In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 17

“Breaking News?”

What’s going on?

I had an ominous feeling.

“Park Hyuk-min hit someone while drunk driving.”

Jieun said, taking out a cigarette.

Huh? Park Hyuk-min?

I clicked my tongue, thinking the inevitable had finally happened.

In my previous life, Park Hyuk-min had also met his end in a drunk driving accident.

“He’s really got some nerve. Doing this when he’s at the peak of his career.”

“Their agency is going to have a real headache.”

The staff each chimed in with a comment.

Park Hyuk-min was a popular male actor who had solidified his position with his handsome face and considerable acting in romantic comedies.

His agency must be in chaos…

Wait, which agency is he with?

“Which agency is Park Hyuk-min with?”

Jieun replied,

“Park Hyuk-min is with True Actors. They were taking great care of him.”

At that moment, the ominous feeling became clearer.

Jieun continued,

“True Actors tried to cover it up, but one of their employees told the truth during the investigation. That’s why it’s in the news now.”

Jieun shook her phone, displaying the news article.

Ah.

I rubbed my head and sighed.

It felt like the last missing piece of the puzzle had been filled.

So, this was it.

I felt a momentary wave of dizziness.

Why now, of all times?

It must be Kwon Min-young.

Was this the decisive incident that led Kwon Min-young to leave the company before starting her own agency?

“I’ll head out first. I have another schedule.”

“Okay, Saena. Be careful!”

Everyone waved, and I turned and left the broadcasting station.

I organized my thoughts.

If my memory serves me right, the victim Park Hyuk-min hit will die in the intensive care unit, and Park Hyuk-min will eventually receive a prison sentence.

And Kwon Min-young must be under immense pressure from the company right now…

Dinner is off the table.

I left a message for Seon Yu-seok.

– Please tell Director Kwon to contact me when she’s sorted things out and is feeling up to it.

I closed my phone, then opened it again.

– Let’s see each other soon.

* * *

Back at the film set.

The reason I came to work late today was because we were scheduled for an all-night shoot.

“Saena, did you get some rest? Today’s a big hurdle.”

Senior actor Park Hoon spoke to me.

“Yes, Senior. You look tired. Are you okay?”

“Oh, I only have a little more to film. I should hurry up and die.”

We both laughed it off.

Uncle Yoo Ji-an was soon to be caught in his own web and die.

In the distance, Yuri stretched and walked over.

“Good afternoon, everyone.”

“Yuri, are you feeling okay? I heard you’ve been in and out of the hospital.”

I asked worriedly.

She looked like she had lost a lot of weight at a glance.

And she was already so thin.

“What can I do if I’m not okay…? I have to film.”

She seemed resigned.

Even her playful words were full of exhaustion.

We exchanged knowing smiles, understanding each other without saying much.

“That’s right.”

“Let’s all hang in there a little longer. We’ve come a long way, a long way.”

Senior actor Park Hoon comforted the two female leads.

The faces of the staff, who were running around breathlessly, also had dark circles down to their chins.

Then, one of the makeup staff approached and grabbed my arm familiarly.

“Saena.”

“Oh, Wonyoung.”

“We need to put extra effort into your makeup because of today’s concept. Let’s go quickly.”

The staff member pulled my arm.

Yuri and my senior actor waved from behind.

With faint smiles that seemed to say, ‘Let’s all survive…’

* * *

Under the bright lights, as soon as I sat in front of the mirror, the staff with makeup and various tools moved even more busily.

Everyone seems busy today.

It was different from what I expected.

“By the way, Wonyoung, how’s the wedding talk with your boyfriend going?”

Wonyoung’s hand, which was touching my hair, stopped.

“How did Saena know about that?”

“Huh?”

A silence fell over the waiting room.

Huh.

I was so happy to see a staff member I had been with every day 20 years ago that I spoke to her familiarly.

I got confused and blurted out the information I had heard back then.

“No, I overheard the makeup team chatting a while ago. I was just curious.”

I smiled, trying to smooth things over.

Wonyoung tilted her head at my words.

“We talked about marriage with my boyfriend yesterday…”

Cold sweat ran down my back.

“Wasn’t it Wonyoung? There was definitely a staff member who was talking about getting married?”

I laughed it off, trying to gloss over it.

“Oh? But I thought Yoo Ji-an was going to be in a pretty disheveled state today, so I didn’t think there would be much makeup to do.”

I quickly changed the subject.

The most senior staff member among the staff glared at me.

“That’s why pretty people don’t understand.”

“Pardon?”

“If you have a good base, you don’t need makeup or anything, honey.”

The makeup team joked and laughed among themselves.

“Saena, do you know how difficult it is to show a disheveled state on TV?”

“Ah.”

“Is a disheveled state for an actress really a disheveled state? It’s still a ‘pretty’ disheveled state!”

I laughed at that.

Wonyoung also turned her attention to this and laughed.

Phew, that was close.

There’s no way an actress with 20 years of experience wouldn’t know that.

However, I managed to divert attention quickly.

“It’s more difficult to look natural and pretty, like you’re not wearing makeup, than to wear heavy makeup and look pretty.”

“Are you talking about dewy makeup?”

“Yeah. You know, after Yoo Ji-an became popular, how much did sales increase for what Saena wears, puts on, and carries?”

“It’s brutal when a drama becomes this popular.”

Ah…?

I didn’t know that.

This was also something that didn’t happen in my previous life.

I’ve been so busy with agency issues, hate comments, and filming these days that I haven’t had time to look at anything else.

“Saena, do you know that the lip product you wore when you drank wine last time sold out?”

“Really?”

“Wow. Saena, you need to find an agency quickly.”

I’m really hearing this for the first time.

“You’ll probably get quite a few commercial offers soon, Saena.”

“Oh, I hope it’s our makeup product. Right, sis?”

Wonyoung replied, styling my hair.

I laughed as I listened to the conversation.

“Let’s make dewy makeup a hit again this time.”

The makeup team was energized.

The feeling of the makeup being lightly applied to my face was refreshing.

“Let’s minimize the color on the lips today and keep it natural.”

With those words, the staff’s hands began to move even more busily.

* * *

Inside the set.

“Ready, action.”

Sitting on the bed in natural pajamas, I filled a glass on the table with soju [Korean distilled rice liquor].

My face was almost bare.

No, it looked bare.

To be exact, the staff had put their heart and soul into dewy makeup.

I swept my hair back and poured a glass of soju, then another…

I made a ‘Kyah-‘ sound and poured the alcohol into my mouth.

It was a scene where Yoo Ji-an put down her usual vicious and venomous self and drank.

I filled the glass again and drank.

Then, I picked up a piece of chicken gizzard from the plate on the table with chopsticks, carefully examined it, and put it in my mouth.

I chewed and opened my eyes wide.

I drank another shot and slammed the glass on the table.

Then, I began to shovel the chicken gizzard into my mouth.

It was a food that Yoo Ji-an had learned from the employee friends she had made at work.

It seemed like an insignificant scene, but it was a scene that could show Yoo Ji-an’s unexpected charm.

Also, it was a scene that would make viewers feel more sorry for Yoo Ji-an’s downfall later by approaching them in such a friendly way.

“Cut. Okay.”

I heard the director’s voice calling ‘Okay’ in one go.

“Hey, Saena. You’re eating so deliciously.”

“Like the wine last time, and the soju. This will be a hot topic too, right?”

“Exactly.”

Everyone cheerfully added a word about the scene they had just filmed.

“Let’s get a few insert cuts. Starting with picking up the food with chopsticks-.”

The director of photography quickly urged the next scene.

So, I filmed scenes of picking up food with chopsticks and putting it in my mouth one by one, and scenes of making delicious expressions.

“Are you going to land a liquor commercial, Saena?”

“Oh, how can a rookie do that? Thank you for the thought.”

People continued the conversation, trying to maintain their energy despite being exhausted.

I heard that the Flat Shoes filming set was known for having a good atmosphere among other filming sets.

I really felt that way too.

“Okay, next, let’s go outside. We’re going to film Yoo Ji-an swinging alone.”

“Yes-!”

I stepped out of the set and took a long sip of coffee.

I briefly opened my phone and saw that it was already past 2 a.m.

The staff busily began setting up lights in front of the swing near the set.

Nearby, Jung Chaeseong was checking the schedule for the next scene and rubbing his face.

I quietly approached and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Chaeseong, are you okay?”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

Jung Chaeseong’s appearance, trying to smile, was a mess.

His hair was greasy, he was wearing the same hoodie for the third day, his dark circles were beyond description, and his cheeks were sunken.

I carefully handed Jung Chaeseong my coffee.

Jung Chaeseong smiled and waved his hand.

“Oh, I have coffee.”

“Oh, you bought it in advance.”

“Yes, Jieun gave it to me.”

At that moment, Jieun was seen passing by in the distance.

“Oh, Jieun!”

Jieun and I smiled and waved at each other.

“Oh, it’s chilly. I heard you came early today. Aren’t you going home, Jieun?”

“No way. I’m learning this and that while rolling around on set, and I’m going to write and direct later.”

“Wow, as expected. Passionate Jieun. Amazing.”

Jieun sucked on her coffee through a straw.

“Jieun, aren’t you drinking too much coffee?”

Every time I see her, she’s drinking coffee.

And black coffee at that.

“Oh, just. Chaeseong bought this for me.”

Jieun drank her coffee and took out a cigarette.

“Jieun, you’re going to die if you keep doing that.”

“I’m not going to live to my natural lifespan anyway.”

Jieun patted me on the shoulder and walked away.

“Setting is complete-!”

“We’re going to start filming.”

“Bring the reflector, here.”

Hoo…

Before going back to the set, I took a deep breath.

* * *

“So, did you find an agency?”

Inside my dad’s small car, which had a familiar air freshener scent.

Dad looked at my face in the rearview mirror and asked.

“No, not yet. It’ll take some time.”

I leaned my face against the window, closed my eyes, and answered, exhausted.

Dad had finished work and waited until my filming was over to pick me up.

“It’s okay if you don’t pick me up at this early hour. There are taxis, and I can get a ride with other actors.”

Dad answered firmly to that.

“No way, my daughter is a successful actress now. I have to provide this much care.”

Just as I was about to fall asleep from exhaustion, I chuckled at those words.

Dad hummed a song while driving at 4:30 a.m.

“Dad. Are you happy that your daughter is doing well?”

Dad smiled happily at those words.

“Of course, I’m happy. It’s good if you do well, and it’s good if you don’t. Everything my daughter does is good.”

I laughed once again at those words.

My nose tingled embarrassingly.

“Don’t worry about the hate comments. You don’t have to report them one by one.”

Dad pretended not to know at those words.

“Dad doesn’t know much about that. I don’t even know how to use the internet well, what.”

I held back the tears that were about to come out at that answer.

I leaned my head against the window.

These were the moments I had always longed for in my previous life.

Those small moments of staying by the side of loved ones…

“Dad, get a health checkup soon. With Mom.”

“Health checkup? Why suddenly?”

“Just get it. I’ll make a reservation. Let’s scan everything, from head to toe. Okay?”

“Oh, geez. Yes, yes.”

Ding-dong-

At that moment, a text message notification rang on my phone.

I tried to check it roughly and turn it off…

– Hello, actress Han Saena. This is Kwon Min-young. I would appreciate it if you could contact me regarding when we can meet.

I checked the text message and raised myself up from leaning against the car.

Did the situation get resolved faster than I thought?

I thought it would take at least another week…

I quietly held the phone and pondered.

I Will Die as an Actress in This Life