Chapter 73

“…….”

Seoyeon glanced around cautiously, her face resembling that of a puppy who’d done something wrong.

Just moving her eyes, she looked upward to the side, her expression one of escape from reality. Jiyeon sighed at the sight.

“Hey, you…”

She had expected this.

Probably, Seoyeon’s ghost practice performance hadn’t been to her liking. As such, Seoyeon must’ve watched movies separately to train.

‘The Exorcist.’

Judging by the execution of her performance, it seemed like that movie was her reference.

When observing the eerie act of walking down the stairs backward, even Jiyeon had to admit her hairs stood on end.

But shouldn’t a ghost crawl down slowly?

Instead, Seoyeon moved too quickly, resembling a giant bug more than the character from The Exorcist. Of course, that in itself was terrifying.

“Did you know?”

“Huh?”

“What you did was like a real ghost.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware of that.”

Seoyeon mumbled in response. Since meeting Jiyeon, her acting had slightly mellowed out, but the haunted house itself thrived incredibly due to Seoyeon’s fiery performance, which became a hot topic.

“I didn’t expect that kind of act from you, so some people mistook it for hallucination or even a real ghost.”

How could someone realistically crawl down like that? And at that speed, no less.

Thus, when boys were chased by what they perceived to be a ghost, they genuinely thought they were witnessing a real ghost. Most likely, the old school building would become a hotspot for students’ daredevil exploration activities.

Upon hearing Jiyeon’s words, Seoyeon reflected, acknowledging internally that her performance might’ve been a little too intense.

‘Too convincing.’

Seoyeon mentally apologized to those boys. After all, only a few students had come as far as the second floor, and no one had reacted to her act with such intensity before.

She had pursued them in excitement, never imagining it would backfire.

‘What a pity.’

Frankly, she wanted to continue. Though waiting alone was a bit daunting, scaring the students was fun. Now she understood why creatures in games chase people so zealously.

Seoyeon now empathized with such creatures.

“Joo Seoyeon, you might actually get hurt. What if a boy gets startled and reacts aggressively when you lunge like that?”

“I’ll win.”

“…”

Jiyeon was momentarily speechless. Well, surely Seoyeon could probably win, but it was something questionable for an actress to say.

Seoyeon’s absurd talk, like always preparing for a roundhouse kick when her head is facing down, was ridiculous.

“So…”

Jiyeon redirected the conversation from what seemed like an impending masculine debate on how to fight and win.

“Have you made any friends?”

“Uh…”

Seoyeon’s lips closed after nearly beginning what seemed like a discourse on grappling techniques. Seoyeon looked forward.

Currently, both were sitting on a bench in the schoolyard during the closing ceremony of the school festival. Over the two days, Seoyeon had tried her best portraying the ghost.

“Hm.”

Seoyeon pondered.

Did she make friends? It’s hard to say.

“About half.”

“Well, if you only interact with half the class, I guess they’re half friends.”

Jiyeon’s remark caused Seoyeon to bluntly retort.

“They added me to the group chat.”

“Good job.”

“The rest is easy.”

Seoyeon declared confidently. Although female students avoided her after witnessing her crawl around on all fours—likely due to rumors, but with living witnesses—it seemed effective enough.

“Joo Seoyeon.”

Jiyeon spoke.

“Isn’t your birthday two months from now?”

“Hmm? Yeah, that’s right.”

“I see.”

At Seoyeon’s response, Jiyean stared silently at the schoolyard. In response to Jiyeon’s mysterious demeanor, Seoyeon tilted her head.

What’s she thinking about?

While wondering, Seoyeon glanced at the field.

She spotted ascending fireworks. It seemed school events could truly be well-organized.

A tranquil school life.

‘Now that I think of it.’

Seoyeon suddenly realized. Watching the school festival with friends would have been beyond her comprehension in her previous life. What feelings would someone usually have at moments like this?

Just a sense of pleasantness, perhaps, accompanied by a peculiar tingling sensation in her chest.

In her past life, and for Cha Sooah, such emotions had been denied.

“…”

By portraying the ghost, Seoyeon learned fear. And the emotion that stemmed from Cha Sooah’s inner world, jealousy toward those who possessed what she lacked.

‘Simple madness.’

Character setup for Cha Sooah. She was a villain who hadn’t understood emotions, having suffered abuse. No matter how many excuses given for her actions, countless murders aren’t justified.

Thus, this time, Seoyeon aimed to convey Cha Sooah’s fear through her portrayal.

‘Perhaps I can add another layer.’

Looking at the fireworks exploding in the sky, Seoyeon thought, regarding the emotions a regular girl may have.

Cha Sooah likely didn’t commit her acts solely out of envy, Seoyeon surmised vaguely.

“Jiyeon.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have time this weekend?”

It was probably a way of asking to meet. Though ordinary, it seemed unusual given the expression on Seoyeon’s face as she gazed at the fireworks, an expression unfamiliar even to Jiyeon. And yet, unlike the typically blunt expressions Seoyeon made, this one wasn’t so straightforward.

“Alright.”

Jiyeon nodded. She didn’t feel the need to question why.

***

The highlights of “The Chaser” had all been filmed, with only routine scenes left for Cha Sooah.

And the depiction of other victims’ deaths by Cha Sooah, presenting her as the epitome of terror.

Scenes showing why she turned to crime—jealousy toward others and abandonment of humanity.

It was necessary to show the audience these behaviors.

Initially, Seoyeon had intended to present a replica of her former self.

If she had experienced abuse, or if she couldn’t properly perform the emotions of others.

Then showing this assumption would suffice. However,

“After all, I’m the one acting.”

The past self was still vivid in her mind now: thoughts and deeds from that time.

However, Joo Seoyeon possessed proper emotions while her previous self hadn’t understood how emotions colored her view of the world.

The realization came to her that understanding the emotions she once felt for others could illuminate Cha Sooah’s motives.

‘Here.’

Weekend.

Seoyeon had heard that filming would likely begin tomorrow, and they needed to head to Daejeon.

It wasn’t like they came here to buy bread from Seongsimdang.

‘Her expression is still strange.’

She had heard in a roundabout way.

One final preparation before tomorrow’s filming.

Though it was unclear why it required a trip to Daejeon.

‘How could I know what this girl’s thinking?’

Since childhood, Seoyeon had been odd. She had adapted to such eccentricities, as they usually made sense for Seoyeon.

‘She doesn’t have much experience traveling to the provinces.’

Jiyeon followed Seoyeon through the streets. Daejeon was a city about an hour and a half away from Seoul by train—not too far, but not exactly close either.

Naturally, Seoyeon, who had lived in Seoul all her life, had rarely come here. However, her steps felt familiar.

As if she had lived here for a long time, they moved without hesitation.

“Joo Seoyeon, who are you meeting?”

“Nevermind.”

Just that response. Then she continued walking naturally, leading them through various places.

An old shopping district.

An alley lined with weathered signs.

And an elementary school that looked a little aged. In contrast, there was a neatly maintained middle school nearby.

“And the high school?”

“Too far.”

“Too far.” That comment had a peculiar edge to it.

Their final destination was an apartment complex tucked away in a remote area, yet it seemed quite tidy and well-kept.

They had wandered so long that the sky had darkened. Cars lined up to enter as workers returned home.

And then they stumbled upon what appeared to be a harmonious household.

It looked as though a little girl, grinning broadly like she just returned from playing, walked hand in hand with a kind-looking adult woman.

The scene was so heartwarming that Jiyeon couldn’t help but smile gently.

But Seoyeon simply stared at the sight with mixed emotions.

“Why?”

Not a stranger, then. If someone she knew, why not just say hello?

Just as Jiyeon thought this,

“Oh, I see.”

Seoyeon muttered. Not much of a statement. She only turned around slowly after uttering these words.

“I wanted to use this for reference in acting.”

“Huh?”

“Cha Sooah’s motives.”

Jiyeon was puzzled by Seoyeon’s explanation. Wasn’t she already doing a fantastic job?

“I’m starting to understand.”

At this, Seoyeon smiled.

“Doesn’t matter anymore.”

It was a pristine smile, erasing the brief shadow. In that moment, Jiyeon finally felt reassured.

Thus they returned to Seoul.

The next day, filming for “The Chaser,” previously postponed, began.

***

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Seoyeon, you’ve worked hard too. Is this the end of Cha Sooah’s scenes?”

A month had passed.

“The Chaser” was nearing the end of its filming process, and all the scenes concerning Cha Sooah were wrapped.

“Yes, we’re done.”

As Seoyeon wiped the sweat from her forehead, relief evident on her face, Director Bae Jin-hwan was lost in thought.

“Seoyeon’s acting, it’s gotten even better.”

The previous portrayal of Cha Sooah had seemed like watching Seoyeon herself. She had done a great job, enough to not regret casting her in that role.

Particularly in the highlight scenes, her performance shone, making the transitional scenes seem adequate.

“To be honest.”

Director Bae chuckled.

“Every scene is so good that editing is proving challenging. The staff is looking stressed.”

“Really?”

“That’s right. Where did you learn to act, Seoyeon? Cha Sooah is just top-notch.”

In thrillers, the antagonist is crucial. To immerse the audience, they must induce fear.

If the audience fails to understand motives, it disrupts the immersion.

The crime motive of Cha Sooah was particularly enigmatic. Simply jealousy would create a subtle but unsatisfactory edge.

‘Just this?’

If so, it would be a failure. However, Seoyeon portrayed excellently why Cha Sooah committed her crimes.

“It’s deep emotional acting… It’s hard to conceive that you’re this young.”

“Do you think so?”

Seoyeon twitched at the mention of her age. After all, she’s currently a high school student, just a high school student.

As she repeated this to herself…

“The filming is almost over. We need to start promoting soon, Seoyeon. Things like TV appearances, maybe a doctor interview first.”

“Promotions?”

“Yes, it’s necessary. Perhaps you have something in mind?”

Film promotion was familiar to Seoyeon from her previous experience with “The Moon That Hid the Sun.”

Certainly, as a child actor, she hadn’t done much back then.

‘This time, being a villain, I’ll probably be on more frequently.’

Still, Seoyeon had no particular plan in mind. She hadn’t premeditated all such events.

“If you don’t have anything specific, I’ll arrange it with the publicist.”

“Thank you.”

“Other actors will join, so don’t worry too much.”

Seoyeon nodded after hearing Director Bae’s reassurance, thinking it was probably nothing more than interviews or promotional appearances like last time.

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