Among the actors present, there was no one who didn’t know Seoyeon.
The most recent and highly talked-about movie, The Chaser.
And the youth drama that broke a 20% viewership rating, Dream Future.
Even appearing in just one of these two would’ve drawn attention, but she had acted in both.
What’s more, her roles weren’t minor ones.
Both works created a buzz in various ways, and all this stemmed from her acting.
“But regular acting and action acting are different.”
Despite this thought, the performances Seoyeon delivered in the movie and drama were something that couldn’t be done without athletic ability.
In the case of The Chaser, even if a stunt double was used, Dream Future was the kind of work where that wasn’t possible.
“Ran here, huh? That’s a funny joke.”
Min Do-ha muttered softly to herself.
It wasn’t said for anyone else to hear, but the room was so quiet that it came through quite clearly.
“Considering you supposedly ran from five subway stops….”
“…you don’t even look tired, do you?”
“Nor are you sweating.”
Was this just to boast about how good your stamina is?
The other actors subtly turned their eyes slightly.
Cameras installed all around.
It was likely the meeting footage would air on some variety show later.
If on a public broadcast, any comments that could tarnish images would be edited, but with a cable channel, it might air uncut.
Thus, it was best to be careful with one’s words.
“Well, that could be.”
Seoyeon paid no particular attention to their thoughts.
She too was aware that her physical prowess was extraordinary since her childhood.
…In fact, in some ways, it was even excessive.
She occasionally wondered if it wasn’t a bit too different from the normal world.
On the other hand, Seohui Jo, sitting next to Seoyeon, smiled faintly and said,
“Mother, dismissing it as a joke when you can’t do it yourself, that’s not quite right.”
That too was a mutter, but in the silent room, no one could have missed hearing it.
‘This…’
Min Do-ha furrowed her face and shifted her gaze to Jo Seohui, but…
“Why?”
With a sharp glare, Jo Seohui’s look silenced her completely.
From the start, there was a clear difference in status as actors between them.
Seohui was close to many veteran actors and had allies in the broadcasting company.
There were even rumors that she was the third daughter of a wealthy conglomerate.
Apparently, she came from a very affluent family.
The confidence radiating from her person was a significant pressure on actors like Min Do-ha.
“…Even though she can’t do action acting.”
She was notoriously incapable when it came to physical performances, so her presence in this meeting felt strange.
However, if Min Do-ha criticized this, Seohui’s sharp gaze left her unable to say anything.
Regardless of Seohui’s background, Min was intimidated by that icy gaze and her intimidating appearance.
Would a villain in a movie or drama act like this?
Clearly younger than herself, but it felt like staring at a snake.
“You….”
Just as Seohui was about to continue,
Seoyeon poked her in the side with her finger.
When Seohui looked over curiously, Seoyeon indicated the camera with a subtle nod.
“Hmm.”
Honesty speaking, Seohui hadn’t made any visible actions caught on camera.
She had merely pointed out the biased comment Min Do-ha made.
At least, that’s how it would look.
But considering Seohui’s character, she wanted to completely crush Min Do-ha right here, but…
“Alright.”
Seohui agreed after understanding Seoyeon’s concern.
Had Seohui not liked Seoyeon before, she wouldn’t have cared one bit.
But now, the tension in her sharp gaze softened, which brought a bit of relief to the other actors.
It was like watching a snake charmer calming a terrible cobra with just one flute.
‘Are they close?’
‘What’s their relationship? They seem to be pretty close….’
‘But they’ve never starred in the same project before, right?’
The actors’ analysis was largely accurate.
Indeed, there was nothing unusual!
Of course, from Seohui’s standpoint, she didn’t feel close to Seoyeon for no reason.
This was her first time feeling challenged by a peer in acting.
She was a fan of Seoyeon, purely captivated by her performances.
After a long absence, Seohui was delighted by Seoyeon’s return.
Despite all this, Seoyeon shook her head as she reflected on the general behavior of Seohui.
In various ways, the overly affectionate Seohui was burdensome to Seoyeon.
She felt like a wild dog clinging to her for her own good…
Biting and gnawing at others indiscriminately, making it no easy matter.
She was reputed to have excellent social skills; why was this happening?
‘Besides, her looks are…’
She resembled a character from a horror comic she saw online.
Beautiful but strangely intimidating. What was her name—Tommy? Something like that.
While Seoyeon was deep in these thoughts, the later arrivals took their seats one by one.
As the actors gathered, they exchanged nervous glances.
“Firstly, it seems everyone has arrived.”
The man addressing the group was smiling warmly.
He had a gentle demeanor, but when the actors saw him, their eyes widened.
After all, he was Cha Min-kyu, one of Korea’s representative action actors.
Standing beside him was another middle-aged man.
“I’m Lee Ki-tae. The producer of this Hyper Action.”
That’s how he briefly introduced himself, surveying the room.
“First off, in this Hyper Action, a total of one hundred actors will participate.”
At the mention of one hundred, the actors gasped loudly.
“There’s Group A here. Twenty actors per group, with a total of five groups.”
He gave a general overview of the rules of Hyper Action.
This was not about teamwork.
Rather, only the top five most outstanding participants would advance to the next round.
‘So, the auditions are conducted group by group?’
Seoyeon glanced at the twenty-five actors present.
They looked perplexed.
Apparently, meetings were conducted by group.
Thus, the immediate competitors were the twenty-five in Group A.
Five of these would be chosen through their performance in missions for the panel’s evaluation.
In the final round, twenty actors who cleared the preliminary rounds would compete.
‘If there are a hundred participants, not all of them must be actors.’
Seoyeon knew most renowned actors already.
Thanks to her memories from her previous life.
Yet, there were unfamiliar faces—likely stunt actors mixed in.
Stunt actors seeking a chance to become action actors.
She recognized many from the Cheonghong Action School.
Even if not for the role in this movie, getting recognized on a variety show presented numerous opportunities.
Female actors confident in their athletic ability would probably have all gathered here, primarily those desperate for recognition.
Hence, a fierce audition.
“The missions begin formally once shooting starts, but…”
Lee Ki-tae PD trailed off.
“Since we’ve made the occasion, how about a little taste test?”
“Taste test?”
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
At that moment, the dimly lit room brightened.
More precisely, the blinds all rose, revealing windows that were previously hidden.
“…Ropes?”
Someone muttered.
Indeed, ropes were strung in front of the windows.
“This is called rappel action,”
Cha Min-kyu, who’d been standing beside Lee Ki-tae, began to explain.
“Like in movies like Mission Impossible, descending using ropes.”
Naturally, there was no one in the room who wasn’t aware of this.
The building they were currently in stood three stories high.
The implication: they were to perform this rappel action down three stories.
Without mental preparation, it was no trivial task to attempt.
“This concludes today’s meeting. You may descend via the elevator or stairways.”
However, this was a reality show.
This entire scene was being filmed by cameras.
If viewer voting was involved later, every scene would inevitably be up for evaluation.
Acting, after all, was about leaving a strong impression on the audience.
“Then, Cha actor, I leave this in your capable hands.”
With this, Cha Min-kyu nodded his head.
He donned basic safety equipment and glanced down the building.
Naturally, safety measures were in place outside the window in case of accidental falls, from the three-story height.
But the moment Cha Min-kyu stood at the window, his gentle face transformed into a sharp, elite soldier-like expression.
‘Acting.’
Everyone thought the same thing as they watched Cha Min-kyu smoothly descend using the rappel technique like a trained soldier.
The actors sighed in unison at his expert performance.
It wasn’t just about descending.
‘What matters is the powerful impression you make.’
Here, character had to be portrayed.
And that was precisely what Cha Min-kyu demonstrated just now.
“Alright, who would like to go first?”
At these words from Lee Ki-tae, Min Do-ha was the first to raise her hand.
Confidently scanning the other actors, she said,
“I’ll go first.”
She was confident.
Her hobby was bungee jumping, and she’d already performed similar action scenes before.
With adept movements wearing the equipment, Min Do-ha approached the window, showing no fear.
She almost perfectly recalled the image of a trained elite soldier.
“By the way,”
Turning to Min Do-ha, Lee Ki-tae spoke suddenly,
“Let me mention this. The movie we’re shooting will feature people with superpowers.”
Superpowers?
This unexpected announcement by Lee Ki-tae momentarily confused Min Do-ha.
What kind of superpowers?
That wasn’t explained.
It was as if they were asking her to imagine and act accordingly.
‘No, that’s not right.’
Min Do-ha shook her head.
What could she possibly show in terms of superpowers while performing the rappel action?
Showing superpowers in front of numerous people wasn’t an easy task.
There were no special effects or CGI available; just displaying superhuman abilities or magic would come across as ridiculous.
She had to solely rely on her imagination, so Min Do-ha quickly abandoned any thoughts about superpowers.
There hadn’t been enough time to think about them in the hasty beginning anyway.
So, with the decision to focus only on the rappel action in mind, she jumped off the window.
“Wow!”
The other actors were impressed.
On the indoor screens, they could see Min Do-ha descending outside.
Apparently, the scene was being filmed from outside.
Her descent looked highly skillful, comparable to Cha Min-kyu’s.
“Hmm…”
Seeing this, Lee Ki-tae gave a thought-provoking nod.
“Then, who’d like to go next?”
At this question, the actors hesitated, glancing at each other.
Not only had they not thought about which superpowers to enact while jumping, but…
‘This time, if I go, I’ll inevitably be compared to Min Do-ha.’
‘Let’s wait until someone else doesn’t perform well… then go.’
Most had similar thoughts.
Seeing this hesitation, Seohui clicked her tongue and was about to raise her hand when…
“I’ll go.”
Seoyeon stepped forward.
All eyes turned toward her.
Comparatively petite and delicate next to Min Do-ha who was over 170 cm.
Upon seeing her size, some secretly felt reassured.
After all, Seoyeon didn’t outwardly appear to be someone skilled in action acting.
Seoyeon momentarily glanced below, checking what was beneath the window.
Soft air mattresses laid out to prevent injury in case one fell.
With this confirmation, Seoyeon slowly stepped back from the window.
“Seoyeon?”
Lee Ki-tae asked, puzzled.
After all, Seoyeon hadn’t yet fastened any safety harness on her waist.
Not only that, her hands weren’t even clutching the ropes.
‘Does she feel too scared to go forward?’
Just as this thought occurred,
“Huh?”
Someone uttered in surprise.
Suddenly, Seoyeon sprinted towards the window.
Seizing the window frame, she leapt over and hurtled down three stories below.
“What superpower were you thinking of while jumping?”
First down, Cha Min-kyu asked Min Do-ha.
She couldn’t answer convincingly at first.
After all, she hadn’t thought of any specific superpower during the jump.
So,
“Um, precision aiming skills? Oh, eyesight far better than normal… that sort of superpower.”
Recalling a recent superhero movie, she spoke. Cha Min-kyu nodded, accepting her answer.
Since her superior eyesight didn’t demand any elaborate action during the rappel, this answer seemed reasonable.
“You should have shown exceptional eyesight before descending.”
“…Yes.”
Upon hearing Cha Min-kyu’s advice, Min Do-ha bit her lower lip in acknowledgment.
Recognizing her mistake, she sighed.
At that moment,
Something soared through and landed gracefully on the air mattress.
Then bounced off, landing effortlessly.
She then shot a somewhat dissatisfied glance at the air mattress,
As if implying it would’ve been better without it.
“Joo Seoyeon?”
Truth was, the situation was absurd.
Three stories might not be extremely high, but it could certainly cause severe injury.
Moreover,
“Did she just jump like that?”
Min Do-ha’s mouth dropped open.
Seoyeon wasn’t wearing any safety equipment.
“Moreover, that wasn’t a rappel action at all.”
Cha Min-kyu also looked equally stunned.
Regardless, showing enough courage to trust the air mattress and jump was impressive.
After all, whether it was rappel action or not, simply managing to descend sufficiently met the requirement.
“What superpowers were you thinking of while you jumped?”
Turning to Seoyeon with a question he had posed to Min Do-ha earlier, Seoyeon turned away from where she was looking.
“…”
Instantly, Cha Min-kyu froze upon meeting Seoyeon’s gaze.
Her crimson eyes.
It was as if Cha Sooah from The Chaser*, whom he had recently seen, was standing there.
The chilly aura radiating from Seoyeon was palpable.
This was acting.
Clearly, all this was part of her acting prowess.
Amused by Cha Min-kyu’s reaction, Seoyeon smiled faintly.
“Regenerative ability.”
Often dubbed ‘healing factor’ in superhero films.
It meant falling without safety measures was of no consequence.
And it was more convenient for her to act this way compared to other options.
