Chapter 53 : Lead Role Competition (5)

“Hooah… What is this…”

“Wow…”

A heavy explosion echoed throughout the filming set.

The eyes of numerous staff members were focused on the man and woman fighting amidst the crowd.

“Everyone is a thief. Politicians, wealthy businessmen, even us. Everyone is a thief.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you know how many people you’ve killed—”

Charles, the organization’s enforcer, was caught by rookie agent Yeonju just before completing his final mission.

Just as Charles was about to successfully complete his mission and leave, Yeonju’s interference ruined his plans.

A single mistake by one of his subordinates had led to Charles being exposed.

Without mercy, Charles killed his subordinates who had failed and chose to escape alone.

Survival was the only way to win.

“So, just for some petty thievery, you killed all your subordinates?”

Yeonju, pursuing Charles alone, had to stall for time until her colleagues arrived.

Despite being a rookie, Yeonju had received top marks in all her evaluations and used all her strength to stop Charles.

Even covered in blood, she continued to block his escape.

The sound of other agents arriving was heard in the distance as the scene transitioned.

“Okay!”

With the director’s shout of approval, cheers erupted on set.

Siyeon and Jung Wooseon collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

“Hoo… Phew… Hah…”

Jung Wooseon’s suit was drenched in sweat.

It was a level of focus he had never experienced before.

For a fight scene with a mere middle school actress, the action was at an incredibly high level.

Jung Wooseon realized he had just performed beyond his limits.

He had been drawn in by Siyeon’s martial arts skills.

In an instant, his extreme concentration had been unleashed.

Movements he hadn’t even been aware of poured out naturally.

“S-Siyeon, are you okay?”

Still catching his breath, Jung Wooseon belatedly checked on Siyeon.

But Siyeon was merely sitting, tying her loosened shoelace.

Unlike Wooseon, she didn’t seem exhausted at all.

“Yes, I’m fine, senior. That was the best action scene we’ve shot so far.”

“T-Thank you… I think it turned out well.”

Why did he say thank you?

It felt like he had just received praise from a teacher.

‘At this point, she is a teacher.’

Acting aside, when it came to action, Siyeon was beyond imagination.

If he had to describe her, “genius” was the only word that came to mind.

“Wow… Wooseon, Siyeon, would you like to review the footage?”

“Yes, sounds good.”

Director Heo Jinwoo, who had been watching the screen intently, called them over.

“At this level, it’s better to show the fight without much editing or close-ups.”

“This is incredible… This level is practically Shaolin Temple-worthy.”

“Hmm… I like it.”

The staff murmured in admiration, and Jung Wooseon was satisfied.

Meanwhile, Siyeon silently observed the footage, nodding slightly.

‘…Is she still not satisfied with this?’

She didn’t say anything, but Jung Wooseon could read the subtle emotion on her face.

It felt as if she was thinking, Well, it’s not bad.

While matching movements with Siyeon, he had realized just how superior her skills were.

He had tried his best to keep up, but every now and then, he noticed how Siyeon’s eyes briefly scanned her surroundings.

That meant she had enough leeway to spare even during the intense action.

For another actor, the action would have been too fast-paced to even notice Siyeon’s glances.

But because it was Jung Wooseon, he managed to catch those subtle moments once or twice.

“Alright, let’s prepare for the next scene.”

For Jung Wooseon, this was a rare feeling—the sensation of growth.

“Siyeon-aaang—”

Returning to school after a long time, Jiyoung immediately clung to her.

Being at school alone without Chaeyoung must have been boring.

“Is something wrong?”

“No? It’s just been a while!”

Jiyoung was the same as always.

Even recently, when they hadn’t met often, she was probably busy practicing and getting evaluated over and over again.

Seeing what Jiyoung went through, Siyeon knew she could never be an idol.

“Didn’t you say you made it into the debut group last time? What happened?”

“…Oh, that? It fell through. Another girl got in instead. Well, I think I’ll get in the next debut lineup. I’m getting more experienced now.”

Really?

Even though she said it lightly, she must have been pretty disappointed.

From what Siyeon had seen, Jiyoung’s skills were just as good as active idols.

If the decision was purely based on seniority, it must have been frustrating for Jiyoung.

“Yeah. You’ll probably debut by high school.”

“Mhm. I have to! Fighting! Ah!”

Jiyoung was becoming more and more idol-like in her mannerisms.

She suddenly pulled out her phone as if she had just remembered something.

“Siyeon, do you use Fadebook?”

“Fadebook?”

“Yeah, you upload photos and interact with people. It’s fun.”

What was fun about that?

From what Siyeon could tell, it seemed similar to the community her mom frequently visited.

But compared to that, the “quality” of people on Fadebook seemed much better.

“I see why people like it.”

“Right? I told you it’s fun.”

I could understand what aspects people reacted to.

And it seemed like it could be useful as an actor, too.

But something about it didn’t quite appeal to me.

It was an innovative system, but it lacked a certain charm.

Wasn’t there a similar service with more emotional depth?

Something like how poets express the world in just a single line of text.

If there were a platform that focused on elegant simplicity, like capturing stylish moments in photos, I might actually use it.

“I’ll try it later.”

“Really? I was going to follow you back. Do you have to be so stubborn?”

The world advances far more quickly than in my past life.

Whenever I wished for something, someone would always create it.

I’d probably find something I liked soon enough.

“By the way, Siyeon, what are you going to do about high school?”

“High school? I’ll just go to one nearby, right?”

“No way! If someone as famous as you enrolls in a regular school, it’ll collapse! You should go to an arts high school.”

“An arts high school?”

Jiyoung then launched into a detailed explanation about arts high schools.

I was already aware of them, but this was the first time I was hearing about them in such depth.

It did seem like it would be better for kids like Jiyoung and me to attend one.

And among them, the Korea National University of Arts High School seemed like the best option, as it specialized in nurturing figures in the broadcasting industry.

“If you go there, you might see Chaeyoung again.”

“U-Uh… Yeah, maybe? Chaeyoung is probably going to an arts high school too.”

“I read an article that said she signed a contract somewhere.”

From there, we caught up on all the stories we’d missed.

Girls our age really had endless things to talk about.

“Okay, cut!”

“Great job, everyone~”

“Thanks for your hard work~”

The filming set of Assassination.

Director Kim Hanwool gave the final OK sign for the last scene.

“Great job, everyone!”

The filming wrapped up in a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

Now, all that was left was completing the movie.

“Great job, Director.”

“Jiwon, you were amazing.”

Jeon Jiwon, ever the professional, bid a polite farewell and left the set.

As expected of her reputation, she had delivered a flawless performance in this film as well.

If the opening was solid, the movie was bound to be a hit.

Judging by the atmosphere so far, success was all but guaranteed.

“Hmmm…”

Yet, for some reason, Kim Hanwool didn’t feel entirely satisfied.

Even though all the filming was complete and only the editing remained.

Even throughout the entire production process.

Something felt just slightly off, like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

“It was definitely good… Jiwon’s best performance yet.”

“What’s wrong, Director?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even understand why I feel this way.”

It was like that unsettling feeling of not having completely wiped after using the bathroom—something just didn’t feel quite right.

And that feeling refused to go away.

“How do you think Jiwon’s acting was this time?”

“Amazing, of course. Even though she’s gotten older, her action scenes were better than ever.”

“Right? She was an incredible sniper. A remarkable independence activist.”

“Yes. But why are you asking? Don’t tell me… reshoots?”

“No? Even if we filmed more, I don’t think we’d get anything better than this.”

“Then why are you sitting there looking so scary?!”

Even as the staff packed up, Kim Hanwool remained seated in front of the monitor.

No matter how finished things were, if the director just sat there like that, it was bound to make the staff nervous.

“Don’t mind me. Just finish up.”

He knew deep down that there wasn’t a better take to be had.

Eventually, the set was cleared, and filming was officially over.

A few days later.

While visiting a junior’s production company, Kim Hanwool finally figured out the reason for his unease.

“This studio is pretty nice. Should I transfer over too?”

“Yes, the directors here are quite satisfied with it.”

“…Huh? Director Heo Jinwoo is filming a movie here too?”

“Yes, it’s called Potato. He seems to be putting a lot of effort into it.”

At that moment, Director Heo Jinwoo, who was also affiliated with the company, was in the middle of filming at the studio.

Kim Hanwool wasn’t particularly close with Heo Jinwoo.

But since their projects were happening around the same time, he decided to take a peek out of curiosity.

Since he was the type to get completely absorbed in his own work, he had no idea who was starring in Heo Jinwoo’s film.

And the moment he opened the studio door and saw the filming in progress—

Kim Hanwool finally realized the source of his dissatisfaction.

Ah. I should have worked with Kim Siyeon.

“How is she that good…? I heard she wasn’t great at synchronizing movements.”

Ding!

Just as he was thinking that, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from the staff about a development related to the film.

“…What the hell is this?”

Fortunately, it wasn’t bad news about Assassination.

On the contrary, it was about that genius middle school actress, Kim Siyeon.

[AS Entertainment’s Kim Siyeon. Controversy over her attitude?]

[Kim Siyeon, currently filming The Watcher, returned after resolving contract issues, but…]

[Newcomer actress who won Best New Actress for her debut film—Challenging Jeon Jiwon?]

[Kids these days have no respect vs. Boldness backed by skill—Mixed reactions to Kim Siyeon’s behavior]