One day, a certain variety show set to broadcast on a cable channel was revealed.
A variety show with considerable capital invested, said to have been produced with funding from the GH Group.
But that alone wasn't enough to draw much interest from viewers.
Cable variety shows generally featured a lot of stimulating content that couldn't be seen on public broadcasting, and were often polarizing anyway.
The fact that huge capital was invested or that it was aiming for prime time wasn't particularly important.
Especially.
"A survival audition variety show?"
"Again?"
Survival audition variety shows that had already been done to death and exhausted people's patience.
The majority reaction was disgust at yet another show picking new idols.
Since it was already a genre stained with manipulation controversies, it felt like the outcome was obvious without even watching.
However.
Today, the trailer for the much-talked-about cable variety show 'Hyper Action Star' was released.
On YouTube, and on broadcast.
"Ah, isn't there something good……."
1.37 million subscriber YouTuber Han Bong-sik scratched his head, looking for a video worth reviewing.
Since he had already reviewed all the recently popular movies and dramas, it was hard to find something suitable.
'The subscribers who came for Joo Seo-yeon also seem to be leaving a bit.'
As much as it rose too rapidly, there were many people falling off too.
- How about a variety show?
Words that came up in the chat at that time.
Han Bong-sik shook his head at those words.
"Ugh, I'm a movie reviewer. Reviewer. How do you review a variety show?"
- It's an actor audition variety show, though?
An actor audition variety show?
At those words, Han Bong-sik's ears perked up.
But could an actor audition variety show even work?
Are they evaluating acting by having people come on stage and perform?
"What kind of variety show is it? Ah, no. It's not that I don't do variety shows at all, you never know."
As Han Bong-sik said that while making excuses, a title came up along with messages teasing him.
'Hyper Action Star?'
It was a title with a peculiar name.
Just from the title alone, it was hard to guess what kind of variety show it was.
- Only the trailer is up right now ㅇㅇ
- Where do you even find stuff like that?
- Isn't that viral marketing?
Seeing such reactions from viewers who hadn't heard the news about it yet, it was a variety show with little recognition……
- Jo Seo-hee and Joo Seo-yeon appear on it
- ???
- What kind of variety show has Jo Seo-hee on it?
Jo Seo-hee.
The moment he heard that name, Han Bong-sik was startled.
It was no wonder, as Jo Seo-hee rarely appeared on variety shows.
At most, she did interviews for promotion, and that was it.
Among her peer actors, she was similar to Park Jung-woo.
"……Jo Seo-hee on an audition variety show? Ah, that's bullshit. That doesn't make sense. An actor of Jo Seo-hee's caliber would receive scripts and pick from them."
Jo Seo-hee was a young actor.
Although she was only a high school student now, her career was absolutely not something a high school student could have.
She had already appeared in ten-million-viewer movies twice, and had appeared multiple times in dramas that drove viewership from the golden age of public broadcasting dramas to the present.
Her relationship with the veteran actor Jung Eun-sun was also solid, so Jo Seo-hee's acting career was always a smooth road.
So much so that there was even a saying that works destined to fail would succeed if Jo Seo-hee appeared, making her a symbol of good luck in the industry.
And yet, a young actress with hardly any scandals.
"Looking at the description, the GH Group is making a movie this time. They're selecting actors to appear in it, and the winner becomes the main character. Ah, but it's the female lead? So it's only actresses."
- Just hearing it sounds like total shit
- But if it's an actor audition, what do they do on a variety show? Act?
"Well……."
Honestly, he couldn't really guess.
But his interest was piqued.
He was curious about the reason Jo Seo-hee participated, but also one more thing.
"Seeing that Joo Seo-yeon also appears……"
- How many shows does she appear on a year
- She was on a variety show not long ago, seems like she's appearing on everything since she got popular recently
- If you consume your image that fast, you'll burn out quickly;;
Han Bong-sik also agreed with those viewers' words.
Joo Seo-yeon.
To Han Bong-sik, she was truly a goddess-like figure.
The figure who inflated his subscriber count by hundreds of thousands in an instant.
Actually, even without Jo Seo-hee, Joo Seo-yeon alone would be enough reason to watch the variety show.
Even if the viewership was low, out of courtesy.
Han Bong-sik, he was a YouTuber who knew his duty.
"Let's watch it first. You have to see it to know."
That was also something he said to himself.
Anyway, the video wasn't long.
10 minutes.
Of course, that was the full version, and the short clips on TV or YouTube were 2-minute ads.
'No, thinking of it as a trailer, is it long?'
Thinking that, he pressed the play button.
First, it showed numerous actors arriving at a certain building.
It was a building presumed to be a set.
They entered the building and began sitting at large round tables.
All at different times.
25 people per group, 4 groups in total.
The number of participants was 100.
Such words flashed by.
"Wow, this actor is on too."
Actresses that anyone interested in action actors would recognize flashed by.
Of course, most were unfamiliar faces.
Stunt actors who came to this place to raise their profile, to become real 'actors'.
And.
"She's here."
The group Jo Seo-hee was in appeared on screen.
That point was 2 minutes after the video started.
As soon as Jo Seo-hee appeared, the actors could be seen making a big commotion.
- The girl looks so stuck-up
- #1 actress I'm curious why she has no school bullying rumors
- Are you trying to smear ten-million actress Jo Seo-hee right now?
- Honestly if Jo Seo-hee looked at me in real life I'd confidently wet myself
There were many such comments, but no one denied her cool and beautiful appearance.
Especially compared to the stunt actors, the difference in appearance was like heaven and earth.
- I know I shouldn't say this but she's definitely in a different league
- Jo Seo-hee isn't even an action actor in the first place, why is she there
- ??? Come to think of it, yeah???
- Look at all the actresses avoiding her, they know they'll be outshined if they sit next to her
Villainess.
More than anything, an actress befitting that impression.
However, the reason she wasn't fixed to such an impression was because of Jo Seo-hee's acting skills.
Actually, when she appeared in the ten-million viewer movie, she gave off a very gentle impression.
She was the one who turned the movie theater into a sea of tears, but right now she was the very embodiment of an arrogant villainess.
Like that, as Jo Seo-hee sat down and everyone avoided the seats near her, it was honestly comical.
It could have made Jo Seo-hee look like an outcast, but with her arrogant attitude, it rather felt like Jo Seo-hee was leaving the others behind.
- She's here
- Oh
Just as the seats were almost filled, a female student in a school uniform appeared.
Joo Seo-yeon.
After looking around briefly, Seo-yeon frowned slightly and sat down next to Jo Seo-hee.
Then, Jo Seo-hee could be seen smiling.
- What?
- Are those two close?
- First time seeing Jo Seo-hee smile like that;
- They're the same age, are they close?
That much, Jo Seo-hee's reaction toward Seo-yeon felt completely different from how she treated others, showing a warmth.
Moreover, with the two sitting side by side, it created a peculiar synergy.
- Look at how intimidated the people around them are
- They're all similar peers, honestly it's intimidating
- I don't think I could go near them if those two were sitting like that either
It wasn't just Jo Seo-hee; Seo-yeon also had little change in expression, being expressionless, so there was a cool atmosphere.
With her reddish-tinted eyes gazing quietly, there was a pressure that made one unconsciously lower their head.
Added to that, the presence felt from her terrifyingly beautiful appearance.
An aura as an actor.
Therefore, it felt as if only the two were disconnected from the rest.
- Only those two have a different art style
- Art style ㅋㅋㅋ
- Is he crazy
Amidst such reactions, the video continued to progress.
"You're late?"
"I ran here after school ended."
"……Your school, isn't it Yeonhwa High School?"
At the same time, the distance between the filming location shown in the video and Yeonhwa High School.
- She ran five stations?
- Does that make sense?
- It's possible for Joo Seo-yeon ㅇㅇ
- ?
Like the viewers' reactions, the surroundings could also be felt stirring.
And.
"You ran? That's a funny joke."
A mutter heard in the quiet silence.
"My, dismissing it as a joke just because you can't do it yourself, isn't that typical."
Tension arose from Jo Seo-hee's sharp voice as she retorted, seemingly provoked.
A war of nerves between actors.
At the moment it seemed like that, Seo-yeon stopped her by poking Jo Seo-hee's side with her finger.
- Gasp;;
- Why the surprise?
- That girl could pierce a coconut with her finger;
- ? Does that make sense??
- Seo-hee got wreckedㅠㅠ
Fortunately, there were no further words after that.
Right after the war of nerves ended, the PD of this Hyper Action Star appeared and began the explanation.
The faces of teams A through E that appeared at first flashed by.
"Since we've prepared this place with effort, let's proceed with a light taste test."
Along with the PD's words, the screen switched.
The 'acting' of the actors starting from Group A jumping out the window on rappel.
"What superpower did you think of while jumping down?"
They had to assume they had a superpower, act it out, and perform rappel action.
Most of the actors were too busy panicking and jumping down.
At least those in the later order acted after some deliberation of their own.
Like that, the actors' appearances flashed by briefly.
"Huh?"
Han Bong-sik opened his eyes wide.
Because Joo Seo-yeon was captured alone in the video.
Alone, unlike the others who had appeared briefly so far.
What's going on.
The moment he thought that.
- ???
- What??
Shocked reactions started scrolling up in the chat.
Because Seo-yeon ran and jumped straight out the window without even properly tying a rope around her waist.
At her appearance, there were even actors screaming.
However, Seo-yeon, who jumped down just like that, spun once in the air, bounced off the air mattress, and landed cleanly.
- Crazy bitch;;;
- Even with an air mattress, does a normal person think of just jumping down like that????
- Why did she spin once in the air just now? Seems like she was trying to strike a pose
- Must've wanted to do a superhero landing
- ??
Seeing that chat, Han Bong-sik thought, no way.
But seeing her look at the air mattress with dissatisfied eyes.
'Did she really intend to just jump down even without the air mattress?'
No, surely not.
Even with such thoughts, there was a strange sense of trust that if it was Joo Seo-yeon, it would somehow be fine.
Next, Cha Min-gyu, who was serving as the instructor for this
What superpower she thought of while jumping down.
Then.
"Regeneration ability."
- No, you crazy bitch.
- What does that have to do with regeneration ability
- Re?generation?
- Ah ㅋㅋ She's saying she jumped because she wouldn't get hurt even if she fell ㅋㅋ
Unlike those reactions.
Seo-yeon, with a somewhat proud face, seemed satisfied with her own answer.
Of course, at Seo-yeon's attitude, the viewers.
- Ugh
- Why is this so infuriating?
Showed such reactions, and in Jo Seo-hee's case.
"Won't Seo-hee do the rappel?"
"You said I could just go down."
"The, ability?"
"Hmm, a genius with a good head? Rich works too."
Saying that, Jo Seo-hee just took the elevator down.
Because she took the elevator down alone, she rather stood out.
And as Jo Seo-hee's video was captured at the end like a cameo.
The video came to an end.
"Uh……."
Han Bong-sik looked at the finished video and pondered what to say.
What should he say.
"This looks like it'll be fun?"
Just those words.
But no more words than that were needed for a variety show.
And as if proving Han Bong-sik's words.
[
[Great clash of young action stars, who will be the main character?!]
Hyper Action Star was suddenly placed at the center of attention.
A movie invested by the GH Group.
A contest of young actresses fighting for the lead role.
Among them, the ones who received the most attention were none other than Seo-yeon and Jo Seo-hee.
Beyond their name value, they left that big of an impression.
Of course, if there are those who left a deep impression, there are bound to be those who didn't.
Bang!!
"This is…… all?"
Min Do-ha gritted her teeth and muttered.
10 seconds.
That was the entirety of the time she appeared in the video.
Most of it was the scene where she picked a fight with Seo-yeon.
The rappel scene briefly flashed by for about 2 seconds.
Min Do-ha's rappel action was skilled, but there were several in other groups who could do that much.
Simply being good at it wasn't enough to stand out or leave a deep impression.
Actually, Min Do-ha's name couldn't be found in any articles.
"……Joo Seo-yeon."
Jo Seo-hee didn't matter.
In the first place, she wasn't particularly serious about this variety show.
But Joo Seo-yeon was different.
A monster who returned to the entertainment industry after 10 years.
"Next time, absolutely……"
She wasn't satisfied.
She absolutely didn't want to lose to an actor who, despite gaining popularity, took a 10-year hiatus and only returned late.
Yes, absolutely.
And at that time.
"Uh…. So what did you just say……."
The actor Min Do-ha was gritting her teeth at, Joo Seo-yeon.
"I'd like to experience the e-sports club a bit."
Was looking at the somehow frozen male students, feeling a bit excited.