In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 217

Thirty minutes later.

The director, who’d stepped away, returned to set.

It seemed he’d sorted out his thoughts—he raised his hand and apologized to the staff.

Then approached me again.

“I’m sorry, Sena-ssi. I should’ve considered the actor’s perspective too, but I got too caught up pushing my own views. I’ll make an effort to give clearer direction.”

“Thank you, Director.”

“There’s so much action—it must be even harder for you.”

Im Hyangmin, who’d been listening nearby, widened his eyes.

“What, you actually know how to apologize? Why do I feel betrayed? Wow…”

The director awkwardly adjusted his cap and returned to his spot.

On my end, I tilted my head in wonder.

So he was someone who’d back down this easily?

I should’ve brought it up sooner.

The assistant director wrapped up the situation and called out.

“Prepare for the next cut!”

* * *

Inside the office with cameras positioned everywhere.

Ku Bonhyeong, playing Han Jina’s fiancé, sat across from me quietly observing.

I crossed my legs and smiled slightly.

“Your gaze is pretty steamy today. Why are you staring like that?”

In truth, Ku Bonhyeong’s eyes looking at me were filled with contempt.

Ku Bonhyeong spoke in his characteristically low voice.

“Maybe you should manage your image.”

“Image management?”

“Your sleazy partying habits are all over the industry. Every single day I have to hear disgusting stories about you that I don’t even want repeating. You know that?”

I asked back without showing any reaction.

“So?”

“…”

Ku Bonhyeong’s face flushed with irritation as he paused to choose his words.

“I’m your fiancé. Do I have to watch my image crumble because of you?”

“Then break off the engagement. You’ve already milked every advantage from being engaged to me—can’t handle this one thing? You latched onto me knowing full well what you were getting into.”

I answered irritably, and Ku Bonhyeong asked,

“Are you doing drugs too?”

Hearing that, I leaned back against the sofa.

Silence briefly filled the office.

I smiled slightly and asked,

“Would that change anything?”

“Nothing would change for you. But it would change things for me.”

“How so?”

I asked teasingly, as if joking around.

Then Ku Bonhyeong answered without any change in expression.

“Like you said—I’m seriously thinking about breaking this engagement.”

“…”

My expression hardened sharply at those words.

The one who’d always weaponized the engagement was Han Jina.

If the engagement broke, Han Jina would take a hit too—though not as much as Ku Bonhyeong.

I spoke again with a joking smile.

“You’re pretty serious today, huh? Want to grab a drink?”

Ku Bonhyeong remained unmoved and spoke again.

“Just answer this one thing. Are you doing drugs or not?”

“I’m not. Happy?”

“Yeah. I’ll believe that. But if I ever find out that was a lie—we’ll both have to face the consequences.”

“…”

Having said his piece, Ku Bonhyeong stood up.

I glared at him with a thoroughly annoyed expression.

I also immediately stood and snapped at him.

“Did you come here to threaten me? How dare you, from Taesin Group?”

Ku Bonhyeong silently put on his coat.

Then looked back at me.

“Must be nice being so busy partying that you don’t know. While you were distracted, Taesin grew quite a bit. Try to look it up online.”

Ku Bonhyeong walked out, leaving the office.

I twisted my face in anger and flopped down on the sofa.

I held out my hand to the secretary standing nearby, who quickly brought me a cigarette.

With slightly trembling hands, I put the cigarette to my lips.

I immediately lit it and took a deep drag.

* * *

“Cut!”

But the dramatic reconciliation with the director was short-lived.

Another argument broke out.

“Han Jina seems too shaken.”

The director scratched his head as he spoke.

I looked at the script with some confusion and answered.

“The script says Han Jina ‘is shaken,’ so that’s why.”

“That’s true, but… you’re showing more turmoil than the level I had in mind. Let’s go again. Give me more of a vibe like ‘as if anything serious could happen to me.'”

The director gave me clearer direction than before.

The direction delivery itself had improved, but hearing it made me tilt my head slightly.

“But Director, the cut we just filmed is positioned almost in the middle of the film. From this point forward, things start going wrong one by one—this is where Han Jina’s emotional arc should be gradually showing anxiety.”

“Mm.”

The director fell into thought for a moment.

“Sena-ssi’s emotional arc is correct. But Han Jina’s character feels like it’s dying too much.”

“…”

I also fell into thought for a moment.

Right, maybe it’s better to try shooting it the director’s way this time.

“Then let’s try shooting it once.”

* * *

“Did you come here to threaten me? How dare you, from Taesin Group?”

“Must be nice being so busy partying that you don’t know. While you were distracted, Taesin grew quite a bit. Try to look it up online.”

The moment Ku Bonhyeong left the office, I smirked and put a cigarette to my lips.

Then blew cigarette smoke toward the ceiling with a nonchalant expression.

“Cut.”

The director fell into thought again.

The set fell quiet for a moment.

No okay sign came.

Watching this made my chest tighten like I’d eaten something wrong.

This single cut was delaying filming time again.

I tried to stay quiet and wait for the director to speak.

“The acting feels too overdone right now. There needs to be some anxiety.”

“I put plenty of that emotion in during the dialogue with Ku Bonhyeong sunbaenim. Is it not enough from your perspective, Director?”

“Mm.”

“Is the problem the part after sunbaenim leaves the office?”

The director didn’t answer right away.

The assistant director watching the situation broke into a cold sweat.

“Director, the delay time… we need to move to the next cut now.”

“How can I move on when I don’t like it?”

In the end, I quickly jumped in and asked.

“Then Director, should we shoot it again?”

“Yes.”

The director answered immediately to my words.

Feeling myself gradually getting exhausted, I headed back in front of the camera.

* * *

That night.

I finally managed to drag my completely drained body into the van only three hours past the scheduled end time.

“Hah.”

The moment I got in the car, I collapsed against the seat as if passing out.

Jinseok oppa, who’d been waiting in the van for over three hours, looked at me with concern.

“Are you okay?”

“…”

No words came out.

Jinseok oppa let out a small sigh.

“This is serious. First time I’ve seen you not say you’re okay.”

“Oppa, I’m really in trouble.”

“…”

“At this rate, forget finishing—I’m not even sure we can shoot tomorrow.”

Even the cuts we were supposed to film yesterday and today weren’t all completed, pushing the schedule back again.

Jinseok oppa started pressing the accelerator while cautiously saying,

“What about quitting even now?”

“How can I do that… The crank-in articles already came out. I’m the one who said I’d do this.”

Jinseok oppa couldn’t respond and just turned the steering wheel.

I briefly closed my eyes in the silence.

I needed a way to break through this situation.

‘This won’t work.’

Among the cuts we filmed today, there were sections where Han Jina’s character felt like it was crumbling.

Pressed for time, the director had reluctantly given the okay sign to several cuts where he couldn’t decide either way, and I also couldn’t push back and had no choice but to back down.

If filming continued like this, Han Jina’s character was going to completely fall apart.

After trembling my legs while lost in thought for a bit…

Soon after, I spoke again.

“Oppa, turn the car around.”

“?”

“Hurry.”

Jinseok oppa looked startled at my sudden words.

“Why? Where are you going?”

“To the director.”

“To fight him?!”

Jinseok oppa asked in an anxious voice.

* * *

Two hours later, nearing midnight.

I sat facing the director in his office.

Im Hyangmin, who’d been dragged here unexpectedly, also sat beside me rubbing his tired face.

“Did you just summon us?”

I looked back and forth between the two of them and spoke.

“It’s not exactly a summons. I requested this meeting because I felt we can’t continue filming this way.”

Im Hyangmin nodded with an exhausted but agreeing expression.

Someone absolutely had to do this.

With the thought that I couldn’t just stand by and watch, I was the first to make this decision.

“You did the right thing. Director, don’t you think it’s seriously bad?”

At Im Hyangmin’s words, the director bowed his head with an apologetic expression.

“This project in particular just isn’t working out well…”

Looking at the director like that, I spoke.

“Director, there have been way too many delays… If we keep filming like this, we’re going to be in a situation where we’re worried about the final product.”

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it too.”

“So for the time being… until you work out clear direction for the upcoming scenes, I think we should hold meetings like this every night about the next day’s material.”

“Wow…”

Im Hyangmin made a gesture of fainting and leaned back against the sofa.

“It’ll be tough, but… I think this method is our best option. Going to set and trying to create cuts on the spot takes too long and is too exhausting.”

The director also nodded.

“I have no excuse.”

Hearing that, Im Hyangmin laughed as if incredulous.

“You really are good at apologizing, huh?”

“Alright then! We don’t have time.”

I deliberately raised my energy level and clapped twice.

I’d purposefully chugged two cans of energy drinks before entering the office.

Im Hyangmin straightened up and sat properly at the table.

“Should we nail down a clear direction for tomorrow’s cuts?”

“Good. Let’s do this.”

“I’ll give it my all.”

“So, first cut tomorrow.”

It was a scene where Han Jina and Lee Dongkyo clash again.

“When Han Jina humiliates Lee Dongkyo, should there be comedic elements?”

At my question, the director shook his head.

“No, I think that would break the tone.”

“Huh? Lee Dongkyo’s character is getting played like this. If this isn’t comedy, what is?”

Im Hyangmin immediately pushed back with a dumbfounded expression.

“That’s not Lee Dongkyo’s tone, that’s just your usual tone. Im Hyangmin’s tone.”

When the director scolded Im Hyangmin, Im Hyangmin started getting worked up.

“Ah fuck, isn’t that why you cast me?”

“It’s not.”

Watching the two of them, I felt my forced smile starting to twitch at the corners.

This probably won’t end until dawn…

I steeled my resolve once more and began having an intense discussion with the two of them.

* * *

The next morning.

Brilliant sunlight poured in and birds chirped nearby.

I snapped my eyes open to see the pitch-black van ceiling filling my vision.

“…”

In the end, like this.

“Ugh.”

I let out a sound close to a scream as I stretched.

By the time last night’s meeting ended, there was only an hour left until call time.

In the end, I’d just parked the van in front of the set and slept.

Jinseok oppa, who’d been sleeping in the driver’s seat, also tossed and turned his stiff body as he woke up.

Jinseok oppa pulled out wet wipes from the car drawer and wiped his face.

While doing so, he asked quietly,

“How many more days do we have to do this?”

“…”

“We’re screwed.”

“…”

I felt sorry for oppa, who’d ended up on this rough road because of me.

Oppa sighed briefly before immediately pulling down his cap.

“At least eat breakfast before you go. I’ll quickly get you a sandwich.”

“Thanks, oppa.”

Oppa hurriedly got out of the van.

Hearing the door close, I rubbed my eyes.

Just hang in there a little longer, Han Sena.

You can do this.

Let’s make it happen.