Chapter 136: Protagonist (1)
Chapter 136: Protagonist (1)
Scene number 17 was the first meeting between Gil Su-jin—the mistress of Lee Hyuk-soo’s household and essentially the work’s other protagonist—and Lee Yu-ju.
While the story had previously progressed through their individual perspectives, this moment served as the turning point where their narratives began to interlock like cogs in a machine.
A son’s academic success.
Gil Su-jin was a mother who wanted to force her child onto the path of a successful life.
And Lee Yu-ju was the one holding the answer key.
In a way, it was no different from a chase.
The hunter and the hunted.
However, there was one difference from a typical pursuit.
'The one being hunted holds the upper hand.'
Both Seo-yeon and Lee Mi-ran, who played Gil Su-jin, were well aware of this.
Gil Su-jin needed the admissions plan—the portfolio—that Lee Yu-ju possessed. Specifically, she needed that perfect portfolio that had allowed Yu-ju’s older brother, Lee Seok-chan, to graduate at the top of his class at Baek-yeon University.
Gil Su-jin’s goal was to claim Lee Yu-ju, who had memorized that plan perfectly, before anyone else could.
'I wonder if we started with something too intense.'
The middle-aged actors who had been in the industry for a long time shared this thought.
The scene didn't involve any particular action or explosive outbursts of emotion.
That was precisely why it was so difficult to act.
If there were exaggerated emotions, one could simply immerse themselves in the feeling and pour out the lines.
However, this scene was quiet.
It had to be infinitely silent yet chilling, revealing a passion that was, in a sense, fierce.
It was an incredibly complex scene.
It was also the part that revealed the theme and the very essence of the work.
The two protagonists leading the drama.
While starting the script reading with their conversation was appropriate to set the tone...
'It’s hard.'
'This is difficult.'
There wasn't a single actor in the room who hadn't watched The Chaser.
From the young actors who watched out of simple jealousy to those who watched with high expectations for the rising star, everyone observed the two women's acting in their own way.
And then.
Facing Seo-yeon, Lee Mi-ran smiled inwardly.
'What a presence.'
Seo-yeon’s aura had shifted.
It was so palpable it sent shivers down the spine.
Others might not have been able to clearly distinguish the difference between the usual Seo-yeon and the current one. After all, Lee Yu-ju and Seo-yeon shared many similarities.
Their expressionless faces, their calm tones, and their generally restrained movements were much alike.
However, there were distinct differences.
'Lee Yu-ju is a profoundly cynical person.'
Since childhood, she had received an education from her parents that bordered on abuse, alongside her older brother, Lee Seok-chan.
The moment she saw the discrimination her younger brother—just a year younger than her—faced because he couldn't keep up with that education, she lived with the mindset that she had to succeed no matter what.
Years passed.
By the time she became a high school student, academics were nothing more than a result she had to achieve.
Future goals.
Things she wanted to do.
None of that existed.
She was merely a tool to follow her parents' words and restore her father’s glory as an "entrance exam coordinator."
Naturally, she loathed the adults who coveted her and the students who mechanically immersed themselves in their studies.
'That loathing.'
Lee Yu-ju’s face was utterly void of emotion, but a deep-seated loathing was visible in her eyes.
A profound disgust was felt intensely within those quiet pupils.
It wasn't just a vague feeling.
Through minute changes in her facial muscles, she naturally projected that impression.
A slight furrow of the brow.
A subtle narrowing of the eyes.
A faint twist of the lips.
These elements combined to make her look as if she were sneering.
No, in a way, there was a sense of self-deprecation as well.
The loathing Yu-ju harbored was directed not only at others but also at herself.
And so.
"Miss Lee Yu-ju. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Filled with anticipation, Lee Mi-ran welcomed her as Gil Su-jin.
"Please get along well with our Min-seo. If you’re high school classmates, you’ll be seeing each other for the rest of your lives."
Scene number 17.
Upon entering Taeyang High School and moving into the dormitory, Lee Yu-ju is paired with Gil Su-jin’s daughter, Lee Min-seo.
Because they shared the same surname, they were seated next to each other.
Gil Su-jin considered this a stroke of luck. It was as if her desired target had sat down right next to her daughter.
So, she asked her daughter to invite Lee Yu-ju to their home.
To win Yu-ju’s favor, to test her true intentions, and to somehow obtain the portfolio of her brother, Lee Seok-chan.
"I wonder."
At Gil Su-jin’s words, Lee Yu-ju gave a faint smile.
It was a picture-perfect smile.
Not a human expression, but a smile drawn like an illustration.
"I’m not so sure about... 'for the rest of our lives.'"
"It’s just a figure of speech. But Min-seo has told me many things about you, Yu-ju."
"Is that so? I don't recall having many conversations with Min-seo."
"If you haven't talked much, that’s fine. You can get to know each other from now on."
"You’re right."
A calm conversation.
A dialogue exchanged with smiles on both sides.
"So, if there’s anything you need, just say the word. As your friend’s mother, I’ll help as much as I can."
"Thank you. But I’m fine."
"No, there must be many things you need and want. You have something you desire, don't you? I can make that happen for you."
Having said that much, Gil Su-jin looked at Lee Yu-ju with confidence.
A father who was a famous coordinator but ultimately failed.
What could her father gain by enrolling Lee Yu-ju in Taeyang High School?
Publicity.
He intended to use his daughter to showcase and prove his perfect admissions plan and curriculum.
Thus, Gil Su-jin was bold.
She was merely reaching out for a product on sale.
In fact, she felt she was helping the other party.
Taeyang High School.
She was generously extending a hand to those who were far too inadequate to enter this Sky Garden.
"Those are kind words."
Even under Gil Su-jin’s pressure, Lee Yu-ju simply replied with a smile.
As if she had absolutely no interest.
A strange tension was felt between the two.
'The eyes.'
The young actors participating in Sky Garden swallowed hard and focused on their eyes.
Though they hadn't exchanged many lines yet, the acting was so intense it was hard to believe it was just a script reading.
'Neither of their eyes are smiling.'
Gil Su-jin’s eyes were sharp, as if trying to pierce through Lee Yu-ju’s inner thoughts.
Conversely, Lee Yu-ju was ignoring her with eyes filled with loathing.
A spear and a shield.
A battle of offense and defense was visible between the two.
"Ah, that’s right."
In that quiet exchange of gazes, it was Gil Su-jin who changed the subject.
"I heard your brother graduated at the top of his class at Baek-yeon University. And in the medical department, no less."
"Yes."
"You must be so proud. It really is an incredible feat."
At Gil Su-jin’s smiling words, emotion finally entered Lee Yu-ju’s eyes.
Beyond simple loathing, a 'displeasure.'
It was clearly revealed.
But only for a moment.
"It is incredible," Lee Yu-ju replied with a matching smile. "Truly."
Her voice was different than before.
A strange anger was clearly embedded in it.
Her slightly trembling voice seemed to show Yu-ju’s emotions.
It created a tension like a lit fuse on a bomb.
A tension that made it feel as if Lee Yu-ju might do something to Gil Su-jin at any moment.
A touch-and-go situation.
That was the phrase that suited the scene best.
"Min-seo."
Lee Yu-ju wiped the smile from her face as she looked at Gil Su-jin.
"I’ll make sure we get along."
She replied dryly.
Nevertheless, there were emotions she couldn't hide.
But even facing that, Gil Su-jin simply smiled with satisfaction.
"Yes, I look forward to it, Miss Lee Yu-ju."
With that, their conversation ceased.
"……."
Until the moment they put down their scripts and sat back in their seats.
A strange silence lingered.
"Wow."
It was the director, Kim Il-soo, who finally let out an exclamation.
With an extremely excited face, he looked at the two actresses who had just delivered a passionate performance.
"This is great. Wow, honestly, I thought I might have to adjust the tone or find new emotions to capture... but there’s nothing to change."
Everyone inwardly agreed with his words.
It was exactly as he said.
There were no flaws in the scene just now.
It had a polished quality, as if a scene from an edited drama had been transported directly there.
Since Seo-yeon was even wearing a school uniform, it fit the scene perfectly.
It felt as if they were on an actual filming set.
"Thank you."
Seo-yeon bowed her head at the high praise.
However, she didn't show much of a reaction.
As if composing her emotions, she simply brushed her eyelids with her fingers.
Watching that...
"What do you think?"
Han Seong-jin spoke to his friend Kim Hyun-seok, who was sitting next to him.
"Insane, right?"
"……."
At those words, Kim Hyun-seok looked at Han Seong-jin with sharp eyes.
Insane?
'Damn it.'
He felt like spitting out a harsh curse.
He didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't help but feel a primal sense of crisis.
The role Kim Hyun-seok played was the twin brother of Lee Min-seo, who became Seo-yeon’s partner.
Unlike the quite lacking Min-seo, he was a character who excelled in many ways, so he had many scenes where he was involved with Lee Yu-ju.
"Do you think you can keep from being swallowed up when you're in a scene with her?"
Swallowed up.
He had never even considered the thought.
He had always taken pride in his acting skills.
The actors around him and his agency had always praised him that way.
But seeing that performance just now, all those words felt like empty flattery.
He probably wasn't the only one feeling this way.
The other young actors who had passed the audition and joined the drama were likely harboring similar thoughts.
Previously, there were those whose gazes toward Seo-yeon were mixed with jealousy, doubt, or disdain.
When watching only through a screen or a TV, one might think, 'I can do that too.'
But facing it directly, the pressure was on a completely different level.
To begin with, the actress playing Gil Su-jin, Lee Mi-ran, had acted with total sincerity.
As if she would chew up the other person’s presence to the bone if they let their guard down for even a second.
Yet, Seo-yeon had accepted that intensity with utter composure.
As if it were only natural.
That difference made the young actors feel a sense of defeat.
'She doesn't even have us in her sights.'
As if it didn't matter at all what the other actors thought of her.
Seo-yeon was just leisurely looking over her script.
Even though they hadn't competed directly, Kim Hyun-seok bit his lower lip at the bitter sense of defeat he felt.
Then.
"?"
Sensing his gaze, Seo-yeon moved her eyes toward Kim Hyun-seok.
Meeting her eyes, Kim Hyun-seok hurriedly looked down.
"What’s wrong? She’s looking at you."
"……Nothing."
In any case, he was jealous and frustrated.
His feelings were complicated in many ways, but it was difficult to show the same vague hostility as before.
'……That coin.'
That coin was still in his pocket.
Perhaps because of that, he couldn't bring himself to send hostile glares at Seo-yeon like before.
He didn't know what that coin meant.
But Kim Hyun-seok’s instincts naturally guided his body.
Telling him it was better to avoid her if possible.
Han Seong-jin tilted his head at his strange reaction.
But soon, he nodded.
Ah, he must be worried about the thought of acting alongside Ju Seo-yeon.
"Worried about filming already?"
"……."
At Han Seong-jin’s words, Kim Hyun-seok slowly nodded.
Of course, the meaning was entirely different.
*
'It’s definitely difficult.'
Returning home after finishing today’s script reading, Seo-yeon let out a sigh.
She didn't know how it was for others, but for Seo-yeon, it had been an incredibly taxing script reading.
Her acting hadn't been criticized, and there were no particular revisions to the script.
From an external perspective, Seo-yeon had delivered her performance most comfortably today.
But.
'My stomach feels churned up.'
Acting out loathing for others is difficult.
In her past life, it was an emotion she didn't know to begin with, and in "Ju Seo-yeon’s" life, there had been little room for loathing to intervene.
Good parents.
Good friends.
Things she considered the greatest luck she had ever been given.
Therefore, the emotion of loathing was particularly difficult for her.
If.
If she hadn't followed Jo Seo-hee and participated in that high-society party.
And if she hadn't met 'Low' there, it would have remained a vague emotion.
The emotion Seo-yeon felt then was much deeper than now.
She could feel something much more intense than simple anger.
Something unacceptable.
The feeling of seeing a being fundamentally different from herself.
She wanted to express that through her acting, but it didn't go as well as she thought.
Everyone praised her, but she was personally dissatisfied.
She could have done better.
That was roughly how she felt.
"Phew."
Exhaling a long sigh, Seo-yeon turned on her computer.
She saw her recently purchased graphics card glowing as it started up.
'I hadn't originally planned on changing it.'
She ended up buying it because her father, Young-bin, had pestered her, saying graphics cards were cheap these days.
Actually, since this was a fairly rare occurrence, she had readily given it to him as a gift.
Seo-yeon’s parents didn't want her to do things for them with the money she earned.
Everything Seo-yeon earned belonged entirely to Seo-yeon.
If there was something she wanted to do, they always supported her.
If she had a hard time, they listened to her story.
……Of course, there were many times she wanted to smack her dad for various reasons.
That was the general vibe.
Perhaps that was why it was even harder to immerse herself in the role of Lee Yu-ju.
Because empathizing with her was too painful.
Even more so than the murderer Cha Seo-ah, who reminded her of her past life.
'Maybe it’s because it feels strangely realistic.'
Seeing how it hit her more intensely than murder, it might be because the empathy didn't end with mere imagination.
"Alright."
Seo-yeon finally pulled herself together.
Let’s heal this gloomy heart by watching Ramiel’s stream.
It was when she entered the channel with that thought.
"I think I’ll be able to introduce a new friend to you soon. Ta-da~!"
"?"
But suddenly, a black silhouette appeared on Ramiel’s channel.
An indie VTuber like Ramiel was introducing a new debuting VTuber on her channel???
What on earth was going on?
And who are you?
"I want to introduce her to you quickly! My new friend!"
Seeing Ramiel talking with a gentle smile.
Seo-yeon felt the terrible emotion that had been unsettling her heart just a moment ago being replaced by a different emotion, burning bright.
Just absolutely blazing.