Hyper Action Star is, without a doubt, a legitimate audition-based variety show.
This means that every episode, starting from the first one, is broadcast live, and voting begins immediately after the broadcast ends.
There are a total of five teams. Because of this format, every round sees half the participants eliminated at once, making each filming critically important.
“Both TV and internet broadcasts will reportedly go live simultaneously. Wow, this is already interesting, really interesting.”
Celebrity YouTuber Han Bong-shik sighed in relief as he noticed a slight recovery in his subscriber count.
‘This is something I have to watch.’
The show had felt promising even from the trailer.
Isn’t that right? Isn’t it better because Sooyeon Joo is participating?
Starting from The Chaser, Sooyeon Joo has been nothing short of a goddess to Han Bong-shik. And even in the trailer, as well as now, she radiates an almost overwhelming presence.
– A school uniform…?
– Really? She looked like a high school girl, didn’t she?
– Sooyeon Joo Fact: She’s a real high school girl.
– Whoa, can you imagine her wearing a school uniform and pulling off action scenes?
– Surely she’s wearing underwear underneath.
└ Heheheh.
└ Such obvious comments…
– By the way, Seohui Jo is the same age as Sooyeon Joo.
– Seohui Jo is a high school girl too? Haha, come on.
– It’s true… We go to the same school, and when you see her, you can’t help but be surprised.
Indeed, proving the show’s growing popularity, the number of viewers was roughly thirty percent higher than usual. The ongoing chats also indicated that many were tuning in who didn’t normally follow Han Bong-shik’s YouTube channel.
“Hmm, let me begin by explaining to new viewers that the variety show we’re about to watch is called Hyper Action Star. This is an actors’ audition program, and the winner will secure the lead role in a film.”
Han Bong-shik shared details with the viewers based on his own research—how the process would unfold and how the finalists would ultimately be selected.
“The theme for today is a ‘gunfight.’ But what exactly does that mean? It’s not just a gunfight. Acting is required. Acting!”
– Isn’t this supposed to be a superpower action movie?
– How are they supposed to act during a gunfight?
The audience was curious. It was only natural.
When each contestant initially took part in rappel-action training earlier, they had chosen their respective superpowers.
Now, they were expected to incorporate those superpowers into their gunfight scenes. But naturally, the actors being filmed were ordinary humans.
How were they supposed to integrate superpowers into the scene?
“Perhaps… well, this is just my guess.”
– A guess?
– Bong-shik, stop being so frustrating and hurry up already.
“I’ll let you know as soon as the first scene starts.”
– Why stop talking halfway, for heaven’s sake!!!!!
– What the heck…
Han Bong-shik grinned at the audience’s reactions. Despite having his own suspicions, he decided it would be more fun to reveal them later.
‘Perhaps acting…’
It was clearly related to that. However, superpower acting could easily seem awkward and, therefore, comedic if performed poorly.
‘And in most cases, it probably will seem funny…’
Performing superpowers without CGI support—how was that not going to remind viewers of the Superpower Episode from Running People? Thus, there was a key aspect to consider.
For such acting to work, it’s not so much about the person performing as much as it’s about the person receiving the performance.
“That’s why, after each episode ends, the scenes with CGI effects will be revealed in the next episode.”
This part had already been announced by Lee Ki-tae PD of Hyper Action Star. By now, most people in the audience probably understood the general “rules,” enough for even Han Bong-shik to catch on immediately.
– But isn’t this not part of the movie’s storyline?
“That’s correct. This is purely an audition… but the superpowers selected might very well carry over to the movie.”
Of course, this was only speculation. Although there was no guarantee that the same superpowers chosen during the audition would be used in the actual movie:
‘If they make a strong impact, they might change it, though.’
With that in mind, Han Bong-shik fixed his eyes on the screen, watching the first audition of Hyper Action Star, broadcasted live.
‘Gunfight…’
“All scenes once filming begins are part of the act. You’ve all seen the script, right?”
Actor Cha Min-kyu’s question was met with nods from the participants.
Still,
‘Can you even call that a script?’
It wasn’t as much about following lines but more about directions for acting.
Each contestant was encouraged to develop a character fitting their chosen superpower. They were expected to perform accordingly, and while most actors seemed flustered, some appeared genuinely excited by the challenge.
‘I only joined because of Sooyeon Joo, but this isn’t bad.’
In particular, Seohui Jo believed that her decision to join this show was the right one.
She had no confidence that she’d pass. After all, she wasn’t particularly skilled at action scenes.
‘But if it’s acting…’
Seohui Jo’s gaze suddenly sharpened as she looked at Joo Seoyeon—not the usual glance but with newfound intensity.
Here was her chance to lock horns with Seoyeon, not just through the variety show, but through acting. Even as a stepping stone to the movie they might shoot together, this was fundamentally still acting.
‘How much of this situation have the others understood?’
And you, Seoyeon Joo.
“…?”
Seoyeon recoiled slightly under Seohui Jo’s penetrating gaze. It was a look she could never truly get used to, no matter how many times she faced it.
‘Next time, I’ll need to bring her on as a guest during the festival. She’s just too intimidating… Standing there, she’s pure fear.’
Despite her own antics, Seoyeon privately thought as much while casually checking out the other participants.
Quite a few were familiar faces, and as someone endowed with futuristic knowledge, Seoyeon had a good idea of the people to keep an eye on.
In Team A:
‘Han So-yoo.’
A woman who later gained wide acclaim for the action movie Wicked and skyrocketed in fame through an OTT drama series. While not exceptionally talented in terms of acting abilities, her strength lay in her well-coordinated physical movements, especially how long and fluid her limbs were.
‘The others…’
Seoyeon briefly paused on Min Do-ha.
Hadn’t she gained some recognition from a past movie or drama?
Future knowledge suggested she never took on any significantly memorable roles. Nothing major came to mind.
With that thought, Seoyeon turned her attention back to Cha Min-kyu, who started explaining the rules.
“Let me explain the rules first.”
The rules were straightforward and based on a scoring system for the ‘gunfight’ evaluation. Scoring a paintball hit on another contestant earned one point.
And the black bag located at the end of the set? It would award 30 points to whoever possessed it at the scene’s conclusion.
“Additionally, there will be a 30-point evaluation for acting skills at the end.”
This meant that hitting opponents wasn’t everything; contestants could score points simply by collecting the “black bag” or by landing multiple paintball hits, without necessarily focusing on acting.
“Everyone, please wear goggles. You’ll face deductions if you aim at someone’s face.”
Tensions rose as the participants nodded, realizing filming was about to begin.
“Alright, let’s prepare.”
With Cha Min-kyu’s words ringing in their ears, the actors moved into the set. It was a spacious ruin-themed setup, scattered with styrofoam debris mimicking broken building debris and scattered objects, including walls and various props. A building in the distance was supposed to house the black bag.
‘Likely, the black bag is there…’
The actresses, gripping their replica guns (all pistols today) tensely prepared, many of whom had never held such props in their lives.
“Ah!”
Accidentally, one actress dropped her pistol and instinctively grabbed it, pulling the trigger.
Bang!
A paintball shot out, right before filming.
The projectile flew directly toward Seoyeon, aiming straight for her face.
No one reacted in time. And as Seoyeon hadn’t yet donned her goggles, panic spread momentarily.
Pfft!
With lightning reflexes, Seoyeon moved her hand, swatting it aside as though swatting a mosquito. The paintball burst, leaving streaks across her hand.
“…Huh?”
Several onlookers’ eyes widened. Did she just react to and swat away the incoming paintball? Surely not? She hadn’t even been looking in that direction.
‘Accident? It must’ve been an accident…’
The few witnesses remained lost in thought, unable to believe someone could swat a paintball moving at speeds up to 90 meters per second, even if this version was a bit slower for broadcasting safety.
‘No, that’s impossible…’
The actress quickly approached Seoyeon, bowing profusely.
“Sorry! Did it startle you?”
“Not at all. It’s fine.”
“Even though you’re saying it’s fine, your hand must’ve hurt a lot…”
Seoyeon winced, not because of pain but because she’d momentarily forgotten the paintball would burst on impact against her nearly invincible TS skin.
‘I should have caught it instead.’
“Really, it’s fine.”
In reality, pain wasn’t an issue. Paintballs would barely scratch her.
‘Regeneration powers, though? Catching it would be impractical…’
Perhaps swatting at it just didn’t fit the tone she wanted.
Anyway, an incident that might’ve caused drama before filming…
Without many witnesses, the set remained calm. However:
– What was that?
– Didn’t she just swat away that paintball with her hand?
Caught on camera, many viewers were buzzing with reactions.
“…An accident? Right?”
Han Bong-shik rewound the footage, reviewing it more slowly.
‘There: the paintball was accidentally shot at Seoyeon’s face…’
The camera had only partially captured the side of her face at the moment the paintball flew toward her.
– She moved her eyes!
– Whoa!!
Slowed to 0.25x speed, it was clear Seoyeon’s eyes had followed the paintball before her hand swatted it away, leaving netizens baffled.
“Uh, this wasn’t planned, right?”
– Sooyeon Joo could do that.
– Huh?
– Yeah? (Still confused)
Han Bong-shik thought deeply, reviewing the clips of Sooyeon from Unmanned Survival and Star Fisher*.
“…Hmm. Indeed.”
Clearly, she was capable of it. With that thought, his doubts eased.
“Let’s keep watching.”
It didn’t matter whether it was staged or an accident. He decided to assume it was staged, purely for more entertainment.
“The total filming time is 30 minutes. Remember that. And any dangerous or rude behavior will lead to immediate disqualification.”
At the mention of disqualification, the actresses visibly stiffened.
‘Should I focus on the gunfight?’
‘Or go for the bag?’
‘How exactly is the acting judged? Through superpowers?’
Amid these thoughts, Min Do-ha turned her eyes to Seoyeon. Having witnessed the earlier incident, Min Do-ha clenched her teeth.
‘Whether it was an accident or not, the audience is going to talk about that scene once it airs.’
She had heard the commotion from Cha Min-kyu’s reaction, and knew this incident would stir up conversation. She wasn’t happy to see Seoyeon command all the attention from the start.
‘I can’t lose at action acting.’
Being outperformed by such a delicate high school girl would be humiliating.
With fierce determination, Min Do-ha fixed her eyes on Seoyeon. Firing would only be allowed three minutes into the filming, and the bag wouldn’t appear until ten minutes later.
‘Sorry, but I’ll take you out here.’
Not that she really felt sorry. Removing her strongest competitor was only natural.
—
As soon as the sound of the starting whistle blew, the actresses rushed into action. Min Do-ha trailed behind Seoyeon, who paced forward casually.
There was no rule that said being hit meant elimination.
But if they were acting, there was the implication that getting hit would require performing a ‘death scene,’ ultimately left to the actor’s discretion and the judges’ interpretation.
‘Sorry, but I’ll knock you out here.’
Min Do-ha felt no real remorse. Eliminating the toughest competitor was simply part of the game.
