Chapter: 86
To put it simply, Jo Seo-hee only recently learned about the nature of the film.
Having been active since her child actor days, Seo-hee had quite a wide network.
This was partly due to her being doted on by veteran actress Jeong Eun-sun, but it was also because Seo-hee herself paid great attention to her connections.
“The acting scene ultimately depends on one’s face.”
So, it’s best to maintain good relationships wherever possible.
She’d thought this way since her childhood, and that sentiment hadn’t changed much as she grew older.
Director Baek Min had, among others, quite a long-standing connection with Seo-hee.
In her childhood, she was introduced to him by Jeong Eun-sun.
And after growing up a bit, she once acted in a film called Aerial Rescue.
“Gyeongseong, The Gyeongseong Lady?”
At first, she thought it was just a film with a peculiar title.
Set in the Japanese occupation period, she assumed it would be one of those films related to the independence movement.
“Would this help in improving my image?”
As Seo-hee sipped her warm Americano, those thoughts crossed her mind.
Seo-hee, known for her sharp features, received a fair amount of negative opinions directed at her.
People often called her a bully or said she was too bold for her own good.
So, naturally, any opportunity was quite welcome.
“I hope I get a role where I die heroically.”
If she played her emotional cards right, it wouldn’t be too bad of a gig.
Plus…
“It would be a good stage to showcase my acting.”
She recalled Joo Su-yeon, the girl who had recommended her for Baek Min’s film.
Still reminiscent of her childhood appearance, she had blossomed into a fine actress.
Although she had only shot one film so far, Seo-hee realized she had the potential to rise quickly.
She still remembered that helplessness she felt back then—a vivid image of Seoyeon competing against adult actors.
“This time, it’s going to be different.”
She wasn’t a child actor anymore.
While she wasn’t ancient either, she was living in the world of adult actresses now.
“This is a gay movie, you know.”
“Pfft!!!”
Yet, upon hearing Director Baek Min’s statement, Seo-hee accidentally spewed her coffee.
Just when she was gathering her resolve, this was entirely unexpected.
“I—I must have misheard you, Director.”
“Nah, you heard it right.”
With Americano spilled all over him, Director Baek Min laughed heartily.
“Oh, oh! I’m so sorry. Here’s a handkerchief…”
“It’s all good.”
Baek Min’s cheerful grin was just like usual.
Now in his mid-thirties, he was a young director, often referred to as one of the most promising talents in the industry.
From Seo-hee’s perspective, this was a valuable connection indeed.
“I really want to cast you as the lead in this film, Seo-hee. There’s no other actress among your peers as outstanding as you.”
“Th-that’s really flattering, but…”
Director Baek Min had high praise for Seo-hee.
First off, she had an exceptional appearance and acting skills that surpassed her peers.
And her diligent self-management was top-notch.
There weren’t many actresses her age who could reach this level, and he would assert that.
So, he was adamant about casting Seo-hee as the lead in The Gyeongseong Lady.
“And about that Su-yeon you mentioned… I should check her acting as well, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Director Baek Min hadn’t watched The Sun Hidden by the Moon nor any plays yet.
Thus, he hadn’t seen Su-yeon’s acting, but he knew about actresses Seo-hee had cared about since childhood.
Given her recent buzz, he was paying close attention to her.
“Are you coming next time? You said you were friends.”
“Oh. Y-yes, friends.”
With trembling lips, Seo-hee barely managed to smile.
Fortunately, the facial muscles honed from her acting career deftly fulfilled their duty.
“I’ll definitely come with you, Director.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
At Baek Min’s cheerful smile, Seo-hee meekly nodded.
And today…
“That’s what happened.”
“Oh, so it’s a gay movie, huh?”
“Yup…”
Seoyeon tilted her head curiously at Seo-hee’s words.
“Is that really something to tremble about?”
These days, that kind of keyword is pretty standard in all sorts of creative works.
In fact, it’s sometimes forcefully inserted, leading to a drop in quality and earning some backlash.
“It’s not good for an actress to be picky about roles either.”
That was Seoyeon’s basic mindset.
If there was something to shy away from, it would be romantic acting.
Still, she recognized that would have to be done at some point.
“Definitely, Gyeongseong Lady might be a film to feel burdened about.”
For the record, the actress Seoyeon remembered in Gyeongseong Lady wasn’t Seo-hee.
Originally, it wasn’t a film with a big budget, and there were no actresses who applied with that same gay theme.
So, three unknown actresses were cast as leads.
And those three ended up unexpectedly hitting it big.
Four million viewers.
Not to mention, they were nominated for an Academy Award, and their names were thrown into various overseas awards circuits, garnering lots of nominations and wins.
That news lasted a good while.
“After that, the actresses involved in the film got their chance to jump into OTT dramas.”
Of course, none of them participated in blockbuster hits afterward, but initially, they drew quite a bit of attention overseas.
“It’s a new drama with those ladies!” they said.
Though it didn’t achieve remarkable results as expected.
“Hey, why are you so quiet?”
“Oh, I was just thinking for a minute.”
Seoyeon answered nonchalantly, but Seo-hee was all hunched up in her seat.
And rightfully so, as Seoyeon’s voice—calm and emotionless—could easily be misinterpreted as a sign of displeasure or anger.
“Feel free to decline if you don’t want to,” Seo-hee said.
“I don’t dislike it.”
“Huh?”
Seo-hee was taken aback by the unexpected response.
She had assumed Seoyeon would immediately decline.
“I just need to think a bit more.”
“Okay…”
At that response, Seo-hee thought, “Ah, I figured she wouldn’t want it.”
She was probably rejecting it politely.
For the record, Seoyeon wasn’t subtly declining at all.
In fact, she genuinely considered Gyeongseong Lady a fantastic opportunity.
“A rare film that could elevate my profile overseas.”
Gyeongseong Lady had even gained buzz in overseas online communities.
Back in an era when the OTT market wasn’t developed, awareness of Korean actors was virtually non-existent in foreign communities.
Of course, in time—due to various reasons—Korean films and dramas started exporting, and their recognition soared, but that would take a few years.
“A truly good opportunity.”
Seoyeon hadn’t hesitated to confirm she was unsure not just because it was a gay-themed film.
She genuinely worried, “Can I pull this off?”
In multiple aspects, acting-wise.
“Whatever part it is, if I’m working alongside Seo-hee, my role will likely be significant.”
There were three leads in Gyeongseong Lady: the noble “daughter of a prestigious family,” her rival “lady,” and lastly, “the daughter’s maid.”
Seoyeon had no idea what part she’d be playing.
However, all three would inevitably require a touch of romantic acting.
Given that Seoyeon had never done romantic scenes before, her confidence was lacking.
“…Dream Future.”
“Ah, yes. I heard you’re taking part in that.”
“Let me give that a shot, and I’ll get back to you.”
Dream Future also demanded some romantic acting.
However, the character Jo Ha-rin’s frequency of romantic scenes was quite low, focusing more on her own unrequited love, thus minimizing heavy emotional expressions.
That said, since there would still be recognition with the male lead, Kim Si-hwan, she couldn’t brush it off entirely.
So it seemed wise to have a go at it there and gauge her performance.
“Such a valuable chance isn’t one to throw away lightly.”
Seo-hee’s proposal as a friend aside, it indeed was a fantastic opportunity, and she couldn’t simply turn it down because she felt burdened.
“Understood. You have time, so just let me know by the end of the year.”
“Okay.”
With that response from Seoyeon, Seo-hee seemed at ease as she cheerfully bid farewell.
After ending the call, Seoyeon was approached by Lee Ji-yeon, who wore a puzzled expression.
“What was that all about?”
Seoyeon thought maybe Ji-yeon had overheard the conversation since she was close by.
Looking up and down at Ji-yeon,
“Hmmm.”
Ji-yeon had only appeared in cable dramas thus far.
Adding to that, there was Gyeongseong Lady, which Seo-hee just mentioned.
“Since there were likely no applicants, those unknown actresses must have been cast.”
Given that, an established actress likely wouldn’t be secured by the next year.
Meaning it was a fantastic opportunity for Ji-yeon!
“Ji-yeon, are you considering auditioning for a movie?”
“What?”
Surprised by that sudden question, Ji-yeon had no choice but to be taken aback.
*
“Sun-ah, have you finished the article?”
“Ah, yes. It’ll go up soon.”
Han Sun-ah responded to her senior with a smile, then sighed heavily.
Lately, as internet articles dominated the news, her workload had increased considerably.
With reporters publishing articles without proper research, the blame often fell on everyone.
“Hey? The Chaser?”
“Oh, yes. You know it?”
“I do! That film was recently invested in by GH Group. So, there’s no need to worry about low audience turnout.”
Sun-ah smiled at her senior’s statement.
As Seoyeon’s number one fan, just hearing that made her feel good.
“But Joo Seoyeon? Hmm, is there really a need to write about her? Isn’t there already a ton of coverage about her?”
“Oh, it’s not an immediately publishable article. I plan to post it when the second or third PV comes out.”
The article Sun-ah prepared outlined Joo Seoyeon’s growth journey and what she would portray in The Chaser.
Basically, it was an article meant to introduce the still-relatively-unknown actress to the public.
“That’s a bit ambiguous. Those kinds of pieces nowadays are considered what? Clickbait? They don’t draw in much traffic.”
“Avoiding overly sensational articles is a good idea, though…”
“Come on, why worry about that? We’re the ones getting too anxious about this.”
The media company Sun-ah worked for, Seonyang Media, prided itself on being fairly moderate.
But because they were moderate, compared to others who churned out sensational articles, their notoriety was relatively low.
“Well, since you’re doing a good job, I trust you.”
“Yes, yes. You don’t need to worry.”
With that warning, her senior headed off, and Sun-ah exhaled deeply.
Her feelings for Seoyeon shaped half of her articles, while the other half was based on genuine belief.
“She’s bound to break through.”
With The Chaser…
Besides, there was proof that she’d just auditioned for a drama.
Sun-ah was ready to investigate exactly what had happened at that audition.
What exactly did Seoyeon experience?
And what role had she chosen?
That role was…
“I’m Joo Seoyeon, playing Jo Ha-rin. I look forward to working with you,” she said, bowing her head to the other actors during Dream Future’s first gathering.
This meeting was for the actors who passed the audition to gather together.
It was the first meeting directed by the cinematographer Kim Pil-seok.
It wasn’t exactly for a script reading; rather, it was to start building rapport.
“You’re all young actors, right? Most of you are around the same age.”
The relatively cheerful Director Kim Pil-seok laughed heartily as he mentioned that.
Most were in their early twenties.
The younger ones were in their late teens.
Among them, Seoyeon was strikingly young at seventeen.
Excluding the male lead Kim Si-hwan and female lead Song So-ha, the four main leads presented their distinct personalities.
With their youthful age, many had achieved success early, and their confidence was off the charts.
One in particular,
“Wow, Seoyeon! You’re still in high school, huh? We can talk casually, right?”
With piercings in his ears and flamboyant blonde hair, Ma Yeon-woo stood out.
At his remarks, the faces of the other four contorted uncomfortably.
Since he was the most popular in the fandom, they refrained from saying anything too overt.
“Not exactly what I’d call a good vibe.”
Seoyeon nodded faintly as she observed this crowd of young actors.
And looking at their faces, they all seemed destined for significant success in the future.
It wouldn’t do to cause any rifts among them.
“I guess I’ll be the social one here,” Seoyeon thought to herself.
Despite some struggles in school, she was undeniably top-tier in her social skills, right?
While musing over that, Park Jung-woo sighed heavily upon observing Seoyeon’s expression.
“…Looks like she’s off in her own world again.”
He predicted it would become quite a tiresome gathering.
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