Chapter 28
Chapter 28
The Words I Wanted to Hear From an Actress
Cha Seoyoon was the best of the current era.
Unrivaled beauty and popularity.
A glamorous career.
At least among normal men, there probably wasn’t anyone who disliked Cha Seoyoon.
Originally, I had merely been one of her countless public fans.
Though now, my interest in Cha Seoyoon had advanced several steps further than before.
‘What does Cha Seoyoon think about the videos I clicked into existence?’
After all, they were still creations containing my nagging— no, effort— in their own small way.
How did Cha Seoyoon, the subject and owner of that creativity, feel while watching my videos?
Anyone in my position would be curious.
And finally, the opportunity arrived.
“You drew all of these yourself?”
“Yes. I handled the video storyboards personally.”
I could feel Team Leader Jo Woonseok getting shaken, but I pretended not to notice for now.
Cha Seoyoon bit her lip slightly while turning the sketchbook pages.
The mad-movie sketches I’d belatedly “printed” through the future app.
Naturally, the printing tool was my own hands.
They were merely black-and-white line illustrations,
yet still vivid enough to fully convey the life of the mad-movie commercial footage.
One page.
Two pages.
Three pages….
The sketchbook pages turned very slowly.
A good sign.
As she progressed further, Cha Seoyoon’s stiff expression gradually softened.
Tiny traces of smiles even began appearing.
Her proud and elegant face already suited cold expressions beautifully,
but when that same face carried a girlish smile,
I automatically began imagining scenes starring her.
A female warrior bleeding while fighting desperately to protect her comrades inside a blockbuster action film….
A kidnapped woman tearfully begging to be freed while tied up for reasons unknown….
A tragic heroine enduring heartbreak while forcing herself not to cry despite her dying love….
All scenes I wanted to see.
All images I wanted to turn into video.
Countless scenes starring Cha Seoyoon flashed vividly through my mind like rough sketches capturing brief moments.
Every single image felt so clear and sharp that I unconsciously asked inside my head:
‘Future app. Are you projecting these right now?’
【No. These images are originating from Cha Doyoung’s visual cortex.】
‘…I imagined all of this myself?’
Everything looked dizzyingly vivid.
If the intensity deepened even slightly further, I might mistake it for actual reality seen with my own eyes.
【During the process of using me, your brain’s visual-information processing abilities have developed.】
【This is a natural change caused through Premium Cut usage.】
So the more you use the tool, the more the user evolves too.
【Correct.】
That’ll make clicking even easier from now on.
At this rate, results that once took one minute of nagging might eventually become five-second speedruns.
【That is a desirable and positive mindset.】
‘You said the 30th century creates movies like this too, right?’
【Of course. Through imagination alone, users can create any scenery they desire. Premium Cut exists precisely for that purpose.】
“I finished looking through everything.”
Cha Seoyoon turned toward me.
She still held the sketchbook in her hands with the final page left open.
The fact she hadn’t closed it even after finishing was probably a good sign.
“You have enough skill to become an art director. Why are you working in celebrity management instead?”
Interest toward me glittered inside her eyes.
The first time we crossed paths in the company lobby on my first day at work, she hadn’t even recognized my existence.
When we met again in the elevator, I was simply another passing employee not worth asking the name of.
Now my existence had finally planted a tiny seed inside Cha Seoyoon’s awareness.
“You’re clearly not someone meant to work as a manager. Ah, I’m not insulting managers as a profession. Team Leader Jo and Manager oppa, don’t misunderstand either.”
“Seoyoon, I’ll explain that part.”
Team Leader Jo Woonseok looked at me with complicated eyes briefly before stepping forward.
“He was originally hired as a general administrative employee under the General Affairs Department, but his script-sketching skills for Hyejin were too impressive, so I assigned him full-time camera work. Strictly speaking, he isn’t a manager.”
“Team Leader Jo, are you perhaps thinking ahead toward that drama production department everyone keeps talking about?”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“That’s the CEO’s greed talking. Since when does an entertainment agency produce dramas itself?”
“You know what the CEO ultimately wants. Establishing a drama production company.”
Cha Seoyoon shrugged before flipping backward through the sketchbook this time.
Only after finishing the reverse read-through did she finally close it and set it gently beside herself.
“You seem very close with the 30THC channel.”
“Yes. Things just ended up that way somehow.”
“Then why did you join our company’s General Affairs Department? I’m honestly just curious.”
In moments like this, slightly clumsy excuses work better than flawless perfection.
“I became interested in video production and wanted to buy a camera, but I didn’t have money. I only got the 30THC mad-movie work through my friend’s connections.”
Suddenly Cha Seoyoon glanced toward Director Kim Kyungwook and Team Leader Jo Woonseok.
“Would you two mind leaving? I want to talk with him alone.”
“That’s….”
“Nothing dangerous is going to happen, right? He clearly loves video art this much.”
The two men left without complaints.
Each leaving behind one comment toward me.
“That mad movie really impressed me. I can’t believe you’re the storyboard artist.”
That was Director Kim Kyungwook from Team 1.
And—
“If you’d told me earlier, I would’ve bought you something even better than that cheap camera. Though unfortunately, for now you’ll have to settle for it, Director Cha.”
That was Team Leader Jo Woonseok.
Now that only the two of us remained inside this enormous house, I felt strangely tense.
If Cha Seoyoon’s countless male fans across Korea, Japan, China, Asia, and the entire world discovered this situation, they might try hanging me.
Cha Seoyoon folded her arms while staring steadily at me.
I suddenly grew nervous wondering what she wanted to say badly enough to send everyone else away—
“I have aquaphobia.”
The statement arrived so abruptly that it completely caught me off guard.
“Bathtubs are fine. Streams are okay as long as the water stays below my knees. The bottom has to remain perfectly visible and crystal clear. Otherwise my body starts shaking and I panic.”
“…”
“So how exactly am I supposed to film underwater scenes?”
“Ah… it’s completely possible to handle everything through CG without getting even a single drop of water on you.”
“Like how Hollywood recreates deceased actors entirely through CG?”
Cha Seoyoon laughed bitterly.
“It looks flawless. Unless someone examines it extremely carefully, it feels exactly like the real actor performed it. But you understand what that means to an actor, right?”
I’d expected coldness, but she sounded surprisingly calm.
And I understood exactly what she meant.
What it meant for an actor when the performance wasn’t something they personally acted—
but something created through CG using only their likeness.
The future app’s production ethics required explicit permission before generating entirely new performances using the image of a living actor.
Even in the seemingly cold 30th century, they still respected artists’ pride.
“That wouldn’t be my acting. It’s not something I’d want to show fans either. And it’s not the performance fans want to see.”
“…”
“Fans want to see performances personally acted by Cha Seoyoon herself, whether good or bad. Applying CG onto my existing acting and generating a completely CG-created version of me from scratch are two completely different things.”
Now I understood Cha Seoyoon’s mindset clearly.
Under no circumstances would she allow a fully CG-generated version of herself performing without her direct involvement.
A little disappointing.
If I ever wanted Cha Seoyoon as a fixed regular performer later, it meant I’d still need to capture her directly on camera first.
At best, I’d probably only manage one or two projects per year with her.
“But when I said you wouldn’t need even a single drop of water on you, that didn’t necessarily mean your acting itself wouldn’t be needed at all.”
“Then what does it mean?”
“You can simply stand inside a studio and act normally without entering water.”
“…Then what about the hair, clothing, and skin texture?”
“Our side— I mean, the CG studio— will handle all of that.”
“…The Na○ki schedule is extremely tight though. Is something like that really possible within two months?”
“Yes. It’s possible.”
What I’d just described wasn’t impossible using current-era technology.
The best Hollywood CG studios could absolutely create it.
The only difference was that Hollywood would need over a year of elite manpower grinding themselves apart to create even thirty seconds of footage.
Meanwhile I could finish it with a one-second editing click.
“…Alright. I’ll do it.”
“You’re not going to change your mind later?”
“I never have before. I kept saying no from the very beginning, but the CEO oppa kept forcing things. Honestly, I feel bad too. I should’ve destroyed the deal more decisively.”
“If you’d destroyed it decisively, then this agreement never would’ve happened. So I’ll choose to feel grateful instead.”
Before I realized it, I’d already pulled out my phone and sent Team Leader Jo a message saying:
[CF OK]
“Give me your phone.”
“…What? Ah, I definitely wasn’t messaging Team Leader Jo or anything. My mother was just asking if I’d eaten dinner—”
“Who said anything? I’m putting my number in.”
Cha Seoyoon practically snatched the phone, called herself using my device, then handed it back.
I’d accidentally exchanged numbers with her just like that.
“You can leave now.”
“Ah, um….”
“What now?”
“What did you think about the mad-movie CF and the polar-bear spaceship video?”
When I created them, clicking everything together had simply been convenient, fun, and fascinating.
That was all.
But over time, as enormous attention accumulated, I gradually grew curious.
What exactly did Cha Seoyoon think about them?
I genuinely wanted to hear the answer.
Preferably an extremely positive one.
“Did the CG studio specifically ask you to ask me?”
“Yes. Their chief graphics director is apparently a huge fan of yours. That’s why they chose your commercial parody as the channel’s very first mad movie. Anyway, when I said I was personally coming today to settle everything, he begged me to ask you no matter what….”
Not exactly a passionate fan.
More like a casual member of the public who simply liked several of her works.
But considering I was asking the heroine of “my own creation” for feedback, this level of harmless lie should be acceptable.
Something about the way Cha Seoyoon crossed her arms felt subtly defensive.
“Tell him I’ll tell him personally someday. Together with an autograph.”
Damn it.
In the end, my dream of lying flat and receiving praise failed completely.
What I’d really wanted to hear was:
“It was seriously incredible. I want to use your CG exclusively for every project I appear in from now on.”
[Me] Heading out now
[Team Leader Jo Woonseok] We’re in the underground parking lot
Wait.
They hadn’t left yet?
I took the elevator down and joined them in the parking garage.
“Finished earlier than expected. I was prepared to stay all night.”
“When Seoyoon gets fixated on something once, she can become extremely persistent.”
They waited without leaving even though they had no idea when things would end?
Director Kim Kyungwook looked genuinely excited.
“She agreed? Seriously agreed?”
“Yes. She really agreed.”
Director Kim Kyungwook clenched his fist triumphantly like a child before hurriedly tapping away on his phone.
Team Leader Jo Woonseok looked at me proudly.
“Seriously, Doyoung-ssi, you should’ve told us earlier you had a career background like this.”
“I’m just not the type to go around bragging about myself.”
“The WISH girls are filming a short fan-communication video soon. Under ten minutes, simple format, and the script’s mostly finished already. Probably something web-drama styled.”
Guess he wanted storyboard work.
I’d gladly do something that fun.
“Want to try handling it while pretending you’re practicing as a PD?”
“…A PD?”
“Yeah. Practice practice. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”