In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 105

What just happened…?

Not just me—both mentors and mentees fell into shock.

When the MC asked about her current feelings, Hwang Yuseon forced herself to maintain composure as she spoke.

“It’s the first mission. My team members worked hard. Now that everyone’s warmed up, let’s really go for it starting next mission.”

And finally, Team 300 showed only very brief flashes of brilliance in their pre-assigned small section.

Go Seonho, who served as the team’s visual center.

Go Seonho’s acting felt like a trainee who showed obvious signs of practice, but his looks covered the lacking parts.

However, while Team Hwang Yuseon’s Do Changhyeon had weakly solidified teamwork through acting skill, Go Seonho’s good looks couldn’t draw out teamwork.

The rest of Team 300’s members were all at extra level.

One member from a band background and the remaining two members from idol trainee backgrounds.

They had fundamentals but lacked skill, colorless aspiring actors showing no individuality.

‘How should I find the balance?’

If I were the mentor, how would I navigate this hurdle?

I grew serious alone, furrowing my brow.

That’s when Ha Seongjun raised the mic for evaluation.

“Sorry for this kind of evaluation, but… Rather than improvised acting… It feels like students who drilled tons of practice problems to mechanically solve whatever type appears.”

Ha Seongjun delivered a perfect analogy.

While the entire judging panel agreed with those words, Park Eunki struggled to maintain a composed poker face.

‘Revealing scores! Eom Danbi 78 points, Go Seonho 75 points, Jang Heeyeon 84 points, Gwak Seonghyeok 73 points! Audience scores are Eom Danbi 80 points, Go Seonho 85 points, Jang Heeyeon 73 points, Gwak Seonghyeok 70 points!’

The scores all landed as expected.

No star player who’d earn high scores, no rookie who’d receive low scores.

However, one notable point: Go Seonho’s viewer score ranked first despite placing third in combined scores.

The opposite result from Do Changhyeon.

Inside I felt slightly bitter, but there’s no helping it.

In this industry, looks are part of one’s skill.

The band member placed 9th, while the two idol trainees landed side by side in 14th and 15th place.

After all missions ended.

The MC announced each team’s rankings.

“First place Heaven Earth Star Earth!! Second place is La Dolce Vita! Third is The Glory, fourth is 300!”

Hearing the ranking announcement, I smiled slightly.

So our team takes second place like this.

Not bad, huh?

How should I put it—it’s good that it’s not a result to get worked up over.

It even feels like a fresh start.

However, Park Eunki’s expression noticeably hardened.

While the team ranked third overall, the reality was they’d ended up competing neck-and-neck with Team Hwang Yuseon.

If he stiffens his face so openly like that, won’t the mentors notice…

But I had no time to worry about others.

Suddenly the MC’s unexpected question attack flew toward me.

“Sena-ssi, you lost first place by a narrow margin in both team and individual battles—how do you feel about that?”

“……”

Huh?

The word lost instantly stuck in my mind.

What had been a fresh second-place start for me was being framed to others as if I’d been robbed of first.

I shouldn’t be surprised by the provocative editing of survival variety shows, but it didn’t feel great.

For ratings, the MC wanted one line where I’d target Ha Seongjun’s team and ignite fighting spirit…

“We claimed second place—we didn’t lose it. Our motto is having fun. Next mission, we plan to be even more fun and exciting.”

I hated playing along with such obvious intentions.

The MC looked slightly flustered before quickly erasing it with a smile.

“As expected, a quietly strong team! Yes, then let’s continue with individual ranking announcements.”

* * *

[Han Sena’s Latest Status. Attempting Transformation to Softer Image!]

[‘Be Actors’ Han Sena, Usually Tough Actress… Weak Mentor in Auditions?]

-Prime example of maxed-out evasion skills.

-She doesn’t want bad editing. It’s smart.

-If she’s only going to be peaceful like that, why even appear on an audition show? Does she think other mentors are being harsh because they’re mean?

-Doesn’t care about her sunbaenims’ feelings at all lolol

-As expected, the role-based bully who ate Lee Nara hasn’t changed~

“You’ve seen all the comments.”

A private meeting with PD Lee Sangman.

The PD pulled the laptop monitor showing article comments back toward himself.

The impact of my answer dodging the MC’s intention exceeded imagination.

To a bewildering degree.

The PD spoke with a hardened face.

“Sena-ssi. Even on this show, you’re an actor. Variety cast members have roles too.”

“……”

“I told you before filming started. That there’s a role I wanted from you. That’s your role in this project. Bold, unshadowed, spirited star mentor.”

What exactly should I say in situations like this?

“I’m sorry.”

No other good words came to mind.

The PD’s words clearly had merit.

He’d probably survived the harsh broadcasting world through such thorough calculations.

“Please do better next time. It’s hard to make things entertaining just through editing. Variety is also character play.”

Hearing those words, I thought.

The fixed role I can’t touch—I hated that so much, yet here it is again.

My mind grew unsettled.

* * *

The conference room after Han Sena left.

PD Lee Sangman sat with his team discussing.

The PD sat with a slightly different expression and posture from when he’d been with Han Sena, spinning his pen.

One young writer raised her hand and asked in a clear voice.

“You’re worried about Han Sena-ssi, right?”

At that, the PD stopped spinning his pen and shook his head.

“What’s to worry about this? It’s not even worth worrying over.”

“Uh… really?”

The writer blinked at words different from what she’d expected.

Another writer sitting beside her casually sipped coffee.

“Well, seeing high-flying Han Sena take a hard fall once would make entertaining viewing too.”

The PD spun his pen again.

“Ah….”

The young writer nodded as if finally understanding, then asked again.

“But won’t it affect Han Sena-ssi’s actress image too?”

At that, the PD set down his pen and stretched as if tired.

“She has to take responsibility for that herself.”

Other writers also stood from their seats with faces showing they didn’t particularly care.

“Meeting’s over.”

“Let’s go home and sleep.”

The writer also clumsily stood following her seniors.

* * *

Training time returned.

Hiding the stained emotions left from the meeting with the PD, I faced the mentees brightly.

“Congratulations everyone! You all did so well.”

Inside the practice room before cameras started rolling, the mentees each shared their thoughts.

Lee Hyoseo spoke first.

“I’m saying this since there’s no cameras… The way they’re so openly creating competition makes me scared.”

“Right. I also feel… Do we really need to go this far? The other teams’ mentees seemed uncomfortable too.”

“We even share dorms, so it’s really awkward.”

Min Sohyeon and Yoon Haneul nodded while adding their words.

But beside them, Kim Yeongi burst into giggles.

“Really? I’m burning up wanting to win though.”

I tilted my head watching that Kim Yeongi.

An unexpected reaction?

Most surprising of all was this part.

‘Hyoseo and Yeongi have… different tendencies?’

That’s when staff entered the practice room carrying cameras.

The moment cameras started rolling, the second mission was immediately revealed.

‘Villain Chronicles!’

“Villain Chronicles? Are we playing villains?”

Min Sohyeon’s eyes went wide.

“It’s a difficult mission. The key is what kind of character to show.”

Yoon Haneul calmly grasped the tester’s intent.

Meanwhile, Kim Yeongi and Lee Hyoseo’s reactions to the words on screen differed again.

“Wow, I’ve wanted to try villain acting. The company absolutely wouldn’t let us.”

“Well yeah, because it doesn’t suit us. What do we do?”

Thanks to confidence from last round, was it building in Kim Yeongi?

Unlike the troubled Lee Hyoseo, Kim Yeongi was already burning with determination to challenge villain acting.

Watching the two people with crossed emotions, I smiled inwardly.

Kim Yeongi and Lee Hyoseo had good chemistry from breathing together long, but their acting textures were similar.

Everyone knew their chemistry but not their individual identities.

I needed to separate the two once and imprint each on people individually.

If I could show these two’s different charms in this round where all team members must play villain characters…

Isn’t now that opportunity?

Especially for Lee Hyoseo, who ranked somewhat low among team members, it could be a powerful weapon.

Plus, since I’d played villains sickeningly often in my past life, this was the mission topic I felt most confident about as a mentor.

What cruel twist of fate.

To think those terrible villain experiences would be used like this.

* * *

An hour later.

While Han Sena stepped away, participants’ waiting room.

“This team seems to get along really well?”

Ha Seongjun team’s Myeong Yuhyeon struck up conversation with Min Sohyeon.

Min Sohyeon had been practicing nonstop with Yoon Haneul using the script Han Sena had given them.

Min Sohyeon smiled slightly at Myeong Yuhyeon.

“Our mentor is young but has subtle charisma too. Your unity also looks good.”

“Ahh, I’m jealous.”

At the jealous response, Min Sohyeon tilted her head.

“How’s your team?”

Myeong Yuhyeon gave a good-natured laugh at the returned question.

“Well, it’s not bad. But we’re all kind of introverted. Still awkward.”

As if proving this, Ha Seongjun’s team members were entering the waiting room one by one separately.

Team Hwang Yuseon was also moving around paired up, while only Team Park Eunki moved as a group of four.

However, their expressions weren’t bright.

Park Eunki, from an idol background, emphasized team play and collaboration as priority zero to his mentees.

To a degree that seemed slightly excessive to outsiders.

Thanks to that, the mentees felt less like a friendly atmosphere and more like they had strict discipline.

But one mentee from Team Hwang Yuseon also grumbled.

“Our team is too… The favoritism is severe.”

At that, another Team Hwang Yuseon mentee sitting beside made a shushing gesture.

Hwang Yuseon’s team had been developing cracks in teamwork since the mentor pushed Do Changhyeon forward as the main force.

Watching those scenes, Han Sena’s team members gathered quietly in a corner to talk.

“Our team… seems to have the best atmosphere?”

At Lee Hyoseo’s words, the other three smiled.

“Right. Thank goodness we got comfortable quickly thanks to the mentor’s training.”

“But isn’t our mentor kind of amazing?”

Kim Yeongi lowered her voice.

“Why?”

“I mean, she just doesn’t seem twenty-seven at all. Actually, she’s an unnie just two years older than me. How should I put it, the presence…”

At those words, all team members nodded in agreement.

That’s when Yoon Haneul, who’d been quietly listening, smiled shyly and spoke.

“I feel like I really lucked out with our mentor.”

“Right, the feedback is good too.”

“Then shall we start practicing again?”

Han Sena’s team members brushed themselves off and stood up.