"……."
Seo Yeon looked around with the face of a puppy that had done something wrong.
Eyes darting upward to the side, that face escaping reality made Ji Yeon sigh.
"You know……"
She had expected it.
Probably, the ghost act from practice hadn't been satisfactory.
So, she must have practiced separately while watching movies or something.
'The Exorcist.'
Judging by appearances, that seemed to be the movie she referenced.
Seeing someone come down the stairs backward, even Ji Yeon had to admit her hair stood on end.
But if you're a ghost, shouldn't you crawl down a bit more slowly?
She came down so fast that rather than an exorcist, she looked like some giant insect.
Of course, that was scary in its own way too.
"Do you know something?"
"?"
"What you just did got reported as a real ghost."
"I, I didn't know that."
Seo Yeon answered sheepishly.
Since meeting Ji Yeon, she had toned down her acting somewhat, but the haunted house itself was a huge hit.
It was because Seo Yeon's fiery acting became the talk of the town.
"I didn't think you'd move around like that, so they treated it as some hallucination or a real ghost."
How could a person crawl down backward?
Or be that fast in that state.
With such common-sense reasoning, the male students chased by the ghost became people who had witnessed a real ghost.
The old school building would probably become a courage exploration spot for students for a while.
At Ji Yeon's words, Seo Yeon reflected.
Honestly, she was aware that she had gone a bit too far.
'Because they reacted so perfectly.'
Seo Yeon apologized to those male students inwardly.
That was because there weren't many students who came up to the 2nd floor in the first place, and there had been no one who got so perfectly scared and reacted like that.
She never imagined that chasing them in excitement would backfire.
'What a shame.'
Honestly, she wanted to do it a bit more.
Waiting alone was a bit off-putting, but separately from that, surprising the students was fun.
So this is why creatures in games chase people so relentlessly.
Seo Yeon could now empathize with the heart of a creature a little.
"Joo Seo Yeon, you'll really get hurt doing that. What if a male student gets startled and attacks you when you charge at them like that?"
"I'd win."
"……."
Ji Yeon lost her words.
Well, she supposed she would win.
But whether that was something an actress should say was a bit questionable.
Looking at Seo Yeon spouting nonsense about how she had consistently prepared defenses against low kicks since her head was pointed downward.
"So."
It seemed like it would lead to such masculine discourse about how to fight and win, so she changed the subject.
"Did you make any friends?"
"……Mm."
Seo Yeon's mouth, which had been talking about grappling techniques that would follow, closed.
Seo Yeon's gaze turned forward.
Currently, the two were sitting on a bench in the schoolyard.
The closing ceremony of the school festival.
Yeonhwa High School's festival lasted a total of two days, during which Seo Yeon had worked hard at her ghost act in her own way.
'Mm.'
Seo Yeon pondered.
Had she made friends? She wasn't really sure.
"Halfway."
"Well, they're half classmates, so they could be half friends."
At Ji Yeon's words, Seo Yeon said sulkily.
"I joined the class group chat."
"That's quite something."
"The rest will happen soon."
Seo Yeon said proudly.
However, the female students who had seen Seo Yeon crawling on all fours seemed to be avoiding her.
It had spread as a rumor, but there were witnesses regardless.
"Joo Seo Yeon."
Ji Yeon spoke.
"Your birthday is in two months, right?"
"Huh? That's right."
"I see."
At Seo Yeon's answer, Ji Yeon silently looked toward the schoolyard.
At Ji Yeon's demeanor, Seo Yeon tilted her head.
She couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Seo Yeon thought so and cast her gaze toward the schoolyard.
Then she saw fireworks shooting up into the sky.
Fireworks.
She felt like the school had at least prepared this properly.
A peaceful school life.
'Come to think of it.'
Seo Yeon suddenly realized.
A school festival looking at it together with a friend.
That was something her previous self couldn't have even dreamed of.
In the first place, what kind of emotion does one feel at times like this?
While it just felt like she was in a good mood.
She felt something ticklish in her chest.
The previous me.
And an emotion not permitted to Cha Seo Ah.
'…….'
While acting as a ghost, she learned the face of fear.
And, the emotion that flowed from Cha Seo Ah's inner self.
Jealousy toward those who possessed what she herself could not have.
'Simple madness.'
That was the setting for the character Cha Seo Ah.
She is a villain.
She didn't know emotions. She was abused.
Even with such excuses, countless murders cannot be justified.
So through this acting, she wanted to express Cha Seo Ah's fear.
'One more, I could probably add.'
Looking at the fireworks bursting in the sky, Seo Yeon thought.
About this emotion that an ordinary girl couldn't enjoy.
Probably, Cha Seo Ah wouldn't have committed such acts out of simple jealousy.
Seo Yeon had such a vague thought.
"Lee Ji Yeon."
"Yeah?"
"This weekend, do you have time?"
It probably meant let's meet.
That might have been an ordinary statement.
"……."
Seo Yeon's face looking at the fireworks spreading across the sky was something even Ji Yeon was seeing for the first time.
But then again, it wasn't an expression that this usually dense girl would make.
"Okay."
She nodded.
She didn't ask why, specifically.
***
All the highlight scenes of
The remaining scenes related to Cha Seo Ah were her daily life.
And Cha Seo Ah's appearance as she kills other victims.
Showing her aspect as fear itself.
Scenes showing why she committed such crimes.
Being jealous of others, discarding her humanity.
It was necessary to show that appearance to the audience.
Originally, Seo Yeon intended to show it by simply reenacting her past self.
If she had been abused.
And if she couldn't properly act out others' expressions.
She thought showing that assumption would be enough.
However.
'I'm the one acting.'
The past still comes to mind vividly even now.
What she thought back then, how she acted.
But Joo Seo Yeon had proper emotions.
She didn't know with what emotion she viewed the world back then.
In the first place, she hadn't even recognized it.
She felt that only by knowing that emotion could she understand Cha Seo Ah's motive.
The emotion that the past self felt toward others.
'This is……'
Weekend.
She heard filming was tomorrow, but Seo Yeon and Ji Yeon had to go down to the provinces.
Daejeon.
It probably wasn't to buy bread at Sungsimdang.
'Her expression is quite peculiar though.'
She had heard roughly.
There was one last thing she wanted to prepare for tomorrow's filming.
She wondered what that had to do with coming to Daejeon.
'How would I know what's going on in her head.'
Seo Yeon had always had a strange side since she was young.
By now she was used to it and didn't think much of it.
Even when she did strange things, she was the type who always had her own reasons.
'She probably doesn't have much experience coming to the provinces.'
Ji Yeon followed the path Seo Yeon walked.
Daejeon.
A city about an hour and a half away from Seoul by train.
Not far, but not close either.
Naturally, for Seo Yeon who had lived her entire life in Seoul, it wasn't a place she'd have much reason to visit.
But Seo Yeon's footsteps were familiar.
Like someone who had lived here for a long time.
She walked without hesitation.
"Joo Seo Yeon, did you come to see someone?"
When she finally asked, Seo Yeon.
"No."
She just answered that.
Walking again, Seo Yeon naturally stopped by here and there.
A slightly old shopping district.
An alley lined with old signs.
And an elementary school that seemed to have been around for quite a while.
Compared to that, a neat middle school.
"High school?"
"That's too far."
That place.
It was an odd remark.
The last place they headed to was an apartment complex in a somewhat secluded location.
Even so, it was a fairly neatly maintained place.
From walking around continuously, the sky had already grown dark.
Cars of commuters were lining in.
And.
A happy-looking family came into view.
A girl with a beaming smile as if she had just been playing somewhere, and a pleasant-looking woman walking hand in hand.
It was such a sight that a relaxed smile inadvertently formed on Ji Yeon's lips.
"……."
But Seo Yeon quietly watched that scene.
Somehow.
Seo Yeon's eyes contained very complex emotions.
'Why?'
Was it just someone she knew?
If it was someone she knew, why didn't she say anything?
The moment such a question arose.
"I see."
Seo Yeon murmured that.
It wasn't any particular statement.
Having just said that, she slowly turned her back.
"There was something I wanted to reference for my acting."
"Huh?"
"Cha Seo Ah's motive."
At Seo Yeon's words, Ji Yeon was puzzled.
It was because she thought she was already doing it incredibly well.
"I think I understand a little."
At Ji Yeon's words, Seo Yeon smiled.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
It was a clean smile with the brief shadow that had lingered disappearing.
Seeing Seo Yeon like that, Ji Yeon was finally able to relax.
Like that, the two returned to Seoul.
And from the next day.
The delayed filming of
***
"Great work everyone!"
"Seo Yeon, you worked hard too. Is this the end of Cha Seo Ah's scenes?"
Like that, a month.
The filming of
At least all the remaining scenes related to Cha Seo Ah had been filmed.
"Yes, it's the end."
Seeing Seo Yeon wiping sweat from her forehead with a relieved face, Director Bae Jin Hwan fell into thought.
'Her acting, it's gotten better.'
The previous Cha Seo Ah felt like looking at the person herself.
Acting so excellent that he wouldn't regret putting Seo Yeon in this role.
Especially in the highlight scenes, it shone brilliantly.
The process connecting in between, he thought, only needed to be at a decent level.
"Honestly."
Director Bae Jin Hwan grinned.
"Every single scene is so good, it's not easy to edit. The staff are practically in tears."
"……Is that so?"
"Ah, of course. Where did you learn to act, Seo Yeon? This Cha Seo Ah is truly something else."
In thriller films, the villain is important.
Only when fear can be instilled in the audience can they become immersed.
If the audience can't accept the motive behind the crimes, it hinders immersion.
In that regard, Cha Seo Ah's criminal motive was quite difficult to grasp.
Simple jealousy.
If that's all it felt like, there was honestly a somewhat subtle aspect to it.
'Just because of that?'
If such an impression arises, it's a failure.
However, Seo Yeon expressed extremely well through her acting why Cha Seo Ah committed such acts.
"It's very deep emotional acting……, considering Seo Yeon's age, it's at a level that leaves me speechless."
"……I, is that so?"
She flinched for a moment at the mention of age.
Right now she was a high school girl, a high school girl.
As Seo Yeon was repeating that to herself.
"Filming is almost at its end too. We need to start running promotions soon."
"Promotions?"
"Yes, you have to go on broadcasts and such. Seo Yeon. Do you have anything in mind? I figured I should at least hear your thoughts first."
Movie promotions.
Appearing on various variety shows, or showing one's face at events.
It was familiar to Seo Yeon who had done similar things during her time as Tae Soom Dal.
Of course, since she was a child actor, she hadn't done it that much.
'Since it's a villain role this time, the frequency will be much higher than back then, right?'
But even when it came to promotions, nothing particular came to Seo Yeon's mind.
She wasn't someone who had everything like this all figured out.
"If you don't have anything in mind, I'll let the promotion team know separately."
"Yes, please take care of it."
"Other actors will probably join too, so you don't need to worry too much."
At Director Bae Jin Hwan's words, Seo Yeon nodded.
She figured it would be at most something like an interview broadcast or a promotion event similar to what she had done in the past.