The movie that garnered great interest with its third trailer.
The Chaser

On its release day.
Perhaps because it was the first highly anticipated film in a long time, all the good seats were already taken.

The only seats left were those from which the screen was barely visible.

"I knew it would be like this."

Han Bong-sik, a YouTuber with over a million subscribers, muttered to himself as he stepped into the theater. He hadn't visited a movie theater to watch a Korean film in a long time, despite regularly reviewing various visual media.

There hadn't been any notable Korean films to speak of for some time, and Bong-sik himself hadn’t shown much interest.

'But who would have thought I'd get interested out of nowhere.'

The trigger was when he reviewed a certain drama—Dream Future.

A youth romance drama that had been performing quite well recently. The first episode's viewership rating surpassed 20%, just as Bong-sik predicted, and his accuracy earned him the reaction, "How did you know?"

That single review gained him an additional 100,000 subscribers! Now, Han Bong-sik was a YouTuber with 1.1 million subscribers.

‘Ha, but the viewership ratings kept dropping after that.’

He had a rough idea of why. The first episode of Dream Future had exploded in popularity entirely because of "Jo Ha-rin," the character played by the actress Ju Seoyeon.

To be honest, before that, the drama was mocked for being overly light or for being a musical drama, which was unfamiliar to many. However, no one made fun of Jo Ha-rin’s singing scenes. The viewers of Dream Future naturally empathized with her emotions due to her acting. Her performance captivated the audience from the very first broadcast.

But in the second and third episodes, she barely appeared...

'Still, she should appear more in the fourth episode.'

Today was the day the fourth episode of Dream Future was released. Given her reduced screen time in the second and third episodes, there was a hopeful expectation that she would have more presence in the fourth. One actress had managed to generate anticipation for the drama.

"I heard she's only in her teens, but she's really something, isn’t she?"

• Agreed, agreed.
• Are you watching the first screening of The Chaser right now?
• I heard there was an internal preview, but no information has been released at all.
• I’ve been a fan of Ju Seoyeon since she was a kid. She’s grown up so well.

Before the movie started, Bong-sik briefly turned on his stream, as a way of confirming that he was watching the first screening of The Chaser.

‘To think I’d end up watching a movie because of a drama.’

To be precise, it wasn’t just because of the drama.

It was because of one actress.

The young actress Ju Seoyeon had moved him to action.

"I’ve heard that an actor's ticket-purchasing power can be significant, but honestly, I never believed it. I always thought the movie had to be good to succeed... But now, I can't say that anymore."

Bong-sik could no longer dismiss such a notion. However, he didn’t feel bad about it.

Perhaps many of the people who came to the theater today were there because they saw the third trailer.

"I’ll conduct a brief review of the movie this evening."

It’s not good to have too high expectations before watching a film. After saying this to his viewers, Bong-sik ended the stream.

He then entered the theater to watch The Chaser, taking his seat. The theater quieted down as the commercials on the large screen ended, and the movie began.

Swoosh

The sound of rain, just like in the trailer. Footsteps splashing in puddles could be heard.

Scrape, scrape.

And then, the sound of something heavy being dragged. The heavy background music set the tone, making Bong-sik, along with the rest of the audience, feel a growing sense of tension.

The scene revealed a person wearing a yellow raincoat.

A small figure.

But in their hand, they held a red fire axe. The blood-stained axe alone was enough to appear chilling.

"Please, please spare me... Spare me..."

A man being dragged along the ground whimpered. His arms and legs were already soaked in blood, hinting at what the perpetrator had done to him.

"Who... who are you? What did I do wrong..."

Thud.

The perpetrator let go of the man, who trembled as he spoke. Just as he began to think he might be spared and started to crawl away...

Crack.

The sound of flesh being torn echoed. Blood splattered.

As the axe came down, the man’s voice was drowned out by the sound of the rain. Though it wasn’t shown where exactly the axe struck, it was easy to guess based on the man’s sudden silence.

"......."

The perpetrator looked down at the man for a moment before slowly pulling back the hood of the raincoat. Long black hair fell over their shoulders. The camera focused on their face, revealing strikingly red eyes.

The audience was stunned into silence by the pale, yet eerily beautiful face.

Han Bong-sik was no exception.

The scene from the third trailer was the first thing to appear in the movie.

‘Is this really the same actress?’

Jo Ha-rin from Dream Future was a lovable girl.

Bright, full of dreams, and innocent.

But the woman now before his eyes was completely different.

Although it was true that Bong-sik had come to watch the movie because of Ju Seoyeon, it was also because his subscriber count had increased due to Dream Future.

He had thought reviewing The Chaser would be perfect! A calculated move.

But in that moment, Han Bong-sik was no longer a calculated reviewer—he was simply a member of the audience.

“Who the hell is this guy?”
“It seems to be the same person as the recent murder cases. The method is identical.”
“Ha.”

The scene transitioned to show police officers entering, while the perpetrator naturally slipped away. The heavy background music faded, replaced by lighter tunes.

Two detectives drove off in an old police car.

And so, the movie began, captivating the audience within the first five minutes.

"Ah."
"Ah."

Two people, a man and a woman wearing sunglasses, bumped into each other at the theater. Despite their attempts to disguise themselves, it wasn't hard to recognize them.

After all, they were wearing the exact same disguises as the last time they met.

"...Do high schools end early these days?"
"Looks like you’re not filming much these days, huh, sunbae?"

The woman, with a sly, fox-like appearance, laughed mischievously as she spoke. At her words, Park Jung-woo clicked his tongue.

"You really don't suit a school uniform."
"......."

Jung-woo’s remark made her eyes narrow sharply, and the intensity of her gaze startled him for a moment.

"But the seats... Oh, they’re different."
"Thank goodness. I might have had trouble getting into the movie if we were too close."

While they were in the same theater, their seats were far apart. Jo Seohui had opted for the luxury of a private skybox seat.

"Got a lot of money, huh."
"Oh, why did you choose a regular seat?"
"For something like this, it’s better to watch from the perspective of an average audience member."

Seohui felt slightly embarrassed by Jung-woo's model response. She had paid more for her seat, but now it seemed like an unnecessary luxury.

‘But anyway.’

‘It seems The Chaser has garnered a lot of interest.’

Both Park Jung-woo and Jo Seohui were particularly interested in Ju Seoyeon’s portrayal of the "murderer."

Seohui, who had lost touch with Seoyeon after their previous project, Gyeongseong Lady, was hoping to use this movie as an opportunity to reconnect.

‘We’re not the only ones who are interested.’

Jung-woo observed the large crowd in the theater. Though he couldn’t recognize anyone specific, he knew that many were likely there to witness Ju Seoyeon's performance.

Movie and drama directors, various advertisement sponsors, or even fellow actors.

For someone who had only appeared in one drama, the level of interest was extraordinary. Those in the industry must have sensed it, even if just vaguely.

‘It's instinctual to be drawn to someone who shines.’

Jung-woo thought this as he settled into his seat in the theater.

And, just as Jung-woo had predicted...

"You look like you're really looking forward to it."
"Ah, do I?"
"Yes, it’s been a while since I've seen that kind of look."

A smile appeared on the slightly wrinkled face of the man beside her.

"I've been waiting for this connection for a long time."
"If the Director is saying that, it makes me even more excited."

The man, who was referred to as "Director," smiled at the PD who had been working closely with him recently. They both turned their attention to the movie screen, which showed a convenience store clerk.

‘Ju Seoyeon.’

As he watched her on the screen, Director Ha Tae-oh of the drama department smiled calmly, curious about what kind of performance she would deliver this time.

The first day screening of The Chaser received an explosive response.
The most mentioned topic was, without a doubt:

[What is emotional expression disorder that turned Cha Seo-ah into a criminal?]
[A twist! A complete image transformation from Dream Future's Jo Ha-rin]
[Two veterans and one rising star]

Unsurprisingly, the articles were predominantly about Seoyeon, who played the role of the killer Cha Seo-ah. It was as if, from the moment the movie was released, a flood of articles about her poured out.

"Jinha, have you seen this?"
"This... there's been some talk from higher up."

But Lim Jinha didn't have the luxury of looking up those articles. She was too busy being called here and there.

The viewership ratings for Dream Future rebounded with the fourth episode. However, it was too early to celebrate.

The reason was clear.

"This surge is purely because of Ju Seoyeon. You know that, right?"

Even Baek PD, who wasn’t directly involved with Dream Future, carefully brought it up.

"620,000—The Chaser's first-day audience count."

In terms of first-day audience numbers, it was the second-highest this year, even including foreign films. For a thriller, this was a shocking number.

From Lim Jinha’s perspective, it felt like the world was conspiring against her. How could this possibly be happening?

"You know, it was released on a Tuesday. Can you imagine what the weekend numbers will be like? And...”

Baek PD spoke to Lim Jinha, who had gone silent.

"The buzz around Ju Seoyeon is extraordinary."
"I... I know."

After all, she was the one responsible for raising the ratings by 5% single-handedly, despite her limited screen time.

"Consider revising the script."
"What?"

Lim Jinha's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t expected Baek PD to say that to her. Reading her expression, Baek PD shook his head.

"I can't shield you from this. This comes from much higher up."
"Higher up?"
"I'm only telling you this because I care about you. If you want a long career as a writer, it’s better to be flexible. The higher-ups know everything. I’m telling you this out of concern."

Lim Jinha could roughly guess what he meant by "everything."

All she could do was nod quietly with a blank expression. No matter how successful she had been, there were many writers with just as much experience. No matter how much influence she had, if the higher-ups were getting involved, there was nothing she could do to resist. Especially if Baek PD was saying this much.

'Just how significant is The Chaser...'

She couldn’t help but wonder about it. And then, about the actress causing this ripple effect.

Seoyeon...

"……?"

It was her first day back at school after two days. As she stepped into the classroom with light footsteps, Seoyeon was greeted by stares that were hard to describe.