I Want to Be a VTuber-Chapter 277: Picture Action (2)

"Oh, what’s with this atmosphere?"

"Aren’t they just running through the choreography before the action scene?"

All eyes in the rehearsal space turned toward Seoyeon and Min Doha.

Shooting an action scene required extensive preparation.

Perfect synchronization was necessary to avoid accidents, and if they were utilizing a set, everything needed to be adjusted accordingly.

Of course, today was just practice—

The real shoot would take place tomorrow.

"Min Doha started getting into character first, and Ju Seoyeon just matched her energy."

"Young actors sure are full of fire, huh?"

The onlookers spoke with amusement, finding the situation intriguing.

But for Min Doha, it was impossible to laugh along.

"Full of fire?"

"What the hell are they talking about? There’s no fire here."

Instead—

"It’s silent."

Min Doha forced herself to stay calm as she studied Seoyeon.

No—Jin Yeonseo.

This was the same Seoyeon she had seen in Hyper Action Star.

But not the version from the finals.

Rather, the one from the preliminaries.

The final round had been more emotional, but during the early stages, Seoyeon had been utterly expressionless.

At the time, it was just because the character's personality hadn’t been fully fleshed out yet. She was simply dull and unfeeling.

But now—this wasn’t dullness.

She just didn’t know what emotions were.

She was clearly smiling.

But there was no feeling behind it.

"Her acting looks kind of awkward."

"You idiot, that’s the whole point. Weren’t you here for the last shoot?"

"Huh?"

"When she filmed with that Hollywood guy, the director gave specific instructions—act like someone who doesn’t understand emotions, make it mechanical."

A veteran actor, Gwak Daechul, explained this to a younger colleague.

He was playing Park Hunmin, Jin Yeonseo’s adoptive father in the film.

Though he had never led a major drama, he was a seasoned actor who often played crucial supporting roles.

So he had worked with countless big-name actors before.

"She’s painting emotions onto her face, but she doesn’t actually feel them."

That was why looking at her felt so uncanny.

The discomfort people experience when watching bad acting comes from the same place.

An unsettling revulsion toward someone pretending to have emotions.

But in Seoyeon’s case—

It wasn’t that she was forcing her expressions.

It wasn’t that her movements were unnatural.

And yet, that eerie unease was still there.

"If you were face-to-face with that, you might not even be able to speak properly."

Gwak Daechul glanced at Min Doha, who stood frozen across from Seoyeon.

And then at Narumi Sora, who was watching all ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) of this with complete indifference.

It was clear that she was used to seeing Seoyeon like this.

"Young actors these days are terrifying."

Jo Sehee was in this movie too, wasn’t she?

And then there was that young Hollywood actor.

If he let his guard down, they would completely outshine him.

As everyone observed, Seoyeon tilted her head.

"Aren’t you going to start?"

She spoke in a tone that felt like confusion.

But it wasn’t her speaking.

This was Jin Yeonseo.

Every movement, every gesture—exactly as it should be.

Min Doha clenched her teeth.

She wasn’t even thinking about acting properly anymore.

She didn’t need to act.

This was just practice.

Ju Seoyeon was the only one getting ahead of herself.

They were just going through the choreographed movements Kim Hongbaek had demonstrated.

"Come on, Min Doha. There’s nothing to be scared of. She’s not actually going to kill you, right?"

Min Doha was confident in her physical abilities.

Before meeting people like this, she had thought she was the best among her peers when it came to action acting.

"Right arm first. Then left arm. And finally, I take the kick and roll backward."

Running the scene through her head, she swung the plastic baton at Seoyeon.

"Ah—"

She should have called it out first.

She had gotten too tense and attacked without warning.

But the only ones startled by her action were the surrounding actors.

Kim Hongbaek remained unfazed, simply crossing his arms as he observed.

And Narumi Sora, who had spent time with Seoyeon in Japan, didn’t even blink.

"Well... it’s Seoyeon. She’ll be fine."

That was the general attitude.

And indeed—

As soon as the baton came down, Seoyeon’s pupils moved.

"That look."

Min Doha had seen this before.

In Hyper Action Star, when Seoyeon swatted away a paintball mid-air.

Her eyes had tracked the projectile in real time.

Min Doha had seen it up close.

And afterward—she had lost all motivation to fight her.

THWACK.

The plastic baton struck Seoyeon’s arm.

"First hit."

Jin Yeonseo’s right arm was knocked aside, left dangling.

She had "broken" her arm.

Immediately, her left arm shot forward toward Min Doha.

Min Doha hesitated—half a beat too late—before swinging at Jin Yeonseo’s elbow.

For a second, she had nearly gotten grabbed by the throat.

"Damn. I messed up."

But she had been too caught off guard.

Because—

Seoyeon had felt too much like Jin Yeonseo.

Action acting was hard because of fear.

Not just the difficulty of the movements themselves—

But the instinctive fear of getting hurt if something went wrong.

Even though they were using a plastic baton, it would still hurt to get hit.

Even getting smacked with a ruler stings.

The human body naturally flinches from pain.

But Seoyeon didn’t react at all.

Even when her arm was struck with full force, she didn’t flinch.

"That wasn’t a light hit."

Min Doha had been tense.

Her attack had landed harder than planned.

Normally, that would warrant a complaint.

Seoyeon should have winced.

The director should have called for them to ease up.

But instead—

When she struck Seoyeon’s arm, she was the one who felt the shock.

The unmoving Seoyeon only made Min Doha panic further.

She was thrown completely off her timing.

"But I still managed to deflect her grab."

She exhaled, slightly relieved—

Until she noticed Seoyeon’s foot coming straight at her.

"Right. Next, I get hit by the kick and roll back—"

For a split second, time stretched.

The moment Jin Yeonseo’s foot approached, a flicker of something surfaced in her expression.

Intent.

Her red eyes widened.

A faint, subtle smile appeared.

"So that’s it."

She wasn’t incapable of feeling emotions.

She just didn’t know them yet.

And so—her first emotion emerged instinctively.

After taking two attacks—after having both arms broken—

Somewhere in her mind, buried deep beneath cold calculation, her body responded with a primal urge.

Malice.

This was the first time Jin Yeonseo experienced a true, unfiltered emotion in the research lab.

Min Doha froze.

Like a deer in headlights.

Her mind went blank.

And then—

THUMP.

She hit the floor.

"...Why didn’t you act it out?"

Seoyeon blinked, looking down at her.

Not as Jin Yeonseo—

As herself.

"Huh?"

"You’re supposed to roll back properly when I hit you. I can’t actually kick you, you know."

"Ah. Right. Yes. Of course."

For a moment—

Min Doha thought she had died.

"I, uh... I guess I got too into it."

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"Yeah, that happens."

Seoyeon nodded, satisfied with her answer.

Min Doha stared at her own body.

"I’m... still alive?"

Was it just that the pressure of acting had gotten to her?

Min Doha replayed the moment when she had been knocked down by Seoyeon’s kick.

It had just felt like being pushed over by an ordinary woman’s foot.

"H-Hah... Well, of course, that’s normal."

She suddenly wondered if she had been overreacting.

Thinking back, even during Hyper Action Star, Seoyeon had never demonstrated any particularly overwhelming physical strength.

Her speed and reflexes were simply fast.

Though the way she had been throwing punches earlier had seemed suspicious... Maybe it really had all been in her head.

"Y-Yeah. That’s right. What was I even thinking? I was just letting my imagination run wild."

The image of Seoyeon from Hyper Action Star must have colored her perception.

As Min Doha slowly relaxed, Seoyeon, on the other hand, was recalling the scene they had just rehearsed.

"That was pretty good."

The sudden attack had been executed just like in the script.

She had put a little too much force into it due to being immersed in the role, but...

Even if the baton had been a real blade, it wouldn’t have left a scratch on her skin.

...Probably.

Of course, she had never tested that, so it was just a guess.

"More than anything, it looked incredibly natural."

Blocking two attacks, then letting her guard down—

Even the brief sigh of relief had been flawless.

At first, she had thought it was strange.

But thinking about it, it actually made perfect sense.

When you barely manage to block an attack, it’s only natural to exhale in relief.

"I like it."

If someone had just broken both arms, it wouldn’t make sense to smile in relief.

A sneer, maybe.

Seeing how well their movements had matched, Seoyeon felt greedy—

A desire to make the scene even better!

"Professor."

"Yes, Seoyeon?"

"Wouldn’t it look more natural if, instead of Doha falling back on her own, I actually pushed her back with my foot?"

"Hmm..."

Kim Hongbaek glanced at Doha, who was still sitting on the floor from the last take.

"Oh, u-uh... I think that should be fine!"

Min Doha nodded quickly, remembering how light Seoyeon’s kick had felt earlier.

If it was just a little stronger, it should be fine, right?

Besides, with everyone constantly praising her, she felt her confidence coming back.

"Hmm. Alright, that should be fine. That would look more natural."

This way, there would be no CGI, no wires—just real action.

If the camera angles were set right, it would be an intense, dynamic scene.

"What do you think, Director?"

"...Is that even possible?"

Han Yegun, who had been silently observing, looked bewildered.

"Even if she gets pushed back by the kick, it wouldn’t look much different from what we have now."

"It would be more realistic than using CGI or wires."

"But it’s not like a woman’s leg strength is enough to—"

Han Yegun hesitated.

The Kim Hongbaek he knew wasn’t someone who said reckless things.

"Alright, let’s try it once and decide."

Once the director approved, Kim Hongbaek set up a thick cushion pile behind the mat—

Just in case Min Doha was actually sent flying.

"...Wait."

Min Doha hadn’t fully processed the situation before they were already setting up for the scene.

"Alright, Doha, stand over here."

Since the earlier part of the sequence had already been rehearsed perfectly, they didn’t need to redo that part.

They just needed to focus on the final kick.

"I’m pushing you, not kicking you."

"Yes."

"Absolutely not kicking you."

"Of course."

Kim Hongbaek felt uneasy watching Seoyeon’s enthusiasm.

He couldn’t help but recall—

That bear.

When Seoyeon had casually rode a bear.

When she had smacked its head, making it let out a pained groan.

When each hit had jerked the bear’s entire head backward.

Kim Hongbaek knew.

A bear’s skull does not move that easily.

"Doha, just relax and let Seoyeon’s foot guide your movement. Don’t resist."

"Got it!"

Min Doha’s voice was much lighter now.

Because earlier—Seoyeon’s kick had felt surprisingly weak.

"See? It was all just in my head."

With that, the two actresses took their positions.

The crew bustled around, checking the safety measures.

"Hah."

Watching from the sidelines, Arthur Diaz let out a small chuckle.

What kind of circus act was this?

"Hmm."

Unlike him, his friend, Oliver, looked deeply invested.

"...It’s rare for you to be interested in something like this. Is this really that entertaining?"

"You’ll find it fascinating too, Arthur."

"Tch. What nonsense—"

Right as he spoke—

"KYAAAAAH!!"

A scream echoed across the set.

Min Doha had launched into the air.

She flew several meters before crashing onto the cushioned mat.

For a moment—

The entire set fell into a stunned silence.

"......."

"?"

Arthur turned slowly toward Oliver.

His confused expression said it all—

Did that just happen?

Like a scene straight out of Oliver’s prophetic nonsense.

"Truly, the East is full of mysteries, Arthur."

Oliver simply shrugged.

Meanwhile—

While preparing for Mine, Seoyeon also had to juggle promotions for Kyungsung Lady.

Thankfully, Mine was still in the choreography phase, not full-scale filming yet.

Once the preparations were done, they would move on to actual scene recordings.

"I feel a little bad for Doha-unnie."

After getting thrown once, Min Doha had started flinching whenever Seoyeon appeared.

Of course—

After getting thrown a few more times, she had stopped reacting altogether.

Maybe she had just gotten used to it.

"That’s not getting used to it, Ju Seoyeon."

Lee Jiyeon scoffed.

No normal person would stay calm after being tossed around that much.

Maybe Jo Sehee could.

Jo Sehee had the strongest mentality out of anyone Jiyeon knew.

But for most people—

Min Doha’s reaction was completely normal.

"You’re too much."

"I’m too much? Aren’t you the one being dramatic?"

Jiyeon sighed, offering a silent prayer for the Mine cast.

Given how action-heavy the film was, similar incidents were bound to happen.

"At least she’s not going overboard."

Jiyeon had worried that Seoyeon might get too carried away while filming.

But aside from specific moments, she was actually performing normally.

"...Still, something about the way she looks at people gives me the creeps."

Seoyeon, meanwhile, found Jiyeon’s reaction ridiculous.

It wasn’t like she was some wild animal.

She wasn’t about to randomly start attacking people.

Even in action scenes, she was just acting like a normal person—nothing more, nothing less.

It was just that with Min Doha, the scene looked too perfect.

She wasn’t using her physical abilities for acting.

That would be pointless.

"By the way, Jiyeon."

"What."

"You’re nervous, aren’t you?"

"......."

Jiyeon, who had been scolding her, suddenly froze.

"It’s just a press interview before the premiere. No need to be so tense."

"......I know."

Her grumpiness was probably just a way to distract herself.

Kyungsung Lady was her first leading role.

And right now—

The hype was on a completely different level.

With the premiere date announced, this was the pre-release press interview.

"Just be careful when answering Lee Sangsoo’s questions."

"I know."

Jiyeon huffed, irritated.

Seoyeon simply smiled.

Looking at Jiyeon now, she was reminded of herself—

Back when The Chaser had been about to premiere.