Chapter: 68
A few days after deciding to play the ghost role at the school festival, Joo Seoyeon was demonstrating action acting at Cheonghong Action School.
“Alright, Chae Seo-ah isn’t a martial artist. If you fight with such restrained moves, it looks stylish but feels off. Off!!”
Professor Kim Hong-baek drilled Seoyeon on her action acting. Other aspiring stunt performers who initially looked down on her were now astounded.
However, Professor Kim was shaking his head for a different reason.
“I can hardly catch a glimpse of her tired face after rolling like this,” he thought.
Unlike at the beginning, Seoyeon was now seen wiping her sweat. Her breathing, however, remained calm.
She was a tad out of breath, but aside from that, she seemed perfectly energetic after hours of action training.
“I think it may be because we have no stunt double, so this time I’ll take on the role of Detective Im Seung-cheol.”
Perhaps thinking that Chae Seo-ah’s action was nearly settled, Professor Kim made that announcement.
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you surprised?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Ah, right, action acting requires a partner! Seoyeon realized that anew.
Clenching and unclenching her fists, she contemplated,
“It should be fine, right?”
Having had the strength of an adult male since she was six, this body had almost transformed into a human weapon. What had once been a joking “super soldier” comment was now becoming worryingly real.
“But, I learned this for a reason.”
Before aligning with Kim Dae-heon, it seemed wise to rehearse with the martial arts master, Professor Kim.
“Then let’s get started.”
What they were about to practice was the final highlight of The Chaser.
The climax showdown between Detective Im Seung-cheol and Chae Seo-ah.
S# 115.
“First, try to act as much like Chae Seo-ah as possible.”
“As much as possible?”
“Because we need to see movements mixed with emotion.”
“……Yeah.”
Seoyeon nodded, calming her emotions.
Taking a breath once, and then again, the moment she opened her eyes…
Thwack!!
Professor Kim lunged at her.
There was supposed to be a line for Detective Im Seung-cheol, but now there was none.
Yet, the somewhat awkward but swift footsteps of Detective Im Seung-cheol caught her eye.
It mirrored Kim Dae-heon’s movements almost perfectly.
Stuntman… and supporting actor.
Professor Kim had once been the top stunt actor and stuntman in Korea, and his motions proved just that.
Naturally, the trainees watching this had their gazes fixed on him.
Professor Kim’s action performance was not something you could see every day.
At the same time, everyone was curious how a lead actress with such a steel-like body would pull off action scenes.
And then there was the realization:
“Chae Seo-ah is not a martial artist.”
Recalling Professor Kim’s words, she moved her body.
Not purely trained combat skills, but the instinctive aggression of a human.
The movement of a human who feels no fear, characteristic of Chae Seo-ah.
Whoosh!!
Seoyeon lightly evaded Professor Kim’s hand.
It was already a predetermined move, and next, Seoyeon’s punch…
Whoosh!!
Sliced through the air, brushing past Professor Kim’s cheek.
“Hold on!”
“Yes?”
Professor Kim touched his cheek.
They had planned a coordinated dodge, yet the cut had occurred.
“……”
“Um.”
Professor Kim spoke.
“Let’s take it a bit easier.”
“Ah, sure.”
“You know this isn’t about hitting your partner, it’s about coordination, right?”
“I… I think I barely missed… maybe.”
“Is that so?”
For something that came in straight at him, it seemed she lost control, possibly getting too immersed in Chae Seo-ah’s emotions.
“If Kim Dae-heon had done it, I’d be out for the count right now.”
That thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Thank goodness they had practiced in advance.
“I heard we were going to shoot the highlight scene soon, so I’m glad we did earlier.”
“What?”
Seoyeon, who had been staring at her fist, widened her eyes at that remark.
They’re shooting the highlight scene soon?
She thought they were supposed to film much later on.
“Oh dear, didn’t you hear? Director Bae Jin-hwan mentioned he had to make adjustments. So, he asked us to help with the highlight scene first.”
“Oh.”
So they were practicing this scene first instead of the chase scene today.
Seoyeon finally understood.
Director Bae Jin-hwan probably thought Professor Kim would fill her in.
“Let’s do it properly then.”
“Sure!”
As she displayed her fiery enthusiasm, Professor Kim adjusted his cheek again.
“I… I’ll just apply some ointment.”
If he didn’t keep his wits about him, this simple cut wouldn’t be the only thing he had to worry about.
Professor Kim found that certainty forming in his mind.
*
A few days later, the anticipated filming of The Chaser commenced.
The location was a convenience store.
“We’re shooting all the scenes set in the convenience store today.”
Overall, filming for The Chaser was going smoothly.
At this rate, it was certain to be released either within this year or by early next year at the latest.
They had already started work on a PV with the scenes they had filmed.
“So we might end a bit late today. We have three scenes to shoot, three.”
Director Bae Jin-hwan told the crew.
Originally, some of the convenience store scenes were planned to be filmed separately over time.
It made sense since the convenience store was critical to the movie’s highlight.
So they aimed to shoot the later scenes to maintain emotional continuity, but…
“The convenience store owner has something to do today.”
“Oh, then we have no choice.”
Given that they needed to get permission from the convenience store owner to borrow the location, that was unavoidable.
Of course, they had compensated him fairly. Well, actually, they even threw in a little extra, considering that if bad rumors spread with high foot traffic, it could be detrimental to the film.
Director Bae Jin-hwan was known for being very considerate about reputation and rumors.
“Though the real trouble lay elsewhere.”
Seoyeon thought as she stared directly at Director Bae Jin-hwan.
In the past, The Chaser had been riddled with misfortune.
The pinnacle of that was Pyo Ji-woo’s club riot and attempted murder.
Filming was postponed, the screening reduced, and all potential scandals piled on.
Now that Seoyeon was taking on the role of Chae Seo-ah, such an issue should be unlikely, but he had been an unluckily blamed director in many ways.
“Ah, Seoyeon.”
As she continued to watch Director Bae Jin-hwan, he smiled and approached her.
“How’s today’s shoot? It’s the later scenes, so it might be tough, right?”
“Yeah. Probably.”
That was likely referring to Seoyeon’s method acting.
The highlight.
This scene at the convenience store was literally regarded as the highlight of the movie.
Naturally, the burden was on Seoyeon, who needed to sync up with her character.
At the same time, since it was out of order, it could interfere with her emotional immersion.
In many ways, it could be difficult for Seoyeon, but…
“You can’t always shoot in order.”
When she was younger, Director Gong Tae-gye had been quite accommodating, making it easier for her.
But now, Seoyeon wasn’t a child anymore.
She was going to continue filming dramas and movies in the future.
This was something she absolutely had to adapt to.
“Very good.”
Reading Seoyeon’s thoughts, Director Bae Jin-hwan gave her a thumbs up.
No matter when, Seoyeon’s serious approach to acting was obvious.
“I really can’t think of her as a teen.”
She greeted everyone politely, and her attitude towards acting was excellent.
Director Bae Jin-hwan couldn’t help but admire her.
He had been somewhat dissatisfied with various young actors lately, but Seoyeon perfectly quelled his frustrations.
Because of this, Seoyeon had a particularly good reputation on set.
“Seoyeon, you’re acing social interactions!”
“Right? She’s super professional dealing with people. She must be popular at school, right?”
A passing crew member smiled at her.
This wasn’t the first time she had heard such compliments, so Seoyeon simply smiled awkwardly.
“Popular… of course!”
Seoyeon replied proudly.
Now she had taken on the ghost role at the festival, so things would only improve from there.
Working together on festival preparations would certainly give her opportunities to chat more with others.
“Definitely!”
“Bring any friends who want to visit the set next time!”
“Ah, sure.”
She didn’t have any particularly close friends yet, but Seoyeon nodded for now.
Her agency and all the crew members were genuinely interested in her friends.
“Now, we’ll start shooting scene number 117.”
This would be the introduction to the convenience store scene that decorated the highlight.
Han Ye-hwa’s kidnapping location was where Detective Seo Gwang-il would rush in to confront Chae Seo-ah, leading to a fierce battle.
Seo Gwang-il was an impressive detective capable at sports levels participating in the national athletic competitions.
Naturally, Chae Seo-ah wouldn’t just be able to take him down easily; she would need to knock him out with a nearby soju bottle.
In the meantime, the kidnapped Han Ye-hwa would escape, and Chae Seo-ah would hurry off to chase after the fleeing Han Ye-hwa, leaving the unconscious Seo Gwang-il behind.
However, finding the already-fled Han Ye-hwa would prove quite challenging.
Chae Seo-ah stopped running and entered the convenience store.
She needed to find a weapon to deal with the unconscious detective back home.
“…Um, is this alright? Isn’t Shin Seong-mi going to take some flak for this?”
“Oh, it’s fine! Actually, leaving such a strong impression at the end works better!”
Kim Dae-heon, playing Detective Im Seung-cheol, said this while the convenience store lady, Shin Seong-mi, chuckled.
She had also felt that way upon reading the script.
One might say it was a tad unrealistic…
“But surely it’s provocative.”
It felt like it would be a scene people would remember for ages.
“I need you to shine in this scene, Seoyeon.”
“Sure.”
“You need to show it all—Chae Seo-ah’s everything.”
The next scene was the final confrontation with Detective Im Seung-cheol.
S# 115.
To immerse the audience in the highlight, the build-up was essential.
S# 114 was that prelude.
They needed to shape Chae Seo-ah into a perfect villain, creating suspense that would make the audience sweat.
“…Alright.”
Director Bae Jin-hwan exhaled a sigh.
They had unexpectedly begun shooting the highlight sooner, yet getting it done at some point was inevitable.
This scene.
From the moment he took on this movie, this scene had played on his mind.
Watching Seoyeon quietly finish her preparations, he saw her wearing regular clothes instead of Chae Seo-ah’s notorious killing coat.
Attired in hoodie and jeans, just like how Chae Seo-ah would shop at the convenience store.
Quietly.
Amidst the clamor of a busy filming set, Seoyeon stood alone, serene.
She appeared calm, eyes closed to gather her emotions.
Hong Jeong-hee, who he had seen on stage years ago, needed to perform beyond that intensity here.
Director Bae Jin-hwan had faith.
He was sure Seoyeon could pull it off.
As her eyes slowly opened, the bright lights highlighted the vivid redness in her eyes.
Simultaneously…
S# 114 began to shoot.
The camera caught Chae Seo-ah walking towards the convenience store.
And then…
Thud.
Heavy footsteps took a step forward.
“…Phew.”
Exhaling sharply, Chae Seo-ah moved slowly on her feet.
She had been delayed by the detective who crashed in and broke down her door, likely due to not knowing how to find her house.
If there had been one more detective, she might have been in trouble.
“…”
Silently, Chae Seo-ah observed passing pedestrians who looked at her with concern.
Judgmental stares, now a familiar sight.
Chae Seo-ah mused.
First, she had missed Han Ye-hwa.
So she needed to take care of the unconscious detective at home first.
She didn’t have any wish to be caught.
If the sole witness who saw her abduct Han Ye-hwa vanished, even if she were caught, she could probably walk away due to lack of evidence.
Ding.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, she entered the now-familiar convenience store.
Inside, the store lady was startled and startled once again.
This owner was a very familiar face to Chae Seo-ah.
“Oh my goodness, Seoa! Why are you so hurt?!”
Upon hearing her concerns, Chae Seo-ah smiled.
An all-too-familiar forced smile.
However, the dim-witted lady didn’t think twice about it.
“It’s fine. More importantly, I need to borrow some tools.”
“Tools?”
There was a toolbox from when Chae Seo-ah had dropped some equipment off earlier.
And just when she clutched at some blue tape to dispose of a body…
“Goodness, what’s going on today? This is the second time!”
As the convenience store lady murmured, Chae Seo-ah froze, holding the blue tape and a thick cutter in her hands.
“Second time?”
“Yes! Oh, but this is a secret. There’s a lady in the back right now! Don’t be startled, she’s being chased by a killer! Oh, how terrifying!”
At those words, Chae Seo-ah’s gaze shifted sharply to the store lady.
In that moment, the emotion reflected in Chae Seo-ah’s eyes was probably the most vivid feeling of her life.
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