LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 56
“I’m Kim Dae-heon, playing Im Seung-cheol.”
The Chaser revolves around two police officers chasing down a criminal.
Im Seung-cheol is the protagonist of the story, a passionate detective from the violent crimes unit.
He originally trained in martial arts and isn’t afraid to fight with criminals.
Reflecting that character setting, actor Kim Dae-heon boasted an impressive appearance.
With a square jaw, thick eyebrows, and sharp eyes.
Standing over 180 cm, his look definitely exudes pressure when facing forward.
“Wow, I’ve played a criminal a lot, but this is my first time as a detective.”
His playful comments drew laughter from those around him.
Although he usually played generals in historical dramas, he often appears as a criminal in modern shows.
First time as a detective, but nobody here worried about him.
His acting skills were already well-renowned in the acting community.
“I’m Jung Si-hyun, playing the victim Han Ye-hwa. Nice to meet you all.”
A woman with a pure appearance bowed to the actors seated at a large table.
Jung Si-hyun recently played the lead in a popular drama that just wrapped up.
With a good image and rising recognition, she was essentially the main heroine who the protagonist needs to save.
And then.
“……”
Everyone’s gaze fell on one girl.
The youngest among them at just seventeen, Joo Seo-yeon.
‘Isn’t she the princess Yeonhwa?’
‘She was on TV recently.’
Seo-yeon’s appearance was nearly a surprise.
She was meeting everyone here for the first time.
It was known that the director, Bae Jin-hwan, had struggled to find the actor for the role of the main antagonist, ‘Cha Seo-ah.’
So hearing he had finally found someone was expected, but…….
‘Could it really be Joo Seo-yeon?’
Joo Seo-yeon.
A child actor who mysteriously vanished ten years ago.
It’s quite common for child actors to abruptly retire.
While there are various reasons, it’s not unusual.
What was peculiar in Seo-yeon’s case was that she disappeared while still in her prime.
“I’m Joo Seo-yeon, playing Cha Seo-ah.”
Her voice was calm and pleasant.
Overall, she had an expressionless look but a pretty face.
It was perfect for the character Cha Seo-ah.
However.
‘She is strongly associated with the princess Yeonhwa image.’
‘I’ve heard that her performance in Close Your Eyes triggered the director’s interest.’
The staff murmured quietly, discussing her.
Many were puzzled by Bae Jin-hwan’s casting choice if they hadn’t seen her performance in theater.
The last impression they had of Seo-yeon was from Looking Back at the Past, where she left a strong impact.
A miraculous reunion after ten years with grown-up Yoon Seoil and Park Jung-woo.
Everyone was moved, and the princess Yeonhwa had…… become an antagonist?
“I’m really surprised to hear that Seo-yeon is playing Cha Seo-ah.”
The one saying that was Park Hee-jun, playing Seo Kwang-il, one of the two detectives in The Chaser.
Unlike the bulky and typically ‘passionate’ Im Seung-cheol played by Kim Dae-heon, Park Hee-jun had an overall cool impression.
Since Seo Kwang-il’s role primarily involves keeping the passionate detective Im Seung-cheol in check, he fit well into that character.
“Seo-ah’s role is really important in this movie, so please take good care of it.”
A warm compliment that could sound like mere mere words.
But there were thorns in his words.
It seemed Park Hee-jun was a bit skeptical about Seo-yeon.
He wasn’t particularly fond of her at this moment.
Having gone through auditions to land the role of Seo Kwang-il, he had invested a tremendous amount of effort.
His life role.
It felt just like that.
Since this was a movie funded by GH Group, the chances of it being a hit were likely high.
In essence, he was betting everything on this film, so it was natural to harbor doubts about Seo-yeon.
To be honest.
“It’s not that I don’t trust director Bae Jin-hwan’s ability, but giving the role of Cha Seo-ah to Joo Seo-yeon….”
It wasn’t outright hostility.
Just a strong sense of anxiety.
Seo-yeon had received good evaluations for her acting skills.
But that was ten years ago, and what she had shown on variety shows was just snippets.
And then there were the theater stages.
Not dramas or films.
This was essentially her first opportunity to present herself to the public.
So it was clear that he wasn’t the only one feeling such unease.
At that moment.
“Let’s move on to the script reading today.”
Such words came from the mouth of director Bae Jin-hwan.
There was a slight stir within the venue.
It wasn’t rare for script readings to follow the initial introductions.
Honestly, in a situation filled with anxiety, it was important to resolve it quickly.
‘Will it be alright.’
And along with that, producer Cha Dong-jin, present in this meeting, understood the director’s intention.
He had already seen Seo-yeon’s acting in theater.
So he had a certain degree of confidence.
This young actress.
Joo Seo-yeon was definitely the real deal.
But other actors might think differently.
To them, Seo-yeon was merely a child actor making a comeback after ten years.
“Let’s go with scene number 24.”
“Eh? That’s….”
Kim Dae-heon, playing Im Seung-cheol, had a puzzled expression.
S# 24.
That wasn’t particularly a scene where Cha Seo-ah shows anything as an antagonist.
It was the part where Cha Seo-ah stands at a bus stop and first encounters the two detectives.
The two detectives, chasing a murderer, meet Cha Seo-ah at a bus stop not far from the crime scene.
At that moment, Im Seung-cheol, feeling something strange upon seeing Cha Seo-ah, engages her in conversation, which ends with her boarding the bus and leaving.
Just a simple scene.
“……I understand.”
What could they even showcase here?
Such questions crossed their minds, but since it was the director’s word, the actors nodded and picked up their scripts.
Scene number 24.
The setting changed from a table where the actors had sat facing each other to a small bus stop.
When Kim Dae-heon and Park Hee-jun held their scripts and faced Joo Seo-yeon.
And then.
“Hey, young lady.”
Kim Dae-heon, or rather ‘Detective Im Seung-cheol,’ furrowed his thick eyebrows and stated.
“Haven’t you seen the news today? It’s dangerous to wander around alone! There’s a murderer on the loose!”
“Oh please, senior. Don’t scare me for no reason. Isn’t that what everyone says when they see someone?”
Im Seung-cheol wasn’t feeling too good.
Already, three murders had occurred in his jurisdiction.
The victims were of both genders.
So it was even harder to narrow down the suspect.
The fact that a bulky man had been killed by someone made it more likely that the perpetrator was male.
“But you can’t know when the murderer might just suddenly pop! up, so don’t you think we should at least warn you?”
“What kind of warning is that? It’s just nagging.”
The two exchanged those words while just looking at the woman.
The woman stood quietly at the bus stop, only looking at them.
A strange atmosphere.
Yes, that atmosphere.
Normally, Im Seung-cheol would have ignored her and passed by, but that unusual vibe stopped him in his tracks.
Was she now twenty? Or maybe late teens?
A small-framed woman who couldn’t have possibly killed an adult male.
But somehow, she drew his gaze.
And then.
The woman smiled.
“Thank you for worrying about me. I’ll be careful.”
It was nothing special.
An ordinary line.
But somehow.
Something felt off.
‘What’s going on?’
The first to notice this oddness was actor Kim Dae-heon.
Seo-yeon’s portrayal of Cha Seo-ah’s smile.
It was like a painting.
Acting.
It was an unmistakably clear performance, yet something was different.
‘Is she acting, or is this real?’
Yeah, that’s how it felt.
Although she was smiling, it felt like she was acting that smile.
What is commonly referred to as awkward acting felt like this.
But it was different in a way.
It felt like it was set on a different trajectory.
An indescribable discomfort washed over him.
‘Humans….’
Seo-yeon gazed at them as she slowly wiped the smile off her face.
‘Feels uncomfortable when seeing something almost human.’
There’s a term called the uncanny valley.
The emotions felt by people when they see robots, dolls, or drawings that resemble humans.
The feeling you get when one notices that something looks human but instinctively feels it’s not human.
“You always work hard, don’t you? If I ever find myself in danger, I’ll be sure to contact you.”
An utterly casual statement.
Just looking at her smile and slightly-turned eyes, she seemed kind and approachable towards the police.
However, seeing her up close would make one hesitate to call her kind.
‘Cha Seo-ah is both like me and unlike me.’
In her past life, she was cherished.
Perhaps, that’s how she saw it.
She was given the chance.
The time to see and imitate others’ emotions.
Although she was scolded and punished in the process.
It likely wasn’t abuse.
In her past life, she was forced to become an “ordinary person.”
To smile and cry like a normal human.
She thought it was her parents’ expectations of her.
But Cha Seo-ah has never had such opportunities.
Cha Seo-ah’s smile is a survival skill learned through such struggles.
Even the emotional mimicry that her past self possessed can’t compare to this simple imitation.
‘Mimic the feelings as subtly as possible, right on the threshold of awkwardness.’
Seo-yeon knew.
At what point people would feel the “strangeness” during interactions.
She remembered her face when showing such expressions while laughing and crying countless times in her past life.
In that process, she had felt fear.
What Seo-yeon was currently portraying was the tail end of that discomfort.
If her usual emotional mimicry followed ordinary emotions over 95 percent of the time.
What she was doing now was 70 percent.
Barely matching the level whereby people could discern it as “emotion.”
And the level that evokes feelings of awkwardness.
“But.”
Seo-yeon, as Cha Seo-ah, once more offered a calm smile and asked.
“Do detectives work out of the police station nearby?”
It was an ordinary question.
Yet tension hung heavy in the air.
A simple inquiry felt as if it had struck the hearts of the two detectives like a thriller scene.
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Oh, I see. Then if I call, you’ll come immediately, right? How long does it usually take? You can come right away, right?”
Was she genuinely worried about the murderer’s threat?
That thought felt strange.
How long it would take to respond, and when and where they would be on standby.
She seemed overly curious about those things.
“But why are you curious about that?”
Seo Kwang-il cautiously asked.
Trying hard to shake off the strange feeling radiating from her.
“Well, you mentioned it was dangerous. As a fragile woman, I thought it would be good to know how to get help.”
It sounded plausible.
But her words held no hint of ‘concern.’
Only a straightforward inquiry remained.
Compounded by her smile was the awkwardness that amplified that feeling.
Although she mimicked a calm smile, the emotion displayed was bright.
Almost as if unsure how much to smile in order to smile correctly.
“Ah, the bus is here.”
As neither of the two answered, the woman said this while lowering her head.
“I look forward to working with you next time.”
Under regular circumstances, Im Seung-cheol would have exchanged playful banter at her farewell, but this time he couldn’t even manage that.
He felt it.
That he would inevitably meet this woman again someday.
A vague sense of something lingered in his mind.
And so, the two detectives could only watch as she boarded the bus and departed.
Thus, scene S# 24.
The first encounter between Cha Seo-ah and the two detectives came to an end.
“……Huh.”
Someone let out a breath.
The tense silence that had settled over the table dispersed with the sigh.
The script reading.
It wrapped up smoothly.
Passing back and forth just fine without any heightened emotions.
But.
‘What was that?’
The attention of everyone present was riveted on Seo-yeon.
‘Was that acting?’
Method acting.
No, it was beyond that.
What they had just encountered was the genuine ‘Cha Seo-ah.’
They were actors, those who make a living through performance.
So they could distinguish what is acting.
But it was different now.
There was no clear distinction.
“Seo, Seo-yeon?”
Even Bae Jin-hwan asked with a trembling voice.
He thought Seo-yeon would perform well, but he hadn’t expected it to be on this level.
With Hong Jeong-hee from Close Your Eyes, the sensation was entirely different.
“Yes?”
With their reactions, Seo-yeon became even more puzzled.
The tension filled their gazes as they looked at her.