[Seung-ji: I am super important today!]
The world of reporters is relentless, providing not a single moment of rest and driving one to distraction.
The building of “Star Catch,” where entertainment reporters gather to work, was no exception. The office was cluttered with newspapers and notes stuck haphazardly everywhere, and voices from phone calls overlapped chaotically from all directions.
Every reporter had dark circles under their eyes, clearly exhausted.
Their faces told the story of the grueling intensity of their daily work.
[Seung-ji: Somebody, help me relax a little…]
[Seung-ji: Save me!]
[Seung-ji: This is my first-ever interview.]
Currently, seated and typing diligently on the chat was a person named Seung-ji. Kim Sun-a, the junior reporter of Star Catch, was actively working under this name.
“I’m shaking so hard…”
Below her wavy locks was a defined nose bridge, and above it perched a pair of big, round glasses. Despite her face etched with signs of fatigue, her expression remained surprisingly bright because today was especially important for her.
A solo interview—an exclusive that she had finally landed.
“Finally, I’ve done it! Now I’m a real journalist, too!”
“True, the group is unknown, but so what?”
To Sun-a, a junior reporter, the opportunity itself to conduct a solo interview was precious, and the girl group that had made her heart flutter had just arrived in the building.
“Hello! We are TALIT!”
“Uh, please come in! This way!”
They promptly moved to the interview room and started the question-and-answer session.
“All right, let’s start the interview with the new girl group, TALIT!”
But then—
Bang!
The door burst open violently, and in strode a male, her senior who particularly enjoyed bossing Kim Sun-a around.
“Did you finalize yesterday’s article?”
“Uh, yes? Um… It’s almost done. As soon as I finish this interview, I need to write it. But I think I’ll wrap it up today.”
“Instead of finishing after the interview, write it immediately.”
“But I need to conduct this interview…”
“I’ll do the interview. You just wrap up what you’ve been writing.”
“What? This is my first solo interview!”
“Kim Sun-a! If you want to waste every single second of our time as journalists, keep repeating yourself. I’ll take care of this, so go and finish your work now!”
And so, Sun-a had no choice but to surrender, feeling utterly powerless.
Her mind went blank, her expression as if her soul had departed.
In one fell swoop, her first-ever interview was stolen from her right before her eyes.
—
Later.
[Seung-ji: Team, listen up.]
[Seung-ji: I’m thinking about quitting.]
[Deer: Why are you doing Sua’s signature line?]
[Monkeying: I thought Sua wrote that.]
— Deer has been removed from the chatroom —
— Deer has returned to the chatroom —
[Black Bear: Hehe, Sua was watching, huh?]
“Haa…”
Kim Sun-a let out a deep sigh.
She was filled with frustration. So much frustration. Currently, she was probably the most aggrieved person in the world, but she couldn’t report it to the police. There was nowhere else to turn for sympathy except here.
[Seung-ji: I really want to vent. Since I started working here, all I’ve done is make coffee and run errands. Seriously, I’m just a slave.]
[Deer: Isn’t that how it is for all rookies?]
[Seung-ji: It’s that it never ends!?!]
[Seung-ji: If I get the chance to conduct an interview or write articles, they’re always forcibly taken away from me before I can shine. And all I do is bully powerless entertainers.]
[Monkeying: Bully? How so?]
[Seung-ji: Search the latest article on TALIT.]
[Monkeying: What’s TALIT? I’ve never heard of them. There was only this controversy-related article when I searched.]
[Seung-ji: That was the doing of my superiors. TALIT has done nothing wrong! They just shrugged slightly when asked about being too busy for various concerns.]
[Black Bear: You wrote that?! That’s going too far.]
[Monkeying: Isn’t that heavy-handed editing?]
[Seung-ji: Exactly. When TALIT requests a revision article, we exploit them harshly. Meanwhile, we brag about this as a ‘skill’ among juniors. I can’t handle this anymore.]
That was when it happened.
[Sua: Hmm.]
[Sua: Sister, you must be exhausted.]
[Sua: Shall I give you a scoop?]
[Monkeying: Sua, watch it.]
[Deer: Here comes Sua again, like a habitual troll.]
[Black Bear: What are you trying to say? lol]
Sun-a’s phone suddenly rang.
But this message wasn’t a group chat; it was a personal one.
[Sua: Sister, I’ll give you a scoop.]
Even amidst all this, Seung-ji found herself bracing at the sight of the word “scoop”. She felt ashamed that she was still reacting to it.
Ugh, it’s just sad. This job addiction.
[Seung-ji: I’m submitting my resignation anyway…right?]
“…”
However, Kim Sun-a’s movements came to a sudden stop.
“!”
Shock spread across her eyes almost instantly.
Because the message she had just received was quite shocking, even if it was from Sua.
And even if Kim Sun-a had made up her mind to quit journalism.
[Seung-ji: Special Mobile Unit 808, Kim Yu-han.]
[Seung-ji: I know exactly who he is.]
[Seung-ji: Isn’t that helpful information?]
“…”
She paused.
The content made it impossible for her to do anything else.
Kim Sun-a swallowed hard.
However much the source was Sua.
Even if she had firmly decided to leave journalism.
The following day.
Sua arrived in Wanju, North Jeolla Province.
[Director]
[Completed Acquisition of Acting Trait!]
[Active Automatically in Specific Situations]
[Effect: Encourages Nearby Extras]
With the acquisition of a new trait.
“What is this supposed to mean?”
That was Sua’s reaction.
Can you encourage my acting too? I’m shaking so much right now.
Still, Sua resolved to fill her portfolio diligently and take charge of her schedule. Today, there was a shoot in the dense pine forest for The Sword.
“Ah, this is real combat now, slightly nerve-wracking.”
While Special Mobile Unit 808 had conducted mock rehearsals, The Sword was short on budget and needed to jump straight into shooting.
—We’ll finish it in a week.
That was Director Park Jun’s plan: A week-long shooting schedule at a hotel in Wanju, North Jeolla Province.
She felt both excited and scared, and nervous about everything.
“Really, my emotions are all over the place.”
In situations like this, Sua resorts to her 3-second trick—emptying her mind completely.
“…”
After a while,
“Uuuh…”
As she let go of all her intelligence, her tension gradually eased.
—
3 hours later, at the artificial shelter built in the pine forest.
“Wow, didn’t expect this to be here.”
Someone reacted, clearly finding the setup surprising.
Given the extremely low expectations for The Sword, everyone anticipated a completely natural setting without auxiliary structures.
Soon, the actors began arriving one by one.
“This forest is eerily dark. Feels like a ghost might appear.”
There were not even ten people present and none of them had yet confirmed the identity of the lead actor. They were all strangers to each other.
Due to the tight deadline for entering the short film festival, everything had been rushed, leaving no room for detailed explanations.
Thus,
“…”
There they stood, awkwardly exchanging glances, unsure of exactly what was happening.
Then,
“Hmm?”
“Ah!”
Some extras recognized each other.
“We met before, right? You were also an extra back then.”
“Oh yes! That was you!”
“You know how to do fantasy historical drama? Very versatile.”
“Well, I’ve been doing acting since I was young. Also, I’ve got experience as an extra, so it’ll be fine.”
“But you were completely edited out the last time…”
“What do you mean? I’m there briefly, around the 48th second.”
The conversations reeked of amateurism.
There was someone who found their amateurism highly amusing. Son Ji-ah, an actor sent by CT Entertainment to act as a spy.
Son Ji-ah scratched her head, looking bemused.
“Seriously, is this a group of rookies? Is this right?”
She had started her career gaining experience in theater but still lacked recognition, which was why she could blend in here.
“1 point. Everyone here is a 1.”
Her habitual practice was to rate actors. It was her way of roughly gauging their “combat strengths.”
A necessary skill in the competitive world of filming. Naturally, it was better to associate with people who scored high. Low scorers were simply trash, not worth even acknowledging.
Meanwhile, the extras had begun opening up to each other.
“You’re supposed to die while getting hit by a sword, right? Would you like to try it?”
“Sure. Please make a fake swing.”
“Whoosh!”
“Kiaaaaah!”
“Not bad?”
Son Ji-ah shook her head disapprovingly.
“There you go. This is already hopeless. This movie is doomed.”
That was when someone else chimed in sarcastically.
“Do you really need to work that hard?”
“Do you all remember the article? Anyway, the situation for this production isn’t good. Especially since we’re only extras, nobody’s going to criticize us if we do this hastily.”
“Hmm, you’re right.”
“I agree with you. I’m here just treating it as a short-term part-time job.”
Most people seemed to be in agreement.
At that moment, sharp critical articles were continuously being written about Director Park Jun’s work, and few actors had any genuine affection for the project The Sword. Some were here just for the high income, some for the rumor of a famous star’s involvement.
“I heard Seo Yeon-joo would be here…”
“But is she really coming? No reports have come out confirming that.”
“If it’s false, I’ll just go home.”
“I did see her at the on-site audition though. She’s stunning in person.”
Watching everything unfold, Son Ji-ah thought: That’s right.
‘There you go. No hope. The atmosphere is already a mess from the start.’
A film is the collective fruit of everyone’s efforts.
No good film can emerge if only one or two people work hard to death while everyone else slacks off. Instead, it only makes the efforts of the hard-working ones fall flat.
But what about these people?
‘To begin with, their acting skills are already subpar, and their passion is practically nonexistent. People who are this satisfied just seeing Seo Yeon-joo in person.’
Not only were their skills lacking, but these guys lacked passion as well.
Seeing Seo Yeon-joo’s face was enough to satisfy them completely.
How could a good movie be born from such a crew?
The sole possibility for this movie to come back to life?
None.
If anything—impossibly.
Perhaps the only scenario: a lead actor who could drag everyone else forward. Not just in terms of skill but someone who could inspire and reignite the extinguished passion of everyone around.
But this was led by Sua—newbie, no experience.
‘Impossible. Simply impossible.’
In Son Ji-ah’s mind, it was just an impossible premise.
What drove Seo Yeon-joo and Kim Sun-il to join this meaningless movie? And how did this film secure funding?
At that moment when Son Ji-ah’s mind was racing with these questions—
“But what about Wi Ji-hye?”
Someone suddenly muttered, as they were starting to get acquainted.
“Wasn’t Yang Ha-rin supposed to play Wi Ji-hye’s role? Why was this canceled? What happened?”
“Hmm, did they find a better actor?”
“Heard it was just a newbie. Not even the staff seemed very informed.”
“Eh? CT Entertainment’s funding was withdrawn because of a newbie?”
Even Son Ji-ah leaned in, listening just in case it was about Sua.
But ultimately, no one there had detailed information. Rather, she, who was present at the audition, knew the most.
Then—
“Alright, one hour until filming starts! Everyone, get ready!”
Director Park Jun bellowed loudly as he appeared, and Son Ji-ah immediately checked her phone, texting a CT Entertainment’s CEO:
-The filming of Sword is starting now.
-I will report on the situation on site periodically.
-I will personally confirm Sua’s acting abilities.
The extras then asked:
“Director, what about the person who plays Wi Ji-hye?”
To which he nodded, expecting the question.
“Of course we brought her! Here she comes!”
The actors waited with bated breath for the moment of revelation.
Finally—
Thud-thud—
“Hi!”
When the protagonist finally revealed herself,
“…”
The room was briefly silent, taken aback by her commanding presence.
“…”
The silence stretched on.
As if time itself froze with that striking impression, it was Son Ji-ah who moved her fingers, typing another text:
-Right now, the movie genre suddenly changes to horror.
