WeTried Translations
Translator: uglyidol
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Top Star by Only Playing Villains ◈
Chapter 8: See You Next Time
──────
The script reading went smoothly after that.
“We’ll take a twenty-minute break now!”
“...Whew.”
Only after Director Park Yeong-won called for a break did I let out a small sigh.
‘Did I go a little too hard...?’
Thump-thump.
I put a hand to my chest and felt my heart racing.
I was worked up.
After playing a villain, I always felt a deeper pleasure and sense of freedom than at any other time.
But right now...
I’d become so absorbed in the role that pleasure was flooding my entire body.
It felt like I was floating on a cloud.
All that dopamine even left my head feeling fuzzy.
‘It feels good, but I should start holding back a little next time.’
Obviously, a script reading wasn’t the actual shoot.
The production team didn’t expect the actors to give perfect performances right from the reading.
The point was to check how well we understood our characters and develop our rhythm and chemistry with one another.
But I’d wanted to make a good impression, so I’d given an intense performance from the start.
‘I wonder what everyone thought of me.’
So, how had that turned out?
My heart fluttering, I looked around to see how the other actors were reacting.
But...
Swish.
“...! Oh! I, uh, need to use the bathroom.”
“...I-I’ll come with you!”
The actors near me practically fled the moment our eyes met.
“Excuse me...”
“I-I think I’ll go have a smoke...! Haha...!”
Their reactions made it clear.
Most of the actors here were afraid of me.
I understood.
Throughout the reading, I’d kept drawing out a serial killer’s ugly emotions.
Even if it was only acting, the others were bound to find me hard to approach.
Still, it hadn’t been a total loss.
“......”
“......”
Quite a few actors were watching me from a distance with awe in their eyes.
At least no one here seemed to think I was wrong for the role of Kim Minu anymore.
‘...Right. That’s enough.’
One of the things I’d wanted to do after becoming an actor was make friends with my fellow actors.
How much fun would it be to talk about our favorite works and our views on acting?
But making friends with the other actors seemed difficult for me right now.
‘...I’m a firefly. I have no friends.’
I was glumly sipping my coffee and flipping through my script when it happened.
“Excuse me...”
“......!”
Two people approached me as I sat there alone.
I looked up at the voice and nearly jumped out of my skin.
Shin Ah-gyeong and Jeong In-hwan.
The two leads of <The Last Clue> were standing right in front of me.
“Oh, y-yes...! Did you need me?”
They were both older than me and had far more acting experience.
With their looks, popularity, and incredible acting skills, they were practically the definition of top Korean stars.
Of course I was nervous when two people like that came over to speak to me first.
But Shin Ah-gyeong and Jeong In-hwan gave small, surprised smiles at my reaction.
“Haha, you’re cuter than I expected, Hansol.”
“You don’t have to be so formal with us.”
“Oh...”
“We came over because... we wanted to apologize.”
“...Apologize?”
I tilted my head, confused, and the two of them bowed to me.
These were top stars, both so much more senior than me.
“Uh... Why are you bowing to me...?”
“To be honest, when we first saw you, we thought you weren’t right for Kim Minu.”
“Our reaction earlier must have upset you, right? We’re really sorry.”
Sure, they’d looked taken aback when they first heard that I was playing Kim Minu.
But neither of them had looked down on me or treated me lightly.
If anything, they’d returned my greeting politely.
Whatever the other actors might have done, these two had nothing to apologize for. Startled, I waved my hands.
“N-no...! I wasn’t upset at all. You were both really nice to me...!”
“Thank you for saying that. But we still wanted to apologize.”
“Actually... we both fell in love with your acting.”
“You... fell in love with my acting?”
“Yes. Even though it was only a reading, your performance just now was incredible.”
Their eyes shone as they looked at me. They seemed to mean it.
Then they sat beside me and asked all sorts of questions.
What acting method I used, how I immersed myself in my emotions, and so on.
Talking with them during the break made one thing clear.
Shin Ah-gyeong and Jeong In-hwan.
These two were deeply serious about acting.
‘They really are amazing.’
They were already at the top, yet they kept working to improve their craft. Their attitude was truly admirable.
Was this what it took to become a top star?
It was a good chance to reflect on myself and find new motivation.
‘Yes. This is what I wanted.’
I spent those twenty minutes talking with them, feeling deeply happy and satisfied.
Then, as the break ended and our conversation was drawing to a close...
“Hansol.”
“Yes, Ms. Shin?”
Shin Ah-gyeong gave me a meaningful look.
“You weren’t giving it a hundred percent during that reading, were you?”
“......”
I had no reason to hide it, so I calmly nodded.
“No, I wasn’t.”
“...Wow.”
This wasn’t the actual shoot. It was just a script reading.
I’d put more effort into it than I’d expected because I wanted to impress the other actors, but...
Seventy-five percent, maybe?
I hadn’t brought out a hundred percent of my acting ability during that reading.
“If you don’t mind, could you go all out just once in S#123?”
“......!”
When I played a villain, I drew directly on the emotions from my past life, when I’d been an actual villain.
That meant going all out could leave the actor opposite me traumatized.
But...
“Are you... sure you’ll be all right?”
“Of course! I feel like you’re underestimating me. Believe it or not, people call me the Nation’s Actress.”
“......”
“I think it would be good to know how far we can push each other before the actual shoot. Please? Oh, you can say no, of course.”
After a request like that, refusing would be rude.
More than anything, I was curious too.
Just how far could I take my villain acting?
“Yes, all right. Then I’ll go all out just once in S#123.”
“Thank you! Hehe, now I’m really looking forward to it.”
Tap.
Shin Ah-gyeong and I bumped fists like comrades heading onto a battlefield together.
Just like her, I was starting to look forward to S#123.
* * *
Acting wasn’t something you did alone.
It only showed its true beauty when actors worked in harmony, perfectly exchanging emotions and lines.
But sometimes, that could also hold someone back.
Shin Ah-gyeong, the Nation’s Actress.
She’d been famous as an acting prodigy since childhood, but...
In truth, she’d secretly scoffed at the people who called her a genius.
‘You’re calling me a genius over this? I’m not even giving it my all.’
Even as a child, she’d possessed deep sensitivity and an exceptional talent for acting.
Most actors couldn’t fully keep up with her.
They couldn’t understand her emotions or respond to her performance.
In the end, she’d had no choice but to compromise.
She held back her emotions and adjusted her acting to match her scene partners.
She’d been acting that way for decades now.
People called her the Nation’s Actress, but inside, she still felt a longing for more, along with the regret of never being fully satisfied.
‘I want to act with everything I have, without holding back or compromising.’
And now...
Perhaps that chance had finally come.
“Next, hmm... Shall we try S#123? Ah-gyeong, are you ready?”
“Yes.”
At Director Park Yeong-won’s words, she nodded and picked up her script.
The look in her eyes changed as she began to act.
「You.」
“......!”
The moment she opened her mouth, Director Park Yeong-won and writer Kim Seonmi snapped their heads up.
The fatigue from the long script reading vanished from their eyes in an instant.
「Have the right to remain silent.」
S#123 was the scene where Kim Minu, the main villain in the first half of <The Last Clue>, was arrested.
Kim Minu had killed the younger sibling of Yu Hyeju, the drama’s protagonist.
To her, Kim Minu was a sworn enemy.
As Yu Hyeju arrested the killer of her younger sibling, she swallowed the rage boiling inside her.
「Anything you say from this point on may be used as evidence against you in court.」
“......Wow.”
Even though the lines were ordinary, murmurs of admiration rose around the room.
Shin Ah-gyeong bit her lip, her face twisting. The storm of emotions in her was beyond description.
「...You have the right to an attorney.」
Burning, yet calm.
Firm, yet fragile.
A veteran detective who’d proven herself despite the physical limitations of being a woman and the resentment of those around her.
But in the face of losing family, even she couldn’t help showing weakness.
Somehow holding back her tears, she read the Miranda rights to the bastard who’d killed her younger sibling.
And then...
「Hehe... Fuck... Pfft, hehehehe...!」
The serial killer who’d murdered her younger sibling wore a crazed smile while looking at the detective who’d dared to make the arrest and snap on the handcuffs.
Then, all of a sudden...
Whoooosh.
“......!”
The smile vanished from Kim Minu’s face, leaving only hatred and rage.
‘What the hell...!’
‘That’s terrifying... What is that...?’
Kim Minu glared at Yu Hyeju, radiating a murderous intent almost too intense to face.
「I’ve memorized your face.」
「......」
「Once I’ve served my time, you’re the first bitch I’m coming for.」
Horrifying.
Just a few words and an expression were enough to make it utterly horrifying.
Yet facing that terrifying performance, Shin Ah-gyeong felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
‘Now.’
Now, she didn’t have to compromise.
There was no need to hold back anymore. She poured everything she had into her acting.
「There’s nothing more to consider. You’re getting the death penalty.」
「......」
「Come find me? Like hell you will. Rot away in a cold prison, all alone and miserable.」
She was glad to have caught her sworn enemy and made the killer pay.
But even if she threw the culprit in prison, even if she won...
Her dead younger sibling wouldn’t come back.
A tear rolled down.
She smiled.
Tears and a smile appeared on her face together.
“......Incredible.”
The other actors’ mouths fell open in unison at her performance.
For an actor, witnessing such an unbelievable performance right beside them was a tremendous blessing.
‘...And this is only a script reading.’
‘That’s Shin Ah-gyeong for you. Will I ever see a more perfect performance in my life?’
A powerful wave of emotion swept through the cafe.
But...
「Fine. Then I’ll break out and come find you.」
That emotion soon crumbled before an overwhelming malice.
「If they sentence me to death and hang me, I’ll come find you as a ghost.」
The malice pouring out of Kim Minu was more than anyone could bear.
「I’ll find you, whatever it takes.」
「Not only your already fucking dead sibling, but also your mom, your dad, your kid, your cousins, your nieces and nephews.」
「I’ll kill every last one of them.」
It crushed everything before it.
“......”
“......”
Faced with that impossible presence...
Director Park Yeong-won, writer Kim Seonmi, the other actors, the staff, and...
...even Shin Ah-gyeong.
‘...Ah.’
They shook uncontrollably.
None of them could do anything but tremble.
Only one person could move at that moment.
Lee Hansol... No, Kim Minu poured out malice without restraint until the very last moment, as the killer was arrested and made an exit from the story.
「So I’ll see you next time, you fucking bitch.」
A villain’s role was to lose to the protagonist.
<The Last Clue> was no different.
In the end, the protagonist, Yu Hyeju, defeated Kim Minu.
But Shin Ah-gyeong couldn’t defeat Lee Hansol.
‘...That last expression is going to haunt my dreams for years.’
For the first time in ages, she’d given a performance everything she had. Yet she still couldn’t overcome Lee Hansol’s presence.
Unable to continue her lines, Shin Ah-gyeong set down her script with trembling hands.
“...I’m sorry. I can’t say my next line.”
“......”
“...I still have a long way to go. I’ll make sure I’m fully prepared before the actual shoot.”
Only then did everyone else release the breaths they’d been holding.
“......”
“......”
For a while, the only sounds in the silence were occasional gasps for breath...
Clap, clap, clap.
Then someone suddenly started clapping.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Soon, thunderous applause and cries of amazement filled the cafe.
“...That was insane.”
“...What did I just watch?”
“......They’re both unbelievable.”
They couldn’t help applauding the two actors’ inspired performances.
If they were this good at a mere script reading, what would the actual shoot be like?
A thrilling shiver ran through everyone, actors and production staff alike.
Footnotes:
The firefly line riffs on the Korean song “Firefly,” whose lyrics describe having no friends.
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