Chapter 96: Movie Release (1)
Chapter 96: Movie Release (1)
To put it simply, it was pure curiosity.
Gil Da-hyeon, the president of Seo-yeon’s class, wasn't actually a fan of thrillers.
But.
“You’re going to see The Chaser today, right?”
“Huh?”
“You know, the one Ju Seo-yeon is in.”
Her curiosity was piqued by her classmate’s words.
In truth, Gil Da-hyeon didn't consume much media because of her studies. Not TV, YouTube, dramas, movies, or anime. At most, she watched the occasional film.
“I mean, she was seriously good at acting like a ghost during the festival.”
“That’s… true, I guess?”
Seo-yeon’s performance as a ghost during the festival. To be honest, Gil Da-hyeon hadn't seen it properly herself. She had been too busy managing the event.
But hearing the stories afterward...
“Are you guys crazy?”
“My heart seriously almost stopped.”
That was the kind of talk going around.
Just how good was she?
Deep down, Gil Da-hyeon felt a lingering regret about not experiencing the haunted house firsthand. Perhaps that was why.
“Sure. Let’s go see it.”
She readily agreed to watch the movie with her friends.
And.
That brings us to today.
“?”
A two-meter radius had formed around Seo-yeon, who was looking at everyone with a puzzled expression.
No one dared to approach her. Even though they knew it was just a role, the impression she left was that intense.
“H-hey, Seo-yeon. Hi.”
The friends who finally managed to greet her had trembling lips as they looked at her.
‘Hey, Seo-yeon, that was really just acting, right?’
They wanted to ask, but they knew how foolish a question that would be. That was how much the character Cha Seo-ah had reigned over the film as an icon of terror for two hours.
‘Is the reason Seo-yeon is usually expressionless because...’
‘No way, surely not.’
They even began to have such doubts. Furthermore, Seo-yeon’s red eyes were on their minds.
‘They aren’t red right now, but...’
Don’t they turn red sometimes? Is it her constitution?
Such questions overlapped with the face of Cha Seo-ah.
‘I don’t think I can go to a convenience store for a while.’
‘Ugh, agreed.’
The image of Seo-yeon holding a red fire axe overlapped with her image in the movie. It was that powerful. The way Cha Seo-ah pursued her victims...
“Um.”
When Seo-yeon spoke, the students’ gazes skittered away.
“Excuse me.”
The students drifted further away again. Then, perhaps feeling embarrassed:
“Ah, it’s not like we’re avoiding you or anything.”
“Y-yeah.”
“A movie is just a movie, right?”
Even if they said that, their bodies were honest. No one could meet Seo-yeon’s eyes while speaking. No, it wasn't that they weren't looking at her at all. Their eyes were fixed on where Seo-yeon’s hands were.
The axe and hammer in Cha Seo-ah’s hands from the movie were still vivid in their minds.
‘Her hands are empty.’
The students’ eyes seemed to be saying exactly that. The distance they had finally managed to close had widened again, as if a great cliff now stood between them.
‘Hmm.’
Watching this, Seo-yeon thought to herself.
‘...I should probably take a break from trying to make friends for a while.’
Seo-yeon felt a bit dejected. She had heard that when actors play a role with a powerful impression, it can affect the public’s perception of them, and this was exactly that. She could only hope that Dream Future would help offset this image.
That was what Seo-yeon thought.
‘What do we do?’
‘You try talking to her.’
‘I need a moment to prepare myself mentally.’
Of course, the students watching Seo-yeon were fidgeting anxiously. Among them was Gil Da-hyeon.
‘Ah.’
She wanted to talk to her. But unlike the others, it wasn't because she was scared. It wasn't to comfort her, either. It was quite the opposite.
Purely as a fan, she wanted to have a serious conversation.
‘She really is... an actress.’
This was the first time she had properly seen Seo-yeon act. Everything else had been from variety shows or the Dream Future commercials.
But the Seo-yeon in the movie was completely different. She was terrifying, and she had made Gil Da-hyeon tremble for two full hours. That experience was certainly dizzying, but at the same time, it gave Gil Da-hyeon a new kind of stimulation. It allowed her to experience a whole new world.
‘Later, I’ll definitely tell her I enjoyed it. Oh, and I should watch Dream Future too.’
She decided she would make sure to watch every movie or drama Seo-yeon appeared in.
*
Word of mouth is like a ripple. And it doesn't take long for a ripple to become a wave, and a wave to become a tsunami.
The Chaser was exactly like that.
“Wow, I just got back from watching The Chaser, and it’s just insane. How long has it been since we’ve had a proper domestic thriller like this?”
The first one to make a fuss was Han Bong-sik, who was nearing 1.2 million subscribers.
“Now, I can’t say much because of spoilers. The culprit is small in stature and a woman, right? Ah, this isn't about gender discrimination. It’s about the atmosphere.”
Han Bong-sik explained a scene he saw in the movie.
“Usually, in horror movies, the ghost is often female, right? Especially in East Asian cinema. Perhaps because of that, those emotional elements are included. And man, it’s scary.”
“The culprit has her circumstances. She has her reasons, and that serves as her narrative. But does having a reason make her pitiful??? Not at all.”
Han Bong-sik recalled the movie. Certainly, Cha Seo-ah was a woman one could sympathize with. However, she was far too cruel to actually pity.
“You really have to see it to know. This is definitely going to hit ten million. Ten million!”
Han Bong-sik shouted, staking his name on it. If this didn't hit ten million, it made no sense! The Korean thriller market would be doomed!!!!
He shouted with such hyperbole, and that became the first ripple.
“I heard The Chaser is really good?”
“Hmm, should I give it a watch?”
At first, it was just interest.
“I had my eyes closed for half the movie.”
“What a waste, it was seriously incredible.”
“It’s not that it was bad, it was just so scary. But it was fun.”
Interested audiences began to flock to the theaters. Since Korean films had been underperforming lately, eyes were bound to be drawn to a work that suddenly started becoming a hit.
“Honestly, it’s just hype.”
“It better be good, or else.”
People rarely care about which actors are in a movie. Usually, the general public only remembers the names of actors who already have significant star power. Among them, the name Ju Seo-yeon was unfamiliar.
She had appeared in Looking at the Past and Memories and variety shows. She had recently appeared in a drama, but her role was minor. So, there wasn't much interest in which actress played ‘Cha Seo-ah.’
Because of that...
The moment the movie began, they witnessed the actress for the first time without any prejudice. They experienced that intensity for the first time.
Sitting in their seats.
Cha Seo-ah appears as rain pours down. The way she disposes of a body without a shred of emotion. People feel terror at her image, which is reminiscent of a psychopath.
Despite having a human form, she is an anomaly that merely resembles a human.
「Do you detectives work at the police station near here?」
「Ah~, I see. So if I call, you’ll come right away? How long does it usually take? You can come immediately, right?」
Cha Seo-ah’s calm voice echoes through the theater. The audience already knows who the culprit is. In her first encounter with the two detectives, Cha Seo-ah asks as if in passing.
In this moment.
There is no background music.
「But why are you curious about that?」
The detective asks, sensing something off. Cha Seo-ah replies as if it’s nothing. The tension is maintained in the silence until she boards the bus and leaves.
Even though it’s an ordinary conversation, the audience cannot take their eyes off Cha Seo-ah’s every word. The smile she wears during the conversation...
It is strangely awkward. That awkwardness brings about a sense of unease, and that unease turns into terror with Cha Seo-ah’s subsequent actions.
「W-what did we do wrong? Why, why are you doing this!!」
Cha Seo-ah says nothing as she looks at the victim screaming in desperation. She simply stares. As if she is enjoying their reaction. Or as if she is looking for some kind of answer.
「I don’t know either.」
「Fuck, what does th—...」
Before the sentence can even finish, an axe is buried in the person’s head. The scene isn't shown explicitly. However, the sickening sound alone makes the audience flinch.
「You little...!!」
Detective Im Seung-cheol, arriving a step too late, explodes in rage and pursues Cha Seo-ah. Since she had just disposed of her weapon, her hands are empty. Im Seung-cheol chases her as she leaps through a window to escape.
The following chase scene. The audience’s hands naturally tighten.
There was no fear in Cha Seo-ah’s actions. Even though it was a chase, she kept glancing back at Im Seung-cheol. And the moment she found a discarded iron pipe, she spun around and struck Im Seung-cheol in the head.
「Gah!!」
Im Seung-cheol’s body staggers and falls backward. Just as she pulls out a utility knife from her pocket and approaches him, she hears other footsteps and turns away.
「I-I’m fine. She went that way. That way!」
Im Seung-cheol, shouting with a blood-soaked face to his colleague Detective Seo Gwang-il who arrived late, was desperate. But Detective Seo Gwang-il hung his head. It was already too late to give chase. Moreover, Im Seung-cheol was bleeding heavily. It seemed his head had been split open by the iron pipe.
「I... fuck... I lost her because I’m incompetent. I... fuck...」
Tears mixed with blood were visible. A voice full of resentment and grief flowed from his mouth. The audience empathizes with Im Seung-cheol. Focusing on his acting, they become even more furious at Cha Seo-ah.
Im Seung-cheol and Seo Gwang-il grit their teeth and follow the trail of the prime suspect, Cha Seo-ah, tracking down clues one by one. In the process, Cha Seo-ah’s past is revealed. The traces of her life leading up to becoming a killer.
「Pardon? Abuse?」
「Ah, it seems she was abused by her parents.」
A neighbor knew and reported it, but Cha Seo-ah was said to have been raised by her parents for a long time after that.
「Alexithymia?」
「Yes. Patient Cha Seo-ah cannot feel emotions properly. She doesn't know how to express them.」
As the doctor’s words overlap, Cha Seo-ah stalks her next target. That target is the final victim. Han Ye-hwa, who had spoken kindly to Cha Seo-ah at the convenience store.
She follows her, knocks her unconscious, and slowly drags her away. Normally, Cha Seo-ah would have killed her on the spot, but her hand hesitates for a moment.
Humanity or morality. As if something she had forgotten had come to mind. The audience thought Cha Seo-ah felt that upon seeing Han Ye-hwa.
「When I look at you, it hurts here.」
But Cha Seo-ah says this while looking down at Han Ye-hwa, who is wrapped from head to toe in duct tape. She was simply, purely curious.
「You don’t know, do you? Well, of course you wouldn't.」
Cha Seo-ah mumbles to herself as she fumbles with her tools. A hammer, a saw, an axe. Things she had gone to great lengths to obtain.
「My chest feels strange. It’s very hot, and very, very... I don’t know how to express it. I don’t know what to say. Should I laugh or cry? Ah, am I angry? Or is it resentment?」
She knows the names of the emotions. However, she doesn't know how to express them, or if she is even feeling them correctly. The anger directed at Han Ye-hwa, who had been kind to her.
Isn't it strange? To feel anger because someone was kind.
Because of that. Or perhaps for that reason. She just didn't want to kill her. It wasn't anything as grand as humanity or morality. It was simply a waste. It felt like a waste to just kill her normally.
Han Ye-hwa had stimulated Cha Seo-ah’s heart. What could it be? A pure question arose. She wanted to know, and she felt that if she killed her normally like the others, she would miss that opportunity.
「I’m strange, aren't I?」
The Cha Seo-ah of the past is projected onto the screen. Flickering, like a strobe light. The abuse from her parents. The bullying from her classmates. Each time, the audience hears the thumping sound of a heartbeat.
Just as she grips the hammer and approaches...
「Stop right there, you murderous piece of shit!!」
Detective Seo Gwang-il bursts in, breaking down the door to Cha Seo-ah’s house.
「Ha.」
With the blood-stained hammer in her hand, Cha Seo-ah tilts her head. As if to represent her mood. Holding their breath, the audience stares at Cha Seo-ah’s face, which fills the screen.
Soon, the corners of Cha Seo-ah’s mouth twist into a crooked smirk.
「Ah, I know what this is now.」
As if exhaling a breath, Cha Seo-ah speaks.
「So this is what it feels like to be pissed off.」
Cha Seo-ah raises her hammer and walks toward Detective Seo Gwang-il. Toward a man twice her size, without feeling even a shred of fear.