Chapter 216: Forms of Love (2)
Chapter 216: Forms of Love (2)
"I already knew."
Yeo-hee shared a part of her past with Seo-yeon.
How she came to be with her parents.
How she fell in love.
"Sometimes, a person's dream is decided by something much smaller than you’d think."
It was the same for Yeo-hee.
Until then, singing had been nothing more than a hobby to her.
She had never once considered making it her profession.
"I was in the Game Club, but I never intended for my songs to be used as OSTs."
Then, a guy suddenly barged in and said those words.
"You're a good singer. I think it would be perfect if we used your voice for the OST."
Yes, it really was nothing special.
"Yeo-hee, you're good at singing."
It was just those simple words.
But because of them, she found herself holding a guitar before she knew it, and by the time she snapped out of it, she had become a singer.
"Of course, who says it matters just as much."
He never said anything meaningless.
Because he wasn't the type to give out compliments easily, his words carried that much more weight.
Since he said she was good at singing, she felt like she really had to be good.
She felt as if she had become someone truly special.
Perhaps that was why she had continued down this path.
"I never imagined I wouldn't be able to forget those words even now, though."
Yeo-hee looked at Seo-yeon.
The girl’s face was clouded with deep thought.
"Isn't it hard?" Seo-yeon asked cautiously.
To be honest, it was an emotion Seo-yeon couldn't truly grasp.
And yet, she felt like she could vaguely understand.
Almost like her own past life.
It was something she had realized recently.
Seo-yeon had always been quite fond of herself.
However, she hadn't realized that this self-love extended even to her past self.
After all, nothing particularly good had ever happened to Seo-yeon in her past.
"I'm not sure myself," Yeo-hee replied with a puzzled expression.
Was it hard?
Maybe it was.
But the form love took varied from person to person, making it difficult to define.
One thing was certain, though.
"I just... can't forget."
To a foolish degree.
"And I realized that seeing him happy makes me quite happy, too."
Honestly, Yeo-hee hadn't had the confidence to see him again.
But after watching the broadcast of Golden Duckling, she changed her mind.
Watching them on TV gave her a strange, ticklish sensation.
Seeing everyone happy together brought her a sense of relief and joy.
It made her want to meet him again.
Of course, without ever revealing the lingering attachments she held.
"Just about that much."
That was the only answer Yeo-hee could give to Seo-yeon's question.
As she said, the form of love is different for everyone, so the rest was for Seo-yeon to figure out on her own.
Surely, she was asking because of the role she had taken on this time.
Seo-yeon nodded slowly at Yeo-hee's answer.
Somehow, she felt like she understood a little.
It wasn't just Yeo-hee's story; she felt as though she might be harboring similar emotions herself.
She had realized it during Masked Singer.
That there was no need to be so impatient.
And that impatience ultimately stemmed from Seo-yeon's past life—from her past self.
Just as Yeo-hee held onto her lingering attachments...
Seo-yeon was holding onto hers as well.
'It's the exact opposite of the past.'
Seo-yeon let out a small, self-deprecating laugh as she applied her makeup to become Kasugayama Yuina for Gyeongseong Lady.
Her reflection was being colored by glamorous makeup.
Looking at Yuina's face in the mirror instead of her own, she thought:
It was a one-sided love.
Of course, it wasn't the love between lovers.
It was her mother's devoted, downward love.
Given to a child who couldn't empathize with that love.
For a lifetime.
A love was given that would never be reciprocated.
And Seo-yeon believed she only realized this after being reborn.
"My teacher said it."
When she closed her eyes, words she had heard a long time ago came back to her.
"Usually, other people can't even express it."
The words spoken while her teacher held her in her arms.
"That it's impossible for them to dress themselves up and mimic others to act."
Because it wasn't just about not understanding emotions; they wouldn't even know how to express them.
Her teacher had said it wasn't something that could be done just by observing a lot.
"You are special."
She couldn't empathize with the sentiment, but those words must have left a mark on her.
As Yeo-hee said, it's the little things that move a person.
Surely, her mother must have hoped back then that Seo-yeon would become an ordinary person and look back at her.
And now, it was the opposite.
Seo-yeon thought that she was perhaps performing the same act in the form of an actress.
Lingering attachment.
Seo-yeon had clearly possessed that emotion from early on.
She just hadn't recognized it.
'I think I understand a little now.'
Of course, Yuina's emotions were different.
Not the love between a parent and child, but the love between lovers.
A love that wanted to become a partner.
A heart that wanted to possess and monopolize him.
Seo-yeon still didn't fully understand that heart.
However, since love takes many forms...
Seo-yeon decided to interpret it in her own way.
Yuina's emotions.
Why she decided to let Yeon Seon-ye go.
Why she decided to pray for the happiness of Michiko, whom she should have hated.
'Just because.'
She probably just wanted them to be happy.
What other reason did she need?
It's sad to see someone cry.
Because she had seen it too much.
Even though she didn't know it then, she knew it now.
「You're right.」
And so, Yuina speaks.
「It was my lifelong wish. To take revenge on the parents who betrayed me and to kill that girl who received everything.」
Amanabi Michiko.
The hateful woman who had snatched everything away from her.
She wanted to take everything back in the same way.
Perhaps even her life.
But she couldn't do it anymore.
「But... she keeps weighing on my mind.」
The girl was someone she had brought along for that very purpose.
A Joseon woman who was a bit too brazen and didn't know her place.
She had brought her as someone whose death wouldn't be strange at any moment.
She was supposed to be a mere pawn to be used and discarded.
「That girl prattling by my side. Those words she spoke so spitefully.」
Yuina staggers, clutching the arm of Isamu, who had caught her.
「I keep remembering that face as she smiled at me.」
Even if that smile wasn't directed at her.
Even if it was directed at the woman who had taken everything from her.
Yuina simply couldn't bear to see that smile vanish.
Just when did it start?
Was it from the moment that girl, not knowing her place, tried to help her?
「I know I shouldn't be like this.」
It was a grand desire she had harbored her entire life.
However, she could feel the flames of her burning revenge gradually dying out.
The hatred didn't flare up as it once had.
「But...」
Yuina looked at Isamu and smiled sorrowfully.
「I can't do it.」
That was all she could say.
Her head was filled with countless thoughts, but those were the only words that could leave her lips.
Watching her, Isamu's eyes wavered.
He realized it.
That Yuina had now reached the point of no return.
He was witnessing the moment the doll he had painstakingly raised since childhood finally broke.
Seeing this, Isamu could not empathize with Yuina's emotions.
His chin trembled, and his wide-open eyes became bloodshot.
Thwack!!
He shook off Yuina's hand that was gripping his arm and turned his back.
Yuina collapsed on the spot from the impact, but he didn't look back.
He simply strode outside.
If she couldn't do it, it was a task he had to complete himself.
「Isamu.」
And Yuina, lying sorrowfully on the ground, watched his retreating back, her eyes—which had been tearful just a moment ago—turning sharp.
Staggering to her feet, Yuina glared in the direction he had disappeared.
「Yes, Yeon Seon-ye. You were right.」
In the end, it seemed she was the one who had helped her.
She had trusted Isamu as well.
But through the behavior he just showed, she could be certain.
Who the true enemy was.
And what she had to do.
With that, the scene came to an end.
Soon, as Director Baek Min shouted "Cut," a momentary silence fell over the set.
The acting between the two had been that intense.
In particular, Jo Seo-hee, who was to perform in the next scene, widened her eyes.
Seo-yeon's 'Yuina' was far more vivid and intense now than what she had seen before.
The starlight-like acting she had seen a long time ago.
And the kind of acting she had seen from Cha Seo-ah.
She never expected to see it here today.
The scene, which was merely a sequence of dialogue, had an immersive power that made it feel like a climax.
Of course, this didn't mean only Seo-yeon had done well.
'Actor Lee Sang-soo... his acting was always amazing, but...'
Today, it was on another level.
Lee Sang-soo didn't even have many lines today.
He clearly portrayed Goto Isamu's rage through mere expressions and actions.
It seemed Seo-hee wasn't the only one thinking this.
Lee Ji-yeon also looked quite shocked.
It was Ji-yeon's first time seeing Seo-yeon perform like that on set.
She had seen many performances, but she had never seen such deep emotional acting.
'It felt like method acting halfway through.'
It was rare for Seo-yeon to immerse herself in acting to this extent.
Especially after she grew up, she rarely used method acting, thinking it was unnecessary.
'I don't think it was intentional, though.'
Seo-hee thought as she watched Seo-yeon, who was still standing on the set.
As if trying to compose her emotions, Seo-yeon stood still with her eyes closed for a moment.
Yuina certainly hadn't shed a single tear just now.
But everyone present must have felt it.
That Yuina's appearance just now was as if she were wailing.
Director Baek Min, in particular, couldn't help but be amazed as he repeatedly played back and checked the scene they had just filmed.
It was an important scene, but...
'To think it would turn out this well.'
There was no excessive action, yet even he, the director, was drawn in as if watching a musical or a play.
"Miss Seo-yeon, are you alright?"
Lee Sang-soo approached Seo-yeon quietly and asked.
He was very worried because the actress Jung Eun-seon had repeatedly urged him to look after her.
"Yes."
Seo-yeon quietly opened her eyes, her face showing no signs of distress.
Her eyes were a bit red, but that was always the case.
In reality, Seo-yeon wasn't in a particularly bad state.
She just felt a bit mentally exhausted.
She had just been swayed by emotions, and a slightly unpleasant feeling had washed over her.
'Especially since the next scene is set further in the past than this one.'
Unless scenes are filmed in order, these parts are a bit difficult.
Because of that, Seo-yeon also needed to compose her emotions.
It felt like she had dived deep into the ocean for the first time in a long while.
The ocean, not an aquarium.
It had been a truly long time.
"Ju Seo-yeon."
Lee Ji-yeon and Jo Seo-hee were standing behind Seo-yeon before she knew it.
Lee Ji-yeon, in particular, looked like she had a lot to say.
"You have to act like that when you're with me, too."
It was a strange thing to say.
As if she hadn't been acting properly when she was with her.
Of course, Seo-yeon had never slacked off when acting with Ji-yeon.
Always sincere.
That was Seo-yeon's motto.
"We... we'll have to see about that."
It was Seo-hee who replied, having quietly watched their conversation.
Seo-hee knew what kind of acting Ji-yeon was referring to.
In short, it was romance acting.
The scenes Lee Ji-yeon and Seo-yeon were to film later involved quite intense romance.
However, she knew that Seo-yeon was quite troubled by romance acting.
One might say she found it difficult.
So, she was worried that Lee Ji-yeon might think Seo-yeon was slacking off.
"Don't worry."
Contrary to Seo-hee's concerns, Seo-yeon spoke with a fairly confident smile.
"I'm confident."
"..."
Was she confident in romance acting?
Seo-hee somehow had an uneasy premonition.
'Still.'
Seo-hee smiled as she recalled Seo-yeon's acting just now.
The acting she showed today was truly great.
*
YHJ Broadcasting Station, Japan.
They were currently reviewing footage recently sent from Korea.
They were compiling previous videos related to Seo-yeon to create a broadcast.
A program to be released in time for the premiere of Gyeongseong Lady.
Just then.
"Ah, hello!!"
Several people in the station could be seen greeting someone with energetic voices.
It was a group of people.
They whispered among themselves as they watched the director who had just entered.
"Is that person the one...?"
"Yes. He's the director who will be participating in the movie production this time."
A director.
But he wasn't a Japanese director.
He was a Caucasian man with light blonde hair.
His appearance was quite foreign to see in a Japanese broadcasting station.
An Academy Award winner for Best Director.
Although his most recent film hadn't performed up to his reputation, he was undoubtedly a world-renowned director, one of the best in America.
He was a director invited to bring a new wind to the Japanese film industry.
He was looking around the YHJ station, showing interest in various things.
Even though there should have been someone to stop him, everyone seemed at a loss.
After all, he had been 'invited' in the literal sense.
If they made him uncomfortable and he refused to participate in the movie production, it would be a disaster.
"T-This way, Director."
Finally, they sat down and began the meeting in earnest.
They showed him various videos and introduced the Japanese actors scheduled to participate in the movie.
"Uh, the female lead for this movie is Goto Reika. Her acting skills have certainly been proven..."
YHJ, which participated in this movie production, played a video of the drama they produced, Director Kakeba Hiro's First Love Moment.
It was the most recent drama Goto Reika had appeared in.
Since her acting had been well-received, they thought the director would like it.
『Hmm.』
However, he watched the video with a very bored expression.
He looked completely uninterested.
Even though Reika was giving a passionate performance on screen, he didn't react at all.
If anything, he was even frowning.
'We're doomed.'
Everyone felt it instinctively.
Should they cast someone other than Goto Reika as the female lead?
But among young actresses, was there anyone who could act better than Goto Reika?
Honestly, no one came to mind.
However, seeing that reaction, it felt like they absolutely had to find another actress.
Just as they were about to play another video with that thought in mind.
『Wait.』
"Yes?"
"Wait, he said wait!!"
At the director's words, everyone's attention focused on him, their faces tense.
Was he going to refuse the shoot?
He had been watching the video with a dissatisfied face from the start.
The only reason they could bring him to Japan was that they had paid him an astronomical amount of money.
But even that wouldn't stop him from leaving at any time if he didn't like it.
『That Japanese actress, who is she?』
"Yes! Yes, which actress?"
"That scene is after the one with Miss Goto..."
It was the most talked-about scene in First Love Moment recently.
At a playground, women were making unnecessary comments to the male lead, who was in despair.
Honestly, the scene itself had no importance at all.
It was merely a device to intensify the conflict.
However, the director pointed directly at the scene with his finger and called out the person.
『I mean, this Japanese actress.』
Those who saw the person he was pointing at couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
Because the actress he was pointing at was not a Japanese actress.