Chapter 30: Ah / It was easy.

The mock filming was halted amidst a commotion.

It was inevitable, as one of the actors had fainted. The manager, along with the medical team and others, rushed to check Park Do-hee’s condition.

Fortunately, she did not remain unconscious for long.

A cool towel was applied to her face, and a few acupressure techniques on her limbs were enough. Soon, Park Do-hee opened her eyes.

“Do-hee! Park Do-hee! Can you recognize me?”

“… Manager oppa?”

Still not fully conscious, Park Do-hee’s face, which had been filled with exhaustion, was soon painted with shock.

“…!”

The memories of the prior incident came rushing back. She quickly scanned her surroundings.

“Did you call the police? That psychopath…”

However, Park Do-hee couldn’t finish her sentence.

“…What?”

Her gaze fell on Lee Sua, and something was off.

Lee Sua, who was now leaning against the medical team, stood indifferently. The madness that seemed to cling to her like a tailored suit had completely vanished.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Simultaneously, she was astonished at her own state. Park Do-hee no longer felt any malice from Sua. She wasn’t afraid.

“Do-hee, what’s wrong? Are you still feeling dizzy?”

“…”

Ignoring her manager’s words, Park Do-hee pondered for a moment.

“…Acting? Don’t tell me, that was all acting?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Reviewing the script and recalling the scene confirmed it for her.

Sua had only been acting, and she had been utterly swept up in it, even fainting as a result.

Park Do-hee’s face turned bright red. A mix of shame and admiration for Sua surged within her.

‘This is impossible. Can acting really be so vivid?’

While recalling Sua’s performance, the medical team returned.

“Do-hee, how are you feeling? Let’s take it easy today. It’s just a mock shoot, not the main one. Don’t push yourself.”

“I feel fine now.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You collapsed quite dramatically earlier…”

“I’m fine. I’m really fine.”

The medical team checked Park Do-hee’s condition repeatedly.

However, Park Do-hee herself was puzzled. When and how exactly had she fainted? Her last memory was hazy.

Afterward, she cautiously approached PD Choi Heewon.

“PD-nim, I’m sorry for all the NGs during today’s shoot. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Can we try just once more?”

“NGs? What NGs are you talking about?”

“Well, obviously…”

Park Do-hee thought of the script.

She wasn’t supposed to faint. Her character, Lee Garam, was meant to desperately beg for her life until the very end.

“I fainted, didn’t I? It wasn’t according to the script.”

“No. This was much better. The writer has already begun revising the script. All you need to do is apologize to Sua.”

“Apologize?”

“Yes, the ad-lib was good, but it was a bit intense.”

Ad-lib? What ad-lib?

Perhaps because she fainted so abruptly, Park Do-hee’s memories were unclear. The only thing she could remember was how Sua had seemed like a murderer at that moment.

“…Anyway, the filming went well, right?”

“Yes, it was excellent.”

As her mind cleared, Park Do-hee began to grasp her surroundings. Gradually, she started to hear the voices around her more distinctly.

“So, she responded to the ad-lib with another ad-lib?”

“She was still acting even with her arm being bitten?”

“…I couldn’t do that. No one could in their right mind.”

“What on earth is she?”

Strangely, people didn’t seem very concerned about the fact that Park Do-hee had fainted. Or rather, they didn’t seem to have the luxury to care.

On a makeshift table stood a monitor.

Everyone’s attention was fixated on it, engrossed in a particular video they kept replaying while engaging in lively discussions.

Naturally, Park Do-hee approached and blended into the crowd.

What was playing was the scene she had performed with Lee Sua.

And soon, she couldn’t help but become absorbed in it as well.

No one could take their eyes off the monitor.

“You’re awake?”

Even in an environment devoid of costumes or props and without any makeup on the actors, Lee Sua’s performance shone with an unparalleled brilliance.

“Writer Lee. PD Choi.”

Hwang Myeong-pil, often referred to as the golden supporting actor, spoke up.

“…What the hell is that lunatic? Did you really bring in Kim Yuhan?”

His voice was filled with bewilderment.

Yet, no one refuted his question.

Until now, no one had fully understood the character of Kim Yuhan.

It was natural. How could anyone comprehend a role that the writer herself had left incomplete?

But things had changed.

Now, there was no one who didn’t grasp the character of Kim Yuhan. The actor’s detailed portrayal had made it undeniably clear.

Everyone kept stealing glances at Sua, unable to hide their fascination.

“I used to think casting someone for a role of a different gender didn’t make sense…”

“…But now it does.”

Among the crowd, there was someone observing the monitor with great intensity.

A figure so youthful in appearance that a casual glance might mistake them for a girl — Kim Yi-seo, the head of Mystic Entertainment.

Officially, she claimed to have come to evaluate their contracted actors, Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Sun-il. But in truth, her purpose was different.

Kim Yi-seo had come specifically to see Lee Sua’s performance.

And now, her expectations had not been betrayed.

“…She ad-libbed there? Without a single hesitation or doubt?”

The main reason for her amazement was undoubtedly Lee Sua’s ad-lib.

Kim Yi-seo valued the “essence” of an actor above all else.

The world was already full of skilled actors, but what mattered was not being bland or colorless. Kim Yi-seo firmly believed that every actor should have their own distinctiveness.

And now, it became certain.

“She has her own distinct color and essence. And it’s incredibly strong.”

The moment Sua delved into the ad-lib, Kim Yi-seo’s expectations soared to great heights. She even found herself seriously contemplating if what stood before her was truly Kim Yuhan himself.

“Raw and untamed. This kind of essence is extremely rare.”

Acting schools, art centers, academies, private lessons…

There are countless prestigious methods for learning acting. However, there was no trace of any institution’s influence in Sua’s performance. What she presented was something wholly carved from her own interpretations.

It was as if Kim Yuhan’s true essence had suddenly manifested from nowhere.

“How adorable.”

After having her arm bitten, Sua blinked briefly before the corners of her eyes curved into crescent moons. In that fleeting moment, the gaze she directed at Park Do-hee turned tender.

“Keep holding on like that, without breaking.”

She then began stroking Park Do-hee, like a lover would, or perhaps like one would with a pet.

When Sua finally lowered her mask and revealed her face, PD Choi Heewon paused the playback and rewound the video.

“Here, this part.”

PD Choi pointed at Sua’s face, specifically her lips.

“Let’s take a closer look. When her arm gets bitten, Sua clearly feels pain at first, which is why she keeps her lower face covered with the mask. But as she gets used to the pain, she immediately starts utilizing her facial expressions.”

“…She knows how to use the image she projects on camera?”

“Then that outfit — was it something she intentionally planned and prepared for from the start?”

Listening to this, Kim Yi-seo unconsciously touched the corners of her mouth.

“Does she have a third eye or something? How objective can she be about herself?”

She wasn’t just portraying Kim Yuhan’s actions. Sua was meticulously controlling the way she appeared on camera as well.

And furthermore…

“If she’s this good during a mock shoot, then what about the actual filming?”

On reflection, Kim Yi-seo realized that what she witnessed today wasn’t even Sua’s full potential. What would she reveal during the actual shoot?

At the same time, Sua’s words echoed in Kim Yi-seo’s mind.

─ “I’m still in the process of finding my answer.”

In other words, a raw gem that hadn’t yet determined the direction of her craft had already proven this much brilliance.

Kim Yi-seo suddenly envisioned what Sua’s potential could look like in a few years.

“If someone like her continues acting for just three more years…”

Her body itched with excitement. It was a truly extraordinary potential.

In the end, Lee Sua had made an extraordinary first impression.

The character of Kim Yuhan, played by Lee Sua — a statement that might have once been scoffed at as a joke, no longer sounded like mere jest. The stunned expressions on everyone’s faces were proof of that.

“…Did you understand?”

When the video finally finished playing and came to a stop, people exchanged a few glances before shifting their focus away from the monitor.

The direction their heads turned was unanimous. Every single gaze was now fixed on Lee Sua.

And yet, Sua herself…

‘Why is she suddenly doing something that wasn’t in the script? Did she hate me that much? I absolutely can’t let the contract get terminated. No, forget all that—this just hurts so much. It hurts…’

How would she describe her current state of mind?

No, Sua quickly abandoned the thought of coming up with a metaphor. Trying to liken her feelings to something made her dizzy all of a sudden.

To make matters worse, she had left her mask at the filming site.

‘I need to go get my mask. My mask… my mask…’

She no longer had anything to cover her face.

With no other choice, she maintained as calm an expression as possible, gazing longingly at the mask lying on the set. To those watching, however, her behavior seemed to hold a different meaning.

‘She doesn’t even realize what an incredible feat she just accomplished. She’s already thinking about the next scene. Is this just a warm-up for her?’

‘Look at that crazy intensity in her eyes. It’s the gaze of someone completely obsessed with acting.’

As various thoughts swirled chaotically among the onlookers, the veteran supporting actor Hwang Myung-pil approached Park Do-hee and spoke to her.

“Do-hee, you did well too. It was a bit over the top, but luckily your partner had the skills to handle it. You knew that, right?”

“Uh, um? Actually, I… I mean…”

“But are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Hwang Myung-pil’s tone was filled with concern as he asked this.

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you can pull off the same thing on the actual filming day.”

At those words, Park Do-hee felt a sudden urge to cry.

The future ahead seemed dark and uncertain, like a sky filled with ominous clouds.

At that moment, Seo Yeon-ju stepped in.

“…Isn’t there a more pressing concern right now?”

She spoke with genuine sincerity lacing her tone.

“Do-hee, are you sure you can handle the fact that you bit Sua?”

“Huh?”

“Sua… how should I put this? You get the gist, right? From how she bluntly points out others’ flawed acting to that unyielding pride even when her arm gets bitten…”

It was then that Kim Sun-il chimed in.

“In every way, she’s a crazy one.”

“…Yeah, exactly. Even Sun-il admits it. You saw that, didn’t you?”

That comment was the final blow.

“Ah…”

Do-hee’s legs gave out, and she sank to the floor. She nearly fainted again.

And those around her silently etched this moment into their memories.

The mock shoot had revealed the arrival of a rookie not to be underestimated.

The mock shoot continued afterward.

This time, it was a scene featuring none other than Kim Sun-il and Lee Sua together.

However, for both Sun-il and Sua, this scene felt quite familiar. It was the very scene they first practiced together on the day Sua picked up the script at the café.

Page 198. [Scene #49] Underground Parking Lot/Night

Kang Chul: [This is Kang Chul. I’ve been assigned to the Special Task Force. Starting today, I’ll be working with Kim Yuhan and using Vehicle 808.]

Kim Yuhan reacts, as expected of Kim Yuhan.

Yes, this is the scene where Kang Chul and Kim Yuhan meet for the first time.

[Kang Chul: This is Kang Chul. I’ve been assigned to the Special Task Force, and starting today, I’ll be working with Kim Yuhan and using Vehicle 808.]

The beginning was no different from before—a seamless, natural performance from both.

However, Kim Sun-il suddenly became curious.

Lee Sua. Would she be able to respond to his ad-lib?

There was no reason to think long about it. He acted on it immediately.

Doing something not originally in the script, Kim Sun-il furrowed his brows and scanned his partner’s arm. Sua’s arm was currently wrapped in layers of bandages.

[What’s with that arm? Will it interfere with operations?]

What would Sua’s response be?

As Kim Sun-il waited for Sua’s reply,

[Of course not. It actually helps. Want to take a closer look?]

At that moment, Sua extended her arm, and Kim Sun-il’s gaze was drawn to it.

In the blink of an eye, Sua’s eyes darted swiftly in a zigzag pattern. Carefully inspecting her surroundings, she deftly snagged the car key hanging from Kim Sun-il’s waistband. It all happened in a flash.

Then, with a mischievous smile, she held up the car key triumphantly.

[…Take a look at this. Pretty useful, right?]

Her improvised retort was flawless.

Without altering the main thread of the script, she navigated it effortlessly.

‘As expected.’

Kim Sun-il reaffirmed his conviction.

‘Lee Sua. She’s worth bringing on board, even if I have to get on my knees.’

His choice had been the right one.

Lee Sua was an essential piece to completing the production.

As the moon hung proudly in the night sky, the mock filming finally came to an end.

A considerable amount of money had been spent to simulate an environment as close to the real set as possible. They had shot numerous scenes today as a trial, but instead of looking worn out, everyone seemed exhilarated.

It was only now that the initial awkwardness had started to fade.

This was the charm of filming that they all knew well—the camaraderie that developed after a few takes, breaking down barriers and making everyone feel like family.

The massive presence of PD Choi Heewon spoke up.

[The mock filming is now complete. We have a gathering scheduled at the outdoor set, but if anyone has urgent matters, you’re free to head home. There’s absolutely no obligation.]

But, of course, no one left.

The reason was simple: the star of the day hadn’t left yet.

Everyone kept sneaking glances at the protagonist. Despite the numerous scenes shot today, the most unforgettable figure was none other than Lee Sua.

[She didn’t make a single NG today, did she?]

[Yeah, and even that picky Kim Sun-il didn’t point out a single flaw. That says it all. She’s an incredible actress.]

[To think they managed to revive a completely scrapped project, it all makes sense now. But who could’ve predicted this? No one, not in a million years.]

[But isn’t she a little terrifying?]

At that moment, someone spoke.

“She introduced herself as Kim Yuhan. Does that mean her actual personality is similar to Kim Yuhan’s?”

“If Kim Yuhan’s personality is like that, then she’s a mad dog?”

“It’s better not to mess with her. You could tell just by her expression.”

Immediately, the chatterers’ gazes shifted back to Sua.

She sat quietly at a distance, gently running her hand over her bandaged arm. She resembled a swordsman who had realized the truths of the world, gazing at their blade with deep regret.

“Could it be that even this didn’t sit well with her?”

“It seems like all she thinks about is acting.”

“Let’s be careful. Didn’t you hear Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Sun-il’s conversation earlier?”

“I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d be tiptoeing around a rookie…”

Of course, it was all just a big misunderstanding.

In reality, Sua felt like crying inside.

‘Ugh, why did they have to bite so hard? Are they piranhas or something?’

She reflected on her day over and over.

After much thought,

…Am I being bullied somehow?

Something was definitely wrong. She was undoubtedly being isolated.

Someone had bitten her arm without warning, she was forced to act through her pain, and she couldn’t refuse out of fear of breaking her contract. On top of that, why did Kim Sun-il suddenly start saying lines that weren’t even in the script?

Is he still trying to test me? Is that what this is?

What could she do? This was karma. For failing to keep her mouth shut, she had become the outcast of the set…

…Is that it? Am I being ostracized again?

Sua’s mood grew darker and darker. The gloomier she became, the more people around her tread lightly, too scared to act carelessly.

…It was a positive feedback loop, if nothing else.

Regardless, things continued in the same vein.

Everyone wanted to strike up a conversation, but Sua was too intimidating. They could only glance at her nervously, like meerkats.

Then it happened.

Step… step…

Soft footsteps.

A small group cautiously advanced toward Sua, as timid as chicks that had just hatched. Each of them held a handycam or a microphone.

It was the project’s marketing team.

“Um, excuse me…”

Feeling their presence, Sua looked up. The team members tried their best to prove they meant no harm, smiling awkwardly as beads of sweat glistened on their foreheads under the moonlight.

“Hello, Yuhan! We’re the marketing team!”

After taking a deep breath, one of them spoke in a loud, enthusiastic voice.

Sua replied briefly.

“I’m Lee Sua.”

“Oh, goodness, what was I thinking? That’s right! Of course, Ms. Sua! Since you’re playing the role of Kim Yuhan right now, we should address you as such!”

The name “marketing team” wasn’t just for show. Their smooth handling of the situation was impressive, though it felt incredibly awkward for Lee Sua.

“Videos, NG collections, behind-the-scenes films… All of these are essential to complete the drama! And Sua, you’re the lead actress, right? We just have a few questions to ask, nothing intrusive!”

“…Go ahead.”

From Sua’s perspective, there was no choice to begin with.

If she bluntly refused, wouldn’t that make her even more ostracized? But why was the marketing team even approaching her? Wouldn’t it make more sense if it were the documentary team instead?

“We have so many questions we’d love to ask, but we don’t want to bother you. So, just one! We’ll ask just one question!”

The marketing team’s representative carefully picked her words.

“Kim Yuhan was an incomplete character to begin with, and even the gender is different from yours. From start to finish, it couldn’t have been easy. So, what led you, a rookie, to take on this role?”

At that moment, Seo Yeon-ju, who had been snacking while watching, nudged Kim Sun-il’s arm.

“Hey, what do you think she’ll say to that?”

Kim Sun-il’s veins popped as her snack-dusted hand touched him. A moment later, he wiped his sleeve with a wet tissue and spoke.

“She’ll just blurt out whatever comes to her mind. And stop touching me.”

Seo Yeon-ju wiped her hands on Kim Sun-il’s clothes instead, casually.

Kim Sun-il’s face twisted like a demon.

He looked nearly murderous.

“I get what you’re saying, but my point is, is it okay to just let her answer like that? Even you act kindly towards your fans, no matter what. But Sua seems like she might speak too honestly. Isn’t that kind of scary?”

“I’m scared of myself… I might kill you.”

“What are you even saying? Are you listening to me?”

Regardless, Kim Sun-il shared Seo Yeon-ju’s concern.

How would the public perceive her?

It’s a question every actor must ponder. At least for Kim Sun-il, who genuinely appreciated his fans, he had long established an image of a kind and gentle man toward them.

…But what about Lee Sua?

…No, maybe it wouldn’t be a problem even if she was blunt.

…Perhaps there were people who would like her for it?

As everyone focused their attention on Sua, she, in contrast, felt at ease.

It wasn’t difficult for her to choose her words.

“How should I put it? The acting I performed was… very, ah…”

She spoke slowly, deliberately, and with utmost care.

“Easy.”

She was convinced it was a perfectly humble answer. She felt satisfied with her response.

And then, metaphorical lightning struck everyone’s heads.

“…It was that easy for you?”

The woman asking the question was so startled that she repeated herself.