Ha Eun’s role as Lee Yeo-seo being the villain was already a fact that Da-yeon knew.
She also knew that the character was a psychopathic murderer who had no qualms about killing people.
However, she had never seen Ha Eun’s villainous acting even once.
Furthermore, the chilling nature of the character Lee Yeo-seo surpassed Da-yeon’s expectations.
“Hm….”
– Kkwaaak─!
“Should I strangle them with my hands next time? No, should I cause an accident like that time? I can’t quite figure it out…”
‘…Is that really Lee Ha-eun?’
Unintentionally holding her breath, Da-yeon watched Ha Eun’s figure as she grabbed the already lifeless neck of Song Min-hwa tightly.
The shock that Da-yeon received was immense.
To Da-yeon, Ha Eun was the most familiar person in the world.
Since they had been close since elementary school, she was quite accustomed to Ha Eun’s unique acting style, which handled emotions with ease.
– Kkudang tang!
“Yes, Yeo-seo. What on earth is going on…! No, no, first call 119!”
“It’s too late, oppa. She’s already dead.”
“…Damn…”
“Well, at least she didn’t leave any fingerprints. It’ll be easy to handle.”
However, what Da-yeon was facing now was a form of unfamiliar acting that she was not used to.
Of course, she had never doubted Ha Eun’s outstanding acting skills, but somehow,
‘She must have cried…. But she doesn’t look sad at all.’
Unlike the acting she had been able to clearly identify emotions in before, this time, she could not grasp what emotion was being conveyed at all.
The emotional depth was so shallow, and the way feelings were exhibited was different as well.
Since everything about Ha Eun was familiar to Da-yeon, the character Lee Yeo-seo felt all the more alien.
Today, Ha Eun was only showing the sides of herself that Da-yeon did not know.
“Okay, cut! That’s a wrap~!”
The reason Da-yeon began to look for Ha Eun’s cues now was because of this.
The Ha Eun on the other side was not the Ha Eun that Da-yeon knew.
“…………….”
Quietly closed eyes.
Unwavering slow breathing.
For the next shot, Ha Eun, who was grasping that strange emotional line, seemed like a single rose.
If one approached just looking at her beautiful appearance, they would end up getting pricked by the thorns they hadn’t noticed.
Having witnessed the thorns Ha Eun possessed moments ago, Da-yeon couldn’t easily bring herself closer to her; she felt she was that dangerous.
However, to those who had yet to face those sharp thorns, she was merely a charming flower.
Therefore, one of the characters who still didn’t know the true nature of Yeo-seo called Ha Eun ‘Miss.’
“A cool guy. Or should I say, a cool gal? Doesn’t it feel that way to you, Da-yeon?”
“…What? When did you arrive?”
“An hour ago.”
Yu Sung-jae, who had just said he enjoyed his coffee, turned his gaze back to Ha Eun.
Almost simultaneously, a half-spoken monologue of Yu Sung-jae reached Da-yeon’s ears.
“Standing in front of someone like that and grinning makes me feel embarrassed. Well, it’ll be fine somehow.”
Da-yeon thought those words were concerning the upcoming shoot between Ha Eun and Yu Sung-jae.
However, since she still did not know the detailed plot of <The Veterans>,
“Aren’t you playing the role of the police? Why are you grinning in front of a murderer?”
She began to ask more about the character Kang Chan-seong, played by Yu Sung-jae.
Moreover, she wanted to know more about the relationship between Kang Chan-seong and Lee Yeo-seo.
The reply that came was a weightless response of “If you’re curious, it’s 500 won.”
Da-yeon shot an incredulous look at Yu Sung-jae sitting next to her and gave up on asking further.
“I should ask the person I need to.”
“Seeing is believing. It would be more immersive to see it in person than to hear it from me.”
“Anyone can say that…”
Still, she didn’t say Yu Sung-jae was wrong.
After all, in a film like <The Veterans>, where the audience must understand through only the scenes captured on camera without prior explanation,
She silently watched the next shoot, which was conducted in yet another different set and was the last of the day.
The scene that was about to begin was where Lee Yeo-seo herself would ‘act’ out another side of her character.
On a day like today, Da-yeon hoped that Ha Eun would let her know more explicitly what kind of person Yeo-seo was.
She felt that once she clearly grasped the character of Yeo-seo, she could separate Ha Eun from Lee Yeo-seo.
“Alright, S#55 Café. Let’s begin.”
That said.
“That is, after Song Min-hwa met with Lee Yeo-seo, we lost contact. Do you have any contact with Song Min-hwa?”
“Ah, contact? With Min-hwa….”
Acting with no sense of acting began.
*
“Honestly, I haven’t reached out.”
“Oh…. Then, may I ask what kind of conversation you had when you met with Song Min-hwa?”
To Kang Chan-seong, played by Yu Sung-jae, Lee Yeo-seo was neither more nor less than a mere witness in the Song Min-hwa missing persons case.
Currently, Lee Yeo-seo was not in the suspect list for Kang Chan-seong.
Thus, the attitude Kang Chan-seong held towards her was also lacking in any pronounced hostility; it was an ordinary yet slightly kind demeanor.
Regardless, to solve the Song Min-hwa case, they needed Lee Yeo-seo’s cooperation.
“Are you referring to the conversation I had with Min-hwa…?”
“Yes. Did Song Min-hwa mention where she planned to go in the future? Did you hear anything like that?”
“Well, honestly, there was a little argument between us. So, it’s a bit… hard to talk about it with others.”
“A disagreement?”
Simultaneously, a small recorder was pulled from Lee Yeo-seo’s bosom and placed in front of Kang Chan-seong.
What followed was the recorded voice of Song Min-hwa.
However, since most of the content was cursing Lee Yeo-seo,
“As you just heard, we weren’t really on good terms. The reason I met with Min-hwa was because of this recording.”
“Ah….”
In front of her, Lee Yeo-seo, it dawned on them that she wasn’t close to Song Min-hwa.
She realized that they were not on terms to discuss Song Min-hwa’s destination.
With the thought of taking a futile step, disappointment gradually rose over Kang Chan-seong’s face.
In response, Lee Yeo-seo began to form a smile as if piecing a puzzle together, starting from the smallest part.
And then, softly.
In the blink of an eye, the subtle smile she had created met with Kang Chan-seong.
A sense of discomfort naturally arose.
Having clearly seen what Lee Yeo-seo had just done with her own eyes, Da-yeon felt a chill from the smile that Lee Yeo-seo had manufactured.
A cold smile devoid of any emotion.
Although the corners of her mouth and her eyes formed a shape of a smile, her gaze was utterly void.
It wasn’t even a gaze that scrutinized.
It was simply indifferent.
“Why… are you doing this? Is there something on my face?”
“Oh, no. I was just curious what the police feel like. I have some personal curiosities.”
She looked.
Weighing the life in front of her with Lee Yeo-seo’s twisted values, which were detached from morality and ethics.
Despite that, there was no sign of awkwardness in the subtle smile.
“Wait, am I being confessed to right now?”
“Hm…. It’s probably not the kind of confession you’re thinking of.”
As it was the first time looking at Lee Yeo-seo, Kang Chan-seong couldn’t help but be momentarily deceived.
On the other hand, the stark contrast of sensations evoked by Kang Chan-seong’s carefree demeanor shocked Da-yeon.
And then.
– Smile.
“If I hear from Min-hwa, I’ll make sure to let you know.”
“Ah, yes. I would really appreciate that.”
The chill stemming from a murderer deceiving the police with an unchanging expression.
The subtle difference in whether they had seen the truth or not had sparked two very different reactions from Kang Chan-seong and Da-yeon.
Ultimately, the current Lee Yeo-seo was an ordinary sight anywhere.
There was nothing suspicious about any part of her.
If Da-yeon hadn’t been aware of Lee Yeo-seo’s true identity, she wouldn’t have felt even an ounce of fear.
The very fact created another kind of fear that drew Da-yeon deeper into her thoughts.
Could Kang Chan-seong, the police, be targeted for murder too?
No, could Lee Yeo-seo genuinely intend to kill the police?
The ominous assumptions that naturally surfaced in Da-yeon’s mind ultimately turned out to be accurate.
Because just a few seconds later, the subtle smile had vanished from Lee Yeo-seo’s face as she gazed in the distance at Kang Chan-seong, who was disappearing.
Her calm, serpent-like gaze was directed towards her new prey, the police.
It was not the gaze of a person looking at another person.
Thus, slowly, Lee Yeo-seo’s insensible gaze shifted towards Kang Chan-seong’s business card, and cut.
The shooting for the day had completely finished.
Afterward, as expected, Ha Eun made her way to the dressing room.
Once she had changed back into her original clothes, by the time she returned to Da-yeon, she did not seem much different from the usual shoot.
However.
– Swoosh.
“Here.”
“…Are you giving this to me?”
“Then who else would I be giving it to if not you?”
As Kim Jin-soo, Da-yeon’s manager, handed one of the pieces of cake he had brought,
Da-yeon added, with an excuse that it wouldn’t mean anything if he only bought her snack, which didn’t seem very convincing.
“Did Da-yeon eat something wrong?”
“…That’s not it.”
She was puzzled by the kindness that had started with coffee, continued with a cameo appearance, and concluded with a piece of cake.
It was entirely different from Da-yeon’s usual self.
Yet, for some reason, Da-yeon, unable to meet Ha Eun’s gaze, realized then.
Upon thinking back, it seemed she had acted with more strength than usual, knowing Da-yeon was watching.
It felt like Ha Eun’s eerily impressive acting had frightened Da-yeon into this state.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Da-yeon to offer snacks, like a piece of cake.
Of course, this went unspoken.
Da-yeon would have responded nothing if asked directly about how scary Ha Eun’s acting had been.
“Well, it’s delicious.”
Regardless, there’s nothing quite as delightful as a sweet treat after a tough acting session.
She spent time chatting with Da-yeon while eating the cake until Ju Jung-yun came to take Ha Eun.
As time flowed, Ha Eun and Da-yeon each boarded Ju Jung-yun and Kim Jin-soo’s van.
More specifically, after they arrived home, had their late dinner,
– Ding.
[Diah’s stream has started.]
[Invincible Idol☆]
“…Um….”
The two individuals, each at their computers for different reasons, soon met again under the different names of a virtual YouTuber and viewers.
What was unexpected was that Diah’s avatar was a fully moving 3D avatar from head to toe.
‘…Didn’t they say the VR was broken? When did they buy a new one?’
Thus, while Da-yeon was puzzled by the sudden appearance of the 3D avatar,
With a sound effect, Diah’s fashion changed to a more hip style.
“Idol entry─!”
The originally worn off-shoulder white dress had vanished, replaced with a cropped top and short skirt shorts.
Finally, a cap worn backward and light sunglasses were quickly added.
Shortly after, a famous idol song began to play.
Almost simultaneously, the dance that Ha Eun had performed while filming the support video for the fantasy realm appeared again through Diah’s 3D avatar.
– Why do you dance so well??
– The outfit suits you perfectly
– When did you practice this again? Hahaha
– I shouldn’t say an old lady of 600 years, whose joints are rusty, can’t do this, right?
For a moment, there was no thought of her being a murderer who had brutally killed her classmate just hours earlier.
In the face of presenting a skillful dance while beaming at the viewers, there was nowhere to find Lee Yeo-seo in Diah’s appearance.
Regardless, Da-yeon was the only one who faced Diah’s soul-destroying red pill.
So, a wry smile naturally escaped her lips.
“…What on earth is this person’s true identity….”
