The cast lineup for Veterans’ press conference consisted of four key actors: Seo Jin-tae and Yoo Sung-jae, playing the lead detectives, Lee Ha-eun as the villain Lee Ye-seo, and Jeong Soo-hyun, who played Lee Eun-hyuk, Ye-seo’s accomplice.
“Alright, let’s start with Seo Jin-tae,” the MC announced.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Seo Jin-tae, and I play Detective Jeon Jae-han in Veterans.”
Being both the eldest among the cast and a top-tier actor in the industry, Seo Jin-tae was naturally the first to introduce himself. His greeting set the rhythm for the rest of the cast’s introductions.
“Next, we have Lee Ha-eun.”
“Hello, I’m Lee Ha-eun, and I play Lee Ye-seo in Veterans.”
Following Ha-eun, Yoo Sung-jae and Jeong Soo-hyun also introduced themselves, and finally, Director Kim Hong-seon took the microphone, addressing the gathered journalists.
“The weather’s been getting hotter lately. Despite that, I want to sincerely thank everyone here for showing such strong interest in Veterans.”
With all formal introductions completed, the MC smoothly transitioned into the next segment, speaking over the ongoing flashes of camera shutters.
“Before we officially begin, let’s take a look at a special video.”
At that moment, the venue darkened. The main screening hall of Apgujeong’s OGV, the largest in the area, became the stage for the premiere of Veterans’ official main trailer.
“Who? ...Ah, Min-hwa?”
The trailer opened with a tense confrontation between Lee Ye-seo and Detective Kang Chan-seong. Ha-eun’s ever-calm gaze met Yoo Sung-jae’s wary eyes, the tension between them crackling in the air.
“Looks like you already made up your mind before coming here.”
Just as the icy atmosphere between Ye-seo and Chan-seong reached its peak—
A dagger, thrown with blinding speed, sliced past Kang Chan-seong’s ear.
“By now, you shouldn’t even be able to lift a finger. ...I guess cops are built different. Interesting.”
Ye-seo gripped the cold steel of her blade in a reverse grip, launching another precise strike aimed at Kang Chan-seong’s vital points. A fraction of a second later, Chan-seong barely dodged and kicked away the dagger, triggering a fast-paced action sequence.
As the scene continued, Chan-seong eventually found himself pinned under Ye-seo, his expression filled with panic. The trailer cut to her cold, predatory smirk.
“K-Khh...!”
“Shh, be good now. Go to sleep....”
A fleeting shot showed Ye-seo tightening her grip around Chan-seong’s throat, only for the screen to abruptly fade to black before revealing his fate.
Then, the next action sequence began.
“Ahh, ah... Just die already, old man! Please!!”
Ye-seo, disheveled and bloodstained, her designer suit torn in several places, let out a deranged laugh.
A dagger gleamed in her hand as she lunged toward Jeon Jae-han.
The next ten seconds showcased an electrifying knife fight between Ye-seo and Jeon Jae-han—thirty exchanges without a single retreat from either side.
With a final, brutal clash, the trailer ended.
The press conference hall gradually brightened once more.
“Wow... That was intense. You just watched the exclusive first screening of Veterans’ main trailer! My palms are already sweating,” the MC remarked, visibly impressed.
As the hall filled with murmurs, the MC turned to Director Kim Hong-seon, inviting him to introduce the film in more detail.
‘...So bright.’
Sitting quietly, listening to Director Kim, Ha-eun subtly lowered her gaze. The incessant flashes were starting to make her eyes ache.
But once Seo Jin-tae finished his segment, she had to look up again—because the MC had just directed a question at her.
“Ha-eun, your action sequences were truly dazzling. What are your thoughts on that?”
“I was fortunate that my co-stars adjusted well to my movements. Thanks to them, we were able to create some great scenes.”
“The intensity of the action looked incredibly high. Wasn’t the filming exhausting?”
“Hmm... Rather than exhausting, I’d say it was actually quite fun. The important thing is making sure Veterans is an enjoyable experience for the audience.”
From Ha-eun’s perspective, her responses were solid—honest while simultaneously fueling anticipation for the movie.
However, Yoo Sung-jae’s follow-up comment—
“Every time I filmed a scene with Ha-eun, I had nightmares afterward.”
“Oh my, really?”
“Yes. Even in my dreams, she was terrifyingly intense. I was genuinely scared.”
—was not something she had expected.
She instinctively shot him a mild glare, though Yoo Sung-jae simply smirked playfully.
She couldn’t exactly refute him, either. At the end of the day, Lee Ye-seo was a villain. If anything, the fact that Yoo Sung-jae found her performance horrifying was the best kind of praise.
Unsurprisingly, the MC nodded in agreement, adding that even they found Ye-seo terrifying.
“The action sequences were executed so well that I practiced at home just to keep up with Ha-eun’s movements on set,” Yoo Sung-jae added, finally ending his segment.
Next up was Jeong Soo-hyun, who played Ye-seo’s accomplice and cousin, Lee Eun-hyuk. His thoughts on filming were also captured in his microphone.
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As time passed, the press conference gradually wound down.
“Alright, Seo Jin-tae, please stand in the center. Ha-eun, you’ll stand beside him. Yoo Sung-jae and Jeong Soo-hyun, please position yourselves—”
It was time for the final segment: the photo session.
As the actors followed the MC’s instructions, the relentless flood of camera flashes resumed.
‘Ugh, this feels like getting hit by a flashbang....’
Standing beside Seo Jin-tae, smiling for the cameras, Ha-eun silently worried about her eyesight. Still, she followed the MC’s prompts, looking straight ahead, then turning left and right for additional shots.
“With that, we conclude Veterans’ press conference. Thank you for joining us!”
The moment the MC wrapped up, Ha-eun finally stepped off the stage, making her way toward the stairs. Despite her eyes still adjusting to the lingering brightness, she politely bowed toward the journalists as she exited.
“Excuse me, sir,” she called to Seo Jin-tae once they reached the waiting room.
“Hm?”
“For the stage greetings later... Will there be journalists there too?”
Her real question: Will there be cameras at the stage greetings?
Luckily, Seo Jin-tae’s response was a reassuring no.
“Most of the audience will be regular moviegoers. People will take photos, of course, but not nearly as much as the journalists did here.”
As an experienced actor who had attended countless stage greetings, his words carried weight.
Feeling a sense of relief, Ha-eun completely abandoned her earlier thought of bringing sunglasses.
***
“You’re going to watch Veterans anyway, right?”
“Well... yeah, I guess?”
“Then watch it with me. Technically, I appeared in it too.”
Recalling her brief cameo in the film, Da-yeon said this as she reserved two youth tickets for Veterans. And just like that, Ha-eun found herself roped into watching the movie with her on opening day.
‘Hmm....’
From Ha-eun’s perspective, watching Veterans with Da-yeon wasn’t something she particularly looked forward to or dreaded—it was a strangely ambiguous feeling. She wasn’t exactly used to watching her own films with friends like Da-yeon.
‘Now that I think about it, is this the first time we’re watching one of my movies together?’
Looking back, Ha-eun and Da-yeon had never really watched each other’s films properly.
Her debut film, The Guy Next Door, was rated R, meaning Da-yeon still couldn’t watch it. Meanwhile, To Busan, Da-yeon’s blockbuster that had surpassed ten million viewers, was something Ha-eun had started watching but left halfway through.
Maybe that was why, on the actual release day of Veterans, Ha-eun felt a little nervous.
As both her friend and a talented actress, Da-yeon’s opinion on the film lingered in her mind. Would Veterans be something Da-yeon could genuinely praise?
In the end, though, after watching Veterans together in a two-seater section, the first words Da-yeon said were—
“Monday’s gonna be loud.”
“...What?”
“School.”
“Oh...”
Her tone was filled with absolute certainty. She had no doubt that the aftermath of Veterans wouldn’t be quiet.
And, unsurprisingly, three days later—Monday morning—
The moment Ha-eun entered the classroom, she immediately felt the difference.
The way her classmates looked at her wasn’t the same as before.
Not just them—students from other classes who passed her in the hallways or bathrooms also reacted noticeably.
...Even—
“One pizza bun, plea—”
“Ahh! Oh my god!”
“...?”
Even the lady at the snack bar flinched at the sight of her.
This was someone Ha-eun had been buying snacks from for the past three years—someone who should’ve been completely used to seeing her.
On the fourth day of Veterans’ release, with a total audience surpassing 3 million and a daily ticket count exceeding 900,000, the offline reactions had taken a rather... particular turn.
“Ha-Ha-eun, your mouth! It’s bleeding!!”
“...It’s ketchup. From the pizza bun.”