Chapter 56: The Arctic fox does not cry.

“…You! What the hell are you thinking?!”

Kim Sun-il shouted.

Ka-ga-ga-gak—!

The fight over the handle was intense.

The distance left to Headquarters 808 was not much, but to Kim Sun-il, it felt like an eternity.

Whether they would reach the destination or get overturned before that, this issue was not just about safety, but life and death.

It was natural that neither of them would give an inch.

Kim Sun-il and Lee Sua fought fiercely, and the camera captured every moment.

To the onlookers, it was quite a spectacle.

It even looked like a game of Go, where black and white are fighting for territory.

“This is insane…!”

Kim Sun-il barely grabbed the handle and shouted.

He would glance at Sua’s face, as if questioning her sanity, but her expression did not change.

Her intention was clear.

Her eyes were unwavering, filled with obsession and desire for something.

It was a single-minded determination to flip the car over.

At least for now, Lee Sua was serious about this.

Kim Sun-il could not fathom why. Was there malice against him?

But then.

“…!”

Kim Sun-il suddenly felt a huge shock.

It was not her gaze or face, but the realization of Sua’s true intentions from an unexpected source.

Lee Sua’s hand.

It was from her pale, long hand.

The hand gripping the steering wheel, wrapping around it like a snake, was menacing.

However, it only made the car wobble, not flip it over.

There was a precision in the way she seemed to be controlling her strength.

Though, to the naked eye, it must have looked threatening.

Even through the camera, it was the same, and Kim Sun-il finally understood.

This, too, was an improv. He had been outplayed.

Kim Sun-il suddenly recalled the situation in this scene.

It was actually quite an insignificant moment.

From the viewers’ perspective, it might have been something like, “I should go to the bathroom now,” and would have been seen as trivial.

Lee Kang-chul and Kim Yuhan were merely having a quick exchange before returning to headquarters.

But Sua’s actions changed everything.

In this moment, all dialogue became meaningless.

Actions speak louder than words.

This single power struggle conveyed everything clearly.

It showed that Lee Kang-chul and Kim Yuhan were completely opposite, unwilling to give an inch to each other.

Clunk! Clunk!

The car shook violently but never flipped over, and Kim Sun-il almost showed admiration without realizing it.

‘You… I can never predict you from start to finish.’

Kim Sun-il reminded himself that he had to stay in the mindset of Lee Kang-chul, but inside, he was already feeling admiration.

‘You and I watched the same script, read the same scene. But how could our interpretations be this different? How much did you analyze and study this brief scene?’

Most ordinary people would have simply thought Lee Sua did a good job interpreting the scene and moved on, but for Kim Sun-il, who was dedicated to acting, he could not help but feel it deeply.

He was not just a cog in the machine, following the script.

Lee Sua was an actor with the potential for creation.

Looking back, even during the mock filming, it was the same.

Although it wasn’t in the script, Sua’s interpretation fit the theme even better.

Kim Sun-il realized that such a skill was something he did not even possess.

However,

‘I am Lee Kang-chul. I will not tolerate Kim Yuhan. I must not.’

Kim Sun-il made up his mind even more firmly.

The confrontation between Lee Kang-chul and Kim Yuhan was also a battle between Kim Sun-il and Lee Sua, and for the sake of the early-stage quality of the work, Lee Kang-chul could not be outdone.

Now, it was his turn to prove himself.

‘In the early part, Lee Kang-chul will focus solely on that role.’

Kim Sun-il racked his brain tightly and soon found the answer.

What would Lee Kang-chul do in this situation?

Strangely, the answer came to him quickly.

“Kim Yuhan, enough already!”

At the same time he shouted, Kim Sun-il extended his fist toward Sua.

Whoosh!

The motion was quite large, but it didn’t land properly.

In reality, his fist only grazed near her face.

Surprisingly, Sua immediately reacted to this ad-lib.

As if struck, she sharply turned her neck and then slammed her head into the car window.

Kwoong!

Kim Sun-il even briefly wondered if he had hit her too hard, so it must have looked full of life through the camera.

Just adding the sound of impact in post-production would suffice.

As Lee Kang-chul, Kim Sun-il calmly delivered his lines.

“Department 808 identifies criminals and arrests them within 24 hours. They work only as parts to increase the arrest rate.”

Inside the now silent car.

Kim Yuhan no longer tried to twist the steering wheel.

Lee Kang-chul, with beads of sweat on his forehead, calmed his excitement and spoke.

“This is not something done for personal satisfaction. Got it?”

Kim Yuhan’s face was still not visible.

Thanks to being struck by Lee Kang-chul, her disheveled bangs now covered her nose, and she remained with her head resting against the window.

For a while, nothing happened.

Perhaps the shock of being hit was too much, or maybe she had realized it was futile to try twisting the wheel herself.

The car continued its quiet journey when, at some point,

Rol.

The only visible corner of her mouth curled upwards.

It hurt.

A simple reaction.

“See? It worked because you did it, senior.”

Then, an addition that was not so simple.

It almost looked as if she was treating him like a pet, or teaching a student, or even playing with a young child.

“Keep doing it like that. Strongly. Through action.”

At the same time, something unbelievable happened.

A trickle of blood began to run down the left corner of Sua’s mouth.

It was strange.

Kim Sun-il’s fist had only grazed her, so she shouldn’t have been injured.

…Could it be? Did she bite her own cheek?

As Kim Sun-il swallowed his surprise internally at that moment.

Sua extended her left hand again like a snake.

However, this time she didn’t target the steering wheel.

It wasn’t an aggressive movement either.

She simply placed it on Kim Sun-il’s shoulder.

“We both learned something from each other today.”

Then, in a whispering voice, with a playful tone,

“I will try to stick to the rules as much as possible. And you, on the other hand, will break the rules as much as possible.”

She slightly shook her head, revealing the upper part of her face hidden by her bangs, and her eyes were already curved like a crescent moon.

Even Lee Kang-chul would find it hard to guess her gender from her appearance.

“But today, I won. Isn’t that how the hierarchy works? The one who laughs at the end is the winner.”

Lee Kang-chul, Kim Sun-il, realized that all of this was part of Sua’s strategy.

It had all been a setup to understand the patience, tendencies, and limits of her opponent.

At that moment, a chill ran down his spine.

“…Right?”

The competition ended.

Lee Kang-chul didn’t smile, but Kim Yuhan did.

At that moment, the car entered the 808 headquarters.

“Cut! That’s a wrap! Cut! That was amazing!”

Through the radio, PD Choi Heewon’s voice could be heard.

Afterward, the car was enveloped in complete silence.

Sua just stared out of the window, lost in thought, while Kim Sun-il placed both hands on the steering wheel, deep in his own thoughts.

“That scene was so great!”

“It was perfectly captured on camera! Insane!”

Led by PD Choi Heewon, many crew members surrounded the car, all with excited expressions.

Sua thought it looked like a swarm of zombies from an apocalyptic world.

Among them, the most excited was PD Choi Heewon.

“When did you prepare this? It was the best surprise gift! I almost called for NG without realizing it! If you had done this from the very first scene, I would have been touched!”

His usual rock-solid demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

He was unusually excited, which meant the main shoot was important, and the recent scene had left him satisfied.

“Ah, this is really what makes it worth working! This is why I became a PD!”

The excitement spread to the nearby crew members as well.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that scene to feel so thrilling.”

“The rivalry between the two was insane.”

“Buddy films… might come back into trend now…?”

Directing, sound, and filming… Everywhere, they were eager to express their thoughts.

It was a scene that made everyone so happy, they had much to say.

The moment created by Sua and Kim Sun-il was exactly like that.

“Did you see Sua’s eyes when her bangs were lifted? Her eye corners were curved. I seriously got goosebumps. I think the viewers will feel conflicted—should they admire it or be scared of it…?”

“Sun-il’s emotions were spot on too. Holding it in and then letting it out—it’s exactly what Lee Kang-chul would do. I really love these two.”

Their admiration couldn’t be any more special.

Unlike other dramas, Special Task Force 808 even conducted mock shoots, which meant the production was much more difficult than others.

The crew members were truly worn out.

And now, she was finally feeling the reward for her hard work.

“…It was really worth the effort. It was really worth it.”

“Yeah. This will definitely resonate with the viewers.”

It was natural for the other actors to praise Sua and Kim Sun-il’s performances, and Kim Yi-seo from Mystic Entertainment was feeling nervous.

“…Sua, I don’t know how far you’ll go.”

It was certain that the actor Mystic had taken under its wing would eventually reach the top, which is why she couldn’t help but feel tense. She couldn’t afford to be the representative holding them back.

Park Do-hee and Hwang Myeong-pil were also scratching their heads in the same way.

“Sua, you did a great job acting today too.”

“Yeah.”

“Do-hee, don’t you have a shoot with Sua today?”

“…Yeah.”

At that moment, the entire set was filled with the aftereffects.

Kim Sun-il spoke up late.

“PD, please check on Sua’s condition.”

“Huh? What condition? Oh, no…”

Only then did PD Choi Heewon’s face show surprise. She realized that what was flowing from Sua’s mouth wasn’t makeup.

PD Choi Heewon opened her eyes wide and asked.

“Is that real blood? Sua, what happened? You could have called for NG at least once, right? You could’ve just used a blood capsule and shot it again—”

Sua slowly shook her head.

“If it wasn’t this take, it wouldn’t have been filmed like this.”

“Still… no, then let me ask just one more thing.”

PD Choi Heewon’s voice was full of confusion.

“Why did you even think about trying something like that in the first place? You’re an actress, and any injury, big or small, is dangerous. Shouldn’t we find another way…?”

“It wasn’t Lee Sua.”

But Sua interrupted PD Choi Heewon mid-sentence.

“I’m Kim Yuhan.”

And then, in a calm voice,

“If it were Kim Yuhan, she would have done it like this. I didn’t shoot this scene because it hurt. I didn’t shoot it because it was dangerous… But I can’t tell the viewers that.”

“I will continue to act this way in the future.”

At that, everyone started to show strange expressions.

“And don’t misunderstand.”

“…Misunderstand?”

“Yes. I don’t want anyone looking at me like I’m a struggling actor enduring pain during filming. The truth is different. It’s not like that at all.”

Sua said,

“I’m actually enjoying this more than ever.”

She smiled brightly, with a genuine smile, free of any falsehood.

The filming continued after that.

“Let’s go again!”

Seo Yeon-ju’s scene.

“Let’s make it as brutal as possible! Throw away humanity!”

And the scene with the criminals played by others.

Thanks to Sua, the filming set grew more intense with each passing moment, but Kim Sun-il was currently alone. He was quietly holding his chin, reflecting on everything that had happened, trying to stay as composed as possible.

‘I lost.’

Kim Sun-il’s thoughts were calm.

Lee Sua’s ad-lib. Kim Sun-il had responded with an ad-lib of his own, but that too was part of Sua’s strategy. She confidently countered again and secured the victory.

After three rounds, he had ultimately lost.

However, it was strange.

In contrast to his usual strong sense of pride, Kim Sun-il now felt no anger or frustration, not even the slightest sensation of defeat.

There must have been several reasons for that.

First, he recalled PD Choi Heewon’s words.

“I almost called for NG, not even knowing if it was agreed upon!”

Not just PD Choi, but everyone had perceived the scene as something that was agreed upon beforehand. That meant the scene’s quality was high. That alone made Kim Sun-il feel good.

More than anything,

─When I was with Sua, strangely, my acting felt different.

Seo Yeon-ju’s words.

He had finally realized what she meant.

The principled Lee Kang-cheol.

In fact, that role was similar to Kim Sun-il, but it was also his limit. Kim Sun-il had done an excellent job with the script, but he didn’t know how to improvise like that.

But this time was different.

Clearly, he had acted spontaneously.

Kim Sun-il quietly looked down at his hands.

At the same time, he reflected on what Sua had said.

“If it wasn’t this take, it wouldn’t have been filmed like this.”

That’s right.

If they had filmed again, it wouldn’t have had the same impact. Because Kim Sun-il would have filmed it knowing all of Sua’s strategies.

The conclusion was clear.

It was intentional by Sua, and it was thanks to Sua that it was possible.

“Ha.”

After reaching that conclusion, Kim Sun-il couldn’t help but be impressed, and immediately started considering other possibilities.

The last thing that came to mind was his younger sister’s words.

“You always look unhappy.”

Maybe this time, things would be different.

Perhaps, could this be a new version of myself, one different from before?

Breaking free from the unbreakable shell that had firmly surrounded me, could I finally enter a new spectrum?

“Perhaps…”

It was truly a possibility I hadn’t considered in a long time.

Meanwhile, Sua was surrounded by the medical team.

The medical team members were all speaking with expressions of relief, one by one. Sua’s condition was perfectly fine.

“Thank goodness. It looked so intense that I was worried you really got hit, but it was just a bite after all.”

“Yeah. There’s no need to worry about scars or anything. Just apply the ointment well. But Sua, be careful when eating for a while. Since the area is vulnerable, it’s easy to bite it again.”

Sua nodded.

It was, in fact, expected. Kim Sun-il’s fist had only sliced through the air, and Sua had just pretended to be hit. Compared to the actual pain of being struck, this was nothing.

Once the medical team left, Kim Yi-seo, the representative, approached.

“Sua, do you know how worried I was?”

“I don’t know.”

It was a careless reply, but Kim Yi-seo’s eyebrows twitched. Sua thought to herself that she shouldn’t give such responses in the future.

“…Anyway, I’m glad. By the way, do you know what’s happening outside? Everyone’s working so hard. It’s like they have fire under their feet.”

“Ah, good metaphor.”

“Metaphors don’t matter, what’s important is that it’s all thanks to you.”

“Mm?”

When Sua tilted her head, Kim Yi-seo continued.

“Since Sua showed such dedicated acting, some people who thought you were talented but arrogant might now be thinking twice. In this situation, if they let something like that hold them back, it’ll be really noticeable. They have no choice but to be desperate.”

“Mm…”

Sua hesitated for a moment, then said.

“…I admit it.”

“So, how’s your condition? Do you think you can continue filming?”

“No problem.”

Was Kim Yi-seo worried that today’s filming might be affected?

Sua had answered without much thought, but Kim Yi-seo waved her hand, still with a slight smile.

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t asking because I prioritize the filming schedule over you. It’s just that there’s a big shot at the set today. Someone who’s started taking an interest in you.”

“…Big shot?”

“Ah, Sua, it’s simple. Just do what you’ve been doing.”

“If that’s the case, I’m confident.”

Sua mentally spoke to her special agent. Right, special agent? The special agent in the shape of an arctic fox seemed to nod.

…Why did she imagine the special agent as an arctic fox?

That was Sua’s decision. A powerful herbivorous Sua mind.

Anyway, it seemed like Kim Yi-seo was satisfied with that answer.

“Good. Then… we’ll really catch the big fish today.”

He even clenched his little fist, and at that moment, Sua started feeling a bit anxious, so she quickly spoke up.

“Then, Representative, I’ll take a moment to gather my emotions alone.”

“Ah, sorry. I’ll leave right away.”

Kim Yi-seo quickly disappeared.

Only then did Sua’s expression crumble and melt away.

“Ugh… ow ow… it hurts…”

Of course, everything she had said earlier was sincere. Sua had truly intended to work even harder moving forward.

…But back then, with Kim Yuhan’s emotions mixed in, the pain had felt like a playful challenge. Now, Sua was in genuine pain.

The mindset and actual pain were different things! Completely different!

“I was scolded for pretending not to hurt… I want to cry…”

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall.

Of course, crying was out of the question!

An Arctic fox wouldn’t cry over something like this!

Yes, Sua-like herbivores don’t cry. Not ever.

The real filming was just beginning.

“Sua, next scene, standby!”

The set was now even more intense than before, but there were a few things that stood out.

First, Park Do-hee had made up her mind.

“Today, I’m not passing out… I’m confident…”

After intense discussions among the production team, the scene where Park Do-hee bites her arm and faints was kept from the rehearsal footage.

From now on, Park Do-hee, Kim Sun-il, and Lee Sua would be filming different scenes. Park Do-hee had let out several battle cries.

One more thing.

The “big fish” Kim Yi-seo had mentioned.

The product’s extreme CF team. And Director Go Tae-min.

Both sides had started paying attention to Sua.