In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 18

A café tucked away in an alley in Sangam-dong.

“Thank you for coming out so quickly.”

Chief Manager Kwon Min-young greeted me, her hands wrapped around a mug of warm Americano.

My first thought as I looked at her was…

She’s smaller than I imagined.

Since sitting down, I’ve been a little surprised by the chief manager’s overall delicate figure and impression. I had pictured someone more imposing.

Even including my previous life, this is the first time I’ve met the famous Kwon Min-young in person like this.

Well, it’s not like you have to look like a tiger to start a company and save a country.

However, the uprightness and firm will emanating from her small frame, combined with her sharp voice, made it difficult to ignore anything she said.

The chief manager took a sip of coffee and said,

“I’ll get straight to the point, Ms. Sae-na.”

I nodded.

I liked that.

I liked that she skipped the small talk and flattery to try and win me over.

“Actually, I was a little surprised that you agreed to meet me today. I probably wouldn’t have if I were you.”

A slight laugh escaped at her honest words.

“It’s just that the rumors about the chief manager’s career and skills are too well-known to ignore.”

The chief manager laughed at my answer.

“The rumor that I’m crazy?”

I almost laughed out loud at that.

I shook my hand to deny it, but the chief manager remained calm, as if she already knew everything.

“How else would I have gotten the nickname ‘a civilian with more scandals than an actress’?”

After saying that, the chief manager let out a short, laughter-filled sigh.

Haha, I didn’t realize she had such a nickname…

The chief manager opened her mouth again calmly.

“I fell in love with Sae-na’s acting and wanted to recruit her into the company right away. That was the case during Yoo-seok’s acting coaching, and ‘Flat Shoes’ [a hypothetical play or movie title] goes without saying.”

“Yoo-seok’s acting coaching was actually… nothing special.”

The chief manager smiled slightly at my words and shook her head.

“I’m worried you might be offended by this. Actually, I was so curious about Sae-na’s coaching that I turned on the recorder in Yoo-seok’s practice room.”

For a moment, I chuckled at the chief manager’s rather obsessive side.

It wasn’t a bad laugh.

It was quite interesting because it meant that if she was hooked on something to this extent, she would dig into it until the end.

“Sae-na, I dare say, you are a really talented person. So my desire to recruit you hasn’t changed, and I don’t think it ever will. But… as you know.”

The chief manager paused for a moment and smiled.

I also took a sip of my tea and wet my lips.

“It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that I’m leaving the company now. I haven’t decided on my next move yet.”

To think she’s being this honest.

But that was already a known fact, and it didn’t really matter.

I had a more important plan than that.

I opened my mouth before the chief manager could.

“Yes, this is just a random question. I’m curious about how you specifically viewed my acting.”

“Pardon?”

“What was so good about my acting that you liked it so much?”

It might feel like a somewhat provocative question.

The chief manager smiled, her large, round eyes crinkling at my question.

“I guess you’re trying to test my eye. This is a good opportunity. I can appeal to you too.”

I like this person more and more.

My body leaned forward almost imperceptibly.

“To put it cautiously, the key to Sae-na’s success in ‘Flat Shoes’ isn’t just that she acted well.”

The chief manager started speaking calmly.

“My standard for a great actor is this: Being good at acting is basic. But adding ‘one thing’ of your own to the character revealed in the script… I think that’s what determines the difference between an A and an A+ actor.”

“Ah.”

“The Yoo Ji-an that Sae-na played felt so full of life, as if she had actually met that character somewhere. Most of all, what I paid attention to was the fact that she modified Yoo Ji-an to fit Sae-na’s body.”

“Pardon?”

I instinctively retorted at the evaluation I was hearing for the first time.

“I saw the ‘Flat Shoes’ script too. I looked at it carefully because I wanted to get the actors in our agency involved, but there was no one with the talent to pull it off.”

I didn’t know how to respond at this point, so I smiled awkwardly.

But the chief manager didn’t smile.

“I also listened to writer Lee Si-young’s interview, and considered what people had objected to in the past. I think the reason why Yoo Ji-an was an incomplete character was because of universality.”

“Universality…”

“Yes, universality. When people first saw her, Yoo Ji-an was just cruel and vicious. But if you look closely at the script, there are clear areas where Yoo Ji-an’s resentment and sadness are expressed, and there’s a reason why Yoo Ji-an had no choice but to become like that. However, all those emotions are buried under too much evil.”

This person knows how to read a script…

I was embarrassed because I didn’t expect her to explain it in such detail.

At the same time, my liking for the chief manager started to snowball.

“But Sae-na’s Yoo Ji-an is sad. She knows how to be cheerful, how to collapse, and what she wants, as befits her age. And, unlike her peers, her life is heavy, burdensome, and unfair. Sae-na maximized and expressed the emotions hidden behind Yoo Ji-an’s evil deeds.”

After finishing her words, the chief manager took a sip of her cooling tea.

“That’s how Sae-na made Yoo Ji-an not obvious. Not a tedious villain, but a unique villain, a sad villain, a relatable villain. Like this, by adding even one sad expression or absent-minded gesture to a minor scene. The key to all of this is not Han Sae-na’s Yoo Ji-an-ification, but Yoo Ji-an’s Han Sae-na-ification.”

The chief manager gently made eye contact with me.

“So I was a little curious. Where on earth did she get those emotions, and how? When has a person named Han Sae-na ever experienced Yoo Ji-an’s sadness at such a young age? That’s the question that remained.”

Hearing those words, I cleared my throat to hide my embarrassment.

I didn’t expect her to be this sharp…

It was a little scary.

She’s young herself while saying that.

And I’m someone who’s living life again, but how on earth does that person have such insight…?

Rather, it was this side of her that I couldn’t understand.

“Sae-na, you’re twenty-three years old, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

The chief manager’s words, which I thought were the end, continued again.

“How did Sae-na know about Yoo-seok’s inferiority complex?”

The moment I heard those words, I felt breathless.

I remembered knowing Sun Yoo-seok’s future in advance and triggering that child’s emotional outburst.

My mind went blank.

The chief manager opened her mouth again.

“Sae-na.”

At the chief manager’s words, her voice slowly reached my ears as if in slow motion.

The chief manager smiled.

“Are you a psychic?”

Ha, as soon as I heard those words, the breath I had been holding in burst out.

Hiding my embarrassment, I tried to smile.

She must have thought it was strange to see that recorder booth, and now she’s just joking around like this.

“Sae-na, your acting goes without saying, and your teaching too… I don’t know if you’ll feel bad if I say this. I don’t think Sae-na is great… um, she’s strange.”

I was completely dumbfounded.

“Of course, in a good way.”

After saying this, the chief manager took another sip of her cold tea.

Since living a second life, has anyone ever messed with my pace like this?

I can say for sure that this was the first time.

“But I can’t offer Sae-na a contract in this situation. The reason I asked you to meet today was…”

“Yes.”

I leaned forward and answered.

I became anxious that the chief manager would cancel the contract.

“I’ll be cheering you on as a fan for the time being. I contacted you to ask if it would be okay to contact you again later when I get settled.”

I took a sip of tea and swept my hair back.

I delayed my answer for a moment.

Hmm…

If I were thinking about investing for the future, the chief manager’s words were a wise decision.

But I had no intention of doing that.

Especially not now.

I can’t miss out on someone like this.

“Chief Manager, could you start your own company?”

I asked casually, pretending not to know anything.

At my words, this time the chief manager was speechless for a moment.

“That’s an absurd suggestion, right? It’s funny even to me.”

I took a sip of tea.

“Of course, I don’t know you well since we just met, but I think you’re a capable person. Starting a company will definitely be a hardship, but I think you’re someone who can overcome that.”

As I chattered, the chief manager clasped her hands together with a flustered face.

“That’s… an unexpected answer.”

The chief manager laughed awkwardly, haha.

“Most of all, I’ve come to like the chief manager!”

The chief manager smiled at my words, which were delivered in a cheerfully raised tone.

But the expression in her eyes was slightly nervous.

After a while, the chief manager answered.

“It’s not a direction I haven’t thought about. But it’s not a normal thing, so I need some time to think about it.”

I nodded at those words.

I was sad to part like this, but I decided to take a step back for the sake of the future.

She was really a person I didn’t want to miss.

As expected, there’s a reason why she’s an unprecedented figure in the agency industry.

“Then, shall we see each other again next time?”

The chief manager said, reaching out her hand to me.

I grabbed that hand and shook it briefly.

“I’ll definitely see you.”

* * *

On the way to an interview with an entertainment magazine.

This time too, the driver was my dad.

No matter how much I take a taxi, I couldn’t get used to it.

Today, my mom was also in the passenger seat.

“So, it seems like it will take a little longer to find an agency?”

My mom said worriedly.

“Yeah.”

“Do you have a place in mind? Isn’t it taking too long…”

My dad answered instead of my mom.

“Our daughter must have her own thoughts. If it’s really a problem, we can go meet the agency president together later.”

Please stop.

“I can handle it myself. Don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry?”

It seemed like there would be no end to this.

Soon, the car was parked in front of a building.

“Have a good time, daughter!”

“I’ll make dinner. Be careful of people. Be careful of men too! Be careful of everything!!”

Okay, I understand, I got it. After answering several times, I barely managed to close the car door.

As I stood in front of the crosswalk waiting for the signal to change…

“Huh? Isn’t that Han Sae-na…?”

I heard whispering voices around me.

Everyone who made eye contact with me bowed their heads slightly and greeted me.

At that time, two women who were waiting for the signal approached and greeted me hesitantly.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Hello.”

When I smiled brightly, the woman on the left jumped up and down.

“Wow, I’m a real Yoo Ji-an fan. I cry every day watching ‘Flat Shoes’. Can I take a picture with you, please?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at those words.

“Thank you. Of course, I have to take a picture with you!”

“Oh my gosh, this *unnie* [Korean term for older sister or female friend] has such a great personality.”

As I was taking pictures, the crowd that was gathering started to snowball.

“Yoo Ji-an! I’m a real fan!!”

“Wow, she’s amazing in person. *Noona*, [Korean term for older sister used by males] you’re so pretty.”

“Please sign this for me.”

I felt good as I responded to each and every one of them.

I realized that there were people who sincerely liked me and supported Yoo Ji-an.

In my previous life, when I walked down the street, people would recognize me as ‘Yoo Ji-an,’ but they would just watch me from afar and rarely approached me.

“Thank you.”

A pleasant smile didn’t fade.

Inside the studio.

While shooting photos for the magazine, the photographer’s exclamations filled the studio.

To the point where it was a little embarrassing.

“Sae-na, are you really a rookie? Your poses, your expressions, there’s nothing missing.”

Haha… Because I’m not a rookie.

I swallowed the words and smiled.

“I think I’m able to follow along well because the photographer is capturing the points so well.”

“Wow, she’s even humble. Turn your chin slightly to the side. That’s right. Oh, pretty.”

With the photographer’s burning passion, the shooting time was delayed by 30 minutes.

I stood in front of the monitor, quenching my thirst with a drink brought by the staff.

“Writer Jung, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you so excited. It seems like you’re greedy for Sae-na.”

I lowered my head while listening to the staff’s words.

The photos taken were displayed on the monitor.

The people watching the photos exclaimed in admiration.

In the meantime, the writer who was flipping through the photos stopped at a certain photo.

“This is it. We can use this for this month’s cover.”

It was a photo of me sweeping my hair back and smiling brightly as if I was having fun.

It was the face I had when I burst out laughing at the writer’s endless compliments and jokes a little while ago.

With natural shading and a slight increase in saturation, the photo was full of life.

“It’s so natural. Pretty.”

The staff added one word each.

“Sae-na is so chic when she’s expressionless, but she’s so radiant when she smiles.”

“The B-cuts aren’t even B-cuts? Should we increase the number of photos included this time? It’s too good to waste.”

The writer nodded.

“Yeah, release the other photos on the internet too. All the guys will have this as their wallpaper.”

In such a friendly atmosphere, another writer approached me.

“Sae-na, are you ready?”

When I nodded, the writer took me to a large table next to the studio and made me coffee.

“Please sit comfortably. Now… where shall we start?”

I Will Die as an Actress, Not a Villain in this Life