None of the actors present were unfamiliar with Seoyeon.

She was the star of two of the most talked-about recent productions: The Chaser, a movie that had captivated audiences, and Dream Future, a youth drama that surpassed a 20% viewership rating.

Even appearing in just one of these would have drawn attention, but Seoyeon had starred in both—and not in minor roles either. Both productions had sparked significant buzz, all of which stemmed from her acting prowess.

"Still, ordinary acting and action acting are different beasts," some thought to themselves. However, the performances Seoyeon had displayed in both the movie and the drama weren’t something that could have been achieved without a high level of physical ability. In The Chaser, she might have used a stunt double, but in Dream Future, that wasn’t an option.

"She ran all the way here? That’s a funny joke," Min Doha muttered under her breath. She hadn’t meant for anyone to hear, but the room was so quiet that her words were clearly audible.

"Running five stops, and she’s not even winded? Not a drop of sweat?" the other actors thought to themselves, their eyes subtly shifting to the cameras around the room.

The actors knew that this meeting was likely being filmed and would be broadcast later, perhaps on a variety show. If this were on a major network, any damaging remarks would likely be cut, but a cable network might air it unfiltered. They had to be careful with their words.

Seoyeon, too, was aware of this and didn't intend to deny their assumptions. She had known from a young age that her physical abilities were extraordinary, even bordering on the excessive at times, making her feel as if she lived in a different world. But, unlike Seoyeon, someone else had a different perspective.

"Hey, isn’t it a bit much to brush off what you can’t do as a joke?" Jo Seohui, who was sitting beside Seoyeon, said with a slight laugh. Although it was a personal remark, in the quiet room, everyone heard it.

Min Doha scowled and turned to look at Jo Seohui, but before she could say anything, Jo Seohui’s sharp gaze silenced her. The difference in their status as actresses was clear. Jo Seohui had connections with veteran actors and many allies in the broadcasting industry. Rumors even suggested she was a third-generation chaebol, hailing from a wealthy family.

Jo Seohui’s confidence, radiating from her very being, was overwhelming for Min Doha and the other actors.

“...Even though you can’t do action scenes,” Min Doha thought, knowing that Jo Seohui was notoriously bad at physical acting, which made her presence here all the more puzzling.

But as much as Min Doha wanted to criticize her, Jo Seohui’s cold stare kept her silent. The intimidating gaze, coupled with her striking appearance, made Min Doha feel as if she were facing a dangerous snake.

"Are you...," Jo Seohui began, but before she could continue, Seoyeon nudged her in the side with a finger.

Jo Seohui looked at Seoyeon, who subtly gestured toward the cameras.

“Hmph,” Jo Seohui huffed quietly. She hadn’t done anything overt to attract attention, only pointed out Min Doha’s narrow-minded comment. But knowing Seoyeon was concerned for her made Jo Seohui feel somewhat better. In the past, she wouldn’t have cared at all.

As Jo Seohui’s sharp gaze softened, the other actors finally breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like watching a snake charmer taming a cobra with just a pipe.

"Are they close?" the actors wondered. "What kind of relationship do they have? They seem pretty friendly... But didn’t they work on different projects?"

The actors’ speculations were mostly accurate. There was indeed nothing going on between them—at least not on the surface.

Jo Seohui’s fondness for Seoyeon wasn’t baseless, though. Seoyeon was the first peer Jo Seohui had ever lost to in terms of acting. Jo Seohui had become a fan of Seoyeon’s pure talent, and after waiting so long for Seoyeon’s return, her feelings were a mix of admiration and relief.

But still, Seoyeon found Jo Seohui’s behavior burdensome. It felt like having a fierce guard dog that was overly affectionate—an intimidating presence that was hard to deal with.

"She’s supposed to be sociable, right? So why...?" Seoyeon thought, recalling how Jo Seohui’s appearance reminded her of a character from a horror manga she’d seen online—beautiful but strangely terrifying. What was the name... Tomi... something?

While Seoyeon was lost in these thoughts, other actors who had arrived late began to take their seats. As the actors exchanged nervous glances, the tension in the room grew.

"It seems everyone’s here now," said a man who had been observing the room with a warm smile. He had a gentle demeanor, but the actors were taken aback when they recognized him—he was Cha Mingyu, one of Korea’s leading action stars.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man who introduced himself, "I’m Lee Kitae, the producer of Hyper Action."

He looked around the room as he continued, "To start, I’ll let you know that there are a total of 100 actors participating in Hyper Action."

The actors murmured in surprise at the number.

“This is Group A. There are 25 participants in each group, making four groups in total,” Lee Kitae explained the basic rules of Hyper Action. The actors wouldn’t be working together, but rather competing individually, with only the top five from each group advancing to the next round.

"So, it’s like a group audition?" Seoyeon thought as she glanced at the 25 participants in Group A. Their faces showed a mixture of confusion and tension. It seemed that the meetings were being held separately for each group.

In other words, for now, the only competition was among the 25 members of Group A. The five most impressive performers from the group would be selected by the judges to move on to the final round, where the top 20 from the preliminaries would compete.

"If there are 100 participants, not all of them are likely to be actors," Seoyeon surmised. She had memorized almost every actor in the industry—more precisely, she knew them from her past life’s memories. Seeing unfamiliar faces, she deduced that many were likely stunt actors looking to break into action roles. Some she recognized from the Cheonghong Action School.

Even if they didn’t get a role in the movie, appearing on the show and making a strong impression could open doors for these aspiring actors. No wonder so many had flocked here, eager for recognition.

"This will be a tough audition," Seoyeon thought.

“The missions will officially begin when filming starts, but…” Lee Kitae trailed off before continuing, “Since we’re all here, why don’t we start with a little preview?”

"A preview?" The actors tilted their heads in confusion.

At that moment, the dimly lit room brightened as the blinds lifted, revealing the windows that had been hidden.

"Ropes?" someone murmured.

Indeed, in front of the windows, several ropes had been set up.

"This is for a rappel action scene," explained Cha Mingyu. "You’ve probably seen similar scenes in movies like Mission: Impossible, where the character descends using a rope."

Of course, all the actors knew what he was talking about, but rappelling down a building in real life, from the third floor, no less, was daunting—especially without any mental preparation.

"This concludes our meeting for today. You’re free to take the elevator or stairs down," Lee Kitae said with a smile. But this was Hyper Action, a variety show. The entire scene was being filmed, and if there were to be a viewer vote later, every moment would be scrutinized. After all, in acting, leaving a strong impression was crucial.

"Well then, Mr. Cha, I’ll leave it to you," Lee Kitae said, and Cha Mingyu nodded. He secured himself with safety gear, then looked down at the ground below.

Of course, there were safety measures in place in case anyone fell. The three-story height was nothing for an experienced action star like Cha Mingyu. As he stood by the window, his gentle expression turned sharp, like a seasoned agent preparing for a mission.

"Acting," the actors thought as they watched Cha Mingyu rappel smoothly to the ground.

His skilled descent earned the admiration of the watching actors. It wasn’t just about getting down; it was about how impactful the performance was. Cha Mingyu had demonstrated this perfectly.

“So, who would like to go next?” Lee Kitae asked. The first to raise her hand was Min Doha. She surveyed the other actors confidently before saying, “I’ll go first.”

Min Doha was confident, especially when it came to rappelling. She enjoyed bungee jumping as a hobby and had experience with similar stunts in her acting career. After donning the gear, she stood by the window, showing no sign of fear.

Just like Cha Mingyu had, she embodied the character of an elite agent as she prepared to descend.

“Oh, by the way,” Lee Kitae suddenly added, as if it had just occurred to him, “the movie we’re filming involves characters with superpowers.”

Superpowers? Min Doha was momentarily thrown off by this revelation. What kind of superpowers?

He didn’t specify, leaving it up to their imagination. "No, no," Min Doha shook her head. How could you showcase a superpower during a rappel scene?

Moreover, performing a superpower in front of a live audience without special effects or CGI would just look ridiculous. It had to be conveyed purely through imagination, and Min Doha decided to focus on executing the rappel perfectly instead. Without a concrete idea for a superpower, she dismissed the notion and leaped out the window.

"Wow!" the actors gasped as they watched her descent on the monitor inside. The cameras outside had captured the entire scene. Although not quite as seamless as Cha Mingyu, Min Doha’s landing was still impressive.

"Hmm..." Lee Kitae nodded with a curious expression before asking, "Who’s next?"

The actors hesitated, glancing at one another. Not only was it challenging to think of a superpower to perform, but anyone who went now would inevitably be compared to Min Doha. Most of them decided it would be safer to go after someone less experienced.

As the actors were exchanging these thoughts, Jo Seohui clicked her tongue and was about to raise her hand when—

"I’ll go," Seoyeon stepped forward.

All eyes turned to her. Compared to the tall and robust Min Doha, Seoyeon’s petite frame seemed ill-suited for action scenes, which made some of the actors feel a sense of relief. After all, Seoyeon didn’t look like someone who could pull off an action scene.

Seoyeon briefly looked down from the window at the soft air mattress that had been set up to cushion any falls. Then she slowly backed away from the window.

"Seoyeon?" Lee Kitae asked with a puzzled look. After all, she hadn’t even put on the safety gear or grabbed the rope.

"Is she backing out because she’s scared?" the others wondered.

At that moment, someone murmured in surprise. Seoyeon suddenly started running toward the window. She grabbed the window frame, vaulted over it, and jumped down—straight from the third floor.

"What kind of superpower did you imagine when you jumped?" Cha Mingyu asked Min Doha, who had come down first. Min Doha hesitated, unable to give a definitive answer, since she hadn’t really thought about superpowers when she jumped.

"Uh, a sharpshooter’s power? You know, like having really sharp eyesight..." she finally replied, recalling a superhero movie.

Cha Mingyu nodded. It was a clever response—if you had sharp eyesight, you wouldn’t need to perform any special stunts while rappelling.

"Still, it would’ve been better if you had demonstrated your exceptional eyesight before you descended," Cha Mingyu remarked.

"Yes, you’re right," Min Doha bit her lip in frustration at her missed opportunity. She was sighing in disappointment when something suddenly flew through the air and landed on the air mattress with a bounce before smoothly touching down on the ground.

"Seoyeon?" Min Doha’s jaw dropped. It was an unbelievable sight. Although the third floor wasn’t extremely high, it was still high enough to cause serious injury if someone fell.

But more astonishing was the fact that Seoyeon had jumped without any safety equipment—no rope, no harness.

"That’s not even a rappel action!" Min Doha thought, stunned. Even Cha Mingyu seemed caught off guard, but he was impressed by Seoyeon’s courage to jump, trusting in the air mattress to break her fall. As long as she made it down, the method didn’t matter.

"What kind of superpower did you imagine when you jumped?" Cha Mingyu asked Seoyeon, the same question he had posed to Min Doha. Seoyeon, who had been eyeing the air mattress with a hint of dissatisfaction as if wishing it hadn’t been there, turned to face him.

"...!"

Cha Mingyu flinched at the sight of Seoyeon’s eyes—red, like the character Chasa from The Chaser. She exuded a chilling aura that made it feel like she was still in character.

Acting. He could tell that everything she did was part of her performance. Seoyeon smiled slightly, seemingly enjoying his reaction.

"Healing factor," she said.

A superpower commonly seen in superhero stories—the ability to regenerate.

With that power, there was no need for safety gear. Seoyeon found it easier to act that out than anything else.