Chapter 106
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Realm of 'Talent'
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‘Good morning.’
It wasn't all that surprising that Catherine reacted with puzzlement to such an utterly ordinary greeting.
It wasn't as if we hadn't spoken at all before.
To be precise, you could say that even those conversations had 'Jennifer' intervening in the middle.
In summary, our relationship with Catherine was this:
We exchanged greetings when 'Jennifer' was around, but otherwise, we kept our distance without making any effort to approach each other.
"......"
Catherine tilted her head quizzically as she stared at me silently, then spoke in a dry voice.
"So, what is it?"
I'd just figured we'd say good morning to each other and move on...
For her to respond to a simple greeting by asking what the matter was—it was trickier than I'd expected.
Staring at Catherine with her eyes wide and blankly waiting for my reply, I was reminded once again that even WWE moves require perfect coordination.
I forced myself to stay composed and walked up to her as I spoke.
"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I just saw you and it reminded me of that action scene from yesterday. It was a short moment, but it left a real impression."
She was an actress, after all—her eyes softened a bit at the mention of acting.
"Ah...!"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it felt like you crossed your arms in an instant and maximized your hip movement, right?"
"Ahem. You've got a good eye. To add a little detail, even when doing it in place, if you drop your center of gravity momentarily and feel like you're stomping the ground, it makes the motion even more dynamic."
"Ah! Like stomping the ground...?"
"It's hard to explain in words, so let me show you."
Actors are all egomaniacs at heart, often getting intensely serious or absorbed in certain fields.
For Catherine, that field was 'action'.
She seemed to have completely forgotten how coolly she'd treated me before, urging me in the most passionate voice I'd ever heard from her to watch closely as she assumed her stance.
Or rather, she was preparing to demonstrate something.
Standing casually just like 'Catherine Morgan' from the drama.
Then, reacting to the sound of wind from somewhere, she whipped her sharp gaze forward, quickly bending her knees and lowering her center of gravity.
The key was her two arms and two legs.
Her left leg shot out toward the direction of some unseen enemy, slamming the floor hard to propel her whole body forward.
Her arms swung out to both sides like pendulums, one hand mimicking grabbing someone's collar while the other swept toward her thigh.
Thwack-.
The explanation was long, but it all happened in the blink of an eye, the time it took to inhale sharply.
In that instant, Catherine had thrust a military knife toward the source of the sound, ready to respond at any moment.
"......"
Each motion she explained wasn't incomprehensible. In fact, if the goal was just to learn the movements, it was a simple enough sequence that anyone could master quickly.
But stringing them all together smoothly like oiled gears and executing them at that speed...
That went beyond 'proficiency'—it was clearly in the realm of 'talent'.
Astonishing reaction speed, impressive flexibility, innate body control, and exceptional motor skills.
All those elements combined to make it possible.
Watching it live right in front of me sent a different kind of thrill through me than seeing it on a monitor.
I stared at Catherine with wide eyes and barely managed to open my mouth.
"Wow...."
She'd been deadly serious while demonstrating, but as I sat there dumbfounded in admiration, Catherine awkwardly scratched the back of her neck and straightened up.
"Ahem. Uh, I hope that helped a little..."
The effortless physical talent to pull that off casually was a talent in itself.
They say the 'line' is crucial in dance or action acting—from her head down through her arms and legs, the 'lines' Catherine created with her body were stunningly beautiful.
I shared my impressions with her, adding just a touch of exaggeration in my usual deadpan tone.
"Thanks. I get the principle now, but I don't think I could replicate it exactly. Catherine, this is... incredibly impressive."
"Y-You're too kind."
This cool-looking woman seemed weak to praise.
"Catherine. Would it be okay if I asked you about action acting like this sometimes? Seeing it up close feels totally different from watching on a monitor. Even just a quick look teaches me a ton."
"Ahem. Well, if it's helpful, sure, anytime—"
That was when Catherine was smiling awkwardly in response.
"Catherine! The director's asking if makeup's ready?"
Running over with her light blonde hair fluttering was Jennifer, her bright voice calling out.
"Ah, not yet. I'll head over right now!"
Catherine startled and hurried toward the staff, while Jennifer looked at me and flashed a bright smile.
I always felt this way when I looked at her—like vibrant flowers were blooming around her like an illusion.
A faint smile played on Jennifer's face, which somehow still held onto a thread of innocence.
I met her gaze.
'Too bad...'
I'd cleared one of the five conditions for talking to Catherine.
But whether Jennifer hadn't seen it properly or just brushed it off, there wasn't a trace of 'jealousy' on her face.
One strange thing, though.
The Jennifer Morgan in Paranormal mostly wore plain clothes, but her outfit right now was excessively flashy.
Just like her usual style.
First impressions of Jennifer were of her pure, beautiful face—but once people snapped out of it, they realized her body was remarkably 'mature'.
Even now.
Her breasts strained so violently against her top that you could see the straps pulled taut to their limit.
I barely restrained my gaze from drifting downward and asked her,
"Jennifer, aren't you still in your regular clothes...?"
It seemed like she was urging Catherine to hurry as if she herself was all set, which was why I asked.
"Ah, oh! Heh... I just need to change into costume! I-I should hurry too!"
Jennifer laughed awkwardly, raising her arm to lightly tap her own head—and I couldn't help but get distracted by the violent jiggle that motion caused.
She turned and trotted back to the set.
'Is she doing that on purpose...?'
Fox or fool? It was hard to tell.
I stood there, replaying the afterimage of her bouncing breasts, my eyes following Jennifer as she ran off into the distance.
Contrary to her words about just needing to change.
She was sitting in front of a stylist who looked like she was scolding her, getting her makeup done.
'Then why'd you run over here all sweaty...'
Tsk-.
I had a bad feeling this operation wouldn't work either, so I shuffled off to a good vantage point for watching.
The Morgan sisters, suspected victims of a vampire-like beast, began investigating a suspicious inn.
They grabbed the key ring from the manager's office and started opening rooms one by one.
Creeeak-.
The old hinges groaned eerily every time, probably from lack of oil.
- Nothing suspicious so far...?
And rightly so—they'd already opened over ten doors, but they were just rundown guest rooms with nothing out of the ordinary.
That was when it happened.
"Cut! We'll stop here. Hold on, Jennifer..."
Director Steven finally called out 'Jennifer's' name as he halted filming.
He hesitated for a moment, opting not to give feedback directly to Jennifer but to call over both Morgan sisters instead.
"Actually, let's take a break. Check the empty rooms' props again and add some more dust. Main cast, come over here for a sec."
And watching that unfold, I couldn't help but be pretty surprised.
It was unexpected.
Jennifer's NG count, stuck at 1 for a while, had just jumped to 2.
Her face had looked normal, so I'd thought the 'jealousy inducement' plan had failed.
But in this utterly ordinary scene of 'searching a suspicious inn'—something I never imagined she'd mess up—Jennifer had blown her take.
I could see Director Steven whispering something to Catherine and Jennifer.
It was probably feedback on her expression.
In the previous scene, she'd taken a deep wound from the vampire and was bandaged up, but she'd acted merely anxious without any sense of 'pain'.
'This might actually work.'
Excitement began to bubble up.