Chapter 81: Dramatic (1)
Chapter 81: Dramatic (1)
The internet was buzzing for a while after the trailer for The Chaser was released.
Director Bae Jin-hwan.
It was the new film from a man considered a genius director in Korea.
On top of that, it was a thriller with a fairly impressive cast.
Since it was a movie produced with investment from the GH Group, some people looked at it with a jaundiced eye, but it was undeniably a highly anticipated new release.
Most of all, expectations were high because domestic Korean films had recently been struggling against foreign superhero movies.
“I just hope the plot isn't too predictable,” film critic Na Dong-sik said, shaking his head.
A thriller movie—fine, he liked those.
He had even heard that Director Bae Jin-hwan had been given a lot of leeway in casting.
“A raincoat killer... I don’t know how long they’re going to keep using that trope,” Na Dong-sik’s colleague, another critic, said with a smirk.
“...No, well, I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s a classic. But, hmm.”
“A bit lacking in impact?”
“Exactly. This is...”
He replayed the movie trailer.
The trailer released yesterday was two minutes long.
Naturally, one couldn't know the entire plot of the movie from just that.
So, looking only at the available information...
“The stature is too small.”
“It’s even worse because the actor Kim Dae-heon is so huge and he’s right next to them.”
“Right, right. That’s exactly it. The culprit... they certainly have an aura, but...”
Why did they choose someone with such a small frame as the culprit?
Granted, anyone is dangerous if they’re holding a knife, even a woman.
“A woman?”
Na Dong-sik, who had muttered the words unconsciously, narrowed his eyes.
“Ah, the culprit is a woman? That’s possible.”
“Hmm. If that’s the case, I’m not expecting much.”
The culprit needs to show a proper sense of presence.
It wasn't that he was being macho and saying it couldn't be a woman, but there was a certain atmosphere that came from physical appearance.
Absolute evil.
He felt that a woman would be relatively lacking in projecting that kind of image.
“And is she a lead, too? Her face shows up in the trailer.”
“Ah, actress Ju Seo-yeon? Maybe they put her in because she’s a hot topic lately?”
She was certainly incredibly beautiful.
A face that looked like it belonged in a convenience store part-time job.
And looking at the internet reaction, she was supposedly appearing on a variety show soon.
“Sending a supporting actress to a variety show for promotion...”
“The release date seems quite far off, so they’re probably trying to capitalize on her recent popularity.”
It would be at least a few more months before the movie was released.
Even if they were releasing promotional videos, sending her to a variety show felt a bit early.
However, the decision to send her out so quickly had to be seen as an intention to use her current buzz.
They were throwing a jab first, and the major promotions would follow in a few months.
“Hmm...”
But for some reason, Na Dong-sik couldn't stop thinking about this actress, Ju Seo-yeon.
He had heard that Producer Cha Dong-jin was involved in this movie.
The man was clever.
GH Group hadn't entrusted him with this for no reason.
Is that really all they’re aiming for?
Common sense said yes, but...
Ju Seo-yeon.
Of course he had seen her. He was someone who remembered The Moon that Hides the Sun vividly.
He clearly remembered the acting Ju Seo-yeon had shown during her days as a child actress.
On top of that, her recent appearance in Looking at the Past and Memories.
And her power to draw in audiences shown in Close Your Eyes.
The influence she exerted on the public was far beyond that of a simple supporting role in a convenience store.
No.
There was no way.
In a role where anyone would have sufficed...
It was strange in many ways that such a conspicuous actress had been cast.
“Ah, I should post a brief impression of the trailer today.”
Na Dong-sik nodded at his colleague’s words.
He could guess what kind of post the man was going to write.
Since he was a critic who mostly spewed harsh reviews, he would probably pour out all the negative aspects of The Chaser.
It wasn't even a proper review.
Just a one-line post on social media.
“I think I’ll pass this time.”
“Really?”
The colleague looked puzzled at Na Dong-sik’s words.
Na Dong-sik was usually the one to take the lead in things like this.
But, for some reason...
He felt like he shouldn't do it this time.
At least, not until the movie was released.
*
There’s a common saying that one’s life can change overnight.
Of course, my case was a bit different, but there were similarities.
Since I had experience filming dramas before, I vaguely thought it would be similar, but...
“A-Ah, hello.”
“?”
At the convenience store I always stop by before school, the part-timer rarely initiated a conversation, but today he did.
When I looked at him as if asking why...
“You’re... you’re a movie actress. I-I recognized you immediately.”
He fumbled to pull out his smartphone and showed it to me.
It was the trailer for The Chaser, which had already surpassed 2.4 million views.
To be honest, there was a part of it that didn't feel real.
Every time I refreshed the video, the views went up in real-time, and I couldn't tell if people were actually watching it.
“I’ll be rooting for you!”
I gave the convenience store employee a light smile and ran to school.
There were more people recognizing me than before.
The first change was when I filmed the variety show Looking at the Past and Memories.
The next was Play Until the King.
After those two, a few more people knew who I was.
But this time, it felt like there would be even more.
Maybe.
I felt like I might have entered a world a bit larger than I had thought.
“The reaction to the first trailer was so good that we’re already preparing the second one.”
Director Bae Jin-hwan spoke to Seo-yeon with a look of pure happiness.
It was understandable, given that the initial reaction had been positive.
He said he heard it was the highest figure among movies released this year.
“Seo-yeon.”
“Yes.”
“How were your exams?”
“...”
Seo-yeon fell silent, not expecting him to ask about her grades here.
For the record, Seo-yeon wasn't unintelligent.
She was just a typical student who purely disliked studying.
“Ahem, well, it’s still good to pay attention to your studies. You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
Many young actors thought, Why does that matter when I’m acting?
But at least Bae Jin-hwan believed that if you were a student, you should study.
Even if you weren't good at it, it was a matter of attitude.
“Of course, you look sharp, so I’m not worried.”
“...”
Even for Seo-yeon, who was full of self-confidence, she couldn't bring herself to nod at that.
Honestly, she didn't have a 'sharp' personality.
She could practically see her dad cackling if she said that.
It made her feel a bit annoyed for no reason.
“The movie will be released soon. Until then, we’re going to focus on promotion.”
In other words, she would be called here and there.
“Are you going to keep Cha Seo-ah hidden until the end in the trailers?”
“Until the second one.”
“Then in the third...”
“Yes. Just a very little bit, though.”
He had no intention of hiding it completely.
He would insert a scene that could hint at who the culprit was at the very end.
“Then, Seo-yeon, are you going to rest until the release?”
“No.”
Seo-yeon gave a bright smile at Director Bae Jin-hwan’s question.
She smiled as she looked at actor Kim Dae-heon, who was all dressed up for the promotion.
Today was interview day.
“Oh, you’re not resting? You’re busy, Seo-yeon.”
The actors were gathered in one place.
Kim Dae-heon spoke to Seo-yeon comfortably.
By now, they had become close enough that most of the actors treated Seo-yeon with ease.
Actually, she had told them they didn't need to use formal language, but Kim Dae-heon had flatly refused.
He said that wouldn't be right, no matter what.
“Then is it a commercial shoot? I heard the advertising model for éclat Étoile changed recently.”
The one who said that was Jung Si-hyun, who played Han Ye-hwa.
Recently, the posters and billboards of the previous model, Song Hee-bin, were being taken down.
It meant they were switching to a new model.
And everyone here knew who that model was.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m going to... take an audition.”
“An audition?”
Another audition already?
Well, it was possible. But they thought she was quite diligent for a student.
“What kind of drama is it? There’s a thriller drama scheduled for production recently...”
“It’s not a thriller.”
“O-Oh, right. I guess the image of Cha Seo-ah is just so strong.”
To Jung Si-hyun, Seo-yeon was Cha Seo-ah.
That image was so powerful that she couldn't easily imagine Seo-yeon in anything other than a thriller or something similar.
Seeing Jung Si-hyun’s reaction, Seo-yeon became even more certain about this drama.
“The genre is youth romance.”
“...Youth romance?”
Wasn't that a genre completely far removed from Seo-yeon?
For some reason, everyone seemed to think so.
After all, besides Cha Seo-ah, just seeing how she used her body made them think a drama that could utilize her action skills would be better.
“The audition for Dream Future is coming up soon.”
To be precise, in three weeks.
It would be after Seo-yeon’s variety show and commercial were released.
If I pass the audition...
What Seo-yeon was aiming for was the role of Jo Ha-rin, a major supporting character with relatively little screen time.
The role was like a comic relief, but it was a character with a strong, bubbly personality.
If things went well and she filmed Dream Future...
The drama’s airing date, in Seo-yeon’s memory, overlapped exactly with The Chaser.
To be precise, The Chaser would be released around the time the fourth episode of Dream Future aired.
That was exactly what Seo-yeon was aiming for.
Preventing the image of a killer from being superimposed onto her cosmetics advertisement.
And since my screen time drops significantly from episode 8 and I don't even appear, there’s no burden.
Less screen time meant fewer filming sessions.
So, Seo-yeon planned to just reap the benefits of the image improvement and bow out.
It was a truly perfect plan.
Seo-yeon thought so and smiled inwardly.
*
“Director.”
“What.”
Baek Min-chan, a director at éclat Étoile, replied while looking through documents.
At his response, Jung Tae-soo, the leader of the business strategy team, spoke in a low voice.
At the tone, Baek Min-chan stopped looking at the documents.
“...It didn't go well?”
He asked in a tense voice.
After all, he had strongly pushed for this advertising model.
If it failed, it would come back to haunt him in various ways.
“10 percent...”
“It dropped?”
“It rose.”
“Dammit, then why are you saying it like that!!”
Thud! Baek Min-chan pounded the desk.
10 percent.
It might sound like a small amount, but it was actually a massive increase.
Of course, considering the previous drop in sales, it was just enough to give them some breathing room.
“It’s only been a week since the change, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, just wait. It’ll go up even more.”
Baek Min-chan laughed heartily, feeling certain.
He was keeping track of all of Seo-yeon’s activities.
Today was the day Seo-yeon’s variety show was airing.
Specifically, Desert Island Survival.
It would be nice if she subtly mentioned our cosmetics...
Honestly, he didn't expect Seo-yeon to do much in Desert Island Survival.
Since she was an actress, he just hoped she wouldn't be a major nuisance.
If she did poorly, it would directly impact éclat Étoile, which had used her for their ads.
For the crime of using a 'nuisance actress' in their commercials.
Of course, Baek Min-chan trusted Seo-yeon.
At least the Seo-yeon he had seen wasn't the type to be a nuisance.
However.
The next day.
“Director, the sales...”
“...”
Baek Min-chan froze at the rapidly rising daily sales.
He hadn't expected them to go up this much, no matter what.
I thought it would be good if the sales just recovered to some extent.
Dramatic.
That word was the perfect fit for the situation.