The Queen’s First Strike
I’d lost the ability to speak.
The star of today’s script reading, top actress Lee Ha-eun, had arrived.
And now Lee Ha-eun was standing right in front of me.
The lead actress in a project had come to greet a manager first, not veteran actor Park Tae-sik, not Director Park Jun-seo, but me.
At that absurd sight, every eye in the room turned this way, not just the actors from Black Bride, but the production staff and the reporters as well.
"...What is going on between those two?"
"Why is Actress Lee Ha-eun greeting him first?"
"Huh? Isn't that the manager who was on TV?"
"Hey, hey, that's him. Baekhak Team 5, Chief Manager Kwon! The manager who recommended Lee Ha-eun for Queen of Joseon!"
"Ah, so they know each other?"
"...But even if they do, is it right for her to greet a manager first before the actors or the director?"
The whispering around me set off alarms in my head.
This is trouble.
But it was still trouble I could handle.
I forced my voice into some semblance of order and spoke up.
"Lee Ha-eun, what exactly are you doing?"
Her head tilted.
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"Yes, there is. Why are you coming to greet me first? You should go greet the director first."
Lee Ha-eun smiled, bright and easy.
For a woman who lived with stress as a permanent accessory, it was far too radiant a smile.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
What is she thinking, Lee Ha-eun?
I didn’t know. That was the problem.
Because I couldn’t read Lee Ha-eun’s thoughts, I couldn’t predict her next move either.
Slowly, a chill crept up my spine.
Then Lee Ha-eun suddenly bent close and whispered into my ear.
"Do you know how female lions mark their territory?"
"?"
"They rub their faces on things and leave their scent. Cute, right?"
I blinked like an idiot.
In the next moment, Lee Ha-eun gave my shoulder a light tap and said, "See you later."
She turned and walked toward the table where the actors were gathered.
Watching her back, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
"Female... lion?"
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Was that Lee Ha-eun’s version of a joke?
By then she had already reached Director Park Jun-seo and stopped in front of him.
"Hello, Director Park Jun-seo?"
"Oh my, Actress Lee! Welcome!"
"This is our first time meeting like this, isn’t it?"
"It is, it is. I should’ve come by before the reading, but I heard your schedule was so packed I couldn’t even find the time to greet you properly."
As the two of them talked, the fuse that had blown in my head slowly began to recover.
My throat dry with thirst, I swallowed and muttered, ...I still don’t know what’s going on, but fine.
For now, it looked like the crisis had been contained.
I let out a relieved breath, and the head of publicity standing beside me murmured in surprise.
"...Chief Manager Kwon?"
"Yes?"
"Since when are you that close with Actress Lee Ha-eun?"
My brow snapped down.
"What gave you the impression we’re close?"
"...Huh? You’re not?"
"That’s your mistake, Head of Publicity."
My firm answer left her expression strangely blank.
If I reacted any more than that, her personality would make her pry even harder, and I didn’t need that.
I managed my face and turned away.
I could see the top actress finishing her greeting with the director and heading toward the actors’ waiting area.
"Hello?"
With her entrance, Lee Ha-eun had seized control of the atmosphere in the Black Bride script reading room.
Now, it seemed she intended to do the same to the actors there, because the smile hanging at her lips had a dangerous little tilt to it.
***
Top actress Lee Ha-eun had finished greeting Director Park Jun-seo.
She appeared at the reading waiting area where the actors were gathered.
With a relaxed expression, she swept her gaze over the seated actors before greeting the man in his mid-fifties with the white hair.
"Hello, senior."
Veteran actor Park Tae-sik looked startled, then answered, "Oh... Actress. You’ve been well?"
"Me? Same as always. How about you, senior?"
"Me too, I’ve been doing well. Heh heh..."
"It’s good to see you looking healthy."
Their small talk continued in a mild, pleasant atmosphere.
Park Tae-sik, sounding more relaxed than before, asked, "Who was that person you greeted earlier?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, this is the first time I’ve seen you smile and talk to someone who isn’t an actor... Is he an acquaintance?"
Lee Ha-eun smiled.
"Ah, he’s my former manager."
"Your former manager? Oh... then wait, does that mean..."
Park Tae-sik’s eyes widened.
"Was that the manager you recommended for Queen of Joseon?"
At that, the other actors in the reading room pricked up their ears.
The corner of Lee Ha-eun’s mouth lifted slightly.
"Yes, that manager."
"Wow... he must’ve been something else. Queen of Joseon was a total smash, wasn’t it?"
"It was. That’s why I treasure him so much."
"Well, that’s understandable. But... if you treasure him that much, why is he your former manager?"
At Park Tae-sik’s careless question, Lee Ha-eun’s expression turned cold and rigid.
"That’s a personal matter, so I’d rather not talk about it."
"...R-right? Of course, of course!"
Park Tae-sik retreated with an awkward look on his face.
The actors who had been listening quietly to the two of them stole another glance at Lee Ha-eun.
For some reason, the top actress’s mood had suddenly gone sour.
Everyone swallowed hard.
Whoa, she’s got even Park Tae-sik backing off like that.
So the rumors were true. Her personality really is no joke...
Still, she’s outrageously beautiful.
So the talk about her face matching her attitude wasn’t a joke after all?
The prettier the flower, the sharper the thorns. That phrase was made for Lee Ha-eun.
As everyone was silently reassessing her first impression, Chungmuro’s rising star Go Ju-eun smiled brightly and greeted her.
"Hello, senior! I’m actress Go Ju-eun."
Lee Ha-eun, who had been sitting with a sulky expression, answered a beat late.
"Yes, hello."
"It’s such an honor to be working with you, senior! I’m a huge fan, really!"
"Oh, really? Thank you."
"Yes, but..."
Go Ju-eun let her words trail off, and her eyes drifted to Lee Ha-eun’s earrings.
Cartier diamond earrings?
They were 18K white gold and diamonds, worth hundreds of millions of won.
But the top actress’s body was draped in luxury like that from head to toe.
The corner of Go Ju-eun’s mouth bent crookedly.
Isn’t she a little too dressed up for a lead actress at a reading?
If you were going to show off, you should at least do it with restraint.
Go Ju-eun had already been wary of Lee Ha-eun as a fellow actress. She couldn’t just let a chance like this pass.
Keeping that signature eye-smile on her face, she went on, "But, senior... did you just come from a fashion show or something?"
At Go Ju-eun’s words, the actors’ eyes turned back to Lee Ha-eun.
Meanwhile, Go Ju-eun lifted one shoulder with a breezy little laugh.
"This is just a private reading, and you’re already this glamorous? Isn’t that a bit much?"
"..."
"Though it suits you so well that it’s been a real treat for the eyes. Still, ah! I should’ve dressed up a little too. You’re making me look bad by comparison."
Lee Ha-eun looked at her for a moment, then gave a snort of laughter.
"Oh? Did I dress up too much?"
"Senior, your original face is so dazzling I couldn’t even tell whether you were dressed up or not, hehe!"
Lee Ha-eun’s head tilted slightly.
"By the way... Ju-eun, was it? That’s right, isn’t it?"
"Yes, senior! Go Ju-eun!"
"How many years have you been acting?"
"Pardon?"
Lee Ha-eun lifted her chin arrogantly.
"I asked how many years."
Go Ju-eun answered, flustered. "Three, three years, senior!"
"Ah, three years? Then I guess you wouldn’t know."
"?"
Lee Ha-eun smiled, thin and sharp.
"For people like me, movement is money. Especially at a gathering like this. From the advertisers’ point of view, why would they want to miss me? Even when I say I don’t want it, the sponsorships just keep coming."
"...!"
"So I’m actually jealous of you, Go Ju-eun. I wish I could dress a little shabbily and act in readings like this too, at least sometimes, like you."
"!!"
Lee Ha-eun’s eyes curved into a smile.
It made the same kind of eye-smile Go Ju-eun had just used.
"But what can I do? People around me won’t leave me alone. Thinking about it like this, I miss the days when I was still an unknown actress like you, Ju-eun."
"...!!"
Go Ju-eun opened and closed her mouth like a fool.
Seeing that, Lee Ha-eun covered her mouth in mock surprise.
"Oh? Did I say something wrong?"
"..."
"If that’s the case, please understand. My mouth can be a little too honest."
Go Ju-eun’s face flushed red in an instant.
Humiliation, embarrassment, shock.
Even though being an actress was her profession, she couldn’t control her expression, and her face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.
The actors watching her let out low groans.
Whoa...
Did Lee Ha-eun just completely bury Go Ju-eun?
So this is what the tension between actresses looks like?
Wait, is this even a tension fight? It feels more like a one-sided beating.
Go Ju-eun’s got a sharp side to her too, but wow... she can’t lay a finger on Lee Ha-eun.
...So it’s not that her personality is prickly. It’s that it’s downright rotten!
Lee Ha-eun’s KO victory.
That was the conclusion of the first battle of wills the other actors witnessed between the two actresses.
Then another man, one who acted like he was the center of the world just as much as Lee Ha-eun did, tilted his head and spoke.
"Lee Ha-eun."
It was Seo Tae-jun, the other lead in Black Bride.
"This is your first time seeing me like this, isn’t it?"
"Oh, actor Seo Tae-jun?"
Lee Ha-eun leaned back against her chair and answered.
"This is our first time meeting, right? Though I’ve heard plenty about you."
Seo Tae-jun let out a low laugh.
"Really? I’ve heard plenty about you too, Actress Lee."
"My, that probably wasn’t very flattering."
"That’s probably true for me too. I’m the type people like to chew on."
A strange laugh slipped from Lee Ha-eun as well.
"That’s pretty similar to me. I’m the type people chew on too."
"Then let’s take care of each other, fellow chew toys."
Instead of answering, Lee Ha-eun just smiled with her eyes.
At that moment, Director Park Jun-seo appeared.
"Oh dear, we’re a little behind schedule. No one else is missing, right? Ah, seems like that’s everyone."
After a nod from Park Jun-seo, his opening remarks began.
How honored he was to gather such distinguished people in one place.
How reassuring it was to have everyone together like this.
But maybe it was because of the ferocious little power struggle between the two actresses just moments earlier.
The actors couldn’t bring themselves to pay much attention to the director’s words.
How much time passed like that?
After Park Jun-seo finally wrapped up his lengthy pleasantries, he at last declared, "Shall we start the reading now?"
"!"
For the first time, everyone’s attention turned to him.
The director looked at Lee Ha-eun.
"Let’s begin by matching the lead actors first. Lee Ha-eun? Seo Tae-jun? Are you ready?"
Lee Ha-eun answered slowly.
"Yes, Director."
"And you, Seo Tae-jun?"
"I’m ready too."
Park Jun-seo nodded.
"Scene #3, let’s start with the scene where Seorinbi and Kang Jiho clash over their differing opinions."
At the director’s signal, Seo Tae-jun flipped open his script.
A few of the actors nearby checked it and widened their eyes in surprise.
Wow... what’s up with Actor Seo’s script?
My God, what kind of notes are those?
He even shaved to a buzz cut. He really did come prepared.
Still, if he’s going to match up against Lee Ha-eun, even Seo Tae-jun would have no choice but to be nervous.
The actors nodded approvingly.
Unconsciously, their eyes shifted to Lee Ha-eun’s script.
And then they widened again, this time for a completely different reason.
...Huh?
W-what?
That’s just a brand-new script, isn’t it?
Unlike Seo Tae-jun’s, Lee Ha-eun’s looked like it had barely been opened at all, the stiff crispness of fresh paper still intact.
The actors’ expressions turned odd, and Seo Tae-jun’s brow twitched faintly.
But Lee Ha-eun, already deep in focus, paid no attention and just stared blankly at the script in her hands.
Director Park, checking the mood from the corner of his eye, prompted them, "If you’ve finished getting into character, please start."
And then, without warning, her cold voice spilled out.
"Kang Jiho."
The actors who had been staring at Lee Ha-eun’s script all flinched.
Meanwhile, fully immersed in Seorinbi, the corner of Lee Ha-eun’s mouth curled with scorn.
"So you’ve finally gone mad. Maybe I should wring your neck before I deal with the devil."
The Black Bride reading finally began.
***
I watched the script reading room with my nerves stretched tight.
But that worry melted away like ice cream the moment Lee Ha-eun’s first line came out.
"Kang Jiho, so you’ve finally gone mad. Maybe I should wring your neck before I deal with the devil."
Just one opening line.
And yet it felt different from the very first line.
The diction was meticulously polished.
Emotion spilled from every beat of the line.
With pure dialogue delivery alone, without any action at all, Lee Ha-eun had embodied Seorinbi so completely that the performance brushed pleasantly across my skin.
But Lee Ha-eun’s acting had only just begun.
"How dare you lecture me? I’m Seorinbi. Seorinbi, the devil exorcist."
With her second line, her expression changed completely.
Cold, arrogant, and self-centered, the exorcist Seorinbi treated the whole world as if it existed for her convenience.
The devil exorcist Seorinbi that Director Park Jun-seo had said was modeled after Lee Ha-eun was now fully realized in her facial acting.
That emotional line was Lee Ha-eun’s talent, and the way she carried it across was her polished skill.
Before I knew it, I let out a gasp of admiration.
This really is different.
People often say dramas are static and films are dynamic.
That’s because dramas depend heavily on dialogue, while films tend to revolve around action scenes.
But Lee Ha-eun’s acting didn’t care about any of that genre logic.
She took a scene that should have come alive through movement and made it breathe through facial expression and emotional line alone.
I found myself smiling at the sheer absurdity of it.
...Right.
A top actress who was impossible to predict and did whatever she pleased in every other matter.
But her acting...
That was something I had no choice but to acknowledge as the real thing.
My gaze moved to the other actors.
"..."
Experience, skill, filmography.
Not one of the Black Bride actors lacked anything, yet all of them were staring at Lee Ha-eun’s reading without blinking.
Only Seo Tae-jun was holding up his end without taking his eyes off the performance.
I smiled again and looked elsewhere.
The production staff and managers, all of them visibly stunned by Lee Ha-eun’s acting, came into view.
Amazement, surprise, shock.
Those were the emotions written across their faces.
The head of publicity beside me was no different.
"Wow... Actress Lee Ha-eun really... how can she act so cleanly and so well?"
The head of publicity murmured, unable to hide her excitement.
"How am I supposed to frame the lead for this? I can’t even think of the right words to describe that acting."
At her words, my brow twitched.
I let it sit there for a moment, thinking.
Then I called to her.
"Head of Publicity."
"Hm? What is it, Chief Manager Kwon?"
"If the lead is hard to pin down, want me to set one for you?"
She tilted her head.
"Suddenly?"
"Just... I had a pretty good idea."
"Really? Hmm... all right! Let’s hear it!"
The corners of my mouth lifted slightly.
"A ten-million-ticket box office run starts here?"
"!"
My voice trembled a little with excitement as it came out.
"Queen of Joseon returns as the queen of occult thrillers... what do you think? It’s provocative, and it fits."
The head of publicity’s eyes went wide.
"...It’s good, sure, but isn’t ten million tickets a little far?"
"Is it?"
"Still, well... it’s not bad."
"Exactly. In publicity, possibility doesn’t matter anyway."
I tossed the seed into the air lightly.
"So you throw out a few ideas and see what sticks. Nobody knows anything in this line of work."
The head of publicity nodded.
"That’s true. Later, when the result comes in, this sort of thing ends up becoming a selling point."
She gave me a thumbs-up and started writing the article.
Watching her, I folded my arms with a sense of calm I’d recovered at last.
Lee Ha-eun’s little incident is done, and the reading atmosphere is heated up nicely.
This wasn’t the start I’d imagined, but in another sense, it was the best possible beginning.
So now...
It’s time to start looking.
My gaze fixed on the four supporting players of Black Bride.
Veteran actor Park Tae-sik.
Go Ju-eun, the Cinderella of Chungmuro.
Kim Nam-seong, rumored to be a luxury supporting actor.
And Kwon Ho-jun, the idol actor whose skill had still earned recognition.
As I checked each of them in turn, my eyes gleamed coldly.
Which one of them is the drug addict?
It was time to find the rat hiding inside Black Bride.
---