Chapter 117

One day, a variety show slated for cable television was unveiled.

This was a show made with an investment from GH Group, supposedly with a notable budget behind it.

However, it didn’t manage to grab much attention from the audience with just that.

Cable TV variety shows generally featured edgy content that could not be seen on public broadcasting, often polarizing opinions.

The fact that it was heavily funded or was airing during prime time wasn’t particularly significant.

Especially…

“Survival audition variety show?”

“Again?”

It was already a worn-out genre—survival audition shows that were now considered stale.

Many viewers reacted negatively to yet another show selecting new idols.

As these shows had already been tainted by controversies over rigged outcomes, the general feeling was that this one would be the same.

But then…

That day, the teaser for the highly debated cable TV show ‘Hyper Action Star’ was released.

On YouTube and on TV.

“Ah, is there anything good out there?”

1.37 million subscriber YouTube creator Han Bong-sik scratched his head as he looked for a new video to review.

Since he’d already reviewed all the recent popular movies and dramas, it was hard to find anything new.

‘Viewers who subscribed for Su-yeon seem to be drifting away a bit too.’

The rapid spikes were accompanied by equally quick drops in subscribers.

– How about a variety show?

When the chat suggested this, Han Bong-sik shook his head.

“Ugh, I’m a reviewer. A reviewer of actual content, how do you review a variety show?”

– What about an actor audition show?

An actor audition show?

Han Bong-sik’s ears perked up at the suggestion.

But could such a thing even work? Would they really act on stage and evaluate it?

“What kind of variety show is this? Well, I guess it’s not entirely unrelated, who knows.”

Han Bong-sik’s vague reply drew teasing messages followed by the actual title.

‘Hyper Action Star?’

It was an odd title, giving little away.

– The teaser was just released.

– Where does someone even find that?

– Isn’t it just viral content?

Judging by the reactions of viewers who hadn’t heard of it yet, it lacked much recognition.

– There’s Soo-hee Jo and Su-yeon Jo.

– ???

– What kind of show has Jo Soo-hee appearing?

Jo Soo-hee’s name made Han Bong-sik jump.

After all, Jo Soo-hee didn’t appear on variety shows much.

She only popped up for promotional interviews at most, similar to actor Park Jung-woo.

“Jo Soo-hee in an audition variety show? No way. This feels like nonsense. An actress of Jo Soo-hee’s caliber has her pick of scripts.”

Jo Soo-hee was still quite young, merely a high school student, but her career was far beyond what that title suggested.

She’d already starred in two “Ten Million Movie” blockbusters and appeared in numerous dramas that garnered high ratings.

She also maintained a strong relationship with veteran actress Jeong Eun-seon, further solidifying the robust foundation of her acting career.

She was even considered lucky charm in the industry—fabled to turn flops into hits.

Additionally, she was a young actress with a clean image.

“Apparently, this is GH Group’s new movie project. They’re choosing actors for it, with the winner starring as the female lead.”

– Just from the name, sounds boring.

– But if it’s an actor audition, what do they do exactly on the variety show? Acting?

“Hmm…”

Honestly, there wasn’t much to go on.

But curiosity was stirring.

Not only was it intriguing to understand why Jo Soo-hee had agreed to participate, but there was another reason too.

“Since Su-yeon Jo is also appearing…”

– Isn’t she usually only in a few shows a year?

– I thought she recently popped up in another variety show. Feels like now that she’s popular, they’re just flooding her image.

– Burning out her image like that will cause her to fade quickly.

Han Bong-sik agreed with those viewers.

Su-yeon Jo.

She was practically a goddess to him—an individual whose mere presence had boosted his subscriber count by tens of thousands in one shot.

In fact, even without Jo Soo-hee, Su-yeon Jo alone made the show worth watching.

Even disregarding the ratings, Han Bong-sik felt it was his duty as a YouTuber.

“Let’s check it out first. You can’t know until you watch.”

This was also a message to himself.

After all, the video wasn’t long.

10 minutes.

Of course, the full version would be significantly longer, with just 2-minute ads airing on TV or YouTube.

‘Wait, come to think of it, is 10 minutes actually long for a teaser?’

With that thought, he hit the play button. First, a number of actors could be seen entering some kind of building.

It appeared to be a filming set.

Inside the building, they began to sit around a large round table.

All at different times.

Groups of twenty, total of five times.

Thus, the total number of participants was 100.

“Whoa, look, this actress is also here.”

Anyone interested in action actors would likely recognize some of the female actresses that briefly appeared.

Of course, to the general audience, most faces would be unfamiliar.

Stunt actors aiming to boost their recognition or become real ‘actors’ had gathered here.

And then…

“There.”

The camera showed the group including Jo Soo-hee.

At the two-minute mark since the video started.

As soon as Jo Soo-hee appeared, it could be seen that the other actors stirred with obvious excitement.

– She looks so stunning.

– Always wondered why there’s no school violence controversy surrounding her.

– Seriously? Are you trying to smear Jo Soo-hee right now?

– Honestly, I’m intimidated just by imagining seeing Jo Soo-hee in person.

Despite various comments, no one denied her chilling, yet charming allure.

Especially in contrast to the stunt actors, there was a vast difference in appearance.

– It goes without saying, but there’s a clear difference in class.

– Wait, why is Jo Soo-hee even here? She’s not an action actress.

– Hmm… good point.

Why would Jo Soo-hee join an action show? Such a thought quickly arose.

An actress cast for an evil role, fitting for her striking appearance.

But Jo Soo-hee was not pigeonholed into such roles due to her versatile acting skills.

There was a time she took on a completely gentle role in a blockbuster movie, famously turning the theater into an ocean of tears. But now, she exuded the essence of a proud, villainous young lady.

It was humorous to watch the other actors scramble to sit far away from Jo Soo-hee’s seat upon her arrival.

While this could have made her appear isolated, her haughty demeanor instead gave the impression that she was avoiding the others.

– Here she comes.

– Oh.

As the seating was almost finished, a schoolgirl in a uniform appeared.

Su-yeon Jo.

Taking a look around briefly, with slightly furrowed brows, Yeon took a seat next to Jo Soo-hee.

This caused Jo Soo-hee to smile, visible in the video.

– Huh?

– Do they know each other?

– Never seen Jo Soo-hee smile like that;

– I heard they’re the same age, are they friends?

Su-yeon Jo’s appearance drew an unusually warm reaction from Jo Soo-hee, quite different from her treatment of others.

Additionally, the peculiar synergy between the two was striking.

– Look how intimidated the other kids are.

– They’re all about the same age honestly. It’s just intimidating.

– Even I wouldn’t dare approach them if they were sitting together.

Besides Jo Soo-hee’s calm but expressionless demeanor, Su-yeon Jo also maintained a stoic façade, contributing to an overall chilling atmosphere.

A pressure that inadvertently made people bow their heads when caught in their cold, slightly red eyes.

Combined with their striking yet terrifying beauty and a presence only actors could command, it was as if they were worlds apart from the others.

– Their art style is different.

– Art style lol.

– Are you insane?

Amidst the chat comments, the video continued.

“You’re late.”

“I rushed here after school.”

“…You go to Yeonhwa High School, don’t you?”

A moment of murmur from the surroundings was seen, resonating with the viewers’ reactions.

– She came through five subway stops?

– Is that even plausible?

– Su-yeen Jo could, though.

– ?

The murmurs grew, until…

“Jumped, huh? Funny.”

From the unsettling silence, the words emerged—a self-mutter.

“Excuse me, dismissing someone’s effort as a joke isn’t quite right, is it?”

The sharp edge in Jo Soo-hee’s voice as she retaliated sparked tension.

A verbal battle among the actors.

In the midst of this, Su-yeon Jo nudged Jo Soo-hee in the ribs with her finger, seemingly dissuading her.

– Huh?!

– Why the surprise?

– This girl’s finger can puncture a coconut…

– ?

– …Jo Soo-hee might be in trouble.

Fortunately, there was no further conflict. Immediately after, the PD of ‘Hyper Action Star’ appeared to begin the explanations, showing the faces of teams A through E.

“Let’s ease into this as a taste of things to come.”

As the PD’s voice continued, the screen cut to the actors starting the task.

The ‘acting’ of rappelling down out of a window.

“What superpower were you thinking about while jumping down?”

Under the assumption of superpowers, the actors were to perform their actions during the rappel.

Most were frantic just jumping down.

Those who were later, at least, did their best to deliver some acting.

Thus, brief scenes of different actors flashed by.

“Huh?”

Han Bong-sik’s eyes widened as Su-yeon Jo appeared on the video alone.

Unlike the others who had only quick cameos, she was shown alone.

Something was up.

Just as he thought that…

– ???

– What’s happening???

Chat messages of shock were rapidly flooding.

Because Su-yeon Jo had rushed towards the window and leapt down without a rope properly tied around herself.

Among the shocked cries from other actors, Yeon jumped down, flipped in the air, bounced off the air mattress, and landed smoothly.

– Insane…

– Would anyone seriously leap down like that just because there’s an air mattress?

– Wait, why did you spin mid-air? You were trying to position yourself?

– Trying out superhero landings?

– ??

Amid these chat reactions, Han Bong-sik doubted it.

But watching her glare at the air mattress afterward, he guessed…

‘Did she intend to jump even if there was no air mattress?’

“Come on, surely not…”

And yet, there was this weird trust in Su-yeon Jo being fine somehow.

Next, Min-kyu Cha, who was waiting below as the instructor for this round of ‘Hyper Action Star,’ asked her what superpower she had in mind while jumping.

“Regeneration Ability.”

– What the hell.

– How is that related to what you just did?

– Regeneration?

– Ah, she meant she won’t get hurt falling. lol

Despite these reactions, Su-yeon Jo seemed rather satisfied with her own answer.

While the audience questioned her seriousness…

Jo Soo-hee’s case was different.

“Do you need to do the rappel?”

“The announcer said you could just walk down, right?”

“So, what ability?”

“Uh, genius intellect? Or wealth works.”

And with that, Jo Soo-hee simply took the elevator down, drawing more attention for just that.

This scene was captured in a quick cameo before the video ended.

“Uh…”

As the video finished, Han Bong-sik contemplated what to say.

What could he say?

“This is going to be interesting, huh?”

Exactly those words.

But that was all that needed to be said about the variety show.

And, as if to prove Han Bong-sik’s statement true…

[‘Hyper Action Star’ Teaser Breaks 3 Million Views in Two Days!]

[Young Action Stars Clash: Who Will Be the Main Character!?]

‘Hyper Action Star’ instantly became the talk of the town.

A movie production from GH Group.

The competition for the leading role among young actresses.

Above all, attention focused on Su-yeon Jo and Jo Soo-hee.

Beyond their name recognition, they had clearly left a significant impression.

Of course, where there’s deep impression, there’s also lack of.

Clang!!

“Geez, is this… everything?”

Min Do-ha gritted her teeth, muttering.

Ten seconds.

That was all the time she had on screen.

Mostly it was her scenes where she provoked Su-yeon Jo.

Her rappelling scene appeared for a fleeting 2 seconds.

Though her rappelling was skillful, several others in other groups performed to a similar level.

Just being skilled wasn’t enough to attract notice or leave a lasting impression.

Indeed, her name wasn’t mentioned in any of the related news articles.

“Su-yeon Jo…”

Jo Soo-hee didn’t matter much, since she wasn’t even all that serious about this show.

But Su-yeen Jo was different.

A monster returning to the entertainment industry after a 10-year absence.

“Absolutely…not next time.”

She didn’t feel right about it.

Despite taking a 10-year hiatus, Su-yeon Jo still gained popularity.

No, absolutely not, she didn’t want to lose to someone who’d returned late to the game.

And at that moment…

“What…did you say just now?”

While Min Do-ha was seething, Su-yeon Jo…

“I’d like to try out the eSports department.”

She looked amused as she gazed at the stiffened boys around her.

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