In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 183

A few days later.

In one corner of the filming location, a man watched intently as Han Sena practiced wire work.

‘She handles her body far better than I expected. I was worried since she’s an actress.’

The scene they were filming today was a rooftop chase between the arsonist and Park Inha.

The middle-aged man currently observing the set was Woo Jaewon, who would be playing the arsonist—spending the entire day harnessed to wires, rolling around the set with Han Sena.

Just then, Han Sena entrusted her body to the wire and dropped down below the railing in one smooth motion, landing lightly.

The staff around let out startled voices on her behalf.

“Goodness, that scared me!”

“Sena-ssi! You need to be careful!”

Hearing the staff’s concerns, Han Sena landed on the ground with practiced form and gave them a thumbs up.

“She’s actually quite skilled, isn’t she?”

Woo Jaewon remarked admiringly.

His manager standing beside him muttered threateningly.

“Take it easy today. It’s Han Sena we’re talking about.”

“Hm? What about Han Sena? Is her personality bad?”

“She’s a top actress. Plus, if that actress gets injured right now, this entire production shuts down completely. We’re screwed, got it?”

The manager fired off warnings like a machine gun at Woo Jaewon, who always filmed recklessly without regard for consequences.

Woo Jaewon clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.

“Satisfy that adrenaline craving of yours with separate exercise. You’re not young anymore, hyungnim. You’re going to get hurt.”

“Alright, alright! Always nagging.”

Having rushed over with high expectations for the psychopath arsonist role, Woo Jaewon’s spirits instantly deflated.

Until ten years ago, Woo Jaewon had been a thirty-something actor sweeping up awards and churning out projects back-to-back without a moment’s rest.

But perhaps that hectic schedule was the problem.

As he entered his forties, cancer cells that suddenly appeared one day slammed the brakes on his acting career.

After receiving a complete remission diagnosis and returning to sets, his time away—though brief—had drastically reduced the roles coming his way.

Woo Jaewon, who’d always found fulfillment by giving everything on set without sparing his body, felt himself gradually losing vitality.

Filming while receiving more consideration than necessary on set, or taking on roles that required neither remarkable stamina nor interpretation, was more nauseating than battling cancer.

‘Still, if they’re trusting me with action, I should be grateful.’

Woo Jaewon tried thinking positively as he removed his coat.

These days, sensing his acting career didn’t have much time left, every single shot felt precious.

Woo Jaewon exaggeratedly pumped himself up while warming up his body.

“Let’s run the rehearsal!”

A staff member’s voice echoed from the distance.

Woo Jaewon headed toward the filming location.

His manager shouted again from behind.

“Be careful, careful!”

* * *

“One! Two! Now!”

At the director’s signal, Han Sena and Woo Jaewon simultaneously launched into the air.

Han Sena desperately grabbed onto Woo Jaewon’s leg and clung on.

As the wire’s tension loosened, both of them fell onto the mat.

The two moved in perfect sync despite minimal rehearsal.

But just then, Woo Jaewon’s foot, landing unsteadily for a brief moment, collided with Han Sena’s head.

A short scream rang out across the filming location.

“Ah!”

“Oh, Sena-ssi! Are you okay? Over here! Quick!”

Woo Jaewon jumped in alarm and immediately checked on Han Sena the moment he hit the mat.

Startled staff rushed over to examine Han Sena.

Han Sena, who’d been clutching her head with it bowed in pain, waved her hand to say she was fine.

Then she quickly raised her head to signal she was okay.

“I’m fine! I’m okay! Sunbaenim, you were startled, weren’t you?”

Han Sena looked at Woo Jaewon with her forehead reddened and smiled sheepishly.

But tears had welled up slightly in the corners of her eyes.

Woo Jaewon, who’d felt the fairly hard impact, felt dizzy.

“I’m sorry, Sena-ssi. I got too greedy.”

“Not at all! I missed the timing to let go of sunbaenim’s foot.”

“Oh, my heart.”

Woo Jaewon finally sat down heavily.

“She’s going to get a bruise on her forehead. What do we do?”

“Oh, I won’t bruise from this much! I’m fine!”

In the distance, Woo Jaewon’s manager’s face appeared, looking several times more dismayed than him.

Woo Jaewon broke into a cold sweat as he stood up.

He realized this wouldn’t work.

“Sena-ssi, let’s take it easy.”

“Ah…”

It was the first time Woo Jaewon had ever said such words since becoming an actor.

Han Sena, who had no way of knowing this fact, bit her lip slightly as if hesitating.

Then she soon glanced at the sunbaenim before her and nodded.

“Yes, sunbaenim. Are you… very tired?”

“I’m going to have a heart attack at this rate.”

“Yes…”

Han Sena’s voice grew smaller.

* * *

“Ready, action!”

The moment the director’s signal dropped, Woo Jaewon and Han Sena began a fierce chase scene on the stairs.

Woo Jaewon, ascending quickly first, looked down between the railings with an expressionless face.

At that moment, their eyes met.

“…”

In that brief moment when their eyes locked, Woo Jaewon’s focused brow slightly relaxed.

Han Sena’s eyes were burning like mad.

Overflowing with a desperate desire to catch him no matter what.

Feeling that energy on his skin, Woo Jaewon quickly opened the rooftop door.

Han Sena threw herself at the closing rooftop door to follow.

Watching this, Woo Jaewon felt oddly pleased.

It was an unexpected small thrill he hadn’t even anticipated bubbling up.

But Han Sena, who’d come up to the rooftop, lunged at him faster than the rehearsed tempo.

‘Ah, too fast.’

Having missed his timing to grab the special brick, Woo Jaewon momentarily panicked.

Han Sena didn’t stop.

As Han Sena charged at him like crazy, Woo Jaewon instinctively grabbed and threw the brick.

Both of them had ultimately strayed from their planned blocking.

Yet why was it that—

Both their eyes were shining more brilliantly than ever.

As if the cameras and staff surrounding them had already disappeared from view.

The two were now absorbed in a life-or-death chase.

After blocking the brick, Han Sena charged roughly at Woo Jaewon.

Their bodies tangled as close combat broke out.

Han Sena’s hand roughly grabbed Woo Jaewon’s mask, and the moment his mask came off, Woo Jaewon rushed toward the railing.

Han Sena jumped to her feet and grabbed Woo Jaewon’s clothes.

Because she hadn’t confirmed his face yet.

“No!!!”

“Cut!!!”

* * *

Right after the first take.

I stood behind Jaewon sunbaenim and the director, breathing heavily while watching the monitor.

The director stared at the screen with an intensely focused expression, replaying the monitor footage several times without a word.

Sunbaenim’s eyes were sharp as well.

My side also felt involuntarily tense, nerves on edge.

The director, sunbaenim, and I—all three of us were probably sharing the same sensation.

On the monitor, sunbaenim’s face and mine appeared alternately.

In my face, nothing was visible except the desire to catch the arsonist.

In sunbaenim’s face, the displeasure of losing control showed, along with something like elation felt in the process of seizing back the initiative.

Sunbaenim and I, absorbed in each other for that single moment of charging and fleeing, already wore the faces of victim and perpetrator.

Even though this was my first time meeting sunbaenim today, an unexpectedly optimal synergy beyond expectations was forming between us.

After finishing the monitoring, the director massaged the back of his neck.

“That gave me chills, suddenly.”

Hearing those words, sunbaenim let out what sounded like a delighted laugh.

Both the director and I simultaneously looked at the smiling sunbaenim.

“This is what filming tastes like.”

Sunbaenim crossed his arms with satisfaction.

The director smiled slightly and spoke.

“You look like you’re enjoying this, actor.”

“Yes, but I’ll still film as carefully as possible.”

I stared at sunbaenim quietly.

Something felt off.

“Sunbaenim. That thing about taking it easy… that was a lie, wasn’t it?”

“Hm?”

Only then did sunbaenim scratch his head.

“I was just worried you’d get hurt, Sena-ssi!”

I could feel sunbaenim had been constantly concerned about the small accident during rehearsal.

Fortunately, the moment filming started, sunbaenim forgot about that incident completely, absorbed without realizing it.

On my end, I was hoping sunbaenim would continue like this for the rest of today’s shoot.

Truly.

From what I felt while filming, sunbaenim was also the type to immerse himself in acting without sparing his body.

He was just worrying unusually about the lead actress getting injured, unlike his usual self.

“Please don’t worry about me. I’m begging you.”

At that, both sunbaenim and the director shouted simultaneously.

“That’s not happening!”

“That’s not happening!”

“Oh, come on…”

Seeing those firm faces made my mouth clamp shut again.

* * *

“Ready, action!”

Filming resumed, and Director Byun called action in a more elevated tone than usual.

With that sound, Woo Jaewon sprinted toward the railing.

Han Sena swiftly gave chase.

Their sprint was far faster than during rehearsal.

The director also watched the monitor feeling emotions heightened as much as the two delivering passionate performances.

Woo Jaewon reached the railing and looked down.

A dizzying height.

But there was no time to hesitate.

Woo Jaewon swung his body over the railing.

But then—

“…!!”

Han Sena’s hand firmly grabbed Woo Jaewon’s collar.

In that brief moment, their eyes met once again.

Han Sena gripped with enough force to make her entire body tremble, holding onto the falling Woo Jaewon.

Woo Jaewon watched that Han Sena for a moment.

Then smiled slightly.

Watching Woo Jaewon’s face, Han Sena’s hand lost its strength.

She couldn’t find a single trace of humanity in the arsonist before her eyes.

A helpless emotion surged like a tidal wave and engulfed her all at once.

Han Sena momentarily recalled that man’s face she’d seen in the script.

It was a scene partner who pulled her into the realm of method acting with just one smile.

Woo Jaewon’s smile faded as he released his grip on the railing.

“No, don’t.”

But Han Sena muttered and grabbed Woo Jaewon’s clothes again.

Woo Jaewon relaxed his body as if to say, what will you do now?

Then Han Sena also relaxed her body.

This time, Woo Jaewon felt confused.

Han Sena’s eyes held as little fear as his own.

She was reckless.

In that split second, Woo Jaewon briefly stepped out of his immersion and looked at the much younger junior before him.

‘Is this… really still acting?’

In his confusion, Woo Jaewon momentarily lost his grip.

Han Sena threw herself over the railing without hesitation.

Both of them fell silently over the railing at the same time.

Even while falling, Han Sena held onto Woo Jaewon tightly.

The two began plummeting through the air.

“Cut!! Okay!!”

A dull thudding sound of the two landing on the mat echoed across the set in succession.

The sound of staff quickly running toward both actors followed.

The director removed his headset, set it down hard on the folding table, and stood up abruptly.

He too was experiencing the most thrilling sensation since filming began.

That’s when a low laugh rang out loudly across the set.

“Hahaha!”

Every staff member looked toward where the sound came from.

It was Woo Jaewon’s laughter.

Woo Jaewon lay on the mat with his arms and legs spread wide like a child, laughing loudly.

A bright laugh that clearly said this was so much fun.

Next to him, Han Sena, who’d been having her wire removed, looked at Woo Jaewon’s face with round eyes.

Then, as if understanding what he felt, she too smiled and flopped down on the mat following the sunbae.

And just like him, she stretched out her arms and legs and waved them up and down.

“That was fun!”

“You had fun too?”

“Yes!!”

The two lay on the mat and laughed out loud for a while.