Ryu Mi-so
That day, Ara measured the three pillars of any gym-goer's regimen—bench press, deadlift, and squat—with a trainer's help.
And the results were genuinely astonishing.
Well—astonishing to the gym trainer, at least.
Recording a combined four hundred kilograms in a woman's body was more than enough to leave anyone stunned, but Ara was disappointed.
My strength is weak.
About the level of an adult man who worked out reasonably hard. This body, it seemed, excelled only in flexibility and elasticity.
No—thinking about it again, four hundred kilos in a woman's frame was absolutely absurd.
And that was before factoring in her striking power.
The silver lining, if there was one, was that she still fell somewhere within the realm of human possibility.
If my strength were transcendentally overpowered on top of everything else, would I even still be human? I'd be a gorilla.
She considered herself special. She had reincarnated, after all, and received the privilege of a special perk. But she was no superhero.
In the end, she was still an ordinary person who got tired, got hurt, and bled. Maybe that was for the best.
Remembering how she had nearly been crushed to death under the bench that day still sent a chill down the back of her neck.
And one more thing.
Game variety shows. Especially any computer-game-related variety appearances—she turned them all down.
The reason was simple enough. A hobby only meant something when it stayed a hobby.
"My real job is acting, anyway."
The fact that she sat at the absolute bottom tier of the Rift—Iron—and that her vaguely embarrassing nickname (HoldBreathTowerDive) also played a non-trivial role.
Haaah—!
Somehow, she felt lighter.
"I'm in a good mood. All right—I've decided!"
Ara powered on her computer and logged into the Rift.
The good(?) guy who always greeted her first whenever she logged in.
Flexibility and elasticity. Apply those to the game. Her true talent.
Ara declared a position change.
And just like that, she was cut off by her one and only gaming friend.
Whether Ara made big decisions or not, people kept pouring endless attention her way.
And one of those people was a somewhat unexpected figure.
"What kind of girl even is this?"
Ryu Mi-so. Sweeping her glossy short hair aside, she sat staring at Ara's pitch video circulating online, completely floored.
The brat who had the nerve to judge her—a senior by a long shot—during the audition. She had tried to teach her a lesson out of pure irritation, only to get thoroughly schooled in reverse.
Curiosity thoroughly piqued, she had started looking into Gil Ara from that day on.
She had already watched Forest of Crime, but for the sake of analyzing Gil Ara she rewatched just the Lee Eun-ju portions, and for Train to Ulsan she went to the theater in person.
Heeh. So she can act like this too? Not bad.
Lee Eun-ju. Choi Su-yeong. Two roles of utterly different textures. Neither character carried even a whiff of the other.
And of course that list also included Cheon Eun-bin, whom only Bong Jun-seo and she herself had seen.
Is there anything else? Or am I just curious what people are saying?
She dug deeper into her search.
Oho? So there was a controversy like this?
And then the clarification video.
CRACK!!
?
W-what. Did she just smash that???
Ryu Mi-so suddenly wondered what would have happened if she had pushed even harder that day.
I feel like I said some pretty rough things that day…
A chill ran through her gut.
"No, but seriously—what kind of girl is this?"
The words tumbled out of her mouth unbidden.
"Every single thing she does becomes a hot issue, huh?"
Hmm. This was kind of fun…?
"Is there more? Hmm, Giljabi? A fan cafe?"
Ryu Mi-so absently clicked into the fan cafe.
"I have to join…?"
She hesitated for a moment.
"Fine. We're going to be in the same project, so I should know what kind of person she is. Fans know best, right? This is purely for gathering intel on Gil Ara."
Spouting that mental victory to herself, Mi-so attempted to join the cafe. The process was more complicated than expected, but she finally managed to get in.
"Why on earth do they ask how many times Lee Eun-ju stabbed Detective Lee Hyeon-woo?"
Thanks to those bizarre membership questions, she had been forced to rewatch that nightmarish uncut director's cut. There was an upside, though. She caught details in Lee Eun-ju's performance she had missed the first time—the faint tremor at the fingertips, the seamless connection between action and breath, the emotion carried in the eyes. It was truly remarkable.
"This is so annoying…"
Another thing that got under Ryu Mi-so's skin: Lee Seo-jun.
"He was always good, but…"
She tried to imagine it. Could she herself have matched that performance beat for beat?
Hmm……
Anyway, that was that.
Ryu Mi-so browsed around inside Giljabi.
"Huh?"
And then she saw it.
"Is this even a fan cafe???"
She had been around this industry long enough, but she had never seen a fan cafe like this.
"And what is this……?"
????
"Aren't both of those Gil Ara?"
What was this? Confusing.
Browsing further, she found something even stranger.
Ah!
And then Ryu Mi-so understood.
"Don't think about it too hard."
The relatively good news was that most of the posts were normal. She also discovered that Gil Ara's pictorials were regularly uploaded from a place called Citrin Salon.
Oh……
She had thought it when she first saw her in the drama, and again at their first meeting—she really was an extraordinary beauty.
She's insanely pretty…
As Ryu Mi-so browsed deeper into the fan cafe, something else occurred to her.
Once Stalker comes out, are people going to start fighting again?
That would be fun, wouldn't it?
"Ah, what am I even……"
Ryu Mi-so went back to the pitch video from earlier.
"……"
Tsk. A little.
It is kind of cool…?
A few days after the Stalker audition had wrapped.
"Ara, I heard you're filming a movie with Mi-so unnie?"
Ara had come into the company for variety-related business and happened to run into Yu Ha-yeong, who was hanging around the office.
"Ah. Unnie. How did you know?"
"There was an article about it?"
Aha. So the press had already picked it up.
"Well…. Do your best. That unnie's mouth can be a little rough, but she's not the type to make things up."
Hmm? Was that person rough-mouthed? I didn't really notice?
"You've met Mi-so unnie in person?"
"Yes."
She had even judged her directly.
"Really? How did she seem? Was she okay?"
How did she seem. Ara had seen it that day—the genuine senior who stepped up and spoke on behalf of a junior, leading by example.
"That unnie can be pretty hard on other actors."
Is that so?
She wouldn't know.
"She's got a lot of pride in being an actor. So if she sees someone who can't act or is phoning it in, she doesn't care who's watching—she lays into them right there on the spot. Senior or junior, doesn't matter."
Aha. So she was someone with a strong professional ethic.
As expected…
A senior worth emulating, wasn't she?
"So. Be careful. Uh, hmm. Or maybe not? You might be fine, Ara?"
"?"
"If anyone messes with our Gwang-nyeon-i…"
A sharp glare—
Hup!
"Hohhoho…. Ah! Right, look at me! Ara, sorry, something urgent came up—I've gotta run. See you later!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
Yu Ha-yeong bolted as if fleeing for her life.
"She's ridiculously fast…? Anyway, I'll be careful."
Given what Yu Ha-yeong had said, and that she was apparently a pretty scary senior, being careful couldn't hurt. Better safe than sorry.
And so a few more days passed.
As April was nearly drawing to a close, the day of the Stalker script reading arrived.
"Whoa, what a jackpot is this? Getting to see Ryu Mi-so and Gil Ara at the same time—and for a short film, no less."
"Right? Insanely lucky. And what's the deal with that Gil Ara girl? Did you see the pitch? She was completely unhinged."
"Obviously I saw it. That thing blew up for a bit. She's probably first on the recruitment list for Invincible Baseball, keke."
Two staff members' chatter drifted over.
"Hey, though—is Gil Ara gonna be okay?"
"Why? Something up?"
"Well, Ryu Mi-so's personality is famous."
"Ah…. The whole discipline thing?"
"Yeah. I heard if she finds even the slightest excuse, she tears into people without caring about seniority."
"Whoa. Can't even picture that…"
"Anyway, we should be careful too."
"Yeah."
Meanwhile, Ara—
"Hello, sunbaenims."
She greeted Ryu Mi-so and Kim Jae-jun as they arrived at the conference room for the script reading.
"Ara-ssi, hi. How have you been?"
Kim Jae-jun answered warmly, while—
"……"
Ryu Mi-so just stared at Ara without a word.
"Hmm? Mi-so, what's with you?"
"Sunbaenim, is there something on my face?"
"Huh? Ah!"
Their words finally snapped Ryu Mi-so back to reality.
Damn it. How embarrassing……
Apparently the aftereffects of researching everything about Gil Ara until yesterday were catching up to her.
"M-mind your own business!"
Flustered into snapping for no reason, Ryu Mi-so fled her seat.
Why did I yell? I must be losing it.
"Ara-ssi. I'm sorry. Mi-so seems to be in a bit of a mood today. I hope you won't take it too badly."
"It's fine. That can happen."
I get it. I get in a bad mood when I lose games too.
How could anyone stay high-energy all the time? Or maybe it was that time of the month. Either way.
"All right, everyone! Good to see you!"
Director Bong Jun-seo arrived. The time it took for Ryu Mi-so—who had stepped out—to return was less than a minute.
"Hello, Director."
"Yes. Good to see you all again. Looking forward to today's script reading. And looking forward to principal photography in five days as well."
"Yes."
Five days after the script reading. They had decided to dedicate that entire day to shooting.
"Well then, since the time is right, shall we begin?"
All three actors pulled out their scripts. Ara's was crumpled from how many times she had read it; Ryu Mi-so's, as before, was packed with notes. Kim Jae-jun's was surprisingly the cleanest, though the traces of handling were still visible.
Not a single person here had failed to put in the work.
"We'll begin a full first read from S#1 through S#99."
The reading began.
.
.
.
And when the first read-through ended.
Hmm….
Hmm….
Hrm….
……
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
What's with her today? I've never seen her like this. Is she sick?
Ryu Mi-so sunbae is completely different from last time. Is her condition that bad?
Mi-so-ssi can't focus at all.
……
Everyone sank into thought, and silence filled the room.
Ahem!
Bong Jun-seo cleared his throat to reset the atmosphere.
"Mi-so-ssi."
"Yes, Director…"
Ryu Mi-so's lifeless reply. Where had the bold Ryu Mi-so from the audition gone?
Her condition must be off.
Nothing else really explained it. Checking on an actor's state was part of a director's duty.
"You don't seem able to concentrate. Is something going on? If it's something you'd rather not say in front of everyone, you don't have to."
"No, Director. It's nothing like that. I'm fine."
"That's a relief, then. Everyone, let's take a ten-minute break and start again."
Bong Jun-seo stepped outside for a cigarette.
"Mi-so."
"Huh? What?"
"Is something wrong? Why are you acting like this? This isn't like you."
"No. Nothing's wrong."
"Hmm…. Really? All right, then."
Rattle—
Kim Jae-jun stood up from his seat.
"Huh? Oppa, where are you going?"
"Me? Bathroom. Why?"
"Ah, nothing. Go ahead."
"?"
And so Kim Jae-jun left the conference room as well, leaving only Ara and Mi-so behind.
I'm stuck here alone with her? Damn it, why is this happening?
For reasons she couldn't name, Gil Ara kept occupying her attention.
I must have watched too many videos. First, calm down and focus.
Hoo— hoo—
Ryu Mi-so was trying to soothe herself with deep breaths when—
"Sunbaenim, are you all right?"
!?
"I-I said I'm fine!"
Startled, Ryu Mi-so's voice came out louder than intended.
She scared me……
"That's a relief."
With that, Ara went back to reading her script alone.
What are you doing, Ryu Mi-so. You're Ryu Mi-so. Why are you acting like this?
A self-interrogation, conducted alone.
Right. The root of all this is that Gil Ara girl.
She started blaming the quietly sitting Ara.
Making me all distracted for no reason……. Work comes first. Right? Mi-so, get a grip!
She launched into extreme mind control. The method: erase Gil Ara from this space entirely. For now, that was the best approach she had.
Click—
Kim Jae-jun returned from the bathroom and sat back down.
Click—
Trailing a faint smell of cigarette smoke, Bong Jun-seo came back as well.
"All right, let's begin again. We'll do a full second read from start to finish, then break out any weak spots or sections that need feedback separately."
"Yes."
"S#1."
Bong Jun-seo read the opening narration, and the reading began again.
.
.
"Eun-bin! What are you doing this week? Want to see Oppa?"
She's back. I was worried for nothing.
She's back.
Same as the audition? What, nothing wrong at all?
Erasing Gil Ara from her head had worked remarkably well. The reading that had started so unsteadily that day finished without further incident.
After the reading, just as Ara was about to head home after saying goodbye to everyone—
"Hey, hey!"
"Yes?"
Ryu Mi-so suddenly called her back.
"S-so. Give me your number. Give it."
"Ah? Yes? My number?"
"D-don't get the wrong idea!"
What wrong idea? And why does she want my number?
"We're just filming a movie together, so we might need it! For sharing info and stuff!"
"Yes. Sunbaenim, please give me your phone."
Aha. Thorough as expected.
Ara typed her number into the phone Ryu Mi-so held out and handed it back. Ryu Mi-so took the phone, stared blankly at the screen for a moment, then said—
"Hey. Junior."
"Yes, Sunbae."
"Just one photo…"
"Yes? A photo? Why?"
When a senior says take a photo, you take a photo, you brat.
Ryu Mi-so couldn't quite say that out loud.
Damn it, how do I explain this? And why did I even ask for a photo?
She had no idea.
?
As Gil Ara looked at her with pure confusion, something suddenly sparked in Ryu Mi-so's mind.
"S-so, promotion! For promotional purposes—I'm going to post it on Insta. Your fans and my fans need to know the news, don't they!"
"Aha. Is that what it was?"
"Hmph! Why else would I take a photo with you? What are you, special?"
"No. Let's take the photo. Us."
I thought she wanted to get closer.
Still, Ara found it admirable that Ryu Mi-so would put in any effort for the project's success.
Just as they were about to take the photo together—
"Oh. Then shouldn't we get Jae-jun sunbaenim in it too?"
"Huh?"
No, that can't happen.
She didn't know why it couldn't happen, but it couldn't.
"Just a moment. Jae-jun sunbaenim hasn't left yet, so I'll go get him."
"W-wait a second!!"
"?"
"S-so. First just us… one shot, how about……"
"Hmm? Why? If it's for promotion, wouldn't it be better to take one with Jae-jun sunbaenim too?"
Ara came at her with pure logic.
Damn it…
"Just take one with us first! I'm the senior here! We can call Jae-jun oppa after!!"
"Yes."
In the end, Ryu Mi-so abandoned all logic and managed to get a photo of just the two of them.
Click—
After taking the photo, Ara went and fetched Kim Jae-jun, and they ended up taking one more.
"Sunbaenims, thank you for your hard work. See you next week."
"Take care, Ara-ssi."
"Hmph!"
"?"
"?"
Ara got into the car Nam Tae-woo had driven over and headed home, and the other two actors followed suit.
.
.
.
That night.
Bzz—
A text arrived on Ara's phone.
"Oh?"
Come to think of it, she had only given her number—she hadn't received one.
Ara saved Ryu Mi-so's number. Then she studied her contacts carefully.
Oh……
"My third contact around my age……"
Ara felt a swell of emotion.
"Wonder if we can get close?"
She didn't know. Mi-so's personality was so intense it would probably be hard. Still, gaining one more acquaintance was a genuine joy for Ara, who had so few friends.
"Wait…. Do I even have friends……?"
People she could call friends……
Yu Ha-yeong?
"Hmm…"
On hold for now. Something about that felt off.
Next.
"Lee Seo-jun?"
She wasn't sure if she should say this, but Lee Seo-jun made her vaguely uncomfortable. Also on hold.
Which left……
"Dolga?"
The person she talked to most freely—but an online friend whose face she'd never seen, so he was out.
Ara suddenly realized.
"Have I been living too much for work? How do I have this few friends?"
Ara sank into self-reproach—completely forgetting that she was a homebody who had reincarnated as a twenty-year-old.
"First. Let's send a reply."
Ara texted Ryu Mi-so back and tossed her phone aside.
Bzz—
A reply so very Ara.
"Huk! How—! She replied!!"
Ryu Mi-so started thrashing around on her bed.
"W-what do I do? Should I reply? But what do I say?"
Hmm….
A brilliant idea struck her.
"M-maybe I should tell her to call me unnie……?!"
She suddenly pictured it. Gil Ara calling her unnie, following her around.
"Unnie~"
"Hmm? Ara?"
Heh— heh—
!!!
Slap!!
Grinning to herself one second, Ryu Mi-so suddenly slapped her own cheek the next.
"What are you doing!!! Have you lost it? You're Ryu Mi-so!! Demon Ryu Mi-so!! Why are you fretting over some junior like this??? Gil Ara, you're something else…. How dare you mess with a senior…?"
Ryu Mi-so powered on the computer in her house.
"This girl…. She's definitely not ordinary. Not your average brat. I need to dig deeper."
Ryu Mi-so logged back into Giljabi.