WeTried Translations
Translator: uglyidol
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Top Star by Only Playing Villains ◈
Chapter 11: The Sixth Sense
──────
While talk about some villain actor spread through online communities, <The Last Clue> continued filming smoothly.
No, it was more than just smooth.
Every actor in <The Last Clue>, lead and supporting alike, was delivering razor-sharp performances.
「It’s strange, isn’t it? Every piece of evidence is somewhere easy to spot. As if he wanted us to find it.」
“...Huh.”
What especially surprised Director-producer Park Yeong-won was the performance of Jeong In-hwan, the male lead of <The Last Clue>.
Jeong In-hwan had always been renowned as a skilled actor, but he was now showing abilities that surpassed even the height of his career.
「Come to think of it, you’re right. Why would someone so meticulous hide the evidence so carelessly?」
「...He wants to show off.」
「Show off?」
Choi Minho, the male lead of <The Last Clue> played by Jeong In-hwan, was a profiler with a genius intellect.
As Choi Minho examined the evidence the serial killer seemed to have deliberately left out for others to see, he continued his careful deductions.
「...He wants people to know about his crimes. He wants to boast about how many people he’s killed.」
The further his deductions went, the deeper Choi Minho’s gaze became, and a subdued anger radiated from him.
A serial killer who had murdered seven people, then deliberately scattered evidence as though he were proud of it.
Profiler Choi Minho could never forgive trash like that.
「I’ll catch this bastard. ...No matter what.」
“Cut!”
As the satisfying scene came to an end, Director-producer Park nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
“Okay!”
“Wow!”
Director-producer Park Yeong-won was normally extremely exacting, but these days, one-take approvals were coming one after another on <The Last Clue>.
No matter how hard they looked for flaws, the actors’ performances were perfect.
“In-hwan! That scene was excellent too!”
“Whew, that’s a relief. I had to keep up appearances as the lead, at least.”
Many top actors had far bigger egos than people imagined.
After feeling thoroughly outperformed by Lee Hansol and Shin Ah-gyeong at the last table read, Jeong In-hwan had shut himself away at home and focused solely on studying his role.
He had already been a highly capable actor, and adding tireless effort on top of that had naturally made his acting explode.
“The next scene is... Hmm, it’s one with Hansol.”
“Yes, that’s right. Whew... Director-producer, do you think I can do well?”
“Hahaha! Are you worried a ten-million-ticket actor might be outperformed by a rookie who’s only just begun to spread his wings?”
“It’s embarrassing, but... yes, I am. I mean, it’s Hansol.”
Jeong In-hwan had filmed with Lee Hansol several times since the table read, but every time, he had felt his own performance was far behind.
‘This time, for sure...!’
Determined that it would not happen again, Jeong In-hwan headed over.
Lee Hansol had already arrived on set and was reading the script.
“Hansol.”
“Ah, sunbae! You’re here!”
The moment Lee Hansol saw Jeong In-hwan, he greeted him warmly with a bright smile.
“I heard from the others. They said your last scene was perfect too?”
“Oh, please. Compared to you, Hansol, it was nothing.”
“I’m the one who has a long way to go compared to you, sunbae. When I was an aspiring actor, I practiced so much while watching your films...”
Lee Hansol was not only an exceptional actor, but also a kind and innocent junior.
The more Jeong In-hwan saw him, the more charming he found him.
As filming went on, Lee Hansol had begun to feel increasingly familiar to him.
“In-hwan, Hansol! We’re about to shoot, so please get ready!”
“Sunbae, I look forward to working with you again.”
“Likewise.”
Clap.
The two exchanged a light high-five and settled into character.
Scene 41, which Lee Hansol was filming today, was not especially difficult.
Profiler Choi Minho, canvassing the area where the serial murders had occurred, encountered Kim Minu, who ran a small flower shop in the neighborhood.
At first glance, it was an ordinary, everyday scene.
Jingle.
「Welcome... Oh, you’re the person who came yesterday. You came again today?」
「Haha, yes. I was taking a walk around the neighborhood and stopped by.」
Since he could not go around telling everyone he was searching for evidence in a murder case, Choi Minho vaguely said he was out for a walk.
Kim Minu smiled kindly at him.
「That makes sense. This neighborhood is nice and low-lying, so it’s perfect for walks. The atmosphere is especially lovely at night.」
「I don’t know... I’d advise against taking walks here late at night these days.」
「Pardon?」
At this point, Choi Minho did not know that Kim Minu was the true culprit behind the serial murders.
He gave Kim Minu, the seemingly ordinary flower shop owner, a serious word of advice.
「The whole country is in an uproar because of the serial murder cases these days.」
「...」
「Some of the cases happened in this neighborhood too... They say the culprit doesn’t discriminate between men and women, so I think it would be best if you didn’t go out after sunset either.」
Originally, Scene 41 ended there.
It was an ordinary scene that subtly hinted that Kim Minu, the flower shop owner standing before him, was actually the culprit behind the serial murders.
But then, the next moment...
「...Heh.」
A small laugh came from in front of him.
It was clearly a mocking sneer directed at the other person.
This had not been in the original script.
In other words, it was Lee Hansol’s ad-lib.
“...Director-producer, should we cut?”
“...No, let’s keep going.”
They could have called an NG, but Director-producer Park Yeong-won continued filming.
In that moment, Kim Minu, the flower shop owner who had seemed nothing but kind, took on a subtle air of wrongness.
The kind of wrongness that left an inexplicable discomfort and unease in the back of one’s mind.
It made the hairs stand on end and sent a chill down one’s neck.
But as though nothing had happened, Kim Minu soon returned to his kind expression and faced profiler Choi Minho.
「Yes! I’ll be careful! Oh, and you should be careful too, sir! A murderer who doesn’t discriminate between men and women wouldn’t distinguish between day and night either, would he?」
「...Haha, yes. I should be careful too. Oh, it’s gotten so late already. I only stopped by briefly, so I should be going now.」
「Yep! Please come again next time. Make sure you do.」
Thus, a scene that had once been ordinary and insignificant was reborn with a new feeling.
It became a scene where profiler Choi Minho sensed a subtle wrongness from Kim Minu, the flower shop owner.
“Cut...!”
After calling cut, Director-producer Park Yeong-won said nothing for a while.
Instead...
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Director-producer Park Yeong-won gave a light round of applause.
“You were both excellent.”
Lee Hansol, who had delivered an inspired ad-lib, was wonderful. So was Jeong In-hwan, who had accepted it and naturally continued the scene.
Small details determined the quality of a production.
Director-producer Park Yeong-won could not help admiring the beautiful acting the two had delivered.
And Jeong In-hwan was among those who admired it.
“Hansol, that ad-lib was good.”
“Thank you, sunbae!”
As Hansol bowed in thanks, Jeong In-hwan swallowed a hollow laugh.
‘Holy shit, I was so startled I nearly caused an NG.’
The overwhelming chill he had felt from Lee Hansol had nearly made him slip up.
If he had not quickly come back to his senses, there definitely would have been an NG.
‘I thought I’d practiced enough... I guess I’m still lacking.’
Even now, Lee Hansol’s presence in <The Last Clue> was far greater than Jeong In-hwan’s.
Jeong In-hwan resolved to study his role even more thoroughly as soon as he got home.
He still had far too long to go if he wanted to surpass the genius villain actor before his eyes.
* * *
Ad-libs come out unconsciously while acting.
A good ad-lib can create an unexpected iconic scene.
But an ad-lib not discussed with the other actor can cause an NG or ruin the scene.
If sunbae Jeong In-hwan had not accepted the ad-lib in Scene 41 earlier, it definitely would have resulted in an NG.
‘Acting really isn’t something I do alone.’
Today, thanks to the other actors and staff, I was able to finish another satisfying shoot.
“All right, that’s it for today’s filming.”
“Good work, everyone!”
As filming ended and I was about to head home with Seongsu hyung, Director-producer Park Yeong-won called me over.
“Hansol, could we talk for a moment?”
“Ah, yes, Director. Of course.”
After asking Seongsu hyung to excuse me for a moment, I went to a corner of the set and spoke with Director Park Yeong-won.
Director Park looked apologetic as they faced me.
“<The Last Clue>’s teaser will be released to the public soon.”
“The teaser already? That’s earlier than I expected.”
“Haha, it feels strange saying it myself, but our production is so highly anticipated that they’re releasing three teasers.”
According to Director Park Yeong-won, Webflix was putting considerable effort into the teasers.
There would be a first, second, and third teaser.
“Kim Minu is practically a lead character in the production... but he’s also a character who delivers a twist, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But if you have too much screen time in the teaser, people will quickly predict who the true culprit is, so...”
Director Park trailed off, but I quickly understood what they meant.
“Does that mean I have very little screen time in the teaser?”
“...Yes. You’ll only pass by for around two or three seconds, like a supporting actor.”
Kim Minu had a huge presence in <The Last Clue>.
In contrast, his presence in the teaser would be at the level of a supporting actor.
But really, that was only natural.
Kim Minu was a character meant to give the public a twist.
Would it be a twist if they advertised from the teaser, ‘He’s the main villain! He’s the true culprit behind the serial murders!’?
“Director, why are you apologizing over that?”
“...You understand?”
“Of course. I don’t care about things like that, so please don’t worry.”
When I smiled brightly and said I was fine with it, Director Park Yeong-won finally let out a relieved sigh.
“Whew... Thank you for understanding. I was honestly worried you might feel slighted.”
“Slighted? The bigger the shock of the twist, the more it benefits me too. It’s fine if I have little screen time in the teaser.”
It was fine if I had little screen time in the teaser.
Once the twist was revealed, I would be the actor who stood out the most in <The Last Clue>, anyway.
“All right, then I’ll tell the video team to proceed as planned. The teaser will probably be released sometime next week.”
“Yes, I understand, Director.”
“You have no idea how much strength I get from having you in our production, Hansol. You worked very hard today, and I’ll see you tomorrow!”
After saying goodbye to Director Park Yeong-won, I returned home.
And a few days later.
The first teaser for <The Last Clue> was released to the public.
* * *
“Haah...”
Eight in the evening.
After getting off work and returning home, she flopped onto her bed without even washing up.
“I’m fucking exhausted...”
Today had been exhausting too.
Craving dopamine, she picked up her phone with a blank expression.
Just then, the first teaser for <The Last Clue> had been uploaded to Webflix’s YouTube channel.
“Oh? I wanted to watch this.”
A Webflix original series was practically guaranteed to be worth watching.
More than that, the drama starred actors with ten-million-ticket films to their names.
With high expectations, she played the video.
And then...
Shiver.
“...!”
Feeling an odd chill, she jolted upright in bed.
She had the uncanny sensation that someone nearby was watching her.
“...Is someone there?”
“...”
Naturally, she was the only person in her studio apartment.
“...W-what? What is this?”
An inexplicable fear rose from her toes.
Though it was summer, a chill crept over her and left her feeling cold.
Then she soon found the reason she felt so unnerved.
“...This person.”
An actor who briefly passed by in the teaser for <The Last Clue>.
He held flowers, had an ordinary appearance, and wore a small smile on his face, but...
“...Something’s wrong.”
For some reason, every time she looked at him, she felt an inexplicable chill.
Sixth Sense.
People often say that beyond sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, there is a sixth sense.
A sixth sense was a supernatural instinct that could not really be explained through logic or experience, but was felt intuitively.
Her sixth sense was telling her something.
That person was strange.
...No, he was chilling and frightening.
And she was not the only one who felt that way.
[Title: Am I the only one scared of the guy holding flowers in the <The Last Clue> teaser?]
After <The Last Clue>’s teaser was released, strange posts began appearing in online communities.
For some reason, people were posting that one of the supporting actors in the teaser was scary.
-Who are you talking about?
-The person holding flowers? What about him?
-I went back to watch it because I wondered who you meant, but he was just smiling?
-He looks totally ordinary. Isn’t he just an extra?
└An extra wouldn’t be in the teaser. He’s probably a supporting actor.
Of course, most people could not understand why anyone found the actor frightening, but a few particularly sensitive people definitely felt it.
-No, something’s just off... Am I really the only one?
└What exactly is off, and what’s scary?
└It’s hard to explain, but don’t you feel it too? I get goosebumps and my heart starts pounding for some reason.
An actor so unremarkable that it was difficult to tell whether he was a supporting actor or an extra, who only appeared for two or three seconds.
That was the extent of Lee Hansol’s presence in <The Last Clue>’s first teaser, but...
-Me too.
-Me too... I was alone in my room, but it felt like someone was watching me.
-So it wasn’t just me. Something about that person’s eyes is creepy.
Behind that, something chilling was hidden.
-I heard there’s a villain actor with insane acting in <The Last Clue>. Is that him?
└He looks way too harmless to be a villain.
-If someone that ordinary-looking is the villain, he’d be sooo scary lol.
-That actor’s name is Lee Hansol. I’ve never even heard of him.
And so, as time passed, Lee Hansol gradually began drawing people’s attention.
The impact was not huge, but people soon began recognizing Lee Hansol as an actor, even if only unconsciously.
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