The scene where Yeon Seonye and Michiko resolved their mutual conflict and confirmed their feelings for each other.
Curiously, this scene happened to be the moment Michiko had decided to commit suicide.
After confirming their feelings, there was nothing left for the two to hold back.
“Seriously, jumping straight into a kiss like that, something’s wrong with this kid.”
This was the only part of the script where Jiyeon ever mumbled in dissatisfaction.
Looking over at Seohui with a sidelong glance, Jiyeon seemed curious about her thoughts.
However, in Seohui’s case…
“Hmm, isn’t it okay? Besides, if you’re an actor, it’s something you can’t avoid. It’s better to do it with someone you’re familiar with.”
“Isn’t doing it with someone familiar more difficult?”
“Don’t whine.”
Seohui, who usually shrunk back the most among the trio, was a professional when it came to acting.
Seeming to sense Jiyeon’s burden over the kiss scene, Seohui opened her squinted eyes even wider and spoke.
“The audience is watching to see how the relationship between the two characters unfolds. If private emotions disrupt the scene, what will happen?”
“It’s not that I can’t do it.”
While watching their conversation, Sooyeon wondered what had crossed her mind at the time.
‘Thank goodness I don’t have to do this.’
Thinking so, she enjoyed eating her ice cream.
Pairing acting was a little tough, but still, Yuina was better.
After all, if Sooyeon were to take the lead, it wouldn’t have been unrequited love but proper love, which seemed rather difficult, too.
‘I’m not ready for such a scene yet.’
Sooyeon nodded repeatedly.
Upon reflection, since she knew future knowledge, she could continue to avoid such scenes.
Carrying that thought, she calmly played on her phone game.
And now.
“NG!! Let’s do it again, Miss Seohui. Your acting keeps wobbling.”
“Ah, but, that…”
The first scene where Jiyeon overpowered Seohui through acting.
Sooyeon ought to have clapped for her close friend’s improved acting skills, but…
“Didn’t we say it’s an important scene? Isn’t this what the audience has been waiting for?”
“Ah, I know, I…”
“Phew, why are you stammering like that?”
Jiyeon, who was perfectly composed, and Seohui, whose face had turned bright red as she tried to stabilize her emotions, were evidently affected after making repeated mistakes during the kiss scene.
Staff members found it rather heartwarming to see Seohui, who rarely got NGed like Sooyeon, showing a fresh side.
Sooyeon, on the other hand, merely lounged in her chair watching the scene.
There was nothing she could do.
Having no scenes to film that day and having merely followed Jiyeon around, she had nothing else to do but watch.
“Jiyeon, tell me. Haven’t you done this before?”
“Why are you so curious? Novice-like.”
“Huh, but!”
With those words, the filming restarted.
Perhaps due to Seohui’s bashfulness, Jiyeon seemed unnaturally excited.
This might be the least tense part of this Gyeongseong Yeong-nyeo filming for Jiyeon.
‘When I first helped you bathe, I thought, how could you be… so beautiful.’
Yeon Seonye pulled Michiko’s collar and smiled cunningly.
Her hands traced the collar, caressing Michiko’s shoulder and brushing her earlobe.
Michiko’s trembling body amused Yeon Seonye.
And then…
“La, Ramiel and Alice…”
Sooyeon clamped her hands over her mouth and watched in shock.
She couldn’t make a sound.
Though just within arm’s reach, she couldn’t approach.
Undoubtedly, it was Yeon Seonye and Michiko.
Their performance was extraordinary, as if Yeon Seonye and Michiko had come to life.
But to Sooyeon’s eyes, it seemed like Ramiel and Alice filters were laid over the scene.
‘This isn’t something that happens easily.’
If it were, Sooyeon wouldn’t feel this way.
In her reddened eyes, she saw the two characters’ lips overlapping.
According to the script, the two were supposed to feel about the same.
Yet, Yeon Seonye was clearly guiding the scene with greater expertise.
And then…
“I think putting in the ad-lib line would be good.”
“Yes? Aren’t you here to criticize it?”
“I’ve mentioned it often enough. While it’s still wrong to ad-lib arbitrarily… That line was good.”
Director Baek Min was particularly pleased with Jiyeon’s ad-lib.
It’s not entirely unheard of for actors to insert lines on their own.
Especially when the actor is immersed in their role, they might unconsciously change the dialogue, influenced by their personal character interpretation.
In that light, Yeon Seonye’s line was spot on.
“Lady, it seems to come naturally to you, how else could you be so skillful?”
As she said this, Yeon Seonye again kissed Michiko with a devilish grin, drawing laughter from those nearby. How had she come up with such a line at that very moment?
“Undoubtedly, this girl has a sense for lines. Director Baek isn’t just getting carried away by the ad-lib.”
“What actor could possibly have so many tricks… but clearly, she has a solid understanding of the character.”
“Right?”
In the corner where staff members not involved in the current filming gathered, a little distance from the set, they whispered small talk.
Honest to say, she seemed a bit ambiguous as the lead at first glance, but her charm grew with every passing scene.
The more they watched, the more attached they became—she was the perfect fit for Yeon Seonye’s role.
“Would Sooyeon do it like that too…?”
A staff member near Sooyeon’s seat flinched, speaking to her.
Her bloodshot red eyes were genuinely terrifying.
The involuntary gulp couldn’t be suppressed.
‘Thank goodness it’s bright here.’
Had she met those eyes in the dark, they might have wet their pants.
Her reddened eyes seemed almost demonic.
‘Shouldn’t Miss Sooyeon consider horror roles?’
As a ghost character, mainly.
Her eyes looked so red that it seemed like tears of blood were streaming down her face.
How frightful.
“Ms. Seoyeon, is something wrong? Why…”
At the staff member’s words, Sooyeon finally spoke.
“Filter, please turn off the filter. My horns are about to break…”
“What?”
Both Ramiel and Alice were her favorites, but this was a different issue altogether.
Seoyeon was so deeply rooted as a unicorn fan that she even hesitated to act alongside a ‘wizard’ who helped with Ramiel’s debut.
A type that forbids any form of pairing.
And thus, Seoyeon had fainted.
*
“Miss Seoyeon’s schedule has been too demanding recently.”
“Take a proper rest for a while.”
Seoyeon had effectively been excluded from the shootings due to the intensive schedule.
Of course, even so, she would still sneak over on days when Jiyeon and Seohui were filming.
‘Jiyeon… didn’t she do something while I wasn’t looking?’
Since Yeon Seonye’s performance was grounded in Ramiel, the filter was forcibly activated.
For the first time, Seoyeon cursed her ability to finely detect others’ emotions.
‘Isn’t this similar to what Ramiel showed on live broadcasts in the previous life?’
There was a nostalgic feel.
In her previous life, Ramiel was a corporate employee who occasionally did collab live streams with her Seven Live batchmates.
Certainly, the acting she had shown at those times was similar to now.
Still, Ramiel’s adept handling of emotions and the very skilled kiss scene made Seoyeon skeptical.
Was Jiyeon just as ordinary after all?
She had crushed Seohui completely.
“Ah, wasn’t she crushed?”
“Huh?”
While lost in thought, staring out the window at their lodging, Sooyeon noticed Seohui behind her.
Incidentally, Seoyeon and Seohui shared the same room at this hotel.
Jiyeon shared a room with Seoyeon’s manager, Park Eun-ha.
“When did you come back?”
“…When I heard you collapsed, I rushed over.”
“But why not Jiyeon too? Why alone?”
“Didn’t she just say ‘Seoyeon usually does this’? That’s not too harsh, right?”
Though saying this, Seohui’s face was still red.
Apparently, today’s shooting had been quite intense.
Looking at that, Seoyeon felt she understood why Jiyeon had acted the way she did.
Seohui, usually a haughty young lady and as expressionless as Sooyeon on most occasions, had become incredibly active during this performance.
Of course, Seohui usually seemed more vulnerable in front of Seoyeon, unsure of how to engage due to having few close friends.
But still, seeing such a lively Seohui was impossible to ignore.
‘Ah, the heightened reaction…’
Is it a case of unknowingly pushing forward more actively?
Typically, it leads to overacting.
Jiyeon had nailed that.
“Anyway, didn’t you receive any separate messages, Seoyeon?”
“Me?”
Message?
Was there anyone from Japan who would contact her?
After some thought, Seoyeon shook her head.
To be fair, the only person she’d recently met was Stella.
‘Oh, now that I think about it, we never exchanged numbers.’
Even though she had let her stay over.
‘Well, she was kinda funny though.’
Especially from the moment her parents showed up.
The day when she had brought Stella home, the day before the trip to Japan.
“Where is everyone?”
When Seoyeon returned home with Stella, no one was around.
Apparently, her parents and Su-yeon had gone out for the weekend.
‘Why am I left out?’
Though, it did mean she could play games freely without restraint.
“Hmm~ Do you like games?”
Except, there was Stella sitting beside her.
‘Careless!’
Immediately turning on the console as soon as she got home, Seoyeon was briefly flustered.
Still, turning it off now would seem even stranger.
“Yeah, there’s nothing else to do anyway.”
“That’s true.”
As someone accustomed to reading others’ emotions, Seoyeon found Stella particularly difficult.
There was a strange sense of familiarity about her, a rather peculiar person overall.
‘Ah, might as well play games.’
Anyway, they had little to talk about.
With that thought, Seoyeon decided to just play.
A game where she could showcase her skills, like the Souls series.
‘Will she be impressed when she sees my skills?’
Seoyeon was full of enthusiasm.
By nature, she was someone who excelled on large stages.
She could already imagine Stella’s amazed expression at her astonishing skills.
“Isn’t this game where you just continuously die?”
“….”
Seoyeon was somewhat annoyed by Stella’s chatter on the side.
“Then why don’t you try?”
“Huh? Me? I’ve never played before.”
Despite saying that, Stella took the controller effortlessly.
Had she assumed she could do better than Seoyeon, who kept dying?
‘Wait a minute.’
For a moment, Seoyeon thought.
Thinking about it, everyone in Seoyeon’s circle, except Park Jung-woo, was good at games.
Even if they started out bad, they would quickly surpass her.
Why?
With this universal physical ability, why couldn’t she play games well?
Anyway, Seoyeon was cautious of Stella too.
That carefree demeanor could mean she might end up flying around like Jiyeon or Seohui.
‘That must not happen.’
Sensing that Stella was likely good at things like that, Seoyeon was tense.
But, fortunately…
“What is this? Why do people do this?”
For the first time, a frustrated tone came from Stella’s lips.
Stella who could not dodge repeatedly, despite several attempts.
Seemingly growing competitive, Stella’s concentration was on the game only.
‘She’s worse than me.’
Seoyeon was very satisfied with this.
Yes, this is normal.
It’s strange, isn’t it, for skills to soar abnormally?
“I will be back in a moment, you continue, okay?”
“Alright.”
Leaving the gaming-entranced Stella, Seoyeon went to take a shower.
While she was away…
“Hey, is that my daughter back?”
“Sister, Su-yeon is here!”
The family that had gone to the amusement park for a brief weekend outing returned home.
Thanks to Seohui’s permission, Seoyeon’s parents often went with Su-yeon to Mirinae Park.
Thus, it was natural that Young-bin’s strides were lively upon returning after a fun ride on various amusement rides.
“Whose game is this? Oh, you can’t dodge that! I see my daughter’s skills have worsened further since I’ve been away.”
Teasing his daughter as always, Young-bin fixed his gaze on the TV in the living room and casually plopped down on the sofa beside the player.
Seoyeon’s side.
While sitting with force, he didn’t forget to nudge Seoyeon’s ribs with his elbow.
It was a form of affectionate expression.
Something Seoyeon used to irritably do to Young-bin, but lately, Young-bin had started doing it often too.
Of course, Seoyeon would dismiss his light attack as ticklish with a smirk.
However…
“Kyaa!”
An odd scream was heard as something fell sidelong.
“?!”
Kyaa? Our daughter wouldn’t scream like a girl, would she?
Puzzled, Young-bin turned his gaze to the side.
There, a blonde girl was gripping his side, staring at him in surprise.
Undoubtedly, a beautiful girl with the look of an angel.
Yet somehow, she seemed oddly familiar.
“Wh-… Who are you?”
Young-bin could only mutter this in astonishment.
