In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 184

Shortly after, the action scenes from the <Perfect Man> and <Night of Fire> coincidentally aired side-by-side.

At the same time slot, the <Perfect Man> showed Lee Jeonggil’s flashy aerial action scene, while <Night of Fire> featured Han Sena and Woo Jaewon’s rooftop chase.

The moment both episodes finished airing, the action scenes from both dramas spread rapidly across online communities.

-Did the two dramas coordinate this?

-Lee Jeonggil’s really got the moves. Insane.

-Woo Jaewon-ssi’s getting up there in age but still flying around well…

-Han Sena’s action is too good to just keep in Korea. Let’s do hero films again.

-Wow, a female actress going toe-to-toe with a built male actor without being overwhelmed lolol Han Sena’s seriously amazing.

Cheers poured in for Woo Jaewon’s uncharacteristically manic performance—rarely seen in terrestrial dramas—and the intense chase between him and Han Sena as she pursued him relentlessly.

Meanwhile, HBC started facing unexpected reactions.

-The action’s good. But is this it?

-They only ever show action… The protagonist always sweeps everything clean, which is satisfying but… it gets boring.

-Something feels off. This is my favorite writer’s work. The writer never loses track of characters. So why is this particular project so focused only on flashy directing?

⤷ 22 I also started because I trust Writer Lee Taehyun T_T I’m not seeing the emotional depth and distinctiveness I love about the writer. Feels buried by the directing.

This reaction spread rapidly among Writer Lee Taehyun’s dedicated fanbase.

As discussions began circulating through Writer Lee Taehyun’s fan cafe and various sites, rumors of discord between director and writer started brewing.

[The <Perfect Man> Writer Lee Taehyun vs Director So Jaehyeong Discord Rumors]

[Turns Out It’s the Notorious Director So Jaehyeong’s Tyranny!]

[The <Perfect Man> Supporting Actor Exodus—Director So Jaehyeong’s Fault?]

As posts started appearing online one by one, Shin Hanjun had employees quickly manage the situation before immediately calling Director Lee Gilhong.

But for some reason, Director Lee showed no serious response to this crisis—instead acting as if he had something to rely on, getting cocky.

“Don’t worry. We’ve already analyzed <Night of Fire>’s promotional strategy.”

“…?”

“We’re going to respond in a trendy way too. I watched that iTube thing…”

Before Lee Gilhong could finish, Shin Hanjun let out a heavy sigh.

To think someone like this sits as director at a major three-network broadcaster.

“How long are you going to keep obsessing over <Night of Fire>?”

“……”

This time Lee Gilhong lost his words.

“The public’s getting tired of it. We’ve already milked the action scenes dry, and if we copy <Night of Fire> on top of that, who’s going to watch?”

Shin Hanjun seemed even more heated as he continued.

“Don’t let any more filming set issues happen. And keep those supporting actors’ mouths shut.”

“We will.”

At that, Lee Gilhong also snapped back irritably and hung up the phone with a sharp click.

Shin Hanjun slammed down his phone and pressed his forehead.

He had a strong feeling things had gone wrong in every possible way.

He needed to find something to turn the situation around.

* * *

[<Night of Fire> Breaks Through 15% Ratings!]

Articles flooded in about the truly miraculous ratings.

As a small cable network, showing ratings that seemed impossible drew everyone’s attention.

I deliberately didn’t check the articles and set down my phone.

“We’re going right in!”

At the staff member’s voice, I slowly walked into the fire station set.

My fellow actors also walked over one by one and took their positions.

I deliberately avoided making eye contact with my colleagues.

A somewhat cold atmosphere flowed before the cameras.

Choi Sunha also had his hand on his hip with an angry expression, his usual playful demeanor nowhere to be seen.

The scene we were filming showed Park Inha clashing intensely with her colleagues, experiencing emotional conflict.

Everyone held onto their emotions to preserve the immersion they’d prepared.

“Ready, action!”

The moment the cue signal dropped, I grabbed an entire stack of photos from the desk and walked rapidly like someone possessed.

As I tried to leave the office, Choi Sunha followed and grabbed my arm.

“Have you lost your mind?!”

Choi Sunha’s shout rang throughout the office.

Without blinking, I looked up at Choi Sunha.

“Are you a cop? A detective?? You’re a firefighter, you bastard.”

“……”

“Why are you bringing your emotions onto the scene? Trying to die?”

The other colleagues in the office also watched me with cold expressions.

I looked at the angry Choi Sunha expressionlessly, then turned my head away.

Seeing my attitude of silent rejection, Choi Sunha let out a bitter laugh.

Then he released the arm he’d been gripping tightly.

That’s when Jeon Woongi, immersed as Shin Huiryeong, approached.

“Hey. We don’t even expect… something like teamwork from you anymore.”

Slightly surprised at those words, I looked at Jeon Woongi.

Jeon Woongi looked down at me with a face full of emotion.

“I’m grateful you saved my life several times with that weird ability of yours or whatever it is. But you didn’t really save me out of worry for me.”

“……”

My eyes watching Jeon Woongi wavered.

That line hit hard in my heart.

“You didn’t save me because you were worried about me. You saved me because you were worried about yourself.”

“…!”

Hearing those words, my hand gripping the photos tightened.

“If someone dies again, you’ll collapse. You’re really a selfish bastard, you know? Your rescues aren’t actually for others. They’re entirely for you.”

“You thought we wouldn’t know.”

From behind, Yoon Hayoon playing Jang Haemi added.

That’s when Hyunsu-ssi stepped in.

Kim Youngwoo, always on Park Inha’s side.

“Everyone, you’re being too emotional. Let’s all just calm down…”

“Who are you? Always taking her side? Did you ever even think of us as teammates?”

Hearing that, Hyunsu-ssi furrowed his brow.

“Sunbaenim, let’s calm down.”

“Calm down about what? Six people have died in this station. Four colleagues died during my time here.”

“……”

“Park Inha, you suffered because your family died? If you’re going to live your whole life trapped in that memory, then leave. Get out and die. Don’t make us hold funerals here.”

“Sunbaenim! You’re going too far!”

Hyunsu-ssi raised his voice.

“Where’s this punk raising his voice at a sunbae?”

When the atmosphere had heated to its peak.

I quietly opened my mouth.

“Then have you sunbaenims ever once thought of me as a teammate?”

“!!”

Everyone looked back at me with startled faces.

“Was I… ever part of Team 2, even once?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Then why the hell are we getting angry now?”

“Then why do you always leave just Youngwoo and me out during lunch?”

“That’s because you two always eat together…”

I cut off Jeon Woongi’s incredulous words.

“Then why do you gossip about me loudly enough for me to hear every time? Why do you curse at me for being unlucky whenever things don’t work out?”

“……”

“Why do you tell a teammate… that I give you chills?”

My voice trembled at the end.

A cold silence descended on the office.

After a moment, Choi Sunha broke the silence with an angry expression.

“Which bastard. Which bastard said that.”

Then Jeon Woongi charged at Choi Sunha with an angry voice.

“Sunbae, are you going to take sides even in this situation?”

“What, punk?”

“Because sunbae’s so lenient, that’s why she keeps crawling up endlessly without any limits!”

Eventually, unable to hold back, Choi Sunha approached Jeon Woongi and grabbed his collar.

Office colleagues rushed over to separate the two.

“What a mess, seriously.”

Choi Sunha ran his hand through his hair.

But that hand was trembling faintly.

Probably because he couldn’t bear watching Team 2, which he cherished so much, splitting apart.

However, watching that performance made me pause for a moment.

According to the script, Tae Sunwoo was always a character who expressed anger like fire.

But the Tae Sunwoo that Choi Sunha was performing now gave off a strong sense of someone who’d lost all composure from extreme rage.

“What the hell are we even doing right now…?”

Choi Sunha muttered slowly.

Those words could’ve been directed at the team members or at himself—impossible to tell.

Watching that truly surprised me.

Because it was the complete opposite of the Tae Sunwoo in the script.

Delivering the lines in an unexpectedly slow tempo right now made Tae Sunwoo look as if his thinking had become paralyzed from being so angry he couldn’t control himself.

So you can act it that way too…

To others it might seem like nothing, but for me it was a fresh shock.

With every single cut, Choi Sunha was creating Tae Sunwoo exactly as he envisioned him in his mind.

Choi Sunha, who always acted from the realm of feeling rather than logic, was someone with so much to learn from.

Jeon Woongi, straightening his grabbed clothes while still agitated, was also breathing roughly.

He looked ready to charge again at any moment.

Watching those performances, I thought momentarily.

‘To think that trembling is acting. No, these people have already become Shin Huiryeong and Tae Sunwoo.’

My colleagues were just as immersed in this situation as I was, fully heated up.

That’s when Hyunsu-ssi spoke as if reciting.

“Is this… even a team?”

“……”

“Tearing each other down, arguing over who had it harder and what not… Are we really a team?”

Everyone fell silent in their places.

“Cut! Okay!!”

* * *

The moment the okay sign dropped in one take, all the actors exhaled heavily.

“Whew.”

“Can someone get me water?”

“Wow, I was terrified we’d get an NG.”

At Jeon Woongi’s words, all the actors laughed in agreement.

“Right? We couldn’t film this again.”

My legs also lost all their strength.

The atmosphere where everyone had turned sharp because of one person—me—cut just as sharply in reality as it did in the script and on set.

Somehow my breath still felt tight.

As I tried to step outside briefly, Jeon Woongi approached and extended his hand.

“…?”

Not understanding why, I reflexively took that hand.

Then Jeon Woongi grinned while shaking my hand up and down like playing rock-paper-scissors.

“Our Inha, you got scared?”

From behind, Yoon Hayoon, who’d been glaring at me the entire time, also came over and suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

“Sena, don’t let your feelings get hurt.”

“……”

But suddenly tears welled up.

“Ugh! What?!”

Jeon Woongi jumped in alarm.

Yoon Hayoon already seemed to know, hugging me even tighter.

I was also flustered by the sudden tears.

“Why am I crying?”

“How are we supposed to know!”

“What do I do if you comfort me like this, sunbaenims? We still have so many conflict scenes left…”

Tears dropped steadily.

“You were standing there with such a pained face. Poor thing.”

Choi Sunha also approached and suddenly did a weird dance.

Moving his hands this way and that while bouncing his pelvis.

Watching that made me briefly wipe my tears before bursting into laughter.

“Sunbaenim, what is that?”

“Anger-relief dance. Ah, I was so pissed I almost killed Woongi.”

“What?”

The two started bickering.

Laughter bloomed across the filming location.

Listening to that laughter gradually melted my tightly wound heart.

Right, this is filming.

When did they even catch on to how deeply I’d immersed myself?

Yoon Hayoon patted my back.

I briefly buried my face in her shoulder.

Without realizing it, my heart slowly leaned on colleagues who understood me.