Just as Seoyeon had researched Stella, Stella had also gathered various information about Seoyeon. For example, someone had posted a compilation of Seoyeon’s highlights in her fan community. Among those highlights was a clip from Hyper Action Star.
And Stella’s reaction to watching it?
"What is this, a variety show?"
Although the video was labeled as an action movie audition, it didn’t feel like one.
It was closer to a variety program.
In fact, it resembled a poorly coordinated variety show, with Seoyeon standing out as the sole performer.
She deflected incoming paintballs by sight with her hands.
She cleared various missions using her extraordinary physical abilities.
And then there was the final fight with Sora. Unlike the other scenes, this one felt more like a properly choreographed battle.
"Hmm, a Japanese actor?"
Stella propped her chin on her hand as she watched the clip on her laptop and briefly glanced at Sora.
‘She’s better than that Goto Reika girl I saw last time, right?’
She didn’t remember Sora’s face clearly.
Partly because Seoyeon’s performance had overshadowed everything else, and partly because Stella wasn’t great at remembering faces.
The faces Stella could recall were usually fictional—those from movies or comics.
Real-life faces, not so much.
By all accounts, she should have remembered Goto Reika’s appearance, but her impression of Seoyeon’s acting had erased that memory. All Stella remembered was Goto Reika’s awkward performance.
"Ahaha, this is so over-the-top."
As with most variety shows, exaggeration was the norm. Even the dullest American programs followed this pattern.
Given today’s trend of seeking more sensational content, overseas productions weren’t much different.
With the competition from YouTubers and virtual streamers growing, variety shows needed to offer what influencers couldn’t.
So Stella didn’t overanalyze Seoyeon’s performances. Over the past year, Seoyeon had been gaining prominence, and the show likely played up her abilities to promote her.
Still, Stella couldn’t help but think some of the scenes might backfire.
‘Not that it’s any of my business.’
She dismissed the thought and instead recalled the plane ticket she had booked online.
Stella’s interest in Seoyeon had been sparked when Asher Baldwin showed her clips of Seoyeon’s acting.
‘I can’t take my eyes off her.’
Smiling faintly, Stella rewatched Seoyeon’s performances for the umpteenth time.
Her acting...
There was something oddly familiar about it.
More specifically, the emotional undertones in Seoyeon’s performances felt strikingly similar to Stella’s own.
Which shouldn’t have been possible.
That’s why Stella had come to Korea.
She wanted to see if Seoyeon in real life was as captivating as she was on screen.
And fortunately, the real Seoyeon didn’t disappoint. She was everything Stella imagined, and more.
"What is this? Some kind of prank video?"
In the U.S., a "prank video" referred to hidden-camera stunts.
That’s how shocking Seoyeon’s recent scene had been for Stella.
For once, the smile on Stella’s lips faded slightly as she circled the broken punching machine.
"Hmm."
She crouched to examine it closely.
The section of the machine Seoyeon had punched was slightly dented.
Logically, Stella knew that a punch shouldn’t have been enough to bend a metal frame.
And yet, the bolts anchoring the machine to the floor had been jarred loose, leaving metal shards scattered on the ground.
This wasn’t something a prank show could have staged.
The machine wasn’t new—it had clearly been fixed in place for years.
In short, Seoyeon had broken the punching machine with her punch.
The murmurs around them confirmed it.
The two actresses accompanying Seoyeon looked dumbfounded, their faces pale.
Seoyeon, meanwhile, avoided eye contact, shifting her gaze nervously. She looked like a guilty puppy caught misbehaving.
"Seoyeon."
Stella, still crouched by the broken machine, finally spoke.
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Uh, sure. What is it?"
"Marvel or DC?"
Seoyeon tilted her head, momentarily confused by the question.
Was she asking which one she liked better?
"I prefer Marvel."
Seoyeon replied honestly. A year ago, Batman v Superman from the DC Universe had sparked a superhero boom in American cinema, but Seoyeon had always been a Marvel fan.
‘They jumped straight into Avengers before building up the individual stories.’
She still felt disappointed about that. Watching a beloved comic fail in live-action was a uniquely heartbreaking experience. Maybe DC’s downfall was in taking its heroes too lightly instead of embracing their serious struggles.
"Okay, Marvel’s a decent choice," Stella said, raising both hands as if to say she was harmless.
There was a subtle difference in her demeanor now, a bit calmer than before.
After all, witnessing a display of strength that defied human limits tended to make people more cautious.
"Just so we’re clear, don’t hit me, okay?"
"I won’t hit you."
"By the way, can you deflect real bullets, too?"
Stella was half-joking, recalling the scene from Hyper Action Star where Seoyeon had batted away paintballs.
"I’m not sure," Seoyeon answered, her expression surprisingly serious.
Stella had expected her to dismiss the question outright, but her response sounded earnest.
In truth, Seoyeon was curious herself. Could her skin withstand bullets?
‘I’m not sure if I could deflect them, but...’
Still, she had a vague feeling that she wouldn’t get hurt.
"Come to think of it, guns are legal in the U.S., right?"
"...Yeah. Why?"
"Do you own one?"
"Not really. My bodyguards do, though."
Of course, they’d left them behind for this trip abroad.
"An American without a gun?"
"Ahaha, you know that sounds kind of racist, right?"
Wait, did it?
Seoyeon had asked out of genuine curiosity.
She’d just assumed that Americans carried guns around like they did smartphones.
"Why do you ask?"
"I just thought it’d be cool to watch someone shoot up close."
"You can see that in Korea, too."
"Not from the shooter’s perspective, though."
What was she even talking about?
Did she want to stand beside someone as they fired?
Stella began to wonder whether Seoyeon’s comments were jokes or serious.
"Ju Seoyeon."
Before the conversation could continue, Jiyeon called out, her expression one of exasperation.
Turning to look, Seoyeon saw that a crowd had gathered around them.
Dozens of people, smartphones in hand.
At the forefront was a man who appeared to be a staff member from the game center, looking both confused and concerned.
"..."
Seoyeon glanced at Stella.
"Can you cover this instead of the omakase?"
"Ahaha, what, were you planning to eat something ridiculously expensive?"
At Seoyeon’s candid remark, Stella burst into laughter.
"Alright, fine. A deal’s a deal."
A slightly pricey meal was a small price to pay for fulfilling her promise. After all, a bet was a bet.
*****
"What exactly have you been up to in Japan?"
When they returned to the hotel after their outing, Park Eun-ha greeted Seoyeon with this question.
It wasn’t without reason.
Post Title: Saw Ju Seoyeon at a Game Center
I never thought I’d see that face in Japan, of all places, not Korea;;;
She was at a game center pulling out figures when suddenly it felt like an earthquake hit.
People panicked and ran outside, but there she was, standing in front of a punching machine like it was no big deal.
I was so dumbfounded I just took a picture.
(Photo of Ju Seoyeon standing in front of the punching machine)
Replies:
└ Would you approach someone after seeing that?
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└ Why not?
└ What if she punched me after looking at my face?
└ WTF... What would happen if she punched a person?
└ What do you think would happen?The first thing Park Eun-ha showed Seoyeon was this post, which had popped up on the Korean internet.
Since Akihabara was a tourist hotspot, it wasn’t only filled with Japanese people.
There were plenty of Koreans there, so the post quickly made its way online.
And that wasn’t all.
"It’s on Twitter too. It hasn’t trended yet, but there’s a video circulating," Park Eun-ha added.
"...A video?"
"Yeah, of you punching the machine."
There was a video?
Seoyeon quickly checked it and felt a small wave of relief.
‘At least the quality isn’t great.’
Her face wasn’t clearly visible in the video.
Instead, Stella’s face was perfectly captured as she watched from the side.
The buzz was more about the "mystery girl who broke the punching machine" and Stella, who happened to be watching.
Apparently, Stella was quite popular in ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Japan.
Unlike in Korea, where she could move around somewhat discreetly, in Japan, she drew even more attention.
However, thanks to Seoyeon, Jo Seohui, and Lee Jiyeon being with her, no one dared to approach.
"Thanks to you, we had a great time," Stella had told Park Eun-ha before they parted ways, speaking with the delicate gesture of covering her mouth like a proper lady.
That was Stella when she wasn’t around Seoyeon: the picture of a pure, fairy-like young woman.
Thanks to that, Park Eun-ha didn’t scold Seoyeon too harshly.
"Just try not to cause too much trouble. This isn’t Korea; things work differently here."
"Yes."
"Good. I mean, I know you’re not the type to cause trouble, but I’m just being cautious."
To be honest, the Twitter buzz wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The same went for the Korean internet post.
The photos and videos weren’t high quality, so they weren’t likely to spread too widely.
And anyone who hadn’t seen it in person would probably dismiss it as unbelievable.
"Oh."
At that moment, Jiyeon let out an exclamation, as if she’d remembered something.
While Park Eun-ha didn’t notice, Jo Seohui, standing nearby, caught it.
"What’s up?" Seohui asked.
"I filmed Seoyeon punching the machine earlier."
"...And?"
"I think I gave it to the Japanese staff."
Jiyeon had been asked to record vlogs of the three of them having fun, so she’d handed over all the footage to the staff—including the scene of Seoyeon punching the machine.
"They said it was for the documentary, right?"
"Probably."
"...Hmm."
Seohui thought for a moment.
"Well, it’s probably fine, don’t you think?"
"Really?"
"Any publicity is good publicity."
If that scene made it into the documentary, it was bound to cause a stir in Japan.
After all, the "strong, beautiful girl" trope was hugely popular there.
‘But Stella...’
Seohui folded her arms, watching Seoyeon, who was now talking to Park Eun-ha.
Whenever Stella was around, she only seemed to focus on Seoyeon.
It wasn’t that she deliberately ignored everyone else—it was just that her attention was solely on Seoyeon.
There was something odd about it.
While Seoyeon and Jiyeon didn’t seem to notice, Seohui had a faint sense of unease.
More than that, Seohui was relatively well-informed about Stella’s circumstances.
Due to her position, she had easy access to information about overseas celebrities.
Especially as part of NewLike Group, the leader of Korea’s cultural industry.
Even though GH Group had been gaining ground recently, NewLike still held the top spot.
Seohui even knew about an interview Stella had done with a small newspaper when she was very young.
The reason she acted.
Nowadays, that article was buried under Stella’s "fairy-like" image, but Seohui remembered it.
She knew why Stella had chosen acting.
*****
And then, the next day.
"Today’s shoot will feature a special guest," Director Baek Min announced to the actors, who had just arrived at the new filming location—a stunning mansion that had everyone in awe.
The sudden announcement caused a bit of murmuring among some of the actors.
Lee Sang-soo, however, remained silent and still.
"No need to worry. It’s someone you’re already familiar with—someone we’ve met several times," the director added with a reassuring smile.
From his words, Seoyeon could more or less guess who it was.
At this point, not knowing would be foolish.
After all, the person had joined her, Jo Seohui, and Jiyeon during their outing just yesterday.
There was no way the staff would have so easily revealed their location to someone without prior arrangements.
Though Stella had claimed she showed up on her own initiative, it was obvious that discussions had already been held well in advance.
‘It must have been around the time Stella came to Korea.’
When Stella had stayed at Seoyeon’s house, that was probably when the arrangements had been made.
In other words:
"Wait, could it really be...?"
The actors’ murmurs grew louder as Seoyeon slowly turned her gaze.
There she was.
A girl holding a white parasol, dressed in an elegant Western-style gown.
She looked like something straight out of a painting.
The girl walked forward slowly, ever so slowly, until she stopped in front of Seoyeon.
All eyes followed her movements, drawn by her commanding presence.
Her aura alone made it impossible to look away.
"Don’t worry, it’s just a simple cameo," the girl said.
Then, with a smile, she added:
"Just like you."
Stella Baldwin.