In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 132

As the Show Media staff gathered, their English chatter drawing frowns from passing crew members.

Lee Sun-ho watched them, sighing softly.

Sensing the mood souring, he quickly changed the subject. “By the way, Sun-ho, I didn’t realize how competitive you are. Your spirit is amazing.”

Lee Sun-ho chuckled. “Yeah, but I still get uncomfortable in situations like this.”

“Huh?”

Lee Sun-ho grumbled, “I hate it when buyers come to watch the filming.”

“Really? I didn’t know you even noticed. I figured you’d be thinking about how much everyone will love your performance, or how great our work is.”

“Instead, it feels like they’re just sizing me up in terms of money.”

Hearing that, I crinkled my nose, offering a knowing smile.

It was a gesture that said, ‘That’s just how the business is,’ but also conveyed empathy. To Lee Sun-ho, who lived and breathed acting, it probably felt similar to how I felt when AK [my previous agency] treated me like a cash cow—a place I’ll never return to.

Especially for Lee Sun-ho, who seemed a bit like me in that regard, there was no way he could see those buyers favorably.

Because they showed absolutely no courtesy or respect.

I quickly shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

I couldn’t afford to get bogged down in negativity. I still had a lot to do.

‘Thank you, whoever you are. You’re one of us, right? Please take good care of us.’

‘Goodbye, stranger. Make the people in your world love us.’

‘If you act worse than me, you’re dead. Goodbye.’

The greetings and requests I’d made in the script as the personalities disappeared echoed in my ears.

I don’t know when it started, but these personalities were definitely aware of my existence.

The first and last greetings were filled with a strange sense of affection.

Maybe that’s why.

A sense of responsibility to fulfill their requests settled deep within me.

* * *

The next scene marked Jung Se-eun’s debut.

It was a scene where Yoo Da-yang and Kang Ji-oh were racking their brains to deal with the fallout from Baek Jang-mi’s latest antics.

During this, Kang Ji-oh receives a call from the company about a problem with a crucial advertising contract.

Jung Se-eun was supposed to seize this opportunity, confidently stepping in to offer her help.

But the director and I had been agonizing over this entrance for over ten minutes.

To be precise, the director was agonizing over me, who was agonizing.

“Sena, what’s bothering you about it?”

“Well, you see…”

As planned, I was supposed to wear horn-rimmed glasses the moment Jung Se-eun appeared.

But for some reason, now that we were about to film, I didn’t like that idea.

Then, an idea sparked in my mind.

* * *

“Is your dream to be a rich man’s puppet?” I asked, clicking the pen twice as I looked at Kang Ji-oh.

Despite the blunt question, I kept my voice even.

Kang Ji-oh raised an eyebrow. “Even though I run a company, that’s the first time I’ve heard that.”

“I guess everyone around you is too accommodating?”

Click, click, again with the pen.

I casually swept my hair back and leaned one arm behind me on the sofa.

Kang Ji-oh looked at me with interest, a slight smirk playing on his lips. “Well, I’m glad there’s no one as arrogant as you around, at least.”

Hearing that, I chuckled.

And clicked the pen again.

This time, I pressed it slowly, with a deliberate pause.

The silence in the office was filled with the sound of the pen clicking twice.

As if the sound itself was expressing the sparks flying between us.

Click again.

Kang Ji-oh focused his gaze on my fingertips pressing the pen.

Then, he slowly scanned my arm and looked back at my face.

I met Kang Ji-oh’s eyes for a long moment without saying a word.

“Cut. Okay!”

As soon as the director gave the okay, the staff members let out relieved sounds like “Phew” and “Puhaha.”

“I thought I was going to suffocate.”

“Wow, the atmosphere was intense….”

“Sexy.”

Lee Sun-ho also loosened his tie slightly, as if he’d been holding his breath.

I looked at the director, who gave me a thumbs up.

“It’s a hundred times better than trying to solve it with just glasses, Sena.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It would have been a disaster if you’d just worn glasses. You’re so captivating.”

Hearing that, I smiled.

Then, I turned my head again and sat still, thinking about Jung Se-eun.

Jung Se-eun didn’t have habits like this.

I could only vaguely sense her different eyes, tone, and attitude compared to the other personalities.

Among Yoo Ha-young’s personalities, she was the most proud, intelligent, and quick-tempered.

But it was really difficult to express that simply through facial expressions or tone.

I was worried that her charm might not be fully revealed, overshadowed by Baek Jang-mi, who was always radiating energy and causing trouble.

Clearly, Jung Se-eun also had great chemistry with Kang Ji-oh, like the other personalities, but I was worried about how to convey that on set.

I wondered if I should create more detailed characteristics.

Acting isn’t just about imitation.

‘My Jung Se-eun’ isn’t the real Jung Se-eun.

People needed a way to easily understand Jung Se-eun.

So, I came up with the idea of using voice tone and minor habits.

I wanted to create a significant difference from the other personalities with very subtle changes.

I hoped that would be effectively conveyed on camera.

At that moment, Lee Sun-ho, as if reading my mind, got up from his seat, put his hands in his pockets, and smiled slightly.

“The Jung Se-eun character is interesting, isn’t it?”

“Really?”

“The characters are coming across two or three times more interesting than in the script. If we continue to develop each character like this, we could at least reach the level of .”

Lee Sun-ho omitted the rest of his words and smiled.

Unstoppable.

Looking at his face, I laughed and said, “Ugh.”

Where does that competitive spirit come from?

Then, the staff members who were moving equipment nearby perked up their ears and chimed in.

“Wow, were we allowed to mention our team?”

“I thought it was a forbidden word.”

“Oh, I heard that,” I said, laughing.

But then, the staff members around me began to say things they hadn’t mentioned before.

“Let’s take first place.”

“Honestly, I think it’s possible.”

“My friend is working on lighting for that team, and they’re sharpening their knives too.”

“Really? Wow, we can’t lose either. Everyone, let’s just live here [work non-stop].”

“What are you talking about? You do it alone.”

The staff members laughed simultaneously.

I awkwardly smiled, blending into the crowd.

Seeing the team members who were unknowingly conscious of the team, I felt uncomfortable in one corner of my heart.

Because Seo Jae-yeon came to mind.

Have I been too complacent all this time?

In fact, this kind of atmosphere is natural when a rivalry is formed.

Ugh, how did I get entangled with Seo Jae-yeon like this?

Not only Seo Jae-yeon, but also Min-hee.

I shook my head vigorously.

I didn’t want to waste energy on those thoughts right now.

I quickly got up from my seat.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same time, on the team’s filming set.

In a corner of the police station set, Seo Jae-yeon and Sung Min-hee were exchanging lines.

A criminal’s file was placed between them.

“The shaman was right. She said you and I would be in a love triangle over a man.”

“I didn’t know it would be fighting over a criminal. Anyway, our team is taking this case.”

“Yeah, get lost. This man is mine.”

“Don’t come begging me to do a joint investigation later.”

In the drama, the two detective characters were childhood friends who worked at the same station and were constantly at odds whenever a case broke out.

The staff members couldn’t help but admire the two actresses’ skillful back-and-forth.

“Cut, okay!! Wow, we’re going to be a hit. Huh?”

The director poured out praise without hiding his excitement.

Then, the staff members excitedly added their voices.

“Let’s take first place!!”

“This is a hundred times fresher than those boring rom-coms, yeah.”

“How far along is the filming for ?”

This team was also very aware of the rival team.

Sung Min-hee smiled brightly, excited by the staff’s reactions.

“Of course, we’re number one! Who’s filming it?”

The staff members cheered.

Watching the staff members and Sung Min-hee, Seo Jae-yeon pretended to smile.

It was a similar expression to Han Sena’s.

Sung Min-hee smiled and asked Seo Jae-yeon, who was standing still. “Jae-yeon, don’t you think we’ll definitely win too?”

Then, Seo Jae-yeon dropped her smile and said. “There’s no such thing as ‘of course’ in this industry. If you don’t want to get pushed back later and lose face, you should save your words.”

With those words, Seo Jae-yeon left the scene with her usual haughty attitude.

Sung Min-hee glared at Seo Jae-yeon as she walked away.

“I must be a saint to be stuck with a girl like that.”

Seo Jae-yeon left the center of the filming set, which had become noisy with talk about , and picked up the script in a corner.

Then, she sat down calmly and began to scan the lines for the next scene.

* * *

One month later.

“Yoo Da-yang’s ending? Is there anything I can help you with, writer Gu…?”

I was unexpectedly summoned to writer Gu Se-min’s studio.

Writer Gu Se-min, who was fighting a lone battle with only the last two episodes left, sent me an SOS.

“I want to discuss Yoo Da-yang and Yoo Ha-young’s choices in the ending with Sena.”

It was a perplexing request.

“The director is here too, so why me…?”

For some reason, the memory of visiting writer Nam Ji-hye’s studio during Gyeolkkot [previous drama] came to mind like a déjà vu.

But writer Gu Se-min’s eyes flashed for a moment.

“Sena, you know everything, don’t you?”

“Yes?!”

I was so startled that my voice cracked.

The writer continued without wavering. “I’ve been hearing stories from the set. Even though I didn’t intentionally tell you the later content, you always acted like you knew everything.”

“……!”

I did my best to hide the shock inside.

Have I been too obvious all this time?

Lee Sun-ho, and now the writer too.

They all see me as extraordinary.

Should I pretend not to know on purpose from now on?

But how do I do that?

My head started spinning and getting tangled.

“I was wrong. I was sure that the person who knows the characters best in the world is the writer. But maybe it could be the actor.”

Then, I was speechless and couldn’t answer.

“I’m learning all this now that I’m writing a drama, not a novel.”

“Haha. You flatter me.”

“Anyway, so. I have a special twist to tell you first, Sena.”

Hearing that, I swallowed hard.

Because I felt like I knew what she was going to say next.

She’s probably going to say that Yoo Da-yang isn’t the main personality.

Then I had to show a surprised reaction.

I started to prepare myself.

As expected.

The writer lowered her voice as if someone was listening.

“Actually, Yoo Da-yang isn’t the main personality.”

Hearing that, I covered my mouth with both hands.

And I widened my eyes as if my eyeballs would pop out.

How hypocritical, Han Sena.

It’s painful…!

The writer smiled, satisfied with my reaction.

“You didn’t know this, did you?”

“Writer… are you a genius? How… no, then Yoo Da-yang is……. I’m so sad.”

At my words, the writer took off her headband, swept her hair back, and put it back on.

“It’s so hard on my heart to write it. I don’t want to let Yoo Da-yang go.”

Hearing that, I nodded as if I was still in shock.

But in truth, the emotional shock I experienced at that time was quite big.

The writer asked me a question.

“Then Yoo Da-yang has to leave like the other personalities. But in fact, Yoo Da-yang is a more special personality. What choice will the two make?”