Chapter 45: Shadows of Envy

Did she like what I said? Ha Dayoung’s trembling gradually subsided. Regaining her bright eyes, Ha Dayoung looked at me and nodded.

“Yes! I will!”

Even her energetic reply was perfect.

“Let’s work well together.”

I gave the child one last smile and returned to my original spot.

My heart is beating fast. So fast that I could hear it in my ears. My first historical drama since returning…

‘I’m happy.’

“Ready!”

I shoved the script I was holding under the blanket and looked up. Using this joy as my driving force.

“Action!”

It was time to show some good acting.

…She said it’s her first historical drama.’

Yeom Haejin tried to let Im Bada do things on her own without directing her as much as possible. He wanted to watch how she acted.

But wow, he didn’t know well since he only watched from afar during <A Prosecutor’s Biography>. But looking at it on the monitor like this.

Her acting has improved more than in her college days? How is that possible?

Yeom Haejin gestured to the camera director and whispered.

“Out of focus.”

Yeonwoo is confused by Kim Sohyun’s sudden death. She likes and loved her close friend, but she also had an inferiority complex towards Kim Sohyun.

“That kind Sohyun is dead.”

An exclamation came out at her mid-low voice.

“Why?”

She put her trembling hand to her mouth and chewed her fingernails, showing signs of anxiety. Just in case Kim Sohyun might still be alive.

“I wondered why I was so nervous, it’s because I’m anxious….”

Her pronunciation and tone are perfect. She was even more improved than during the script reading. Yeom Haejin felt like he was flying when ‘Yeonwoo,’ as he had imagined, was captured on the screen as is.

As his worries faded, he relaxed a little and leaned back in his chair.

…What’s wrong with her?’

Ryu Byeol was staring intently at the monitor. A gaze that scrutinized every little movement as if craving something. It looked like she was going to smash her head into the monitor.

‘Is there something strange between the two of them?’

They weren’t close friends, but they knew each other best. Wasn’t the relationship between Kim Sohyun and Yeonwoo like that too?

But right now, Im Bada’s acting in front of him was more important.

Yeonwoo was raised by her mother to be a kind, moral child. It’s absurd that such a child would be happy about her friend’s death.

“Ah…….”

A small sigh came out in the space filled with only breathing sounds. She chewed on the hangnail until blood dripped and splattered on the floor.

“Ah. I shouldn’t do this. Mother will scold me….”

She tried to wipe the blood with a handkerchief embroidered with trumpet creepers, but Im Bada’s gaze was fixed on the mirror.

This is the moment.

‘One shot.’

She needed that acting she had shown in A Prosecutor’s Biography. That’s why he brought her here.

The most important scene in the first episode. The one that can show Yeonwoo’s emotions to the fullest.

“…Why are you crying? You should be smiling.”

Child actress Ha Dayoung opened her mouth.

‘…Hmm?’

Yeom Haejin frowned at the worse pronunciation than before. He wanted to cut and reshoot, but….

Crunch.

At the sound of Im Bada grinding her teeth, he couldn’t even make a sound, let alone cut. Who could destroy that concentration?

“The illusion of the past is tormenting me.”

She looks at her past self with hazy eyes and fights back.

“Tormenting? You envied Kim Sohyun, you liked her, but you wanted her to die.”

“Or was it a truth you didn’t want to believe?”

Acknowledging, but not wanting to acknowledge Yeonwoo’s emotions. She expressed everything with tears coming from only her left eye.

“Me?”

As if telling her to say it again, Im Bada glared at the illusion of the past with an oppressive gaze.

“I wanted her to die. I did. So? That…!”

Bang!

She clenched her fist and slammed it on the floor, then stood up and strode towards the child.

“Is it impure to have such a heart? Isn’t it?”

“You’re the illusion of my past, so you know well….”

It was an emotion stemming from inferiority, but Yeonwoo loved Kim Sohyun more than anyone else.

“I want to send my friend off peacefully too.”

Im Bada grabbed the child’s arm tightly as if she was going to pounce.

At that moment, heavy raindrops hit the ground, and the sound was like a desperate cry.

He captured Im Bada’s acting on camera. Just a little more, just a little. A carefully crafted tear fell on her hand, and Yeonwoo looked at the sky with a look of astonishment.

This is the part where Yeonwoo’s maid, Chaehee, says that Sohyun is alive.

‘Kim Jonggeon’s daughter, Kim Sohyun, is alive! She even opened her eyes when her body was covered in dirt!’

Considering the pause in this line, just a little more. Capture Im Bada’s facial expressions on the screen.

Cut.

Here.

“Cut!”

Even though he said cut, Im Bada was still holding the child, perhaps because it was drowned out by the sound of the rain.

“Cut! Im Bada!”

He shouted once more, and her shoulders moved.

“…Ah. Is it over?”

‘What, when did it end.’

She wiped the tears flowing from her eyes with the back of her hand. Was it because of the large emotional expenditure? Her hands were still shaking violently.

It had been a long time since this had happened.

‘…I shouldn’t consume emotions like this.’

If I do this, the emotions will look excessive on the TV screen. But there was no feedback from Yeom Haejin.

Originally, she tended to direct towards restraining emotions. It was the same during the <Heejae> play.

“Director. Weren’t my emotions too much?”

“…Emotions? It came out well on the screen, so it was okay. But Bada, what about your finger?”

“My finger is okay.”

‘It bled a little….’

…This was a wound that would disappear over time. She was about to check the A-cam monitor, which focused on her face to see her emotional acting, when she noticed that Ha Dayoung wasn’t moving. Sensing something strange, she called the child’s name.

“Dayoung? Dayoung.”

The child, who had been still, turned her head and ran to me.

“Are you sick somewhere?”

“No. It’s not that….”

“Then?”

“How can you perform such acting?”

It seemed like she was curious about something.

“The acting my dad taught me was never like that!”

“…Was it?”

“Yes! But, but…. I realized it this time.”

“What did you realize?”

“Acting is fun!”

With this shoot?

“I realized it when I tried acting with the acting I created myself. It was awkward because I didn’t copy my dad’s acting!”

There was a possibility that she couldn’t control it because she was copying the pronunciation of the lines her father had made up, but now she was trying to act on her own.

But she will realize this someday. And.

‘If the day comes when she makes the pronunciation and tone of the father who taught her acting her own….’

An outstanding acting genius might come.

“How was it? Doing it yourself.”

“…It was amazing.”

The child’s eyes, excited about the new experience, were full of life. It’s a relief, she’s not giving up on acting.

“Dayoung…!”

The child ran to her father, who had been watching the filming from afar.

“Dad! How was my acting? I did well, right? A lot!”

“…Honestly, the acting you did alone earlier wasn’t good in my opinion?”

I thought he was going to scold her again.

“But I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, daughter. Dad was wrong.”

He cried without saying a word. Yeom Haejin, who carefully approached me, whispered in my ear.

“The reason your father wanted a reshoot earlier.”

“Oh, oh….”

“He said Dayoung’s eyes didn’t have as much life in them as before…. So he thought a reshoot might bring back the life?”

…So that’s why he wanted a reshoot.’

I immediately understood his father’s heart. He stopped crying and smiled at the child.

“But Dayoung still has a lot to learn.”

“…Dad! I, even alone.”

“Our Dayoung still has a lot of acting to learn. But I won’t tell you to do every line I say exactly like I do, like before.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. Our daughter. It must have been hard for you all this time.”

What a touching scene. If it were in a movie, I might have teared up.

“I’m sorry for causing a ruckus earlier!”

He apologized to the staff, and the filming ended like that. At the same time, an alarm was sent as if to announce the perfect success of the sub-quest.

[Sub-quest ‘Acting opposite Ha Dayoung’ has been successfully completed.]

[You have received a reward.]

[Points: 3 points]

Adding the 1 point I hadn’t used before, I now have 3 points.

‘Should I use them now?’

But I haven’t decided which stat to use them on yet…. I should raise them later. Not now.

I ran to Manager Min Seoeun, who was standing next to the B-cam monitor.

“Seoeun unnie. Did you record the video?”

“Yeah. I recorded it. Here.”

As soon as I saw the acting on the monitor in her phone, I sighed. Because I acted in an over-emotional state, my body movements were not stable. I think people watching the acting would feel uneasy if it was like this….

‘I need to be careful about this.’

I shouldn’t show unstable movements in the next shoot either. Still, it was okay because they focused on my face rather than my upper body.

Besides.

‘…Dayoung is okay too.’

Originally, when they are young, they tend to shrink under the pressure of adult actors’ acting.

But Ha Dayoung confidently spits out her lines without being crushed by my momentum. I smiled with pride.

‘…She’s going to be a good actress.’

I handed the phone back to Manager Min Seoeun and asked.

“Unnie, how was my acting in your opinion?”

For some reason, I wanted to hear Seoeun unnie’s feedback. Especially today.

“If I were to say? Actions?”

“Actions?”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re a daughter of a noble family. I wish you were a little more elegant. There’s a bit of a clunky feeling because the hanbok is heavy.”

…It’s similar to what I felt.

“…Oh, unnie.”

“Why, is it bad?”

“No, it’s perfectly the same as my opinion.”

“What, it’s the same?”

“Yeah!”

Seoeun unnie’s acting feedback is also increasing as she spends time with me. But even unnie, who doesn’t act, sees it that way.

If this is the case, I should wear a hanbok and move around in real life too. I’ve only been practicing bowing and walking backwards.

But somewhere, I felt a stinging gaze. I looked around to see who was looking at me and found her.

“…What.’

Ryu Byeol? She hasn’t left yet. I thought she had gone home because she was quiet.

“Why?”

“…Nothing.”

I asked her again, as she was trying to avoid the conversation.

“Why? Why were you looking at me?”

“…Well.”

I couldn’t hear the rest of her words.

“What did you say?”

“…Ugh! I don’t like it!”

Ah, geez.

“What’s wrong? Are you crazy?”

“No, I’m not crazy.”

“Then? Why are you like this.”

“Where did you learn to act?”

Did I learn to act?

“Why is that?”

“Just? Can’t I ask?”

Ryu Byeol crossed her arms and retorted curtly. Looking at her standing crookedly, I suddenly understood why she was like this.

She must like my acting.

I looked at Ryu Byeol with a subtle sneer.

“Where would I learn? Do I need a teacher?”

“……Crazy.”

“I’m originally so good that I don’t need to learn to act.”

“No, you’re not.”

Why is she clenching her teeth if she’s not? Her attitude of not admitting it is all wrong.

“Hey, you’re going to get dentures if you do that. Be careful of your gums.”

Ryu Byeol, who was touching her chin for no reason, stared at me intently.

“There’s no way a person can suddenly become good at acting.”

“They can become good. Why do you think it’s impossible?”

Then, as if saying something obvious, she raised one corner of her mouth as hard as she could.

“Because I have to be better than you.”

She has such a nasty heart.

“…Of course.”

What am I going to say to you?

I was about to shake my head and leave when Ryu Byeol’s voice, more serious than ever, pierced my ears.

“But I can’t do that.”

“I’m leaving now. It’s not fun.”

She only spouts incomprehensible words and leaves.

‘She’s always like this, so I don’t care much.’

As Ryu Byeol left, Yeom Haejin came next to me, wiping away fake tears.

“Oh, what, Byeol went?”

“Yeah, she just left.”

“Ah, I couldn’t say goodbye because she was shedding tears. Keuheung!”

Why is he blowing his nose when he didn’t even cry? Yeom Haejin cleared his throat and continued.

“Earlier, Byeol only watched your acting. She was just staring at the monitor like a person possessed. She was sitting still for a long time and reciting your lines like a shaman chanting an incantation…….. I was scared to death.”

“…She’s probably just amazed.”

“What’s so amazing? She did that often in college.”

As if asking if I didn’t know, Yeom Haejin poked my side.

“She did that often?”

“Yeah. That often. It’s not that she has any ulterior motives. She just says she feels bad just by watching your acting.”

“I asked her why? She said she feels inferior.”

I stopped rubbing my fingers, which were now throbbing and hurting because the camera was off.

“Is that true?”

“Yeah. Really.”

So that’s what it is.

“Tomorrow’s shoot is with Ryu Byeol and Senior Tae Jinhwa…?”

“Yeah. Why? Are you coming?”

“Yeah. I want to come.”

I can rest, but.

‘I want to see too.’

How Ryu Byeol acts on the set.