Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Drama Meeting (2)
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Jeong Gyeowol, who had been tapping her nails on the desk, continued.
As if she'd pieced together the puzzle of events in her head. Her eyes gleamed with interest.
"It was spontaneous and impulsive. Not a shred of planning to be found."
The scene Jeong Gyeowol was performing was Helena's first appearance in the drama.
The brilliant profiler Helena, esteemed enough to serve as an advisor to the FBI, had flown all the way to Korea to help her friend (the female lead).
The moment she reads the case files, she declares it a serial killing right there on the spot.
Thanks to that, it was a pivotal scene where the protagonist gains confidence in her own psychometry ability.
The screenwriter and PD knew the scene well but offered no assistance.
It was their way of saying she should figure it out and nail it on her own.
So Jeong Gyeowol dragged the imaginary character from her mind into reality.
Complete with the expressions, speech patterns, and intonations from her interpretation of the script.
It felt like she'd projected a hologram right there.
-It's not unheard of, but calling it a serial killing over a spontaneous bludgeoning...
"Is my voice that off? You interrupted me out of nowhere."
-...That wasn't my intention. Please continue.
The PD and screenwriter watched Jeong Gyeowol's acting with indifferent eyes.
Honestly, they were a bit surprised to see her switch into acting mode so instantly, like flipping a switch. But up to this point, it was the kind of level any established actor with a name could pull off without breaking a sweat.
'She must've analyzed the character for at least a few weeks... KS is really playing desperate, huh? Saying she only saw the script yesterday?'
It wasn't just a few weeks—it was a single day's analysis. But the PD didn't buy it.
He figured the script must've leaked somewhere, and she'd come prepared in advance.
'If she could deliver acting like this in one day... she'd monopolize every movie and drama in the country. She'd crank out fifty dramas a year.'
Just as the PD started feeling bored, Jeong Gyeowol stood up from her seat.
"Second case. Victim Doo-man-sik, 48 years old. Excessive bleeding from a stab wound. You, the detective who interrupted me earlier. Come over here for a sec?"
-...Pardon?
"Come here and turn around. Let me see your back."
The imaginary detective shuffled over hesitantly and turned his back, and Jeong Gyeowol jabbed at it with her finger.
"Here, and here, then here and here. Now turn back around."
-...
The imaginary detective moved as she directed.
Jeong Gyeowol raised her nails and slowly dragged them down from the detective's solar plexus.
Even though she was gesturing into empty air with no opponent, it looked utterly real, as if the person existed.
'Even if she prepared... that's pretty impressive.'
The PD shifted in his seat, paying a bit more attention than before.
Still, he didn't seem particularly fond of Jeong Gyeowol.
That was when it happened.
The fresh smile on Jeong Gyeowol's face vanished in an instant.
Seductive, decadent, electrifying.
She was like a legendary fox spirit.
Dr. Helena—Jeong Gyeowol flashed a bewitching smile, tormenting the detective's face with her fingers until it flushed red.
Then—
Pok—
She precisely stabbed the spot where the abdominal aorta lay.
-Guh! Wh-what are you...
"This is the fatal wound. It pierced the abdominal aorta exactly. The back wounds weren't deep, right? Either she didn't mean to kill, or she hesitated. In Korea, they'd call it hesitation marks. Probably."
Jeong Gyeowol shoved the shoulder of the detective clutching his stomach and sent him back to his seat before continuing.
The enchanting atmosphere from moments ago was gone.
She was back to fresh Dr. Helena.
"Now the third case. Hong Doo-gwang, 51. No hesitation marks, no defensive wounds. He was conscious but died from a single clean cut. Technical, like an emotionless hitman on contract. This guy's evolved this much by the second murder. He learned how to make it cleaner, faster. No more hesitation. If you look at each case separately, they seem like different perpetrators... but in chronological order?"
Jeong Gyeowol mimed pinning something to the office wall.
In the actual shoot, it would be photos of the victims pinned to a board in the police station, lined up by time.
"If we don't catch this guy quick, it's gonna blow up. The cycle's getting shorter. Next one... a week from now? Give or take a day."
She spoke with utter certainty that a serial killer's crime would happen about a week later.
The detective retorted incredulously.
-...It's all circumstantial so far.
"You demanding hard evidence from a profiler now? Next you'll want me to catch the perp too. What, should I go run after him right now?"
-Whoa, whoa, let's cool it. I asked Helena to come, she flew all the way here, and you're trying to catch the killer too, Senior. No need for us to fight among ourselves, right?
The female lead, Kim I-seo, stepped in to defuse the heated tension.
After that, Helena tries to leave, saying she's jet-lagged and tired...
As all the characters' eyes leave her and only the camera lingers on her face...
Her fresh smile vanishes in a flash, leaving only an icy blank expression.
The scene ends with Helena strolling out of the police station leisurely, then instantly switching back to a bright smile the moment she passes another cop.
Even after Jeong Gyeowol's performance ended, silence hung over the office.
"Uh... that's the end of it... Should I do another scene?"
The flustered Jeong Gyeowol asked if she needed to perform more, and the dazed PD and screenwriter finally snapped out of it, waving their hands frantically.
"Ah! No! That's plenty!"
"Wh-what kind of rookie is this?!"
By now, the PD and screenwriter didn't care if Jeong Gyeowol had gotten the script in advance and prepped for months.
The moment they saw her Helena, no other Helena came to mind.
Helena was the role the screenwriter had poured the most heart into.
She'd made a list of fitting actresses ahead of time but hadn't decided right up to the wire.
And then, out of nowhere, Jeong Gyeowol appeared.
It felt like fate to the screenwriter.
As if she hadn't cast anyone until now just to meet Jeong Gyeowol.
The PD and screenwriter weren't the only ones shocked.
"Whoa! Our actress! She's on fire!"
"...No wonder the CEO went all out."
The manager and executive manager, seeing her act for the first time, couldn't help but be stunned.
The manager felt his shoulders rise with pride, knowing the actor he managed was this talented.
The executive finally understood why CEO Kim Seul-ong had pushed so hard.
In that brief moment, Jeong Gyeowol's image was etched into everyone's minds.
"...I-I gotta head back quick and revise the script. Looks like I need to tweak a bunch from the start."
The impact sparked inspiration in the screenwriter.
With a shocked expression, she muttered it almost to herself.
It was quiet, but everyone heard it clearly.
She grabbed her things without even waiting for the PD's response.
"What? Hey! You're crazy! We don't have time! Casting's already hanging by a thread because of you!"
"If the script doesn't come out, we can always do table reads!"
"You lunatic, we've already locked in talks with the other actors! Table reads now?!"
"Then just wait quietly! I'll write it as fast as I can!"
To Jeong Gyeowol, Psychometry Her's screenwriter seemed every bit as nuts as Bae Jongwook.
'...Are all screenwriters like this?'
The screenwriter bolted out of the office like she was fleeing.
She didn't forget to bow on her way out, though. At least she wasn't as unhinged as Screenwriter Bae Jongwook.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ It was an impromptu performance without even a camera.
No mirror, no way to monitor myself.
I had no means to check my own acting... but even so, it felt close to perfect.
My head was ringing a little from how intensely I'd focused.
It was so vivid that even without anyone handing me lines, it felt like a real person was standing in front of me. How insane was that momentary concentration?
But something felt off.
'...Another life performance?'
At the Nomen audition, I'd finished and thought, I just nailed my best ever. And now the same vibe.
If I'd been someone who cranked out acting like that daily in a past life, maybe... but no.
In 12 years of acting, I'd never hit that level once. That's why everyone freaks out calling it a "life performance."
It was only natural to sense something strange.
Wondering if it was just me, I glanced around...
The screenwriter had bolted to revise the script after getting inspired.
The manager was clapping endlessly with eyes full of admiration.
The executive wore a look of finally relieved assurance.
The PD...
'...His eyes look kinda dangerous.'
They were filled with obsession and mania.
Whatever.
One task down.
'Judging by the office vibe, the Helena role's mine.'
I hadn't racked up enough grudges for any production company, broadcaster, or big agency to interfere.
With solid backing from KS, no worries about getting pushed around.
And I'd stamped my acting skills on the PD and screenwriter, right?
Psychometry Her would probably be billed as my debut drama.
Lots of worries, plenty of nerves.
But this? Solid success.
'Am I actually gonna make it big like this?'
[Great Actress Jeong Gyeowol.]
Just imagining the title made my heart race.
But no jumping the gun.