Chapter 82: Don’t mess around.

“Five hundred million years?”

“Did you just say five hundred million years?”

“That must mean they’re that confident! Just be quiet for now!”

Whispers spread throughout the room.

The realization that the newcomer, once seen as an outsider, was actually an incredible talent naturally drew immense attention.

Sua spoke up, addressing the buzzing crowd.

“Shall I start playing now?”

Go Tae-min, Kim Yi-seo, and the AWA Entertainment director—all of whom would have normally stopped Sua—simply nodded absentmindedly. They were too shocked to do otherwise.

“Playing? Oh, if you’re willing to, that would be great for me.”

Go Tae-min’s response was barely enthusiastic.

At that moment, “Crescendo from Tomorrow” took a backseat in everyone’s minds. All they cared about now was hearing Sua perform, especially after Ham A-yoon’s performance.

Skill was one thing, but the way two musicians interpreted the same piece always brought subtle differences. The beauty was in those variations.

In the midst of all the noise—

“I’ll begin.”

Sua took a deep breath.

Typically, a performer’s expression before starting is anything but composed.

There’s hesitation, uncertainty about the music, and a mix of fear and intrusive thoughts—too many distractions that can taint the performance.

But soon, Sua’s face became remarkably serene. It was the look of someone who had cleared their mind completely, focusing solely on the music.

And finally—

The bumblebee took flight.

Moments later—

Silence filled the entire room.

In that stillness, Sua had only one thought.

‘…What do I do now?’

She had made countless mistakes.

No, but seriously—was “Flight of the Bumblebee” always this fast? She wasn’t exaggerating—she thought her fingers were going to break.

At one point, she even worried that her ten fingers had tangled together like earphones stuffed in a pocket.

‘Special Ability, what just happened…??’

A reply came instantly.

[This is natural.]

[Experience is just experience.]

[Sua’s hands are still stiff.]

[You need actual practice alongside it.]

…Well, that made sense. But still, she was just disappointed.

And then, Sua flinched.

It was as if, for a moment, she saw her Special Ability—taking the form of an Arctic fox—baring its teeth and bristling its fur.

One thing was clear: it was definitely pissed off.

[Show me the script ranking.]

[Let me experience the script.]

[Raise my intelligence.]

[Teach me abilities.]

‘Ah, okay, okay! Just calm down.’

[I already did everything for you.]

[I already did everything for you.]

[I already did everything for you.]

[I already did EVERYTHING for you.]

At this point, Sua was also getting irritated.

‘Hey, I was just saying! Why are you making such a big deal out of it? You’re being annoying.’

And then—

“…?”

[…Deleting Special Ability…]

[…In progress, 1%…]

‘Ah, no, wait! I’m sorry! I really am!’

The deletion process came to an abrupt halt.

[Sua surrenders.]

[I’ll let it slide once.]

[Don’t mess around.]

…

With her lips pursed, Sua hung her head low.

It was a significant moment.

Why? Because the hierarchy between her and the Special Ability had just been established.

Shockingly, Sua was the one ranked lower.

She had completely lost…

And then—

“Sua.”

It was director Go Tae-min’s voice.

Only then did Sua snap out of her thoughts. As reality sank back in, anxiety swept over her.

Everything had been fine, but she had completely botched the last part of the performance.

Now what? She shouldn’t have played at all.

Drowning in regret—

Something unexpected happened.

“Kim So-hee… Were you consciously channeling Kim So-hee?”

“Huh?”

“Your piano performance just now. I just want to check if my intuition was correct.”

Go Tae-min’s question completely blindsided Sua.

What? No! My hands are just stiff, so I couldn’t move them properly!

She had no idea how to answer.

But before she could, someone else spoke.

“She’s right. That was definitely Kim So-hee’s playing style.”

All eyes turned toward the speaker.

And naturally so—because it was Ham A-yoon.

With her signature golden hair cascading down, her expression was more serious than ever.

“She has the entire score perfectly memorized in her head, but her hands are too stiff to keep up. At first, I wasn’t sure, but after that last section, I’m convinced. Especially with a piece like ‘Flight of the Bumblebee.’”

What?

While Sua was still dumbfounded—

“Oh my god. It’s already impressive that she can play the piano, but now you’re saying she even embodied the role of Kim So-hee while playing? I never even considered that. Acting, even in this situation?”

“…Exactly.”

Go Tae-min and Ham A-yoon continued discussing something that only they seemed to understand.

So Sua just stayed silent and listened.

And then—

“Maybe… she’s more suited for Kim So-hee than I am.”

Ham A-yoon’s shocking declaration.

Everyone was stunned.

“…!”

She was practically announcing that she was willing to hand over the role of Kim So-hee to Sua.

Yet, Ham A-yoon remained composed.

“I can’t play like that. My years of training have ingrained a pursuit of perfection. Even if I try to act like I’m struggling or stiff, it’ll be obvious that I’m faking it. It’ll sound unnatural.”

“Exactly. But in Sua’s case…”

“That stiffness comes naturally. Her theory is perfect, but her body isn’t used to it yet. That, in itself, expresses Kim So-hee’s savant syndrome naturally.”

What was this?

What was happening?

But Sua’s sharp mind quickly grasped the situation.

She had only failed to perfectly recreate what she had experienced in the Special Ability.

Yet somehow, that imperfection had seamlessly aligned with Kim So-hee’s character and her savant syndrome.

[Another perfect match.]

[Intelligence]

Okay, let’s ignore the Special Privilege for now.

“Excuse me, Sua.”

Around that time, Director Go Tae-min called Sua once again.

“I haven’t heard your answer yet. Is it really true? Did you go that far for the role of Kim So-hee…?”

Sua suddenly glanced around.

There were no longer any divisions.

The doubtful gazes, the hostile stares—all of that was gone. The people were no longer split apart but instead stood together, simply waiting for Sua’s answer with eyes full of admiration.

And so—

Sua calmly crossed her arms as if holding her chest.

“…I admit it.”

Along with a sly smile.

“…Sua! What on earth was that?”

Kim Yi-seo, eyes wide open, questioned Sua.

Sua blinked and thought to herself. What do you mean, what was that? I just saw an advantageous situation and admitted it right away.

The two had now moved to a corner of the meeting room.

The meeting room was now filled with an unusual heat. As if planned, the production team of Crescendo, Starting Tomorrow had suddenly gathered and begun an intense discussion.

For Sua, it was fascinating. Weren’t these the same people arguing earlier?

Kim Yi-seo placed her hand over her chest.

“I was shocked. Really, I was.”

She certainly looked it. Her eyes were practically bulging out as if they would drop to the floor any second.

And at that moment—

“Do you have a moment?”

It was Ham Ah-yoon’s voice.

But it wasn’t just her approaching Kim Yi-seo and Sua. There were three people in total: Go Tae-min, the director of AWA Entertainment, and the blonde-haired Ham Ah-yoon.

Blinking in confusion, Sua wondered what was going on.

Go Tae-min smiled brightly and spoke.

“First, I have to thank you. We just finished a good conversation with AWA Entertainment. The role of Kim So-hee will officially go to you, Sua.”

“Oh.”

“It turns out there was some misunderstanding along the way.”

“Misunderstanding?”

At that, the director from AWA Entertainment took off his cap and lowered his head deeply. Unlike earlier, his attitude now felt extremely polite.

“I apologize. Honestly, because Ah-yoon’s value is so high, I thought they were trying to undercut her. Since you’re a rookie, I misunderstood even more. I never imagined we’d come across such a well-prepared actress…”

“Undercut?”

Kim Yi-seo tilted her head.

“…Oh. I suppose it makes sense to misunderstand.”

With her sharp mind, she quickly grasped why they had misjudged.

Honestly, they weren’t at fault. They had acted completely rationally. It was just that Sua was far beyond what they had expected.

At that moment, Sua had a question of her own.

“Then, isn’t there no need to thank me? You should be thanking AWA Entertainment instead since they willingly gave up the role.”

“No. The gratitude towards AWA Entertainment is separate. The thanks for you is a different matter entirely.”

“Gratitude for me?”

“Sua, I think of my projects as ships.”

Go Tae-min began speaking in a very gentle tone. Meanwhile, Sua felt sweat trickling down her back.

Oh no, this is definitely turning into a difficult conversation. I don’t understand stuff like this!

“If even one person rows the oars unevenly, the ship starts to veer off course. But you acted as the sail, bringing everyone’s hearts together as one.”

“Uh…”

[People had differing opinions. They were fighting.]

[But Sua proved herself.]

[Now they don’t have differing opinions. No more fighting.]

“…Ah! I completely understand now!”

Thanks to Special Privilege, Sua grasped the situation perfectly.

This time, Ham Ah-yoon spoke up.

“Congratulations on the role of Kim So-hee. But I have one question.”

“Hmm?”

“When I was playing the piano—why did you make that face?”

Sua blinked silently.

Ah-yoon was asking so seriously, but Sua had no idea what kind of expression she had made. Did I look weird? I just thought, ‘Wow, she’s really good,’ while listening.

“Not sure.”

“‘Not sure’? The expression you made was—”

However, Ah-yoon didn’t finish her sentence.

She simply let out a deep sigh.

“…Never mind. Forget it. I’ll be going now. Do your best.”

And with that, Ham Ah-yoon turned around along with the director.

(!)

Just then, a sudden notification popped up before Sua’s eyes.

When she checked it, her eyes widened in shock.

It was information about Ham Ah-yoon.

And it was something shocking.

“…Ah, wait a moment.”

Ah-yoon, with her back turned, slightly tilted her head. Even from this angle, her side profile was mesmerizing enough to enchant anyone.

“Director, have you cast someone for the role of Park Min-seo yet?”

“Park Min-seo? Not yet. But it shouldn’t be too difficult. Kim So-hee was the real challenge, but Park Min-seo should be…”

“Then, can’t Ah-yoon take the role?”

At that, everyone looked surprised.

But Sua was serious.

She felt that no matter what, she had to keep Ah-yoon.

With that in mind, she retraced the previous conversation and made an unexpected offer.

“Ah-yoon, take the role of Park Min-seo.”

“…What?”

“If you do, I’ll show you that expression you were so curious about again.”

This happened right before the release of the short film festival.