Chapter: 95
First things first, it was merely curiosity.
Gildahyun, the class president in Seoyeon’s class, was actually not that into thrillers.
But.
“Are you going to watch The Chaser today?”
“Huh?”
“It’s starring Joo Seoyeon.”
That comment sparked curiosity.
Truth be told, Gildahyun didn’t really catch much media due to his studies.
TV, YouTube, dramas, movies—animations, and all that jazz.
He had only occasionally watched a movie or two.
“Remember how great she was at acting as a ghost during the festival?”
“Yeah, that’s true!”
The ghost act Seoyeon had done during the festival.
To be honest, Gildahyun hadn’t really seen it properly.
He’d been too busy managing things.
But later he heard stories.
“You guys are insane!”
“I seriously almost had a heart attack.”
Those kinds of comments were thrown around.
What on earth had happened?
Deep down, Gildahyun regretted not experiencing the ghost house firsthand.
Was that why?
“Okay, let’s give it a watch.”
He readily decided to go to the movies with his friends.
And.
Today was the day.
“?”
The aura around Seoyeon, who looked at him with a puzzled face, created a two-meter bubble of space around her.
Not a single soul dared to approach.
Even knowing it was just a role, her presence was that striking.
“Hey, Seoyeon, how’s it going?”
Finally managing to say hello, his friends’ lips trembled.
‘Is that really Seoyeon acting?’
They wanted to ask, but knew how silly that question truly was.
So much so that Cha Seo-ah reigned in terror for the entire two hours of the movie.
‘Could it be that Seoyeon’s blank expression is…’
‘Nah, no way.’
Such questions crept into their minds.
Plus, Seoyeon’s red eyes were a concern.
‘They aren’t red now, but…’
Don’t they turn red sometimes?
Is it her constitution?
As those thoughts danced in his head, Seoyeon’s face blended with Cha Seo-ah’s.
‘I might not be able to go to a convenience store for a while.’
‘Oh, I agree.’
Seoyeon gripping a red fire axe overlapped with the image of her in the movie.
That was how intense it was.
The image of Cha Seo-ah chasing after victims loomed large.
“Hey.”
As Seoyeon spoke, the students’ gazes swiftly withdrew.
“Um.”
The students started to back away again.
And perhaps feeling awkward, one mumbled, “Ah, it’s not like we’re avoiding you.”
“Well, then.”
“The movie is just a movie, right?”
Despite their words, their bodies told a different story.
None could meet Seoyeon’s gaze as they spoke.
Or rather, it wasn’t that they completely avoided her.
All the students’ eyes were drawn toward Seoyeon’s gaze.
The axe, the hammer—in her hands during the movie.
All those weapons were still vivid in their minds.
‘She’s empty-handed.’
It was almost as if the students’ eyes were saying that aloud.
The distance they managed to close felt like a great chasm.
‘Hmm.’
Watching the scene, Seoyeon thought to herself.
‘…I guess making friends will be a bit tough for a while.’
Seoyeon felt a little downcast.
Actors occasionally leave a strong impression with their roles which impacts the public, and this was just such a case.
She couldn’t help but hope that Dream Future would balance out this image.
That’s what Seoyeon thought.
‘What do I do?’
‘You should say something.’
‘Just need a little mental preparation first.’
Of course, the students who saw her fidgeted anxiously.
Among them was Gildahyun too.
‘Ah.’
He wanted to say something.
But, unlike the others, it wasn’t because he was scared.
It wasn’t to comfort her either.
On the contrary.
He simply wanted to talk sincerely as a fan.
‘She’s really an actress.’
This was the first time he had truly seen Seoyeon’s performance.
Everything else was just from variety shows and ads for Dream Future.
But the Seoyeon in the movie was utterly different.
She was terrifying, making Gildahyun tremble for those two hours.
That experience was undeniably chilling but also served as a fresh stimulus for him.
It allowed him to step into a new world.
‘Later, I must tell her it was fun. Ah, I need to watch Dream Future too.’
He made a mental note to keep an eye on any movies or dramas Seoyeon was in.
*
Word-of-mouth really is like a wave.
And it doesn’t take long for that wave to turn into a swell or even a tsunami.
The Chaser was just like that.
“Wow, I just watched The Chaser, and it was totally crazy. This is a real, proper domestic thriller that’s been a long time coming!”
The first person to shout such was Han Bong-sik, who was on the verge of hitting 1.2 million subscribers.
“This is a spoiler, so I can’t say much. But the suspect is small and a woman, right? Not being discriminatory, just saying it’s about the atmosphere.”
Bong-sik recounted scenes from the movie.
“Usually, in horror flicks, it’s often the ghost that’s female, especially in the East. Maybe that’s why there’s some emotional aspect too. It’s terrifying.”
– What a fuss!
– I watched it and that’s exactly how it felt ;;;
– Really?
– Yes, like that.
“The suspect has her circumstances. There are reasons, and those become part of her narrative. But just because there’s a reason, does that make her pitiable??? Not at all.”
Bong-sik was clearly sharing his experience with the film.
Cha Seo-ah was undeniably a character you’d feel for.
But to feel sorry for her was simply too cruel.
“You need to watch it to understand. It’s going to hit a million views! A million!”
Bong-sik shouted with confidence—if it doesn’t hit a million, something is wrong!
The Korean thriller film market would be in flames!!!!
He threw a fit and that became the first wave.
“Is The Chaser really that good?”
“Hmm, should I give it a shot?”
First came the interest.
“I spent half the movie with my eyes shut.”
“What a waste, it was really intense.”
“It wasn’t that it was boring, it was just incredibly scary. But it was good.”
And so, audiences began flocking to the theaters.
Considering recent declines in Korean cinema, it was only natural to pay attention to a movie suddenly hitting it big.
“Honestly, it’s just fuss.”
“If you find it boring, you’ll regret it.”
People generally don’t care about which actors are in a movie.
Most regular folks can name only big-name actors.
Among them, the name Joo Seoyeon felt unfamiliar.
With memories from the past and appearances in variety shows.
She had recently appeared in dramas but didn’t have much screen time.
Thus, there wasn’t much interest in who played Cha Seo-ah.
And so.
The moment the movie started, they were witnessing the actress for the first time without any preconceived notions.
They were experiencing that intensity for the very first time.
Sitting in their seats.
Cha Seo-ah appeared as the rain poured down.
Emotionlessly disposing of corpses.
She resembled a real-life psychopath in the eyes of the audience.
Though she looked human, it was as if she were a grotesque version of one.
“Are the detectives working in a nearby police station?”
“Oh, I see. So, if I call, they’ll come right away? How long does it usually take? They can come right away, right?”
Cha Seo-ah’s calm voice echoed through the theater.
The audience already knew who the culprit was.
In her first encounter with the two detectives, Cha Seo-ah casually asked as though she were passing by.
At that moment.
No background music played.
“By the way, why are you curious about that?”
The detective seemed to sense something and asked.
Cha Seo-ah replied dismissively, as if it was nothing.
The tension maintained in silence until she boarded the bus.
Even though it was a mundane conversation, the audience couldn’t take their eyes off Cha Seo-ah’s every word.
The smile she shared during that exchange was.
Strangely awkward.
That awkwardness bred discomfort.
As that discomfort morphed into fear through Cha Seo-ah’s actions.
“W-what did we do wrong? Why!!”
As the victim screamed, Cha Seo-ah remained silent.
She simply gazed at them.
As if relishing their reactions.
Or searching for an answer.
“I don’t know either.”
“Damn, that’s…”
Before his words finished, an axe hit the man’s head.
The scene didn’t clearly show it.
But that chilling sound alone made the audience recoil.
“Damn it!!”
A moment too late, Detective Im Seung-cheol burst in anger and chased after Cha Seo-ah.
Of course, he was empty-handed after she disposed of her weapon.
Dashing cleanly over the windows, she fled as he pursued.
The ensuing chase scene.
The audience involuntarily tensed their hands.
Cha Seo-ah showed no fear in her actions.
Even though it was a scene of her being chased, she kept glancing at Im Seung-cheol.
And upon spotting a fallen metal pipe, she quickly turned and swung it at Seung-cheol’s head.
“Gah!!”
Seung-cheol stumbled back, twisting as he fell.
And just as she retrieved a cutter knife from her pocket, footsteps echoed, prompting her to turn.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I went that way! Over there!”
The bloody-faced Im Seung-cheol shouted desperately to his colleague, Seo Gwang-il, who arrived late.
And yet, Seo Gwang-il hung his head.
It was already too late to give chase.
Moreover, Seung-cheol was bleeding heavily. It seemed he had sustained a head injury from the metal pipe.
“Damn it, this is my fault! I let her get away!”
Tears mixed with blood were seen in his eyes.
With feelings of injustice and anguish flowing from his lips.
The audience empathized with Im Seung-cheol.
Focusing on his performance, their anger toward Cha Seo-ah deepened.
Im Seung-cheol and Seo Gwang-il, through their determination, chased down the potential suspect, Cha Seo-ah, piecing together clues one by one.
In the process, Cha Seo-ah’s past began to unveil itself.
The traces of how she became a murderer.
“Excuse me? Abuse?”
“Oh, it seems she was abused by her parents.”
Though a neighborhood resident reported it, it said that Cha Seo-ah was raised under her parents’ care for quite a while afterward.
“Emotional expression disability?”
“Yes, Cha Seo-ah has trouble feeling and expressing emotions properly.”
Those words from the doctor layered over Cha Seo-ah’s pursuit of her next target.
The final victim.
The kind girl from the convenience store, Han Ye-hwa, who had spoken kindly to Cha Seo-ah.
She would pursue her, knock her out, and slowly drag her away.
Normally, Cha Seo-ah would have killed her right there.
But her hand hesitated for a split second.
Humanity or morality.
As if the things she had forgotten returned to her.
The audience felt that Cha Seo-ah sensed something when she looked at Han Ye-hwa.
“I feel pain when I see you.”
But Cha Seo-ah merely looked down at Han Ye-hwa, wrapped fully in blue tape.
She was simply curious.
“No idea, huh? Well, of course, you wouldn’t know.”
Cha Seo-ah muttered to herself as she fiddled with her tools.
A hammer, a saw, an axe.
Items she had painstakingly procured.
“My heart feels weird. It’s really hot, and… I can’t quite express it. I don’t know what to say. Should I laugh or cry? Is it anger? Or is it frustration?”
She knew the names of her emotions.
But she wasn’t sure how to express them or if she felt them correctly.
Her anger directed at Han Ye-hwa, who had been kind to her.
Isn’t that strange?
That she would feel anger when someone treated her kindly?
Because of that.
Or perhaps for that very reason.
She just didn’t want to kill her.
It wasn’t about humanity or morality or some grand idea.
It was merely that it felt like a waste.
It was just a pity to kill her in a normal way.
Han Ye-hwa stirred something within Cha Seo-ah’s heart.
What could that be?
A pure question arose.
She wanted to know, and thought that if she killed her like an average person, she would lose that opportunity.
“Am I strange?”
The past Cha Seo-ah flickered onto the screen.
Flickering like a strobe light.
Abuse from parents.
Bullying from classmates.
With each instance, thump, thump, thump—the sound of a thumping heartbeat echoed, resonating with the audience’s own.
As she gripped the hammer and moved closer.
“Stop! You murderer!!”
Busting through the door, Seo Gwang-il stormed in.
“Ha.”
With the bloodied hammer in her hand, Cha Seo-ah tilted her head.
Almost as if reflecting her mood.
Holding their breaths, the audience gazed onto Cha Seo-ah’s face filling the screen.
In that moment, Cha Seo-ah’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
“Oh, I get it now.”
With a sigh, Cha Seo-ah uttered.
“This is just downright shitty.”
Cha Seo-ah approached Seo Gwang-il, brandishing the hammer.
Feeling not an ounce of fear toward the much larger man.
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