In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 159

Two days later, the long-awaited track 6 music video meeting began.

The title was <collapse>.

This track had been designated as the third title song while I’d been away.

I’d heard it was the staff’s unanimous idea.

With that, Roddy’s album gained yet another challenge—triple title tracks.

This song told the story of a man and woman standing at the threshold of separation.

The office where Roddy had dragged me along to sit.

The staff, who’d grown familiar by now, waved at me cheerfully.

The meeting was fierce.

This song had been particularly turbulent from the leak incident through the remixing, so Roddy wanted to pour his utmost effort into the music video.

The staff and I felt the same way.

Each of us threw out ideas and debated passionately with the attachment we held for this song.

But one staff member kept bringing up changing the director.

“We need to replace the director first. This director’s first time shooting a music video. How can we hand this song over to a newcomer when we worked so hard on it?”

Everyone nodded at those reasonable words.

Roddy also fell into thought for a moment.

Director Dane, who’d been assigned track 6, was making his music video debut but had built up various creative short film portfolios over the years.

Someone who’d swept awards at film festivals worldwide and short-form video competitions with new formats and genres.

The staff continued the meeting on this agenda.

“Still, we can’t find a director at this point. Who knows how much longer the schedule will get pushed back.”

“What if we match the release date but delay the music video reveal?”

“Then the music video views will drop. That’s not happening.”

“Shouldn’t we at least see the storyboard before discussing this? This conversation’s premature.”

“What if the storyboard’s terrible? We’ll replace the director then? That’s disrespectful.”

The staff’s voices grew louder.

Roddy rubbed his face tiredly.

One staff member turned to look at me, slightly agitated.

“Sena, what do you think?”

Suddenly all the staff’s eyes focused on me.

For a moment, I felt flustered.

Personally, when I’d checked out the director’s filmography before coming to the meeting, I’d felt great anticipation.

Because it seemed like we’d get results completely different from existing music videos.

I opened my mouth, heavy with the pressure.

“What if… you’re thinking of placing no restrictions on the format.”

I voiced the idea I’d briefly considered before the meeting, then dismissed as unrealistic.

“How about shooting a short film?”

The moment I finished speaking, silence fell over the conference room.

Embarrassment washed over me.

Even Roddy looked at me with an expression that said ‘What are you talking about?’

I tried to explain further.

“When I watched the videos this director made, the CG, art, colors, content, themes—everything was art I’d never seen before.”

Several staff members frowned like they didn’t understand what I was saying.

“And this track has clearer story structure than the other tracks. The lyrics that shift from love to contemplating separation are clear too.”

“So you’re saying we should turn that into a story?”

One staff member asked back with an interested expression.

“Right. It’s just a thought. We’re already doing the crazy thing of shooting music videos for every track, so what’s adding one short film among them? That’s what I was thinking.”

I spoke with a light, joking tone and laughed.

The staff laughed along with me.

But several had serious faces after hearing my idea.

Roddy also wore a serious expression without laughing.

The staff spoke up again.

“That’s a decent idea though?”

“It’s eccentric. But this album’s already a collection of crazy ideas piled on top of each other.”

“True. We could add this as another candidate.”

Their words were positive, but everyone felt like they were just being considerate so I wouldn’t be embarrassed.

That’s when Roddy, who’d been sitting silently, crossed his arms and spoke.

“I actually really like this idea.”

The staff erupted in protest.

“Please, Roddy! We know Sena’s capable, but do you just accept everything she says?”

“Are you thinking objectively right now??”

“Between the track decisions and now the music video—what are you even doing?”

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

“Just because it’s a short film doesn’t mean filming’s easy. It takes days and requires gathering every kind of staff member.”

Roddy raised both hands in a calming gesture.

“I’d get shot at this rate if I said one more word.”

The staff made exasperated faces at that joke.

I just sat there like I was on a bed of nails, keeping my mouth firmly shut.

Silence descended on the conference room again.

* * *

After the storm-like preparation period ended, filming day arrived.

I entered the set with a trembling heart.

Then looked down at the music video storyboard papers again with a slightly strange feeling.

The thick storyboard book felt heavy.

“Let’s try to shoot just ten scenes today.”

At the director’s words, Roddy smiled with satisfaction.

“Sounds good.”

“Roddy, I heard your acting can’t keep up with your singing. You practiced, right?”

The director tossed out a joke.

Roddy turned red but laughed heartily.

“I’ve got Sena, so I’ll manage somehow.”

“This isn’t a short music video—it’s a 15-minute film, so you’ll need to give it your all too, Roddy.”

The director, who’d grown close while we worked on the storyboard together, threw out a warning to Roddy.

Roddy showed a truly determined expression.

“This is the first film of my life.”

For me too, it had been a while since I’d filmed a movie.

In the end, we were shooting a short film.

It wasn’t that the staff had agreed with my idea.

After the meeting, Roddy hadn’t pushed my idea further under the staff’s barrage.

Instead, we decided to wait for the director’s storyboard.

But before creating the storyboard, the director suddenly asked Roddy’s team a question.

‘What about a short film?’

The moment Roddy heard that question, he burst out laughing and covered his mouth.

The staff wore expressions mixing shock, bewilderment, and surprise, throwing up their hands.

I felt amazed that I’d come up with the same idea as a director I’d never met, while also gauging the staff’s reactions.

‘You didn’t set this up, did you?’

‘Sena, do you know the director?’

‘Sena, your instincts are sharp. I apologize. I’ll support your idea.’

The staff gave up, thinking it must be fate to shoot a short film.

They also didn’t have time to fight anymore, and Roddy showed no signs of backing down either, which played a part.

Most importantly, after the director got approval for the idea, he brought in an incredible story and storyboard that convinced all the staff.

And so, today, filming day.

The music video showed a couple suffering through conflict as they stood at the crossroads between love and separation.

The director’s plan was to express that suffering through unusual scenes.

The concept: ‘Expressing real-world conflict unrealistically. But making viewers feel reality through those scenes.’

The two lovers in the film have their hearts plunge into darkness multiple times over misaligned timing and tiny sparks of emotion.

In these scenes, special effects would be deployed—houses and streets collapsing, the lover falling from the sky, and finally even their physical body crumbling in grotesque imagery.

Roddy’s track would play in the background of each scene with the director’s unique color.

A staff member shouted from afar.

“Stand by!”

* * *

“Ready, action!”

Inside a small room.

Roddy looked around and collapsed with a terrified expression.

The room was packed full of digital clocks displaying 06:23.

‘0623’ was the signal running through the entire album.

In previous music videos, Roddy and I first met at 6:23 PM, shared warm conversation in a phone call lasting 6 minutes and 23 seconds.

The summer night date when we first spoke of separation was also June 23rd.

But Roddy couldn’t know that fact.

Roddy stared at the digital clocks flickering and crackling.

As the clocks’ flickering frequency increased, the beam projector installed on set grew brighter.

The projector’s light gradually intensified, and my face began appearing on the wall covered in digital clocks.

It was a close-up insert we’d filmed separately in advance.

Roddy stood up blankly.

Then slowly approached the wall.

“Cut! Okay!!”

* * *

Next was my turn.

I stood in the set filled only with green chroma key, holding my emotions steady.

Sand covered the floor.

This place was a beach right now.

Wind strong enough to blow me away flowed from the large fan in the distance.

I walked slowly barefoot while facing the wind.

The cold set made me rub my arms.

I stopped walking after discovering something.

A small wristwatch.

I picked up the wristwatch.

The watch had stopped at 6:23 and time no longer moved forward.

I stared at the watch and shed tears with an expressionless face.

Unlike Roddy, I knew the meaning of this number.

I slowly turned around.

I stood there for a moment as if waiting for someone…

Then dropped the watch on the ground.

I turned my back again and started walking.

The set floor began caving in beneath me, and soon I felt my body being swallowed by the sand.

I thrashed as the sand slowly pulled me under.

When the sand reached my chest, I stopped struggling.

I slowly looked at the sky and closed my eyes.

A camera installed in the air filmed my face.

My body continued sinking into the floor.

A moment later.

I left the set and stood in front of the monitor.

Sand fell from my whole body in streams.

Meanwhile, Roddy stood before the camera.

Roddy, arriving late, wandered around before standing where I’d disappeared.

Roddy picked up the wristwatch.

Roddy’s expression gradually changed.

As if he’d only just realized the meaning.

During the filming of these ten music videos, Roddy’s acting had truly improved.

Roddy threw the watch far away with an angry expression.

The camera captured the watch left alone and Roddy’s sad face.

Suddenly watching Roddy in the monitor made even my heart feel sorrowful.

Roddy right now truly had the face of a man who’d lost his lover.

“Cut! Okay!”