episode_0209

Sawakko, after much deliberation, finally spoke.

“…Um, is a kiss scene or something like that possible between the two of you?”

“Yes.”

“No?”

Soo-ah and Lee Seo-jung spat out their answers without a moment’s delay. Of course, the meaning of their replies were polar opposites.

In truth, Soo-ah hadn’t even properly understood Sawakko’s words. It was so far off from what she’d anticipated that it was beyond her. The answer just popped out before she knew it.

It was purely instinct.

Therefore.

‘Huh? What did I reflexively reject?’

She only thought about it a beat later and understood the situation belatedly.

‘…A kiss? She wants us to kiss? What!’

Soo-ah felt like her hair was standing on end and was surprised. Though outwardly, she didn’t show it at all.

Soo-ah knows that there are frequent displays of physical affection in dramas and movies. When the atmosphere is right, they kiss, right? She had even entertained abstract fantasies of doing it herself someday.

After all, she could get some crash course lessons from Servant Soo-ah, right? A kiss? It might be surprisingly easy to act.

However.

…The problem is that Soo-ah has a sense of aversion to it.

Soo-ah’s inner self is basically a little kid. She couldn’t understand why men and women would go out of their way to kiss and rub bodies. She would cover her face in embarrassment whenever a racy scene came on.

Yeah, so she doesn’t want to do it. Soo-ah hates it!

But at the same time, there was a factor that created conflict.

‘Is it wrong to refuse point-blank? That’s the problem.’

Everyone thinks of Soo-ah as omnipotent, so it would be a bit much to refuse point-blank simply because she doesn’t want to.

In the first place, isn’t this something Sawakko requested purely to increase the quality of the work? Of course, she could ignore that too and refuse, but then the image of her as an all-capable actor would crumble.

She hates that. In other words, a dilemma. Soo-ah is in trouble.

What is she supposed to do! Her head is a mess. Soo-ah is frustrated!

‘Ugh, in the end, is my first kiss going to be sacrificed for the sake of the work? Even with a girl? This is a bit much!’

But then. Thankfully.

Sawakko, who was reading their faces, opened her mouth.

“Feel free to refuse. I’m confused about it too, to begin with. It’s because the scene interpretation isn’t completely finished… To be exact, I was thinking of leaving it up to the two of your ad-libs.”

Good news for Soo-ah.

But at the same time, Sawakko’s words bothered her.

‘Huh? What does she mean that the scene interpretation isn’t finished?’

But she soon understood.

‘Ah, right. This is Hong sunbae’s work.’

Now that she thought about it, that was right. It’s Hong Ye-ji’s work, so there’s no way Sawakko would understand all of its intentions. Then that means there’s a way out, right? Soo-ah’s brain was spinning around.

After a while. After furiously tapping away on the calculator in her head.

“Tell me more about it. What kind of scene is it that the interpretation is unfinished, and what do you mean by leaving it up to ad-libs?”

Soo-ah asked as if she was interested and as if she was going to listen closely. It would look more mature to listen to everything and then refuse, rather than whining and refusing like a child.

…Can I even think of things like this? Soo-ah is a genius?

Did she get slightly smarter after the overload recovered?

Around that time, all eyes in the reading session turned to Soo-ah. It wasn’t long before they started whispering here and there.

“Huh? There were scenes in our work that weren’t interpreted? We’re going into filming soon, so we shouldn’t have scenes like that, right?”

“Writer Hong Ye-ji probably wrote it tailored to Soo-ah-ssi. Because Soo-ah-ssi is so good at interpreting and filling in the script.”

“…Is that kind of synergy even possible? Aren’t both the intending side and the filling side at unbelievable levels?”

Somehow, not a single person properly understood the situation. The snowball of misunderstandings is rolling and rolling, but what can she do? It’s not a bad rumor, so it was good anyway!

Sawakko, sitting in her wheelchair, continued.

“So, it’s this part. The female protagonist strengthens her husband and child with her entire fortune, and then they explode. After that, she becomes a beggar and wanders the subway. She’s homeless.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Then Lee Seo-jung-ssi, wearing a suit, appears. And she proposes to play *muk-jji-ppa*.”

“*Muk-jji-ppa*?”

Soo-ah blinked her eyes.

*Muk-jji-ppa*. It’s been a really long time since she’s heard that.

She’s only played it a few times when she was very young.

“No, but what’s the reason for playing *muk-jji-ppa*?”

“It’s a special *muk-jji-ppa* with conditions. If Soo-ah-ssi wins, she can receive 50,000 won.”

“Oh? Can’t I just keep playing until I win?”

“Of course, there’s a penalty if you lose. You have to get hit on the fist by Seo-jung-ssi. But that’s too painful… There’s another way. Seo-jung-ssi gives you a choice. Whether to get hit or give her a kiss.”

“What the…”

Soo-ah thought. What’s with that weirdo? Or is that what it takes to be a villain? It seems like she has a unique charm that stands out?

Sawakko clenched her fist tightly.

“The problem is… I don’t exactly know the heart of the protagonist, ‘Sung Si-hyun.’ What decision will she make when she loses at *muk-jji-ppa* to Seo-jung-ssi? I want to discuss that.”

“Ah, so that’s the part you were confused about.”

“Yes. While I was worrying, I heard that Soo-ah-ssi interprets roles very perfectly. Is it okay to leave this part entirely up to Soo-ah-ssi’s ad-lib?”

“Of course.”

Soo-ah immediately accepted.

‘Yes! The choices have widened with ad-lib!’

Is the hole to escape getting bigger and bigger?

I’m not going to kiss! Soo-ah’s purity!

Meanwhile, Lee Seo-jung quietly covered her mouth with her hand.

“…”

Was she shocked like Soo-ah?

Of course not. It was to suppress her laughter.

‘I’m definitely doing it. Definitely. Definitely….’

As Soo-ah and Lee Seo-jung’s thoughts crossed as if on purpose, an unexpected debate broke out around them.

The topic was, of course, if Lee Soo-ah’s ‘Sung Si-hyun’ lost at *muk-jji-ppa*, what kind of decision would she make?

Everyone started adding a word or two.

“It’ll depend on the protagonist’s personality.”

“Wouldn’t she give a kiss? The protagonist, Sung Si-hyun, seems like a pretty pathetic woman, right? She probably wouldn’t want to get hit.”

“I’m getting curious about Soo-ah-ssi’s interpretation.”

It was then. Lee Seo-jung opened her mouth herself.

“The answer is obvious. Giving a kiss is right.”

Sawakko’s eyes widened.

“Really? So, I mean, I’m not asking why you interpreted it that way, but… Is it okay to give a kiss?”

“That’s obvious. The perfection of the work comes first.”

At that, everyone around her was impressed.

Lee Seo-jung having a liking for women was a complete secret, so everyone couldn’t help but do so. The steps she was currently taking only appeared to be sacrifices for the sake of the work.

But.

‘….’

Soo-ah, with her arms crossed, made a fierce expression and then.

“Wait a minute, I’ll have a little chat with Seo-jung-ssi.”

She called Lee Seo-jung out separately.

In other words, Soo-ah’s decisiveness. In other words, Soo-ah’s fierceness.

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Soo-ah and Seo-jung, the two of them, left the reading session for a moment. This place was outside of where the staff’s eyes could reach.

“Hehehe.”

Lee Seo-jung hummed a tune.

It was to the point where all sorts of desires were filling her up whenever she saw Soo-ah. But what’s this? They’re going to put a kiss scene in the script? It was a matter she had to celebrate with both hands raised.

“Why call me out separately? So we can practice kissing beforehand or something?”

Lee Seo-jung licked her lower lip like a snake. She continued speaking in her signature sticky and oily tone.

“I’d welcome it. We can’t have mistakes in front of the camera, right? Let’s thoroughly practice in advance.”

Of course, she was planning on making a lot of mistakes.

Kiss Soo-ah to her heart’s content during practice, and then make a lot of NGs while going into filming and repeatedly kiss her…

It was a chance to mix tongues in front of everyone, so how could she hold back?

No? Never!

At least, Lee Seo-jung had no intention of holding back.

“Seo-jung-ssi…”

Soo-ah grabbed Lee Seo-jung’s shoulder and firmly held onto it.

It was along with a subdued voice.

And then. Before she could even react.

*Kong!*

“…?”

Lee Seo-jung’s eyes widened.

At first, she didn’t even know what was happening, but soon, along with a light pain in her forehead, she saw Soo-ah, who had raised a knifehand. Soo-ah had lightly hit Lee Seo-jung’s forehead with a knifehand.

…She’s never experienced something like this before, so she’s embarrassed.

“Where did she learn this kind of aegyo from?”

“Seo-jung-ssi, listen carefully to what I say.”

Soo-ah continued speaking softly.

“I appreciate your mind for the work, but this isn’t an issue to take so lightly. It’s purity, purity. Are you going to lose your purity in front of everyone?”

“…What? Purity?”

Lee Seo-jung was flustered, but she still paid attention.

“I’ve researched kissing, and it’s an act of passing on each other’s souls between precious people. The moment you do it once, you lose your purity. That’s why you have to be even more careful.”

“Uh… Umm…?”

Around this point, Lee Seo-jung noticed something strange.

But Soo-ah was actually stroking Lee Seo-jung’s hair.

*Rub rub.*

“Value your purity. Shouldn’t you exchange it someday when you find someone you really love? It’s good that you’ve gotten to that level by acting well, but if you lose everything in an instant because you’re immature and lacking intelligence, that would be too sad, right?”

After that, Soo-ah snorted as if ridiculing her and shrugged her shoulders. She raised her arms and hands, making a W shape.

“Ah, of course, you probably can’t understand my story right now. You’ll understand it when your thoughts mature. Yup yup.”

“….”

Around this point, Lee Seo-jung wanted to go to the bathroom.

But it wasn’t because she was scared of Soo-ah like in the case of other people. Right now, her legs are trembling in a different meaning. Looking at Soo-ah like this… She wants to do a lot of things.

‘Crazy bitch. Crazy bitch….’

Lee Seo-jung thought.

‘The first thing I pierced through was right on the mark. See? Lee Soo-ah is definitely a pushover. She doesn’t even know her own charms….’

From trying to teach Lee Seo-jung to mentioning purity over mere kissing, Lee Seo-jung felt her patience reaching its limit. She wants to pounce on Soo-ah right away.

…But she can’t.

She opened her mouth, demonstrating superhuman endurance.

“I have a question.”

“Yup yup. Ask me anything.”

“If you act out murder in front of the camera, does that make you a murderer?”

“Are you stupid? It’s just acting, so why would you become a murderer?”

“Then kissing is fine too, right? It’s not a kiss that you’re really offering up your purity with. It’s just acting.”

“….”

Soo-ah thought for a moment and then.

“…Huh?”

Lee Soo-ah. Completely refuted.

Soo-ah is refuted! Soo-ah’s emergency! Soo-ah’s defeat!

“….”

Soo-ah’s pupils began to creak. Her brain wasn’t able to rotate and was glitching. Huh? Is that really how it is?

Lee Seo-jung, who had caught her chance, went on the offensive.

“Since you’re not offering up your purity, you can do it as much as you want, right? You can increase the perfection of the work with one acting session.”

“Ugh, ughm?”

“The protagonist Sung Si-hyun in Alien Game is pretty pathetic, right? She’d gladly give a kiss if she lost at *muk-jji-ppa*.”

“Ah, um, ah, ughm….”

Soo-ah thought for a moment and then.

“Ah, no. In the midst of being pathetic, she has her pride. She’ll definitely tell her to hit her. She’s a stubborn role.”

“She’ll immediately change her mind after getting hit really hard once. I’m looking forward to it. How many times will she have to get hit before she comes to her senses?”

“….”

Soo-ah is silent. Soo-ah is stopping….

Lee Seo-jung smiled.

“So, we’re doing the kiss, then?”

“No, no. I’m not doing it.”

“How can you not when the role is like that?”

“No, so… Umm… Let’s do this!”

Soo-ah suddenly brightened her eyes.

“Let’s genuinely compete in a *muk-jji-ppa* match.”

“Genuinely? Without anything agreed upon beforehand?”

“Yup yup. We’ll stand in front of the camera while wearing each other’s roles, but the *muk-jji-ppa* will be purely skill. We’ll match the ad-libs based on the results from there.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Seo-jung thought to herself.

‘She’s really an idiot. Cute.’

They’re going to do *muk-jji-ppa* multiple times anyway, and Lee Seo-jung can kiss Soo-ah as long as she wins even once.

In truth, it was practically a match for Lee Seo-jung.

Lee Seo-jung readily nodded her head.

“Okay. Let’s do that, then. A handshake to signify our agreement.”

“Yes. A handshake.”

The two shook hands.

“….”

After Soo-ah left, Lee Seo-jung stared blankly at the hand she had shaken and then, as if she had a good idea, headed to the bathroom.

◈◈◈◈◈

After finishing her agreement with Lee Seo-jung.

Soo-ah clutched the Alien Game script.

She had practically been entrusted with the decision-making power of the scene, and it was necessary to experience it thoroughly in order to unfold great ad-libs that others would see.

In the midst of it, she was curious. What was Lee Seo-jung, really?

“What is she? Wasn’t that woman a moron? I was surprised that she suddenly said something so sharp. They say that children have a strangely sharp side, so is that it?”

Soo-ah was spitting out shameless things so easily. She wasn’t even thinking that Lee Seo-jung had a much higher intelligence than her.

Anyway.

“Ah, whatever. Let’s just do an experience.”

Soo-ah was planning on experiencing it thoroughly even if it was to protect her purity(?). She was going to find a worldline where she doesn’t kiss no matter how many times she experiences it!

*Sssssssss─!*

After entering the special hotel, she checked the phrase attached to the door.

“Oh? A lot has changed now?”

And she was impressed.

[ Alien Game ]

▶ Implementation elements sufficient

▶ 0.5 Grade

There were many points of surprise. The fact that the work, which had been “Untitled,” had a name, and that the grade had increased enormously.

‘Huh? Why did the grade go up again?’

Now that she thought about it, the answer was simple.

‘Ah, because I decided to give it my all?’

It was probably because Soo-ah now had a desperate resolve to protect her purity. Recently, Soo-ah’s Special Mobile Squad 808 had become a hit in Japan, so its size had gotten even bigger.

…Soo-ah was never able to think that Lee Seo-jung was desperate to that extent, so the grade went up.

“All right! Let’s start the experience right away!”

Soo-ah hammered away on the dial in the phone booth.

[ Alien Game ]

001 ─ Sung Si-hyun

002 ─ Jo Sung-woo

003 ─ *Muk-jji-ppa* Woman

Without hesitation, she picked up the receiver.

The number was, of course, 001.

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*Paaaaaaat─!*

Along with the sensation of her vision flashing, Soo-ah fell into a completely different Korea. It was simultaneous with the sensation of the memories and emotions of the role, Sung Si-hyun, washing over her like a wave.

『…I lost everything in the end.』

The world that ‘Sung Si-hyun’ was facing was too cold and dark.

Originally, Sung Si-hyun was the youngest daughter of a chaebol family.

But she ended up falling for a company worker man. After ups and downs, she barely managed to persuade her parents with a rap battle, but….

『Strengthening. I shouldn’t have strengthened him….』

Sung Si-hyun had ended up making the gamble of a lifetime.

[ Will you attempt to strengthen husband ‘Lee Byung-ho’? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

She pressed yes and failed. Her husband exploded.

In truth, her child had exploded too. The success rate was 99 percent though…?

After that, she used her entire fortune to recover her child and husband, but she wasn’t able to revive them in the end. What kind of probability is this.

『Hoo.』

In truth, Sung Si-hyun (Lee Soo-ah) herself knew.

In truth, it was that she shouldn’t have gambled in the first place. But Sung Si-hyun was a gambling addict. She would do anything if she could feel the thrill and excitement.

‘The reason I loved my ordinary company worker husband in the first place was probably because that’s my personality. Because I’d become unsteady. Because all sorts of people would oppose me and step forward….’

Yeah, she was a crazy dopamine addict.

An addict who deliberately sought out and enjoyed dangerous situations.

『I don’t have money now. What do I do.』

But she soon had a good idea.

『Huh? Now that I think about it, there’s a loan left? Let’s get it right away.』

She was going to borrow money from a loan shark, but it’s fine. She’ll win it back and pay it back. If she can’t pay it back, that might be thrilling in its own way too?

Sung Si-hyun thought that and stood up when.

『Aigo!』

Sung Si-hyun bumped her face into something soft and sat back down again. As she rubbed her nose and opened her eyes, it seemed like she had rammed her head into the chest of a tall woman.

『Ah, I’m sorry. I was in a hurry….』

Sung Si-hyun (Soo-ah) said that and tried to step aside.

But what’s this.

『…?』

Whether she went to the left or to the right, the woman in a suit blocked Sung Si-hyun’s path. As if she had something to say.

Sung Si-hyun narrowed her brow.

『What’s this? Why are you like this?』

At that.

『Teacher.』

The woman in a suit smiled brightly.

『Would you like to play a game of *muk-jji-ppa* with me?』

The woman had Lee Seo-jung’s face.

‘…!’

At the same time, Soo-ah, who was submerged in Sung Si-hyun’s inner self, widened her eyes. It was because she was greatly surprised as if electrocuted.

But Lee Seo-jung wasn’t the reason.

It was simply because of the special alert that had appeared in front of her.

[ …Special element discovered… ]

[ Acquiring ‘*Muk-jji-ppa*.’ ]

‘Huh?’

[ …Acquisition starting… ]

A certain energy instantly swirled around Soo-ah.