Chapter 165

The trembling eyes.

The gaze instinctively directed downwards towards the life before me.

A voice that clearly showed signs of fear.

“Hmm… It really is Min Da-yeon.”

To Director Kim Hong-seong, Da-yeon’s acting was realistic.

It was an immersive performance that accurately conveyed how an ordinary person would feel when faced with an unpredictable character like Lee Yeo-seo.

“‘I-I’m sorry, Director. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again…’”

“Words aren’t enough for something so obvious. Trust can only be restored through actions, don’t you think?”

Immediately after, Ha Eun’s left hand rested on Da-yeon’s shoulder.

Startled by the slight pressure of Ha Eun’s hand, Da-yeon lowered her head deeply, showing an utterly frightened expression.

Of course, to Director Kim Hong-seong, this was also great acting.

Despite being a brief cameo appearance, he was grateful for Da-yeon’s dedication to immersing herself in the role.

However, Da-yeon herself was genuinely terrified of the hand gripping her shoulder.

This was understandable, as it was only a few days ago that this very hand had crushed a VR controller with just a grip.

‘… She must not have noticed already, right?’

The thief feels as if their own feet are caught; Da-yeon had her own reasons to fear Ha Eun’s grip.

It was a physiological fear that existed beyond the emotional trajectory outlined in the short script.

Although she was well aware that they were filming, fear was still fear.

Why do people feel fear when they experience putting their hand into the mouth of a crocodile?

“…I’ll do my best.”

“Don’t just try, do it well. Please.”

Once Ha Eun delivered her final line, she smiled and released Da-yeon’s shoulder.

Yet, Da-yeon’s face still showed lingering fear.

Thanks to Da-yeon’s overwhelming immersion, the scene was completed without a hitch in just one take.

Only Da-yeon knew that the emotions she displayed were real.

Perhaps that’s why.

“Is it because you two are close? You really fit well together in the same angle. There’s synergy in your acting.”

“Yeah, well…”

Da-yeon did not refute Director Kim Hong-seong’s mistaken notion.

There was no reason to insist on the truth.

However, even after Da-yeon finished her cameo shoot, she continued to gauge Ha Eun’s mood.

Having felt a slight sincerity from Ha Eun during the previous shoot, Da-yeon couldn’t help but suspect whether Ha Eun already knew Hida’s true identity.

“I thought my shoulder was going to break.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

To be precise, even Ha Eun couldn’t claim that she had no feelings in her previous performance.

Memories of the emotional turmoil Da-yeon had caused her kept resurfacing.

However, due to her firm conviction that Hida and Da-yeon had to be separate entities, she tried not to reveal her feelings for Hida to Da-yeon.

‘This needs to be thorough.’

Hida is Hida.

Da-yeon is Da-yeon.

If she were to deny this absolute truth, Ha Eun could not claim to be in a respectable position either.

In the end, thanks to the collaboration of Hida and Diah, Hida’s broadcast had significantly grown, which she ultimately saw as a good thing to let go of.

Eventually, she praised Da-yeon’s neat outfit for that reason.

“Office look suits you well.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

A pristine white blouse.

A tight business skirt.

It was a new fashion that Da-yeon had not particularly worn before.

In a good way, one could say it suited her minor role nicely.

Ha Eun’s evaluation of this was, in a way, natural.

After all, the name Min Da-yeon didn’t quite fit with minor roles.

This was the first time appearing as a minor character without significant weight.

Therefore, Da-yeon’s ordinary office fashion felt slightly new.

“Hey, Lee Ha-eun.”

“?”

“Can I change my clothes now? There are no more scenes to shoot, right?”

Da-yeon, who felt uncomfortable in her outfit, quickly changed back into her original clothes.

This led Ha Eun, without realizing it, to ask a question.

“Da-yeon, have you… gained weight—”

“NO.”

“Um, okay.”

For just a moment, Ha Eun withdrew her previous question at Da-yeon’s fierce glare.

Of course, as Da-yeon still had many pricks of self-consciousness regarding Ha Eun, she quickly averted her gaze.

The moment Ha Eun asked Da-yeon if she was going home, things took a turn.

However, Da-yeon responded by asking the same question back instead of answering.

“And you?”

“I still have some things left to do.”

“Then I’ll just wait for you. I don’t have anything to do at home anyway.”

In the end, Da-yeon also agreed to Ha Eun’s request to watch her shoot.

To be honest, she wanted to tease Da-yeon about why a senior in high school would have nothing to do, but she had resolved to tone down her jokes from then on.

On the other hand, Da-yeon was preoccupied only with reading Ha Eun’s moods, questioning whether she knew Hida’s true identity or was upset towards her.

As time passed by, when it was nearly time to prepare for the next scene, Ha Eun emerged from the dressing room wearing a different style of suit.

Her new outfit had a more weighty appearance, and Da-yeon’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… you just look like a mafia boss.”

“Ugh.”

For some reason, the blouse and suit vest looked luxurious.

A neatly tied black tie.

And decisively, Ha Eun’s large-sized jacket over her shoulders.

“It looks like you could smoke a cigar any moment now.”

“…Cigarettes aren’t good for your health.”

“It’s just a feeling; it looks like that.”

Da-yeon found the fashion to have a strong presence.

With a more proper outfit, Ha Eun’s charisma felt amplified.

Perhaps knowing that Lee Yeo-seo was playing a villain added to the subtle pressure Da-yeon felt.

Similarly, the supporting actress Seo Na-rin, whom Ha Eun was about to meet soon, felt the same weight of pressure.

She was set to appear as Yeo-seo’s high school classmate in the upcoming “The Veterans,” so Ha Eun’s intimidating presence was hard to ignore.

‘This is odd; I’m older than her.’

Was it that she unconsciously felt diminished?

Ha Eun had a certain atmosphere about her at that moment.

“Well then, let’s begin. …Action!”

-Slap!

With Director Kim Hong-seong’s cue, the sound of the slate filled the filming location.

Seo Na-rin, looking quite tense, entered Lee Yeo-seo’s office and then cautiously sat on the guest sofa.

“Uh, Yeo-seo, why did you call me?”

Given the somewhat tense relationship with Seo Na-rin’s character, Song Min-hwa, Yeo-seo was surprised that Min-hwa had summoned her.

Then came a brief pause.

Immediately after, Ha Eun set down her coffee mug, and then placed a recording device on the marble table.

“Min-hwa, I hear you said something interesting at the reunion.”

“I-I did? At the reunion? What did I say?”

“You’ll know when you hear it.”

With that, beep.

A small audio file began to play from the recording device as Yeo-seo pressed the play button.

“Lee Yeo-seo, what a pain. Treating people like they’re beneath her—”

“Not even pretending to be rich. What’s with decked out in luxury from head to toe—”

The derogatory remarks about Yeo-seo filled the office.

Min-hwa’s face began to go pale.

“Y-Yeah, Yeo-seo. This is, um…”

“I hope you don’t say it’s a misunderstanding.”

“…Ugh…”

A cold look devoid of any feeling just stared at Min-hwa, who was tremblingly picking up her coffee mug to take a sip, trying to withstand the palpable tension.

This hellish silence lingered for a moment.

Unable to bear the sight of Yeo-seo waiting in silence for Min-hwa’s explanation any longer, she finally spoke.

“So what? Are you going to sue me? For a few trivial backbiting comments at the reunion!”

“I won’t sue. I just called because I was curious.”

“Curious about what? Why I criticized you?”

There was no response to Min-hwa’s hostile tone.

The icy gaze remained unwavering.

Min-hwa felt exasperated at Yeo-seo’s unflinching composure, no matter what she said.

How could someone be that dismissive?

“I enjoyed the coffee. I’ll be going.”

With that, clunk.

Min-hwa hastily stood up from the sofa and finally left.

Until that moment, Yeo-seo hadn’t grabbed or called her back.

Yet still, Min-hwa’s steps toward the exit felt compelled.

-Shudder.

“…Huh?”

Min-hwa’s vision momentarily blurred.

She saw herself collapsed on the office floor, having fallen at some point.

“I heard it’s newly developed, and it works well.”

“You… You… what did you put in my coffee…?”

“An anesthetic with narcotics.”

“Y-you crazy—!”

Slowly, Yeo-seo’s shadow approached Min-hwa.

The serene voice seeped into Min-hwa’s fading consciousness like a gentle stream.

Yet, the content of that voice couldn’t possibly be described as soothing.

After all, it was an odd statement unfathomable by her sensibilities.

“I’ve never killed a friend, so I’d like you to tell me how it feels, Min-hwa.”

Almost simultaneously, whack.

Yeo-seo’s gloved hand ruthlessly struck Min-hwa’s face.

Sometimes pressing down from above.

Sometimes fiercely slapping her cheeks.

Sometimes striking head-on with the intent to break bones.

With every method imaginable for a person to inflict pain, Yeo-seo beat Min-hwa until, finally, at the very end, she reached for a blade.

And there, facing Min-hwa’s anguished expression, she plunged.

Yeo-seo’s black dagger pierced deep into Min-hwa’s chest.

“…Ugh…!”

At last, the sound of Min-hwa’s powerless final scream echoed.

Her focus vanished from her eyes.

Yet, for some reason, Yeo-seo bore an expression of disappointment.

Her eyes slightly reddened for some reason.

In less than a few seconds, plop.

A warm tear trickled down Yeo-seo’s face, washing away the blood from Min-hwa.

“What’s this… it’s the same. I was expecting more.”

After several more thrusts of the knife into Min-hwa, Yeo-seo eventually let out a faint sigh.

Almost simultaneously, the dagger clattered as it fell.

Finally, the camera captured Yeo-seo dragging Min-hwa by her hair.

Then, after throwing Min-hwa into the corner of the office, Yeo-seo’s foot began to press down on her body.

“…It seems friends aren’t any different.”

Every scene presented was something Da-yeon could not grasp why it was happening.

The more she did not understand, the more chilling it became.

Ultimately, the thought that perhaps this might be Da-yeon’s future lingered in her mind.

How long could she endure if that indifferent gaze, having crossed the line no one should cross, were directed at her?

‘I should ask Jin-soo oppa to buy some cake.’

Eventually, she called her manager to request snacks for Ha Eun and Da-yeon for that reason.

It seemed she needed to offer bribes like snacks to make the malicious intent from beyond pass by.

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