In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 11

“I heard there’s a woman at the office that get close to that director. Can’t even manage your fiancé properly—bringing shame to the family like this?”

In an opulent living room with a massive chandelier overhead.

Yoo Ji-an and her stepmother sat on cream-colored sofas, sipping wine together.

In truth, sharing wine together was always just an elegant pretense…

This was really Yoo Ji-an’s time to defend herself against her stepmother’s sharp attacks.

“You know how the female employees love to gossip and blow things out of proportion. He’s not that kind of person.”

“You actually like him, don’t you?”

Hearing those words, Yoo Ji-an’s expression stiffened slightly.

“That’s none of my business, anyway. But as one woman to another, let me give you some advice. In this world, things like love only come back to haunt you as weaknesses.”

Yoo Ji-an took a sip of wine without answering.

“You’ve got enough on your plate protecting what’s already yours, don’t you? And now adding a man on top of that. Think you can handle all of it?”

Yoo Ji-an smiled leisurely at those words.

Then she looked directly into her stepmother’s face and spoke.

“Why couldn’t I? And don’t cross the line. Mother.”

The way Yoo Ji-an said “Mother” carried a peculiar emphasis.

Hearing it, her stepmother scoffed and set down her wine glass.

As her stepmother climbed the stairs and disappeared into her room, Yoo Ji-an set down the wine glass she’d been gripping with trembling hands.

A moment later, consumed by frustration, she grabbed the wine glass again and hurled it at the wall.

“Shin Sera… Shin Sera!”

The glass shattered, scattering thin shards across the carpet.

One of Yoo Ji-an’s tears fell onto a piece of broken glass.

* * *

“Cut. Okay! Sena-ssi, well done.”

“We’ll go once more from the side angle.”

The moment Director Moon’s okay signal came, the cinematographer adjusted the equipment for the next angle.

“Director, the chandelier lighting is making the side too dark.”

“I’ll add another light here.”

“Got it! Bringing it over!”

Following the lighting director’s words, the staff moved busily.

The art team hurriedly cleaned up the glass shards.

The makeup team approached to wipe away my tear tracks and touch up my makeup.

Phew…

An exhausted sigh escaped on its own.

This was already the third time shooting this scene from different angles.

The revised script Writer Lee Si-young had sent contained many changes.

There were numerous scenes I was filming for the first time, different from my past life, and Yoo Ji-an’s emotions had become far more layered.

‘The weakness of Yoo Ji-an that Sena-ssi discovered… it was beyond what I imagined.’

Those were the writer’s final words when she handed me the new script.

Such overwhelming praise that I didn’t know where to put myself.

I could clearly feel the staff and director’s heightened trust after the first shoot.

However, the difficult part was… times like this.

Capturing emotions while repeating scenes over and over to get the perfect shot—it was just as challenging now as it had been back then.

“Sena-ssi, want to take a quick break?”

Director Moon approached with a considerate offer.

“No, Director. If I rest now, I feel like I’ll lose the emotion.”

When I declined with a careful smile, the director nodded and quietly stepped back.

“Setup complete. We’ll just take the wine glass throw and crying scene. Last one!”

The cinematographer called out loudly.

I was gathering my emotions again when…

Jung Soo-hyang sunbaenim, who was playing the stepmother, approached.

“Director, I’ll act alongside her, so just film Sena’s crying scene. Don’t wear out the rookie.”

“Ah, sunbaenim… Thank you.”

She was volunteering to help because she worried it would be hard for her junior to hold the emotion alone.

I bowed my head deeply, touched by her consideration.

“What are you talking about? You’re doing so well I’m getting chills. We absolutely have to capture this properly.”

“Right, Sena-ssi. This wasn’t even supposed to be a major scene originally, but we’re adding cuts because of you.”

The cinematographer chimed in.

“Our Sena-ssi throws that glass so perfectly.”

“At this rate, won’t liquor commercials start coming in?”

Other staff members added their own comments.

“Thank you, everyone. I’ll hit a home run this time too!”

I threw out a joke loudly, playing along with their banter.

Laughter quickly filled the set.

The tense atmosphere that had been gripping the exhausted set instantly relaxed.

Director Moon clapped twice.

“Good. All right, Sena-ssi, get back into character. Let’s go.”

“Starting the second scene!”

At the staff’s call, I gathered my emotions again.

The second scene was where Yoo Ji-an engages in a power struggle with her uncle while providing viewers with information about the family dynamics.

It was a scene I’d sailed through easily at the reading.

Then Director Moon spoke again.

“Sena-ssi, do it however you want.”

In that moment, the surrounding staff looked at the director in surprise.

I was equally shocked as I looked at the director.

The senior actors sitting in folding chairs also laughed in amazement and threw out playful remarks.

“Director, aren’t you playing favorites with the rookie a bit too much?”

At those words, the director grinned.

“She’s good. Let’s go.”

I bowed my head before him.

“I’ll do my best!”

All right, now… shall we really get into it?

“Ready, action!”

* * *

“Why not just finish playing house with your fiancé at his company? That would be better for everyone, wouldn’t it?”

“Uncle, yuou should stick to catching whatever scraps fall your way. With such a small bowl, you’d better protect what little you have.”

“What?”

The clash between the imposing Park Hoon with his years of experience and bulk, and Han Sena, so much younger, leapt right through the monitor.

Watching it, the director’s lips curved up on one side as he shook his head.

It was miraculously exactly the image he’d wanted. The two seemed evenly matched, but with Yoo Ji-an dominating by a hair’s breadth in this war of nerves…

Yoo Ji-an’s sharp barbs continued pouring out with fierce momentum.

“It’s easy to climb up by clinging to strings, but you’ll learn just how difficult it is to keep hanging on to the end.”

“Cut. Okay!”

The director’s okay signal rang out across the set.

Then Han Sena turned toward Director Moon and called out.

“Director, how was the pacing just now? Should we try it once more with more intensity?”

“No, Sena-ssi, that was good.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll be on standby! Everyone, great work!”

On her way to the waiting room, all the staff high-fived Han Sena like greeting her.

Even a rookie’s nerve to confidently ask the director how she did right after filming…

There was nothing to touch, nothing that needed touching.

Director Moon had been rolling around the industry for nearly twenty years, and shoots led by an actor like this were rare enough to count on one hand.

“The more I watch, the more amazing it is.”

“What?”

The youngest staff member moving the monitor asked the director with a confused expression.

“What ‘what’? Stop standing around. Hurry up and move that monitor. We saved a lot of time up front, so let’s go home early.”

“Wow! Awesome!”

The director gulped down cold water, ready to power through the remaining shoots.

Han Sena.

Was she truly a rising star from nothing, or just a will-o’-the-wisp that would burn out quickly?

Director Moon found himself genuinely curious.

* * *

Several days later.

Flat Shoes filming was progressing smoothly as usual.

Director Moon had been summoned to the broadcasting station early in the morning for an unexpected call.

Inside the deputy director’s office.

“So… the conclusion is that Flat Shoes needs to fill that gap in the schedule.”

Director Moon, who’d been drinking the coffee he’d received, choked at the deputy director’s words.

The two staff members sitting across from him fidgeted anxiously, gauging the director’s reaction.

“I’m sorry, Director Moon.”

Director Moon couldn’t hide his displeasure as he sat there stunned.

“What do you mean…”

The deputy director continued.

“As you know, we haven’t been a station for long. We’re still building our systems, and internally it’s still a bit chaotic. I’m sorry this happened.”

Another drama had been canceled early due to poor ratings, and an internal meeting had decided to fill that time slot with Flat Shoes.

Rather than endure such poor ratings with everyone watching this new comprehensive programming channel’s launch, the plan was to cut the weak sprouts from the start.

And to announce it like this.

“Hyung. This isn’t right.”

Director Moon finally raised his voice, unable to hold back any longer.

The listening staff members’ eyes widened in shock.

“Hey, Won-hyung. I’m really sorry.”

The deputy director, who’d been reading the room, finally started apologizing profusely.

Director Moon grabbed the back of his neck.

“Man, does this make any sense? We’ve only filmed three episodes.”

“Hey, I’m having a hard time too. Deputy director or not, I can’t sleep either.”

“That’s your problem. Damn, I really backed the wrong horse.”

Meanwhile, the staff members could only break out in cold sweat.

They were burning up inside, trying to read the room caught between the director and deputy director.

Deputy Director Hwang Si-hyung was a fellow film academy graduate with Moon Won-hyung from twenty years ago.

These two had rolled through the industry together for decades, weathering all kinds of storms.

One day, Hwang Si-hyung quit directing and started rolling around in the broadcasting station business instead.

A few years later, when news of the comprehensive programming channel launch spread, Director Moon received a call from Hwang Si-hyung.

He’d become deputy director—let’s do a drama together.

“This is why seniors always say not to board the first ship anywhere. Should’ve listened when they warned me.”

Director Moon let out a long sigh.

Then he started laughing hollowly.

“Heh, heheheh… Funny, right? Pretty damn funny.”

“I’ll really take good care of the bonus separately. Okay?”

The deputy director pleaded.

Director Moon set his coffee down on the table with no appetite left.

A moment of silence passed.

“Ahem.”

The deputy director cleared his throat, then plastered a shameless expression on his face.

“I’m counting on you, Director Moon.”

The final push.

“You’re not a deputy director, you’re a thug… Fine. So when does the broadcast start airing?”

“Next week.”

The staff member answered with eyes squeezed shut.

“Hey! Hwang Si-hyung!”

Director Moon’s roar echoed thunderously through the office.

* * *

The next day at the Flat Shoes set.

“What’s wrong today? What’s the problem all of a sudden!”

Several days after filming had started…

Director Moon’s furious voice rang out in sharp rebuke.

Someone stood before the director with their head bowed, the target of his scolding.

“Have you lost your mind? Did you memorize the script? One person is causing hours of delays right now, you hear me?”

The set’s atmosphere turned icy cold.