Chapter 124

Actor Audition.

More specifically, the audition for action and stunt actors, *Hyper Action Star*.

In all honesty, most people reacted with a ho-hum attitude.

After all, there had already been so many audition programs that there was little room for anything new.

However, opinions changed after the teaser trailer was released.

Particularly after a scene of Seoyeon’s dazzling rappel action was shown.

– Isn’t all variety stuff scripted anyway?

– Honestly, someone else probably did the stunts for her, right?;;

– Really, only naive people would believe that.

Of course, not everyone reacted positively. Many opinions were skeptical.

The excessive action on display led to whispers of potential fabrication.

– Who’s this Joo Sooyeon and why are they showing her so much?

– She became famous from *The Chaser,* right?

– She recently appeared in *Dream Future,* so she is in quite the hot streak.

– It’s my first time hearing her name?

Reaction in the community was along those lines. One quieter community, unexpectedly, turned out to be a fan community for Joo Sooyeon. In that group, the reaction was more along the lines of, “It could have happened.”

– Hmm… Looks like she’s overcome gravity now…

– Hyper Action Star? Do they really need to hold auditions for something like this?

– I’m actually curious to see what she’ll show this time.

– Lol.

– Even from the preview, you can tell Seoyeon’s hyped up.

– Of course she is…

Amidst the crisscrossing of various opinions, the premiere of *Hyper Action Star* aired.

Broadcasting simultaneously on the internet and cable channels, this was a clear indication of how much GH Group had invested in this variety show.

– It’s about to start.

– Is this live?

– Yep, it’s all live.

The first group, Group A, took the stage with twenty actors standing nervously in a set made of broken styrofoam buildings, creating an ‘ruin’ concept.

While most stood dressed in comfortable attire, one person stood out significantly.

Joo Sooyeon.

Unlike the others who were tense, she stood there with a calm expression, making her all the more noticeable.

– ? Why is she in a school uniform again?

– She’s a high school girl.

– But even if she’s a high schooler, isn’t that unusual?

– A combat suit might be stronger than a school uniform, right? This is just strange.

– ???

– But she is undeniably beautiful.

Most people were dressed comfortably. Among them were some who chose costumes fitting their characters.

Jo Seohui, Han So-yoo.

They belonged to that category.

By this point, it was clear to the audience.

“Ah, the clothing is part of the character evaluation.”

Indeed, the actor at the front, Cha Min-kyu, was sharply scrutinizing each participant, grading them even on their costumes.

The first mission was a gunfight, which Cha Min-kyu explained in detail: how the scoring would work, how the acting would unfold.

While the actors already knew this, it was the first time the viewers were informed.

– Gunfight?

– Can actresses even handle a gunfight?

– Most of them haven’t even touched a gun, haven’t they? LOL.

– But, will they be able to incorporate superpowers into this gunfight acting?

Even though they were action actors, handling firearms was a different story. Even if they were model guns, it didn’t change much.

Surely, they had practiced to some extent, given prior instructions, but still…

“Honestly, can they even aim properly?”

The audience was already concerned about potential accidents. Just as they thought, a sound was heard.

Bang!

The sound of something being fired was heard. A shot went off as someone accidentally dropped the pistol.

The bullet flew directly toward Seoyeon.

– ?

– What?

Seoyeon swatted it away as if shooing a fly. Since this was clearly captured, for a moment, the audience’s brains froze.

– Did she just swat the paintball with her hand?

– It was probably a coincidence; can such a thing even happen?

– Just saw Bong-sik’s analysis; check out the movement of Joo Sooyeon’s pupils when the bullet was fired.

– Stop being ridiculous, bro.

Even though they saw it with their own eyes, most viewers concluded it was a coincidence.

Regardless, it caused a brief commotion before the start, taking a few minutes to settle.

Once the situation calmed down, Cha Min-kyu nodded.

Then…

Beeeeep!

The signal to start filming rang out. For the first few minutes, guns were not allowed, so everyone raced to secure advantageous positions.

Among them, four characters were captured on camera.

Seoyeon and the three chasing her.

– Wow, three people are going after her?

– Probably trying to knock her out early because her action scene in *The Chaser* was great.

– Joo Sooyeon got cut out so early, lol.

– Haven’t you seen her deflecting bullets earlier??

– That was obviously a coincidence, right?

Chat messages started appearing rapidly. Then the scene showed Min Do-ha hiding and watching the situation.

Most assumed Seoyeon would be quickly eliminated. After all, there were three of them.

Ordinary action acting might be different, but this was a gunfight competition with scores.

No single person could possibly handle three adversaries, right?

– Three??

– Is Joo Sooyeon some sort of monster? Why is she acting so recklessly?

– ? Even if it’s Joo Sooyeon, does she really think she’s some kind of monster? That doesn’t make any sense.

– The fans are dumb, aren’t they? Why are they all the same?

– If she had superpowers, maybe.

Even Seoyeon’s fans who chimed in on the chat were mocked. While everyone anticipated Seoyeon’s elimination, the muzzles of the guns in the hands of the three participants were aimed directly at her.

Then, as the bullets were fired, Seoyeon dodged.

She ducked down clearly, ‘looking’ and dodging in the process.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, the audience realized. It was unclear how the actors facing her felt, but the viewers could not ignore it anymore.

Seoyeon had transformed into someone entirely different from before.

‘Acting.’

Suddenly, it dawned on everyone that this was an audition to find the lead for a movie. Every participant would play the character they had chosen to determine the winner.

The gunfight mission was no different. Most superpowers and main character settings followed whatever the actors envisioned.

‘Cha Sooah?’

That thought momentarily crossed everyone’s minds. But, no.

The faint smile on Seoyeon’s lips proved it. Cha Sooah doesn’t smile like that.

That mischievous grin, as if she found delight in the situation, challenging them to try harder, completely overwhelmed the three actors.

When the next two bullets were fired, Seoyeon swatted them away with a flick of her hand.

In stark contrast to the previous assumptions of coincidence, this time, it felt entirely natural.

– WTH?

– Is this even possible?

– A paintball travels at 90 meters per second, you know. Even the weaker ones used for filming…

– No way anyone could swat a bullet like that;

Even the initial skeptics began typing frantic messages. A coincidental dodge could happen, sure.

But dodging three bullets and then swatting away two more with her hands?

Seriously, what is this?

Of course, such reactions were expected.

What’s more, Seoyeon didn’t choose to keep her distance. Instead, she closed the gap while dodging bullets.

Up close firefight. She even leaned close to whisper something into the ears of her adversaries before shooting.

– Hahahaha, it’s so ridiculous that it’s funny now.

– You don’t know, but: 1 high school girl = 3 tanks.

– Isn’t it the other way around?

– With Joo Sooyeon, it could be possible.

The remaining two opponents were swiftly dealt with. Meanwhile, Min Do-ha, who had been hiding and observing the situation, pointed her gun at Seoyeon.

– Is Min Do-ha crazy?

– Is she seriously going to shoot that?

– Do-ha’s not bad with guns. If she was out of sight for a sniper shot, it was worth a try.

A faint gunshot sounded as a bullet was fired toward Seoyeon’s back. Naturally, she dodged it.

– Damn it, Do-ha, RUN!!

– Min Do-ha has fans?

As if having heard the comments, Min Do-ha fled. Indeed, she ran pretty well, crossing the filming set while other actors couldn’t get a clear shot on her.

“Huh… phew…”

Thinking she had shaken Seoyeon off, Min Do-ha exhaled. At that moment, Seoyeon’s head popped out.

Her eyes glinting with a reddish shine.

– Joo-something, aaaaah!!!

– I’d probably piss myself in her position.

– Why did she choose such a villainous character anyway?

– A top-tier character in the Joo Seoyeon Universe has emerged… Cha Sooah with regeneration powers!

Naturally, Min Do-ha shrieked and scrambled away in a panic, almost crawling on the ground.

Initially, Seoyeon chased after her but stopped in admiration of Min Do-ha’s performance, not an act but a genuine reaction.

“Good acting.”

Such a quiet mutter.

– Are you seriously telling me you think this is acting?!

– We need to save our Do-ha. Why is she acting like this?

– Other people’s struggles to survive = Their best acting efforts. lol.

– Joo Seoyeon: Omoshiroiww (I find it interesting)

– This girl just loves acting.

Anyway, due to Seoyeon’s ‘efforts,’ other actors began taking interest in her, and those targeting her increased.

Amidst this tension, Jo Seohui, her only ally, appeared.

– Wait, Jo Seohui is still alive?

– Didn’t she crawl away earlier?

– Survival king goat.

– Aren’t the ones who couldn’t kill her dumb?

– Ah, props could be brought in. Jo Seohui nailed her character.

– Jo Seohui is pretty smart, right?

With Jo Seohui’s help, Seoyeon, who was now effectively untouchable, moved around as if she were flying. She dodged and deflected incoming bullets.

Along the way, she took care to deliver her lines and act.

The viewers quickly caught on to the weaknesses of Seoyeon’s character.

– Damn, she’s letting them shoot her limbs so she can make a comeback!!

– So now letting yourself get hit is the way to go.

– Can’t you see her eyes moving as bullets fly? She’s basically a human weapon.

As viewers started berating the other actors, reactions heated up. It was obvious to anyone watching.

That Seoyeon was the protagonist of this gunfight mission.

So, what exactly is a protagonist? The simple definition is someone who makes the audience invested in the story.

From that perspective, Joo Sooyeon was indeed the perfect lead for this variety show.

Watching this on TV, a man muttered to himself.

“This is impressive.”

Han Ye-geun, director of *Mine*, which GH Group was scheduled to produce.

He ran a hand over his scruffy beard, fully absorbed in the show.

“Joo Sooyeon.”

A character GH Group was considering for the lead in *Mine*. Honestly, the decision to hold auditions even though they had her in mind was a bit puzzling.

“Ah, so there’s more to this plan.”

Seoyeon’s physical abilities were undoubtedly extraordinary. She’s dodging paintballs, after all.

However, what truly caught Han Ye-geun’s eye wasn’t her physical prowess.

“Acting.”

One of the few actors who managed to act properly in this battlefield. Even while appearing frequently on screen.

What particularly impressed Han Ye-geun was her scene with Han So-yoo.

“Even though she had the option to dominate the scene.”

She didn’t. Instead, she perfectly received and responded to Han So-yoo’s “telekinesis acting.”

As if reminding everyone again that this was an audition for a superhero action movie, Han Ye-geun noticed the realistic acting that made the chat explode with comments.

“Feels like real superpowers.”

“Putting CG on this would be awesome.”

“…Honestly, I considered rejecting it, but…”

Han Ye-geun wasn’t a big fan of CG; he had been captivated by Hong Kong action films during his youth and had a strong preference for practical action. Yet, watching Seoyeon, he couldn’t help but feel a bit greedy.

As the first mission drew to a close with Han So-yoo being overpowered by Seoyeon…

What was the final twist?

“Ah, good job. Our agent.”

Bang.

With a small gun shot sound, Seohui eliminated Seoyeon.

This unexpected betrayal shocked the chatroom.

A twist entirely unforeseen in a variety show format.

Watching this, Han Ye-geun just smiled. He already felt like he had met some entertaining actors.

***

A few days later, the results of the first mission were announced.

“She must have failed.”

Min Do-ha didn’t bother to check. After all, she had done nothing.

When did she even grab her bag? Maybe during that gunfight?

She hadn’t even bothered to keep track of points properly until the end.

“To be honest, it’s better if I failed.”

Min Do-ha felt relieved. She didn’t have to deal with Joo Sooyeon anymore.

This audition had left only terrible memories. Even now, when she went to sleep, all she could dream of was a red-eyed monstrosity chasing her.

“Next time, I’ll go for a regular romance movie.”

Even in a supporting role, something that would allow her to calm down…

“Wow, Do-ha! Congrats! You passed the first audition!!”

“…”

But when her manager came beaming with the news the next day, Min Do-ha thought she must have misheard.

Got in? Me?

Hastily, Min Do-ha checked the email she had received. It also included her evaluation score.

She had managed to score just a mere 16 points in the gunfight mission, probably by getting lucky during some random shots. With eliminations factored in, she ended up with only 8 points.

That score would absolutely not have been enough to pass.

[Acting Score +20 Points]

“…”

This evaluation item filled Min Do-ha with despair.

She wanted to immediately call up the production team and argue.

But it wasn’t acting.

And refusing it now?

“Congrats, Do-ha! Hyper Action Star is creating quite the buzz this time, wasn’t it? Thought I was doomed if I didn’t make it through, but thankfully this happened!”

The manager’s sincere congratulations forced Min Do-ha to shut her eyes tight.

The cheerful, red-eyed monstrosity appeared vividly in her mind.

Tonight was shaping up to be another nightmare.

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