Natural Actor (2)
The place I took Min Ye-won the moment I met her was a quiet Italian restaurant inside Daehyeon Department Store.
It ran a bit pricey, so it wasn't crowded, but it was a reasonably well-known chain — decent enough for a date-style meal. To be honest, it oozed that whole "a man trying to impress a woman" vibe from the moment you walked in. At the very least, it would make it a little more believable to Jo Jin-hyun that Min Ye-won and I were genuinely seeing each other.
"What do you want to order? I hear the gnocchi here is good."
"…Gnocchi? What's that?"
"It's a kind of pasta made into little round dumplings, then cooked in sauce. Supposed to be soft and delicious."
"Oh, um, okay…. But why are we here today, exactly…."
"Let's just order first. This, plus a salad… and they say the arrabbiata fusilli is great here. Should we get one of those too?"
"S-sure…."
She was already bewildered at being dragged into a place that looked this upscale, and watching me casually order our meal as if we were on a real date only flustered her more. Once I'd put in a reasonable selection and the waiter slipped away, I met her eyes across the table.
"Keep up the fake dating from now on. That's the only way Jo Jin-hyun will actually swallow the story that you seduced me."
"Yeah…. I-I guess so…."
"Stay on your toes at all times. He might be watching us here, or somewhere else, disguised. When you meet me, keep acting like my lover as much as possible."
"B-but is that really okay? I'm not good at that kind of acting…."
I knew. Min Ye-won, with her simple mind, was hopelessly bad at this kind of performance or deception.
Which was precisely why it gave me another excuse to plant a suggestion in her head.
"Don't worry. I've got something planned for exactly that."
"Planned?"
"I told you at the café, remember? My ability is a 'mental-type buff.'"
"Hmm, I think I heard something like that…."
"I've been working out how to use that mental-type buff so you can act without it feeling awkward — and I've found the answer."
"…Really?"
Of course. Aside from the day I met Cha Eunju, eating you alive has been the only thing on my mind.
She asked again with a half-skeptical look, and I gave a small, confident nod.
"Yes. All you have to do is receive a 'buff that makes you good at acting' from me."
"A 'buff that makes me good at acting'?"
"Yep. To apply a buff, I need to channel my mana into your head. So, with that in mind — could you lean your head this way?"
"…O-okay."
Whoosh.
She shoved her head right over without even properly hearing what the buff was. Honestly, you'd get kidnapped and brainwashed in no time, you know that?
Ah, right — in the original story she did get brainwashed once, didn't she. By Black Moon, back then.
Well, if she was going to be brainwashed either way, better my slave than some villain's, I decided, and poured my mana into Min Ye-won's mind along with the special suggestion I'd prepared just for her.
Suggestion: Natural Actor ※ Target: Min Ye-won
"…What is this? 'Natural Actor'?"
"That's the buff I gave you, Min Ye-won. With it, whatever role you decide to play, it'll never come off awkward."
"First I've ever heard of it. Usually a mental-type buff means your willpower gets stronger, or your focus improves — that kind of thing, right?"
The buff took, it seems. Until a moment ago she'd been so nervous she was stammering, and now suddenly she could speak as calmly as a seasoned actress.
Of course, the real core of this buff only kicked in once Min Ye-won began her 'performance' — so I couldn't stop at simply applying it. I had to persuade her to take on the 'role' I wanted.
"Acting skillfully is just another kind of buff — one that relaxes you and sharpens your concentration. So, Min Ye-won. From this moment on, think of me as your 'boyfriend.'"
"…Boyfriend?"
"Actually, it might be better if you think of me as 'the boyfriend you confessed to first and started dating.' If the guy confesses first, somehow it doesn't feel like it has any life to it."
"Wha—, me? Confess to you?"
She wrinkled her face and stuck out her tongue, apparently genuinely finding it absurd.
Let's see if you can keep that reaction up at the hotel later.
"What, you don't like it?"
"Honestly, it makes no sense. Seonho, you're kind of tall, sure, but let's be real — I'm the catch here. Shouldn't it be way more natural for you to confess to me?"
"We're not actually confessing. You're just supposed to act like we're together."
"Ugh, still no. Let's just say you confessed to me, Seonho. If it's that, fine, I'll play the girlfriend for you. Isn't that good enough?"
I should be grateful she's willing to pretend to be my girlfriend at all, apparently. The slave girl doesn't even know her place, scrambling up like that.
Not that it mattered. I never expected her to come around on persuasion alone anyway. Girls like her only behave once you make it clear you're holding their weakness in your hand.
"Hey. Min Ye-won."
"……What?"
"I cleared my whole schedule to come here and help you, and it seems like nothing I do pleases you?"
"…Ah."
"If it's such a bother, don't. I'll just go home and sleep. Tell him the date's over — or don't, your call."
"Hold on. Just calm down and sit—"
"…E-enjoy your meal."
"……"
"……"
A server appeared out of nowhere right in the middle of Min Ye-won's panic, awkwardly set down a salad and two plates of food, and retreated.
From her point of view, no doubt we looked like a couple with Min Ye-won fawning all over me. Not that it mattered — but it did put me in a better mood.
The food had arrived, so I stopped pretending to get up and, feigning focus, stabbed a forkful of lettuce from the salad plate and brought it to my mouth.
"What I'm asking for is simple. Just play my girlfriend until we've caught Jo Jin-hyun. Is that really so hard? I've even applied an actor's buff for you."
"It's not that it's hard, it's just, why does it have to be me confessing to you…."
"Because that's the most convincing way to fool Jo Jin-hyun. He ordered you to seduce me, didn't he? Then obviously the story has to be that you confessed first — it's the only version that makes sense.
I won't bother denying you're pretty, but even so, if it were me suddenly confessing to you, it'd be way too contrived. Don't you think?"
"……"
"If you don't like it, fine. Let's eat, part ways for today — and never contact me again."
"Fine! I'll do it! I saw you at the café, fell for you at first sight, confessed, and you accepted — so we're dating. I'll act it that way, happy?"
"There you go. Smart girl."
You don't have a choice in the matter anyway — what's with the acting-coy routine? Honestly, nothing but a pride that's a pain in the ass.
Still, this much told me the suggestion had taken root properly. She'd spelled out a concrete scenario out of her own mouth and declared she would 'perform' it — so before long, she'd become the girlfriend who fell in love at first sight and confessed.
You might wonder whether she could secretly swap in a different 'performance' — but there was no need to worry about that part.
"Then — action. Starting now."
Because before she even knew it, Min Ye-won would follow every direction I gave.
*Snap!*
"Then — action. Starting now."
*Snap!*
Lee Seonho snapped his fingers with the arrogant air of a man who fancied himself a director.
The instant he gave the command, Min Ye-won's emotions began to churn as if she'd suddenly been thrown into disarray.
'…Huh?'
What was this feeling?
She'd been perfectly fine a moment ago, but the second she started playing Lee Seonho's girlfriend, something fluttering and restless began to bloom in her chest.
Wondering if it was a 'side effect' of the buff, she glanced at him — and heat suddenly flooded up her face.
'A-ah, ahh?!'
What — what is this…. Why am I like this all of a sudden….
Why did I suddenly start liking Lee Seonho? I-I mean, it's true I fell for him at first sight and asked him out on day one, but….
This was our first date since we started dating, and her pounding heart simply refused to settle. Maybe Lee Seonho was feeling something similar too.
'Wait — come to think of it, what were we just talking about? I can't remember well, but… I think Seonho got mad at me about something.
'M-maybe I should apologize first? He got angry because I did something wrong, right? But what do I even apologize for? I can't remember what I did….'
The only thing that surfaced was the simple fact that she was 'Lee Seonho's girlfriend of only a few days.'
As the performance began, the 'her' from moments before had been wiped away entirely. That was simply how 'Natural Actor' worked — the moment an actor immersed herself in a role, she abandoned herself and sank wholly into the character.
'Min Ye-won arguing with Lee Seonho' vanished, and what remained in her seat was 'Min Ye-won who had fallen for Lee Seonho at first sight' — her memory could only have been thrown into momentary chaos.
…And Lee Seonho, who had seen through all of it, began playing his part alongside her in earnest.
"Why are you sitting there so quietly, Ye-won?"
"……Huh?!"
"Not hungry? Or is it that the menu didn't suit you?"
"No, no! Wow, this looks delicious~!"
Whatever had made him angry, it seemed to have blown over. Swept along by relief, Min Ye-won waved her hands in exaggerated denial to shake off the lingering embarrassment, while Lee Seonho smiled and reached toward the center of the table.
"Give me your plate. I'll serve the salad onto it for you."
"N-no, I'm fine~! I can serve myself~!"
"I want to serve you myself, Ye-won."
"You… want to, yourself?"
*Ba-dump.*
For a moment her cheeks burned at this first-ever flutter of her heart toward a member of the opposite sex — and before she knew it, her hand was holding her plate out to Lee Seonho.
After all, no woman alive could refuse the man she liked, offering to fuss over her like that.
"Here you go. No need to pick at it and worry about what I think — eat as much as you want."
"Yeah…. Th-thank you~!"
She forced a bright smile to blow the tension away. Showing yourself to be too flustered in front of the man you like was embarrassing all on its own.
Then, carefully, she speared the salad he had served for her himself and brought it to her mouth, meeting his eyes as she did.
"How is it? Good?"
"……"
*Nod, nod.*
"That's a relief. I'm glad you like it, Ye-won."
*Ba-dump. Ba-dump ba-dump.*
Ah, no….
I'm too nervous to even look at him straight….
The moment the performance began in earnest, Min Ye-won's restless gaze vanished and she slipped completely into her 'role.'
With her face flushed all the way to her ears, it was plain to see she had fully committed to the character.
'I was a little worried, but once we actually started, that worry turned out to be pointless.'
Having entirely forgotten her real relationship with me, Min Ye-won was now playing a girlfriend hopelessly in love at first sight.
Well, that was only natural. The 'Natural Actor' suggestion I'd just planted in Min Ye-won was a rather special buff.
First — once she entered a performance, she became so completely possessed by the role that she forgot her original self until the suggestion was released.
That meant that, until the suggestion ended, she could be toyed with almost like a 'pseudo-hypnosis.' But in truth, there was something about it even more important than that.
Suggestion: Master Director ※ Target: Lee Seonho
The moment the target accepted the suggestion and became an 'actor' — she would become a body incapable of refusing the 'director's' instructions.