"Director, have you heard the news?"
KMB's Drama Division 2.
Director Baek Tae-su frowned slightly at the words of PD Hwang, who had been talking to him since morning.
He wondered what on earth was going on to cause such a fuss so early in the morning.
"It's about
"…Gyeongseong Lady, as in Director Baek Min's?"
"Yes! That's right. And this is even..."
PD Hwang, who was speaking, stopped at the glares of other colleague PDs nearby.
Their eyes were full of the look that said, 'Do you have no tact?'
'Ah.'
For a moment, he wondered what was going on, but belatedly, PD Hwang realized who was in the cast of
It was merely a special interest gathered by a director far removed from commerciality. And, he had only brought it up to convey the subsequent story.
Because of that, he was far too late in recalling the fact that 'that actress' had appeared in the movie.
"I, I'm sorry."
"No. There was a commotion since morning, so it was because of that."
Since morning, the KMB broadcasting station had been strangely lively.
KMB was already in a very good mood as its dramas had been successful one after another this year.
Drama Division 2 felt relatively a bit behind, but even that wasn't entirely bad.
'But today was exceptionally good.'
Drama Director Baek Tae-su sat in the chair of the director's office and let out a sigh.
'Joo Seo-yeon, huh.'
It was the name of the actress he had heard to the point of exhaustion this year.
Soon to be eighteen.
An actress who brought all sorts of topics in just one year since starting her activities.
'Was she not satisfied with just The Chaser?'
Because work had been continuously busy lately, he hadn't paid attention to things like the movie's release date.
Movies and broadcasting stations were, after all, in somewhat separate realms.
But if it was Joo Seo-yeon, the story was different.
Currently, Seo-yeon was exclusively appearing in KMB's dramas.
Therefore, the more Seo-yeon's name value rose, the more advantageous it was for KMB, who had a close relationship with the actress.
'But, making a fuss over a teaser trailer...'
Thinking so, Baek Tae-su calmly played the teaser trailer.
As PD Hwang had said, the teaser's view count was 1.8 million.
A figure that could be called second among the movies released this year.
Perhaps, for Director Baek Min, it was a level of buzz that could be called historic.
'The setting is, the Japanese colonial period.'
The video first showed Gyeongseong, where the general atmosphere of the era could be inferred.
The appearance of old Seoul was reflected in the video.
The sound of carriages rolling by, the people living hard lives there.
There, a woman bumped into an old gentleman passing by.
The woman, who briefly bowed her head in greeting, slipped into the crowd and hid.
And, in a nearby alleyway.
"Ah, what, contrary to his appearance, he's completely broke? If you're really penniless, don't dress like that."
She took out what seemed to be a wallet stolen from the old gentleman she had just bumped into and sighed.
Inside were only a few bills.
Unlike when she bumped into him, the girl looked a bit nonchalant.
At the same time, the screen zoomed in, and the introduction [Gyeongseong's Number One Pickpocket, Yeon Seon-ye] floated up next to the girl.
Seeing that, Baek Tae-su frowned.
'Who is she?'
It was a face he'd seen somewhere.
However, she wasn't a famous actress.
Rather than seeing her in a drama or movie, it was a face he'd seen somewhere for another reason.
Rather, Baek Tae-su was more concerned about the old gentleman who had bumped into the woman earlier.
His face didn't properly appear.
He appeared as if passing by, and only his back was shown.
But, for some reason, he looked familiar.
'He's definitely not an extra.'
As Baek Tae-su guessed, the old gentleman reappears in the very next scene.
This time, only with his voice.
"Your role is one. You just need to bring the necklace in this photo to the Amanabi family."
Seon-ye, hearing that voice, checks the necklace in the photo.
Soon, the photo begins to burn in the flames.
"Ah, right. If possible, it would be nice if you could take care of the young lady there."
"Take care, you say? Don't tell me you're asking a blacksmith to kill a person?"
"There will be no repercussions. You just need to do your part. Then I'll give you enough money for you and your sick sister to live on for the rest of your lives."
At the same time, a pile of money is thrown in front of Seon-ye.
Seeing that, Seon-ye's pupils waver.
A sick younger sister.
With enough money to save her sister, who couldn't receive proper treatment due to lack of funds, Seon-ye accepts the old gentleman's request.
Like that, Seon-ye, guided by the old gentleman, heads to the massive mansion.
With the old gentleman constantly showing only his back, Baek Tae-su naturally focuses on the video.
Probably, he wasn't the only one.
Anyone watching this video would naturally be overwhelmed by the presence the old gentleman exuded and couldn't help but wonder who he was.
'A familiar voice. But, because he speaks as if scraping his throat, it's hard to distinguish.'
As if his vocal cords were damaged.
The old gentleman's voice had a grating feel to it.
If he acted like that on purpose, he would be no ordinary skilled actor.
With that overwhelming presence, attention was drawn to the old gentleman rather than the protagonist, Seon-ye.
Is that a bad thing?
No, it was rather a device that highlighted the character of Yeon Seon-ye.
Compared to the old gentleman, the pickpocket female protagonist had an infinitely small presence.
A commoner-like girl who was just a little good with her hands.
"Mind your manners. Bow your head, and never raise it until your name is called."
And.
Thump, thump, thump.
Along with the drumbeats that reverberated in the heart, a splendid Japanese-style mansion was reflected on the screen.
Red butterfly.
Butterfly paintings decorating the walls came into view, and a woman sitting on a chair decorated with fancy leopard print revealed herself.
A large chair compared to her slender body.
Looking at it somehow like a throne, the woman calmly looked down at Seon-ye.
"Yeon Seon-ye."
Haughtily.
And infinitely arrogant.
Swinging the pipe in her hand gracefully, she looked at Seon-ye with languid eyes.
At those words, Seon-ye slowly raises her head and their eyes meet.
"I see, so you're the mongrel Isamu brought in."
And just as Seon-ye did earlier, a name appears next to the woman of the languid red butterfly.
[The Red Butterfly Lady Aiming for the Amanabi Family, Kasugayama Yuina]
Joo Seo-yeon.
Baek Tae-su widened his eyes as he looked at Yuina.
It was a different feeling from the acting Seo-yeon had shown so far.
It was different from the blade-like feeling of Cha Seo-ah.
Somewhat decadent, like that of a mature actress.
There was no girlish feeling, just an atmosphere like a languid absolute being.
She was expressing with her whole body that she was the main villain of this work.
'As expected of Joo Seo-yeon, does this actress only show her true worth when playing villains?'
Cha Seo-ah of
Like the feeling back then, Seo-yeon gave a particularly intense feeling when expressing an overwhelming presence.
Was it because of her signature red eyes?
Or was it because of the atmosphere she possessed?
"Currently, the Amanabi family is hiring new maids. You can sneak in by aiming for that time."
"What if I fail?"
"Then your neck will fall along with it."
"Huh?!"
After meeting the first 'Gyeongseong Lady', the scene quickly transitions.
After taking the maid selection test, Yeon Seon-ye, who successfully infiltrates the Amanabi family as a maid, soon takes the position of the maid in charge of the young lady.
"Just as you don't trust me, I don't trust you either."
A somewhat dry voice.
Unlike Yuina, who had a ruthless impression, she was just a calm and composed young lady.
[A young lady like a withered but beautiful flower, Amanabi Michiko.]
The other protagonist of this work.
Jo Seo-hee, who played the role of Amanabi Michiko, appears.
Her calm gait and impression naturally gave the feeling of a young lady from a noble family.
'Jo Seo-hee's acting is stable as always. She lacks intensity, but fits the role perfectly.'
More than anything, her natural disposition shines through.
As there were rumors that Jo Seo-hee was actually a young lady from a noble family, that feeling was fully displayed in the movie.
"It's a clean teaser trailer. More than anything..."
What concerned Baek Tae-su was about the old gentleman who kept appearing, more than anyone else.
A familiar figure, but one that made him think 'no way.'
When there were 10 seconds left before the video ended.
Three people stood facing each other inside a dark room.
The old gentleman in a black suit.
And, the young lady of the Amanabi family and her maid.
"Did you ask what my purpose is?"
Muttering in a low voice, the old gentleman smiles slightly.
His face, briefly illuminated by an oil lamp in the darkness, flashes on the screen for a very short moment.
"I just want to put everything back in its place."
Whoosh, along with the oil lamp going out, the voice also fades away and disappears.
Like that, the first teaser trailer for
"Wait."
Baek Tae-su hastily rewinds the video to 10 seconds ago.
The voice that seemed to scratch the ear changes into a familiar voice.
And the face illuminated by the oil lamp.
The jawline of the face that flashed by very briefly belonged to a person Baek Tae-su couldn't not know.
No, it wasn't just Baek Tae-su!
How many people in South Korea wouldn't know this actor?
One of the representative actors that Korea was once proud of.
"…No way, actor Lee Sang-soo is in Gyeongseong Lady?"
If this was true, this wasn't the time to be clapping and saying the teaser came out well.
***
"Did you see the teaser? Our Seo-yeon was really pretty!"
"Wow, seriously, I really thought my heart stopped, you know? Seo-yeon really has to play villains. The atmosphere comes alive."
"But who's the person who came out at the end? Don't tell me it's really actor Lee Sang-soo?"
"Nah, no way."
"But everyone's saying it's actor Lee Sang-soo?"
After the teaser was released, these were words frequently heard while walking down the street.
Originally,
A work starring Seo-yeon, the actress who recently became a hot topic in Japan.
They said Japan was showing great interest and even confirmed a simultaneous release.
There is such a thing as national pride.
Even if it's not a big deal, it's natural to become more interested if a domestic work is recognized in another country.
On top of that, if you look into the related content on movie-related YouTube channels, they all say this:
"A Korean movie being released simultaneously in Japan is really an almost unprecedented event. As far as I know, it's the first time. The first!"
"The Japanese market is so closed off. It's common for even movies that were huge hits overseas to take 1 or 2 years to be released."
"But a Korean movie getting a simultaneous release? And you know this, right? The surprising thing about
People often react with "No way" to the ramblings of YouTubers commonly called cyber wreckers, but when even YouTubers with over a million subscribers repeat the same thing, you have no choice but to believe it.
Especially the YouTuber with 1.45 million subscribers.
A representative YouTuber who hit the jackpot with the Joo Seo-yeon coin.
In the case of Han Bong-sik, who called himself Joo Seo-yeon's representative fan, he was logically analyzing the reason why
"Well, actor Joo Seo-yeon just acted so well."
- There he goes again, again!!
- But lol honestly Joo Seo-yeon's aura is insane lmaooo
- I prefer this side more than Cha Seo-ah tbh. The visual totally suits Joo Seo-yeon perfectly, right?
"Ahem, that's right. Look at this, from the pipe to the languid gaze. Kya!"
- Kya is a bit...;
- Bong-sik, Seo-yeon is still a minor, watch your words...
"Ah, it's really pure admiration, pure admiration!!"
Bong-sik said that and cleared his throat for a moment.
"Anyway, that was a bit of a joke. The reason Gyeongseong Lady gathered buzz is actually because there are several external factors rather than the movie itself. As I said, the part where Japan made a fuss is the biggest reason..."
- Didn't it get promoted because Joo Seo-yeon went viral in Japan?
- Fr lmaooo
"No, that can't be...!!"
Bong-sik, who was about to say it couldn't be, stopped talking for a moment.
If you think about whether it exists or not, it does.
If an actress goes viral, it's natural for it to be promoted.
"…It's not like it doesn't, but that's not the real reason."
Bong-sik coughed lightly and brought up a photo of a blonde actress on the screen.
"Isn't another reason thanks to Stella Baldwin continuously giving shoutouts to
- She didn't shoutout Gyeongseong Lady but Joo Seo-yeon, right?
- So what's the relationship between Joo Seo-yeon and Stella? Is Stella getting money from Joo Seo-yeon??
- lmaooo how much is Stella's pay that she would promote a Korean actress for a little money lol
- I heard she even made a cameo in Gyeongseong Lady, if that's true it's beyond words
- What the heck is Gyeongseong Lady....
The actress called the fairy of the century.
Thanks to her making a cameo and continuously talking about Seo-yeon overseas, it wasn't normal promotion.
Rather, it was to the point where it was receiving more interest overseas than domestically.
"And, yesterday's teaser was the decisive blow."
Soon, Bong-sik filled the screen with screenshots of the teaser.
"Actor Lee Sang-soo! This is actor Lee Sang-soo, right! The one who would represent Korea in an Actor World Cup!!"
- Lee Sang-soo from when lmaooo
- He went to Hollywood, got wrecked, and became a has-been a long time ago tbh
- Is it really Lee Sang-soo? He looks different from when I saw him before, he seems too thin
- If it's Lee Sang-soo, where did they get the appearance fee for Gyeongseong Lady?
- Just Jo Seo-hee and Joo Seo-yeon alone must have an insane casting fee
- The protagonist is cheap, let's grab a drink.
- Our Ji-yeon is never cheap.
- She has fans too.
At those reactions, Han Bong-sik felt a bit bitter.
Because a negative perception was embedded in the majority due to actor Lee Sang-soo not engaging in artistic activities after his failure in Hollywood.
Unlike Bong-sik, who was excited about his return, the internet just considered him 'at best, an actor who failed in Hollywood.'
"Anyway! There's an uproar right now because of actor Lee Sang-soo's appearance! That's why Gyeongseong Lady became a topic! This is it! Fact!"
Han Bong-sik shouted like that and wrapped up the broadcast.
Because it wasn't good to talk any more about a movie that hadn't even properly premiered yet.
For now, it was enough to wrap it up at this level.
Since it became this much of a topic, someone among the actors who participated in
'Even if they try not to open their mouth, they'll be made to.'
Just as Bong-sik thought, after the teaser was released, starting with the three major broadcasting companies, various internet newspapers quickly set out to cover the story, but.
- So, is it Lee Sang-soo or not?
- He lost weight, but judging by the voice and jawline, it's 100% Lee Sang-soo.
- What is Joo Seo-yeon doing? It's this much of a hot topic, she should come out on a variety show and talk about it clearly.
- She's busy filming that Mine or whatever lately.
- It's this much of a hot topic right now and she's just filming?
The actors who appeared in
That was because the very actors who could be said to be at the center of the controversy hadn't shown any particular reaction.
- Seo-yeon, this isn't the time to be having a party, tell us if Lee Sang-soo appeared in Gyeongseong Lady and what your relationship is with Stella.
- Is this the time for you to be having a party?
- Guys, don't say it here, go find Joo Seo-yeon and tell her.
It went so far that some people were leaving such comments on the vlog recently uploaded by Joo Seo-yeon's agency.
While various movie communities were ablaze with talk about
The very subject of the topic, Joo Seo-yeon.
"Alright, then first, Seo-yeon, let's match your coordination with Do-ha. You know the scene, right? The scene escaping from the research institute."
"Yes."
"Seo-yeon, it's good that you're motivated, but you need to hold back."
"Of course."
"…I'll trust you. And next is actor Arthur's turn, so please wait a bit."
At the words of Professor Kim Hong-baek, who took on the action consultation for this
It seemed she was excited to be filming an action scene after a long time.
Just seeing her warming up by punching the air by herself was enough to tell her motivation.
"…."
Of course, looking at such Seo-yeon, Min Do-ha sincerely wanted to cry.
Because the person who was going to act with that highly motivated Seo-yeon was none other than himself.