The Role That Lingers
"Good work."
"Ah, yes, yes..."
An Da-yeong, in her early twenties, lay on the bed staring blankly into space. Even though they were still on set, the intensity of the scene had been so overwhelming that she had nearly forgotten where she was.
"I'm jealous, so jealous~"
"Aah..."
Seo Yeon-soo, the director who had known her since her child actress days, grinned mischievously. An auntie's meddling knew no bounds. An Da-yeong squirmed and flailed, unable to shake Woo Dan-wol's face from her mind. Still, how could she stay lying down in front of the director who was like the sky itself? Yet the An Da-yeong that Seo Yeon-soo looked at was no ordinary actress. Having watched her since her child actress days, Seo Yeon-soo felt almost like an aunt toward her.
Of course, An Da-yeong knew her place and tried to get up immediately. It was basic courtesy in front of an elder, let alone the director.
"No, no. Stay lying down. We're shooting the next scene right away."
"Yes..."
Even so, the director's sly gaze remained fixed on her. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, An Da-yeong averted her eyes.
Meanwhile, with time to spare before the next scene, Woo Dan-wol returned to the waiting room. Normally, he would have stayed on set to observe the other actors' performances. But Han Da-sol had dragged him here. She must have had something to say. Woo Dan-wol looked at her impassively.
She had brought him to the waiting room for a private talk, yet she couldn't bring herself to speak. After three seconds of silence, it was Woo Dan-wol who finally broke the quiet.
"Da-sol noona, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Ah, no... It's just..."
Han Da-sol seemed slightly off. Was it because of how he addressed her? Even though they had grown closer, he had always called her just "noona." At his words, her body gave a small jolt.
She couldn't answer the question that followed. It had been an impulsive action, after all.
"Right... Why did I?"
"......"
A corner of her heart felt hollow. Perhaps it was because she had never felt the flutter of excitement except for that one crush back in middle school. Even when acting in romance comedies, she had focused more on the act of performing than on the emotions themselves. That was why her current state felt all the more confusing.
"Why... Why did I stop you? It wasn't anything special."
"Noona."
Her gaze wavered. She struggled to focus, terrified that he might notice her shameful feelings and that she would make a mistake. It was Woo Dan-wol who steadied her emotions.
Though his acting career was short, he understood her distress precisely because he was a genius. He had experienced this state himself once before.
"Look at me, noona."
"Yeah..."
"Just accept it. Don't turn away from it."
"I see."
So that was it. Han Da-sol realized the true nature of the uncomfortable feeling that had been tormenting her. Woo Dan-wol nodded as if he already knew everything, as if he understood. Had she immersed herself too deeply in the role? She had heard of such things before, but she had never imagined it would happen to her. Acting. Who would have thought she would fall in love while performing in a thriller crime drama?
Yet the bitter, stifling feeling in her chest remained. Even though understanding what was tormenting her had eased the frustration, something still ached.
"It's because you immersed yourself in the role."
"Right, immersed... Yeah."
That was it. It was definitely because of immersion. She knew that fact better than anyone, since it was her own feeling. But then why did a corner of her heart still sting even as she acknowledged it and nodded? Her expression darkened, but all Woo Dan-wol could offer was a small word of encouragement. In the end, it was something she had to overcome on her own.
"I'll head back first. Take a moment to collect yourself. Fighting."
"Mm-hmm. Don't worry."
She tried to act strong, but her sullen expression lingered for a long while.
Jin Da-yeon exhaled a rough breath. The female assailant was a massive woman, more than 1.5 times her size. While size difference mattered in a fight, that only applied under equal conditions. Jin Da-yeon had been professionally trained to strike people. Before becoming a detective, she had honed her body and learned martial arts specifically for hitting opponents. She had even been encouraged to try the professional circuit instead of policing. The massive woman, by contrast, was merely a murderer.
At first, Jin Da-yeon had felt fear. Who would win between a professionally trained fighter and an armed robber? Most pros would say you should just turn around and run. And if that robber was actually a serial killer who had already murdered five or more people? The fight would be even harder. But in this situation, all of that was purely theoretical. The hulking murderer let out a laugh.
It was because she had met Jin Da-yeon's deeply sunken eyes. Pinned down, unable to use her strength properly, her hand holding the knife broken, the murderer was still laughing. So high and mighty. Those disgusting eyes that had looked down on criminals, claiming to be different. Now aren't you just like us? How could she not laugh?
As a detective, the honorable detective who spent her life catching criminals had turned out to be one of them. It was a fact only a "flower" could recognize. Ordinary people could never become one of them. What else could that mean?
"Hahaha! Ha! Ahaha!! Detective!"
"Shut up."
"Kuhk, kuaaak! Ack, haha!!"
Even as the knife pierced her and her breath faded, the murderer's crazed eyes continued to laugh. Falling from a great height always hurt far more than simply collapsing.
"Kuhk, krrk... Khhk. You... were the same... kind of person... after all."
At the word "person," Jin Da-yeon swung the knife again. As if the very idea of being grouped in the same category as them was repulsive. She kept stabbing until the light faded from those eyes. Blood splattered across her face. She continued stabbing until the corners of her own eyes trembled.
"Ha, haha... Hahaha. Ahaha. Ah, aha..."
Thud. She sank down onto the blood-soaked floor. Jin Da-yeon let out a deep sigh. No matter how isolated or special the place, as a member of society, she had committed murder. That fact would never change.
But what wore her down even more was the complete lack of emotion. Her hands that had killed someone were trembling. Even as she stared blankly at them, she could recall the sensation of stabbing and ending a life. Yet she felt nothing. Just like them. In the Forest of Flowers, where murder was nothing special, just another part of the natural order, she had simply done what was necessary to survive.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Jin Da-yeon's mind. At the same time, a spark returned to her eyes. There had been a fierce fight, but she had forgotten something crucial. The remaining murderer. And Kang Min-hyeok, whose safety she didn't even know. Her urgent footsteps began.
She had thought she hid him well. At the very least, the door was locked, so only she herself would be in danger. That was what she had believed.
-Click.
The door opened. At the same time, Jin Da-yeon's eyes widened. The door opening so easily meant one of two things: either Kang Min-hyeok had opened it and left, or someone else had entered.
"Mi-Min-hyeok-ssi..."
"Da-yeon-ssi..."
A metallic scent reached her nose. Jin Da-yeon's expression crumpled. The scene before her eyes was utterly shocking. Emotion flooded into eyes that had held none before, that had felt no excitement at all. The remaining murderer lay sleeping soundly on the bed. And beneath the bed, crouched Kang Min-hyeok looked utterly ragged. His hair was torn in places, and his stretched clothes revealed what had been done to him.
Yes. No matter how much she wanted to deny or avoid it, the fact that Kang Min-hyeok had been violated remained unchanged. Jin Da-yeon's lips trembled. She tried to bite them, but swallowing the emotion was difficult. What must he have felt, putting those torn, rag-like clothes back on with his own hands? When the woman who had told him to wait just a little longer, who had promised to return soon, never came back no matter how desperately he called out, what must he have felt?
Faced with someone who had been reduced to rags by something too heavy for a person to endure, Jin Da-yeon, who had been close to becoming a flower, drew closer to humanity once more. Color returned to her hardened expression, and with only despair left, she cried out to him.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Min-hyeok, Min-hyeok-ssi. I, I..."
"It's... okay. Da-yeon-ssi. It's okay..."
Rational judgment was impossible. The murderer might wake up. They should flee. Yet Jin Da-yeon sobbed in his arms. All that remained were regrets and lingering attachments, and the fact that she had failed to protect the man she loved. Just like the family she had been unable to protect. Jin Da-yeon, who had become a flower, ended as a human being. A human filled only with pain.