The first place where rumors about Veterans spread like wildfire was none other than Narae Arts High School.
Which made sense—after all, the lead actress attended this very school.
Thanks to last year’s festival performance of Shall We Fall Together?, Ha-eun’s name was already well known among the students.
To them, she wasn’t just some celebrity they occasionally saw on TV.
“Hey, Jjudo! Your queen’s movie is out!”
“…She hasn’t been my queen for a while now.”
Even for Joo Do-yoon, who had played Kyle in Shall We Fall Together?, Lee Ha-eun’s presence wasn’t something he could easily ignore.
Her intense performance—something he had witnessed firsthand on stage—was still burned into his memory.
And the biggest beneficiary of Narae Arts High School’s official YouTube channel posting the Shall We Fall Together? stage recording?
The video had already surpassed ten million views, and it was what led to Do-yoon being cast in You, Me, and Us, a popular sketch comedy YouTube channel.
As for why he was watching Veterans?
It was because the other members of You, Me, and Us had invited him.
Unlike high schooler Do-yoon, the others were university students who had just finished their finals and decided to celebrate by watching Veterans together.
“But wait, Do-yoon’s a senior, right? Is it okay for him to be going out to movies with us?”
“C’mon, he deserves a break for at least one day~.”
“I was asking him, not you.”
“It’s fine. Let’s go watch Veterans.”
Their main excuse was “It’s just a fun way to celebrate the end of finals.”
But at the end of the day, You, Me, and Us was a channel that produced scripted content.
So watching a film that was currently dominating the box office was a good way to study and learn.
“Like, the sound design, the directing—stuff like that.”
“Pfft, anyone can say they’re analyzing those things.”
“Hey, let me pretend to sound cool in front of our junior for once!”
And so, the day passed.
Then, the next day—after watching Veterans—
“Alright, we’re playing soccer. If you want to join, start kicking. If you’d rather chill in the classroom, go ahead.”
“Sir! Class 1 has free period too—can they join?”
“Do whatever you want.”
The moment Do-yoon spotted the students from Class 1 approaching the field, he started to sweat.
More specifically, his eyes landed on the one girl among them who had joined the game—Ha-eun.
Technically, he already knew she was unusually enthusiastic when it came to gym class.
Her athletic ability far surpassed most of the guys at school, and the other students actually welcomed her participation.
But that was before Do-yoon had watched Veterans.
“Jjudo! Block Lee Ha-eun!”
As Ha-eun dribbled toward him, effortlessly controlling the ball, Do-yoon’s mind automatically overlapped her with Ye-seo from Veterans.
He couldn’t help but glance at her hands—just to make sure there was nothing in them.
In the end, Do-yoon couldn’t do a damn thing to stop her.
He instinctively flinched at the sight of her sharp, focused eyes shifting between him and the goal.
Ha-eun kicked the ball straight into the net.
“Jjudo!! Are you just gonna let the queen score?!”
“Shut up! Why don’t you try blocking her?!”
As expected, his teammates started complaining.
Some even thought he was letting her score on purpose, which made him feel even more wronged.
To be fair, even before he watched Veterans, stopping Ha-eun was nearly impossible.
She handled the ball so naturally that he had once wondered if she had actually been born male.
“I just wanted to live. Because if my mother was still alive… she would definitely kill me one day!!”
The scene of Ye-seo lunging at Jeon Jae-han burned into his memory.
Ha-eun had just scored again.
Do-yoon couldn’t even meet her gaze.
At this rate, stopping her was basically impossible.
“Ugh!! Jjudo, do you like Lee Ha-eun or something?!”
“Why the hell are you just letting her through?!”
Once a rumor starts spreading, it becomes nearly impossible to stop.
From the moment its first teaser dropped, its hype was already beyond control—both online and offline.
Which, of course, also applied to Nael’s livestream.
She had practically been advertising that she was going to see Veterans for days.
So, naturally, her viewers were dying to hear her post-movie thoughts.
Sensing their expectations, Nael was more than willing to deliver.
Thus, the livestream titled “Just Watched Veterans!! (Spoilers Ahead)” began.
“As some of you might already know, I posted a ticket selfie in the fan café. You see this? The pic I took in the theater?”
“If I eat nachos too, I’ll get fat. Anyway! I finally watched Veterans, and damn, it was amazing. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re seriously missing out.”
Nael’s voice grew increasingly excited as she began describing the most memorable scenes.
Of course, a large [Spoiler Warning] banner flashed across the screen.
“It’s terrifying, but sexy. She just… gazes at her secretary and says she wants to step out for some fresh air, and—God—that look in her eyes? I’ve never seen a stare that seductive before.”
“Oh! And the next part? Freaking iconic. She’s sitting there, casually running a knife across her fingers right before killing the homeless guy, and I swear—chills.”
Nael went on to rave about Ye-seo’s second murder scene, explaining in vivid detail how the character’s sheer presence had electrified her.
Particularly that moment—
When Ye-seo, blood splattered across her face, clicked her tongue in irritation after killing the man.
The look of pure contempt. The venom-laced cursing.
It was something Nael had never seen from Ha-eun before.
“You all know how sweet Lee Ha-eun is, right? I mean, her volunteer work just made the news a few days ago. So I thought she’d be the type who couldn’t curse properly, but—God—the way she spat those words out while popping the top buttons on her blouse?”
Nael cut herself off, momentarily lost in the scene playing back in her mind.
“No, listen—this isn’t just me being dramatic. That shot was designed to be jaw-dropping. Her face—her national treasure of a face—covered in blood as she looked down at the guy she just killed? The charisma was insane.”
For nearly an hour, Nael continued dissecting Veterans—or, rather, Ye-seo’s performance.
Technically, it was less of a movie review and more of a “Lee Ha-eun in Veterans” appreciation rant.
But considering she was the film’s sole antagonist, hyping her up was basically hyping the entire movie.
And it wasn’t just Nael.
As more people left the theaters, more reviews flooded in.
Which meant Veterans was now spreading at an even faster rate.
“Veterans Hits 7 Million—Pendulum 3 Falls to Second Place”
“Unstoppable Box Office Run—Veterans Dominates the Summer Market”
“Seo Jin-tae & Lee Ha-eun’s Intense Hand-to-Hand Combat in Veterans”
Major news outlets took notice.
Even those who hadn’t planned on watching it…
Eventually, they found themselves buying tickets.
This was snowballing at its finest.
What had started as simple interest in big-name actors and an intriguing plot had grown into a full-blown avalanche, swallowing up the entire industry.
And what greeted the audience at the start of Veterans?
A ruthless serial killer.
A woman toying with her latest victim—only to mercilessly slaughter him moments later.
“We’d like to ask for your cooperation. A homeless man has gone missing.”
“And why are you looking for him here?”
“Well, the last security footage of him… shows him entering this building.”
Ye-seo, feigning innocence.
The audience, fully aware of her crimes.
And yet, as the officers nod along, completely convinced by her act—
A deep, unsettling helplessness sets in.
“We checked with security. It seems the footage from that day… was deleted.”
“Ah. Deleted, was it?”
“Yes. Completely gone.”
By now, the viewers knew how dangerous she was.
So when she smiled—that gentle, delicate smile—
“We’ll let you know if we recover it.”
“Please do. Time is crucial in cases .”
“Um… Ye-seo? Why did you… call me here?”
“Min-hwa, I heard something interesting about you.”
“M-Me? What are you talking about?”
Ugh, Ye-seo’s such a stuck-up bit—
God, the way she flaunts her money—
Min-hwa had spoken ill of her.
Tears dripped down Ye-seo’s empty expression.
As did Min-hwa’s blood.
For the audience, fear wasn’t the issue anymore.
Because at this point, they knew someone had to stop her.
They just didn’t know when—or how.
And then, the peak of their unease—
“Is it cold? Does it hurt? Does it sting? Say something, come on.”
Just as Ye-seo was about to murder Kang Chan-seong—
A knock at the door interrupts her.
She exhales, clicks her tongue in irritation, then knocks him unconscious before answering.
“Yes? What’s the matter?”
A soft, polite smile.
As if she hadn’t just been torturing a man moments ago.
“Some protesters have gathered at the entrance.”
“Oh dear. That wasn’t scheduled, was it?”
“No. Should I call the police?”
“No need. Just send them up. I hear they haven’t even eaten yet—how cruel would it be to turn them away?”
“Let’s be civil, shall we?”
And that’s how Seo Jun-hyuk and his son ended up in Ye-seo’s office.
The audience braced themselves.
Would they be her next victims?
But what they saw was something far more disturbing than simple murder.
“For your adorable son… how far would you go?”
A pile of crisp, million-won banknotes.
A knife forced into a father’s hands.
“It’s simple. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and stab—
I mean, come on. He’s unarmed.”
A child watching as his father was beaten to a pulp.
Just as little Min-woo tried to run to his father—
Ye-seo gently scooped him into her arms.
“Daddy’s working right now. Don’t interrupt, okay?”
A soft whisper. A gentle caress.
And yet, every fiber of the audience’s being screamed at them to run.
“Actually, this is perfect.”
“You might be different.”
A blade to Jeon Jae-han’s throat.
“How about you die too?”