In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 213

“Jin Changju! I’m so jealous!”

Patterson’s opening line was about my next project, completely out of the blue.

“Oh, you know Director Jin Changju? Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. Yes, I’m a huge fan of Korean cinema. I’ve actually seen Director Jin Changju’s entire filmography.”

“Oh, really?”

Patterson flashed a warm smile and extended his hand to Do Changhyeon and the director for handshakes.

“I really enjoyed <Deadline> too. What an excellent script.”

The director beamed and offered his thanks.

“Thank you. I’m honored that you watched it, Patterson.”

I brought up what had been nagging at me with Patterson.

“By the way, Patterson. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the party yesterday.”

Patterson’s expression turned serious as he waved his hand.

“Actually, that’s why I came to see you, Sena. I heard you’ve been dealing with some weird journalists. That’s exhausting, right?”

Patterson winked as he said that.

A wave of gratitude toward Patterson suddenly washed over me.

“Whew, thank you. I was worried about that.”

“The life of a star.”

Patterson laughed playfully before bringing up my next project again.

“By the way, what’s the film you’re shooting with Director Jin Changju about? Can you give me a brief summary?”

“Ah, sure. It’s about a detective chasing down a powerful villain who commits crimes.”

“Oh, are you playing the detective? Or the villain?”

“I’m the villain.”

I laughed lightly as I said it.

“Wow, that sounds so exciting! You act so well, Sena, the synergy is going to be incredible.”

“Thank you.”

But Patterson’s questions didn’t stop there.

“What kind of character is the villain?”

“Don’t you need any foreign actors? Haha.”

“Will it follow Director Jin Changju’s typical style? Or are there some new elements?”

“Uh…”

As I stood there dazed by the barrage of questions, Do Changhyeon smoothly jumped in beside me.

“If Patterson knew Director Jin Changju would be this interested, I’m sure he’d be thrilled, right? Should we give you his number?”

Patterson burst out laughing at that.

“Sorry. I talk a lot.”

Watching him look exactly like the talkative character he’d played in <Fabulous>, I couldn’t help but chuckle too.

Still, a small question lingered in the back of my mind.

Is it really just because of Director Jin Changju?

Why show this much interest?

That’s when a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.

A way to quash those bizarre discord rumors with Warner.

I smiled warmly and changed the subject.

“Patterson, thanks for coming over to say hi. I’ve really enjoyed watching your work.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Patterson smiled contentedly.

“If it’s not too much to ask, could we take a selfie together?”

“Oh! Sure!”

Patterson, who seemed to instantly grasp my intention, readily struck a pose for the photo.

I quickly pulled out my phone and fit Do Changhyeon, the director, and Patterson into the frame.

We all flashed bright smiles and took a couple of selfies together.

“Thank you, Patterson.”

Patterson extended his hand again.

I clasped it and shook while asking,

“Would it be okay if I post this on my SNS?”

“Of course!”

“Could you send it to me too? I’d like to post it as well.”

“I’d be honored.”

After exchanging mutual follows on SNS with Patterson, I immediately sent him the photos via DM.

This should put a damper on those ridiculous gossip stories.

“Well, I should get going. See you later.”

Patterson waved goodbye.

“Yes, see you!”

Do Changhyeon and the director waved back at Patterson too.

Once Patterson had walked away, Do Changhyeon gave me a thumbs up.

“As expected of Mentor. Such a great idea?”

“Right?”

The director clapped his hands with a look of relief.

“Well then, shall we enjoy ourselves a bit? Let’s have some champagne!”

“Sounds good!”

Together with the two of them, I headed toward the tables.

I was ready to enjoy this last night to the fullest.

* * *

[<Deadline> Didn’t Win Any Awards, But… Standing Ovation Lasted Over 5 Minutes]

[Han Sena Posts Selfie with Warner Hero Patterson on SNS, Dismissing Discord Rumors]

[National Pride with <Deadline>! We Should Welcome Them with Congratulatory Applause…]

-It’s disappointing they didn’t win, but I think they achieved something meaningful from a country where this genre was barren! Great work, you three!

-Let’s go for an award next time!

-Suddenly thought of Kim Mihyeon, the only Korean to win Best Actress at Jannes Film Festival. Really puts into perspective how incredible that was.

-Still can’t believe Koreans are making it to Jannes lololol so fascinating!

-That selfie of the <Deadline> team with Patterson is seriously mind-blowing lololol Patterson’s always been interested in Korea anyway. Come visit us, hyung.

-Han Sena’s a real boss, for real.

After returning to Korea.

As I scrolled through articles and comments about the film festival, one particularly strange headline caught my eye.

[Jannes Film Festival Standing Ovation Is ‘Customary’… Avoid Excessive Pride and Find Dignity]

I clicked on the article to read its contents when Minyeong unnie called.

“Hello.”

-Did you get back okay? Are you tired?

“Yes, a bit. I’m fine though.”

-Don’t read all the articles and comments one by one.

“Yeah…”

I trailed off and brought up the article I was currently reading.

“It’s nothing major. But there are some articles just trying to scratch at people however they can.”

-What is it? There’s more than one or two of those.

“Where is it, here? Minsim Daily?”

I read the newspaper name at the bottom of the article.

Unnie made an “ah” sound.

-I saw that one earlier. It’ll be deleted soon. It’s a paper that backs some local assemblyman.

“A local assemblyman?”

-Yeah. You know when you went to that <Deadline> location shoot.

“Ah.”

The moment unnie said that, a face I’d forgotten about popped into my head.

The assemblyman who’d shown up at the filming site out of nowhere demanding I voice support for his party.

‘I’m a bit hesitant about including statements like that. If it gives the impression of political endorsement… I’m worried about unexpected backlash.’

I remembered how his expression had hardened the moment he heard my words.

“What… is this like revenge journalism? How petty can you get…?”

-There are all kinds of people, kid. They’re just trying to milk this for clicks.

“Seriously.”

I shook my head at this incomprehensible situation.

-Don’t worry about stuff like this one by one. And stop reading the comments too.

“I have to keep checking comments. You know that.”

-Still.

“I’m filming projects and promoting various brands. I need to check reactions directly and see the feedback.”

-Yes, yes, teacher.

Unnie answered in an exasperated tone.

-You have to go straight to the reading tomorrow, right?

“Yes.”

-How are you managing? You must be exhausted. You haven’t even finished unpacking yet. I tried adjusting the schedule.

“It’s fine. We barely managed to coordinate with the director’s team schedule, so what can we do.”

-Right. Take care of yourself… Nothing’s wrong, right?

Unnie suddenly asked an out-of-the-blue question.

“Work-wise? What are you talking about? Everything that was briefly noisy got resolved. I’m fine.”

-Yeah. I know your schedule inside and out, but problems can pop up anytime, anywhere without my knowledge.

I chuckled at unnie’s words.

“Okay.”

-Always tell me if anything comes up. And if things get tough, make sure to ask me to adjust the schedule.

“Okay, I will.”

-As if you would!

Unnie suddenly raised her voice.

I laughed at how absurd it was.

-You know some of your fans think our company’s exploitative, right?

That made me laugh even harder.

“Everyone knows we’re close though.”

-Even I can see it’s the kind of schedule that deserves that misunderstanding. After you finish this project, go on a trip. Take your parents.

“Okay, I will. Thank you. You should work at a relaxed pace too, unnie.”

-Sure.

We laughed together as the call ended.

I set down my phone and immediately collapsed onto the sofa.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

My whole body went limp.

It felt like my body was melting into the sofa.

Even though I’d gotten quite a bit of sleep on the plane, fatigue was hitting me.

“For tomorrow’s reading…”

I turned my head to look at the clock on the wall.

“I should catch some quick sleep and then wake up to go over the script…”

I got up and headed toward my room.

There wasn’t much time to practice before tomorrow’s reading.

* * *

The next morning.

I arrived at the office without even unpacking—I hadn’t even opened my suitcase.

I rubbed my slightly gritty eyes as I sat down at the large table.

Soon the actors participating in the reading filed in one by one.

“Hello.”

“Hello. Looking forward to working with you.”

From famous supporting actors I’d already seen on screen to rookie actors in minor roles.

I could feel the office quickly filling with the energy these new actors were creating.

After brief greetings, everyone sat down and began focusing intently on their scripts.

Im Hyangmin also wore an unusually serious expression as he flipped through his script, warming up his delivery.

That’s when the door opened and the director entered.

“Alright, we’re recording today. We’ll record it and share it with everyone, so don’t be nervous. Just relax. Nobody’s getting cut!”

The actors chuckled as his voice sounded like audio from a buckwheat jelly truck.

The moment the director sat down, he immediately opened his script.

“Did everyone exchange greetings? Let’s start right away.”

Unlike usual, there was no small talk.

“We’ll start with Lee Dongkyo and Han Jina. Let’s all watch how well our lead actors perform.”

The director grinned wickedly, piling on the pressure.

The first reading scene was Im Hyangmin pressuring Han Jina in an interrogation room.

Im Hyangmin looked at his script with a serious expression, getting into character.

I quickly scanned the notes I’d written in my script and leaned back in my chair.

Han Jina’s basic stance.

I closed the script and looked at Im Hyangmin.

The office quickly fell into silence.

Im Hyangmin opened his mouth in a slightly hoarse voice.

“Been a while, hasn’t it?”

That hoarse voice—whether it was intentional or from practicing lines all night…

I couldn’t tell, but I could instantly feel the exhaustion of Lee Dongkyo, who’d been chasing Han Jina all this time.

As expected, it was overwhelming.

I looked straight into Im Hyangmin’s light brown eyes.

Since I’d started acting, this was the first opponent who made me worry I might be overpowered.

I spoke with a playful laugh.

“Were you waiting for me?”

But it was the tone of someone making a trivial joke without any real interest.

Im Hyangmin smirked with an irritated expression.

“Of course. Missed you so much I thought I’d die.”

I sank deeper into my chair and crossed my arms in a delinquent posture.

“That’s why I told you—forget about this stuff and just be my second. Then you could see me every day.”

“Kim Minchul. Where is he?”

Kim Minchul was one of the people Han Jina had killed, his body still missing.

“Kim Minchul? Who’s that?”

I furrowed my brow, making a face that said I had no idea.

“Was that the guy I slept with two days ago? Oh wait, was he Cheolmin?”

“Cut the jokes.”

The atmosphere turned menacing in an instant, and I matched it with a serious expression.

“The joke’s on you right now, ahjussi. Why are you conducting a murder investigation on someone who did drugs?”

“…”

“And I’m a first-time offender. Can I report this for coercive investigation?”

I looked at Im Hyangmin and raised one shoulder cutely with a grin.

But suddenly Im Hyangmin quietly stopped the reading.

“Stop.”

“?”

Everyone, including the director, stared at Im Hyangmin with surprised eyes.

In the silence, Im Hyangmin spoke again with slight annoyance.

“This isn’t it, Sena.”