In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 151

The next morning.

I barely managed to open my eyes, reeking of alcohol.

“Han Sena! Han Sena! Han Sena!”

The voices of all those people cheerfully shouting my name still echoed in my ears.

Pouring and downing bomb shots spinning madly around the table…

The images of Lee Seonho already collapsed on the table, the director and Shin Jaejun running to the end, plus Seo Jaeyeon and Sung Minhui who’d joined at some point all flickered through my mind.

“Ugh, I feel like death.”

I barely managed to reach out and plug the charger into my dead phone.

As I picked up the phone…

– 99 missed calls

– 32 text messages

– 223 messages

– 1,031 SNS notifications

“Huh?”

The back of my neck went ice cold in an instant.

What the hell happened?

I was staring at it when I accidentally pressed SNS first.

But then.

‘Congrats! Boom!! I’m your big fan… Sena Han!! I need You!!’

“What’s this? Rodriguez…?”

I tapped on someone’s account who’d posted my award photo from last night and tagged me.

Rodriguez—that name sounds familiar…

The moment I entered the account, I gasped.

“What the.”

The account boasted far more followers than our country’s entire population.

Plus, the account owner was a major American pop star.

Bzzzz—

Right then, my phone rang.

It was Minyeong unnie.

I answered in a daze.

-Hey, did you just wake up? Are you even a celebrity? How can you turn your phone off?

Machine-gun nagging poured out.

“Unnie, are you calling about the SNS thing?”

-Yeah. The internet’s going crazy right now. You haven’t seen the articles yet, have you?

“Huh?”

Without hanging up, I pulled up the internet.

[Rodriguez Makes Love Call Ahead of Korea Concert! What’s Han Sena’s Response?]

[Han Sena Captures Even a World Pop Star! What’s Their Connection?]

[Rodriguez! Was a Huge Han Sena Fan All Along!?]

[Han Sena World! How Far Will It Reach…]

[Han Sena X Rodriguez, What Will Their Collaboration Be!]

-What is it this time.

-Is Han Sena going to America? Hollywood? Or is it Billboard?

-Han Sena can sing pretty well. Did he fall for her?

-What kind of combination is this even?

-Is Rodriguez debuting as an actor? I heard some director’s gathering pop stars to make a movie this time.

-Don’t know what it is, but feels like she’ll get dragged. Han Sena got dragged over Warners too. Would be hilarious if Rodriguez gets dragged.

-Wait, are they dating? Not about to get hit with a dating scandal out of nowhere?

-No dating scandal. Date Lee Seonho. That’s an order.

-Who is Sena Han?

Reading through all the articles and comments left me dazed again.

“But how does this person even know me? And ‘I need you’? He needs me? Why?”

I read Rodriguez’s post again.

-Beats me. Maybe if it were an actor or director, but why would a singer be looking for you? That’s why there are tons of speculation articles and ridiculous theories right now.

“Mm.”

-This is the first time I’ve seen a dating scandal like this, honestly.

“Dating… with someone whose face I’ve never even seen.”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Minyeong unnie started sharing her theories.

-What I’m guessing is that since he’s got a concert coming to Korea soon, maybe a special guest invitation…

“Concert special guest? What would I even do there? Sing?”

-Mm.

Even Minyeong unnie fell into puzzlement.

-Right. What the hell is he up to?

* * *

But Rodriguez’s strange flirting didn’t end there.

Soon after, he started tagging me on every tour schedule poster he uploaded to SNS.

Solar Music Korea, a subsidiary of Rodriguez’s agency, only responded that Rodriguez had decided to explain directly to me himself.

Yet Rodriguez himself said absolutely nothing.

SNS and online communities went crazy for days.

When I searched for Rodriguez, I found a song he’d released three years ago still sitting in the upper ranks of the Billboard charts.

Not only that, but he was loved by countless fans for his so-called “total introvert vibes” that didn’t match his status and fame.

“Didn’t know this.”

A pop star with the most paparazzi shots, wandering around various places in plain clothes with just a guitar slung over his back.

Someone who sang wherever he wanted, according to that day’s mood—even if it was on a slum street corner.

A young man who’d lost both parents to drugs and endured a difficult childhood but raised himself bright and cheerful.

Even donating half his concert proceeds every year to charity.

This kind of flirting was a bit bewildering, but the more I looked into Rodriguez, the more I liked him.

What a fascinating situation.

-If you don’t like it, you can turn him down.

With the endless articles and issues making her a bit sharp, Minyeong unnie said, but.

“I need to know what it’s about before I can turn him down…”

That was my honest feeling.

Hearing my words, Minyeong unnie let out a hollow laugh.

My agency and I really were just sitting still because we genuinely didn’t know, but the media kept putting out various theories because we weren’t releasing a statement.

That the deal with Rodriguez wasn’t fully agreed upon yet, that it was a new promotional method, that we were preparing to clarify the dating rumors…

That damn dating rumor was already getting old.

Plus, even people around me went crazy.

-Are you going to America?

-Who is that guy? How long have you known him?

-Is he debuting as an actor? Are you filming something together? Take me with you.

-Rodriguez does a lot of business ventures. Isn’t it a model or muse request?

-Is it real dating this time?

I could only respond with silent answers to all the ridiculous questions.

But then Rodriguez really went and shouted in front of cameras right before departing for Korea: “I’m coming to see you soon! Wait for me! Sena!”

I stared blankly at Rodriguez’s video.

The view count skyrocketed like crazy.

-Han Sena Billboard debut confirmed.

-Rodriguez, ni haeju ossi.

-Enjoying K-dramas? Come to Korea and work hard on your concert.

-Rodriguez… my heart’s swelling up.

-Our queen thinks dramas are boring now so she’s gonna sing instead.

-This is straight-up Han Sena syndrome at this point.

-I’m so curious about Han Sena’s fortune. She must have tons of love arrows stuck in her destiny. Works even on Westerners.

-Rodriguez, say something. Stop just searching endlessly. Why are you looking for her?

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Reading the comments, words slipped out without me realizing.

* * *

A few days later, at Barum Entertainment’s office.

Rodriguez, who’d been so confidently flirting, now sat there with his mouth shut.

I exchanged bewildered looks with Minyeong unnie.

About thirty seconds of tedious silence passed, maybe?

My patience reached its limit.

I craned my neck and stared openly at Rodriguez.

Only then did Rodriguez snap to attention and startle.

But looking closer, Rodriguez was sweating.

“Are you hot…?”

When I asked in English, Rodriguez waved his hands.

I asked again.

“Is it like a concert guest proposal?”

Rodriguez made an oops face and fumbled to pull out tickets.

Fancy holographic VIP tickets.

“It would be an honor if you came.”

Rodriguez placed his hand on his chest and made something like a gentlemanly gesture.

Watching that gesture, I thought for a moment.

“Ah, this crazy bastard’s insane.”

Minyeong unnie couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

I stared down at the ticket quietly.

Does he want me to come up on stage halfway through?

Is this a riddle?

Does he like brain teasers?

Right then, Rodriguez suddenly wiped away his sweat and pulled out his phone.

Then he abruptly played a song.

In the silence, Minyeong unnie and I sat there with “what the hell is this situation” expressions and started listening to the song.

One guitar and one voice.

Gentle yet modest charm, but the melody itself had a flashy quality that captured your ears.

The lyrics of a man just fallen in love making a shy confession were interesting.

Stop tormenting me

Stop appearing in my dreams

She always has me by the throat

But that’s okay if it’s you

The song’s pretty good though.

After the song ended, I shrugged with a “so what?” expression.

Then Rodriguez spoke up.

“How was it…?”

Looking at his trembling face made me burst out laughing.

For a world pop star… he had surprisingly nerdy and cute corners.

“It was good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But what is this?”

“It’s a track I’m releasing soon. An unreleased song.”

Hearing that, my eyes went wide.

“Why are you showing me that…”

“Sena, I’m a huge fan of yours. I heard I caused you some trouble by suddenly posting on SNS. I’m really sorry.”

I listened to his words quietly.

“I’m always like this. When I really like something, I don’t think things through. I’m truly sorry.”

Rodriguez jumped up from his seat and bowed at the waist.

“Ah geez.”

“I learned that in Korea, you apologize like this.”

“Ah, that boy’s got some sense at least.”

Minyeong unnie muttered to herself in Korean that Rodriguez wouldn’t understand.

Hearing that, I barely suppressed my laughter.

After finishing his bow, Rodriguez sat back down and said.

“What I wanted to say is… I really need you, Sena.”

“Why me?”

“The new album I’m working on—from the intro to the outro, ten tracks total. I’m filming music videos for every track. I’d love for you to appear in them.”

What?

It was an MV appearance offer I’d never expected.

Plus, I was shocked by “every track”…

And even more flustered that these were Rodriguez’s MVs—an artist who swept Billboard charts every time he released an album.

How to put it.

Like breaking into Hollywood in a bizarre way?

Minyeong unnie dropped the pen she’d been holding.

I asked Rodriguez.

“Why me?”

Then Rodriguez suddenly rattled off something.

“<Cinderella Who Wore Flat Shoes>, <Desert Island>, <Hometown>, <Palace Flower>, <Private Life>, <Say Your Name>…”

They were my filmography.

Rodriguez pulled something from the bag he’d prepared.

Merchandise from my projects.

I stared at the merch with bewildered eyes.

“Why would he buy scripts written in Korean?”

Minyeong unnie spoke bluntly again.

Rodriguez, not understanding what she said, just laughed.

“……”

“I told you I’m a fan. I’ve been hooked since the first time I saw you.”

“……”

“This album’s concept is ‘love.’ The tracks contain everything from meeting to parting in order. I’d love for you to become the lover of the speaker in my album. My muse.”

“Muse…”

I murmured softly.