''What is going on?''

    PD Lee Gi-tae felt a strange sense of disconnect as he watched the finals unfold. While the show was technically an audition, it had always been structured like a variety show.

    But this final round was different. It seemed much more focused on acting and the audition aspect, compared to the previous rounds, which had been more about testing the contestants'' quick thinking in real-time—more like a variety show in format.

    For the finals, however, they had been given a script and two hours of preparation time, indicating that the focus was on acting.

    ''It''s also the last chance to verify their skills.''

    Since the overall setting had been shared from the preliminary rounds up to this point, they likely had an idea of how things would unfold. The general format of Hyper Action Star had been to throw the actors into a specific setting and give them missions.

    They could have planned their acting during these missions in advance.

    Even so, it would have been difficult to fully choreograph an action sequence in just two hours.

    Two hours of preparation—if they had discussed things beforehand—might have been enough time to finalize some key sequences.

    In a live performance context, at best they could prepare one or two scenes within that time frame, likely lasting no more than 10 minutes. Typically, you would expect about 5 minutes of material.

    But that wasn’t a problem. Even in movies, action scenes typically only last a few minutes.

    So, Lee Gi-tae had expected that the final would mostly showcase the actors'' performance in terms of dialogue, background, and narrative. In such a format, they could get about 10 to 20 minutes of footage.

    If not, it wouldn’t matter.

    ‘That’s why we prepared several backup options.’

    For example, pre-filmed interviews. They could also insert clips showing the two actors’ performances in previous missions.

    Altogether, they had prepared about 40 minutes of content to edit into the show, both before the finals began and to insert appropriately afterward.

    ‘But...’

    Lee Gi-tae checked the time. Five minutes had already passed.

    He could sense that the audience, who had initially been clapping in awe at the early exchanges, were starting to feel puzzled. Even though it was only a light skirmish, the quality seemed far beyond what could be expected from just two hours of practice.

    Now, they probably expected to see more acting rather than action.

    That is, until Narumi Sora pulled out the nunchucks.

    The audience gasped at the unexpected choice of weapon, but the staff and professionals reacted differently.

    ‘How...?’

    Choreographing a fight using weapons was far more difficult than unarmed combat. He was certain that no matter what they had done in those two hours, this shouldn’t have been possible.

    ‘Maybe it’s just a simple swing or two?’

    That might be manageable. Still, something felt off.

    On both sides, it didn’t seem like they were adjusting to a pre-choreographed fight... It felt like they were genuinely battling in real time.

    Lee Gi-tae held his breath as he watched. He couldn’t predict how this final would unfold anymore.

    A single breath.

    With her nunchucks tucked under her arm, Sora stared at Seoyeon. The realm of acting had already passed.

    Shin Arin’s role only required lines that had been rehearsed in advance. Her opponent would have memorized those lines, too.

    But no choreography for action scenes had been prepared beforehand. This part would have to be fought as Narumi Sora, not as Shin Arin.

    This was no longer about acting—it was pure action.

    ‘It’s what you said.’

    Sora extended her left hand forward, her expression unreadable as she faced Seoyeon.

    It was a familiar stance. She had practiced this countless times as a child while watching movies.

    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

    The nunchucks felt much lighter than real ones. Aside from the plastic chains, they were essentially sponge rods with a bit of weight added.

    Getting hit by them would only result in a dull thud. Still, Sora felt that even if she had brought her actual nunchucks, it would have made no difference.

    “Do you like Hong Kong movies?”

    Suddenly, Yeohwa spoke. Sora couldn’t tell if the question was directed at Shin Arin or Narumi Sora herself.

    But none of the pre-rehearsed lines involved a response to that question.

    Feeling unsure about her Korean pronunciation, Sora simply nodded and replied,

    “Yeah.”

    Yeohwa’s lips curled into a smile.

    “Interesting.”

    Her voice sounded like a mocking sneer. Perhaps it was because of the previous dialogue, but it felt like she was ridiculing Sora’s love for Hong Kong films.

    Of course, Sora didn’t mind. She was used to such reactions.

    “It won’t just hurt a little if you get hit.”

    This was one of the pre-rehearsed lines. Shin Arin, being a character with physical enhancement powers, would easily break bones if she used such a weapon. It was a line meant to warn Seoyeon.

    With that, Sora took a step forward.

    One step, then another, and soon she was sprinting toward Seoyeon.

    Sliding her left foot forward, she swung the nunchucks in her right hand in a smooth arc toward Seoyeon.

    Whoosh!

    Seoyeon ducked to avoid the blow, her red eyes following the movement of the nunchucks before locking onto Sora once more.

    ‘You dodged that, huh?’

    Those eyes seemed to say.

    Sora chuckled internally. Upon reflection, she realized that Seoyeon never initiated an attack.

    Even when Sora had charged earlier, it had been her who attacked first with a knee strike.

    “You sure are tough for someone who’s taken so many hits,” Sora remarked in halting Korean.

    She didn’t want to fall behind in dialogue, knowing it wouldn’t benefit her to lose the verbal exchange as well.

    In response, Seoyeon raised her right hand and smashed a nearby case with it.

    Inside the case, which was made of sugar glass, was a weapon.

    A red fire axe.

    Yeohwa’s lips curled into a smirk as she laid eyes on it.

    “I hope you’re tough, too.”

    With the axe in hand, Yeohwa charged at Sora.

    A weapon!

    Up until now, Yeohwa had fought unarmed, but now, for the first time, she was attacking first with a weapon.

    ‘This is dangerous.’

    Before Sora could even process what was happening, the axe swung toward her, striking the foam wall behind her with a loud crash.

    The Styrofoam wall cracked under the impact, and Sora’s eyes twitched in disbelief.

    ‘Isn’t that weapon supposed to be made of sponge?’

    It was supposed to be a denser sponge, but it had just cracked the Styrofoam wall?

    For a moment, even Seoyeon seemed surprised that the wall had broken, her body freezing in place.

    For the first time, there was a delay in Seoyeon’s movements.

    ‘Now’s my chance!!’

    Sora swung her nunchucks toward the opening, and Yeohwa’s eyes followed the trajectory.

    Yeohwa yanked the axe from the wall and deflected the nunchucks with the blade, as if she knew she couldn’t overpower Sora with brute force.

    Rather than blocking the nunchucks directly, she twisted the axe to redirect them.

    If the weapons had been made of metal, the force might have dented or twisted them. But since both were soft sponges, the nunchucks bounced off like springs.

    As the nunchucks flew into the air, Seoyeon snatched them mid-flight.

    Then, with the axe raised high, she brought it down vertically.

    Crunch!

    The nunchucks shattered into pieces and fell to the floor.

    With both of her hands now empty, Sora lunged at Yeohwa.

    She aimed for her throat and chest, but before she could land a hit, Yeohwa’s body surged forward, and her shoulder slammed into Sora’s chest.

    “......!!”

    Sora was thrown to the ground. The floor, padded with soft mats, cushioned her fall, but she hastily tried to push herself back up.

    “Ah.”

    But a red fire axe was now inches from her face.

    And with that, the finals of Hyper Action Star came to a dramatic close.

    Not without its share of surprises.

    The show Hyper Action Star, which had gained popularity for its audition to select the lead actor for an upcoming movie, had come to an end.

    Aside from the early hype surrounding Group A, the show had struggled with low ratings.

    Though there had been a slight rebound, the general opinion remained lukewarm. It was, after all, not a typical audition but more of a variety show, with less emphasis on acting and more on simple entertainment.

    “Well, that’s just how these promotional audition shows go.”

    “Still, wasn’t it kind of fun?”

    Reactions were generally mixed, but the show had managed to maintain decent ratings—an average of over 6%.

    For a cable variety show, those numbers were quite impressive, and everyone was satisfied.

    Even if the show had ended here, most would have been content.

    But then, the finale exploded in popularity.

    [The spectacular finale of Hyper Action Star wasn’t pre-choreographed?] [Narumi Sora: ‘It felt like we were really fighting.’]

    Articles like these quickly spread, setting the internet ablaze.

    Wait, but if that was the final battle, isn’t that a spoiler for the movie?Nah, apparently the movie’s plot is different.I wish the movie was like that though. So, Yeohwa is the protagonist?Yeah, whoever wins in the final becomes the lead.

    Yeohwa, the character, became a hot topic.

    Though portrayed as a villain, she was the ultimate victor.

    I was rooting for Sora though...Hold your head up, Sora. Losing to a strong opponent isn’t shameful.A strong opponent (truly).Honestly, Sora did great considering her opponent was Seoyeon. I thought Sora’s head was going to get split by that axe.

    Though some of the improvised lines felt awkward, they had been more than enough to draw viewers in.

    With action scenes dominating, many found the finale entertaining.

    What had been expected to be a mere 5-minute action scene had stretched to nearly 15 minutes, flooding the internet with clips and memes.

    In Ju Seoyeon’s fan community, many hailed her performance as the best they’d ever seen.

    Is Ju Seoyeon with the fire axe now her strongest version?Yup, even Cha Seo-ah would get her head split.But Cha Seo-ah uses an axe too.Seoyeon’s always liked axes.?? Why?She said in an interview it’s because axes look strong.;; Axes are strong, I guess;;

    Thus, Ju Seoyeon was chosen as the lead for Mine. There weren’t many dissenting opinions about the decision.

    Though some people jokingly suggested she might want to try UFC instead of acting...

    Either way.

    Having secured the lead role in Mine, Ju Seoyeon soon found herself in high demand.

    “Seoyeon, you’ve got a public service ad offer.”

    “Huh? For me? From where?”

    “The fire department.”

    “......”

    Seoyeon let out an exasperated sigh as the flood of CF offers continued to pour in.