Chapter: 62
– They were filming a movie right in front of the house yesterday!
This was a post from a certain community.
Initially, most people dismissed it as nonsense, but a few pictures and videos taken from the window grabbed people’s attention.
– Looks like Kim Dae-heon is playing a criminal again.
– From the video, it seems like he’s the one chasing someone??
The video wasn’t long.
At most, it lasted about 10 seconds.
It featured a man presumed to be Kim Dae-heon and a petite figure.
What caught people’s interest was definitely the smaller person.
– Ugh, the quality is terrible!
– Get a new phone already!
– Who is the person in the raincoat???
– Their legs are crazy fast, haha!
It appeared that the person in the raincoat was being chased by Kim Dae-heon.
What stood out was the extraordinary speed.
Especially in the first 10 seconds of the video, you could see the raincoat guy(?) fleeing.
– Did the frame get cut off?
– They just disappeared! Are they a ninja??
– Why does Kim Dae-heon’s face appear but not that person’s?
– For real, lol!
The comments started flooding in about the ridiculous NG scene.
– But is it really okay to post stuff like this?
And that was the final comment before the post got deleted.
But…
The real drama was just beginning.
*
“Seoyeon!”
Seoyeon blinked, surprised by director Bae Jin-hwan calling her name.
‘Did I mess something up again?’
Lately, she had been called out by the director quite a few times.
Of course, this wasn’t just specific to her; other actors were in the same boat.
Surprisingly, even when Seoyeon’s scenes didn’t involve physicality, she still hadn’t received much criticism.
Then again, there weren’t many filming sessions under her belt yet.
“Do you happen to frequent community sites?”
“Uh, what?”
At that question, Seoyeon’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
What was she supposed to say?
‘Well, I do…’
Rather, she should’ve answered “Of course I do.”
She often looked for information in the virtual YouTuber community and posted and wrote articles.
She was quite active in various communities.
And of course, one must be accustomed to virtual YouTuber memes.
This was Seoyeon’s long-lost take on virtual YouTubers.
Starting from this point, the memes and various issues in the community could change in an instant.
Even if she didn’t dive deep into communities, keeping an eye on them was crucial to stay in the loop.
These days, taking even a year off could make someone feel outdated or lost, not to mention everything else.
“I don’t really enjoy it.”
“Oh, true? Well, you don’t seem like the type to cruise the internet much.”
“……”
But isn’t there a thing called an image for an actress?
Seoyeon awkwardly forced a smile at Bae Jin-hwan’s comment.
“Yesterday, someone uploaded footage from our filming site onto a specific movie community.”
“Really?”
Can they even do that?
I mean, they could, but…
“They uploaded it and took it down quickly, but…”
“What’s going on?”
“Just take a look.”
Seoyeon watched as Bae Jin-hwan showed her his iPad.
The screen displayed some community site.
To note, this was a site Seoyeon frequently visited, causing her to momentarily freeze.
“It’s been circulating as shorts lately.”
The video was of Seoyeon and Kim Dae-heon’s chase scene.
In fact, it showed the first shooting of the chase scene.
The part where Seoyeon instantly vanished.
“This has turned into a meme and spread around. It’s not just here.”
“……Really?”
“It’s fine since it’s just an NG scene.”
He pondered for a moment while looking at Seoyeon.
With those large blinking eyes of hers, one could tell she was born to be an entertainer.
The fact that such a scene could stir up issues was telling.
“Because of this, people are asking who the raincoat guy is.”
Raincoat guy?
I’m a girl!
‘…….’
As Seoyeon absentmindedly thought about it, she felt a shiver.
Why are they assuming it’s just a guy?
Seoyeon shook her head vigorously.
“So, what should we do about it?”
Bae Jin-hwan seemed to have a clear reason for mentioning this to Seoyeon.
When she asked him why,
“We shouldn’t do anything at all.”
He said that with a grin.
“Especially you, Seoyeon. You must never, ever tell anyone your identity.”
“Uh, why not?”
“See, this has turned into a hot topic. So, it looks perfect for using as promotion.”
The issue was still gradually spreading.
However, if they kept feeding it, it would spread like wildfire.
In the community, hot topics were like fires.
Just like the flames, if everything aligned just right, it would blaze out of control.
The Chaser’s production team planned to utilize this as much as they could.
“You mentioned Seoyeon is in the movie, but you haven’t disclosed the character yet, right?”
“No, but there are already hints in some articles…”
“Please keep that as secret as possible. Your image means nobody will suspect you playing a murderer, right? Oh, and as for the articles, nothing is confirmed yet, so we can smooth it over.”
In a thriller, “Who is the culprit?” was a significant question.
Especially with Seoyeon’s image as Princess Yeonhwa.
She embodied the fragile, innocent motif.
It would have a significant impact once it was revealed that she plays a murderer.
That was the production team’s perspective, and Bae Jin-hwan agreed.
“Well then… what about promotions?”
“Of course, that’s a must. But we’ll keep the role as hidden as we can.”
If she was cast but didn’t show up, it could create problems.
“We’ll say you’re playing a convenience store part.”
“Pardon?”
“And it seems the script might get revised a bit. Apparently, the screenwriter came up with a better direction.”
The script changes weren’t due to the community issue.
They were just looking to reveal the culprit in a more impactful way, so only scene adjustments were necessary.
‘A convenience store role?’
Would people just buy that?
‘Then again, my whole career has revolved around Princess Yeonhwa.’
In a way, it was a rational role for her.
The issue generated by this could easily slip her into the role.
This could certainly lead people to think of her as the heroine who has a strong connection with a detective.
“So, you can’t tell anyone.”
“To literally no one?”
“People who already know can’t be helped. But make sure to tell them to keep it a secret.”
Seoyeon nodded.
Currently, the only ones who knew she was playing a villain in the movie were family and Lee Ji-yeon.
She should probably reach out today and ask them to watch their mouths.
“Well then, let’s do our best for today’s shoot.”
“Sure! Please take care of me.”
As Seoyeon bowed respectfully, Bae Jin-hwan smiled with satisfaction.
She was truly an actress with a great attitude.
Having gained popularity from a young age, she showed no sign of arrogance.
‘……Though I guess we’ll have to see how long this demeanor lasts.’
Bae Jin-hwan thought.
He believed this film would radically change Seoyeon’s life.
*
[Currently unavailable; connecting to the voicemail.]
“……”
After calling numerous times and only getting ringing tones, I tossed my phone aside and leaned back in my chair.
“Why aren’t they picking up?”
I had to inform them about this situation.
I folded my arms and pondered.
Most of it was about my recent acting.
The parts with physical movement, like the chase scene, weren’t a problem.
The issue was the character Cha Seo-ah herself.
‘A character sharing my plight.’
Cha Seo-ah was me, abused by her parents.
So, it made sense that things were distorted and damaged.
People are inherently human but can feel discomfort seeing someone different.
Both my past self and Cha Seo-ah stood on that border of discomfort.
They possessed human traits but lacked the same emotions.
They were similar but different from psychopaths or sociopaths.
Those lacked it entirely, while Cha Seo-ah and I possessed it but were unsure how to utilize or accept it.
Thus, my understanding of Cha Seo-ah was nearly perfect.
Except for one thing.
‘The motive behind the crime.’
While I empathized with Cha Seo-ah’s twisted emotions, that part gnawed at me.
Cha Seo-ah commits her first murder impulsively after witnessing the happiness of those different from her.
‘Jealousy.’
Yes, it was jealousy.
Ordinary people who were unlike her.
She couldn’t tolerate the happiness they displayed and committed the crime.
The problem was that I have never felt that jealousy.
At least not yet.
So, that aspect was hard to relate to.
Cha Seo-ah described it as experiencing “a pain like a knife piercing her heart.”
‘Jealousy, jealousy.’
Hmm, I tilted my head.
I could mimic it.
Because seeing jealousy is a common experience.
I understood why it occurred, but having never felt it myself.
Even if I asked my mom or dad.
“Seoyeon is just too generous. She easily gives up what she likes and doesn’t have much greed.”
Mom would hug me tightly as she said this.
“Hm, maybe it’s just that you live without thinking?”
Dad would say that nonchalantly.
I wanted to hit him just once.
“Mom’s right.”
So that’s it; I’m too generous.
Maybe I was just born with a big heart, possibly influenced by my past life.
What a bother.
What if I never understood jealousy?
As I was mulling over this—
Vroom~!
“Hmm?”
At that moment, my phone vibrated.
Curious, I checked it.
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
What in the world is going on?
‘Is it for real?’
Could it be someone with a similar name?
Feeling hesitant about checking the video, I thought.
What if it’s not the Ramiel I know and it’s someone else?
Or not even a virtual YouTuber, but just an ordinary one?
With that turmoil in my head—
“……But I have to check.”
With my eyes tightly shut, I pressed play on the new video.
Then, slowly opened one eye.
And there—
“Hi there, I’m Ramiel, your new virtual YouTuber!”
A cheerful voice.
Bright blond hair and wings sprouting from her back.
An angelic appearance, though in reality, she was a harpy.
Her voice was also the same as the one I used to know.
“The modeling…”
How much money did they spend?
I recalled Ramiel’s past modeling as a corporate mascot.
That was indeed good, but this level was unprecedented.
It’s rare for someone to debut with such high-quality performances.
“How fancy, how fancy is the facial design?”
How much expensive equipment were they using?
I thought incredulously.
Did Ji-yeon prep all this alone?
It didn’t just take money; one needed knowledge for this.
While I mulled over these questions, I watched Ramiel’s first video.
It seemed the video uploaded today was mainly for promotion.
Judging by how she mentioned her first live stream.
‘Unusual approach.’
As I thought this, I clicked on the second video.
“Let me introduce you to my friend!”
Ramiel spoke in a bright voice.
A friend?
With that thought, a new character appeared next to Ramiel.
“I’m the precious friend who brought me here from my nest, where I used to just sleep all day.”
Ramiel hugged the character that appeared next to her, a blue-haired sorceress.
Seoyeon realized.
That blue-haired sorceress had been the one to help Ramiel upload her video.
“……Who are you?”
It was obvious they looked incredibly close.
Wait, is this a collaboration right from the second video?
“Oh come on, stop fooling around.”
As the sorceress teased, Ramiel replied playfully.
“Who are you!!!”
In an instant, my heart filled with intense emotions, a rarity in my life.
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