Chapter: 104
—
Seoyeon was surprised twice by Director Kang Tae-jin’s words.
First, he mentioned that they were planning a variety show for the movie.
Second, it was a type of variety show she had never heard of in her past life.
‘As expected, no matter how I think about it, I can’t find anything similar to that show.’
It was likely a completely new movie.
A film that didn’t exist in Seoyeon’s memory, sparking a fluttering excitement within her.
After all, every movie Seoyeon had seen up until now was something she had already watched.
“For reference, the director is Han Ye-geon.”
Kang Tae-jin said this while quietly locking eyes with Seoyeon.
She recognized the director’s name from somewhere.
He was known for his prowess in action directing.
As impressive as that was, he was also known for being somewhat self-righteous and having a strong personal style.
“Hmm, you might not know, but he can be a bit difficult to approach. He has been active in this industry for quite some time.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of him.”
“Well, that makes this discussion quicker.”
Kang Tae-jin was inwardly surprised by Seoyeon’s calm demeanor.
‘For someone so young, she’s remarkably composed.’
There was no sign of panic or nervousness in how she interacted with him.
Could it be because she was an actress?
Kang Tae-jin had a knack for reading others’ emotions easily.
However, with Seoyeon, he felt utterly clueless.
It reminded him of the character Chae Seo-ah from the movie.
‘Wasn’t it called emotional expression incapacity syndrome?’
When he was younger, people had told Kang Tae-jin he lacked emotional depth.
He initially wondered if it were some sort of disorder, but it turned out he was just a tad slow emotionally.
Regardless, he could sympathize with Chae Seo-ah to some extent, and that was why it wasn’t a lie when he said he enjoyed The Chaser.
It was Kang Tae-jin who had advocated for Seoyeon’s presence in this meeting.
Of course, he believed in Seoyeon’s potential as an asset based on objective assessment, not personal bias.
“For now, the movie’s title is just a working title, Mine (魔人). It can be described as a contemporary fantasy featuring superpowered individuals.”
Seoyeon lightly nodded.
Once again, she realized she wasn’t familiar with this concept.
“In other words, we’re preparing for a large-scale audition before filming this movie. It’s basically an audition to pick the lead roles.”
Was he asking her to participate in that audition? As she looked at him, he continued.
“Yes, I would love for actress Joo Su-yeon to participate in this movie audition. This variety show is scheduled to be aired on public broadcasting as well.”
It seemed like they were seriously planning this audition show.
However, one question lingered: why bother asking Seoyeon personally to join the audition?
Usually, such things could simply be requested through their agency.
“Of course, I understand it might be a bit surprising for actress Joo Su-yeon to be asked to participate in an audition instead of being cast directly in the movie.”
“That’s…”
She was about to deny it, but Director Kang Tae-jin’s words came quicker.
“The reason this movie project came to fruition is thanks to The Chaser.”
“Excuse me?”
“It has strong action elements, as well as thriller aspects. Given the recent decline of Korean films, it has remained at the planning stage for quite a while.”
It sounded like the representative of GH Group was greatly impressed by The Chaser.
“In a way, Seoyeon, you were summoned at the request of the representative.”
“……”
This was far bigger than she expected.
Not just anyone, but the representative of GH Group was hoping for Seoyeon to play a part in the movie.
“Honestly, I had various information. About Cheonghong Action School, for instance… Therefore, I believed that actress Joo Su-yeon would do exceptionally well in the audition.”
“I see,” she replied hesitantly.
“If you don’t succeed in the audition, there’s no need to worry about roles if you show a stellar performance.”
So, he was saying she’ll compete for the lead, but even if she fell short, they’d still offer her a role.
“……”
Though that was a good thing, it also oddly stung her pride.
Seeing the director’s overly smug grin, it was hard to tell if he was teasing her or genuinely believed in her.
‘An action-packed film about superpowered beings.’
Now she understood a bit why filming had been delayed.
After all, this genre was currently dominated by foreign films.
Hero movies, to be exact.
Inevitably, they would have to be compared to those, which was likely why the project had been postponed.
Domestic films with similar concepts had bombed badly.
If a thriller concept was added to that, the disadvantages would multiply.
“I’ll try to look at this positively,” she said.
“Thank you.”
Was she really thankful, though?
Feeling skeptical about this entire situation, she looked back at him.
“Well then, let’s move on to the next topic.”
“Huh?”
She must have been summoned for the audition request, right?
“I mentioned earlier that I have several things I’d like to propose.”
Director Kang Tae-jin then handed over a few documents.
“Advertising proposal.”
“Excuse me?”
“This time, Éclat Étoile’s advertisement was quite impressive.”
Kang Tae-jin scrutinized Seoyeon.
Her beauty was breathtaking, unmatched among celebrities.
Once she blossomed into adulthood, her looks would surely shine even brighter.
Add to that her potential as an actress.
Taking everything into account, Kang Tae-jin wanted to secure her.
While others were hesitating and crunching numbers, he instinctively took action.
Though discussions about her were still ongoing at GH Group, Kang Tae-jin wanted to be the first to snatch her up.
“I hope actress Joo Su-yeon can become the face of our GH Group.”
Kang Tae-jin had one goal in mind.
To have her face plastered on all the billboards associated with GH Group throughout Seoul.
Of course, to do that, she needed to earn everyone’s approval.
These advertisements were just the beginning.
—
The day after the meeting with GH Group, Seoyeon felt a bit dazed.
And it was no wonder; the contracts she received yesterday left her with a whirlwind of thoughts.
Among the ads, there were some that made her go ‘wow,’ but yesterday, Kang Tae-jin proposed three ads.
Those weren’t exactly the top-tier ads a major celebrity would get, but considering the numbers involved, they were still quite good.
‘Hmm.’
Honestly, the pressure was increasing.
Especially since it was hard to read Director Kang Tae-jin’s intentions.
‘This isn’t a bad opportunity, so I’ll give it a shot.’
After all, shooting an advertisement didn’t mean she’d get stuck with it right away.
Most likely, it would be next year.
More specifically, ads would commence right after Mine premiered.
On the flip side, that meant Mine‘s success would be a ‘test’ for actress Joo Su-yeon.
If she achieved mediocre results there, this trio of commercials might be her last handful.
‘Mine.’
It was a film that had never been released, so it was hard to gauge what potential existed.
And there was another significant problem that only Seoyeon knew.
‘The Thief premieres at the same time.’
That was the movie directed by Cho Min-tae, who had been connected to Seoyeon since childhood.
A 10-million hit film.
And its leading role was played by Kim Jung-ha, who had been Seoyeon’s first co-star.
Definitely not someone to underestimate.
The Chaser stomped all over Utopia, but The Thief was a different conversation.
Just for reference, when The Thief premiered, another blockbuster movie was released at the same time.
That film was also ruthlessly trampled, resulting in The Thief hitting the 10 million mark.
If Mine was to open against such films, who knows how it would perform?
‘Maybe I should avoid that.’
Honestly, she had no desire to clash with them.
She didn’t want to gamble unnecessarily or create friction with people she was connected to.
But could things ever go the way Seoyeon wanted?
‘Anyway.’
Lately, Seoyeon felt the gazes following her at school.
When The Chaser was in theaters, it had felt like a mix of fear and pressure.
As if she were a cockroach, trying to sneak away from prying eyes.
“Hey, you’re popular these days, huh?”
Lee Ji-yeon teased.
Seoyeon narrowed her eyes and glared at Ji-yeon.
“Yeah, you look scary when you glare like that, you know?”
“I was just looking at you.”
Anyway, it was clear that since episode 11 of Dream Future aired, the way the boys at school looked at Seoyeon had changed.
Jo Ha-rin’s character was incredibly cute, and boys started to see Seoyeon in the same light.
‘But…’
Seoyeon subtly glanced at Ji-yeon.
Lately, watching Ramiel’s streams, it seemed like Ji-yeon was obsessively following Seoyeon’s dramas and films.
The reviews were incredibly detailed and overwhelmingly positive.
There were so many compliments about her acting that Seoyeon felt shy just reading them.
Although she wanted to express her gratitude, she had no idea how to.
So, in a moment of brewing gratitude…
“I’m late.”
“………”
At that moment, Jo Seo-hee arrived, clad in her high school uniform.
‘Why does she insist on wearing a school uniform when she has plenty of other outfits?’
By now, it wasn’t surprising that Jo Seo-hee showed up at school.
But it bothered Seoyeon every time she did.
“So, was it obvious I just finished school?”
“Is that so?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Jo Seo-hee crossed her arms.
From the look of her, she resembled a haughty villainess.
Honestly, it wasn’t a look that suited her school uniform.
Or was it? Maybe it actually looked good on her.
“… Anyway.”
The three of them moved to a nearby café and began their conversation in earnest.
‘Why do we keep having these discussions?’
Jo Seo-hee was secretly quite tense.
After all, this meeting was about Gyeongseong Lady.
‘Why this of all times!’
To be honest, Jo Seo-hee didn’t have any prejudice against homosexuality.
However, if she were assigned that kind of role, it would be problematic in many ways.
After all, an actor must immerse themselves in their role.
And most importantly,
‘I’ve never even acted in a romantic scene.’
In fact, Jo Seo-hee’s breakout role was in a disaster film.
She hadn’t even appeared in a tender, fluffy drama like Seoyeon’s Dream Future.
Given her strong persona, sweet love roles rarely came her way.
It was a matter of age as well.
Yet now, her first romantic film would be an LGBTQ film.
‘Why is this girl so nonchalant?’
Watching Seoyeon standing there in a daze only heightened Jo Seo-hee’s nerves.
Though she crossed her arms and raised her chin in an effort to hide it, it was all just an act.
‘Chae Seo-ah…’
Suddenly, memories of Seoyeon’s performance in The Chaser flooded her mind.
Seoyeon’s portrayal impacted Jo Seo-hee deeply.
It struck her that there was another actress in her age group performing at such a level.
Seoyeon’s interpretation of the character Chae Seo-ah felt so real that Jo Seo-hee wondered whether Seoyeon had experienced such a condition herself.
‘Of course not.’
She checked and found it wasn’t a curable disease to begin with.
Realizing that only made it all the more impressive.
To be able to deliver such heartfelt acting.
Nevertheless, Jo Seo-hee spoke up first.
Her candid thoughts about The Chaser and Dream Future.
And then,
“I heard the audition for Gyeongseong Lady will start soon. Will you be attending?”
“Yeah, I mentioned that, right?”
Seoyeon replied flatly, unsure of what Ji-yeon was thinking.
‘Why does she use honorifics only with me?’
Jo Seo-hee felt a twinge of disappointment.
Seriously.
They’re the same age!
“And… regarding the audition, do you want to bring along the girl next to you?”
“……”
Ji-yeon looked at Seoyeon, shocked.
How could Jo Seo-hee suddenly want them both to join the film?
‘Why is she glaring at me now?’
Jo Seo-hee felt she shared a ‘kindred spirit’ moment with Ji-yeon.
Given her not-so-friendly demeanor, it was easy to see why.
“What kind of movie is it?”
Still, since she was Joo Seoyeon’s friend, she couldn’t afford to be rude.
“Just speak casually.”
“What sort of movie is it?”
“……”
As soon as Jo Seo-hee encouraged her to speak casually, Ji-yeon dropped the honorifics right away.
That surprised Jo Seo-hee a little.
‘Is she…?’
But with a glimmer of hope, Jo Seo-hee looked at Seoyeon.
Knowing Ji-yeon had loosened up, she was curious if Seoyeon would follow suit.
“The film is called Gyeongseong Lady, directed by Baek Min.”
“Oh, the one you mentioned earlier.”
“Yep, Seo-hee sunbae introduced it to me.”
Even while sensing the respect in those words, Jo Seo-hee felt that ‘Seo-hee sunbae’ part was somewhat nice.
‘Are we finally getting somewhere?’
Seeing her friend casually talking about these things warmed Jo Seo-hee’s heart.
“By the way, it’s an LGBTQ film.”
“Ah, I see…”
The calmness in Seoyeon’s voice made Ji-yeon freeze.
“What…?”
Ji-yeon’s expression changed instantly.
Watching her, Jo Seo-hee sipped her warm tea, feeling quite amused.
‘Oh, I didn’t phrase that properly.’
And as she observed both of them, Jo Seo-hee felt increasingly intrigued.
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