In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 96

Abigail didn’t acknowledge any of the staff as she walked toward us.

A cold wind seemed to blow wherever Abigail passed.

Moreover, the staff even parted to make way for her.

What on earth is this?

Is this some kind of military procession…?

I met Abigail’s eyes, completely bewildered.

Abigail glanced over me and Chloe, then straightened her clothes.

There wasn’t even a simple nod of greeting.

Just as I was about to say hello, the four o’clock afternoon announcement echoed through the studio.

With a beep, a loud cheer erupted from the audience seats in the distance.

At that moment, Abigail smiled brightly, as if possessed by another spirit, and stepped onto the stage.

Wow….

I was completely shocked by that transformation.

What is with that woman?

Abigail gave the opening remarks and tossed a few jokes to the audience.

And immediately signaled for us to come out.

“Today’s show will open with some very special guests: Han Sena and Chloe from !”

It was a very kind and bright voice, a complete contrast to her earlier demeanor.

Chloe hesitated, looking at me with fearful eyes.

Holding Chloe’s hand, I smiled and whispered.

“Don’t worry! This isn’t a scary place.”

And we walked onto the stage together.

Applause poured out from the audience, welcoming us.

I managed my expression and waved to the audience.

Then, I sat on the sofa prepared in the center of the stage.

Chloe sat very close to me, slightly stiff.

Abigail didn’t sit down; instead, she came to shake hands with me and Chloe first.

Grasping her cold hand, I made up my mind.

I need to stay sharp.

It’s obvious that this is a tiger’s den right now.

Chloe is here too, so I need to be extra vigilant, Han Sena.

Then Abigail smiled and complimented us.

” is a really wonderful movie. Even the teamwork of the cast members, who weren’t shaken by the various rumors and issues, is amazing.”

I smiled lightly at her words.

“Thank you.”

Abigail started the talk in earnest.

“You must have faced a lot of misunderstandings after appearing in this movie. Sena, you don’t actually live in America, do you? You’re just Korean, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

“Your acting is so convincing that people around you ask if you lived in America.”

Abigail made an exaggerated gesture, shrugging her shoulders as if she couldn’t believe it.

And continued.

“Then who helped you with the accent for your lines?”

“…Pardon?”

“English. Your American pronunciation.”

My mind went blank.

To start with this kind of… comment?

It was a typical racist microaggression, subtly pointing out my English.

I was so flustered that I forgot to answer for a moment.

I quickly came to my senses when I felt Chloe, who was sitting next to me, glance at me anxiously.

I forced a smile, trying to appear composed.

“Mimicking an accent that others teach you isn’t really acting, is it? As you well know.”

“Then where did Chloe learn her pronunciation?”

Chloe was also flustered by Abigail’s relentless questioning and hesitated to answer.

I quickly answered instead of Chloe.

“Chloe and I briefly but fully immersed ourselves in the lives of Emily and Bella. The words naturally followed.”

I answered quickly, but I made sure to speak deliberately, so my tone wouldn’t sound rushed.

“Abigail, you know what it’s like to live as an actress. I believe you’ve also appeared in a sitcom.”

Abigail nodded at my answer and smiled leisurely.

But beneath that smile, I sensed her face stiffen slightly for some reason.

Abigail continued the talk.

Immediately after congratulating us on winning the Snowfall Award.

“Everyone thought you should have won in the Worldwide category; weren’t you disappointed that it was limited to the American Drama category?”

Abigail came at me again with a veiled provocation.

The Worldwide category was for awarding works made in countries other than the United States.

Currently, Abigail was framing the Worldwide category as if it were a much broader, more prestigious category.

It was a way to completely ignore the fact that Raymond Jang, Aiden, and Chloe are all American citizens.

This time, I really felt a surge of anger.

Besides, it was rude to discuss the awards category in a setting where only the actors were present, without the director….

I tried to calm the rising heat.

“It’s a classic controversy.”

Then I shrugged and smiled slightly.

“Since it’s such a hot topic, shall we just skip it?”

I mustered up a playful attitude I didn’t quite feel, and when I looked at the audience, people smiled and cheered for me.

I also looked at the people and laughed as if it was fun, then looked back at Abigail.

Perhaps sensing that I had recognized the intention behind her question, Abigail changed her approach.

After that, she only asked questions about the work for more than ten minutes.

I pretended to listen to all the answers as kindly as possible to Chloe and engaged in conversation.

After talking for a long time, being so busy guarding myself and answering, my head started to spin.

“It’s already time for the last question. Oh my, I’m always sad that I don’t have many opportunities to talk to such eloquent people.”

Abigail feigned regret.

This woman is hopeless at acting.

It’s all so obvious.

Abigail opened her mouth for the last time.

“I’ll give you a chance to respond to those rude reporters right here on our talk show.”

“Pardon?”

What is this again….

Anxiety began to creep up.

Abigail said, as if she was doing me a favor.

“Now, Sena, tell me honestly. Did you turn down Warner’s [Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., a major American film and entertainment studio] because you wanted a leading role?”

Cheers poured out from the audience.

Abigail continued to joke, riding the wave of the audience’s reaction.

“It’s a chance that’s hard to come by again.”

In many American talk shows that walk a fine line between rudeness and honesty, cheers erupted every time the MCs asked unexpected, often uncomfortable, questions.

What Abigail was forcing me to do now was just one thing.

To coolly deflect and move on from this situation.

To laugh and move on with the typical American self-deprecating humor and endure the subtle humiliation.

To tacitly acknowledge that the status of Koreans is somehow lower than that of Americans.

I smiled broadly once and looked at the audience.

Then I dropped my smile and met Abigail’s eyes.

“Okay, I’ll answer really honestly.”

I made the atmosphere a little more serious.

Abigail raised one eyebrow as if she was intrigued.

“What actor doesn’t want a leading role?”

“Indeed, you’re honest!”

Abigail was greatly agitated, as if she had caught me in a trap.

I calmly waited for the agitation to subside.

And delivered the remaining words that were not finished.

“But… first, let me correct that question.”

“??”

“The reason I chose wasn’t a matter of leading or supporting roles. I just wanted to become Emily, whom I’ve been explaining diligently for the past thirty minutes.”

I deliberately emphasized the word ‘diligently’.

“Then are you saying that Emily is a better character than Warner’s hero?”

Abigail asked innocently.

She’s throwing a fishing line that doesn’t even have a hook.

I raised one corner of my mouth.

You must be mistaken; you’re the one who took the bait.

“Oh my… Is it really a matter of judging which is better or worse, when it comes to a character?”

Then Abigail made a slightly embarrassed expression.

I deliberately made a mischievous expression and asked, as if joking.

“Abigail, of course, thought that Warner’s hero was better than Emily.”

“….”

“I didn’t weigh the two characters. I was just faithful to the emotions of the moment, to which one I was more drawn.”

When I finished speaking, the audience gave the most enthusiastic cheers and applause.

Some people even stood up and whistled.

Abigail hid her hardening expression and stood up.

And stretched out her arm and clapped.

It was a signal that she would roughly wrap up this talk show.

“You’re really good at talking. Did you get a good hit? It’s been Han Sena and Chloe until now! Please give them a round of applause!”

Abigail gave closing remarks while looking at the audience.

Once again, great applause poured out.

* * *

The very next morning.

The SNS [Social Networking Service] of an American black rapper was enthusiastically raising views from the morning.

– ‘Modern art that recreates the lives that movie protagonists had to experience outside the screen’

Under this title, a YouTube clip of Abigail’s talk show from yesterday was attached.

In summary, it was content that greatly criticized Abigail’s racism.

Rubbing my eyes that were not fully open yet, I looked at the SNS.

Am I dreaming right now?

Rams, who posted the video, was a rapper with over 20 million followers.

The reactions of the comments running like crazy in real time were very brutal.

-Racists, please get out. Don’t let the same Americans get 욕 [yok, a Korean word for curse or swear word].

-You should be ashamed. How can a woman like this have a big talk show.

-Abigail’s past discriminatory actions are spreading in real time right now. She’s no different from a witch.

-I know Han Sena well. She is a person with a great passion for acting and deep thoughts.

-Rams, let’s destroy that woman.

-She should be buried in society. Along with the president.

-Are you crazy to have a child? I hope that child is not hurt. We’ll apologize on your behalf. Please forgive us.

The American major portal site was also covered with stories about Rams’ SNS, racism, Abigail’s discriminatory actions, and yesterday’s talk show.

When I turned off the internet, I also had a lot of messengers piled up from the team members of .

“Geez… these days, there’s not a single quiet day.”

I sighed and put down my phone.

There was nothing more to see.

It only makes me nervous.

But wait.

“It’s several years earlier than the time it was supposed to be revealed, this.”

Still, it’s not something I’ve ever induced or wanted.

Rather, I wanted it to pass quietly.

Besides, the reason why this racism became famous was not only because of the appearance of the actress from , in which an Asian is the main character.

It’s just that a person named Star MC [Master of Ceremonies] in the United States did something stupid and quickly became an issue.

Racism exchanged on the street is not even reported, but of course, the weight of a star in the United States is enormous.

What’s wrong with this country and Abigail?

Sometimes the weight of their popularity can be scary.

As I was about to read the messengers that had piled up last night to reassure the people around me, Min-young’s last messenger caught my eye.