Chapter 80: A Small Catalyst (2)
Chapter 80: A Small Catalyst (2)
“…….”
Ji-yeon let out a sigh at the sight of her classroom, which had been noisy since morning.
The room was buzzing with a strange restlessness.
The reason was simple.
It was all because of a certain someone who had been hovering around her classroom since the first bell, acting all fidgety.
She could have at least waited until lunch.
They were in different classes, and the exam period was looming right after the school festival.
No matter how much Yeonhwa High School was known for being a bit lax with academics, one still had to maintain the basics.
“Ji-yeon, your friend…”
“Is it okay to just leave her like that? Oh, she’s looking this way.”
Whenever Ji-yeon was hanging out with other students, that person would stare over with an expression like a puppy caught in the rain.
It was incredibly distracting.
“She’s always like that.”
“Really?”
Ju Seo-yeon was always like that.
In fact, even that was an act. It was likely a silent protest, a plea for Ji-yeon to talk to her first.
Sometimes it was genuine, but at least for now, it was a performance.
Having watched Seo-yeon for a long time, Ji-yeon knew this all too well.
“You’re mean.”
When lunch finally rolled around and they were able to talk, those were the first words out of Seo-yeon’s mouth.
“You could just make other friends besides me.”
“I did.”
Ah, the class president?
Ji-yeon couldn’t quite remember the name, but she had seen Seo-yeon talking to her class president.
Hmm.
She wasn't sure if they were "friends" yet, but they were definitely on speaking terms.
Seo-yeon had a bit of an odd personality, but she wasn't a bad person, so they would probably get close soon. Or so Ji-yeon thought.
“…….”
While Ji-yeon was lost in thought, Seo-yeon was wrestling with a dilemma.
Should I mention yesterday’s broadcast?
Setting aside the Ramiel persona, she wanted to say thank you.
Ji-yeon hadn't forgotten the things Seo-yeon had talked about when they were kids and had recreated them perfectly.
Seo-yeon had fainted right after the "Happy Birthday" message, so she hadn't seen the whole thing live, but she had looked up the rest after waking up this morning.
The rest was a standard debut broadcast.
While she couldn't see the original Ramiel’s first debut, she had managed to catch this one.
For a first broadcast—and an indie one at that—it got a lot of mentions.
First of all, the sheer amount of money poured into it seemed to have grabbed people's attention.
On top of that, her acting skills and voice clearly showed professional training, leading some to speculate that a corporation had released her as a tech demo.
“…….”
Seo-yeon, who had been debating whether to ask, eventually shook her head.
Seeing her, Ji-yeon let out a small chuckle.
She had recently learned a bit about how VTubers worked.
Knowing Seo-yeon’s stubbornness in the strangest areas, Ji-yeon was certain she would never bring it up herself.
The boundary that separated Ramiel from Lee Ji-yeon.
Still, seeing her like this, it seemed she had definitely received the gift yesterday.
For Ji-yeon, it was something she had prepared for quite a long time.
I’ve known her for ten years.
She couldn't help but know what Seo-yeon wanted to say—and what she knew about Ramiel.
“I heard the PV drops today?”
“Ah, yeah.”
Seo-yeon nodded.
The PV for The Chaser was scheduled to release tonight at 10 PM.
Once full-scale promotion began, the movie would be released in three months at the earliest, or four at the latest.
The exact date was supposed to be announced within the month, so it really wasn't far off.
“I guess I should work hard too.”
At Ji-yeon’s words, Seo-yeon shifted her gaze for a moment.
Ji-yeon was currently achieving decent results on cable TV, but she lacked a mainstream public image.
A drama or movie that Lee Ji-yeon could star in.
Seo-yeon glanced at Ji-yeon out of the corner of her eye.
Objectively speaking, Ji-yeon’s acting was quite good.
However, that was "for her age"; compared to actual adult actors, there were definitely areas that left something to be desired.
But she certainly had the potential for growth.
If only there was a catalyst…
But no particular project came to mind.
Most roles were currently out of reach for Ji-yeon given her current career stage.
And personally, Seo-yeon also wanted to do a project together with her…
Tap.
As she was lost in thought, Ji-yeon tapped Seo-yeon on the shoulder with her palm.
When Seo-yeon turned to see what was wrong—
“……Something seems a bit noisy?”
Is it?
Seo-yeon looked up and scanned the surroundings.
She could hear the murmuring of students.
The way they were rushing toward a certain spot made it seem as if a celebrity had arrived.
…A celebrity?
Ji-yeon and Seo-yeon’s eyes met.
Without a word, both of them stood up from the bench they were sitting on.
*
“You’re late.”
“…….”
At the woman’s sharp remark, Seo-yeon momentarily didn't know how to respond.
Is everyone into making sudden appearances these days?
The woman had sharp eyes and brown-tinted hair tied to the side.
She looked every bit the haughty princess or queen.
If she hadn't been wearing the brown school uniform, one might have mistaken her for an adult.
“Ju Seo-yeon, is that… I mean, is she your friend?”
“……Well.”
Ji-yeon had definitely looked like she was about to say "that thing."
She probably watched her words because they were in the same industry.
However, the entrance was certainly dramatic enough to warrant being called "that thing."
“Jo Seo-hee?”
“Is that really Jo Seo-hee? Wow, she’s gorgeous.”
“Do they know each other?”
Seo-yeon could feel the eyes of the students watching them at the school gate.
Even the Dean of Students was standing there, looking on in admiration.
Shouldn't he be stopping this? Seo-yeon wondered.
Why is Jo Seo-hee here…
She sighed as she felt the students' gazes shifting between her and Jo Seo-hee.
“What brings you here?”
“You can speak comfortably.”
Jo Seo-hee said.
She seemed to be mindful of Seo-yeon’s previous comment: “We’re not exactly close, are we?”
They were the same age.
While she could certainly speak casually, Jo Seo-hee had a strangely mature aura.
Furthermore, since she had debuted earlier than Seo-yeon, she wasn't easy to deal with.
“……Hmph. Fine.”
Jo Seo-hee seemed to give up and gestured behind her.
Then, a woman who appeared to be her manager brought something over.
It was a paper bag filled with several boxes.
“Birthday gifts.”
“?”
“From me, and from Senior Park.”
There was only one person she would call "Senior Park."
Park Jung-woo.
“He said if he came himself, it would definitely cause trouble, so he put me to work.”
Seo-hee clicked her tongue.
“Ah, and of course, mine is a personal tribute.”
“A tribute?”
“Yes. Just as you said… we aren't exactly close.”
Seo-hee said with a smirk.
“So I’m trying to win you over a bit.”
“…….”
When Seo-yeon took a step back at those words, Jo Seo-hee let out a chuckle.
“I didn't mean it like that. You can't take a joke.”
“Right.”
It was a bit awkward to say, but for Seo-yeon, Jo Seo-hee—who was the quintessential "villainess" type—was quite overwhelming.
Separately, she felt that becoming friends with a female actor her own age wouldn't be a bad thing.
It’s strange…
Just when did she and Park Jung-woo become close enough for him to ask her to deliver a gift?
With that question in mind, she checked the paper bag she had received.
It was clearly filled with expensive items.
What was slightly amusing was that the bag was filled with products that Jo Seo-hee herself modeled for.
What incredible self-confidence.
This was something Seo-yeon actually wanted to emulate.
“Next year.”
That was when Jo Seo-hee spoke.
“Pardon?”
“You seem busy this year, so I want to set a date for next year. Is that okay?”
No.
Seo-yeon wanted to say that, but she decided to hear her out first and nodded.
“Do you know Director Baek Min?”
“Yes. He’s the director of Emergency Cooperation.”
“Right. I was in that movie too.”
Is she bragging?
As Seo-yeon looked at her with that thought—
“I became close with him then, and I happened to hear something. He’s going to be filming a movie next year.”
Director Baek Min was famous for making high-quality, artistic films.
He was a director who achieved great results with small budgets and had a significant influence on the public.
Wait, could it be?
As soon as she thought that, one specific project surfaced vividly in Seo-yeon’s memory.
“I haven't heard exactly what the project is, but I heard they’ll be casting a large number of actresses.”
“Ah, I see.”
“……‘I see’?”
“Ah, no, nothing.”
Seo-yeon nodded.
Director Baek Min’s movie.
It was a film that had achieved truly excellent results.
The audience count was around 4 million.
While that might not sound legendary, it was an incredible figure considering the genre.
Furthermore, that movie had definitely sent shockwaves through the public.
Most importantly, it was highly acclaimed abroad, even being mentioned at the Academy Awards.
It had achieved the feat of winning several international awards.
It was a great opportunity to raise one's profile internationally.
“You can learn a lot by appearing in a Director Baek Min film.”
Essentially, she was saying she wanted to star in a movie with Seo-yeon.
Since it was an artistic project, it was a perfect stage to prove one's acting skills.
In fact, this particular movie by Director Baek Min required immense acting talent.
“……I’ll think about it.”
“Hmm.”
Jo Seo-hee seemed dissatisfied with Seo-yeon’s answer, but she eventually nodded.
“Was I being a nuisance?”
“No, it’s not that I don't want to star in it with you.”
“Really? Hmm, alright.”
It might have been her imagination, but Jo Seo-hee seemed quite…
No, she seemed incredibly dejected.
She had looked so triumphant when she was talking about Director Baek Min’s movie.
“……Anyway, let me know if you want to do it. I’ll put your name in for the audition.”
After saying that, Jo Seo-hee briefly glanced at Lee Ji-yeon, who was standing beside Seo-yeon.
And then.
“I’ll put in a word for your friend too, if you want.”
With that, she hopped into her van and sped away.
She had likely taken a moment out of her lunch break to visit.
The reason Jo Seo-hee had mentioned Ji-yeon wasn't for any other reason.
If I win over the friend, won't she come around?
She had simply thought of a shallow tactic like that.
But for Seo-yeon, this was quite a predicament.
She really doesn't know what movie it is…
If she did, she wouldn't have been able to so confidently tell Seo-yeon, “Let’s star in it together.”
After all.
The title of Director Baek Min’s next movie was Gyeongseong Lady.
It was a lesbian film depicting love between women.
*
The first reveal of The Chaser’s PV.
A work by Director Bae Jin-hwan, who was known as a magician of visual aesthetics.
It was a project that the public had high expectations for, but there was also an underlying anxiety due to its thriller genre.
This was because recent Korean thriller movies had been failing one after another, leading to talk that the public might be feeling "thriller fatigue."
“Five minutes to go.”
Producer Cha Jin-hwan exchanged glances with the PV promotion team as they waited for 10 PM, the scheduled release time.
He felt like his blood was drying up.
If it had been the second or third PV, he wouldn't have thought much of it.
But the first PV was the indicator that allowed them to see the public’s initial reaction.
No matter how much people said PVs were just hype, if there was no reaction even there, the probability of the movie failing skyrocketed.
There was a reason why movies that climbed back up the charts became such a hot topic.
Because, normally, that just doesn't happen.
Naturally, Producer Cha Jin-hwan didn't want to rely on such a miracle.
“It’s live!!”
And with that, the PV for The Chaser began appearing on all sorts of online communities.
Please.
And as if in answer to Producer Cha Jin-hwan’s prayer—
<Movie: The Chaser 1st Trailer>
Views: 2,170,344
Daily views surpassed two million.
This was the highest view count for any movie trailer released this year.