<The Chaser> filming progressed smoothly overall. Although the process of discovering jealousy was rather trivial, it undeniably helped improve her acting.

‘…But I can’t exactly talk about it.’

Jealousy—a foreign emotion. Upon reflection, experiencing emotions is a natural thing. It wasn’t anything special, just that it was unique to her.

As Seoyeon watched the crew packing up the set, she found herself lost in thought. Perhaps, in some way, her decision to pursue acting was a means to understand these emotions.

Acting provided a space where various emotions could be expressed and embellished. In the past, the mask she had worn to hide her discomfort became a strength in this world. Maybe that was why she felt comfortable in this industry.

‘…Maybe my adolescence isn’t over yet.’

She was feeling oddly emotional today. Perhaps it was because of the shocking scene she had witnessed yesterday.

Just thinking about it made her blood boil. Though not as intensely as before, Seoyeon was surprised to discover that she harbored such emotions.

She had once thought of herself as almost plant-like in her detachment. But no—she realized now that she was simply naive.

‘Hmm.’

There are still many emotions she doesn’t fully understand. In her current life, she experiences emotions naturally. However, due to the disparity between her past and present selves, she often has to consciously identify what she’s feeling. When acting, she has to be more aware of this.

It’s like how breathing becomes cumbersome when you start thinking about it.

“Seoyeon.”

Perhaps because today’s shoot had gone so well, Director Bae Jin-hwan approached her with a light step.

“Yes?”

“Today’s shoot was really good. If we keep going like this, we’ll be in great shape. But…”

He trailed off, contemplating something as Seoyeon’s calm gaze met his.

“The next shoot will be a bit intense, as you know. It involves abducting Han Yewha and getting into a fight with a cop during the process.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“You seem quite capable with physical scenes. Do you think you could do it?”

Do I think I could do it? Seoyeon stared at him, puzzled.

“Didn’t you hear? Normally, a stunt double would handle the action scenes. You should have been informed already.”

“Oh, I did hear that.”

Now that she thought about it, she vaguely remembered something about that. Usually, stunt doubles are selected based on their similarity in build to the actor.

Cha Seo-ah often wears a raincoat or other clothing that conceals her face, making it easier to use a double. Given the frequent physical confrontations in the film, they had planned to use a stunt double.

“But, as it turns out, the stunt actor who was supposed to double for you injured their ankle. So we were considering finding a replacement… Then I suddenly remembered something.”

He was recalling the first chase scene between Seoyeon and Kim Daeheon. He thought of how Seoyeon had zoomed out of sight so quickly. Of course, running and performing action scenes were different, but he wondered, “Could she do it?”

“If you’re okay with it, I know an action school. What do you think?”

Seoyeon didn’t know this, but it was a rather extraordinary offer. The action school that Director Bae Jin-hwan mentioned was a prestigious one in Seoul, practically synonymous with top-tier stunt training in Korea.

It was a place where some of the country’s most famous stunt actors trained. Naturally, getting into such a place was not easy. It wasn’t just aspiring stuntmen who went there; many actors seeking to learn action also attended.

It required passing an audition, and the competition was fierce.

‘He has a very keen eye, but if it’s Seoyeon…’

Incidentally, Director Bae had a connection with Professor Kim Hong-baek, who founded the action school. He believed Seoyeon had enough potential to recommend her for training.

‘A crash course of one or two months should suffice.’

The action scenes in The Chaser weren’t particularly demanding. After all, it was a thriller, not an action movie. But the difference between actors who had and hadn’t trained in action scenes was significant.

“Why don’t you give it a try, and if you feel comfortable with it, you could do it yourself?”

Seoyeon’s response to this suggestion was:

“Yes, I’d like to try it, as an actor.”

Her calm response impressed Director Bae. Most female actors tended to shy away from action roles.

‘She has a great attitude.’

Despite her young age, she was remarkably mature. As Director Bae smiled contentedly, Seoyeon, on the other hand, was excited.

‘Action acting!’

Seoyeon, who enjoyed physical activity, was thrilled at the prospect. She had always wanted to learn action acting.

The next day, Director Bae gave Seoyeon’s manager, Park Eunha, a business card and the address of the action school. He assured her that if they mentioned his name, they would be well taken care of.

And so, the next day, when Seoyeon arrived at school, she noticed an unusual buzz in the air.

The students seemed excited, and the atmosphere was more lively than usual.

“Did something happen?”

Since Seoyeon didn’t have anyone specific to ask, she went to the next classroom during the first-period break and asked Jiyeon.

“…You could just ask your classmates.”

“That’s really hard, you know.”

“What’s so hard about that?”

Jiyeon sighed at Seoyeon’s response. Sure, Seoyeon might come off as intimidating on the surface.

She didn’t usually react much, so it was hard to tell what she was thinking. And she had an aura—an overwhelming presence that made “different level of existence” the perfect description for her.

If she just smiled more often, making friends would be easy, but with her current attitude…

“It’s probably because of the school festival.”

“The school festival?”

Is that a thing? Seoyeon gave Jiyeon a curious look.

“Yeonhwa High School is known for holding big festivals.”

Yeonhwa High School attracted students who excelled more in arts and sports than academics. Because of this, the average academic performance was just average or slightly below, but the school was very strong in arts and sports.

That’s why events like the sports day or school festival were celebrated grandly. Especially during the school festival, each class would set up their own booths.

“…Do they really do that?”

“There are actually quite a few.”

Seoyeon nodded. Even if it was a school festival, she didn’t really have anything to contribute. It seemed like they had already decided what to do for the festival yesterday.

‘What is our class doing?’

She wanted to ask but didn’t know who to approach. Seoyeon suddenly felt that she needed to do something. If she didn’t, she might end up spending the school festival alone, unable to connect with her classmates.

“You’ve realized it now. Go back to your class.”

Jiyeon’s dismissive words left Seoyeon feeling a bit down. When she returned to her class, all eyes turned to her as she walked in.

Seoyeon felt like she was a new transfer student every day.

‘…I really need to do something.’

If her acting career got busier, she was bound to drift further apart from her classmates. That wasn’t okay. Spending all three years of high school with Jiyeon as her only friend… That would be too sad.

As she thought this, Seoyeon suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.

‘Oh, I was supposed to ask her.’

It was about Ramiel. She had meant to ask Jiyeon about it when she went to her class, but the school festival talk had made her forget.

But even if she wanted to ask, what should she say? “Who is the magician?” “Why did you suddenly start streaming?”

“…”

Seoyeon slumped down onto her desk, feeling overwhelmed by her thoughts.

Professor Kim Hong-baek.

He was a representative stunt actor and martial arts director in Korea. The Cheonghong Action School he established in Seoul had produced numerous action actors and was known as the gateway for aspiring stuntmen without connections.

Naturally, many aspiring stuntmen tried their luck there every quarter, and the number of applicants was enormous.

“Hmm, Joo Seoyeon…”

A man with a sharp look muttered the name. She was the young actress who was supposed to visit the action school today.

Or rather, calling her an actress might be premature. She was more of a rookie. She had appeared in one drama and had one theater performance.

A fledgling actress who was just starting her first movie. Yet, she was personally recommended by none other than Director Bae Jin-hwan.

“The roles of Yeonhwa Princess and Hong Jung-hee.”

Neither role had any action involved. But Director Bae had an exceptional eye for talent.

If he was recommending a non-stunt actor to perform action scenes, there must have been a good reason.

That afternoon, at the appointed time, a young girl arrived at the school with her manager.

Joo Seoyeon.

Her entrance drew the attention of the trainees practicing their action scenes.

She had that kind of appearance—one that naturally drew people’s eyes. However, Kim Hong-baek furrowed his brows slightly.

‘Her body seems well-balanced, but…’

Had she ever exercised properly? She didn’t seem particularly athletic on the outside.

She was slender, but it was hard to find an actress who wasn’t. Especially among female actors, some had fragile bodies due to excessive dieting.

If she was that delicate, action scenes would be too much.

She might as well use a double.

“Hello. I’m Joo Seoyeon, a rookie actress from Nova Entertainment.”

Despite his initial impression, she had a bright demeanor. She bowed politely, which softened Kim Hong-baek’s expression.

“Hmm, I’ve received the introduction. I’m Professor Kim Hong-baek. Here, you can just call me Master or Professor.”

“Yes. Thank you for having me.”

“Have you ever done action acting before?”

“No.”

“Have you ever been trained?”

Seoyeon hesitated for a moment. She had done some weight training and practiced various exercises by watching online videos, but…

“I’ve never been formally trained.”

Even during her acting classes, she hadn’t had any such training. Kim Hong-baek nodded, as if he had expected this.

However, the other trainees around them frowned slightly.

‘Who is she?’

‘She seems like an actress…’

For those who had gone through the grueling audition process, it was hard to overlook someone getting in through connections. Learning from Professor Kim Hong-baek was not something just anyone could do.

And here was this actress, who clearly had no background in action, coming to train?

It was good to be ambitious about acting, but it seemed obvious that she would give up halfway.

“Since there aren’t many action scenes, a month should be enough. It might be tough, though—are you okay with that?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Professor Kim Hong-baek had already reviewed the script through Director Bae. Cha Seo-ah’s action scenes mostly involved fighting with a cop during the abduction and other moments of physical confrontation.

And then there was the chase scene—the highlight of the film.

To make the most of these scenes, about a month’s training would be necessary. They would need to start by teaching her basic physical techniques, to prevent injury during more complex scenes.

“First, I noticed that your height and weight aren’t listed on your profile. Could you tell me?”

Professor Kim Hong-baek scrutinized Seoyeon from head to toe. She looked like she might weigh around 50 kg.

That’s how delicate she appeared.

“…My weight?”

But for some reason, Seoyeon’s voice wavered. Professor Kim Hong-baek found her reaction puzzling.

She didn’t seem like the type to be overly concerned about her weight.