In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 103

With a slightly nervous heart, I stood before room number 3, the number written on the assignment paper.

The other mentees, having arrived earlier, were likely already inside, greeting their teammates.

The camera followed closely, zooming in on my face as I gripped the doorknob.

I took a deep breath, composed myself, and plastered on a smile.

Then, I flung the door open.

The mentees sitting on the sofa jumped to their feet.

I quickly scanned their faces.

Min So-hyun, my top priority, was beaming at the front.

Being matched with Min So-hyun is a great start, isn’t it?

I was particularly eager to mentor Min So-hyun.

During the preliminary audition, she’d chosen a very difficult script and made a small mistake.

The mistake was highlighted on the broadcast, but the performance, aside from that, was excellent.

Most importantly, she showed courage by trying something others avoided.

Next were Kim Young-yi and Lee Hyo-seo, the trainee duo who’d strongly requested to be on my team.

They were still smiling brightly, radiating cheerfulness.

“We’re finally with Mentor-nim!! Kyaa!”

Their enthusiasm made me chuckle.

Lastly, Yoon Ha-neul.

I gave her a warm eye smile, noticing her slight nervousness.

Yoon Ha-neul was someone I remembered from my past life.

‘A participant who reminds me so much of my younger self.’

In my past life, Yoon Ha-neul was a talented actress who retired early after joining a bad agency and getting buried in debt.

Yoon Ha-neul had the potential to grow immensely if she wasn’t exploited by a terrible company.

If I could unlock her potential, I wanted to introduce her to Min-young unnie [older sister or female friend].

Even if she didn’t join our agency, I planned to use my connections to find her a good one.

The team composition is better than I expected.

I bowed to the mentees.

“Hello, I’m Mentor Han Se-na. Please take care of me.”

The mentees applauded.

“Shall we sit down then?”

As instructed by the production team, I sat on the sofa with the team members.

Each mentee had a distinct personality and unique characteristics.

I need to work hard to create personalized coaching plans, even if it means pulling all-nighters.

I also need to schedule individual interviews.

While I was brainstorming, a list of the other teams appeared on the screen in the room.

The team members and I looked at the screen together.

1. Han Se-na

Min So-hyun / Kim Young-yi / Lee Hyo-seo / Yoon Ha-neul

2. Park Eun-gi

Jang Hee-yeon / Eom Dan-bi / Go Seon-ho / Kwak Seong-hyeok

3. Ha Seong-jun

Cha Seung-hee / Myung Yoo-hyun / Yoo Hye-jin / Yang Geon

4. Hwang Yoo-sun

Do Chang-hyun / Kim Min-seok / So Dae-hwi / Yoo Jang-hyeok

The last name on the screen caught my attention.

“Oh, Do Chang-hyun is on Mentor Hwang Yoo-sun’s team?”

“I had a feeling he would end up there.”

Lee Hyo-seo nodded.

I had the opposite feeling.

Hwang Yoo-sun was the person Do Chang-hyun would likely avoid the most.

After all, didn’t he say he acts because he ‘wants to become someone else’?

Choosing a mentor who infuses every role with her own strong personal style seems counterintuitive.

Hmm, things are getting interesting.

Well, maybe it’s a good choice.

If he truly finds his own style, his mental state might stabilize.

And then he might make a different choice than he did in my past life…

I shook my head slightly.

Every time I think of Do Chang-hyun, my thoughts drift back to drugs.

Aside from Do Chang-hyun, Hwang Yoo-sun’s team definitely has some strong personalities.

Ha Seong-jun’s team, on the other hand, seems to be composed of students who learn and act by the book.

Breaking down those walls will be their mission.

Breaking the wall means going against their established patterns.

I know Ha Seong-jun has worked hard to shed his child actor image.

He’s taken on some experimental projects recently.

The direction each team will take is becoming clear.

How should I lead our team?

Just as I had that thought, large text appeared on the screen.

‘Unscripted Audition First Theme Announcement’

“Oh my, what do we do! I’m so nervous!”

“Already?”

The team members stared at the screen, looking frightened.

I, too, waited for the first mission with a bit of anticipation.

‘Improvisation’

“Eek?!”

The team members exclaimed in unison as the mission was revealed.

My eyes widened in surprise as well.

Detailed explanations appeared at the bottom of the screen.

‘Various prompts such as fear, sadness, joy, and love are expected to appear. Prompts will be announced on the day of the mission. Create a 3-minute stage.’

Such a difficult task for the first mission?

I expected an unscripted acting mission at some point, but not this early.

How much harder will the later missions be?

However.

“Mentor-nim, what should we do?”

The mentees looked at me expectantly.

I smiled slightly.

I think I know what to do.

* * *

After finishing the individual interviews, we gathered in the team practice room.

The mentees looked a little disheartened.

“Everyone, don’t lose confidence. You all have a solid foundation. We’ll focus on emotional interpretation and acting ideas.”

I handed out the prepared short scripts.

Each mentee received a different script for this first training exercise.

Unlike other teams with distinct personalities, our team didn’t have much in common.

We need time to understand each individual’s characteristics more deeply than I could during the preliminaries.

The mentees quickly scanned their scripts.

“It might be a little awkward at first, but we’re going to act these out. We’re trying to identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so don’t feel pressured. Just do it freely, as you want.”

“Yes!”

The mentees answered enthusiastically.

“I’ll give you five minutes to practice, then we’ll watch one by one.”

The mentees scattered to different corners of the room and began analyzing their scripts.

Ring ring-

Five minutes flew by, and the alarm rang.

The team members gathered again.

I smiled, watching Min So-hyun, who was still glued to her script.

“So-hyun ssi.”

Min So-hyun looked up, surprised.

“Would you like to go first?”

She hesitated, then said, “Yes.”

She seemed nervous, but as soon as she stood up, the nervousness vanished.

Amazing.

Her spirit is incredible.

“I’ll start.”

The mentees looked at Min So-hyun with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

“There’s something I’ve wanted to say for a long time. A very old secret.”

Min So-hyun spoke softly.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

I felt like I’d been invited into a small attic she’d created in her imagination for the performance.

She’s definitely skilled.

Her script interpretation is excellent.

With a little more polish, she could be ready for the camera.

I watched her, a slight smile on my face.

I also observed the other mentees’ expressions.

“Ten years ago, that day, do you remember? You forgot, but I didn’t forget that day.”

Yoon Ha-neul was watching Min So-hyun’s performance with a particularly serious expression.

Unaware that the camera was zooming in on her.

She’ll probably be portrayed as feeling threatened by her teammate’s performance.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Because she probably is feeling that way.

Yoon Ha-neul likely recognized the excellence of Min So-hyun’s performance.

“Why did you do that back then…”

Min So-hyun finished her short performance, politely bowed, and put her hands together.

“Good job. I’ll give you feedback during our one-on-one session. Next is Ha-neul ssi?”

I called Yoon Ha-neul, who seemed lost in the afterglow of Min So-hyun’s performance.

She startled and stood up.

“Shall we try it?”

She nodded and came forward.

Yoon Ha-neul quickly erased her nervous expression.

I admired her inner strength.

Everyone has a great mindset.

Yoon Ha-neul approached the wall and leaned against it in a slightly disheveled pose.

She delivered her lines without announcing she was starting.

“I must have been a gypsy in my past life. Alcohol, men, sadness, love. I like them all.”

Yoon Ha-neul smiled as she said, “I like them.”

The team members’ eyes widened in surprise.

The duo from the same agency looked at her with bright, interested smiles.

Yoon Ha-neul had been particularly quiet and shy since the preliminaries.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her bold transformation.

She transformed lines that could have been cringeworthy into something charming.

She’s truly a blank canvas that can be painted with any color.

Yoon Ha-neul finished the rest of the lines quickly, as if she’d gained momentum.

When she returned to her shy self and greeted everyone after finishing, the team members applauded and cheered.

Min So-hyun, while clapping, looked slightly wary of Yoon Ha-neul.

I smiled contentedly.

Any stimulus is good.

I don’t see jealousy as a bad thing.

“Next, Kim Young-yi, Lee Hyo-seo. You two will do a pair performance.”

I had given them a special script for a duo performance.

Because there was something I wanted to observe.

The trainee duo jumped up at my call.

“We’ll try it!”

“Fighting!!”

When they came forward, a different atmosphere filled the room.

They are full of energy.

“You said that, didn’t you?!”

“Do you really want to die?”

“You, you!”

The two performed a chaotic comedy sketch of fighting sisters.

The team members laughed out loud at every line.

I also laughed at the more hilarious actions than I expected.

What, it’s better than I expected?

The two have similar acting styles.

Perhaps because they’ve been working together for so long, their synergy and stability are excellent.

The two finished their performance just before they were about to pull each other’s hair.

The team members wiped away tears of laughter and applauded.

I smiled brightly and said.

“Good job. Everyone worked hard.”

And I thought to myself.

At this rate, I’ll be able to carry out my plan.