In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 90

A few days later, Korea.

I arrived at the airport for the Korean location shooting as scheduled.

It had only been less than two weeks since I’d been back, but I felt strange.

This project, in particular, made it difficult to separate Emily and me.

Was that why?

This familiar Korean scenery felt foreign.

Chloe’s voice, full of regret, lingered in my ear.

‘Mom, can’t I go too? I want to go to Korea too.’

Chloe, who had Korean parents, said it was her dream to visit Korea.

However, under the child protection laws of the United States, Chloe had to stay in the US and attend classes.

I was also disappointed.

It would have been nice to bring Chloe.

What kind of gift should I bring when I go?

As soon as the airport gate opened, a barrage of flashes poured out.

“Sena, please look over here for a moment!”

“Sena! I’m a fan! I love you!!”

“Sena, are you returning from filming ?!!”

Questions poured out from everywhere.

Looking around, there was a crowd of about several dozen people in front of me.

The director next to me panicked and immediately put on his hat.

“Sena, you’re a real star in Korea.”

However… while there were people who welcomed me like this.

“I want to hear the reason for rejecting the Wanna’s casting offer!”

“Do you have any regrets?”

“Han Sena, what do you think about gaining the nickname ‘artist’ rather than ‘actress’?”

“Please say something about your relationship with Inara!”

The questions that tormented me hit my ears sharply.

I sighed inwardly.

Wow, I think I’m going to get neurosis.

I tried to close my ears and move my feet.

Fortunately, Min-young unnie [older sister or close female friend] had called security guards in advance, and they cleared the way.

People came up and pushed papers for me to sign.

I started signing each one, somehow, in a daze.

After a while, as I moved away from the crowd, someone broke through the guards and approached me.

“I’d like to request an interview, Han Sena.”

A strange reporter came next to me with a camera.

He was relentless, even as the security guard tried to stop him.

The reporter immediately threw a question.

“Inara spoke about Han Sena in a somewhat negative tone on a talk show. What do you think about that?”

Huh?

Inara went on a talk show?

It was the first time I’d heard of it.

Besides, it was so absurd.

Who would ask something like that?

The reporter persistently asked what I thought of Inara’s remarks.

“I’ve been busy filming, so I haven’t seen it yet. I’m sure Inara *sunbae* [senior colleague] had her own thoughts. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Even so, the reporter didn’t back down and set the next trap.

“Were you happy when you won the audition?”

Annoyed by the constant rude questions, I stopped walking.

Director Raymond also looked at the reporter, clearly displeased, and raised his sunglasses above his forehead.

I looked the reporter straight in the eye and said.

“Well, it’s not a game where someone wins or loses.”

Then the reporter looked at me and smirked.

“Then what about this? That Inara picked up the spot that Han Sena threw away.”

What is he talking about?

As I made a very bewildered expression, the reporter asked back.

“You’re not going to answer that you didn’t know, are you?”

One of the staff members who understood Korean asked me.

“Sena, haven’t you seen the article?”

I looked back and forth between the staff member and the reporter.

From the looks of it, Inara seemed to have been finally cast in Wanna’s.

Shouldn’t I have cut off the internet completely….

I tried to stay calm and answered the reporter.

“Is the trend in interviews these days to ask questions with the answers already decided?”

I couldn’t have been more displeased.

The reporter showed an attitude of not listening to my words at all.

I held up my smartphone screen, which read ‘Recording,’ in front of his face and shook it gently.

The reporter’s expression changed in an instant.

I had instinctively pressed the record button when the reporter approached me earlier.

I left the standing reporter behind and started walking again.

* * *

“How can you not even do this one thing properly? And after receiving that money?”

Inside Inara’s agency office.

Inara, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, was very angry at someone.

It was the reporter who had persistently grilled Han Sena at the airport.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should have brought back at least one thing,” she said.

“Han Sena was recording the conversation… I’m sorry.”

“What? Recording?”

“That girl is really something.”

The CEO of the agency, who was sitting on the opposite sofa and drinking tea, laughed as if he was dumbfounded.

“She’s a sly one. We should have brought her to our company a long time ago.”

“Ugh, *Unnie* [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend]!!”

Inara looked at the CEO and was very annoyed.

“My image is getting scratched like crazy right now. I even got cast in Wanna’s, but everyone is saying that I picked up what Han Sena threw away, and that it’s embarrassing!!”

Inara kept ranting.

The CEO answered as if she was used to this kind of thing.

“Lower your voice. I’m not deaf.”

“CEO!”

“You’re getting more hate because you’re acting like a mess. Why did you go on a talk show and act so cocky, and why are you scolding people in front of everyone?”

When the CEO said ‘scolding,’ she was referring to the incident where Inara was seen yelling at Han Sena in front of the Wanna’s audition site.

The company had been working hard for days to erase it.

“Then how can I not be angry? That girl keeps trying to come at me!”

Inara looked at the reporter again, still not relieved, and huffed.

“Do it right this time, okay? If you don’t, I’ll make sure you can’t set foot in this industry again.”

Then the reporter quickly bowed his head.

“I understand.”

The CEO looked at Inara with a look of exhaustion and asked.

“By the way, what is that she gave up Wanna’s for? She seemed pretty smart.”

“Who knows? Maybe she wants to do art.”

“Is that so…?”

The CEO tilted her head.

* * *

SCBS Broadcasting Station.

I visited the broadcasting station for an interview schedule before starting the Korean filming.

It was an interview session that brought together actors who had recently had experience in overseas projects.

The interview was going on for about two hours.

“The charm of the project, which had been veiled due to the news of the rejection of the appearance, was like this!”

Near the end, the MC [Master of Ceremonies], who had finished the Q&A related to , smiled at me.

The senior actors sitting next to me also smiled at me with satisfaction.

“Amazing, really. It’s hard to find an actor with such conviction.”

“I know. Good job, our juniors.”

The senior actors had recently appeared in supporting roles in Japanese dramas and minor roles in American films, respectively.

“Thank you all for your support.”

“Well, then we’ll be back next week with another interview special. Thank you all!”

The camera turned off with the MC’s cheerful voice.

“Thank you.”

“Everyone worked hard.”

I bowed to the senior actors and stood up from my seat.

But then.

“Still, how could you reject Wanna’s, you.”

The senior actor, who had just given me a thumbs up, said.

“Yes…?”

The senior actor next to her chuckled and added.

“It’s just that your senior is saying it out of regret. Don’t take it badly.”

“Ah, yes….”

I was flustered and my body stiffened instantly.

“Oh my, it’s a shame. What kind of opportunity is that? That’s just bravado!”

“Leave it, *sunbae* [senior colleague]. Did we know when we were young?”

“It’s all just- for a while.”

The senior actors held onto me and spoke non-stop.

“You have to know gratitude from a young age.”

I couldn’t say a word and just listened obediently.

“*Sunbaenims* [senior colleagues]!”

A sweet male voice calling out to the senior actors was heard from behind.

This is somewhat of a familiar voice….

When I turned my head, Lee Seok-hyun was standing there.

“Oh?”

Seeing my surprised expression, Lee Seok-hyun winked at me.

The senior actors recognized Lee Seok-hyun and greeted him with bright faces.

“Our top star is here?”

“Oh, *sunbaenims*. Have you eaten? When are you going to buy me a meal?”

“Hey, you should buy us a meal! You’re trying to rip off your seniors!”

Lee Seok-hyun, who seemed to have known the senior actors for quite some time, cut off the conversation that had been going on until just now.

The atmosphere was instantly relaxed by Lee Seok-hyun’s affability.

After exchanging greetings, Lee Seok-hyun playfully put his hand on his hip and looked at the senior actors.

“Why are you nagging our Sena-*ssi* [term of endearment and respect]?”

Then the senior actors laughed heartily.

“An actor should do the work they want to do! is also a Hollywood debut, so it’s great.”

At Lee Seok-hyun’s words, the senior actors looked at me with apologetic expressions.

“It’s because we’re old, because we’re old. Sena-*ssi*, if you felt bad, I’m sorry, huh?”

I waved my hand at the senior actors.

“Felt bad? No!”

“Don’t keep it in mind. We were just worried. We’re always watching your works.”

“Okay, work hard. Let’s go.”

“Goodbye!”

The senior actors left the studio, leaving behind a word each….

I looked at Lee Seok-hyun’s face, which was unusually admirable.

Lee Seok-hyun smiled brightly at me.

It’s been a long time, you punk.

“How is it? You’re so grateful you could die, right?”

I chuckled at Lee Seok-hyun’s words.

Yeah, I guess I should at least say thank you at times like this.

“Yeah, thank….”

I was about to answer with a smile.

“But… why did you really reject Wanna’s?”

Lee Seok-hyun asked with wide eyes.

Ha… of course.

My energy drained away.

* * *

Filming resumed quickly.

The scenes filmed at the Korean location were those where Emily meets her long-sought-after biological mother.

The person cast in the role of the biological mother was senior actor Jang Jung-sun.

The scene where I meet the senior actor took place in an office building.

“Hey, come here and take a proof shot. It’s the first time I’ve seen Hyerim acting like these young kids.”

Senior actor Jang Jung-sun laughed and called me.

The ‘Hyerim’ that the senior actor was talking about was senior actor Won Hyerim.

Senior actor Jang Jung-sun had at least 5 years more experience than senior actor Won Hyerim.

When I went to the place the senior actor called, a coffee truck sent by senior actor Won Hyerim was waiting.

The coffee truck had a funny placard phrase.

As I laughed with the senior actor at the placard, the staff members widened their eyes and looked around the coffee truck.

I noticed their expressions and approached them to ask.

“Is there a problem?”

Then a staff member answered while drinking coffee.

“There aren’t many systems like this in the United States.”

“Huh? System?”

“Usually, we call a catering truck to the set. We solve everything there, including meals, snacks, and drinks. It’s not common for fellow actors or fans to send something like this.”

“Ah…!”

Senior actor Jang Jung-sun and I widened our eyes at the same time and nodded.

The staff members took a cup of drink each with curious faces.

The most popular menu was none other than *Sikhye* [sweet rice beverage].

“Wow, this is delicious!”

“What is this called?”

“Sikhye.”

The staff members began to learn the difficult pronunciation of Sikhye.

Meanwhile, senior actor Jang Jung-sun started talking to me.

“I really thought a lot about coming to the set today.”

“Ah, what were you worried about?”

Even this veteran senior actor has concerns.

“Our relationship is like that in the work, right?”

Emily’s biological mother, Kim Hee-jung, was a person without universal motherhood.

There were several reasons why she sent Emily up for adoption, but in the end, it was to choose her career over her daughter.

In the work, Kim Hee-jung was one of the leading architects in Korea.

She decided to devote her life to building houses rather than raising children.

“So, I thought that if I got close to you before filming, my emotions wouldn’t stick. Should I deliberately act mean, or should I pretend not to know you? I was like that?”

Senior actor Jang Jung-sun confessed with a smile.

“Ah, yes….”

I laughed as I listened to the senior actor’s words.

“So, I happened to ask Hyerim about this, and she answered that there was no need to do that?”

“Yes? Why?”

“Well, she said that she doesn’t know about other young friends, but if it’s you, there’s no need to do that. She said that you’ll do well on your own without even doing that. Then that little girl said, ‘You do well!'”

Huh.

Senior actor Jang Jung-sun laughed alone.

I couldn’t dare to add laughter to it.

“Hyerim is quite picky, but she must have really liked you. How did you win her over?”

I couldn’t think of anything to say to the senior actor’s mischievous question, so I just laughed haha.

“Senior actor Hyerim takes such good care of her juniors. I’m one of them too.”

“No, she’s not. She has quite the temper.”

I was sweating profusely.

“Filming is set up.”

At that time, a staff member luckily came and saved me.