Chapter 171

Yeo-seo hated Chan-seong.

Or rather, it wasn’t that she hated him so much that she wanted to kill him.

It was just pure curiosity.

-Whoosh─!

-Crash!

​

「Cough!」

「You might want to give up. Normally, poison spreads faster when you move.」

She wanted to harm Chan-seong simply because she was curious about what it would feel like to kill a police officer.

In a way, she was like a child who had discovered a new toy.

Or a mischievous kid trying to step on an ant out of curiosity.

The punches flying toward Chan-seong were filled with murderous intent but lacked true malice.

Chan-seong gritted his teeth, desperately trying to withstand Yeo-seo’s attacks, but as the effects of the drug spread, he was soon completely subdued.

-Screech!

​

「Ugh, cough…!」

「Shh, be good. Just sleep peacefully….」

With Chan-seong pinned down, Yeo-seo scanned his every reaction with her curious gaze from head to toe.

For Yeo-seo, Chan-seong was a delicacy she had never experienced before.

Therefore, she picked up a dagger that had fallen on the ground and aimed it at Chan-seong’s heart.

She wanted to share a moment of eye contact with Chan-seong while watching him take his last breath.

So.

​

-Creak.

「…!…!!」

Yeo-seo’s blade began to dig shallowly into Chan-seong’s chest.

Chan-seong’s face contorted in pain.

However, Yeo-seo’s face still wore a calm smile.

Soon, she leaned down toward Chan-seong’s ear and whispered, asking him to tell her how he felt.

「Is it cold? Does it hurt? Is it stinging? Say something, okay?」

​

-Knock knock.

「…Damn. What is this.」

Before she could even take a proper breath, the sound of knocking came from beyond.

She couldn’t breathe until she heard the voice of the supporting actor announcing the end of S#130’s office scene.

Empty, motionless eyes.

In stark contrast, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

Her head tilted just a bit.

What Chan-seong was being crushed by certainly did not feel like a person or something human.

Even though her voice was filled with excitement, her exterior was utterly calm.

To put it bluntly, it was grotesque.

Even at the moment when she raised her fist high to momentarily knock Chan-seong out.

-Whack─!

She finally knocked Chan-seong unconscious with a punch that accurately struck his carotid artery.

The thought that she was someone broken lingered in her mind.

「Haah…. Hoo….」

So, while breathing deeply with her hair spread over the unconscious Chan-seong, she raised her head to the sound of another knock.

The expressionless face began to form emotions after that.

-Creak.

「What’s the matter?」

A youthful smile blossomed with soft, twinkly eyes.

It was a harmless face that one could hardly associate with someone who had just tried to kill a person.

The narrowing of her eyes and the tilting of her head were not that different from how Chan-seong had looked just moments earlier.

However, unlike just a moment ago when she was solely focused on harming Chan-seong.

「Hmm, you’re protesting? Why?」

「Well, I think the compensation for the recent Yuksung Building incident was too low…」

「Ah, you think the compensation is too low.」

Because a sense of ease without a hint of awkwardness mixed into her expression, voice, and gestures.

She seemed like a completely different person than before.

​

「This is not a pre-reported protest. I will just call the police and have them handle it.」

「No, don’t call the police. Just send them to me. They say they can’t even afford a meal.」

-Smirk.

​

「Things that can be resolved with words should be resolved with words. No need to make a fuss.」

Then, with a gradually bending curve of her eyes, the cut ended.

The filming of S#130 office was completed.

*

“What should we do, Ha-eun? I think there are handprints on my neck.”

“…Huh? Really?”

“Take a good look. Doesn’t it look a bit red and swollen here?”

Ha-eun’s gaze hurriedly turned to Yu Sung-jae’s neck.

Gone was the previous indifference, replaced by her eyes shaking like a vibrating bell, prompting a chuckle from Yu Sung-jae.

“It’s a joke.”

“…………….”

Her gaze suddenly turned icy.

Her slightly protruding lips.

Realizing she had been tricked, Ha-eun turned her back and took a few steps away from Yu Sung-jae.

In turn, Yu Sung-jae, feeling a little guilty for joking, handed her a paper cup filled with coffee.

“Your expression was just too scary. I had to make a joke.”

“There are other things to joke about….”

“I’m sorry. Still, it’s nice to finally see the Ha-eun I know.”

Soon, Yu Sung-jae’s voice inquired about Ha-eun’s wrist condition.

He tentatively mentioned that he might have grabbed her wrist too tightly during the filming of S#130 in the office.

“Didn’t it hurt? I realized it after I grabbed it.”

“…? When?”

“That time I knocked you down to the floor. When I whispered in your ear.”

At Yu Sung-jae’s detailed explanation, Ha-eun paused for a moment, trying to remember if that had happened.

However, no matter how much she thought, she could not recall.

“…Was that applying strength?”

“Yes.”

During the filming of S#130, Ha-eun had never once felt Yu Sung-jae’s strength in his arm.

When Ha-eun honestly shared this, a slightly dejected expression appeared on Yu Sung-jae’s face.

“…I work out a bit…. I have at least a little bit of a six-pack…”

Looks like that’s not going to work on Ha-eun either.

With a shy smile, Yu Sung-jae said this while gently staring at Ha-eun’s forearm.

‘It doesn’t look too obvious from the outside. Is this what real compression muscles feel like….’

Of course, Yu Sung-jae didn’t voice his thoughts.

No matter how much Ha-eun didn’t like being discussed regarding muscles, it could have made her feel uncomfortable.

He could have asked about Ha-eun’s arm muscles if he really wanted to.

The only reason he refrained was that he somehow sensed her discomfort might translate into actions.

‘People like her can actually be frightening when they get angry.’

It wasn’t just scary by overwhelming presence; it was also physically intimidating.

Shortly after this thought crossed his mind, Yu Sung-jae averted his gaze.

The preparation for the filming of ‘S#131 Agreement’ began thereafter.

The child actor who would join the filming had just arrived at the set, and Ha-eun moved to greet the child actor.

While part of Ha-eun’s motivation for approaching was just wanting to befriend them.

The most crucial reason was the atmosphere of S#131.

‘It might be scary for a 9-year-old.’

After witnessing Kim Min-seong, the child actor, struggling during the filming of <The Shine>, Ha-eun had been especially mindful of working with child actors.

Thus, she calmly greeted both the child and their mother for that very reason.

She also didn’t forget to express her hope for a good cooperation.

“In a bit, I’ll very gently kind of pat our Kyu-jae’s head. It’s not hitting, so just stay still.”

“…Okay!”

“Good boy. Then, see you in a little bit.”

Ha-eun’s demeanor and expression shifted back to Yeo-seo’s moments later.

Yu Sung-jae was momentarily speechless, looking down at Ha-eun, who had dramatically changed from the warm greeting she had just given the child actor.

‘Anyone would think she has a split personality.’

The change in emotion was too drastic.

It was as if she was flipping the switch for her feelings, just like turning a fluorescent light on and off.

Anyway, since Yu Sung-jae’s Chan-seong was not going to appear in S#131 Agreement.

This time, he decided to simply watch from a distance without facing Ha-eun’s indifferent gaze.

With that, once Ha-eun and the other actors were in their respective positions.

“…We will start. Action!”

The filming of S#131 Agreement began.

​

「Ah, welcome. This is Director Yeo-seo.」

The scene started with Yeo-seo greeting guests again in the now tidy office.

The worker ‘Seo Joon-hyuk,’ who had just been protesting in front of the company building moments ago, cautiously glanced at Director Yeo-seo, who was unexpectedly welcoming.

However, Seo Joon-hyuk’s son, ‘Seo Min-woo,’ was still seated on the guest sofa.

「Uh, Director. My kid is just about to enter elementary school…. It’s utterly insufficient to live off of 200.」

He wanted the compensation to be adjusted upward for the sake of his son.

For Seo Joon-hyuk, who had become partially disabled due to an unforeseen accident, the company’s compensation was his only means.

He could no longer work as a manual laborer at construction sites.

He had no place left to retreat for the sake of his family’s livelihood.

However, even so.

「Then, let me ask you a simple question.」

This was the response he received from Yeo-seo, who placed three 1 million won checks on the table.

「For your adorable young child… how far would you be willing to go, Sir?」

Without understanding Seo Joon-hyuk’s situation, one burly bodyguard and a small knife stood in front of him.

Given the directive for Yeo-seo’s personal curiosity or fun, Seo Joon-hyuk was at a loss.

He was confused and flabbergasted.

Yet, as the little knife, gently grasped by Yeo-seo, pointed toward the bodyguard in front of him.

He heard Yeo-seo’s threat to file a lawsuit for obstructing her duties if he did not fight the guard.

「It’s simple, Sir. Just close your eyes and stab once hard; that will be 3,000. They’re just barehanded, barehanded.」

Finally, he stood up and aimed the knife at the bodyguard with his trembling hands.

Almost simultaneously, the bodyguard swiftly knocked Seo Joon-hyuk down to the floor.

「Ugh, ah…!」

「Dad!!」

Seo Min-woo, who couldn’t comprehend the situation of his father fighting the bodyguard, hurriedly tried to run to Seo Joon-hyuk.

However, Yeo-seo gently embraced Min-woo and said.

「Hey, Min-woo. Your dad is working right now. If you interrupt, he can’t finish.」

With a gentle voice, she softly stroked Min-woo’s trembling head.

In the end, Seo Min-woo had to witness the heart-wrenching scene of his father being brutally beaten by the bodyguard.

However, at the terrifying sight of a person hitting another, the moment Seo Min-woo turned his head away without thinking.

「…How about a snack?」

At that moment, Yeo-seo’s perfectly composed smile sent chills down his spine.

It was the exact same smile she had given him moments ago, but somehow, it felt so different.

Perhaps that’s why.

“Uh, uh…. Uwaaaah!!”

Overwhelmed by the bizarre smile that was closer to a doll than a human, he burst into tears.

And the surrounding actors, taken by surprise, could not help but notice.

“Um, um…. Kyu, Kyu-jae?”

Naturally, Ha-eun also hurried to calm down the child actor Kyu-jae.

Yet, the loud crying showed no sign of stopping, and ultimately the filming came to a momentary stop.

To put it bluntly, it was extremely troublesome.

Having a child like Seo Min-woo made Yeo-seo’s psychopathic nature stand out even more.

Since long ago, kids like Min-woo were a forbidden zone that shouldn’t be touched.

In other words, it was a way to showcase just how evil Yeo-seo was.

For Ha-eun, it was imperative that she capture the acting with Kyu-jae on camera.

Compromise in acting was not an option, now or ever.

Thus, after heading to the waiting room where Kyu-jae was with his mother.

“I’m sorry, Kyu-jae. Did I scare you too much?”

After receiving his mother’s permission, she cautiously patted Kyu-jae to calm him down.

Still, since Kyu-jae’s fearful gaze didn’t wan to settle down at all.

In the end, at the very last moment.

“Um, um. Does Kyu-jae like candy?”

“Yes, yes! I love it a lot.”

“Well then, Kyu-jae….”

-Um, hmm.

“…after the filming ends, I’ll give you lots and lots of delicious candy—☆”

“C-candy?”

“Yes! I have a ton of sweet candy in my bag! Oh, and there’s chocolate too!”

Ha-eun spoke in a bright voice completely different from Yeo-seo.

At that moment, Yu Sung-jae outside the waiting room was desperately suppressing his laughter, completely unaware.

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