Chapter 92: You idiot!

Swoosh! Splash!

The sound of waves echoed loudly.

Only after confirming that it was really Sua did the atmosphere relax a bit. Of course, that didn’t mean Sua had been freed yet. She was still buried in the sand up to her neck.

“Phew….”

Her friends sat cross-legged in front of Sua’s head. It was their way of saying they wanted to have a proper conversation now. Saeum spoke first.

“Hearing you spout nonsense makes it clear you’re really Sua. What’s going on?”

Why does talking nonsense prove my identity? And for the record, what I just said wasn’t even nonsense.

But Sua let out a deep sigh and said,

“I’ve decided to become an actress. The Wi Ji-hye from Sword is also me.”

You should say you played Wi Ji-hye. Being treated as the same person as you… I don’t particularly enjoy the feeling.

Sua mentally pressed down on Wi Ji-hye.

“Ack!”

A scream that didn’t match her usual dignity rang out, but Sua ignored it.

Meanwhile, her friends shook their heads in disbelief.

“Well, I heard from Saengji unnie that you were acting.”

“…But still, it’s so fascinating. The Sua on screen looked completely different, like a whole other person.”

“Hearing it directly from you makes it even weirder. What’s going on?”

That’s when Saeum spoke up again.

“How long have you been acting that you’re already filming movies? And what’s with that insane level of skill? None of this makes sense! Forget the nonsense about ‘special privileges’—explain it in a way that actually makes sense.”

“But my special privilege is real….”

And at that moment—

—Senior, the stage is fully set.

—It’s finally my turn to step in.

‘Huh?’

Would you like to leave it to me for a moment?

Sua did exactly that.

Zap!

It was annoying that he hadn’t stepped in sooner, but she figured Yuhan-Sua must have his reasons.

After all, up until now, he had been the most capable.

And in the next moment—

Yuhan-Sua opened Sua’s eyes and spoke.

“Friends.”

“What.”

“I was embarrassed to explain what I have, so I used the term ‘special privilege’ to gloss over it. But everything I described is actually true. I really do have multiple personalities inside me.”

Of course, her friends were dumbfounded.

“What kind of nonsense is that? Now this sounds like the real Sua talking.”

“It’s good that you’re actually Sua, but man, this is already frustrating.”

“Should we just smack her in the head once?”

Then Yuhan-Sua spoke calmly.

“I understand. It’s only natural for you to react this way. Even I only realized it recently—the day I discovered my talent for acting. That was when all my past symptoms finally made sense.”

“Symptoms? Are you saying you’re some kind of patient?”

Yuhan-Sua didn’t answer.

Instead—

He simply gave a soft, bittersweet smile.

Then suddenly, Saengji’s eyes widened.

“Huh?”

Everyone’s gaze instantly turned to Kim Seon-a.

“I’ve heard of this before! There are rare cases where people who suffer brain damage end up developing exceptional abilities in certain fields! The exact term for it is…”

“…Savant syndrome! That’s it!”

Silence filled the group.

After a moment, they all stared at Sua with completely different expressions. The anger and disbelief had vanished, replaced by looks that suggested they were starting to understand.

Of course, for Sua, this was completely ridiculous.

‘Y-Yuhan-Sua! Are you insane? What the hell are you doing?!’

—I never agreed to this.

‘What?’

—They just started misunderstanding on their own.

‘N-No! Why are you letting them misunderstand?! Why are you making me out to be a patient?!’

—Since when…

Have you ever been under the impression that you were normal?

‘…?’

Huh? Wait… Am I really that dumb?

—You’re going to become incredibly smart from now on…

But you’re not there yet. Accept it.

…

Sua is devastated…

Sua is sulking…

Sua is completely dejected…

That’s when Saeum spoke again.

“…I-Is this for real? Was Sua really dealing with something like that?”

“It all makes sense when you think about it. It sounds right.”

Black Bear nodded.

“Sua always felt different, like it wasn’t just a case of not being good at certain things. No matter how hard she tried, she would always hit a wall. But her acting was the only thing she was exceptionally good at….”

“T-Then why didn’t you tell us sooner? If you had just said you were dealing with something like this, we wouldn’t have messed around!”

Yuhan-Sua looked at the flustered Saeum.

His expression remained bittersweet—like a terminally ill patient in their final moments, watching the last leaf fall from the tree.

“I didn’t want to ruin the mood.”

“What?”

“We were all having fun. If I suddenly brought it up, the atmosphere would have turned awkward, and everyone would’ve started treating me differently. I didn’t want that. Even if it meant being seen as an idiot, I just wanted to stay as your friend.”

Saeum’s sharp glare gradually softened.

“…T-Then why did you disappear after starting acting? If it was tough, you could’ve talked to us about it. Why did you keep struggling alone?”

“Because I know how you all see me.”

Lee Sua—no, rather, Yuhan Sua—spoke.

“I remember how you all supported me whenever I challenged myself in a new field. But every time, I came back only with failure, and that guilt kept piling up.”

“Acting turned out to be so much more enjoyable than I expected, and that’s why I thought I had to keep it a secret even more.”

“…You.”

“I wasn’t confident enough to receive your support first. This was the first time in my life that I found something I was truly suited for, but I wasn’t even sure about it myself. Honestly, I was so worried—what if I couldn’t even do this properly? So…”

“…Stop, just stop.”

Haryeong could no longer meet Sua’s eyes.

At some point, the other friends had already started moving. They were frantically digging Sua’s body out of the sand where she had been buried.

In an instant, Sua was freed.

And in the next moment—

Haryeong, Go Eun-bi, suddenly pulled Sua into a tight embrace.

Sua, deep inside, was startled. Holy—she nearly thought someone was putting her in a wrestling hold.

“You idiot!”

Haryeong shouted.

“…You should’ve just told us from the beginning! We would’ve understood!”

“We had no idea!”

“Lee Sua… just what kind of battle have you been fighting all this time…!”

And then, one by one, the others began hugging the sand-covered Sua as well.

That was when Sua finally understood Yuhan Sua’s intention.

Since they were, after all, the same person, it made sense.

‘People want a truth they can accept.’

Even if she spent ages explaining her so-called “special ability,” it wouldn’t matter if her friends couldn’t accept it. It would only exhaust both the one explaining and the ones listening, leaving behind nothing but discomfort.

So Yuhan Sua had provided a kind of bridge.

A believable connection that neatly linked Sua’s past struggles with her sudden success. A truth that satisfied both sides.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Except…

‘It’s still a lie. And that bothers me.’

The thought of deceiving her friends left an unsettling feeling in her chest.

But then—

“Hey, Lee Sua! Sorry!”

Haryeong shouted.

“…Actually, I’m a virtual streamer! Every time I had to act dumb on my stream, I would think of you and copy you. Because honestly, I thought you were the dumbest person on Earth. I regret thinking that!”

‘Huh?’

Then, Monkeying spoke up.

“Sua, sorry. Remember when we played that game together, and all your inventory was gone? It wasn’t a hacker—I took it. I figured you wouldn’t use it anyway… I’m really sorry.”

‘What?’

Then, Kim Sun-a, the shrew, added,

“Sua, I’m sorry. I’ve always liked you, but sometimes I thought you were too careless about life. Looking back now, you were actually struggling so hard in your own way…”

‘What??’

And finally, the bear.

“I’ll pay you back for the money I borrowed… by the end of this week… sorry.”

‘What???’

Oh, right. He had borrowed money from her multiple times.

‘Wait. These punks…??’

What was this? Why did it feel so heartwarming, yet also made her want to punch them?

…Was this what friendship was?

Either way, all of Sua’s guilt washed away.

After all, not a single one of them had been completely honest with her either, whether in small ways or big ones.

At least Sua had never lied before! Now it was her turn!

Pop!

That was when she reclaimed her body from Yuhan Sua.

Shaking off all her guilt, Sua patted her friends’ backs.

“Alright. I’ll work even harder from now on. Cheer for me.”

“Of course! We’ll support you! Until the world ends!”

“And we’ll keep telling you that you look like an Arctic fox.”

“Huh? Who looks like an Arctic fox?”

What was with this reaction? As Sua stood there confused, Monkeying suddenly spoke up.

“Sua, I’m worried about something.”

“Worried?”

“Yeah. What if people in the industry don’t treat you well?”

The others immediately looked worried, too.

“Right! Do they treat you badly?”

“What if they take advantage of you again because you’re too naive?”

Sua shook her head.

“No, I’ve made a few close friends. I think I’m doing okay.”

Haryeong tilted her head.

“Close friends? Who?”

“Seo Yeon-ju, Kim Sun-il… I think I’m closest to those two. They’re both really nice to me, so I don’t feel uncomfortable.”

“You have their numbers?”

“Of course. If I call, they’ll probably pick up right away.”

That last part was something Sua blurted out without thinking. A bit of bravado in front of her friends.

“…!”

But their reaction was intense.

Since everyone except the bear was female, the majority immediately demanded she call Kim Sun-il instead of Seo Yeon-ju.

‘Damn it, now I can’t back out…’

Nervously, Sua dialed Kim Sun-il’s number.

And moments later—

“…Hello?”

Through the video call, Kim Sun-il’s face appeared.

“…!”

“This is insane!”

“Holy crap!”

Her friends gasped, covering their mouths as they jumped around excitedly.

Kim Sun-il looked a little surprised, but he wasn’t annoyed.

Instead, he thoughtfully engaged in conversation with each of Sua’s friends, one by one.

For quite a long time.

Long enough that Sua’s status among her friends skyrocketed.

To Sua, it was just something to be grateful for.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

And before they knew it—

The day had come to announce the winning short film.