In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 116

Two weeks later.

Photobooks of mine had suddenly lined up all across the living room table.

Mom smiled happily as she turned page after page of the hanbok dress photobook I’d created with Designer Song Hongmae.

“Oh my. My daughter’s like a fairy.”

Dad, who’d just come out of the bathroom, hurried to sit next to Mom and craned his neck forward.

“Wow, is that really you? How much did they photoshop?”

“They barely touched it.”

Just a tiny bit though.

I looked at the photos again too.

The pictures in the photobook were masterpieces even to me.

Works where the designer’s and photographer’s artistic soul had bloomed fully.

My role felt like a single small stone used to create a beautiful lakeside.

Exactly that tiny contribution.

When will I ever get another luxurious opportunity like this again?

Standing on that runway had really been the right choice.

<Flower Over Palace Walls> even climbed the charts briefly thanks to just that one fashion show.

I’d heard ‘Hongmae-hwa’s’ sales jumped several times too.

It was amazing.

I shifted my eyes from the photobook and opened the internet.

– Ugh, when will the sold-out status end? Even if not the hanbok itself, they should make accessories like handbags in advance!!

⤷ Seriously ㅡㅡ. What are we supposed to do when the bracelets and earrings are all sold out.

– It’d be so nice if carrying these small items around became trendy.

– I’m someone attending OO Women’s University language school, and seriously it’s insane among foreigners. I was actually surprised they liked it even more than Koreans lol.

– Shut up and take my money. Please.

– Can I wear a durumagi to work?

⤷ Please hold back.

– The dresses are so beautiful, but please make lots of everyday hanbok too. They’d be perfect for wearing cool in hot summer. Throwing out ideas~^^

I skimmed the comments and grinned.

The fan reactions were great too.

I’d even received an invitation to become an honorary tourism ambassador from Gyeongju thanks to the dress I wore for the finale.

‘They want to shoot a photobook at Bulguksa Temple and Anapji Pond?’

Mom and Dad had burst out laughing at this completely unexpected schedule.

I’d also smiled awkwardly and sent unnie an okay sign.

Anything Korean was always great.

Just briefly basking in the sentiment, I put my glasses back on after setting them down on the table for a moment.

My eyelids felt heavy with accumulated fatigue.

My whole body ached.

After finishing the fashion show successfully, I’d been buried in scripts ever since.

I got up from the sofa and went back to sit in my room.

Scripts were overflowing everywhere from my room’s table to my laptop’s file folders, making my eyes spin from reading them all.

I let out a short sigh and grabbed another script at random.

<Say Your Name>

A small sticky note was attached to the script cover.

‘Writer’s Strong Appeal ★★★’

Ah, so this is that one.

I flipped open the cover while recalling what Minyeong unnie had mentioned in passing.

‘The writer’s making a huge fuss saying it has to be you. She’s a newcomer to dramas, but apparently already famous in the novel industry.’

I’d heard the drama production company had sent strong love calls too.

Even so, what could possibly require me specifically?

They must just have me marked as their first choice for casting.

I slowly started reading from the character introduction.

But then…

“Dissociative identity disorder?”

I spoke aloud the character’s trait, shocked by what I’d read.

The protagonist in the script was a top actress whose memorable drama characters became alternate personalities.

“The premise is fascinating.”

After reading the character introduction, I read through the script line by line with a skeptical heart.

But the script’s pull was actually tremendous.

More than I could imagine how much effort the writer had poured into it.

I especially felt original emotional beats I’d never once seen in Korean TV dramas.

Identity confusion and destruction, with growth and passionate romance woven through it all.

I read through Part 1 to the end while encountering these unfamiliar scenes.

After finishing the last page, I set down the script.

“Wow… what even is this.”

The subject matter itself was truly shocking beyond measure.

Plus the script didn’t stay trapped in the subject matter alone, but radiated sufficient charm through the character’s actions and emotions.

However, eye-catching subject matter like this was the very definition of a double-edged sword.

When I thought about the acting difficulty, five solid stars filled my head.

Not only were the risks huge, I had even less idea how to research this character.

I shook my head slightly and closed the script.

While I was grateful for the writer’s strong request, I instinctively felt I should read other scripts first.

* * *

A few days later.

The <Say Your Name> drama production company sent another love call to our company.

-They’re desperately asking for you to come to at least one meeting. Are you interested?

After receiving Minyeong unnie’s call, I fell into thought for a moment.

Then I asked unnie.

“Unnie, did you read the script?”

-Yeah. It’s really ambiguous.

Unnie seemed to think the same, trailing off.

-The expression ‘big hit or complete flop’ should only be used for times like this, in my opinion.

“Right…”

-The writer really does write well though. But good writing doesn’t translate to good acting.

Hearing unnie’s words, I let out a short sigh.

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

“This is the hardest character I’ve received so far.”

-Why wouldn’t it be.

After saying that, unnie also fell into deep thought for a moment.

I grew anxious too during that brief time.

After the silence, unnie spoke again.

-But you know, saying things like this won’t be the first or last production company.

“??”

-They said there’s over a 90% chance the production itself gets scrapped if they don’t cast you.

“What???”

What kind of talk is this?

-These people don’t seem to have any intention of using other actors anyway. But apparently they got rejected by all the backup actors they approached too.

“Wow.”

Though I immediately thought that made sense.

-That said, you don’t need to feel any responsibility. They just kept begging like that. Don’t let it weigh on you unnecessarily.

I ran my hand through my hair listening to unnie.

Seriously…

My already wavering heart just had an earthquake.

Honestly I was kind of curious too.

In the end, I took off my glasses.

“Ugh, fine then! Let’s meet them.”

* * *

And so I arrived in front of the Haechi Production Company building.

The PD came running out in his socks.

I waved my hand at the PD, gesturing that this was too much.

But this was just the beginning.

“Please take this role.”

“We earnestly ask you.”

When I entered the conference room, everyone from the production company bowed their heads in request.

Plus I hadn’t expected the writer to be here too.

A writer with a poodle-like perm wearing a hair band and thick horn-rimmed glasses slowly approached and gripped my hands tightly.

How should I put it.

This person overflowed with an extraordinary energy from their very eyes.

“Really, Actor. It’ll be perfect. I guarantee it. I can tell…”

The writer’s voice, which seemed almost like they were casting a spell, felt slightly terrifying.

I need to stay objective at times like this.

Stay calm, Han Sena.

I took a mental deep breath and smiled slightly.

Then I looked straight at the writer and asked.

“What about me made you send such a strong casting offer?”

The writer answered my question without even one second of hesitation.

“Personally, I think you’re the best actress of all actresses in their twenties, regardless of recognition.”

“…”

“Not to mention your reputation, image, and buzz. Plus I was completely hooked after seeing your brief four-villain performance on the <Be Actors> show recently.”

“Ah, you saw that.”

I nodded, understanding the point the writer had discovered.

“It was the closest interpretation to the dissociative identity disorder performance I’d envisioned.”

Next, the PD took over.

“If you agree to appear, we’ll not only pay whatever fee you want, but we’ll also consult with you on casting the opposite role.”

Hearing those words, my eyes widened like they might pop out.

It was an unprecedented condition I’d never heard in both my past and present life combined.

I propped my chin on my hand and fell into thought.

Really, it’s not bad…

But questions about whether I could pull it off still remained.

Plus the fact that all the other actors had rejected it weighed on my mind too.

I definitely needed more time to think.

“I’ll go back and discuss it with my company. I’ll contact you.”

I stood up and bowed my head.

* * *

“Damn, I need to get on the Han Sena train too. She’s a total golden rope, you know?”

“More importantly, I heard AK’s Director Yang went completely crazy this time?”

“I knew that bastard would do something eventually, ugh. So is Sena-ssi resting these days?”

A lively gathering.

I was attending an actor gathering that Seo Jaeyeon belonged to for the first time in a while.

Lee Seokhyun, busy preparing his next project, had skipped this gathering.

After hearing about my recent activities, the other actors excitedly started chattering among themselves.

The news about Yang Euichul spreading so fast was a bit surprising.

“This industry moves fast. Plus Yang Euichul’s getting more and more rotten, he’s famous for it.”

Ah…

At least that’s a relief, I guess.

Though I felt a bit bitter too.

Remembering my past life when I’d handled everything alone without recognition or people around me.

If I’d had people around me like this back then, it might’ve been different.

I hadn’t had even one simple piece of information like this back then.

I took in the wine’s aroma for the first time in a while, lost in thought.

That’s when the topic changed and the conversation flowed toward next projects.

One actress raised her voice to ask the surrounding actors.

“Anyone seen the <Say Your Name> script?”

“…!”

I looked at that actress in surprise.

Most shook their heads.

Except for me, Sung Minhui, and Seo Jaeyeon—only about three or four people.

I looked at Sung Minhui and Seo Jaeyeon with keen interest.

Sung Minhui put a french fry in her mouth and wrinkled her nose.

“How could anyone pull that off? The writer’s new to scripts so she has no sense.”

The other two actresses also chimed in with “Right, right” in agreement with Sung Minhui’s words.

Seo Jaeyeon just quietly sipped her drink.

Minhui-ssi continued.

“You could get hit with all kinds of controversies. It’s a bit much.”

“Right. By the way, Jaeyeon-ssi, did you reject it?”

Another actor looked at Seo Jaeyeon with curious wide eyes.

Then Seo Jaeyeon nodded slightly.

I was a bit surprised and watched Seo Jaeyeon carefully.

Seo Jaeyeon answered as if it were nothing.

“Attempting new things is good. But I’m not into gambling.”

It was truly a short and clear reason for rejection.

Hearing that, Sung Minhui shook her body dramatically.

“That script will seriously bury an actor. With bad acting controversies.”

Hearing those words, I casually asked.

“Bad acting?”

“Yeah. Sena-ssi, did you try reading it out loud? You can’t get past three lines before getting stuck.”

“Ah, I see…”

I felt a pang watching Sung Minhui, who’d tried it in various ways.

Sung Minhui’s acting skills weren’t lacking anywhere either.

She didn’t seem to be making a big fuss over nothing.

That’s when Seo Jaeyeon set down her glass and looked at me to ask.

“What about you? Are you interested?”

“Ah, well…”

But Seo Jaeyeon cut off my words and spoke again.

“Ah, no. Should I ask you like this instead? Are you confident?”

Everyone’s eyes focused on me at once.