The filming of The Chaser went smoothly overall.
Though the process of realizing jealousy was quite trivial, it did help with acting.
‘…I can’t quite say it.’
Jealousy, what a strange emotion.
Thinking about it, feeling emotions is natural.
It wasn’t anything special.
Just special to herself.
Watching the people tidying up the filming set, Seo-yeon fell deep into thought.
The reason she decided to become an actress was, in a sense, to understand that.
A place where various emotions appear and are displayed.
The mask she created to simply cover up her displeasure in the past had become a skill, and perhaps she found comfort in this world.
‘…Is puberty still not over?’
Today was strangely sentimental.
Maybe it was because she saw that shocking scene yesterday.
Just thinking about it made her stomach churn.
Of course, it wasn’t as bad as yesterday.
Seo-yeon realized for the first time that she harbored such emotions.
She had thought of herself as a plant at one point.
But, lo and behold, it turned out she was just a fool.
‘Hmm.’
There are still many unknown emotions.
Of course, she feels emotions naturally in this life.
It’s just that the dissonance with her past life makes her think about what those emotions are.
When acting, she inevitably has to be conscious of it.
Just like how it becomes cumbersome to be aware of breathing.
“Seo-yeon.”
Was it because today’s filming was successful?
Director Bae Jin-hwan approached Seo-yeon with a light step.
“Yes?”
“Today’s filming was really good. If we keep going like this, we should be fine. But…”
He trailed off for a moment, contemplating.
Seo-yeon’s gaze, staring blankly at him, prompted him to continue.
“The next filming will involve some intense scenes, you know? Kidnapping Han Ye-hwa, and during that, there will be a scuffle with a cop.”
“Yes, I know.”
“I noticed you seem pretty good with your body. Do you think you can handle it?”
Can I handle it?
Seo-yeon blinked, unsure of what he meant.
“Didn’t you hear? Usually, stunt scenes are handled by stunt doubles. I thought you already knew that?”
“Oh, I did.”
Thinking back, she remembered something along those lines.
It seems that stunt actors are usually chosen based on their similar physique to the lead actors.
The fact that Cha Seo-ah often wears raincoats or disguising outfits is to make it easier to use a double.
It looks like they planned on using a double, given that fight scenes seem to happen frequently.
“But coincidentally, the actress who was supposed to double for you twisted her ankle. So we were looking for a new actress… and then you popped into my mind.”
The first filming.
The chase scene between Seo-yeon and Kim Dae-heon.
That moment when Seo-yeon vanished in a flash came back to him.
Of course, running and performing action are different. But still… a thought arose.
“If you’re okay with it, I know an action school. What do you think?”
Seo-yeon didn’t know it yet, but this was a very special case.
An action school. Naturally, if Director Bae Jin-hwan knew an action school, it had to be a place synonymous with the most prominent “action school” in Seoul.
Probably the most renowned stunt actors in South Korea were trained there.
And of course, it wouldn’t be easy to get in.
Not just aspiring stuntmen but also actors wanting to learn action would flock there.
That meant auditions were a must, and the competition would be fierce.
‘They have very high standards, but for someone like Seo-yeon…’
For reference, Bae Jin-hwan had a connection with Professor Kim Hong-baek, who founded that action school.
So if he was recommending an outstanding actor, it made perfect sense.
He thought Seo-yeon would be a pretty decent candidate.
‘If she learned intensively for a month or two, it should be fine.’
The action scenes in The Chaser weren’t of an extraordinary level.
After all, it was a thriller, not an action film.
However, the term action is quite broad, and whether one has learned action or not makes a huge difference in scenes where they clash reasonably.
Though it’s called an action school, it should be viewed as “acting that involves using your body.”
If she could focus on just that scene, a month would be sufficient.
“Why don’t you give it a try, and if you feel okay about it, you could take on the scenes yourself?”
At Bae Jin-hwan’s suggestion, Seo-yeon was quite excited.
“Yes, I’d love to try it. As an actress.”
A calm answer.
Bae Jin-hwan admired her inner thoughts.
Normally, female actors tend to shy away from action roles.
‘Great attitude.’
She was still young, and it was quite commendable.
As Director Bae Jin-hwan nodded with a smile, feeling pleased.
‘Action acting!’
Seo-yeon, who loved using her body, was overjoyed.
Deep down, she had always wanted to learn action acting.
*
Director Bae Jin-hwan handed over his business card along with the address of the action school to manager Park Eun-ha.
He mentioned to say she was referred by him when she went there, and they would take good care of her.
The very next day.
When Seo-yeon arrived at school, she noticed a strangely bustling atmosphere.
Students with excited faces and a noisy ambiance felt different from usual.
“What happened?”
Not having any particular friend to ask, Seo-yeon ran over to the next class during break and asked Ji-yeon.
“…You should ask the kids in our class about that.”
“Oh, it’s a tough deal.”
“What’s tough?”
Ji-yeon sighed at Seo-yeon’s question.
She did appear to be a burdensome person on the outside.
Her reactions were usually faint, making her thoughts hard to read.
And Seo-yeon seemed to have an aura about her.
A description that truly suited someone with a ‘different presence.’
Well, if she could at least make them laugh, it seems she would have had an easier time making friends. But with her acting like this…
“It’s probably because of the school festival.”
“School festival?”
Is that a thing?
Seo-yeon looked at her with curiosity.
“Yeonhwa High School seems to hold their festivals quite grandly.”
Yeonhwa High School is filled with students who excel more in arts and sports than academics.
Because of that, their average academic performance is only about average or slightly below in Seoul, but they are incredibly strong in arts and sports.
That’s why they celebrate events like sports days and school festivals with great pomp.
Particularly, they set up booths for each class during school festivals.
“…Do they really do things like that?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
So there’s a lot going on.
Seo-yeon nodded.
Even during the school festival, she couldn’t possibly participate in anything.
Looking around, it seemed they had already decided what to do for the festival yesterday.
‘What is our class doing?’
Even if she wanted to ask, there wasn’t anyone suitable to ask.
Suddenly, Seo-yeon felt that this couldn’t go on like this.
If things continued, she might end up spending the school festival all alone, unable to mingle with her classmates.
Surely, that’s not right.
Spending three years of high school with Lee Ji-yeon being her only friend…
Wasn’t that a bit sad?
Thinking about those things, Seo-yeon suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.
‘Oh, I should have asked.’
About Ramiel.
She had intended to ask when she visited Ji-yeon’s class, but the festival matter completely slipped her mind.
But even if she tried to ask, what should she ask?
Who the wizard is?
Why did they suddenly start broadcasting?
“…”
Seo-yeon flopped down on her desk.
Her thoughts suddenly became tangled in multiple ways.
*
Professor Kim Hong-baek.
A representative stunt actor and martial arts director in South Korea.
The Cheonghong Action School he established in Seoul has raised countless action actors.
It is known as a gateway for stuntmen without connections.
Naturally, countless aspiring stunt actors challenge themselves every term, with an enormous number of applicants.
“Hmmm, Joo Seo-yeon…”
A slender man muttered that name.
The actress who decided to visit the action school today.
Though calling her an actress may feel like an overstatement since she might still be seen as a fledgling.
She had appeared in one drama.
Beyond that, her experience was just one play.
Now stepping into movies for the first time, she was still a rookie.
And yet, it was Director Bae Jin-hwan himself who arranged the introduction for her.
“Yeonhwa (Princess) and Hong Jeong-hee roles.”
Both roles didn’t have much to do with action.
But Director Bae Jin-hwan was an incredibly discerning director.
If he intended to have an actor rather than a stuntman perform in a role requiring action, there had to be a reason.
Later that afternoon.
At the appointed time, a girl came in with her manager.
Joo Seo-yeon.
Her appearance drew the attention of interns, who were practicing action acting.
She was captivating enough to draw eyes in that way.
However, Professor Kim Hong-baek furrowed his brow slightly.
‘Her physique is quite balanced. But…’
Had she actually done any sports?
Nothing in her demeanor indicated she had.
Though she appeared slim, finding an actress who wasn’t overly slim is challenging.
Particularly for female actresses, there have been some who were particularly weak due to excessive body shaping.
With such a fragile body, action would be difficult.
It would be better to use a double.
“Hello, I’m Joo Seo-yeon, a rookie actress from Nova Entertainment.”
Her cheerful courtesy caught Kim Hong-baek’s attention.
He softened at her bow.
“Um, I’ve been informed about you. I’m Professor Kim Hong-baek. Here you can just call me either Master or Professor.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Now, have you done any action acting…? No, right?”
“No.”
“Have you ever taken lessons?”
Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment.
She often did things like gym workouts and practiced other sports by watching the internet, but:
“I’ve never properly learned.”
Even when she attended acting school, there hadn’t been any such experiences.
Kim Hong-baek nodded as though he had expected this from her.
In contrast, the other trainees around her frowned slightly at her response.
‘Who is she?’
‘Looks like she’s an actress, but…’
Given they entered through auditions, they can’t help but feel annoyed by those who seem to get in through connections.
Professor Kim Hong-baek’s teachings were not something everyone could receive.
Yet, an actress who seemed to have nothing to do with action was here for that?
Wanting to learn action is great, but it appeared evident she would likely give up soon.
“There aren’t many action scenes, so about a month should be enough. It might be a little tough; are you okay with that?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Kim Hong-baek had already seen the script through Director Bae Jin-hwan.
Cha Seo-ah’s action scenes mostly involved “killing” during scuffles with detectives.
And the chase scenes.
The highlight of the film.
To bring out these two aspects well, a month’s time was necessary.
Before they could practice action directly, she had to learn how to move her body sufficiently.
Otherwise, it could lead to injuries.
“First, your height and weight weren’t included in the profile. Could you let me know?”
Professor Kim Hong-baek observed Seo-yeon from head to toe.
Around 50kg, perhaps?
She looked that skinny.
“…Weight?”
But somewhere along the line, Seo-yeon’s voice trembled.
To her reaction, Kim Hong-baek raised an eyebrow.
Her physique didn’t seem like someone who would bother with weight.
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