Chapter 97: Meteor (2)

A Few Moments Ago.

In truth, Sua had been staring at Seo Yeon-ju the entire time.

Of course, Seo Yeon-ju noticed and frowned in confusion.

“Why do you keep looking at me?”

“There’s only one award left for the actors—the Grand Prize.”

Sua responded without hesitation.

The Best Actor Award had already gone to Yang Ha-rin, leaving only one award—the highest honor.

Who else could it go to but Seo Yeon-ju?

But Seo Yeon-ju tilted her head.

“Hmm… I think differently.

If I win anything, it’ll probably be something like the Audience Award instead.

Looking at how this festival has been going, I feel like the judges are really focused on discovering new talent.”

“Hmm…”

“Now then.”

Seo Yeon-ju suddenly pressed her palms together.

“…What are you doing?”

“What else? I’m getting ready to pray.”

“Wait. Why are you praying?”

“I already told you.

The world is big, and somewhere out there, someone is desperately wishing for a shooting star to fall at just the right moment.

If you ask me—that moment is now.”

I get that she sees me as a shooting star, but…

The real problem was what she said next.

“So… what exactly are you wishing for?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Seo Yeon-ju smiled softly.

“I’m wishing for you to continue acting without any trouble.

And to keep being my endless source of inspiration.

Simple, right?”

“…”

Sua blinked.

Because she was touched.

Seo Yeon-ju didn’t wish for Sua’s success for some selfish reason, like benefiting from having a popular co-star in the same agency.

She just wanted Sua to keep inspiring her.

Just then, CEO Kim Yi-seo arrived and sat down.

She idly fiddled with the two large hairpins securing her bangs.

“Phew, I’ve been running around greeting people all evening.

Nothing major happened, right?

Oh? Yeon-ju, did you stuff something in there?

Your size looks different than before.”

“…It’s always been this size.”

“Oh, sure. Whatever you say.”

Kim Yi-seo almost made a snarky remark about how “a sparrow can’t stretch its legs to match a stork’s” but stopped herself.

After all, no amount of pointing it out was going to change anything.

And then—

“Lee Sua from The Sword! Congratulations!”

Out of nowhere, Director Yusaku called out Sua’s name in his awkward Korean accent.

A complete turn of events.

“…?”

Sua froze in her seat, overwhelmed.

Kim Sun-il let out a small chuckle.

“You don’t look too excited.

But still—go.

This award… was something that everyone else wanted for you even more than you did.”

Sua thought, What? No! I’m excited!

…She was just too shocked to process it.

The whispers and applause around her blurred into noise.

All she could hear was the rapid pounding of her own heart.

She was shaking so much she could barely walk.

And before she even realized it, she was standing face-to-face with Director Yusaku.

Holding onto her scattered thoughts, she repeated one thing in her mind—image management, image management…

“おめでとうございます。演技は印象深かったです。”
(Congratulations. Your performance was truly impressive.)

At that moment, tiny versions of Sua inside her mind immediately reacted.

—“He’s chanting something strange… Is this dark magic?”

—“Elder, that’s just Japanese. No need to worry. Sua-senpai has already experienced a Japanese script before. She’s fluent now.”

—“…Did you just call me elder? Show some respect.”

Just as Yuhan-Sua had said, Sua immediately understood the words.

Japanese wasn’t a problem.

But then—

The real issue happened.

Thud—!

Director Yusaku dropped the trophy.

It snapped in half the moment it hit the floor.

The entire audience tensed.

Even Yusaku himself looked utterly flustered.

“…”

But something strange was happening.

Right now—

Sua knew exactly what she needed to do.

In a single, fluid motion, she bent down and picked up the broken trophy.

“大丈夫です。これも気に入ります。”
(It’s okay. I like it this way too.)

This wasn’t because her special ability had kicked in.

It was just Sua.

She was being completely honest.

The fact that she had won an award was overwhelming enough.

The trophy itself felt insignificant in comparison.

So, she simply spoke from the heart.

Of course, others were shocked for a different reason.

First, the translator, a woman in a formal suit, was visibly surprised.

“…Wait, your Japanese is too good?”

She glanced toward the backstage staff, as if questioning—

“Why did they even hire me if the winner speaks Japanese fluently?”

With the trophy incident, the stage microphone had been turned off temporarily, allowing for some casual conversation.

“Are you from Japan?”

“No.”

“But your accent is too natural?

No—even natives would struggle with this.

Your pronunciation is like… something only announcer trainees achieve after practicing with a pen in their mouth….”

“That’s—uh—thank you. That’s too much praise.”

Sua barely stopped herself from blurting out “I agree”.

Stay humble, Sua.

This is an important moment.

After that, she didn’t have time to chat further.

Because Director Yusaku himself joined the conversation.

His eyes gleamed as he looked at her.

“もう一度驚きますね.”
(You’ve surprised me again.)

“Hmm?”

“Your mask is striking, and your acting is equally impressive.

And now you’ve revealed fluency in a foreign language—you could easily work on large-scale projects.

So, why did you choose to do a short film?”

“I’m still just a rookie.”

“…?”

A small gasp slipped from Yusaku’s lips.

His expression turned completely blank.

It was only now sinking in—Sua was a rookie.

His shock was huge.

And it wasn’t just those on stage who were stunned.

The audience was just as shaken.

In the Mystic Entertainment section, Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Sun-il exchanged glances.

“People said she was from overseas… Was she from Japan?”

“No, she speaks English fluently too.”

“If we compare, we should be able to figure it out.

Which language is she most fluent in?

Which one is slightly weaker?

That should tell us her true native language.”

“…Now that I think about it, her Korean seems to be the weakest.”

“…So, she’s definitely from abroad.”

Seo Yeon-ju muttered as their conversation continued.

Elsewhere, others reacted in similar confusion.

“The translator looks useless now. She’s just standing there awkwardly.”

“Her name was Lee Sua, right?

Director Yusaku seems too happy.

Are they old acquaintances?”

“A disruptor species has appeared in the ecosystem.”

Their theories were rational enough—

After all, the person standing on stage was clearly not ordinary.

Even Director Go Tae-min had thoughts swirling in his mind.

“I’ve heard about this before….

Some artists travel across the world to deepen their musical sensibilities.

Now I can’t wait to hear what kind of performance she’ll deliver someday….

This is killing me.”

By the time the award ceremony resumed, the audience had gone silent.

But their minds were anything but.

Suspicion.

Truth.

Most of all—anticipation.

A rookie with overwhelming presence had suddenly emerged.

How far would she go from here?

And then—

[ Sua, please give your acceptance speech! ]

A staff member held up a large sketchpad with bold letters.

Not just Sua, but Director Yusaku and the translator saw it as well.

“Oh, right. I need to step aside.”

Director Yusaku and the translator quickly moved away.

Sua stood at the microphone, holding a trophy split into two pieces, one in each hand.

Her vision was filled with people.

Important people.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.

“…”

Thump, thump, thump…

Her heartbeat pounded rapidly.

What should I say?

I wanted to express my gratitude… But how exactly?

Just saying “thank you” and walking away would be weird, wouldn’t it?

And wouldn’t it be… a waste?

This was a rare moment.

While Sua was deep in thought, the press was already working.

Reporters began snapping photos at a rapid pace.

“A rookie winning Grand Prize? This is insane.”

“I need to step back for a better angle.

If I shoot from below, her face won’t even fit in the frame.

Her chest is too….”

“Just in case, get a shot of that too.”

The journalists were too close to the stage, their flashes blinding.

For a moment, Sua felt like she was being attacked with flashbangs.

Meanwhile, her mind was noisy as well.

—“I shall deliver the speech. I have addressed empires before. Consider this my area of expertise.”

—“Does this look like some demonic coronation? No. I’ll do it. I’ll make sure my words are strategic and beneficial for Sua-senpai’s career.”

—“Stick to the template. Follow the standard gratitude structure….”

Wi Ji-hye, Kim Yuhan, Lee Kang-chul.

All three voices spoke at once.

But Sua didn’t choose any of them.

Because—

Something strange was happening.

Her body moved instinctively.

She saw her team from The Sword, watching her with proud eyes.

She saw Yang Ha-rin, eyes wide in disbelief.

She saw so many people curious about who she was.

In that moment—

She already knew exactly what to say.

As if she had always known.

There was no hesitation.

She didn’t need anyone’s guidance.

“…First of all.”

Finally, Sua opened her lips to speak.

At this moment, she was nothing more than a shooting star, silently racing through the night sky.