually seemed to highlight Han Ye-hwa's character.
"Seo-yeon."
"Yes?"
Before praising Jung Si-hyun's ad-lib, Bae Jin-hwan called Seo-yeon first.
"Did you do some kind of special training?"
"Pardon?"
"Actually, I was planning to talk to you about something today, but I guess I don't need to anymore. You portrayed Cha Seo-ah's emotions perfectly."
At Bae Jin-hwan's words, Seo-yeon...
"...?"
...simply wondered if that was the case. She felt like she had acted the same as usual. But then, it hit her.
"Ah."
Seo-yeon realized what she had subconsciously channeled during the performance.
Jealousy.
The one emotion that had been identical to what she was feeling.
"Ah, yes. I... I did some special training."
Seo-yeon couldn't bring herself to say what the catalyst had been. She had at least that much tact.