Chapter 97 - Darkmtl
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Chapter 97

Occasionally, people think.

That when you wake up in the morning, life has changed.

And I was starting to feel it, just a little indirectly these days.

But in a slightly different way.

“Uh, welcome… Huhk!!”

On entering the convenience store on Wednesday, the part-timer inhaled sharply.

It’s true they breathe every day, but today’s inhale felt strangely different.

As I stared intently, the part-timer’s gaze shifted toward an industrial cutter knife on the counter, which they were in the middle of using to open a box.

“H-heh, heh. Nice weather today, isn’t it?”

Then, the part-timer slowly and cautiously slid the cutter knife away.

“…”

As I furrowed my brow slightly and stared, the part-timer seemed a little embarrassed—or perhaps slightly frightened—and gave a nervous cough.

“…I watched *The Chaser* yesterday.”

“Yes.”

“That… was it you as Cha Sooah…? Right?”

His voice trailed off as he asked, and I nodded.

His expression twisted into something difficult to describe.

The immediate excitement of wanting to strike up a conversation, mixed with a strangely timid demeanor.

“That, your acting… it was incredible. I-I didn’t even know there’s such a thing as emotional expression disorder. It felt so, so real…”

“Is that so?”

“…Yes, it felt so real…”

Under the calm gaze I directed at him, the part-timer fell silent momentarily.

“…Was it acting, though?”

At those words, I smiled faintly, then gently touched the corner of my eyes.

“Of course.”

“…!!”

Glancing at the mirror beside me, I saw my pupils had momentarily turned red.

Seeing this, the part-timer’s body recoiled slightly.

At the sight of his reaction, I chuckled softly.

“Just kidding.”

“A-ah, right? Yes…”

“Of course.”

With that, I picked up my purchased vitamin drink following the payment.

“I’ll be on my way. Don’t let just anyone into the storage room.”

As I stepped out of the convenience store, a glance followed me.

A glance filled with bewilderment.

Or, a look that seemed to question if I was real or fake.

A kind of look I had been receiving frequently since the movie’s release.

At first, it was a bit unsettling, but…

‘Now that I think about it, it’s somewhat amusing.’

I should probably go to a different convenience store tomorrow.

The thought excited me already.

***

Rising talent Jung Hyun-woo.

He was a disciplined, rule-following actor.

In the mornings, he would head to the gym for a workout, and in the afternoons, he would scout for new projects.

Finding work these days was tough, but he persevered nonetheless.

‘Should I do plays?’

Since playing a supporting role in a cable drama, he hadn’t landed anything worthwhile.

It didn’t help that the competing drama airing at the same time utterly crushed them.

At first, the two shows seemed evenly matched, but as the episodes went on, their show unraveled, losing entirely to the competition.

“Sigh.”

Releasing a sigh, Jung Hyun-woo paused his deadlift to see a familiar woman walk into the gym.

He didn’t recognize her at first, but now he couldn’t help but know who it was.

She had gained attention through the plays *Looking Back at the Past* and *Close Your Eyes*.

Later, she also appeared in *No Man’s Survival* and *Dream Future*.

It was none other than Sooyeon Joo.

At this point, even Jung Hyun-woo couldn’t remain unaware.

‘I thought I’d seen her somewhere…’

Princess Yeonhwa, as a child.

But now, that image has mostly faded.

Instead, a much more intense impression had come to overshadow her.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“!!!”

When Joo Seoyeon spoke, Jung Hyun-woo instinctively stepped back in surprise.

It was the first time she had ever addressed him directly.

Looking at her now, it seemed like she had something specific to ask.

Surely…

“The movie… it was really exciting! Your performance as Cha Sooah… it was truly amazing.”

“Ah, thank you.”

At that, Joo Seoyeon’s face visibly relaxed.

She really had wanted to hear that compliment.

Every time she came to the gym recently, she would ask the uncles there something—so this was what she was after.

‘A ten million box office star.’

She has every right to boast if she wanted.

It was bound to happen, either today or tomorrow.

*The Chaser* was definitely headed to ten million ticket sales.

Thus, Seoyeon’s debut movie was going to propel her into the ranks of ten million star actors.

‘And yet, I don’t feel any jealousy.’

Jealousy usually only kicks in when something feels relatable.

When it’s simply unfathomable, it’s only met with awe and respect.

Additionally,

Clang!!

“Wow, our Seoyeon, you’re in great shape lately?”

“It’s because I’ve been having a lot of good things happen.”

“That’s good. Even for me who watched the movie, yesterday when I saw Cha Sooah, my muscles tremble just looking at you today, Seoyeon.”

Ha ha ha, the trainer laughed as Jung Hyun-woo swallowed dryly.

What envy was there when he couldn’t even attempt the weights she so easily wielded?

It would’ve been a miracle if he hadn’t snapped in half already.

“By the way, aren’t you worried that some bad impressions might linger because of Cha Sooah?”

At that moment, as she was catching her breath, Jung Hyun-woo inquired.

It was undeniable that her performance as Cha Sooah left a significant impact.

It would inevitably affect her as an actor.

Particularly as a female actor.

“Well, there is a bit… but…”

Joo Seoyeon reflected on everything she had experienced so far in response to Jung Hyun-woo’s question.

Undeniably, there were several concerning aspects, but for now, she was alright.

Thankfully,

‘My advertisements haven’t been canceled.’

Keeping my 400 million won intact, Seoyeon felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh.

Achieving that was the first goal, and clearing this hurdle made it truly worth celebrating.

The influence of *Dream Future* was also evident.

Thanks to Joo Harin making a strong impression in the first episode, Cha Sooah’s performance was slightly softened, and it seemed Cha Sooah unexpectedly garnered sympathy from audiences as well.

“It’ll be fine. If I play a different role, things will change quickly.”

“Is that… so?”

Jung Hyun-woo was a little surprised at her confident response, admiring how different the mindset of a successful actor could be.

‘Considering Cha Sooah’s image was so strong…’

Though, Joo Seoyeon thought a bit differently.

As long as the 400 million wasn’t lost, the image of Cha Sooah wasn’t particularly bothersome to her.

‘I might try action acting next.’

Indeed, the intense fight scenes between Cha Sooah, Seo Kwang-il, and Detective Im Seung-cheol received much praise.

Thanks to her not using a body double, the action came across naturally on screen.

Though, naturally after filming the action scenes, both actors had to recuperate in the hospital for a while.

At any rate, thanks to their compelling performances, *The Chaser* experienced great success.

“You’re an actor, right? I’ve heard about you.”

“Yes? Ah, thank you. For now, I’ve only appeared in one cable drama.”

“I’ve heard that. A friend of mine was also in another cable drama at the same time. So, I wanted to have a chat. Let’s both keep at it.”

Seoyeon said that while tilting her head, causing her long black hair to fall to the side and reveal her white neck, slightly wet with sweat.

“So, if you ever need any help, let me know.”

“R-really?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to teach you about workouts.”

“…”

‘Aren’t people usually offering help with acting?’

When encouragement is so physical—wasn’t it something like that?

Though as doubts crossed his mind…

‘Wait, is she hinting at something?’

Jung Hyun-woo thought this and nodded.

Little did he know, he’d regret that nod moments later.

***

And as *The Chaser* just passed five million in ticket sales, *Dream Future* aired its sixth episode.

“Who wrote this piece?”

Lin Jinha trembled as she read on her phone.

First, she checked the name of the online newspaper, and the reporter’s name.

‘Seonyang Media, the journalist’s name being Han Sun-ah.’

She knew well.

The very journalist who had recently written glowing articles about Seoyeon Joo.

Up until now, it seemed fine, but how…

[*Dream Future* Bullying Allegations?]

The headline was short but glaring.

The contents revealed testimonies from an unnamed staff member, alleging that *Dream Future*’s screenwriter had drastically cut a specific actor’s role due to dissatisfaction.

‘How did they find out about this?’

She had tried to make the cut as natural as possible.

Still, somehow, this journalist had sniffed out the story and conducted an investigation.

“Do you know her? This is just absurd.”

Though Lin Jinha said this, her hands were trembling.

PD Bak wasn’t particularly supportive of her decisions these days either.

It seemed the higher-ups were indeed aware of the situation.

But revising the script now?

‘This late in the game?’

Though her role had already been cut, making things worse, the higher-ups were actually requesting to expand her screen time.

“Director Lim, you know who the most talked-about actor is right now?”

The next day, Lim Jinha was summoned to the broadcasting station and confronted by PD Bak with this question.

“The station head has seen the movie.”

“…Excuse me?”

“There’s a lot of leeway now. You know what this means, right? He’s telling us to expand it.”

PD Bak leaned in and pressed her.

“Is this your dream career?”

“But I…”

“If I weren’t here, you’d have been let go a long time ago.”

At this, Lim Jinha’s hands trembled all the more.

She hadn’t expected PD Bak to cross such a line.

“Look.”

PD Bak flipped open his smartphone screen and showed her.

“The media has already inquired about the role being cut. See the number of articles cropping up?”

“I… I didn’t cut it to this extent!”

“That’s irrelevant now. You reduced her role, right? Let’s face it, since episode one, Jo Harin’s appearances have been minimal.”

“Well, yes—but…”

Regardless of who initially sparked the issue, journalist Han Sun-ah might be suspected, but ultimately, with *The Chaser*’s success, it was inevitable that interest would turn to the drama Seoyeon Joo was currently filming.

“This isn’t just about restoring the original portion. Letting it run its course, Jo Harin would have completely disappeared by episode eight.”

“…”

“This whole mess was caused by meddling with this. I’m really giving you my final warning…”

PD Bak rested his hand firmly on Lim Jinha’s shoulder.

“It’s best to play your cards right. I’ll put in a word for you with Director Kim Pil-seok.”

“…Understood.”

Bowing her head, Lim Jinha felt utterly defeated.

She could barely believe it.

The sheer ripple effect caused by just one actor.

But those familiar with the industry knew the power of an actor like this wasn’t to be underestimated.

No one could truly predict the fate of actors.

Yet, when they hit, they could wield enormous influence.

The amounts of money they could personally move, or the tipping point where individual success can influence a company.

‘Right now, Joo Seoyeon stands right at that tipping point.’

So, naturally, anyone would extend their hands.

A star that anyone sees is bound to shine.

And the cheapest moment for an actor?

When is it?

*The Chaser*’s ten million sales milestone—

It was happening right now!

[*The Chaser* Breaks Ten Million! Phenomenal Fast-Paced Triumph!]


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I Want to Be a VTuber

I Want to Be a VTuber

전 버튜버가 하고 싶은데요
Score 9
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Korean
I definitely just wanted to be a VTuber… But when I came to my senses, I had become an actor.

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