The staff bustled about. However, despite their clamor, there was no sense of confusion. Everyone diligently performed their assigned tasks, creating a scene so grand it was almost majestic.
“Should we add more sand here?”
“Is this not enough? Oh, never mind. If it’s insufficient, we obviously need to add more! Should we sprinkle some shells too?”
“Be careful not to hurt your feet; just use an appropriate amount.”
They were currently setting up a beach scene. Although they weren’t actually filming on the beach, the background would later be digitally enhanced with CGI to create the ocean.
“Alright! The sand is perfect!”
“Excellent! We’re heading into the climax! Ready!”
And as Director Park Mu-ryong finally grabbed the megaphone—
“Action!”
Lies, Lies, Lies.
The filming of the climax had begun.
—
Eggs hitting a rock.
It was a futile attempt, much like how Lim Soo-hee (Sua) was trying to save Park Si-yeon (Seo Yeon-joo) all by herself. How could she possibly stop the largest violent organization in South Korea, the Jae-il faction, alone?
Yet, Lim Soo-hee (Sua) did her best to resist.
Whatever Park Si-yeon needed, however uncertain that was, both of them had to survive a little longer to think about it. But now, even that seemed to have reached its limit.
“Ugh…”
Lim Soo-hee, who had fought against nearly ten gang members by herself, was battered and bruised.
“Soo-hee! Lim Soo-hee! Stay with me!”
Si-yeon knew too well that her realization came far too late. The fact that Soo-hee understood it better—after all, it was her body—only deepened the sorrow.
Soo-hee quietly looked up at Si-yeon. Despite the tears brimming in her eyes, she tried to smile, and Park Si-yeon couldn’t help but return the gesture.
Lim Soo-hee (Sua) said—
“Park Si-yeon, you didn’t abandon me, right?”
“I’ll find a way to save you. Just hang on a little longer.”
“How can I believe the words of a liar? I don’t believe you. Anyway, I’m going to die soon. With the state of my body, how could I survive?”
Soo-hee grimaced in pain. Even to someone with no medical knowledge like Park Si-yeon, the wound on her abdomen looked severe.
“Sea…”
“Huh?”
“I want to see the sea. Can you take me there?”
Biting her lip tightly, Park Si-yeon finally carried Soo-hee on her back toward the nearby beach.
—
Step by step, Seo Yeon-joo (Park Si-yeon) carried Lim Soo-hee (Sua) forward, inch by inch.
Lifting Soo-hee made her realize how light the girl was. She admired how Soo-hee had tried so hard for her despite such a frail body. She felt foolish for ever doubting her.
Seo Yeon-joo (Park Si-yeon) forced herself to speak.
“Listen, you ungrateful wretch. If you have anything to say, say it now.”
‘Ungrateful wretch’ was how she referred to herself. Reflecting on her past, she realized how cruelly she had used Lim Soo-hee for her own success.
“Hmm…? I have nothing to say to someone like that.”
“So you don’t?”
“But I might have something to say to a friend.”
“Do you still have friends? Haven’t you cut ties with everyone?”
Seo Yeon-joo’s voice trembled.
It was a cautious way of asking if she was still considered a friend after their big fight at the snack bar, without any communication afterwards.
Lim Soo-hee (Sua) smiled lightly.
“I guess so. You’re my only friend. How could I cut ties with you?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Yeah. You seemed clueless. Not all prosecutors are that smart, I guess. I’ve always thought of you as my friend…”
Soo-hee continued in a weak voice.
“The first time I saw you, you reminded me of myself. We were both dogs on a leash, dragged around by poverty. I wanted to save you. I wanted to make you more than just an ordinary person—someone truly happy…”
Park Si-yeon felt her breath catching in her throat.
She had no idea that Soo-hee helped her for such grand reasons, considering how rarely Lim Soo-hee ever openly expressed her feelings.
Her heart ached.
Finally, with a choked voice, Park Si-yeon spoke.
“Soo-hee, the sea is really beautiful, isn’t it?”
As she said this, Soo-hee (Sua)’s breathing grew even heavier.
“You live your life as a person. I… just bit the hand that fed me and ended up like a dog. It’s funny, looking back on it.”
“We’re both people, you idiot.”
—
“Maybe in the next life, I’ll be born as a human. I’ll wear a school uniform, carry books in my bag, bring a nice pencil case, and study with you. I’ll be smarter than you.”
And with those words, it ended.
Soo-hee’s arm and head fell limply. Her final words were spoken, her life now gone.
Tears streamed down Park Si-yeon’s face.
“Lim Soo-hee, are you sleeping?”
No answer.
Of course, she knew—Lim Soo-hee was dead.
“Soo-hee, Soo-hee, are you sleeping? Are you just sleeping?”
Park Si-yeon’s body shook with sobs. Tears kept falling endlessly.
“Stupid girl. You stupid girl. How can a person like you study? You’d fall asleep during class too… Wake up! Wake up right now!”
Seo Yeon-joo, playing Park Si-yeon, recited the lines with sobs, and—
The actress herself, Seo Yeon-joo, felt like her head was spinning. Her mind went blank.
‘I don’t know… How should I act in the following scenes?’
This was the moment when Seo Yeon-joo, deep in thought, couldn’t find the answer.
—
Hmm. It seems I can’t do it after all. Another NG, maybe.
But then.
At that moment.
“Stop.”
Suddenly, the actress Sua dismounted from Seo Yeon-joo’s back. Surprised, Seo Yeon-joo turned around to see what happened, but Sua called out.
“Director! Can we reshoot this scene?”
It was completely unexpected.
—
The atmosphere on set grew surprisingly heated despite Sua halting the scene. No one was dissatisfied or frustrated; instead, everyone was strangely excited.
“Wow, the chemistry of these two is off the charts.”
“Even during their lines, when Seo Yeon-joo was crying, I couldn’t help but tear up. Is this scene too sad, or what?”
“These two don’t verbally exchange much, but their inner feelings are so clearly conveyed—it’s so poignantly moving.”
“…I wonder how Seo Yeon-joo plans to act in the subsequent scenes.”
Everyone was amazed.
They were all confident of success.
Frankly, after all the meticulous revisions and the script adjustments designed for the climax—akin to the Special Mobile Unit 808 in precision—and considering the harmonious acting of the two actresses, failure seemed unthinkable.
—
However, Seo Yeon-joo’s mind was overwhelmed.
‘What is going on? Why did Sua do this?’
She couldn’t comprehend why Sua wanted to reshoot a scene she had already performed flawlessly.
‘Is she upset about this take and wants to redo it?’
Seo Yeon-joo felt an odd sense of dissonance. She was confident in her performance, so why would Sua insist on reshooting?
‘Oh, right, Sua is a perfectionist.’
She soon accepted it.
Sua was the type who pursued perfection, and perhaps there was a flaw Seo Yeon-joo herself didn’t notice. Besides, they had gained some time, which was helpful since Seo Yeon-joo hadn’t figured out how to proceed. So it wasn’t a bad thing.
Seo Yeon-joo took another deep breath and—
“We’ll start from the beginning! Ready! Action!”
The climax filming resumed.
—
Time passed.
And once again, Lim Soo-hee died.
Her tears streamed down Seo Yeon-joo’s cheeks once more.
Crying wasn’t something Seo Yeon-joo found challenging. It was explicitly written in the script, and expressing raw grief was something she had confidence in.
However.
“Lim Soo-hee, are you sleeping?”
“Soo-hee, Soo-hee, are you sleeping?”
“Stupid girl. You stupid girl. How can someone like you study? You’d fall asleep in class, too… Wake up! Wake up, damn it!”
While reciting the lines, Seo Yeon-joo’s mind grew complicated again. Despite the time gained from reshotting, she still didn’t know how to proceed.
And then, unexpectedly—
“Uh, hold on! Let’s do it again! I’ll redo it!”
Sua jumped off Seo Yeon-joo’s back again.
“…”
Seo Yeon-joo now felt an even stronger sense of dissonance.
—
After some time had passed.
The same pattern continued.
Seo Yeon-joo still couldn’t grasp what honesty meant or understand the true nature of Park Si-yeon’s character. Strangely, despite her numerous attempts, no NG was called.
“I guess we’ll have to do it again.”
“Sorry, let’s try one more take.”
“Let’s try again! I apologize!”
Again, it was Sua. It seemed it would keep happening.
At this point, the same event repeated, but everyone’s perspective was inevitably changing. This reached Seo Yeon-joo’s ears.
“Why is she doing this?”
“Is there some issue?”
Some were genuinely concerned, but it wasn’t just that. Gradually, people began to assume worse scenarios or even express aggravation.
“In the end, she’s still a rookie, isn’t she? Maybe she’s too nervous.”
“She’s hindering Seo Yeon-joo…”
“This way, the sun will rise soon. It’s frustrating since everything went well until now… Everyone is exhausted here…”
Finally, Seo Yeon-joo couldn’t help but approach Sua separately.
“Sua.”
“Yes.”
“Are you…?”
Closing her eyes tightly and reopening them, she asked.
“Is this because of me…? Am I right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Sua responded without hesitation.
Seo Yeon-joo immediately frowned.
“Why?”
“Because you seemed to be struggling a lot, Yeon-joo.”
“I mean, why are you doing it this way? Why?”
After pondering for a moment, Sua said—
“It’s my honesty.”
And nothing else.
Shooting resumed.
—
“Sorry, but can we try it again?”
Once again, Sua jumped off Yeon-joo’s back.
The glances from the crew were turning critical, filled with concern and anger. Seo Yeon-joo looked at Sua with confusion, but Sua showed no hesitation.
‘What is honesty?’
This was Seo Yeon-joo’s question.
At first, she thought she could resolve this by just sharing her thoughts on the topic. That seemed straightforward. But, as expected, things in life weren’t that simple.
Showing someone you understand is one thing; ensuring they truly understand it in return is an entirely different story.
However, Sua finally realized how to make Seo Yeon-joo understand honesty while filming continued.
‘Why didn’t I think of this earlier?’
It was during the scene at the junkyard where Lim Soo-hee killed one of the gang members with her own hands. Even as he died by her actions, he didn’t resent her—he cheered her on instead.
Sua understood at that moment.
What’s the best way to show someone honesty and sincerity?
‘Show it without restraint! Unyieldingly!’
This was the way to teach honesty.
When someone confronts the most raw and unfiltered honesty, they naturally gain the courage to peel away the masks of their own heart. If Sua, playing Lim Soo-hee, could strip away any pretense, Seo Yeon-joo, in her role as Park Si-yeon, could surely do the same.
At least Sua firmly believed so.
Thus—
“Let’s do it one more time!”
Sua called for another NG, with every ounce of sincerity, hoping Park Si-yeon would come out the best and Seo Yeon-joo would rise as her peer.
—
However, they couldn’t repeat it indefinitely. There were physical limitations and, of course, the crew were human beings too.
“So, looks like it’s not working, huh?”
“We’re not the Special Mobile Unit 808, are we.”
“It’s disappointing… Oh, we’ll have to reshoot everything.”
Finally, Director Park Mu-ryong made the decision.
“…We can’t keep going. Let’s make this the final take. If it doesn’t work, we’ll erase the revisions. That’s fine. It was a unreasonable demand from the beginning.”
With that, the final shoot began.
—
“Lim Soo-hee, are you sleeping?”
The moment came again when Lim Soo-hee died.
Seo Yeon-joo’s body trembled violently.
The crew murmured about how well she was performing, unaware of the truth. Seo Yeon-joo’s shaking wasn’t out of acting—it was out of sheer confusion.
‘Honesty? I don’t know what it is. I don’t.’
She was overwhelmed.
Why did Sua trust her so much?
Seo Yeon-joo had confessed everything.
She was inadequate, had no experience with method acting, and this was beyond her capabilities.
But perhaps Sua was like everyone else, expecting far too much from her and repeatedly calling NG at her expense, putting herself and others through unnecessary pain.
It was maddening.
Then, suddenly, she recalled Sua’s words.
The trust and belief Sua had in her?
And the need to express it?
‘What nonsense!’
How could she believe in herself when she was so incompetent? And how could she express something like that?
Besides, hadn’t she already expressed it by saying she couldn’t perform this scene? Why was Sua still forcing her?
The more it went on, the worse she felt—her own inadequacies became painfully clear because she couldn’t do anything while Sua kept sacrificing herself.
But then something happened.
“Sister.”
Sua leaned her head onto Seo Yeon-joo’s shoulder and whispered so softly that the camera wouldn’t catch it.
“Maybe you’re not as extraordinary as everyone thinks, sister. Maybe everyone made a mistake in overestimating you. Maybe you don’t even believe in yourself.”
“…”
“But does that matter? Right now, all I want to act with you. I don’t care what others think. Acting with you is simply… that.”
“…”
It was as if she had been struck on the head with a hammer.
Seo Yeon-joo’s assumptions were wrong.
Sua wasn’t trusting a falsely elevated image of her. She believed Seo Yeon-joo’s confession and was content just to act together with her, as she was.
She had accepted Seo Yeon-joo for who she was.
Seo Yeon-joo had never met anyone like that.
For as long as she could remember, she had lived like a chameleon, changing to fit others’ expectations. She didn’t even know who she truly was.
But why?
Was it because of Sua’s honesty?
Sua herself was completely unguarded in that exact moment. Despite how hard it must have been to speak those words, she did so freely, valuing their acting together above all else. It was both the passion of an actress and the warmth of a companion.
—
Thump… Thump… Thump…
Her heart started pounding.
Her veins were filling with the blood of an actress.
Now, if she listened closely, she believed she could hear her heart speaking. Perhaps she could express it too.
It wouldn’t be for the approval of others, nor out of fear of being disliked. It might lead to disapproval, but for some reason, she felt it was okay to reveal it.
Yes, she gained her first true courage.
—
Park Si-yeon.
Rather, Seo Yeon-joo, standing with Sua on her back, her vision gradually changed.
—
[ Yeoncheon-kyung Guide ]
[ 1. Kim Sun-il ─ Yeoncheon-kyung: Reconciliation ]
[ 2. Seo Yeon-joo ─ Yeoncheon-kyung: ■■ ]
