episode_0045

“Alright, alright. Since we’re running a bit behind schedule, let me tell you one more time. Pay close attention and don’t miss out.”

Kim Jeong-ho spoke quickly.

The situation wasn’t urgent yet.

But now was the most relaxed time during the long drama filming schedule.

It was right before the broadcast.

During this time, they needed to capture as many scenes as possible.

Kim Jeong-ho relayed the revisions and gathered the two actresses.

“In this scene, the responsibility falls heavily on both of you. Considering the character arcs… , you’ll have to handle the modified reactions for .”

Kim Jeong-ho carefully delivered the message.

But for those who could read between the lines, his words essentially meant, ‘Be careful, as a misstep could cost the supporting role their scene.’

“….”

Perhaps, for Gil Hye-yeon, it was a blow to her pride.

She was the lead.

And not just any lead, but the sole lead carrying the entire work on her shoulders.

To be warned not to be overshadowed by a supporting role was quite a statement.

The observant actors and staff looked at Gil Hye-yeon with tense expressions.

And then.

“Hmph.”

In the midst of those gazes, Gil Hye-yeon smiled deeply.

“Don’t worry. After all, I recommended you to audition. There’s no need to worry.”

“I see. I was worried for nothing. Please take care of this scene.”

Gil Hye-yeon didn’t feel a hint of wounded pride.

On the contrary.

‘Finally.’

Gil Hye-yeon looked deeply at Seo Yisoo.

From when they first met on .

To when they first acted together.

Gil Hye-yeon had longed for this moment.

“Yisoo, acting with you truly makes my heart race.”

There was no other actor who knew Seo Yisoo’s talent as well as Gil Hye-yeon did.

Great talent often elicits one of two reactions from those around them.

Either jealousy leading to despair.

Or admiration fueling determination.

Gil Hye-yeon belonged to the latter.

‘Right now, I may be a better actor than you. But who knows how long that will last.’

The day she could stand in front of Seo Yisoo, how long would it last?

Years if she was lucky.

Maybe not even a year if she wasn’t.

But what did it matter?

If she couldn’t be ahead, she could strive to stand by his side.

As an actor.

As a person.

As a friend.

As an older sister.

That was what she could do.

Gil Hye-yeon was someone who could embrace that mindset.

“Action, start!”

Filming resumed.

Episode 1.

#New 78.

-Back alley at night.

“Hyesoo! Hyesoo caught him!”

“That bastard! That guy hurt my brother!”

Even as the group arrived.

I was still trapped in the desire that controlled everything about me.

“Sigh….”

Warm breath still escaped my lips.

I was in a state of not knowing what to do.

As if I would immediately do something to ruin everything in the explosion of desire, I turned around.

“….!”

“….Huh!”

Junseong and Hanseong, was it?

The two men, whether sensing something unfamiliar from me or not, unconsciously took a step back.

Among them, Hanseong, the thug, gritted his teeth as if his pride was hurt, but he couldn’t step forward again.

But that was it.

He couldn’t come any closer.

It felt like a barrier had been drawn between the group and me.

It was a familiar boundary to me.

Whenever I revealed even a hint of my true self, people would distance themselves like that.

Except for my mom, everyone did.

“Sigh.”

In solitude, I felt comfort.

The boundary made people lonely, but it also offered a flatness that didn’t require deep thoughts.

Beyond the line, in the solitude where no one approaches, there is no need to worry about someone getting hurt by my actions.

“……”

I turned away from them.

I looked back at the knife.

I reached out towards it.

“Ugh.”

The man, still paralyzed by fear, alternated between the trembling knife in his hand and me.

“P-please….”

He begged for his life.

A dizzying premonition struck me.

Perhaps that knife could become a symbol.

The moment I grasped it, my ‘world of rules’ that I had barely held onto would completely shatter.

There would be no going back.

It didn’t matter.

I continued to reach out my hand.

That’s when it happened.

“Please don’t.”

Someone grabbed my hand.

It was rough yet soft to the touch.

It was a woman’s hand.

It was Doyeon.

At some point, she had come beyond the line.

She said, “Please don’t.”

“……”

Doyeon spoke as if she knew what I was about to do.

And I couldn’t understand why she was telling me this.

“Please don’t. It’s something that shouldn’t be done.”

“……Even to someone like this?”

I asked without context.

“Yes. It’s a rule.”

And Doyeon spoke, considering all the context I had omitted.

“……”

I thought she was strange.

A prophet, they said.

Is it really true?

I stared blankly at Doyeon.

“I’ll say it again. Don’t do it.”

Doyeon sternly commanded me like a father.

Doyeon comforted me like a mother.

She said to me.

Don’t do it.

Those words were another form of rules.

Things that shouldn’t be done. Taboo. Words that draw the line of crime.

I had repeatedly experienced accepting such rules from a young age.

Like a habit. Learned behavior.

I had accepted that the shackles of the rules that had been released were now entangling me again.

Me.

Doyeon was looking straight at me.

“You also need rules. I’ll be your rule. But please help me a little. This… it’s related to your mother’s death.”

What do you think?

She asked me.

“……”

Doyeon, who was offering to become a new rule in my world where the rule of mother was lost.

I felt that she was strange.

But I couldn’t understand what was strange.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because rules had always been like that to me.

I said, “Yes.”

That’s how it was.

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

I heard the words of my rule.

The shackles of the rule had completely enveloped me now.

The familiar thirst and unfulfilled pleasure oppressed me.

It was frustrating and painful.

But it was familiar.

From the beginning, the world had been such an existence to me.

***

“Cut! OK! Let’s move on to the next scene!”

The filming of Episode 78 was finished.

And at that moment, everyone on set was convinced.

‘Episode 78 will be a highlight of the show.’

That’s how brilliant the performances of the two actresses were.

“Hiya. Gil Hye-yeon. She was famous for her acting skills.”

“Seo Yi-soo is no joke either.”

“If this airs in Episode 1… ”

“It won’t go unnoticed.”

And that’s when it started.

The perfect one-shot that captivated everyone had that much power.

Whether it was the actors or the staff, everyone was impressed by the scene created by the two actresses. And they were all excited.

“Hurry up! Clean up the set!”

“Let’s move on to the next scene!”

Filming progresses in the flow.

If a messy mistake ruins everything and ends the day’s schedule, the captivating acting will have a positive effect on all aspects.

The team shot over 20 scenes in just one day.

No matter how fast-paced the drama filming is, a captivating performance brings about a positive impact in all aspects.

Even considering that, it was a record-breaking figure.

Of course, no one was unaware of where the decisive factor that brought about the upward trend originated.

“Seo Eisu actor……”

“Her career is too short. That’s why I thought there was a gap.”

“If we make a mistake, other actors will fall behind.”

It was Seo Eisu.

Seo Eisu’s brought about a change in the filming scene.

And Gil Hye-yeon continued the flow of that change, leading to what happened.

“Shin Ji-hoo! Shin Ji-hoo!”

After filming, Seo Eisu energetically looked for Shin Ji-hoo.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Shin Ji-hoo also greeted her warmly.

His face was full of laughter.

It was touching.

Seo Eisu……

It feels like just yesterday that she was just causing accidents and rotting inside.

No. Not just yesterday, but really just until yesterday she was just a bundle of accidents.

To think that today she would be making a major contribution in a major work.

As a manager, there would be no greater joy than this.

Shin Ji-hoo became unusually generous.

For a day like today.

She would overlook it if the crazy Seo Eisu hugged her, bothered her at night, or caused trouble.

Thinking like that, she waited for Seo Eisu to approach.

She spread her arms out to prepare for her rush.

“Mango bingsu!”

“……Huh?”

“Hurry and buy mango bingsu!”

“……”

“Gil Hye-yeon promised to buy mango bingsu. She said that if the two actresses went to a cafe together, they would attract unnecessary attention. Here, Gil Hye-yeon’s credit card. Hurry and buy it.”

“……Is that it?”

“What else could there be? Quickly, hurry up. Buy it.”

“……”

Seo Eisu didn’t seem particularly moved.

It wasn’t the look of someone looking at a comrade who had succeeded after hardship.

She was now……

Just longing endlessly for mango bingsu.

She was just waiting for that radiant crimson appearance……

She was completely captivated by a mere food item.

Her eyes were sparkling.

“……”

For some reason, the excitement she had just felt a moment ago faded away.

A sense of emptiness crept in.

She didn’t know why.

“……I thought you would be touched as usual.”

“Hmm?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Shin Ji-hoo decided that she really didn’t know why she was upset right now.

I don’t know.

What’s there to know.

I shouldn’t have expected too much alone.

Anyway.

That strange girl.