Chapter: 54
<‘Past, A Glimpse of Memories’ Child Actress Joo Su-yeon Joins Nova!>
A morning news article stirred the air.
Meanwhile, at RY Entertainment, the head of actor management, Lee Hwi-rok, was furrowing his brows.
It was just the day before that the suggestion to sign Joo Su-yeon had been on the table.
Then, just a day later, he hears she’s signed elsewhere!
“Wait, they already signed her?”
RY’s rival is Nova Entertainment?
A small chuckle escaped him.
It wasn’t a bad agency.
But in comparison to RY? Well…
“Looks like they jumped the gun and snatched her up before we could make our move.”
tut, he clicked his tongue, but that was all he did.
He thought she was a good find, but honestly, wasn’t this all just karma biting him back?
“Kids these days really are hasty.”
He was flustered, but Su-yeon wasn’t exactly the kind of actress RY couldn’t let slip through their fingers.
Just a lottery ticket with a slightly better win ratio, perhaps.
“Indeed, one must always see the whole forest, not just the trees!”
With that uplifting thought, he chuckled and closed the article. It was time to forget about Joo Su-yeon.
*
While Hwi-rok was busy browsing the internet, Seoyeon had just finished her play and was chatting at a nearby café with the director of The Chaser, Bae Jin-hwan.
“Seoyeon, you made the right choice. Opportunities like this don’t come around often,” said Jo Do-yul, who had introduced Seoyeon with a beaming face.
“Though it wouldn’t hurt to show your face in theater every now and then…”
After seeing Seoyeon’s performance, Do-yul felt a bit disappointed.
Given her buzz, expanding into the theater scene would’ve worked wonders, but he didn’t want Seoyeon to miss out on climbing higher as an actress.
This isn’t a slight on theater, just… he wanted her to gain more recognition.
Who knows? With the OTT market picking up, her name could spread even overseas.
“Pleased to meet you! I’m Bae Jin-hwan, the director of The Chaser,” said a pleasant middle-aged man, reaching out to shake hands.
Seoyeon, taken aback for a moment, hurriedly shook his hand back.
“I’m Joo Seoyeon from Nova Entertainment.”
“Oh, I saw the article about you signing with the agency. Nova’s a good place! With actor Hwang Min-hwa there, you’ll learn a lot!”
Hwang Min-hwa — that was a name Seoyeon recognized from the blockbuster The Professional.
Hearing that name made her smile awkwardly.
She thought, wasn’t he supposed to leave this year?
She didn’t quite remember the specifics, just that he had departed Nova shortly before The Chaser’s release.
After all, it seemed he didn’t have much time left.
Min-hwa would be moving to Horizon Company, a solid second-tier agency.
In other words, just a step above Nova in terms of status.
“So, I’ll make sure to learn a lot!”
“That’s the spirit! A humble attitude will get you far!”
Bae Jin-hwan, unaware of what was going through Seoyeon’s mind, chuckled heartily.
He found everything about Seoyeon charming.
Her calm demeanor and talent reminded him of a refined young lady on stage.
“By the way, have you heard about The Chaser? I think it’s already making waves.”
The film’s production announcement had occurred months earlier, with casting and scripting dragging on.
All he needed now was to fill the role of the villainess, Chae Seo-ah.
They could start filming as soon as tomorrow if they wanted!
“I’ve heard! It’s a thriller, right? I’ve heard GH Group is investing…”
“Exactly! It’s a highly anticipated project backed by GH Group,” Bae Jin-hwan said, sipping his Americano.
He exuded confidence; after all, this was a film GH Group had backed with ambition.
With a proven director and a generous budget, there was no need to worry about promotions or theater counts — this one was bound to succeed.
It was merely a question of how big it was going to be.
“However,” Seoyeon knew the truth.
Originally, The Chaser wasn’t supposed to fare well at all.
That was due to the lead villainess, Chae Seo-ah‘s, huge scandal.
It all started with an incident where Pyo Ji-woo crashed a club and went on a stabbing spree.
Her arrest sucked all the media attention, garnering tons of negative reviews.
How would a movie starring an actress embroiled in a near-murder scandal perform?
The release was postponed, and while there was some interest, it had been minimal.
After hastily recasting, they managed to salvage only 2.5 million viewers by the time it finally hit theaters.
For such bad luck and a limited release, that number was actually pretty impressive.
And Seoyeon was one of those 2.5 million viewers.
“I really wished they had found a better replacement.”
The villainous role she had seen in the trailer was just too weak to compare.
Still, the story had a charm to it; it was probably one of the few instances where her past self felt it was “good.”
And she had plenty of reasons to want to be a part of this film.
“The Chaser is a thriller about a detective hunting down a psychopathic killer,” Bae Jin-hwan explained.
He paused, then added, “Actually, it’s not technically a psychopath. The detective just thinks so while chasing them.”
“Yeah, I know,” Seoyeon replied, I know it all too well.
She understood better than anyone what kind of character the main villain, Chae Seo-ah, was.
“Now, as for the role you’re going to play, let me explain who Chae Seo-ah is…”
Bae Jin-hwan paused, gathering his thoughts. The character was complex enough.
“I doubt you’re familiar with the term ‘Affective Flattening,’ which Chae Seo-ah suffers from.”
He continued, detailing how the condition made it impossible for individuals to accurately perceive or express emotions.
“Imagine not being able to laugh or cry properly!”
Nods of understanding from Seoyeon as a strange feeling washed over her.
“That’s what happened to Chae Seo-ah as a child,” he continued. “She became a broken woman.”
In the story, Chae Seo-ah’s motives were simple: When she saw someone happy, it felt like a knife stabbing her heart.
So she’d chase and kill those people, regardless of gender.
“The thing that scares me about Affective Flattening is that it doesn’t mean they feel nothing at all.”
That was absolutely true.
It wasn’t about not feeling but more about not recognizing their emotions.
So, they felt pain and sometimes even pleasure, but their brain just couldn’t interpret these feelings correctly.
Thus, it took a long time for her previous self to express everyday emotions properly — and even then, it was all acting!
“And that’s why she kills; out of unacknowledged anger and jealousy. Chae Seo-ah is that kind of villain. A villain but…”
Bae Jin-hwan looked at Seoyeon earnestly, “I think this role is going to be quite challenging. However, I felt you could pull off Seo-ah beautifully!”
Staring at the condensation on her glass, Seoyeon took a moment to gather her thoughts, squeezing the glass in her hands to warm her freezing brain.
“Yeah.”
She locked eyes with Bae Jin-hwan and replied calmly, “I’m confident.”
Just as Hong Jeong-hee performed Hong Jeong-hee’s role in Eyes Closed, Seoyeon believed she could do justice to The Chaser’s Chae Seo-ah.
This character felt like she was connected to her past self.
“I’ll do it. I really want to.”
It was reminiscent of her self as a child, who couldn’t find loving parents.
*
“Unnie!*”
As soon as she returned home, she heard those quick, tiny footsteps.
Seven-year-old Joo Su-yeon, her little sister, rushed towards her.
With open arms, Seoyeon scooped up her sister and spun her around.
“Haha! So high, so high!”
Seeing Sua laugh joyfully, Seoyeon couldn’t help but smile softly.
Today had been emotionally complicated, yet watching her sister’s merriment lightened her heart.
“Hey, Seoyeon, you’re late getting home!” their mother called, wielding a ladle.
“I was in a meeting about a film.”
“Oh, I see!”
Seoyeon’s mom looked somewhat concerned seeing Sua dangling in Seoyeon’s arms.
“Wow, our daughter is so strong…”
Sua was easily over 20kg, and seeing her spin around must’ve puzzled her mom.
“Isn’t it about time you got accustomed to that strength?”
“But, I remember you were playing a villain, are you alright with that?”
Just as Seoyeon took a seat, their mom set the table, prepared for the late return of her daughter.
As Sua wiggled onto the table and blinked her big eyes, she asked,
“Are you playing a bad person again?”
“Again?!”
However, it was true; after her role as Princess Yeonhwa, she was cast as a villain twice in a row.
And yet, Sua hadn’t even seen the Princess show!
To her, did it seem like she always played the bad guy?
That was a fair point.
“Well, I’m considering doing something in drama or comedy to balance it out.”
“That sounds pretty busy, doesn’t it?”
“Once filming wraps up, I should have some time.”
Typically, movie shoots took about three months.
If she started a drama right after, it would coincide with the film’s release or even come out slightly sooner.
Still, figuring out what to do next was going to take some planning.
Clearly, this role in The Chaser might pigeonhole her image as a villain.
True, her past life hadn’t earned her rave reviews due to the actor swap, but Chae Seo-ah held considerable weight in the story.
If she nailed the role well, it would undoubtedly impact her career moving forward.
“Then, how about a romance drama?”
“…Huh?”
“Why the surprise? If you’re worried playing a villain affects your image, then acting sweetly might just turn things around. Our daughter always looks so serious; it worries me!”
“Is that so?”
Would that really work?
Seoyeon took a sip of cold water, pondering.
Hmm, romance acting… that sounds like a stretch.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’m ready for that.”
Sorry, Mom, but I’m really not there yet.
Regardless, at this moment, she needed to think about finding a good role outside of the bad character realm.
“And please stop watching YouTube while we eat.”
“Alright!”
Glancing briefly at her phone, she let her mind settle as she mulled over The Chaser and upcoming roles.
“With all this going on, I wish I could just watch Ramiel’s channel for comfort.”
While the exact feelings remained elusive, it felt healing.
It gave off a soothing energy.
Ramiel’s advice during viewer counseling sessions had been well-received; she’d even received it a couple of times!
“Ugh…”
With a sigh, she typed “Ramiel” into the search box, hoping her name would pop up.
But what came up surprised her.
“Huh??”
There was a new channel named Ramiel that she hadn’t seen before.
“Uh-oh???!!”
There were no videos, nothing at all, but she couldn’t help but stare at the screen, her face nearly planted into her phone.
“Could it be, nah?”
Before her mother could scold her about eating properly, she was lost in thought…
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