Chapter 67

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 25, 2025

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*The Chaser* was a movie with a relatively small number of characters.

Given that a significant portion of a film’s production cost goes into casting actors, this was seen as quite an advantage.

Meaning, the money typically allotted for casting could be redirected elsewhere.

However, from the actors’ perspective, having fewer characters was both a torment and a blessing.

The scenes could concentrate heavily on a few actors, and consequently, their screen time would increase.

“Min-ah, you’ve done great.”

“Yes, thank you!!”

In this *The Chaser*, Kang Min-ah, who plays the younger sister of Detective Seo Kwang-il, let out a sigh of relief.

As a rookie and someone still young, Min-ah had many occasions where she felt tense.

“I must work hard and not cause trouble for the company.”

Kang Min-ah was under the management of Loren Company, a relatively small agency that strongly backed her participation in this movie.

Though she only secured a supporting role, playing the younger sister of the lead detective meant she had many chances to appear on screen, a notable leap from her previous three drama appearances as an extra.

“Every time I face the camera, I have no idea what kind of face I’m making.”

Despite her doubts, she didn’t create too many NG takes, successfully completing her scenes.

People around her didn’t hesitate to praise Min-ah, saying that for someone her age, she was doing remarkably well.

“Apparently, there’s such a thing as talent.”

Kang Min-ah glanced at a quiet girl sitting nearby.

Two years younger than her, the girl was only seventeen, yet she looked closer to twenty with her makeup on.

The calm way the girl sat with her eyes closed exuded a sense of poise, appearing much like a young lady of a distinguished family.

Though she had a flower-like beauty, after seeing her act, Min-ah couldn’t help but think this girl was no mere flower.

Scene S#37.

Han Ye-hwa and Cha Sooah meet in an alley.

Instead of killing her on the spot, Cha Sooah knocks Han Ye-hwa unconscious and kidnaps her, dragging her back to the house where she remains after killing her parents.

Witnessing this scene, Min-ah had been deeply shaken.

“Is that even Cha Sooah?”

The doubt was overwhelming, especially with the intensity of the gaze.

It felt as if she were not human but something pretending to be one.

Was this really acting?

Min-ah had serious doubts.

The strange unsettling discomfort rising inside her was palpable.

In this scene alone, the tension was overwhelming, making her realize how superficial all the previous “showing off” had been.

Han Ye-hwa’s feelings of inferiority, jealousy, and the discomfort they brought were sharply etched on her face, a level of acting Min-ah could never replicate.

“Still…”

Shin Seong-mi, playing the “convenience store lady,” chuckled upon noticing Min-ah’s repeated sideways glances at Sooyeon.

“Since you’re the same age, why don’t you try befriending her?”

“Me?”

“Since you’ll be seeing each other during this shoot, anyway.”

Of course, Shin Seong-mi commented this way because she had witnessed Sooyeon’s vast potential.

“Definitely someone destined for great things.”

Especially with this film’s release, Sooyeon’s status would significantly rise.

For Min-ah, this was the perfect opportunity to bond with Sooyeon, someone destined to be a great asset as part of her network.

While there was no need to explicitly mention that Sooyeon was the type who didn’t take kindly to such suggestions, Min-ah understood this based on her observations over time.

“Yeah… that’s true.”

Min-ah nodded, her mind already brimming with questions she wanted to ask the younger actress.

“What is she thinking, exactly?”

Min-ah glanced again at Sooyeon, who maintained her poised posture with her eyes closed. There was an undeniable aura around her that made easy approach difficult.

Was she deeply contemplating today’s performance, or was she struggling to detach herself from Cha Sooah’s emotions?

“Guess it’s better not to disturb her today.”

With some regret, Min-ah shook her head, resolving to try speaking to her when she seemed more at ease.

As it turned out, Sooyeon was indeed lost in deep contemplation, although not in the way Min-ah might have guessed.

“What to do with my 400 million?”

A critically important thought indeed. This role as Cha Sooah was, for all intents and purposes, the pivotal role of her career, one that gave her absolute confidence. She could already foresee how Cha Sooah would be perceived by audiences.

“True, the contract didn’t impose character restrictions…”

Sometimes such contracts were written with limitations on roles or appearances in certain entertainment formats to maintain a brand image. Luckily, there was no such clause in her contract.

However, if this movie were to firmly establish a certain image, it could ultimately lead to some image damage, even without explicit restrictions. There had been cases where actors expressed grievances after being cut from projects due to perceived image conflicts despite no explicit restrictions.

“If I improve my image, that could help…”

Two ideas immediately came to mind: a cosmetics advertisement, emphasizing her femininity, and certain dramas and films.

“But since *The Chaser* will premiere first, I should delay other projects.”

The film still had some time before release, and auditions would take additional time before it premiered.

That left the drama.

“Drat.”

Sighing, Sooyeon crossed her arms. Two issues came to mind:

First, it was a “youth romance” drama.

Second, and more significantly, Park Jung-woo was the lead.

“DreamFuture. A drama showcasing teen actors.”

This was an exceptionally rare youth drama. Youth dramas like this usually had average ratings of over 15%, and peak ratings reached around 17.6%. It was an outstanding achievement for any drama, an outright ‘blockbuster’ for youth romance.

What made it even more remarkable was that nearly half of the actors involved skyrocketed within three years. Sooyeon had initially considered joining, but the genre—”youth romance”—made her hesitate.

Of course, given the teenage cast, the romance was more innocent with no overly intimate scenes, but it still felt a bit awkward for her tastes.

“Should I dive in anyway?”

However, this wasn’t a situation where she could casually pass. With limited options to improve her current state, participation seemed necessary.

“Anyway, the role I’m being considered for doesn’t feature much romance.”

And Park Jung-woo was the male lead with another main heroine, so any complications would be minimal.

She was set to play a somewhat cute mascot-like role, quite contrary to her “murderer” image. While it wouldn’t completely erase the previous impressions, it might at least balance them out.

“Maybe that’s enough.”

The actress who previously held the role had faced criticism for her acting, but she still starred in several successful advertisements. Of course, those ended shortly afterward.

“Romance can wait a little longer.”

She wasn’t ready yet—at least, not now.

***

School festival at Yeonhwa High School.

This was a pretty big event that even invited external guests, with rewards given based on outcomes.

So, many students were actively participating.

“Guess I should look for auditions. Fortunately, it’s on a day without filming. If it overlapped, I would have had to inform them beforehand.”

Of course, it wasn’t directly related to Sooyeon, who sat quietly away from others, deep in thought.

“…”

Is this right?

High school life wasn’t what I imagined…

A pang of melancholy struck her as she watched her classmates enthusiastically preparing for the festival.

“Maybe participating actively in the festival might…”

Not just for the role of Cha Sooah, but for Sooyeon herself, improving her image was urgent.

“Excuse me, Sooyeon.”

At that moment, someone called out to her. A girl with circular glasses approached her, the class president.

“Hm?”

“That, well… I thought you might not know about our festival booth yet.”

Class president Gil Da-hyeun swallowed nervously. There was something in Sooyeon’s gaze that easily overpowered people. As a bookish student council president, Da-hyeun found this quite burdensome.

“Now I understand why others avoided speaking to her.”

Da-hyeun had heard Sooyeon was an actress. Her shockingly powerful performance in *Memories of the Past* had led Da-hyeun to watch reruns many times.

The Sooyeon on screen was truly flower-like in her beauty—and the off-screen Sooyeon hadn’t changed in this regard.

However, if “Princess Yeonhwa” was a flower, Sooyeon was more akin to a blade. The stark contrast fascinated Da-hyeun.

“Our class is managing a horror booth.”

“Horror booth?”

Sooyeon tilted her head slightly upon hearing this. She roughly understood what it would involve, recalling seeing a similar setup at her old high school. It usually involved dimly lit halls and classrooms decorated to be scary, with students in costumes jumping out to surprise visitors.

“Honestly, it’s not that scary.”

The excitement was mostly atmospheric. For someone like her with high tolerance for fear, it didn’t quite resonate.

“By the way, the principal said we could use the abandoned building, so we decided to make use of it.”

“Huh?”

“Since it’s in disrepair, we’ll check it with the teachers, but don’t worry too much.”

“Okay.”

So they would use the whole abandoned building. That might add a genuine eerie vibe despite the high school horror booth context. Sooyeon had indeed heard of this particular structure left unused at Yeonhwa High School.

“Perfect for the mood.”

The idea to use an empty building like that seemed inspired.

While deep in thought, the class president announced to the students.

“Hey, we need someone for the ghost role. Interested?”

“Ghost role? Where?”

“Upstairs, in one of the old science labs.”

Students looked a little hesitant.

In case anyone’s interested; the person who initially agreed to the role suddenly backed out.

“Hmm, makes sense…”

“Still, it’s a key part. We planned to make this the highlight…”

The students muttered uncertainly.

Sooyeon, pretending to read a book, tuned in to the conversation.