In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 39

Inside the NBS building, where I’d arrived in a whirlwind.

Following the assistant director’s guidance, I headed to the conference room.

On the way, Minyeong unnie muttered in a near-whisper.

“They really are seeing just you. That’s what it looks like, calling you here instead of booking a separate location.”

The door opened, revealing the people seated inside the conference room.

The director and writer whose faces I’d already memorized, and…

The division chief.

Seeing the division chief, I remembered the gaze that had watched me so intently during the previous audition.

Minyeong unnie naturally stepped back, mouthing a tiny “Fighting.”

The door closed behind me.

Silence settled over the conference room.

I’d made my move, but… I couldn’t help swallowing nervously.

The conference room had tables arranged in a ‘ㄷ’ shape, with a chair placed in the center.

I slowly walked toward the seat.

Writer Nam Jihye immediately spoke up.

“The video you sent kept me up all night, Sena-ssi.”

“Pardon?”

“You sent a video, didn’t you? I was so tempted by it that my head was spinning.”

The writer scrunched her nose as she smiled.

And without giving me time to respond, she fired off questions.

“That’s Yoon Youngjae-ssi, right? The actor who played opposite you. You created a character that wasn’t in the script—what was your reason?”

I carefully gathered my words.

“It started from the idea: what if the king had another ally?”

The director beside her made a slightly snide comment.

“There are limits to what you should do with a script…”

The division chief sitting next to him shot the director a sharp look, silencing him.

Hmm…

This is the atmosphere, then.

As expected, everyone’s half-convinced and half-skeptical.

The video is captivating, but suspicious.

That’s what they’re feeling.

Then only one final gateway truly remains.

The ultimate persuasion.

I bit my lip for a moment in thought, then opened my mouth.

“I only read up to episode 6, but I had this strong feeling the king must have had an ally besides Sunim. The reason I specifically made it Sangseon was because he’s someone who could observe the king’s character up close for a long time. And Sangseon must have agonized over whether to side with the king or not, since the Queen Dowager’s faction was so powerful.”

Writer Nam Jihye immediately jumped in with a response.

“If his final reason for choosing the king is his character, that would be in complete opposition to the Queen Dowager’s cruelty.”

“Yes, exactly. It’s about moral legitimacy.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The writer’s voice as she nodded along with her interjections sounded somewhat excited and pleased.

My spirits lifted as well.

Writer Nam Jihye looked into my eyes and smiled gently.

Seeing that smile, I felt certain.

As I’d thought—using the world-building from inside the script was the right answer.

But the director, who’d looked displeased from the start, threw out a sharp question.

“So what do you want to be—the protagonist, or the director? The writer?”

This time, the division chief didn’t stop him either.

It seemed they wanted to hear my answer.

I smiled broadly as I looked at the director and answered clearly.

“The protagonist. Honestly, one reason I created this scene was to show you my interpretation of ‘Sunim.’ Sunim’s feelings toward the king aren’t just romantic feelings.”

I continued speaking while gently meeting the division chief’s eyes as he sat with his arms crossed.

“Affection, loyalty, and Sunim chose the option of persuading Sangseon rather than reporting him to the king. That includes ‘trust,’ doesn’t it? Trust in the king, trust in Sangseon. If Sangseon ultimately sides with the king, I believe ‘Sunim’ would play the decisive role. Sunim possesses the power of sincerity and truth.”

Silence settled over the conference room again.

The division chief uncrossed his arms and spoke for the first time.

“Then show us.”

He handed me a printed script.

* * *

Meanwhile, four hours before the re-audition.

Division chief Cheon Insu was reviewing newly arrived scripts in his office.

While examining one particular project intently, Cheon Insu muttered to himself.

“I wonder if that kid would be good for this one.”

The female lead in the script he’d been reading unconsciously overlapped with Han Sena, who’d failed the Palace Flower audition not long ago.

The genre of the script he was currently reading was also a historical romance.

However… the biggest difference from Palace Flower was that the female lead lacked distinct characteristics.

Cheon Insu let out a brief sigh.

‘Even if it’s all about ratings, seriously. Watching that excellent performance and still dropping her just because she’s a newcomer?’

It irked him.

From Cheon Insu’s perspective, dismissing a newcomer’s passion already warranted a red card.

Moreover, the two actresses Kang Jeonghwan was weighing were both playing hardball with their appearance fees side by side.

‘It’s not like they coordinated it together either.’

Bzzt—

His phone vibrated.

It was a text from Writer Nam Jihye.

‘Division chief. I’ve decided to hold a re-audition for Palace Flower—did you receive word? It’s that actress you liked from last time.’

“Huh?”

Cheon Insu’s brow furrowed for a moment.

“That bastard Kang Jeonghwan, seriously. Not even reporting it to me…”

Cheon Insu, about to get upset, found his brow smoothing out in an instant.

He quickly sent a reply first.

‘Han Sena? How come? I haven’t heard anything from Lee Nara’s or Seo Jaeyeon’s agencies—did you hear something?’

The writer’s response came right back.

‘No, that kid sent something interesting.’

In the end, Cheon Insu couldn’t resist and pressed the call button.

“Hey, Writer Nam. You free to talk? Yeah. …What? What did she send?”

Cheon Insu, who’d been laughing in disbelief, soon burst into laughter.

Cheon Insu kept listening to the explanation, unable to lower the corners of his mouth as he stroked his chin.

In that moment at least, Cheon Insu felt he’d been right.

This actress was the type who worked with insane desperation.

Whether that looked bizarre to others or not.

Cheon Insu answered with satisfaction.

“Well done anyway. You won’t be disappointed. Actually, no. I should attend today’s re-audition too. Writer Nam, can you send me that video?”

After hanging up, Cheon Insu closed the script he’d been reading and stood up.

He planned to occupy a seat at the re-audition venue, then block Kang Jeonghwan if he tried finding some ridiculous fault.

A smile remained on Cheon Insu’s lips as he left the office.

* * *

And so, at the re-audition venue.

I read through the script the division chief had handed me.

It was brief narration dialogue beginning with ‘I will miss Your Majesty always.’

‘…The enclosed letter contains evidence of the false charges brought against this young woman’s parents fifteen years ago, and will serve as grounds to expose the Queen Dowager’s tyranny…’

‘…By erasing my existence, I wish to fulfill my final devotion to my lord…’

It was the ending section of the script I hadn’t seen before.

In the ending the writer had created, Sunim seemed to choose to erase even her own traces after giving the king the final justification to defeat the Queen Dowager.

It made sense, since her very existence was the king’s weakness.

After finishing the narration, the division chief spoke again.

“With that, how would you handle it according to your own setup? We saw the scripted performance last time, so use that for your free acting.”

I looked up at the division chief in surprise.

Free acting…

I hadn’t anticipated this far.

How should I show them using narration?

While pondering briefly, Sunim’s face came to mind.

‘When would Sunim have said these words in the world I lived in?’

I slowly straightened my clothes and stood up from my seat.

It would have been at Kim Ikjae’s house.

Sunim must have run through the night roads until she was breathless, desperately persuading him with blood boiling in her heart.

And this moment was the one important scene from inside the script that I’d never witnessed.

I had this vague feeling that I could complete it from this different world.

I made my decision about what to perform.

After performing a deep formal bow as a man would, I knelt on the floor.

I expressed every movement as if trembling from running at full speed.

Because Sunim had come here from Hanyang risking her life.

“Please become His Majesty’s ally.”

I showed a desperate expression as if about to collapse at any moment, but holding on through sheer will.

“It must be you, Teacher.”

I pantomimed pulling something from my sleeve and holding it out with both hands.

“Because you are someone who follows what is right, not power.”

I paused briefly, tilting my head as if listening to something.

Kim Ikjae would have surely scolded her, demanding how a woman disguised as a man dared discuss right and wrong.

‘How dare a woman disguised as a man discuss right and wrong’—the kind of words Sunim would have fought against her entire life.

I opened my mouth to respond.

“I see you knew all along. …Yes, that’s correct. I am a woman.”

By my estimation, Sunim back then—and I right now—felt frustrated and burning inside.

Also, while tears welled up from injustice, I remained resolute.

“However, before being a woman, I am the child of a loyal minister who died under false charges, and a subject who wishes to follow the rightful king!”

My voice trembled, unstable from exhaustion, but I imbued it with fiery determination.

I gradually raised my voice.

“You may take my head for breaking the law. You may sever my limbs. But not now. After we drive out the true traitors, I will confess with my own mouth. I will accept my punishment willingly. So please help us. Not me—please help His Majesty.”

As I finished the lines, my whole body trembled as if I’d truly become Sunim from that moment.

The conference room filled with my trembling breaths.

* * *

The conference room after Han Sena had left, where the production team gathered.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the room.

Breaking the silence, Nam Jihye spoke up.

“I like her.”

Her gaze bore straight into Kang Jeonghwan.

Whether she did or not, Kang Jeonghwan continued wearing a displeased expression.

Nam Jihye continued.

“As you all know, we’ve been racking our brains over the ending section of the drama, haven’t we? We can resolve it with the idea Sena-ssi brought and Sangseon’s character.”

From Nam Jihye’s perspective, Han Sena was a blessing that had rolled in.

Full of passion, excellent at acting, and that wasn’t all.

She’d even provided a clean solution to the ending section that had been the subject of her arguments with Kang Jeonghwan.

In the current script state, the king’s actions of losing his lover in the ending and taking revenge on the Queen Dowager looked like nothing more than one man’s personal vendetta driven by emotion.

The emotional delivery was sufficient, but the plausibility felt lacking.

But if Sangseon entered and new countermeasures were established, the story might change.

She wanted to discuss this part with Han Sena.

The final key was right before her eyes.

While Nam Jihye’s mind spun rapidly, Kang Jeonghwan finally opened his mouth.

“We’ll use the setup, but let’s give her a supporting role.”