In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 56

On the way back from the hospital after receiving emergency treatment, my road manager kept nagging in the van.

“Do you know that an actor’s appearance is also their asset? I’m going to tell Min-young noona [older sister or close female friend] everything.”

“Stop nagging!”

“What would have happened if it weren’t for the director? He said you could have been scarred for life if we had left it any longer.”

I could only get out of the van after listening to his nagging for a long time.

I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the stinging pain from the wound with every step I took.

When I returned to the set, the staff were busy preparing for the next scene.

I approached the director, who was monitoring the footage.

“Did you get treatment?” the director asked in a dry tone.

“Yes.”

“They said you won’t be scarred?”

“Yes… I want to monitor too.”

I had to go to the hospital without even seeing the scene I had just filmed.

“No.”

“Pardon?”

I looked at the director in surprise.

“I won’t let a stubborn actor who doesn’t take care of their body monitor.”

The director’s expression was cold, making it hard to see it as a joke.

“Sena-ssi [term of endearment], aren’t you someone who needs to look far ahead?”

“….”

“If you keep going at that pace, you’ll definitely reach a high point. But you won’t go far. If you’re more desperate than anyone else, pace yourself.”

This was the first time I had received advice from Director Kang since the filming of *Gyeol Flower* began.

Unexpectedly, he was someone who had never told me what to do or whether something was right or wrong.

He always directed without much reaction, but whenever I pushed forward in the direction I wanted, he was the one who supported that vision more reliably than anyone else.

Therefore… it was worth listening to.

When I thought about it, there was no reason to lose composure just because I was desperate.

It’s not like the memories and feelings for Sun-im would disappear if I was delayed a little.

Why was I in such a hurry?

Having cherished Sun-im for so long, I was too hasty and tripped over my own feet.

“I’m sorry. You’re right, Director. I was too… greedy.”

The director’s expression softened a little at my words.

“I’m not scolding you.”

“I know. Thank you for the advice, Director. I mean it.”

“Then you can watch now.”

I smiled slightly at his words and sat in front of the monitor.

I was staring at the monitor with such a serious expression when I heard faint clicking sounds coming from somewhere.

Without even having time to pay attention, I followed Sun-im’s running with my eyes until the end.

I held my breath the whole time Sun-im was running.

“Hoo.”

I finally took a breath after the monitoring was over.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, I think it turned out well.”

I looked up at the director and smiled.

“The actor is more picky than me, geez.”

Just then, someone came running from over there.

“Lucky Charm!”

“Oh? Writer-nim [term of endearment for the writer]!”

Writer Nam, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, approached with a surprised expression.

“Our Lucky Charm, I heard you got hurt. What happened?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. By the way, what brings you to the set….”

The writer cut me off and continued to make a fuss.

“I came to tell you some good news. But you’re just here getting hurt!”

Good news?

I looked back and forth between the director and the writer with a bewildered expression, and the writer raised his voice.

“Surely, Director, you haven’t told her yet?”

“Ah, I’ve been too busy.”

The director’s expression revealed his oversight.

What could it be?

The writer glared at him and looked back at me.

“Our *Gyeol Flower*, we received a publishing offer!”

“A script book?!”

“No, a novel!”

This was truly unexpected news.

Not a script book, but a novel publication.

“Writer-nim, congratulations!”

Then the writer smiled and held my hand tightly.

“It’s all thanks to Sena-ssi. So, I’m making a request to the lead actors.”

“A request?”

“Yes. We need a piece for the beginning of the book. A review of the filming, or the charm of the work from the actor’s perspective. Something that will satisfy the fans.”

Ah? This is a first.

The viewership rating broke through 19%, and it was getting much bigger than I had imagined.

“I heard Sena-ssi doesn’t have an afternoon schedule, so I was going to go to a meeting with the publisher, but….”

The writer looked down at my leg with a distressed expression.

“Ah, I can go!”

“No, I’ll reschedule. It was a bit rude to tell Sena-ssi on the day of anyway.”

As I waved my hands and stood up at the writer’s words, my manager suddenly appeared and pushed me back down.

* * *

At the True Actors office at that time.

Scenes from episode 12 of *Gyeol Flower* were playing on the TV hanging on the wall.

CEO Chu Dong-gyu let out a hollow laugh.

“It finally surpassed 20 percent.”

Chu Dong-gyu picked up the remote control and turned off the TV with a slightly irritated expression.

The laptop screen on the table displayed articles about Kwon Min-young and Han Sena.

‘If you go to Seowon Arts University, do you know Han Sena?’

This was the question he had asked Seon Yu-seok before.

He had taken note of her because she was a rookie whose acting in her debut work was quite good.

But Seon Yu-seok gave him an incredible answer.

‘Sena noona [older sister or close female friend]? She even came to our company and watched my acting before?’

Moreover, there was even a video left in the recording booth of the practice room at the time.

A scene where Han Sena, a complete rookie who had only filmed her debut work at the time, was radically fixing Seon Yu-seok’s terrible acting.

It was acting ability that couldn’t be fixed even after pouring money into training.

She was more capable than he had imagined.

And there was one more person like this.

‘Kwon Min-young.’

Chu Dong-gyu sighed deeply.

It was Kwon Min-young who had especially cherished Seon Yu-seok.

He was sure that Kwon Min-young had seen that practice video one step faster than him.

“I shouldn’t have been holding onto Park Hyuk-min.”

Trying to clean up after a drunk driving accident ultimately meant losing both birds [failing to achieve either of two goals].

If he had known that she had contact with Han Sena, he shouldn’t have let Kwon Min-young go.

Chu Dong-gyu narrowed his brows as he looked at the article photos of the two.

‘Kwon Min-young isn’t the type to give up on the company, and it’s too late to bring her back. Is there no way to bring at least Han Sena?’

Chu Dong-gyu shook his leg as he racked his brain.

“Ugh, seriously, Chu Dong-gyu, you idiot.”

Chu Dong-gyu tapped his forehead with a pen as if he had a headache.

* * *

At the Gloza Publishing office.

“Wow, the main character is here! The viewership ratings are crazy, right? Congratulations.”

The editor in charge, a novelist, got up and greeted me with a friendly handshake.

Over the weekend, *Gyeol Flower* recorded a frighteningly rapid increase in viewership ratings, finally reaching 25.2%.

“Thank you.”

After shaking hands with the editor, I sat facing her at a table by the window where the spring sunlight was streaming in.

As soon as I sat down, questions poured out.

“When did Sun-im start loving the king?”

“Is Sun-im a strong woman who was ahead of her time?”

“What feelings do you have when you think of Sun-im?”

The writer’s words that she needed me seemed to be more than just a pleasant lie.

Every time I answered in a calm voice, the editor typed on the keyboard at a frightening speed.

Watching her, I started to sweat.

While I was explaining a scene in the play, Writer Nam brought up the short film.

“The setting of our lead actor’s short film was reflected in order to increase the persuasiveness of this part.”

Then the editor nodded and stopped writing for a moment.

“Ah, that’s the one you said you’d release if the viewership rating exceeded 20%, right? When is it coming out? Will it be included in the special video? I’m so excited.”

This person keeps throwing question marks….

Looking at her sparkling eyes, I felt like I knew why this person was in charge of the publication.

I had a feeling she was a true fan of *Gyeol Flower*.

Writer Nam opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, that’s why Sang-seon ends up sacrificing himself here….”

At that moment, something flashed through my mind.

I asked for their understanding and shared my opinion.

“What if, in the novel, Sang-seon has a happy ending? I want to see a version where the king, Sun-im, and Sang-seon are all together as one happy team.”

Then a moment of silence flowed through the office.

This was purely my greed.

I wanted to leave behind Sang-seon’s trace.

The writer looked at me and smiled brightly.

“You really wanted to save Sang-seon, didn’t you?”

I nodded at her words.

“Yes. And I think the strategy of showing a different ending in the novel will be quite in demand among viewers.”

Then the editor, who was in charge, nodded as if agreeing.

“The idea itself is good, so shall we discuss it?”

Soon, the two writers began to throw out ideas.

“Then let’s have the king shoot an arrow when Sang-seon is cornered.”

“Let’s have the scholars come in at the right timing here….”

In just a few minutes, the writers’ own world began to unfold in earnest.

Seeing the faces of the two people completing the story one by one, I felt a mixture of complex emotions.

Things like the refreshing feeling and regret that were different from when I was filming the drama.

Now, this ending has left my hands too.

Sang-seon survived in another story, and he would continue to live a life somewhere that I didn’t know.

While I was alone, immersed in emotion, the two writers’ capitalist sensibilities came crashing in.

“If this book comes out, there should be merchandise too, right?”

“Of course. You know, limited edition merchandise for the first edition, right?”

“You know what’s up. It would be nice to have bookmarks with the lead actors’ photos in the first edition.”

“Autographed copies too!”

They were boasting the best teamwork in just two hours of meeting.

* * *

Time passed, and it was already the last day of filming.

Everyone on the staff was busy with mixed feelings of relief and regret before the final scene.

Meanwhile, Lee Seok-hyun, who heard the news about the autographed books, was complaining.

“Ugh, 500 copies? My arm is going to fall off. I won’t be able to film the next work because I won’t have a right arm.”

“Oh, your autograph must be quite fancy.”

Lee Seok-hyun smiled at my words.

“Of course, can a superstar’s autograph be ordinary?”

I shook my head at his words and picked up the script.

I gently stroked the script with my hand.

‘Already the last day of filming.’

While I was reading the script for a moment, the staff finished preparing for the filming.

I put down the script and slowly stood in front of the camera.

The lakeside where I first met the king wearing a skirt.

Under the willow tree, I stood side by side with my king and looked at the lake.

“To remain as a subject. Won’t you regret giving up the life of a woman?”

Lee Seok-hyun’s voice, speaking to me, was as calm as the lake.

I looked at his face and met his eyes.

“Are you sad?”

Then Lee Seok-hyun smiled.

“I would be sad, wouldn’t I? I’m the only man in Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] who has a lover like you.”

We both smiled at those words and looked into each other’s eyes for a long time.

Was it because it was the last scene?

I felt like our hearts were communicating even with just a look, without a single word.

A promise to be with this person forever.

“Cut. Okay.”

Okay was given for the last scene.

Then Lee Seok-hyun smiled brightly and gently tapped my shoulder.

It was a trivial gesture, but it felt like a final greeting.

As if we were leaving Sun-im and the king in the story and now it was time for us to come out.

Looking at Lee Seok-hyun like that, I smiled brightly as well.

I’ll die as an actress, not a villain, in this life.