Chapter 74: Movie Promotion (1)
Chapter 74: Movie Promotion (1)
“…….”
Seo-yeon looked away, her face filled with the guilt of a puppy that had done something wrong.
Ji-yeon let out a long sigh at the sight of her friend’s face—eyes darting toward the ceiling in a desperate attempt to escape reality.
“You, seriously…”
She had expected this.
Seo-yeon probably hadn't been satisfied with the ghost acting she’d done during practice. So, she must have practiced on her own, perhaps by watching movies.
The Exorcist.
Judging by what she’d seen, that seemed to be the reference material.
To be honest, even Ji-yeon’s hair had stood on end when she saw Seo-yeon crawling down the stairs backward.
But shouldn't a ghost crawl down a bit more slowly?
She had moved so fast that instead of looking like the girl from The Exorcist, she looked more like some kind of giant insect.
Of course, that was terrifying in its own right.
“Do you have any idea?”
“?”
“People are saying there’s a real ghost in there now.”
“I-I didn't know that,” Seo-yeon mumbled.
After meeting Ji-yeon, Seo-yeon had toned down her acting a bit, but the haunted house itself had become a massive hit. Her intense performance had become the talk of the school.
“No one expected you to move around like that, so they’re treating it like a hallucination or an actual ghost.”
How can a human crawl down backward like that?
There’s no way someone could be that fast in that position.
Faced with such common-sense arguments, the male students who had been chased by the "ghost" were now convinced they had witnessed a supernatural phenomenon. The old school building would likely remain a hotspot for "courage tests" for quite some time.
At Ji-yeon’s words, Seo-yeon felt a pang of regret. Honestly, she was aware she might have gone a little too far.
But their reactions were just so good.
Seo-yeon offered a silent apology to those boys. It couldn't be helped; not many students had made it to the second floor in the first place, and no one else had given her such a satisfyingly terrified reaction.
She hadn't expected that her excitement in chasing them would turn into such a blunder.
What a shame.
Truthfully, she wanted to do more. While she disliked waiting alone, scaring the students had been genuinely fun.
So this is why creatures in games chase people so relentlessly.
Seo-yeon felt she could finally empathize with the heart of a monster.
“Ju Seo-yeon, you’re going to get hurt doing that. What if a guy gets so scared he lashes out and attacks you while you’re charging at him?”
“I’d just have to win.”
“…….”
Ji-yeon was speechless. Well, yes, she probably would win. But she wondered if that was something an actress should be saying.
Watching Seo-yeon ramble on about how she’d kept her guard up against low kicks even while her head was pointed toward the floor, Ji-yeon decided to change the subject before the conversation devolved into a masculine discourse on grappling techniques.
“So,” Ji-yeon started, “did you make any friends?”
“……Hmm.”
Seo-yeon, who had been mid-explanation about a transition into a takedown, fell silent. Her gaze drifted forward.
The two of them were currently sitting on a bench in the schoolyard. It was the closing ceremony of the school festival. The festival at Yeonhwa High School lasted for two days, and during that time, Seo-yeon had worked quite hard on her ghost acting.
Hmm.
Seo-yeon pondered the question. Had she made friends? She wasn't entirely sure.
“Halfway.”
“Well, they’re your classmates, so I guess they’re 'half-friends' in a way,” Ji-yeon quipped.
Seo-yeon pouted at the remark. “I got into the class group chat.”
“How impressive.”
“The rest will happen in no time,” Seo-yeon said triumphantly.
However, Ji-yeon had noticed that the female students who had seen Seo-yeon crawling on all fours were clearly avoiding her. Even if it was just a rumor, there were actual witnesses.
“Ju Seo-yeon,” Ji-yeon said. “Your birthday is in two months, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, that’s right.”
“I see.”
At Seo-yeon’s answer, Ji-yeon looked out toward the field without another word. Seo-yeon tilted her head, wondering what was on her friend's mind.
I have no idea what she’s thinking.
With that thought, Seo-yeon turned her gaze back to the field. Soon, fireworks began to soar into the sky.
A fireworks display. It seemed the school had prepared quite well for this.
A peaceful student life.
Come to think of it…
Seo-yeon suddenly realized something. Watching a school festival with a friend was something her past self could never have even dreamed of.
What kind of emotion was one supposed to feel at a time like this?
She felt good, but there was also a ticklish sensation in her chest.
It was an emotion that had been denied to her in her past life—and to Cha Seo-ah.
“…….”
Through her ghost acting, she had learned the face of terror. And from within Cha Seo-ah, an emotion had begun to leak out.
Jealousy toward those who possessed what she did not.
Pure madness.
That was the setting for the character Cha Seo-ah. She was a villain. She didn't know emotion. She had been abused. But even with those excuses, her numerous murders could not be justified.
That was why Seo-yeon had intended to express Cha Seo-ah’s terror through this performance.
I should add one more thing.
Watching the fireworks burst in the sky, Seo-yeon thought about the emotions a normal girl was never allowed to enjoy.
She had a vague feeling that Cha Seo-ah hadn't committed those acts out of simple jealousy.
“Lee Ji-yeon.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you free this weekend?”
It was an invitation to meet up. It might have been a mundane question, but…
“…….”
The expression on Seo-yeon’s face as she watched the fireworks spread across the sky was one Ji-yeon had never seen before. It wasn't the kind of look this usually dazed girl would wear.
“Sure,” Ji-yeon nodded.
She didn't ask why.
*
The highlights of The Chaser had all been filmed.
The remaining scenes for Cha Seo-ah were of her daily life and the moments she murdered other victims. They were meant to show her side as an embodiment of terror—scenes that explained why she had committed these crimes.
The audience needed to see her jealousy toward others and her descent into losing her humanity.
Originally, Seo-yeon had planned to simply replicate her past self. She thought she just had to portray the hypothetical scenario of being abused and being unable to mimic others' expressions properly.
But.
I’m the one acting.
She could still clearly remember her past self—how she thought and how she acted. However, the current Ju Seo-yeon possessed proper emotions. She didn't know what kind of feelings her past self had viewed the world with, because back then, she hadn't even been capable of perceiving them.
She felt that only by understanding those emotions could she truly understand Cha Seo-ah’s motives—the emotions her past self had felt toward others.
This place is…
It was the weekend. Filming was scheduled for the next day, but Seo-yeon and Ji-yeon had traveled all the way to the provinces.
Daejeon.
Surely she hadn't come all this way just to buy bread at Sungsimdang.
Her expression is so strange.
Ji-yeon had heard the gist of it. Seo-yeon had said there was one last thing she wanted to prepare for tomorrow’s shoot. Ji-yeon couldn't see how coming to Daejeon related to that, but…
How could I ever know what’s going on in her head?
Seo-yeon had been strange since they were kids. By now, Ji-yeon was adjusted to it and didn't think much of it. Even when Seo-yeon did something odd, she always had her reasons.
She shouldn't have much experience traveling to the provinces.
Ji-yeon followed behind Seo-yeon.
Daejeon was a city about an hour and a half from Seoul by train. Not far, but not exactly close either. Naturally, Seo-yeon, who had lived in Seoul her whole life, should have had no reason to come here.
Yet, Seo-yeon’s footsteps were certain. Like someone who had lived here for a long time, she walked without hesitation.
“Ju Seo-yeon, are you here to meet someone?”
When Ji-yeon finally asked, Seo-yeon simply replied, “No.”
They kept walking, and Seo-yeon naturally stopped by various places. A slightly dilapidated shopping district. An alley lined with old signs. An elementary school that looked quite aged. And a middle school that looked relatively clean in comparison.
“What about the high school?”
“That’s too far.”
That place. It was a strange way to put it.
The final destination was an apartment complex in a somewhat secluded area. Still, it felt well-maintained and tidy.
Because they had been walking for so long, the sky was already growing dark. Cars were lining up as people returned home from work.
And then.
A happy-looking family caught their eyes. A young girl with a wide smile and a kind-looking woman were walking hand-in-hand, looking as if they had just come back from an outing.
The sight was enough to bring a faint, unconscious smile to Ji-yeon’s lips.
“…….”
But Seo-yeon just stood there, watching the scene. For some reason, her eyes were filled with incredibly complex emotions.
Why?
Were they not strangers? If she knew them, why didn't she say anything?
Just as those questions arose…
“I see,” Seo-yeon whispered.
It wasn't much. She just said those words and slowly turned around.
“There was something I wanted to reference for my acting.”
“Huh?”
“Cha Seo-ah’s motive.”
Ji-yeon was puzzled by Seo-yeon’s words. She thought Seo-yeon was already doing an amazing job.
“I think I understand a little now.”
At Ji-yeon’s remark, Seo-yeon finally smiled.
“It doesn't matter anymore, though.”
It was a clear smile, the shadows that had briefly lingered now gone. Only then could Ji-yeon feel at ease.
The two returned to Seoul, and from the next day, the remaining filming for The Chaser began.
*
“Great work, everyone!”
“You worked hard too, Seo-yeon. Is that the end of Cha Seo-ah’s scenes?”
A month passed like that. Filming for The Chaser was reaching its final stages. At the very least, all the scenes involving Cha Seo-ah had been shot.
“Yes, I’m finished.”
Watching Seo-yeon wipe the sweat from her forehead with a look of relief, Director Bae Jin-hwan fell into thought.
Her acting… it got even better.
Previously, her Cha Seo-ah felt like seeing the character herself. It was a brilliant performance, enough to make him never regret casting her. That brilliance had especially shone in the highlight scenes, and he had thought a decent performance would be enough for the connecting scenes in between.
“Honestly,” Director Bae said with a grin. “Every single scene is so good that editing isn't going to be easy. The staff are practically in tears.”
“……Really?”
“Oh, absolutely. Where did you learn to act like that, Seo-yeon? This Cha Seo-ah is really something else.”
In a thriller, the villain is crucial. The audience has to feel fear to truly immerse themselves. If the motive for the crimes isn't convincing, it breaks the immersion.
In that sense, Cha Seo-ah’s motive was quite difficult to portray. Simple jealousy. If it felt like only that, it could feel a bit weak.
Just because of that?
If the audience felt that way, the character was a failure. However, Seo-yeon had used her acting to perfectly express why Cha Seo-ah had done those things.
“It’s a very deep emotional performance… Considering your age, Seo-yeon, it’s at a level that leaves me speechless.”
“……I-Is that so?”
Seo-yeon flinched slightly at the mention of her age. Regardless of anything else, she was currently a high school girl. A high school girl.
As Seo-yeon repeated that to herself, the director continued.
“Filming is almost over. It’s about time we start the promotions.”
“Promotions?”
“Yes, you’ll need to appear on broadcasts and such. Seo-yeon, do you have anything in mind? I wanted to hear your thoughts first.”
Movie promotion. Appearing on various variety shows or events to get her face out there. Seo-yeon was familiar with it, having done something similar during Taesumdal. Of course, she hadn't done it that much since she was a child actor back then.
Since I’m the villain this time, I’ll probably have to do it much more often than back then, right?
But even so, nothing specific came to Seo-yeon’s mind. She didn't know every detail of how these things worked.
“If you don't have anything in particular, I’ll let the promotion team know.”
“Yes, please do.”
“The other actors will be with you, so you don't have to worry too much.”
Seo-yeon nodded at Director Bae’s words. She figured it would just be things like interview shows or promotional events similar to what she’d done in the past.