Chapter 196

Seoyeon Joo’s next work, *Gyeongseong Yeong-nyeo* (*Young Lady of Gyeongseong*), was highly anticipated, but recently, her fan cafe had grown quiet.

There were occasional mentions of the battle between the magical girl and Cha Seo-ah, but the consensus was that it depended on the situation.

Suddenly, a post appeared.

—

Post: What is this Japanese real-time Twitter trend?

What is Dokkiri, and who is Soyon-chan? Is this Joo Seoyeon?

—

At first, it seemed like someone playing a prank, and perhaps on any other site, it might have been ignored. But this was Joo Seoyeon’s official fan cafe.

Even though occasionally posts would lean more toward anti-fan sentiments, everything came from a place of genuine admiration for the actress. Anything Seoyeon posted on her Instagram, including images or videos, would quickly spread.

– Joo Seoyeon is in Japan, apparently.

– How do you know that?

– She posted a video at the airport, with Narumi Sora as well.

– Did translation software bring her there?

– Wait, does Joo Seoyeon even have an Instagram?

– I just heard about this… she has an Instagram?!!

– Management handles it for her.

At any rate, it was confirmed that Seoyeon was in Japan. But why had her name climbed up the Twitter trend rankings?

Her position was hovering around 7th place, but climbing fast.

– Dokkiri is apparently the Japanese term for “hidden camera.”

– Whaat?!

– Hidden camera featuring Joo Seoyeon?? This could get messy…

– Hurry back, “Secret Bath Scene with Joo Seoyeon.smi” [- [Link]

└ What the hell, it’s just a gorilla spinning around bathing.

– Gorillas are so old-school; don’t bring that here.

– That would’ve been flagged on this platform nowadays.

– This *is* a fan cafe, though… they do monitor such content quite well.

– Even gorillas are tame compared to what we’ve seen lately.

– Ah…

With this fresh wave of interest, Seoyeon’s normally quiet fan cafe burst into activity. Naturally, it didn’t take long before fans found the variety show Seoyeon had appeared in.

Inn scenes were shown, where the Japanese actors were preparing a hidden-camera prank. Unknowing Seoyeon was seen punching through mannequins, showcasing incredible feats of strength.

– Seoyeon… you’re practically a human weapon now, aren’t you?

– Haha, she noticed paintballs flying and saw them with her naked eye!

– Honestly, I think she could catch a falling mannequin while yawning and picking her nose.

– Seoyeon doesn’t pick her nose though…

A rare frightened moment of Seoyeon was captured on screen, and fans began to feel excited. Though it seemed like she was scared, what really intrigued them was wondering what Seoyeon would do next.

—

Post: Japanese reactions have been shared!

While eating chicken, anyone recommend some good ones?

Comments:

– I entered grinning, but soon turned serious.

– Hungry bastard…

—

As responses and reactions began flowing in from Japan, some enjoyed analyzing what the Japanese public thought of Seoyeon. Meanwhile, many fans waited anxiously to see how the hidden-camera scenario would unfold.

– If this is Joo Seoyeon, she must be about to show something here.

– She’s almost always flying around in variety shows, isn’t she?

– That’s true.

As the prank started, a ghost actor appeared behind a startled Seoyeon.

All the lights went out, and the inn was pitch-black. Through the night-vision camera, Seoyeon looked genuinely frightened. Her face showed minimal change, but her body stiffened noticeably, contrasting sharply with her confident demeanor just moments before walking down the hallway.

Comments:

043: “Behindbehindbehindbehind…”

045: “Soyon-chan is so cute! She looks frozen.”

046: “Honestly, I thought she wouldn’t be surprised at all.”

050: “Is the person inside the ghost costume famous? Have I seen them somewhere?”

051: “They probably attend promotional events.”

052: “Is there such a thing as an elite ghost actor?!”

When the ghost began to move towards her, Seoyeon’s usual senses should’ve picked it up, but she was deeply disoriented at the moment. Additionally, the ghost had emerged from a movable wall, catching her off guard.

Finally, when the ghost was almost behind her, Seoyeon turned around.

At first, their eye contact seemed regular, but it wasn’t.

068: “What??? Her eyes are turning red!”

069: “Is this part of the production? Or are Soyon’s eyes naturally like this?”

070: “People like that don’t exist, right?”

071: “That’s so cool.”

072: “I love black hair and red eyes.”

073: “No no, that’s not the point right now… strange.”

Seoyeon stared at the ghost, her eyes glowing red, before she suddenly collapsed.

– What? Her legs gave out?

– Honestly, that would’ve happened to me too.

Now intrigued, the audience awaited her next move. Was she going to scream or panic and run?

The typical reactions from idols who faced similar situations usually included two types:

Either they would coolly dismiss the prank with composure, or they would overreact dramatically.

The former was often seen with actors from abroad, who valued maintaining an image of coolness. On the other hand, Japanese celebrities were known for exaggerated physical reactions to engage the audience.

Now, which approach would Seoyeon take?

Just then, she began crawling.

Comments:

344: “Soyon suddenly started crawling.”

345: “She looks so… sensual from behind.”

With her legs paralyzed, Seoyeon used her arms to escape, dragging herself backward. It all seemed normal until her speed became unnaturally fast.

Initially, the ghost had started walking to pursue her, but gradually increased its pace. Yet Seoyeon maintained an equal distance between them.

It was like the myth of Achilles and the tortoise.

The faster the ghost ran, the faster Seoyeon moved.

Comments:

380: “No no no, this is too fast!”

391: “The ghost is confused now.”

401: “LOL.”

403: “The ghost is signaling Soyon to wait!”

In reality, Seoyeon had no thoughts beyond trying to escape the ghost as quickly as possible. She crawled in the direction where Narumi Sora and Manager Park Eun-ha had disappeared, seeking help.

However, everyone watching her reacted with terror instead.

Naturally, it was understandable. Her flowing hair covered her face, and her glowing red eyes were eerily captivating. Crawling at breakneck speed, Seoyoen looked less human and more monstrous.

“AhHHHHHH!!”

“IT’S SCARY, SO SCARY!! WHAT IS THIS THING??!!”

Park Eun-ha screamed and Narumi Sora, terrified into speaking Japanese, shouted and fled alongside her.

Comments:

003: “Sora really is Japanese.”

012: “The thread’s already diverged?! It must be very popular.”

034: “Anyone would feel compelled to write about this.”

067: “Oh man, Soyon looks scary.”

068: “I’d probably faint if I saw her in real life.”

What made things worse was that the Japanese actors themselves, initially intending to startle Park Eun-ha and Sora, were now running alongside them in terror.

Comments:

201: “This side seems more like zombies, blending in too naturally.”

208: “Oh, the axe fell?”

280: “Plastic axe, hopefully. A metal one would be dangerous.”

302: “Soyon is truly talented. Is this her way of surprising them back?”

308: “If not deliberate, it’s impossible to comprehend. This is an incredible performance.”

Amidst all the chaos, Seoyeon merely continued her escape. Strangely, she perceived Sora, Eun-ha, and the ghost as threats running together alongside her.

Other ghost characters joined in the madness, but this detail escaped her notice. Her sharp red eyes caught sight of a dropped axe mid-crawl.

Comments:

558: “So she picked up the axe?”

580: “Wait, wait, wait… she wouldn’t, right?”

For a brief moment, the audience wondered if she’d pick up the axe. And indeed… she did. Not only that, she slammed it into the ground with each crawl, gaining even more speed.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

The terrifying sound of her crawling in the old inn echoed, driving more and more people to scream and flee. Even the actors, dressed in elaborate costumes, found themselves overwhelmed.

801: “LOL”

840: “LOL”

856: “LOL”

921: “The ghosts can’t compete on this level. Come on, Japan’s ghost actors, try harder!”

] “Whoever would be able to compete against that?!”

941: “This is what a genius actor looks like… this must be the caliber of a great actress.”

942: “Did she plan this from the start, pretending to be scared in the inn?”

951: “I don’t know… but if it was deliberate, Soyon is impressive LOL.”

Humor aside, a portion of the audience speculated that Seoyeon had intentionally put on a ghost-like act. After all, what kind of scared person acts like that?

Pursued by terrified ghosts and two women, chaos ensued.

“Hurry up and close the door! Quickly, quickly!”

The actor dressed as a zombie yelled frantically, appearing truly frightened like someone chased by a real ghost. Just as the movable wall slammed shut…

KONG! Something was caught.

Everyone looked down, spotting the axe stuck between the panels. Slowly, Seoyeon’s crimson eyes peeked through the gap.

Commenters:

034: “Noooooo…”

041: “Please wait…”

042: “LOL”

048: “Too scary…”

058: “You’re supposed to scare them, not panic and run…”

134: “If I were there, I’d have fainted by now.”

213: “I wouldn’t just faint. I’d soil myself.”

The scene shifted to an interview, where an actor who initially dropped the axe while fleeing was questioned.

“Ngh… I was truly terrified. That was so scary!”

The Japanese actor exaggeratedly pointed at Seoyeon and explained.

“Honestly, we never imagined she would pick up on what we were doing and use it against us.”

The actress who initially pursued Seoyeon laughed.

“At first, I thought something seemed amiss while chasing her. Seeing her pick up the axe, I had to consider…”

“Would she turn around and crawl the other way with the axe?”

“I guess it would be fun.”

“Not really… not fun at all!”

“When I heard about Soyon being called a genius actress in Korea, I thought nothing of it. Now, I truly understand the praise.”

“She clearly has the ability to improvise such impressive performances on the spot. Her on-screen acting skills must be incredible too.”

And as the conversation concluded, text overlays introduced her current works in film and drama, like *Dream Future* and her upcoming release *The Chaser*. In Japan, where foreign releases typically come late, *The Chaser* was anticipated for its director’s previous success.

Comments:

034: “That was entertaining!”

045: “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, but I’ve been impressed.”

084: “Seeing her disregard her safety for these stunts was impressive.”

121: “Did someone say there’s a new movie coming out with Soyon?”

128: “Not really interested before, but now I might check it out.”

340: “What the heck, Soyon is No. 1 on the trend right now?!”

412: “This is astonishing!”

As the broadcast wrapped up…

Originally ranked below Dokkiri, Seoyeon’s name climbed rapidly, eventually taking the top spot on real-time Twitter trends.

Clips and screen captures of her performance spread rapidly.

“Seoyeon-ssi, if it’s convenient, could you make a cameo appearance in our project?”

Such unexpected offers began rolling in, clearly impressed by her “performance” during the hidden-camera segment. To Seoyeon:

‘It wasn’t acting though…’

Rarely embarrassed by others’ misinterpretations, she felt conflicted knowing her genuine fear was mistaken for dramatic acting.

—

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