Chapter 95: Plot Twist (3)
Chapter 95: Plot Twist (3)
The movie had already garnered massive public interest through its third trailer.
The Chaser.
It was opening day.
Perhaps because it was a highly anticipated release after a long drought, all the good seats were already taken. Most of the remaining spots were those awkward ones where you could barely see the screen properly.
"I knew this would happen."
Han Bong-sik, a YouTuber with a million subscribers, muttered to himself as he stepped into the cinema.
Even for someone like him, who reviewed all sorts of visual media, it had been a very long time since he’d visited a theater specifically for a Korean film. For a while, there hadn't been any Korean movies worth calling "anticipated," and Bong-sik himself hadn't been particularly interested.
But to think I’d suddenly get interested like this.
The catalyst had been his review of a certain drama.
Specifically, Dream Future.
It was a youth romance drama that had been performing quite well recently. As Bong-sik had predicted, the viewership ratings for the first episode peaked at over 20%, earning him comments like, "How did you know?" and "How'd you call it?"
That single review had boosted his subscriber count by a staggering 100,000! In other words, Han Bong-sik was now a YouTuber with 1.1 million subscribers.
Ha, but the ratings have only been dropping since then.
He could guess the reason.
The reason the ratings for Dream Future exploded in the first episode was entirely due to "Jo Ha-rin." More accurately, it was because of the character played by the actress Ju Seo-yeon.
To be honest, before that, many people had mocked the show, finding the overly lighthearted tone or the musical drama format unfamiliar. However, at the very least, no one laughed during the parts where Jo Ha-rin sang.
Her acting naturally made the viewers of Dream Future empathize with her emotions. It was her performance that had captivated people during the premiere.
But since she barely appeared in episodes 2 and 3...
Well, she should be in episode 4.
Today was the day episode 4 of Dream Future would be released. Since her screen time had been minimal in the previous two episodes, there was a high expectation that it would increase in the fourth. A single actress had made people look forward to the entire drama.
"I heard she's only in her teens, isn't that amazing?"
Before the movie started, Bong-sik turned on his stream for a moment. It was a way of "verifying" that he was watching the first screening of The Chaser.
To think a drama would lead me to watch a movie.
To be precise, it wasn't even because of the drama. It was a single actress. A young actress named Ju Seo-yeon had moved him.
"I’ve heard people say an actor's 'ticket power' is important, but honestly, I didn't believe it. I thought the movie itself had to be good... but now."
Bong-sik couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. Still, he didn't feel bad. After all, many of the people at the theater today had likely come after seeing that third trailer.
"I'll do a brief review of the movie this evening."
It’s never good to have too much hype before watching. After telling his viewers that, Bong-sik turned off the stream. Then, he entered the theater and took his seat for The Chaser.
Advertisements played on the large screen. After about ten minutes of ads, the movie finally began, and the noisy theater fell silent.
Shhhhhhh—
The sound of rain, just like in the trailer.
Splash, splash. The sound of footsteps treading through puddles echoed.
Screeeech—
Then, the sound of something heavy being dragged.
A heavy background score set in as Bong-sik watched. It made the audience feel a mounting tension.
It was a figure in a yellow raincoat.
A small frame.
But in that person's hand was a crimson fire axe. The blood-stained axe was chilling enough on its own.
"He-help me. Please... help me..."
A man being dragged sobbed out the words. His arms and legs were already soaked in blood. The wounds made it easy to guess what the culprit had done to him.
"Wh-who are you? What... what did I do wrong...?"
Thud.
The killer let go of the trembling man. Just as he began to squirm, wondering if he was being spared—
Crunch.
The sound of something biting into flesh rang out.
Blood splattered.
As the axe swung down, the man’s words were washed away by the sound of the rain. The camera didn't show exactly where the axe struck, but judging by how the man went silent instantly, it wasn't hard to guess.
"..."
The killer looked down at him for a moment, then slowly pushed back the hood of the raincoat.
Long black hair spilled out.
Eyes that looked almost crimson filled the screen.
The audience was momentarily speechless at the sight of the pale, hauntingly beautiful face.
Han Bong-sik was no different.
The third trailer. To think the scene he saw there would be the very first one to play.
Is this... really the same actress?
Jo Ha-rin from Dream Future was a lovely girl. A bright, dreamy, and innocent girl.
But the woman before his eyes now was completely different.
It was true that he had come to see the movie because of the actress Ju Seo-yeon. And it was also true that it was because his subscriber count had grown thanks to Dream Future. He had made a calculated decision: Reviewing The Chaser right now would be perfect!
But in this moment, Han Bong-sik was no longer a calculating reviewer. He was just a member of the audience.
"Goddammit, who the hell is this guy?"
"It looks like the same person from the recent murders. The MO is identical."
"Hah."
The police appeared next, and the killer naturally slipped away from the scene. The heavy background music faded, replaced by a lighter tune. Two detectives rode in a battered police car.
And so, the movie began.
In just five minutes, it had completely captivated the audience.
*
"Ah."
"Oh."
A man and a woman, both wearing sunglasses, ran into each other at the cinema. They had tried their best to disguise themselves, but it wasn't hard to recognize each other. After all, they were wearing the exact same disguises as the last time they met.
"...Do high schools let out early these days?"
"I guess you don't have any filming lately, Sunbae."
Jo Seo-hee, with her fox-like features, laughed and spoke in a teasing tone. At her words, Park Jung-woo clicked his tongue.
"That school uniform really doesn't suit you."
"..."
Jo Seo-hee glared sharply at him. Her gaze was so fierce that Park Jung-woo flinched for a second.
"Anyway, the seats... Ah, they're different."
"Thank goodness. I thought I wouldn't be able to focus on the movie."
They were in the same theater, but their seats were far apart. Jo Seo-hee had booked a very expensive private seat in the Skybox.
"You've got money to burn."
"Oh my, why did you get a regular seat?"
"You have to watch things from the perspective of a general audience to really feel something."
"..."
Park Jung-woo’s exemplary response made Jo Seo-hee feel awkward for no reason. What the? I paid extra and went through a lot of trouble to get this seat, but now I feel like some nouveau riche snob.
More importantly.
Anyway.
It seemed The Chaser had attracted a lot of attention. Both Park Jung-woo and Jo Seo-hee were deeply interested in Ju Seo-yeon’s performance as a "killer." In particular, Jo Seo-hee, who hadn't been able to contact Seo-yeon easily since the Gyeongseong Lady incident, was planning to use this movie as an excuse to reach out again.
We probably aren't the only ones interested.
Park Jung-woo looked at the crowd of people who had come to the theater. Of course, he didn't recognize any other faces. But given her impressive performance in Dream Future recently, many people would have come to get a proper look at the actress named Ju Seo-yeon through The Chaser.
Film and drama directors. Various advertising sponsors. Or even fellow actors.
It was an extraordinary amount of attention for someone who had only just finished one drama. Anyone in the industry would have sensed it instinctively.
It’s human instinct to be drawn to something that shines.
With that thought, Park Jung-woo sat down in his seat.
And just as he suspected...
"You look like you're really looking forward to this."
"Ah, do I?"
"Of course. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that look on your face."
At those words, a smile touched the face that now had a few more wrinkles than in the past.
"It’s because she’s a connection I’ve been waiting for for a long time."
"If you're saying that, Director, then I'm even more excited."
The man called "Director" smiled at the words of the producer he cherished. Then, he looked at the screen where the rainy scene was playing. The face of a convenience store part-timer was reflected there.
Ju Seo-yeon.
Looking at her, Ha Tae-oh, the Director of the Drama Bureau, smiled calmly. He waited with anticipation to see what kind of acting she would show this time.
*
The first day of The Chaser’s release triggered an explosive reaction. Among the many topics discussed, the most prominent were:
[What is the Alexithymia that turned Cha Seo-ah into a killer?]
[A Twist! A complete image transformation from Dream Future’s Jo Ha-rin]
[Two veterans and one rising star]
Articles about Seo-yeon, who played the killer Cha Seo-ah, poured out as soon as the movie opened.
"Did you see this, Jin-ha?"
"I heard there’s some talk coming from the higher-ups about this..."
Of course, Im Jin-ha didn't have the luxury of looking up articles. She was too busy being called here and there.
The ratings for Dream Future had rebounded in episode 4. But it was too early to celebrate. The reason for the rebound was clear.
"This is a momentary spike caused by Ju Seo-yeon. You know that too, right, Writer Im?"
Producer Baek, who was close to her, spoke cautiously. Even he, who wasn't involved with Dream Future, was saying this.
"It’s 620,000. The opening day audience for The Chaser."
In terms of opening day numbers, it was the second-highest of the year, even including foreign films. For a thriller, those numbers were staggering.
To Im Jin-ha, it felt like the world was unfairly targeting her. How could this even be possible?
"You know, right? It even opened on a Tuesday. I can't even imagine what the weekend numbers will be. And besides..."
Producer Baek looked at the silent Im Jin-ha and continued.
"The buzz surrounding that actress, Ju Seo-yeon, is no joke."
"I... I know."
After all, she was the one who had single-handedly boosted the ratings by 5%, despite having very little screen time.
"Make sure you keep a script revision in mind."
"What?"
Im Jin-ha’s eyes widened; she hadn't expected Producer Baek to say that to her. Reading her thoughts, Producer Baek shook his head.
"I can't block this for you. This is coming from way above."
"From the higher-ups?"
"I'm telling you this because we're friends. If you want to have a long career as a writer... it’s better to have some flexibility. The higher-ups know everything right now. I'm telling you this because I'm worried."
They know everything.
She could guess what that meant. Im Jin-ha had no choice but to nod blankly. No matter how many hits a writer has, there are plenty of writers with similar careers. No matter how much power she thought she had, she couldn't hold out if the higher-ups were talking.
If even Producer Baek was saying this...
Just how good is The Chaser?
She even began to feel a sense of curiosity.
And the actress who had caused such a ripple effect...
Seo-yeon.
"...?"
Returning to school after two days, Seo-yeon opened the classroom door with a light step, only to be greeted by...
Gazes that were hard to put into words.