Chapter 46: *Caution

Zziing—

The van window quickly closed.

The moment they were alone, Kim Yi-seo hurriedly asked.

“Sua, did I hear that right? You’re not going to do this project?”

Her voice was filled with disbelief.

She was clearly looking for some kind of response, but Sua remained unchanged.

She simply nodded again.

“Yes. I don’t plan on participating in this project.”

“Mm.”

Kim Yi-seo wiggled her fingers. The answer was completely different from what she had expected.

“Umm, hmm.”

Kim Yi-seo’s mind was in turmoil.

Of course, Sua had never acted as Kim Yi-seo expected, but this was too much. Why was it always in the areas she couldn’t even imagine that there were disagreements?

Especially today, on the day of the contract with Mystic.

She had already encountered a setback.

Knock—

There was a knock on the window. It was Seo Jae-woo.

Kim Yi-seo slightly lowered the window and flashed a smile.

“Seo Jae-woo, just a moment. Let us talk for a bit.”

Her voice was relaxed, without a hint of urgency.

But even that couldn’t hide the sweat clinging to her forehead, the two large hairpins in her hair looking particularly heavy.

This situation must be quite embarrassing for her.

“…Is this really something we need to discuss for so long? It’s just a few pages of a sample script, and I don’t see anything wrong with the conditions.”

“Sua is a newcomer. There’s a lot to explain.”

Kim Yi-seo responded to Seo Jae-woo’s confusion with a seasoned smile, then closed the window and continued negotiating with Sua.

“…Sua, did you hear that? This is just a sample script. It’s too early to reject it outright. You could at least try for an audition.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not interested.”

“Does that mean it’s not your taste? In that case, let me offer some advice. It’s such a good opportunity that it would be a mistake to turn it down just because it’s not your preference. Especially for a newcomer like you.”

“No. It’s not about taste. The script is just strange.”

Kim Yi-seo stopped mid-sentence. She could feel the unyielding determination in Sua, who wouldn’t be swayed even after several attempts.

After taking a deep breath, she asked briefly.

“So, in the end, Sua, you have no intention of doing this project?”

Kim Yi-seo barely swallowed the words that followed.

The role suited Sua’s image perfectly, and it was a project by the well-connected director Kim Jun-ki, among other things.

“Yes.”

An answer so firm.

It was something Kim Yi-seo couldn’t handle with her usual influence.

She could drag a donkey to the water, but she couldn’t force it to drink. If the actor was this determined in rejecting, what could she do?

‘I won’t be able to convince her right now.’

Kim Yi-seo hadn’t completely given up on persuading Sua, but she started thinking about what other actions she could take.

Seo Jae-woo was waiting outside the van, looking puzzled. The longer the wait, the more he must have felt something was off.

Therefore, the plan was simple. First, send Seo Jae-woo away, and then calmly try to persuade Sua.

Zziing—

Once again, the window was lowered.

“Seo Jae-woo, I’ll return the sample script first.”

Kim Yi-seo said in a soft tone.

“It looks really luxurious, even just a glance. I was surprised.”

“Right? Later, there will be a cruise shoot, and it’s all about rich people having fun. But… Sua, your expression doesn’t seem too good?”

Seo Jae-woo’s eyes shifted to Sua, and at the same time, Kim Yi-seo, sensing the impending crisis, gently tapped Sua’s toes with the tip of her shoe. Even Sua could understand the meaning.

Even if she refused, at least she should pretend.

Sua agreed. She knew well the importance of image management. There’s a world of difference between an actor who is difficult to deal with and one who is rude.

Sua spoke up.

“It looks interesting. It’s a scenario I’ve imagined at least once.”

“Then there’s no reason to hesitate. Just go for the audition! I watched your mock shoot, didn’t I? If you show even half of your skills, you’ll pass for sure!”

“But.”

Sua carefully asked.

“How is the rating for this film?”

“Right. I almost forgot to mention that. It’s rated 15 and up.”

“otot.”

Once Seo Jae-woo saw Sua subtly nodding, he continued.

“Other actors have a really tough time. They have to learn piano, baseball, mixed martial arts… they get dragged to remote places… Just look at the role of Ryu Hyun-ah. She’s a piano genius in the script, so the actress has to suffer a lot.”

“Hmm.”

“But for you, Sua, all you need to do is wear luxury clothes and have fun. Isn’t that just so unfair?”

He then smiled broadly.

“But that’s how the world of actors works. And if that works in Sua’s favor, then there’s no reason to refuse!”

His words were simple and clear.

This project meant Sua could make money while enjoying herself.

At that moment, Kim Yi-seo stepped in at the perfect time.

“Sua isn’t dissatisfied, she’s just wondering because she’s satisfied. She’s a newcomer, after all. If you’ve only had difficult shoots and suddenly get an offer like this, it’s understandable to be surprised.”

“Ah, is that so? You’re surprised in that way?”

Seo Jae-woo finally understood and nodded, and Kim Yi-seo continued speaking. It was a calculated move to make sure there was no direct conversation between Seo Jae-woo and Sua.

“By the way, isn’t Director Kim known for making R-rated films? This time, he’s going for a 15+ rating?”

“R-rated films have a limit on audience numbers. This time, we’re going for something more mainstream. R-rated films are well-regarded, but if you’re aiming for a hit, the rating has to be lowered.”

“From Mystic’s perspective, that’s a good thing. Especially for Sua, since she’s a newcomer and a woman, an R-rated film would be a risky choice.”

Kim Yi-seo continued to offer clever compliments, pretending to show more interest, while making sure Seo Jae-woo felt reassured but not upset.

A little while later.

“Then I’ll contact you again later.”

Her experience clearly shone through.

“How long would that take?”

“You know I was at the mock shoot, right? Lately, there have been quite a few people getting attached to Sua. I’ll need a little time to push them all away and handle things.”

“Still, please do it as quickly as possible. I actually told the director I found the perfect role for him. Please help me out so I can stand tall.”

“Of course. I’ll get it to you soon.”

No matter how much time she bought, it wasn’t going to be a huge amount of time. Ultimately, a response would need to be given by tonight. This meant Kim Yi-seo had to convince Sua within that time.

Kim Yi-seo nodded gently and successfully sent Seo Jae-woo away.

Immediately after.

“Whoo…”

Kim Yi-seo opened a bottle of water. It looked unusually large in her small hands.

She drank the whole bottle without stopping.

Then, she grabbed Sua’s hands firmly.

“Sua, look me in the eyes and tell me. What’s going on?”

Had Kim Yi-seo ever asked this seriously before? Sua’s chest tightened slightly.

“Sua.”

“Yes.”

“If there are a hundred roles, this one is one of the easiest. And the director is Kim Jun-gi. It’s a project where you can take it easy, increase your name recognition, and make money.”

Sua knew that this was an easy role. She knew!

But there was an unavoidable reason.

…What do I do when I can’t even experience the role?

As soon as Sua touched the script, she had the chance to visit a luxury hotel and confirmed it clearly at the phone booth there.

[Movie “Life is All About Money.”]

Enough elements to implement.

001- · Park So-jin (Virgin, cannot experience)

This “Park So-jin” role was that of the youngest daughter of a chaebol family, but Sua couldn’t even experience it. She was still a virgin, after all.

And that wasn’t the only case. Most of the roles were like that.

002 – Jeong Do-jin (Virgin, cannot experience)

003 – Choi Hyun-woo (Virgin, cannot experience)

004 – Ryu Hyun-ah (*Warning, includes special abilities)

All of them had the condition that if the character was a virgin, the experience was not allowed, and in the case of Ryu Hyun-ah (number 4), it looked dangerous, so it couldn’t even be attempted. There was no way she’d risk it and cause a problem.

Of course, there were ways to check the rating.

She now knew how to use the perks.

024 – Cheese.

What is cheese? It was a cat.

…A real cat. A meowing cat.

Experiencing being a rich family’s cat was truly a strange experience.

If she decided to mimic a cat right now, it felt like she could walk on all fours.

Anyway, the grade she confirmed with difficulty was:

[Movie “Life is All About Money.”]

Enough elements to implement.

Experience complete / Grade 6.

Grade 6. It was a grade so bizarre it went beyond mere confusion.

‘Aren’t they saying he’s a master director with a wide network? How could this be? Oh, is it because people around me only said good things that this happened?’

Moreover, there was one more thing that intrigued her.

‘The director mentioned 15 years, but when I tried to experience it, everything was rated 18+. What’s going on here?’

However, soon she dismissed all her thoughts.

Thinking about it would only waste time.

Since Sua didn’t have clairvoyance, no matter what the circumstances behind the scenes were, the moment she was offered a role she couldn’t experience, rejection was already inevitable.

Moreover, with the grade being trash, there was no reason to accept it.

In the meantime, Kim Yi-seo was still watching Sua.

It was quite an awkward situation.

Why is a master director making a Grade 6 movie? Isn’t this a scam cover? And why are all the roles rated 18+ when it’s supposedly a 15+ movie? She couldn’t ask about such things.

Sua paused for a moment and then chose the safe option.

“My heart isn’t reacting.”

To others, it might sound like she was filtering out projects based on intuition, but it couldn’t be helped. This was the best answer she could give.

In fact, Kim Yi-seo had already thought of Sua as that kind of actor.

Two opposing opinions. The situation became even more complicated.

“…So, Sua’s motivation isn’t sparked at all?”

“Yes. The representative told me I have a unique charm. But I don’t think that charm will be able to show in this project.”

Kim Yi-seo’s face became subtly more tense.

Sua understood her feelings.

She had brought her here with three sports cars, and now she was rejecting a master director’s project from the first day? And using lack of motivation as an excuse? It must have been a bit frustrating for her.

“I’ll work harder on other things. Please reject this one.”

Kim Yi-seo quietly opened a bottle of water and drank.

She had brought Sua because she believed in her, but she was still a bit confused. Thinking back, she had never faced such a situation when dealing with Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Sun-il. Everything had gone as Kim Yi-seo wished.

If she was going to work with Sua, would she have to get used to such things? No, could she get used to them? Kim Yi-seo, who was experiencing something for the first time, continued emptying her water bottle.

“…Alright.”

She nodded in the end.

Working as Sua’s representative. It wasn’t going to be easy from the first day.

A few hours later.

Kim Yi-seo dropped Sua off at Mystic Entertainment’s building, and Sua headed toward a nearby nail salon.

A nail salon, huh.

She had never imagined herself heading to a place like this.

In the past, she had even thought that she would never have a reason to go to a nail salon in her life.

But no, she wasn’t going there by choice today.

It was only because of Seo Yeon-ju’s phone call.

Sua immediately opened the door to the shop and entered.

“Welcome.”

The staff greeted her kindly.

In response, Sua slightly bowed her head. It was an unconscious action. And that realization unexpectedly surprised her.

…How did I become so skilled at this?

All of these actions felt as natural as water flowing, familiar.

The way the other person slightly shrank when facing Sua, greeting with grace based on careful calculation. Reducing unnecessary movements or awkwardness to avoid looking too light…

Many other things came out effortlessly without any conscious thought. Is this also part of acting? Has my skill improved?

Anyway, it’s not a bad thing. Definitely a good thing.

‘It feels nice. To be able to develop with this image.’

That’s when it happened.

“Sua, are you here? Come over and sit.”

The reason that had led her to this place, Seo Yeon-ju, tapped the chair next to her. Currently, she was sitting comfortably while one of the staff members attended to her hand.

Sua sat next to Seo Yeon-ju and spoke.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“What matter? I just thought we could do our nails and chat. We’re family now, right? Sisters should get along well.”

“…So, it’s not about work.”

“Are you disappointed it’s not about work? That’s called work addiction.”

Sua felt relieved but guessed that the meaning didn’t quite reach Seo Yeon-ju. She smiled gently.

“If you only think about work, life gets hard. Sometimes, you need days like this. For now, just relax and enjoy it.”

For Sua, it was simply a surprising thought.

‘Who would have thought I’d spend personal time with Seo Yeon-ju…’

The epitome of purity. The top-tier actress Seo Yeon-ju had chosen Sua to spend time with. A truly glorious thing.

As Sua admired Seo Yeon-ju’s face up close, the feeling was mutual. Seo Yeon-ju widened her eyes as she looked at Sua.

“You’re even more amazing up close, huh? White hair is really hard to pull off, but you… it suits you perfectly.”

“Arctic fox.”

“Huh?”

“…Arctic fox. They say I look like an Arctic fox.”

Sua emphasized the comparison to an Arctic fox.

And for a moment, there was a brief silence.

In truth, the animal Seo Yeon-ju had in mind was a snow wolf. The Arctic fox wasn’t without connection, but Sua definitely seemed more like a wolf than a fox…

While Sua was deep in thought, she asked again.

“Right?”

“Uh, uh-huh? Yes, yes.”

Seo Yeon-ju quickly nodded her head.

It was now time to begin the actual nail process. The staff member handed Sua a catalog with samples. It was something similar to a menu board in a restaurant.

“How would you like it done?”

“Um.”

For Sua, it was already a challenge.

There were concepts like a seashell theme swept onto a sandy beach, a leopard print theme, a checkered theme, and so on.

She didn’t know what to choose, and none of them really appealed to her. Would she really put something like that on her nails? It just seemed like it would be annoying.

That’s when Seo Yeon-ju burst into laughter. Sua wondered if her awkwardness was showing.

“Sorry. It’s just so funny seeing the staff shaking. Hey, Sua, relax your face. This is a place to have fun, a place to have fun. It’s not in front of the camera, so you can relax.”

The staff shrugged her shoulders.

“…You’re more special than I expected, so I’m a bit nervous.”

“Oh my, look at you. Am I not special?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. Anyway, what should we do?”

By that time, Sua still hadn’t figured out what to do, and once again, it was Seo Yeon-ju who broke the silence.

“Sis, looks like Sua doesn’t like anything. Let’s go with custom.”

“Yeah, that’s probably the best option. None of these samples seem to suit you. For a customer like this, we’ll have to draw something custom that’ll match… and then do the treatment.”

From Sua’s perspective, it felt like even worse news.

Not being able to choose a sample meant that she would have to decide every detail of the nail design herself. It was like the difficulty level just skyrocketed.

In the meantime, Seo Yeon-ju thought about what might suit Sua.

‘Now that I think about it, she mentioned Arctic fox earlier.’

Her hair color aside, it seemed like Sua liked the Arctic theme.

What’s in the Arctic? Penguins? But penguins are from the South Pole. Arctic gold? No, polar bears might be a bit too much.

Saying Arctic fox again seemed a bit cliché. Come to think of it, don’t rabbits also live in the polar regions? Seo Yeon-ju’s eyes sparkled.

“…Sua, how about a rabbit?”

After much thought, Seo Yeon-ju suggested “rabbit.”

“A rabbit? Oh, I have an idea. How about this?”

The staff immediately began moving her hands. For her, drawing a sample was no big deal, given her excellent skill.

Before long, the rough draft was born.

On a white background, two red eyes were drawn with a green leaf on the forehead.

It was a very tiny but violently cute rabbit.

Sua’s heart began to race. Thump, thump, thump. Very loudly.

“Too bothersome, so I’ll just go with this one.”

Sua acted indifferent. But internally, she was very excited.

The work began, and Seo Yeon-ju spoke up.

“By the way, Sua, did you hear about that?”

“What?”

“They say some well-known people from the Special Task Force 808 might come by. What are they called again? They’re making a movie about music, and they’re apparently eager to start filming…”

A moment later, ten little eye rabbits were born on top of Sua’s nails.

Even Seo Yeon-ju, who was beside her, couldn’t help but be impressed with the result.

“Oh my, I should’ve done this too. Sua, this is so cute….”

Sua moved as if it were bothersome. She gave a small nod.

In fact, she was so happy that she lost her words.

Seo Yeon-ju placed Sua’s hand neatly on the desk, then placed her own hand next to it and took a photo. Seo Yeon-ju’s nails were leopard print, reminiscent of a cheetah.

Next, they took a selfie side by side. Seo Yeon-ju asked Sua to show her hand with the nails visible, so Sua did. It was the kind of hand gesture you see when zombies or ghosts are hopping around.

Seo Yeon-ju chuckled.

“Today’s nails are my gift. A celebration of becoming part of Mystic. Please take care of me from now on.”

Sua, still unable to take her eyes off her nails, thought to herself. Sometimes, this wasn’t so bad.

Her life had already changed a lot.

At a street food stall, during a soju commercial shoot.

“Seon-il! That was so good! In 10 minutes, we’ll try again with a different tie! This will be the last one!”

Wearing black dress pants, his shirt slightly undone at the top, and his tie loosened. Moreover, his hair was styled with a wax that made it look as if he had just been caught in the rain.

The crew’s reaction was inevitable.

“Seon-il… so handsome…”

“How are we supposed to handle that decadence?”

“How can a tired office worker look so sexy?”

Meanwhile, Kim Seon-il was checking his phone, taking a break. The break was for 10 minutes, and unusually, he had received a message from Seo Yeon-ju.

He considered deleting it but decided to open it.

It wasn’t text, but a photo, which piqued his curiosity.

[From: Seo Yeon-ju]
▷ I took a photo with Sua.
(Picture of them doing nails together)
▷ So cute~~~

Even Kim Seon-il thought that Sua dyeing her hair white was a brilliant move. It felt like the mythical dragon finally finding its pearl.

Furthermore, the combination of the two was good. If Seo Yeon-ju was a rabbit, Sua was a wolf. What an Arctic-themed combination.

Kim Seon-il, who had been looking at the screen with satisfaction, soon changed his expression to a neutral one. It was because he couldn’t quite adjust to this version of himself.

He quickly typed a short reply.

“Don’t mess around.”

Everyone’s time was passing by intensely.

“Let’s try it one more time before we eat!”

The Special Task Force 808 actors, including Park Do-hee and Hwang Myeong-pil, were once again gathered, focusing hard on their practice.

Meanwhile, in the editing room for the short film ‘Sword.’

Director Park Jun received some news during editing.

“She finally joined Mystic? Huh, she fits quite well. She got in well! I wonder how much she got for her signing bonus? If Shin Sua got a signing bonus, isn’t that almost a first?”

He was momentarily happy as if it were his own success.

But soon, he hung up the phone and began to focus on the editing with even more passion than before. His enthusiasm was immense.

In his mind, the future was already unfolding.

He was determined to make it to the finals. The protagonist who revived this project, Lee Sua, would be wearing an elegant dress at film festivals, attending everywhere with ‘Sword.’

As he watched those scenes, they no longer seemed like just a fantasy.

He was sure it would become a reality soon.

Nighttime.

Sua was wandering inside the Mystic Entertainment building.

She was looking around here and there. Normally, people would be eager to get away from work, but Sua was different.

To her, this building felt like an amusement park.

‘It’s so fun just looking around…’

Of course, there was a cafeteria, and there were spaces to exercise. There was also a mirror space for practicing dance… To Sua, it was all just fascinating.

Then, suddenly, she stopped her footsteps at a certain place.

“This place…”

It was a soundproof room, with a grand piano sitting prominently in the center.

Suddenly, the words of Manager Seo Jae-woo came to mind.

—Because of the role, I had to learn baseball, learn boxing… I was dragged to some mountain village… Even with this character, Ryu Hyun-ah, she’s a genius in martial arts, so the actor had to suffer a lot.

Sua was curious.

How much would the script experience affect her body?

She had gotten the feeling of ‘speeding violations’ but had no way to confirm it, since she didn’t have a driver’s license.

She had experienced the swordsmanship from ‘Sword,’ but that alone wasn’t enough to judge if her sword skills had improved. The short film was focused more on the philosophy of sword fighting than the actual technique.

In other words, Sua still didn’t know.

How much would the script truly make her grow?

‘I’ll be exposed to many more scripts in the future. But…?’

This was a task Sua needed to quickly address.

‘What if I avoid high-level scripts because they’re hard to experience? Or even if I’ve experienced them, my portrayal might not be able to follow through…’

“What if it affects my acting because I can’t experience it?”

Sua reflected on the past.

She avoided experiences because they were difficult, and there were things she couldn’t do because she was a virgin. Fortunately, up until now, she had been lucky. The ratings of those scripts were low, which made them less difficult.

But from now on, this situation wouldn’t be the same. There would be roles that required very high skills but had excellent ratings.

“If I miss out on those, it would be such a shame, right?”

So, now was the time to confirm things.

Sua reviewed the list of experiences again.

[Movie ‘Life is All About Money’]
Enough elements to fulfill.

001 – Park So-jin (Virgin experience not possible)
002 – Jeong Do-jin (Virgin experience not possible)
003 – Choi Hyun-woo (Virgin experience not possible)
004 –
Ryu Hyun-ah (*Warning, includes special abilities)

She had been scared by the word “warning,” but after repeatedly thinking about the fact that Ryu Hyun-ah was a piano genius, it seemed a little different now.

Could the special abilities include the possibility she had been expecting? A small hope and expectation.

In the end, Sua chose Ryu Hyun-ah.

Ssssssss—

[Recognizing that the role includes special abilities.]
[There is a large gap between the abilities of the role and the special features.]
[Preparing to narrow the gap…]
[…Preparation complete. Injecting.]

It was a phrase Sua had never seen before.

She muttered absentmindedly.

“Injection? Why such a creepy word…”

Immediately, the world felt like it was fast-forwarding.

It was like all the books in the library were quickly squeezing into Sua’s mind. It felt like her head would explode the moment she lost concentration.

Ryu Hyun-ah’s life had been tough.

When she opened her eyes, she had to practice the piano all day, and if she made a mistake, she would be hit with a rod and stand in punishment. How many days had she spent like that? Sua was forcefully repeating that experience.

By the time Sua almost forgot that she was Sua,

Pah!

“…Huh?”

Sua came back to reality.

When she lived as Ryu Hyun-ah, she had almost forgotten she was Sua, but now, Ryu Hyun-ah’s memories felt faint. It was as if she had experienced a moment that didn’t even last 0.1 seconds?

It felt like pressing a 500 million-year button that she had seen on the internet. Anyway, now Sua didn’t feel any mental burden. She didn’t feel any physical exhaustion either.

Then suddenly, she swallowed her saliva.

Not dry saliva, but saliva from hunger.

The grand piano in front of her suddenly looked very inviting. It felt like her only true friend.

When she came to her senses, her hands were on the grand piano.

Unconsciously, her fingers began to move.

Tadatadad—

Sua froze, not knowing what was happening.

And after a while, once again.

Tadatadad—

She had no choice but to freeze again.

But this time, it came with delayed admiration.

“Wow….”

The sound she was producing was so beautiful.

She also realized something. Goosebumps spread all over her body.

Her acting spectrum.

It was not narrow at all. It couldn’t be narrow.