WeTried Translations
Translator: uglyidol
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Top Star by Only Playing Villains ◈
Chapter 7: Thanks for the High Praise
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Managing your reputation was extremely important as an actor.
Above all, weren’t the people here the colleagues I would be filming The Last Clue with?
Before the script reading, I went around greeting the cast and crew one by one.
But...
“Hello. I’m Lee Hansol, and I’ll be playing Kim Minu. I look forward to working with you.”
“...Oh, yes.”
For some reason, the other actors weren’t looking at me kindly.
Some even glanced at me and whispered among themselves.
...It was probably because I looked too ordinary to play the serial killer Kim Minu.
It made me uncomfortable, but not everyone was giving me the cold shoulder.
“Hansol!”
“Oh, Director.”
Director Park Yeong-won of The Last Clue had been talking with some nearby actors. Spotting me, the director raised a hand with a bright smile.
“Hey, you’re here early. Everything been all right?”
“Yes, haha. Everything’s been fine.”
“You’re the key to our drama, Hansol. Make sure you take good care of yourself, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell me!”
Filming sets had a surprisingly strict hierarchy.
On a movie set, the director ranked highest. On a drama set, it was the producing director.
As the person in charge of The Last Clue, Director Park Yeong-won was practically royalty on set.
When someone like that was especially friendly toward me, the nearby actors tilted their heads in confusion.
But Director Park Yeong-won wasn’t the only one being kind to me.
“Hansol! Perfect timing. I made a few changes to the script with you in mind...”
That was Kim Seonmi, the screenwriter for The Last Clue.
“Oh, Hansol. It’s been a while!”
“Hansol. For our next Webflix original series...”
Then there were the casting director and Webflix’s head of production.
Everyone I had met at the audition approached me warmly and treated me like a friend.
When not only Director Park Yeong-won but the other production staff showed how well they knew me, the murmuring grew louder.
“Who exactly is that person?”
“Could they have some seriously powerful connections?”
...I could hear whispers like those.
Perhaps noticing the mood, Director Park Yeong-won clapped once and called the actors together.
“All right, let’s get started!”
At the director’s words, the room was arranged and all the actors gathered.
The staff brought the cafe’s tables and sofas into the middle, forming a U-shaped seating area.
Director Park Yeong-won and writer Kim Seonmi took the seats of honor, with Shin Ah-gyeong and Jeong In-hwan, the two leads of The Last Clue, beside them.
And my seat was...
‘...Ha. Talk about pressure.’
Right beside a lead.
Actually, considering how much screen time I had, it made sense.
The serial killer Kim Minu was the main villain in the first half of The Last Clue, which had an anthology-style structure.
Compared with the other supporting roles, Kim Minu had far more screen time and a much stronger presence in the drama.
The problem was that I had never sat in such an important spot at a script reading before.
‘My seat was always off in a corner...’
Now Shin Ah-gyeong, known as the nation’s favorite actress, was sitting right next to me. I couldn’t help feeling deeply moved.
“All right, we’re all busy people, aren’t we? Let’s get this reading started.”
“What? Without even introducing ourselves?”
“We already said hello earlier. Besides, we all know each other anyway.”
“Haha, you’re as impatient as ever.”
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Director Park Yeong-won picked up the script.
Then...
“Hmm... Shall we start with S#31?”
The director’s gaze briefly passed over me.
The actors opened their scripts, then flinched slightly when they saw what happened in S#31.
It was the scene where Kim Minu, the flower shop owner everyone had assumed was an ordinary supporting character, first made a real impression.
Director Park Yeong-won was setting the stage for me.
A stage where I could prove my acting skills in front of the others.
“S#31 is just Hansol and Ji-yeong. You’re both ready to start, right?”
“Yes, Director.”
“I’m ready...!”
I gave my scene partner, actress Song Ji-yeong, a small bow, then picked up my script.
I could feel the other actors watching me closely.
Some looked a little hopeful. Others had jealous looks that seemed to say, “Let’s see how good you really are.”
‘...They probably don’t have much faith in me.’
I understood how my fellow actors felt.
An unknown actor they had never seen before.
And someone with an ordinary face and no presence was playing the main villain?
I probably wouldn’t have found it easy to trust me either.
So I would prove it here.
I would show them that I was right for the role of Kim Minu.
“Whew...”
I let out a small sigh and held up my script.
Then...
I began getting into character.
* * *
Song Ji-yeong was the scene partner for S#31.
She played Yu Hye-seo, the younger sister of the protagonist of The Last Clue and the seventh victim in the serial murders.
She was a former child actress who had become known for her cute looks at a young age.
But like many child actors, she had struggled since reaching adulthood because of the image that had stuck with her from childhood.
‘This is my chance... I’ll leave a strong impression on the senior actors and the production team.’
That was why Song Ji-yeong saw her part in The Last Clue as an opportunity.
She intended to use this drama to shake off the child-actress label and establish herself as a skilled performer.
‘S#31, hmm... It’s not that difficult.’
As Song Ji-yeong checked the script, she glanced at her scene partner.
Lee Hansol, the actor playing the serial killer Kim Minu.
To be honest... Hansol looked far too ordinary.
She felt awful saying it, but Hansol had the typical look of an extra.
‘...No matter how I look at it, that doesn’t seem like an actor who could play the main villain.’
The production team wouldn’t have cast someone like that as the main villain without a reason...
Were Hansol’s acting skills really that incredible?
But Song Ji-yeong was as confident as anyone in her own acting, thanks to the solid experience she had built since childhood.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
She cleared her throat, got into character, and immediately delivered an excellent performance.
「Wow! These freesias are so pretty!」
Yu Hye-seo, the younger sister of the passionate detective Yu Hyeju, was a high school student who loved flowers.
Bright and innocent by nature, she alone was deeply interested in flowers while her friends were caught up in idols and social media.
Dreaming of becoming a florist, she was once again spending ages admiring the flowers in a small neighborhood shop.
「They look so full, and wow... They smell wonderful.」
Yu Hye-seo gazed happily at a bouquet on display in the flower shop.
Seeing that innocent, enchanted expression, the surrounding actors murmured in admiration.
Experience really did count for something.
There weren’t even any real flowers in front of her, but Song Ji-yeong’s performance felt completely convincing.
‘Hehe. All that practice paid off.’
Song Ji-yeong secretly smiled to herself at the senior actors’ reactions.
But the next moment...
「I’ve been seeing you around a lot lately. You must really like flowers.」
The voice of Kim Minu, the flower shop owner, came from beside her.
「Yes! My dream is to become a flor...!」
Continuing her lively performance, Song Ji-yeong turned her head, only to flinch.
A smile.
Lee Hansol... No, Kim Minu, the flower shop owner, was smiling at the high school student Yu Hye-seo.
At first glance, it looked like the smile of a friendly flower shop owner, but...
“......”
“......”
Everyone here already knew that Kim Minu wasn’t an ordinary flower shop owner, but a horrific serial killer.
And that knowledge made certain details look different.
The tongue lightly licking those lips, as though savoring something.
The eyes that seemed friendly, yet were half-lidded and unfocused.
The cheeks flushed faintly red with excitement.
「Hah... Hah...」
The mouth releasing faint breaths, so quiet they were barely audible.
Kim Minu was getting excited at the sight of Yu Hye-seo.
‘...Fuck.’
The instant she saw Lee Hansol’s expression, Song Ji-yeong swore inwardly.
It was an involuntary, physical feeling of disgust.
The actor in front of her, Lee Hansol... No, Kim Minu, was simply too repulsive.
These days, villains in movies and dramas were often as popular as the protagonists.
Appealing villains who were charismatic, confident, and intimidating.
But villains weren’t supposed to be appealing in the first place.
They were supposed to make the audience uncomfortable and angry.
‘Calm down... I have to keep the reading going.’
Song Ji-yeong the actress knew Kim Minu was a serial killer, but Yu Hye-seo saw only a kind flower shop owner.
Somehow, she held on to the emotions she had nearly lost and continued acting.
「My dream is to become a florist someday!」
「Oh, you want to be a florist?」
Pretending to take an interest in Yu Hye-seo’s dream, Kim Minu moved closer.
Then, under the pretense of explaining the flowers, Kim Minu ran a lingering gaze over her entire body.
“...Urk.”
One of the actors immediately covered their mouth, as if holding back vomit.
Song Ji-yeong, the person on the receiving end, was suffering just as much.
A creeping, crawling sensation.
Was this what it would feel like to have hundreds of centipedes crawling all over her body?
‘This is just a reading, and it’s already this immersive...?’
She wanted to keep acting without making a mistake, but her voice was beginning to grow thick with tears.
「...I like your shop because you have so many rare varieties.」
「Ah, so you’re interested in rare varieties. In that case...」
A sudden gleam flashed in Kim Minu’s eyes, followed by a gesture toward the back.
There was a door leading into Kim Minu’s private workroom.
A door that gave off a sinister... chilling air.
「Actually, I have lots of “special” flowers in my private workroom.」
That was right.
There were “special” flowers in Kim Minu’s private workroom.
「Special... flowers?」
「Yes. The flowers I treasure and love most.」
Kim Minu, the psychopathic serial killer.
From birth, Minu had been unable to experience emotions normally.
The only moments that brought pleasure were those spent brutally killing someone and turning them into a piece of work.
And now, Kim Minu stared at Yu Hye-seo with eyes so full of desire that it seemed to drip from them.
「Would you like to... come and see them?」
Song Ji-yeong could no longer endure that vile, ugly gaze.
“Ugh... That’s disgusting...”
“...!”
This wasn’t acting.
Song Ji-yeong had spoken her true feelings without realizing it, then startled herself.
‘Oh, no...!’
What Lee Hansol had just done was only acting.
But she had failed to continue her performance and ruined the scene.
And she had even called Hansol “disgusting.” It was clearly terribly rude.
“I-I’m sorry...!”
Song Ji-yeong immediately stood up and apologized to Lee Hansol.
She was fully prepared to accept it if Hansol complained or gave her a harsh scolding.
But...
“I’m really sorry, Hansol. I-I made a mistake...”
“It’s all right.”
Lee Hansol smiled pleasantly at her apology and waved it off.
Then...
“If anything, I should be thanking you.”
“...Sorry?”
Hansol bowed back to her.
“You just complimented me.”
“......”
That was right.
For Lee Hansol, having someone react to the performance by saying “disgusting” was the highest praise.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of my acting. I’ll work even harder.”
“......”
Lee Hansol gave a small smile, as though proud to have earned some recognition.
At that innocent look, the surrounding actors could only stare with their mouths open.
‘That’s the same person who played that disgusting serial killer a moment ago...?’
There wasn’t a single person who hadn’t gotten goosebumps from the performance.
Everyone had been overwhelmed by the presence of an unknown actor who had looked more ordinary and unremarkable than anyone else.
‘...Who the hell is this insane actor?’
Before they knew it, the way everyone looked at Lee Hansol had changed a full 180 degrees.
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