In This Life I Will Die as an Actress Not a Villainess Chapter 62

-This is quite… I apologize for speaking with you over the phone without even meeting once. I’m currently scouting locations in the provinces, so please understand.

“I’m totally fine! Please, go ahead.”

-The role I’d like to request from you, Sena-ssi—though it’s called a cameo, it’s actually the most critical linchpin in terms of content. Have you ever watched the movie Cynical Alley? The role Actor Yang Jeonghyuk played in that would be a good example.

It was such a familiar old movie.

At the time, it was famous enough that almost everyone had seen it, and even after two or three decades passed, the movie’s catchphrases still circulated.

Yang Jeonghyuk, who’d been a rookie then, played a fresh villain and made such an impression on audiences that people officially started calling him a scene-stealer.

-Sena-ssi, do you know how many cuts Actor Jeonghyuk appeared in that movie?

“Ah, I’m not sure about that.”

-Just four cuts.

Those words made my head ring.

Four cuts?

So Yang Jeonghyuk ascended to star actor status with just four cuts?

The impact he’d had on the project seemed massive though.

The director continued speaking.

-Our movie’s cameo has that same feel. Because of that, the acting skills absolutely must support it. When it comes to Sena-ssi, you’re counted as one of the most outstanding actresses among young performers these days. That’s why I reached out to ask like this.

I nodded at those words.

Interest gradually crept in.

“Could I hear a brief explanation of the role?”

-In a nutshell, it’s the role of a stalker obsessed with a certain actor.

Stalker??

After that, a full explanation about the movie continued.

This is getting more and more interesting.

-If you’re alright with it, Sena-ssi, I’ll send you the script.

At those words, an eager response naturally came out.

“After hearing your explanation, Director, I’m somehow feeling like I want to do it. If you send me the script, I’ll give it a read!”

At my answer, the director seemed greatly pleased.

-Really? Thank you! I’ll send the script right away. Take your time getting back to me.

With that, the call ended.

As I opened the script file that flew over via email immediately, Minyeong unnie’s face came to mind.

She’s going to scold me again for just diving in recklessly.

“Hehe, sorry… Huh?”

As I read through the script, my eyes widened.

“This…”

* * *

One week later, on filming day.

“Instead of calling them a stalker ‘fan,’ how about just calling them a stalker?”

I was in the middle of conveying my opinion to the director regarding filming.

Now was the time when people were starting to recognize stalkers as criminals rather than fans.

And that stalker was precisely my role.

“Good point. Let’s do that.”

The director readily agreed and added one more thing.

“Then act with more of a criminal feel to it.”

After a few rehearsals like that, filming proceeded right away.

I shouldered a heavy white-lens DSLR and pulled a black cap down low over my eyes.

Then I stared intently at a spot in the distance.

That gaze held a heart desperately longing for something.

My person, my love.

My feelings toward my actor, my celebrity—solely mine.

Song Junwoo, the subject I was focusing on through the camera, was an actor from a mid-sized idol group background in the drama.

Someone with decent enough recognition, commanding a fanbase of reasonable scale.

However, a fanbase of only ‘reasonable scale’ always left Song Junwoo thirsty, and Song Junwoo obsessively hungered for acting.

Because he wanted recognition.

Because he wanted to climb higher.

And I was the only single person who knew and loved Song Junwoo’s effort, ambition, tenacity, passion, and thirst—all of it.

Kim Pilju, Song Junwoo’s stalker.

Perhaps for practice with a new noir project, Song Junwoo was practicing acting alone in a dark alley, spouting curses.

A situation absolutely perfect for receiving dangerous misunderstandings on the street.

Song Junwoo was spewing harsh profanity that didn’t match his pretty face, as if such things meant nothing to him.

But those curses were clumsy beyond measure.

As if he’d never once hurled such curses at anyone in his entire life.

Those exact points about Song Junwoo were probably what stimulated the current Kim Pilju even more.

Pure yet concentrated passion.

With an excited expression, I pressed the shutter over and over.

When Song Junwoo’s voice reached its most intense part, I even captured it on video.

I smacked my lips as if savoring ecstasy and smiled slyly.

“Cut, okay! Okay!! Wow, incredible!”

The director sprang from his seat and applauded.

At the unexpected reaction, I smiled awkwardly while hugging the camera.

“Sena-ssi, are you seriously insane? You’re expressing 200% of what I created.”

As the director tossed his headset onto the makeshift table, other staff joined in.

“How do you express so much with just your eyes?”

“Really, what would we have done without Sena-ssi?”

At the sudden flood of lavish praise, I didn’t know where to put myself.

“Oh my, everyone. This is embarrassing.”

But the director kept exclaiming in admiration as if he hadn’t heard me.

“I studied stalkers that much, but I’d only thought about them in terms of obsession or possessiveness, you know? But seeing Sena-ssi’s eyes, that’s not it at all. Huh, everyone gets it, right?”

For a moment, the staff grew quiet to focus on the director’s words.

“This is projection onto their own life. Just now, Kim Pilju saw herself in Song Junwoo. That passion she herself lacks!”

Whoa, is this really the director’s style—laying out all these impressions?

I felt flustered by this unexpectedly lengthy okay from the director, which I was hearing for the first time.

And laughter leaked out.

After all, praise makes even whales dance.

“Hehe, this is the first time I’ve received such long praise on set. Thank you!”

“Let’s move straight to the next shoot!”

The director sprang from his seat, seeming excited.

The next scene followed immediately.

It was the scene serving as both the twist and core of this movie.

In the drama, Song Junwoo finds himself suspected of involvement in inexplicable drug and murder-related crimes without even knowing.

The person who saved Song Junwoo, who had no alibi, was none other than Kim Pilju.

At the exact time the incident occurred, Kim Pilju and Song Junwoo had been in that dark alley.

The scene we’d just filmed.

Kim Pilju’s secretly taken illegal photos end up being used to clear Song Junwoo’s false accusation.

The scene we were about to film now would show Kim Pilju’s reaction to encountering that exact situation.

A situation where she savored being Song Junwoo’s only savior.

Song Junwoo sat across from me at the table.

“Ready… action.”

Looking at Song Junwoo, I drew my brows together in a moved expression.

A smile seeped onto my lips.

Just the two of us—alone at such close quarters with the person I’d been chasing so desperately.

In the silence, I opened with the first line.

“Junwoo, hi.”

I let out a shy voice, as if exchanging greetings with a friend I’d just been introduced to.

Song Junwoo, tensed up completely, bowed his head while wearing a courteous smile.

“Hello.”

“Speak casually.”

At my commanding tone, the smile on Song Junwoo’s lips faded slightly.

“Okay…”

Watching that Song Junwoo, I chuckled.

“You’re nervous? You have this expression you make whenever you’re nervous. Just like this. You don’t even know.”

“I didn’t know I did that…”

“Junwoo, beg.”

I cut off Song Junwoo’s words.

Song Junwoo stared at me blankly, as if he’d misheard.

“Someone from your company came. Talking about justice and stuff, right? Said it’s about saving a person. But I don’t care about things like that.”

At my words, Song Junwoo’s expression hardened completely.

“You’re good at begging. When there’s a role you want, you’d dance in just your underwear in front of directors, crawl on all fours—you did all kinds of things.”

As I exposed the shameful secrets he’d been hiding from the world, anger gradually filled Song Junwoo’s face.

But showing emotion was Song Junwoo’s mistake.

Because that would only provoke Kim Pilju further.

I let laughter flow freely, as if this situation was too enjoyable.

“When you’re desperate for something, you always manage to pull it off. Aren’t you desperate now?”

I gazed deep into Song Junwoo’s dark eyes and whispered.

“Don’t you want my photos?”

Song Junwoo’s eyes quickly turned red.

The Song Junwoo I interpreted in the drama was weak under stress. Easily frightened too.

Yet that kind of person was coveting the very peak of the pyramid—the hardest place to reach.

I concentrated intently, as if I wouldn’t miss a single moment until tears gathered and flowed down Song Junwoo’s cheeks.

By the time tears dropped from his chin onto the table, Song Junwoo opened his mouth.

“Please save me. Please help me.”

A trembling voice.

His gaze remained fixed on the table.

At those words, I grew slightly stern.

“Speak casually.”

Song Junwoo raised his head and looked at me.

“Help me. Give me the photos, okay?”

Without answering those words, I only tapped my fingers on the table.

A sign that I still wasn’t satisfied.

Song Junwoo seemed to catch on and abruptly stood from his seat.

Then he circled around the table and sat right next to me.

As close as possible.

“Pilju, I need you.”

Song Junwoo took my hand.

He was still shedding tears.

At that warm touch, I smiled.

“I really like this about you.”

I reached out my other hand and stroked Song Junwoo’s tear-dampened cheek.

“If I release this video, I’m saving you, right?”

Song Junwoo entrusted his face to my touch and nodded.

“Then I’m the most special one now, to you. From now on, I’ll be that kind of person. You won’t forget?”

Song Junwoo nodded even more vigorously.

“I’ll be watching, okay?”

I beamed with a smile as if I’d become the happiest woman in the world.

“Cut, okay.”

The moment the okay sign dropped, I sprang from my seat.

I bowed deeply to Actor Kwon Jaehyung, who’d played Song Junwoo’s role.

“Oh my, sunbaenim. I’m so sorry. That was too terrible of me.”

Then Kwon Jaehyung wiped away tears with his sleeve.

“Sena-ssi, you’re too scary…”

“I’m sorry…”

Outside, the director seemed to be monitoring and stayed silent.

“Wow, but sunbaenim.”

A curious point arose, so I immediately addressed him.

“Please feel comfortable calling me Jaehyung-ssi.”

“Yes, Jaehyung-ssi. It seemed like you were acting while pinpointing exactly what stimulates a stalker—am I right?”

At my question, Jaehyung-ssi laughed as if embarrassed.

Throughout the acting, I’d genuinely felt that way.

Even the tears—how did he cry so prettily on purpose like that?

“I actually have some colleagues who’ve suffered from stalkers. I interviewed them. Also looked at stalkers’ blogs and stuff.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

No wonder.

“But Sena-ssi actually looked like a real stalker in such a chilling way. Where on earth did you pull that coolness from?”

At those words, I shook my head.

“It’s just imitation.”

That’s when the director entered the room.

He looked at me with a contemplative expression.

What’s this?

Are they withdrawing the okay?

“Sena-ssi, I’m really sorry about this.”

“Yes?”

“Could we possibly film a few more cuts?”

Oh?

Next to me, Jaehyung-ssi smiled slyly.

“Our director’s completely hooked.”

At those words, I too smiled and nodded.

“Oh my, this is an honor for me.”

“Really? No, I mean, once I actually filmed it, inspiration just hit me. The character becomes so attractive with Sena-ssi doing it. Really, please. Amazing!”

While listening to the director’s continued praise for a while longer, Jaehyung-ssi left the room to prepare for the next shoot.

Just the two of us left in the room.

The director spoke about the character’s direction with an enthusiastic voice.

“Parts might end up differing from what we filmed just now. Whatever happens, from here on I’ll leave expressions and such entirely to Sena-ssi.”

“I love that. Thank you for trusting me, Director.”

Then I subtly read the director’s mood.

I’d been wanting to ask something since earlier.

Ever since capturing the distant Song Junwoo on camera.

Looking at the director, I swallowed the question deep into my throat with effort.

“Well then, shall we wrap up the remaining cuts for today?”

At the director’s words, I nodded and left the room.