Chapter 31: Don’t accept anything.

“…Was it that easy?”

The marketing team asked in surprise, then immediately turned the handheld camera they were holding towards them. Their voice was filled with excitement.

“Viewers watching this later, did you hear that clearly? Sua said that Kim Yuhan’s acting was really easy! Amazing!”

“…Huh?”

For Sua, it was simply a confusing situation.

The phrase “it was disappointing” somehow turned into “it was really easy.” She hadn’t even said the word “main” at all.

“But I can’t say it’s hard to believe! With Sua’s skills, I can totally see that. Now, shall we dive into the character of Lee Sua? Sua, you don’t have an agency yet, right?”

“Yes. I don’t have an agency.”

“No agency! This is really shocking!”

Sua didn’t quite understand, but the word “shocking” didn’t seem like an exaggeration. The people around her were clearly buzzing with excitement.

“Sua, looks like you’re going to have a tough time today?”

“Tough time?”

A tough time? What does that mean?

Is there some kind of disadvantage for not having an agency?

But before Sua could even correct her previous answer or ask anything else, the marketing team’s questions kept coming at her relentlessly.

“How did you learn to act like that?”

“I never really learned. At first, it was just a hobby…”

“You never learned? And it was just a hobby?”

The marketing team’s eyes widened in shock.

“…Ah, so you were joking to lighten the mood on set?”

It was an answer they couldn’t process, and they desperately hoped it was a joke. But Sua didn’t intend to lie. She simply shook her head lightly, and their eyes grew even wider.

“…So, you never learned and just started as a hobby?”

“Yes.”

“01….”

For the first time, the woman, who could always speak fluently in any situation, was silent. It was because of Sua’s shocking answer.

The reactions from the people around them weren’t much different.

The shock rippled out like a wave, and everyone began to chime in.

“What exactly did she say? I didn’t catch it.”

“She said Kim Yuhan’s role was really easy. Acting is a hobby.”

“Isn’t this just an off-the-record joke video?”

…Is that a joking face? Take another look. Is that really the face of someone joking?”

Among them, there was one person who was particularly stunned.

“A hobby? She pulled that off just as a hobby?”

Hwang Myeong-pil, who had recently gained the title of the “luxury supporting actor” and was gaining recognition, could only feel the shock strike his back.

With a face that could make anyone laugh, he had been welcomed as a supporting actor. He had stuck with acting through his long period of obscurity and had finally made it to this point. Yet, he had never gotten to be a lead actor.

“She got the lead role from a hobby? A half-finished character researched on her own?”

The world seemed unusually cruel to him.

So, acting is truly a matter of talent, huh?

While the outdoor set was filled with admiration, there were still some who managed to stay calm in this situation.

Lee Geum-sook, Choi Heewon, Seo Yeon-ju, Kim Sun-il. Four of them.

Seo Yeon-ju, while holding a thin potato chip, spoke.

“Was that how we looked too?”

“You were more flamboyant. A bit more unpleasant to look at.”

“At least I didn’t kneel.”

A warm conversation flowed between Kim Sun-il and Seo Yeon-ju, who were sitting side by side, as it always had. The writer, who had been listening quietly, smiled.

“Are you two really not siblings? I sometimes get confused.”

Both of them immediately recoiled.

Seo Yeon-ju shuddered and said, “Please stop with those creepy comments. Anyway, I get why the set is reacting this way. Sua has to be a very intriguing person.”

The marketing team’s off-the-record recording ended just like that.

It had barely lasted a few minutes, but it couldn’t be helped. Anyone working on the set knew just how significant words like “hobby” or “self-taught” could be.

…And the fact that Kim Yuhan was created by combining both of those? How could anyone not be shocked? At least, that’s how Seo Yeon-ju saw it.

Meanwhile, the main character of this chaos, Sua, who had unexpectedly become the eye of the storm, was left to think.

“What is this situation?”

She was preoccupied with trying to understand what was happening. The mock filming was a crucial moment, and to survive, she had to stay alert.

After about a minute of contemplation, she finally realized something.

“…I wasn’t being excluded?”

The gazes toward Sua had become clearer, and now she could read them.

She had only thought they were avoiding her, but now she understood that the situation wasn’t entirely negative. What she had felt from the people around her wasn’t “avoidance,” but rather “caution.”

It was clear.

There were looks of curiosity, admiration, and even, occasionally, a hint of awe directed toward her.

“Now that I think about it, that’s how it felt even during the dinner celebrating the start of production. It was as if they thought I had made a big declaration.”

— “I will stay out of sight.”

Meaning she would just quietly do her part.

However, people had taken Sua’s words in a different way. And how about the situation today?

“…I did pretty well, didn’t I? I proved myself, after all.”

She had spoken with monstrous ambition and then proven it.

Once she realized that, everything made sense.

She hadn’t been treated badly. In fact, she had been treated in a way that was more extraordinary than anything she had experienced in her life.

“Wow, I’m being treated like this?”

Sua’s eyes sparkled.

“I’m shaking. No, this is the reaction I wanted, right? And what’s wrong with that? I didn’t lie when I answered.”

Sua started to soothe herself fiercely.

“You’re exactly the way you wanted to be seen. Be happy. Be happy, I say.”

“Enjoy it. Don’t shake, enjoy it, Lee Sua. Be calm. Be natural.”

Sua began to focus intently on self-management.

It was different from earlier, when she had desperately tried to maintain a neutral expression.

Now, she had a slightly relaxed and graceful demeanor.

She looked almost like the lady of a melodramatic drama.

Sua immediately straightened her back and put on her expression again.

Anyway, it was no longer possible to walk casually to the parking lot.

But then.

Step—step—

The footsteps around her were strangely quick. It felt like they were intentionally trying to pass her by.

Why were they walking so fast?

Why the rush? To the bathroom? Or to grab a taxi?

Just as Sua was wondering, someone who had crossed in front of her suddenly turned around.

“Hey, Sua! Hello!”

Sua froze for a moment.

“…What’s going on?”

She barely managed to ask, almost jumping in surprise.

“Your performance in the mock shoot was very impressive. I was so moved that I begged the PD to release the footage today!”

“Ah, but it’s private, so I couldn’t get it.”

“Right. So, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing much. Today, everyone was talking about you, and I happened to hear that you don’t have an agency…?”

“That’s right.”

When she nodded, the person smiled brightly.

He opened his wallet and handed her a rather stylish business card at the same time.

“I’m from Bada Actors, you’ve probably heard of us. We’re the agency of Park Do-hee, who you worked with today.”

…Agency offer?

Sua blinked in confusion.

This felt different from when a guy asks for her number or hands her a business card. An agency. In other words, this meant Sua had value as an actress.

While Sua was lost in thought, the man became even more enthusiastic.

“I was really impressed with how you improvised on the spot! There’s hardly anyone with such a unique presence these days. Our Bada Actors, along with Do-hee, would welcome a newcomer like you with open arms!”

“Mm.”

“Now that we’ve worked together, wouldn’t it be great if we were with the same agency? I’m not asking for an immediate answer. Please just consider it positively. I’m waiting for your call anytime.”

“…Okay.”

Sua nodded, feeling somewhat pleased, but she didn’t think she’d be contacting him again. She wasn’t quite sure about someone who had bitten her before.

And more than anything, she was exhausted. With each passing minute, she felt more and more tired.

She put the business card in her pocket and turned to leave when suddenly.

Sua stopped.

The scene in front of her made her freeze in her tracks.

It wasn’t just Sua who stopped at that moment. Everyone who had passed her earlier was now standing still at regular intervals. It was as though they were waiting for their turn.

With eyes that seemed to be directed solely at Sua, she was reminded of something the marketing team had said.

• She doesn’t have an agency?
• Looks like Sua will have a tough time today.

“Sua!”

“Sua, could you please take just one of my business cards?”

“Just a moment, Sua… just a second…”

The marketing team’s words weren’t wrong. Sua had to pay a hefty price for doing her best in the mock shoot.

“Please!”

Everyone, without exception, rushed toward Sua. It happened in an instant.

Sua’s empty hands were soon filled with stacks of business cards.

“Please take ours as well!”

“How will you be getting back? We can…”

She was in complete disarray.

It almost felt like a scene from a gambling movie. For a moment, it even crossed her mind that she could probably play card tricks with all the cards she held.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

In the midst of all the confusion, she held the phone up to her ear.

[Don’t take anything.]

The first words she heard were clear.

It was a familiar voice.

Sua was very surprised on the inside.

[I’m confident.]

The caller was none other than Mystic’s CEO, Kim Yi-seo.