The Saint
Hmm…
How best to put this?
A hastily thrown-together character. In a closed-off world. A sacrificial lamb built to capture the ugly underside the few survivors could show. A bit part that, at most, got five minutes of total runtime.
A five-minute bit part doesn't need a big backstory. Slap in a few personality keywords; the dialogue is only a handful of lines. They handed her the situation and left everything to the actress — and something extraordinary came out of it.
Don't hate them. They're only doing it because they're scared.
Don't be afraid. Don't you have me?
Of course she never delivered lines like that. But lines carrying that exact nuance did come out.
Benevolence and devotion. Material and setup so common they were almost cliché. And yet — look at the result.
A saint had appeared.
All she had been asked to portray was an older sister who stayed behind to protect her younger sibling. Nowhere in the script was there a single line that said don't hate people. What emerged was the actress's independent reading of the character — her own ad-libs.
She herself was afraid. But she never showed it. She did not hold people accountable for their sins. She soothed those who were terrified. She sacrificed herself with quiet humility.
A saint.
Yu Hui-min saw a saint in the Choi Soo-young she had played. She alone radiated a bright light. A single actress dominated the set — and froze it solid.
The others seemed to feel something similar. Yu Ha-yeong looked busy trying to pull herself together. She showed no sign of wanting to leave the embrace.
Whoa. This is incredible.
Instead, he felt the pressure. Now the two sisters would exit. They would not appear in the story again. Everything that followed belonged entirely to the people left behind. Shouldn't they repay what those two had given?
CLAP!!!!!
Yu Hui-min clapped hard, jolting the atmosphere back to life.
"Great! Great!"
"We'll be heading out now, Director."
Jeong Yeo-un and the others approached Yu Hui-min. Filming was done; there was no reason to stay any longer.
"Hahahaha! Sorry about that. Feels like I got this one for free, doesn't it?"
"Not at all. Our kids are happy to appear in your work. Mutual benefit, right?"
"Hearing you say that means a lot!"
Yu Hui-min looked over at Yu Ha-yeong and Gil Ara.
"Ha-yeong, you doing a little better now?"
"Yes, Director."
Yu Ha-yeong's eyes were red and slightly swollen.
"Good. And Ara."
"Yes."
"Hahaha. See you next time. Glad we met."
"Yes. Looking forward to seeing you again, Director."
He didn't say anything special to Ara.
The expression she had while acting is already gone.
"Alright. We've still got a little filming left, so head on out."
"Yes, Director!"
"Ah — I'll share the film-related schedule. You did appear in our production, after all!"
"We'd appreciate that."
"We've almost finished shooting. Looking at a release in the second quarter next year."
"I see. Understood."
"Ah, damn — I've kept busy people too long. Go on, go on. Hahahaha!"
"Yes. We'll take our leave."
The YW contingent finished their goodbyes to the crew and cast on set and departed.
"Director, that was a little much."
"It really was, Director."
Hong Dong-geon and Ye Ju-hui said to Yu Hui-min.
"Haha, sorry to both of you. But I can't exactly ask her to dial the acting down, can I?"
"That's true. I already get enough misunderstandings just from my face."
"Where the hell did an actress like that even come from? The looks and the acting both."
"Who knows. Either way, we'll just have to work harder. Can't lose to a junior that green, right?"
"What are you all talking about?"
Gong Woo-bin wandered over and joined the conversation.
"What else? The Ara who just left. How'd she look to you, Woo-bin?"
"Ah. She was really something, wasn't she? That's exactly why I'm worried, though."
"Hm? Worried about what? Wait — don't tell me you're scared she'll steal your rice bowl~?"
"Hahaha, Woo-bin, I didn't take you for that type~ I'm disappointed~"
The senior actors started ribbing him.
"Come on. You think I'd be like that? I'm thrilled to have a talented junior."
"We're kidding. So what is it? What's the worry? She's got the skill, she's got the looks, and personality-wise — well, I don't know her that well, but she doesn't seem like much of a talker. Doesn't look like the type to cause trouble."
"Ah! That's not what I meant."
Gong Woo-bin started explaining what he actually meant.
"I'm talking about image. Image."
"Ah."
The senior actors and the director understood him at once.
"Once an actor gets locked into an image, it's not easy to change, right?"
"Yeah. That's true."
It usually was. Actors who mainly played villains. Actors who mainly played politicians. Actors who mainly did comedy. Actors who specialized in action. They weren't doing those roles because they wanted to specialize — the image had simply stuck.
"Of course, having a strong image people associate with you is a good thing."
"Yeah. I don't see the downside. A wholesome image. How is that bad?"
"Right — wholesome roles are in huge demand. Today I felt like I was watching a new religion get founded."
"Hahahaha. You've got jokes. But so?"
"Don't you want to see Ara take on other kinds of roles too?"
"Yeah. I am curious."
Everyone agreed with Gong Woo-bin.
"Especially something like a villain. But it's hard to even picture."
"True. And it wouldn't really suit her, either."
"On that point Woo-bin's right. I think trying a wide range while you're still young is the way to go."
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
Yu Hui-min listened to the whole exchange and laughed with his whole chest.
"A talented junior has the seniors fretting over every little thing!"
It was a genuinely pleasant sight.
"Don't worry! Later I'll just cast her in something different, won't I?"
"Whoa. Our director's throwing his weight around a little hard, isn't he?"
"So what! It's my movie. Alright — first order of business is finishing this film cleanly, right? Let's get ready!"
"Yes!"
"Standing by!!!"
They returned to their positions, and the assistant director called the start of the next take.
"We worship you."
"Amen."
This was not a church. It was not any kind of religious facility. It was simply the van heading back to the agency.
Jeong Yeo-un and the others had been at it for a while now. In plain terms, they were being ridiculous.
"Ara, I believed in you! Just keep doing that from now on!"
"…Yes."
The mood was far too hyped for her to tell them to stop.
"Ara! I think I've been misunderstanding you this whole time!"
"?"
"I thought you were the kind of kid with no blood and no tears."
What kind of nonsense is this now. She genuinely could not figure out where that misunderstanding had come from.
"Acting, after all, comes from the heart! Today I finally saw the real heart inside you. Isn't that right, everyone!"
"Yes. The CEO's right!"
"Absolutely!"
"Stop it. You're making Ara uncomfortable."
"Ha-yeong, look after yourself first. You cried the most."
"Ah. Did I?"
What do you mean 'did I' — stop them properly till the end.
"Alright! Shall we chant it one more time?"
"Please don't."
"We worship you!"
"I said stop."
"Amen."
The youngest had switched to blunt speech, and they paid it no mind whatsoever.
Tap— tatatatak—
Her mind felt genuinely at ease. This little world belonged to her alone.
It had already been a full week since she safely wrapped her first shoot — a cameo, but still. Remarkably, Ara had not left the house even once in that time.
But today was the last of that.
Match Lost
She had racked up far too many losses in a row. She had already lost count of how many consecutive ones it was.
That bastard made her remember.
Ara closed the game on that last message.
The night was already dark. She shut the computer down completely, lay down on the bed, and finished getting ready for sleep.
"Starting tomorrow, Forest of Crime filming."
In this new life, she had somehow ended up living as an actress, and she had passed the audition. Of course, with the cameo already done, this wouldn't be her absolute first shoot — but the feeling was different.
"That was more like a random event."
……
Still completely empty.
"Come to think of it, does a cameo even count?"
She turned it over, but no clear answer came.
"Won't know until it actually releases."
The drama would probably be the same. You'd have to wait until the whole thing finished airing, wouldn't you? In that case, filling this out might take longer than she thought.
"Guess I have to work hard."
She still didn't have the name recognition. Looks and acting ability meant nothing on their own if no one knew who you were. At best, bit parts were all she could expect.
"Who's going to cast a complete unknown as a lead?"
Honestly, this time had been lucky. Ara knew that, so she set her mindset firmly.
She checked the time: 11:00 p.m.
"I have to leave at five tomorrow, so I should sleep."
Not five in the afternoon. Five in the morning.
Click—
The small lamp that had been struggling to light the room went out.
Below that, endless lines of condolences stretched on and on.
Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
Early morning, before the sun had risen. The set built for film and drama production was already packed with people preparing for the shoot.
"Director. Good morning."
Lee Min-hyeok greeted him, breath fogging in the cold.
"Ah, Min-hyeok's here? Good work."
"Hardly. The crew works harder."
"Hearing you say that is nice~"
The small talk continued.
"Ha-yeong and Ara still aren't here?"
"Ah. This is confidential, but — Ara signed with YW. So the two of them are coming together."
"Oh, really? That's a shame. I'd already put a word in with their CEO. That CEO moves fast."
"Hahaha. In this business, first one to snatch them up owns them, right?"
"True."
While talking with Lee Min-hyeok, Ha Il-gwon suddenly remembered something from not long ago.
"Come to think of it. A little while back I got asked for a favor and put a cameo into the thing Director Yu Hui-min is shooting right now."
"Director Yu? The zombie one?"
"Yeah. And he called to thank me. Said I'd introduced him to good kids."
"Wow, really? That director barely ever says thank you. That's surprising."
Lee Min-hyeok had worked with Yu Hui-min once before, so he knew the man's personality well. Put simply, he was an eccentric who was stingy with praise.
"So I asked what he was thanking me for."
"Yeah?"
Lee Min-hyeok was curious himself.
"He told me to just watch it when it screens."
"Haha. Figures. Maybe I should ask Woo-bin. I'm curious."
"Well, we'll find out later. But if you do hear anything, fill me in too, hahaha."
"Will do. Alright, Director — I'm going to go say hello to a few other people."
"Yeah. See you in a bit."
With that, the two finished talking and went their separate ways.
Call time for filming was 8:00 a.m. Call time on set was 7:00 a.m.
As 6:59 ticked over into exactly 7:00—
"Yu Ha-yeong and Gil Ara have arrived."
As expected — clockwork time management!
I'd forgotten after not seeing them for a while!
Be careful. Be careful.
The YW contingent had arrived.
"Whew."
Whew.
Yu Ha-yeong sighed in relief out loud; Gil Ara did it on the inside. On the way over, Yu Ha-yeong had suddenly needed a bathroom stop, and they had nearly been late.