Chapter 158

Vroooom─!

‘Lies, Lies, Lies’ filming has begun, and Sua’s mind is racing non-stop.

Most of it is worry.

‘…What should I do? I still don’t have a solid plan.’

[ Lies, Lies, Lies ]

▶ Sufficient material elements

▶ Grade 4

Currently pointing at Grade 4, Sua couldn’t even properly identify the cause. Naturally, without knowing the cause, she couldn’t think of a way to improve the grade.

‘I just have to give it my all and act.’

That’s all Sua could ever do, whether in the past or now. Of course, even after giving it her all, the work’s rating might not improve… but she just had to accept it.

‘But I don’t regret helping Yeon-joo.’

Yeon-joo was a dear older sister-like figure who taught tenderness to the lonely Sua and a thankful senior who had shown goodwill since her rookie days. Conversely, not helping Yeon-joo now would obviously lead to regret later.

So, just Keep going forward, Sua. No need to be afraid.

Sua Forward!

‘Alright, let’s handle Lies, Lies, Lies for now.’

Sua’s gaze then turned to the script.

None other than Director Yusaku’s scenario. In other words, the work stored in Sua’s mind as ‘Saukuzawa’.

It’s kind of… surprising.

‘…So I’m receiving a scenario from an overseas director? Me?’

How should I describe this? Like getting a friend request from a top foreign gamer while playing? Afterwards, Sua tried to compare it to a restaurant but failed due to her low intelligence.

Anyway.

‘I completely forgot about this. I really didn’t think about it at all.’

Remember when he drew Sua as a yakuza on the tablet during their last meeting? There hadn’t been any contact since then. So, she was also worried if something went wrong.

Sua first looked at the title.

[ Minami Sawako – Lily of the Valley ]

Sua was instantly impressed upon seeing the title.

‘Lily of the Valley? It feels epic from the title itself. It’s like a technique name from a martial arts story. It seems like something an extraordinary female swordsman would use.’

–Ahahaha. Lily of the Valley is a flower name though…

–What, do you not know what a Lily of the Valley is? Lily of the Valley?

Sua belatedly coughed.

‘That was a joke. A joke.’

The Suahoes responded by questioning if her entire life was a joke but Sua ignored it. Yes, whatever, Suahoes.

Kim I-seo then spoke up.

“Director Yusaku is apparently in Korea right now.”

“Really? Why?”

Sua wondered if he forgot something like his wallet.

“To gather inspiration. Experiencing many landscapes is a famous method for broadening one’s artistic horizons.”

“Ah.”

“But,”

Kim I-seo suddenly put more emphasis in her tone.

“Of course, there must be a real purpose.”

“Real purpose?”

“Sua.”

Kim I-seo turned her gaze on Sua.

“Of course, Sua is the purpose.”

“Me?”

“Not only did he deliver his script to Mystic, but he also seems to be waiting for their next meeting date. He’s probably here early to be ready whenever necessary.”

Sua thought. What?

‘In essence, this means he’s here just to meet me?’

It was bound to bring fresh feelings. The fact that someone wants Sua is already unfamiliar, but even more so when that person comes early from overseas to wait.

“And what he said during your last meeting seems to have been sincere. It’s probably that he judged no one other than Sua could pull off the yakuza role. From Mystic’s perspective, it’s absolutely ideal.”

“Agreed.”

SuaAgreed.

This time Sua truly understood. Since Mystic considers Sua irreplaceable, it means Mystic’s position is good, right? That the contract deposit can be called higher… – Pssh!

‘…’

Sua’s brain overloaded and stopped.

–Well.

–Oh dear.

While restarting her brain by blinking her eyes rapidly, Kim I-seo, upon seeing this, panicked prematurely.

…It’s only natural. With Sua’s face wildly blinking, who wouldn’t panic?

Especially, Kim I-seo had her own suspicions.

‘Ah, don’t tell me… Please, what am I worrying about?’

She was anxious. What if Sua says no again?

Though Kim I-seo technically had a higher position, reflecting on the times when choosing works, everything always went according to Sua’s decisions. Kim I-seo was praying. Please, not that.

‘The connection with Director Yusaku must not be missed.’

Yusaku was a rare master known on both the Korean and Japanese sides. If a rising star expands to Japan, they’re bound to receive immense attention.

This has never happened before.

To Kim I-seo, Sua was starting to feel like a meteor star. Too fast to catch up with, with unstoppable success, it was akin to a natural disaster. She even found it difficult to imagine what Sua would become in a few years. It’s truly hard to tell where she’ll end up going.

Finally, Kim I-seo spoke up.

“Sua, there’s no turning back, right? You’ll do it, right?”

“Hmm.”

Sua, having restarted her system, activated a special feature.

[ Lily of the Valley ]

▶ Sufficient material elements

▶ Grade 2

“Whoa!”

Sua gave a short but loud exclamation.

Starting at grade 2 means it’s already excellent. It signifies approaching the work guaranteed with a minimum score. Moreover, if she puts in the effort, the grade will surely increase further.

Also, the base value is high! It shows the potential is boundless!

And then suddenly a question arose.

‘…Is Grade 1 the highest for this?’

For some reason, it doesn’t seem like it.

After all, shouldn’t the works known as the masterpieces of the century be in a different league from the ones Sua has done so far? There must definitely be a distinguishing factor.

‘Meh, doesn’t matter.’

Sua slightly curled her lips.

‘I will really put my all into it and make it go skyrocketing above grade 1. I’ll create an absolutely golden portfolio.’

Not particularly smart but never gives up! That’s Sua’s motto!

“I won’t go back on my word. I’ll do my best.”

Only then did Kim I-seo sigh in relief.

Sua then became curious about something else.

‘Minami Sawako?’

Upon searching the name on her phone, no information came up. Huh? Is she a newcomer? But Sua soon decided not to worry about it. Given the high grade, it probably doesn’t matter.

◈◈◈◈◈

3 hours later.

‘Lies, Lies, Lies’ filming location.

“Let’s eat lunch and then get back to work!”

The site, which had been operating like clockwork, paused for a moment. After all, this is work to make a living, isn’t it? Everyone gathered around and picked up their utensils.

Thanks to the good atmosphere on set, hardly anyone ate separately. The crew gathered without distinguishing departments, and actors could occasionally be seen as well.

Of course, their mouths were not busy with just food.

“Didn’t Yeon-joo act insanely well today?”

There’s nothing better than gossip as a side dish. Enduring the tough filming schedule, it’s more than just filling one’s stomach.

“I thought Yeon-joo was possessed or something.”

“…It’s like Park Si-yeon herself came to life.”

“Initially, it’s so fitting. She’s so innocent looking, how can you not get deceived when she lures you? If Yeon-joo were a real con artist, I would’ve already lost my house and car.”

Everyone laughed heartily for some time, and compliments for Seo Yeon-joo continued. She truly did deserve it.

However, topics change with time.

“After lunch, isn’t it Sua’s turn?”

“Yes, I heard she’s coming now.”

The topic of interest was Sua.

“…I never expected this. Isn’t Sung-hwan gone because of that controversial post on SNS? And we were wondering who would fill the vacancy, but it’s Sua?”

“That’s right. We were already grateful anyone would fill it, but it’s even better than before.”

This much was certainly a normal conversation.

Yeah, that’s how it was.

“Are you curious about Sua in real life?”

“That’s right. I’m so curious about what kind of person she is.”

This curiosity towards Sua was the beginning.

Soon, facts mingled with rumors surfaced.

“She’s well-known as an overseas artist who speaks foreign languages well. And she seems to have a human touch, right? I’ve watched her three times on MyTube’s entertainment shows.”

“I fell for Kim Yu-han and checked her out on Namepedia. It says she reads a lot and is very intellectual.”

“A friend of mine worked in the sound team for Special Mobile Unit 808, and she says Sua composed the climax background music herself. Her passion and skills for her craft are no joke.”

“…Wow, are we really lucky then?”

All kinds of talk that would surprise Sua if she heard them.

Of course, it was understandable. The people present had only interacted with Sua through Namepedia, forums, TV drama roles, acquaintances’ testimonies, and entertainment characters.

Who could know the truth about Sua? Nobody!

“But, will she be alright? I mean, for the Lim Soo-hee role.”

“Sure, she’s playing a female gang leader, right?”

“Yeah. It’s not really a common role anyway. Kim Yu-han wore men’s clothing and used special effects, but Lim Soo-hee is a plain female character, isn’t it? Will that be okay?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

But despite that valid point,

“Anyway, since it’s Sua, it’ll likely be fine somehow. Let’s trust.”

Everyone agreed to trust and decided on that.

There was one thing certain.

At this moment, Sua was receiving great expectations and questions. The fact that everyone was so engaged in gossip despite the food growing cold was proof of that.

◈◈◈◈◈

Brrrrr─!

Meanwhile, Sua opened the script for Lies, Lies, Lies.

“To support Yeon-joo, what I need to do is clear. I need to give my best and act diligently.”

Since the grade is still a 4, Sua was more serious than ever, with an intention to put on a performance that could be called ‘the acting of her lifetime’ for both herself and Yeon-joo.

Sssssss─!

Sua was intensifying the feelings of Im Soo-hee, the action leader of Kyeyilpa. It helps her focus better in this state while reading.

“The scene I’ll film today is…”

It’s a later timepoint than the parts Sua had previously experienced, after Seo Yeon-joo had prepared for the judicial examination. Seo Yeon-joo had already become a prosecutor.

Sua suddenly paused her hand as she flipped a page.

“Really? Now that she’s a prosecutor, she doesn’t seem happy?”

After becoming a prosecutor, Seo Yeon-joo instead became depressed.

She expected to stride on a smooth path as soon as she became a prosecutor, but reality was different because of lack of connections.

Park Si-yeon (Seo Yeon-joo) was from a humble background, lacked connections as a prosecutor, and was even a woman. Ultimately, it led to her doing back-to-back work, nearly to the verge of clinical depression.

However,

An opportunity for Seo Yeon-joo’s life to change came.

“Prosecutorial headquarters, the top 1% prosecutor Kang In-hak.”

Seo Yeon-joo meets Kang In-hak and realizes that the lives of prosecutors aren’t all the same just because they wear the ‘prosecutor’ badge. Kang In-hak had a life that anyone would admire, controlling everything.

Seo Yeon-joo made her decision.

“What the…?”

Sua’s eyes widened, then she calmed herself.

“Alright, calm down, Sua. This is the choice made by the role, not Yeon-joo’s choice. Right, it’s only a script!”

Because Park Si-yeon (Seo Yeon-joo) dedicated everything, her face and body, to Kang In-hak, her life turned around.

Sua felt a twinge after reading this.

“This doesn’t sit well with me. She worked hard to become a prosecutor, but she didn’t get to shine for her efforts. Instead, she climbed to success as a trade-off for her body…”

But the content that followed was even more disheartening.

For someone like Seo Yeon-joo who had been repressed all this time, coercion, deception, and fraud turned out to be incredibly sweet.

Seo Yeon-joo started ruthlessly trampling on those lower than her to fulfill her desires, and all sorts of cruel clean-ups were taken care of by Im Soo-hee (Sua).

Today’s filming was about Sua’s cruel clean-ups.

Though it was sad to see Seo Yeon-joo change, it was disheartening to be helping her with such actions. With no power to stop Yeon-joo and unable to betray their old friendship, she just carried out her tasks.

And even ends up dying in place of Yeon-joo.

That’s what Sua would become today.

◈◈◈◈◈

Sua finally arrived at the filming location.

Lies, Lies, Lies, I am here! SuaEntrance!

Even if the grade is low, I will somehow save it! There’s no such thing as giving up in Sua’s dictionary! Why? Because there’s nothing in Sua’s dictionary to begin with! SuaSuaFighting!

Just when Sua was affirming her determination, Kim I-seo spoke.

“Sua, I have to go greet people around first. Can you go see Yeon-joo for me? She’s not answering her phone, but she’s probably in the lounge. If not, the van.”

Sua shook her head vigorously.

I had missed seeing Yeon-joo for a while.

…

…

…

…

…

After a moment, Sua tilted her head.

‘She’s not in the lounge at all, is she?’

It appeared the lounge wasn’t being used at all. There were none of Yeon-joo’s bags or personal items. What is this great deductive power you ask? It’s from Kim Yu-han!

Afterwards, Sua’s destination was clear.

Sua walked around the parking lot.

‘Van that’s the same, van that’s the same…’

Finding Yeon-joo’s van wouldn’t be hard. All she had to do was find one just like Sua’s.

“Ah, there it is.”

The moment she spotted it, she had to tilt her head again. The van’s door was slightly open. Hmm? Did someone leave with the door open?

With a creak, Sua carefully opened the door and…

“…”

And immediately froze like a statue.

She hadn’t failed to find Yeon-joo. She’d found her alright.

“Yeon-joo?”

But there was no response.

Seo Yeon-joo was lying on the floor.

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