In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 133

The handshake Yu Dayang and Yu Hayeong shared inside the script came back to me.

There, Yu Dayang and Yu Hayeong had chosen to try becoming one.

But the ending in reality could turn out completely different.

Just like when filming Palace Flower, Sangseon died in reality despite the script being different.

So I couldn’t muster the courage to answer either way easily.

But one thing was clear…

“Maybe what matters just as much as their choice is Kang Jio’s advice.”

“Kang Jio’s advice?”

The writer’s eyes widened as if it was an unexpected answer.

“Yes. Kang Jio had been helping treat Yu Dayang. And when Kang Jio learned Yu Dayang wasn’t the main personality, wouldn’t he be just as shocked as Yu Dayang?”

“That’s true.”

“Because it’s Kang Jio, maybe he can give an answer that’s for both Yu Dayang and Yu Hayeong.”

“Ooh…”

The writer fell into thought for a moment.

Watching her face, I decided not to say anything more.

Interfering with the real story was the writer’s role, not mine.

Even if what I filmed turned out different from what I’d experienced in the script, it would have its own meaning and value.

Because I’d get the opportunity to express a different ending and those emotions.

Even if my heart might ache.

The writer silently rolled her pen for a while before setting it down.

“I really did well asking you for help, Sena-ssi. I think I’ve found some clue.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

That’s when the writer reached a meaningful conclusion.

“Either way… I don’t think everyone can be happy.”

Hearing that answer, I slowly nodded.

I wonder how this drama’s ending will turn out after all.

I had no idea.

We looked at each other and smiled softly.

* * *

That evening, a small private room bar.

As soon as my meeting with the writer ended, I headed straight here.

“Oh, you’re here? Sit down.”

A familiar face waved and welcomed me.

“Your drama’s already hot. Making me nervous.”

It was Seo Jaeyeon.

I chuckled at her now-familiar blunt style and took a seat.

Right after finishing my meeting with the writer, I’d gotten a message from Seo Jaeyeon asking to meet briefly nearby.

-Let’s meet for a bit. No pretending you’re busy. I’m busy too!

Truly Seo Jaeyeon-style messenger content.

It was absurd enough to make me laugh.

That message had come when my condition felt like I might collapse at any moment, but I headed straight to the meeting place.

Because somehow I wanted to see her.

I felt like meeting her would make my heart feel a bit lighter.

That’s how I arrived at the meeting place.

“I needed to see you to feel a bit better too.”

Whether we were on the same wavelength, Seo Jaeyeon blurted out exactly what I was feeling.

I smiled slightly at Seo Jaeyeon and asked.

“Your team must be talking about our team a lot too, right?”

Then Seo Jaeyeon tiredly swept back her hair and laughed.

“That’s why I told you to work with me. Why’d you go join a place like that?”

“…”

I silently smiled and drank a beer.

Then asked again.

“How’s filming going?”

“Yeah. You guys?”

“Us too.”

Awkwardness flowed during the obvious exchange of greetings.

That’s when Seo Jaeyeon changed the mood with a grin.

“Did you get close with Lee Seonho?”

“Hm?”

“If you got close, bring him to our gathering.”

“The gathering? Why?”

“I’m curious. He acts well too. Lee Seonho’s like a ghost in this industry. Never comes out. Doesn’t get close with anyone.”

“Ah, really…?”

Hearing that, I recalled Lee Seonho’s easygoing smile.

Does he deliberately keep people away?

“Judging by your expression, you got pretty close. Your networking skills really are good.”

“I have just as many enemies though.”

At my answer, Seo Jaeyeon and I clinked glasses with a laugh.

But then Seo Jaeyeon brought up new information.

“The directors are having major tension between each other too.”

“What, really?”

This was something I had no idea about on my side.

“Both directors are SCBS hiring classmates.”

Hearing that, my jaw dropped.

This was a much bigger rivalry situation than I’d thought.

“Even now people online are gossiping like crazy about our two teams, but once the teasers drop it’ll get worse.”

“I guess so.”

“When a rivalry forms, all kinds of ridiculous noise gets created too.”

Seo Jaeyeon started listing the upcoming troubles I’d been trying to avoid thinking about.

Hearing that, I let out a deep sigh and added my words.

“Then there’ll be tons of media play about you and me, and Minhui-ssi too.”

Only now did I feel like I properly understood why Seo Jaeyeon had called me.

It was a reason beyond just the simple emotion of needing to see my face to feel better.

Seo Jaeyeon drank a shot of soju and said.

“Even if we both feel unfazed, if people around us wildly fan the flames, we’ll end up wavering at least once. That’s human nature.”

“…”

“So it’s not bad to meet like this.”

“Yeah. Thanks for calling me.”

“Don’t thank me. I didn’t only call you.”

Huh?

That’s when the door slid open and someone I hadn’t seen in a while appeared.

“Wow, our superstar actresses!!”

It was Lee Seokhyun.

Seeing Lee Seokhyun loud from the moment he entered, I whipped around to look at Seo Jaeyeon.

Then Seo Jaeyeon knocked back another shot of soju and said.

“At times like this, you need to use a megaphone.”

“What are you talking about? I’m a megaphone?”

That’s when people started flooding in behind the bewildered Lee Seokhyun.

They were people I’d met at the actor gathering.

I stood up flustered and greeted the people I was seeing after a while.

“Wow, you two were meeting up?”

“Unexpected meetup? I thought you’d become rivals?”

“Didn’t you two grab each other’s hair?”

Watching my colleagues toss out playful comments, Seo Jaeyeon smiled.

“We’re exhausted because of people like you.”

Then the actors burst out laughing.

That’s when Minhui-ssi also appeared late.

“Wow, Sena-ssi!! It’s been so long!!”

Minhui-ssi ran over and pulled me into a hug.

Then people around us chuckled and started pouring drinks.

“Aw what, you’re all close.”

“Everyone around me kept asking. How are Han Sena and Seo Jaeyeon doing. Same with Sung Minhui.”

“I just dodged questions saying I didn’t really know. Guess I don’t need to anymore.”

Watching people’s reactions, I mentally covered my mouth.

Lee Seokhyun standing beside me also seemed to have just caught onto Seo Jaeyeon’s intent, making a dawning expression.

There was a reason Seo Jaeyeon had gathered people despite being tired and busy.

Using people around us to block useless rumors.

Words circulating among actors especially reached reporters quickly.

No matter how regularly this group met, meeting frequency didn’t contribute to credibility.

Seo Jaeyeon had brilliantly seen through that point.

I sipped my beer in admiration of Seo Jaeyeon’s experience and tactics from surviving long in this industry.

When I quietly stared at Seo Jaeyeon, she sensed my gaze and looked at me.

Then shrugged with an expression that said ‘this is who I am.’

Yeah, you’re amazing…

Seriously acknowledged.

“Alright everyone, cheers!! May the best one succeed!!”

“No, may both teams succeed!”

“If you’re gonna fail, both fail together~”

The actors stood up from their seats and clinked glasses together.

“Cheers!”

* * *

The next morning.

Park Chanki was calling Director Shin Cheolwon to report the broadcast rights contract results.

-…So NetMate decided to take the rights.

“Mm, so it ended up that way after all.”

Shin Cheolwon nodded.

“Those ShowMedia guys must have their pride hurt.”

Shin Cheolwon recalled the ShowMedia representatives who’d been making a big show at the filming site.

-No matter what, they still can’t compete with NetMate.

“Figures.”

-ShowMedia tried to take just the Chinese rights, but NetMate blocked them. Said they wouldn’t contract unless everything was handed over.

Hearing that, Shin Cheolwon let out a laugh.

“Quite the bloody fight going on. Anyway, either way it worked out for us.”

-Yes. Finish filming well.

“Will do. Thanks for letting me know.”

-Oh wait. This is something I heard secondhand.

Shin Cheolwon, who’d been smiling contentedly about to hang up, paused for a moment.

-I heard the <Powerful Woman> team also sold their rights to NetMate.

“What?”

Shin Cheolwon scrunched his face.

Over the phone, Park Chanki chuckled.

-Well then, good luck.

“Damn.”

The call cut off abruptly, and Shin Cheolwon put a cigarette in his mouth.

It was his last cigarette of the routine he smoked before heading to work.

Throughout smoking the cigarette, Shin Cheolwon couldn’t smooth out his expression, looking thoroughly bothered.

* * *

Back at the filming site.

“So NetMate won in the end.”

“Yes.”

I was hearing from staff that NetMate had beaten ShowMedia and taken the rights.

I let out a relieved sigh internally.

ShowMedia was a company that would decline within a few years, plus there’d been plenty of room for them to interfere with filming.

“For Sena-ssi, NetMate’s kinda like your home team.”

A staff member said with a laugh.

Hearing that, I also smiled lightly.

“I’ve gotten pretty used to them already.”

That’s when the director approached from the distance holding coffee.

“Oh, Sena-ssi.”

“Director, good morning.”

“Yes. Let’s shoot the teaser.”

“What???”

The director delivered unexpected shocking news.

Filming had been progressing smoothly and quickly, already past episode ten.

We’re already moving fast though?

Shooting the teaser and poster all at once at this point felt somewhat rushed.

But then.

“The <Powerful Woman> team’s already shooting theirs quickly.”

“Ah.”

The staff’s comment made me understand immediately.

Whether both teams had planted spies on each other, lately the other team’s daily activities had been flowing in every day.

“We need to shoot first and release it to grab viewer attention.”

The ratings war had apparently already begun.

I nodded while letting out a short internal sigh.

Well…

From the moment the teaser gets released, viewer attention really starts flooding in.

Who captures that first could be a major factor in taking the ratings.

“We’re planning to release the teaser in three parts. The second and third will use filmed footage sources, but the first will be completely produced from scratch.”

What.

My eyes widened at the larger teaser scale than expected.

Producing another teaser video?

“It’s a concept teaser that’ll clearly imprint our drama’s content. We’ll especially focus on the multiple personality actress character.”

The director slowly began explaining the concept.

I listened intently to that explanation.

“We’ll start with the actress acting while looking at the camera. Each time the cut changes, the character the actress is performing will change. Those characters will break out into reality and meet Kang Jio. We’ll capture all that within two minutes.”

“Wow, that’s a great concept?”

I was genuinely impressed by the director’s idea.

Those weren’t just throwaway words.

It truly felt like a brilliant idea created through gritted teeth.

“Of course. The directing team stayed up for days creating this.”

Hearing that, I smiled slightly.

“Everyone’s really fired up, I’d say.”

Now I just need to do my part, right?

It was time for new determination.

Digesting this quickly made teaser script would be far harder than acting out the script I’d read hundreds of times.

Plus it was a teaser where my share and role exceeded 90%.

This teaser would imprint our drama’s first impression on viewers.

A different kind of tension from drama filming arose.

I can’t avoid it anymore either.

Since this competitive structure’s already formed, we’re maintaining fair play with the other side without any ill will.

In this situation, I had no intention of losing either.

Should I try enjoying this?

I gestured to Lee Seonho walking toward us from the distance.

“Seonho-ssi, come quick. We’ve got an important mission.”