Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Angel?
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Angel?
"Hoo..."
The junior writer let out a heavy sigh as she sat down.
Two PDs with grave expressions sat around her.
"This isn't easy. I didn't think she'd hold out even after we went this far."
"Still, she said she'd give it positive consideration, so we just have to wait for now."
The contract meeting with Chae Soo-jeong had ultimately fallen through just moments ago.
To be precise, she'd left for home after asking for some time to think it over.
And that was more than enough to tangle up the minds of the three people here to the point they couldn't even head home.
"Normally, with conditions like these, wouldn't anyone take it just because it's too good to pass up? Lead role for a newbie, 300 per episode, and even her daughter confirmed—even if it's a bit iffy."
"No... I don't think it's about those conditions."
"Huh?"
Lee Dong-cheol PD, who had been looking over the contract in his hand, set it down again.
With a more serious expression, he turned to Seo Ji-tae PD, who looked puzzled, and spoke.
"How should I put it... She seemed to have a lot on her mind. Not about money. It felt like she was looking at something else."
"Looking at what? Ads or fame?"
"How would I know? If I did, I'd be a fortune-teller, not a PD. Anyway, it seems like there's something else she can't say outright."
"Um... maybe something from her past? Like, her daughter's seven, so that means she had her at seventeen."
The junior writer, being a woman herself, voiced her question with a more serious tone.
She was legally an adult now, so there wasn't really an issue, but it definitely wasn't your typical case.
Still, from watching her with her daughter during the audition earlier—smiling warmly now and then—it seemed more wholesome than most families. No signs of any real problems.
They themselves hadn't noticed anything off until she mentioned her age.
"Well... if there's no big issue, this could even make for a touching backstory."
"Anyway, let's wait and see. She said she'd give an answer by tomorrow at the latest."
"Hoo... I hope it works out."
With anxious feelings lingering, the three of them finally stood up.
They had done everything they could.
Now, it all depended on her.
On Chae Soo-jeong.
Heading home, hand in hand with my daughter.
We were taking the subway as originally planned, but the situation had changed completely from before.
For starters, they'd shoved two million won at us as "cab fare," which was pretty shocking.
On top of that, the signing bonus they'd offered wasn't a small amount either.
It was excessively generous for a newbie actress, and considering the side gigs like CFs that would follow if the drama hit big, the money was more than enough—overflowing, even.
However,
at this moment, money barely registered in my head.
More important was the contract itself we'd discussed today.
The offer to become the lead actress.
It was the dream and goal of my lifetime, so in my past life, I would've accepted without a second thought.
But to me now, this offer was...
Truth be told, I'd stepped away from acting for seven years,
and more than that, as a single mom now—not alone anymore—I couldn't decide lightly.
Of course, a part of me burned with the desire to accept.
A desire so intense it surprised even me.
The longing to achieve the dream I'd thought I'd completely given up was screaming at me to call right now and say yes.
Thinking about it, even after taking over this body, I'd kept up with acting practice and workouts not just for my daughter,
but because deep down, I still had lingering attachments.
However.
Despite these emotions, I still hadn't made up my mind.
I was scared.
Scared because of me.
Because of this flawed mother's greed,
that my daughter might end up suffering.
They saw potential in me, but my daughter was a being with possibilities incomparable to someone like me.
If all I could be was a star twinkling in the night sky, my daughter could be a brilliant sun shaking the world.
If we succeeded, I could pave a clear path for her.
But if she got hurt in the process because of my acting career.
If this pathetic mom caused even a stain on her future career, I'd never forgive myself.
That fact terrified me.
I lacked confidence in myself.
So I couldn't decide easily.
Then.
"Mom. Does that mean you'll be on TV now too?"
"Huh?"
My daughter looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
Even though I gave birth to her, how was she this cute? It felt like cheating.
Exercising my mom privileges, I gently stroked her soft hair and asked,
"Hmm... I wonder. What do you think, sweetie? Do you think this mom could do well on TV?"
"Yeah! Mom would definitely be great!"
"!"
Chae Seon-hwa answered without a hint of hesitation, bright and clear.
Her bead-like, crystal-clear eyes held no doubt or worry whatsoever.
"The adults said so too! That Mom's acting is amazing! Seon-hwa gives Mom's acting a hundred points!"
Complete faith, without a speck of doubt.
Here I was, wavering because I couldn't trust myself,
yet my daughter's unconditional trust delivered a profound shock to my heart.
"And Seon-hwa really wants to watch Mom on TV! And Seon-hwa wants to be on TV with Mom too! Like earlier, Mom as the queen and Seon-hwa as the princess!"
"Ah..."
Pure and brimming with excitement.
Just looking at her heart-melting expression made my worries melt away like snow.
No one other than my beloved daughter.
The goddess from my past life believed in me so completely.
With the most precious person in the world holding my hand like this,
what was there to agonize over?
What was there to fear?
'Well... even so, I'm a world star's mom. Worrying about failure would be ridiculous.'
A smile crept onto my face unbidden.
The next day.
We returned to the broadcasting station and stamped the contract.
A car pulled up in front of the broadcasting station.
From the back seat of what was unmistakably a flashy symbol of wealth—a Rolls-something-or-other—a woman stepped out.
Brown hair with a subtle blue tint in her eyes.
Even in light business attire, her striking, haughty yet alluring beauty stood out vividly.
Exuding the aura of a noble lady from a storybook, she headed into the station with the click-clack of her high heels.
Her strides radiated overwhelming dignity and confidence.
The gazes of passersby automatically locked onto her.
"Isn't that Ha Yu-ra?"
"Wow... actors really carry themselves differently from the start."
"I heard she's some chaebol third-gen. That car just now was definitely..."
Eyes filled with a strange awe, as if watching a true noble lady's procession.
And so, drawing all this attention with her majestic poise, she entered the broadcasting station.
Last year's SBC Drama Excellence Award winner,
and the 23-year-old actress playing Seo Yu-hwa, the lead in Tears of the Queen Consort.
Ha Yu-ra was thinking at that moment:
'Fuck... this sucks. What a humiliating shitshow.'
Stepping out of the luxury foreign car driven by her chauffeur might look glamorous to others, but the woman herself felt her insides burning with embarrassment.
She normally hated drawing unnecessary attention.
That was why she usually drove herself—her domestic midsize AV-something—quietly into the underground parking lot. That was her routine.
The reason she'd shown up at the front entrance today, at 100% aggro mode, was entirely due to an incident from a week ago.
The accident itself—a rear-end while parked—had been ruled 100% the other driver's fault, so she wasn't to blame.
But...
'No personal car commuting for a month. And this is straight-up public execution! I didn't even do anything wrong—why the hell am I suffering like this...'
It had to be payback for ignoring the advice to bring a driver around. Grinding her teeth inwardly, Ha Yu-ra headed toward the elevator.
The muscle pain from the accident aftermath hadn't fully subsided, but she dragged her still-aching body to work anyway.
For today's shoot.
The final scene of Tears of the Queen Consort.
She'd heard they were filming with a kid selected not from the regular child actor pool, but through some event audition.
And that this scene would be released later as making-of footage?
With the station's internal situation being rough, they seemed to be putting in extra effort all around, but to Yu-ra, it was just another annoyance.
For one, acting with a newbie actress—especially a child actor—was no easy task.
And she hadn't even been able to attend that audition due to the accident.
Fortunately, it had gone fine without her, but everything felt bitter from the get-go.
Dragging her uncomfortable body with her uncomfortable mood, Ha Yu-ra climbed the stairs to the studio on the second floor.
Her mood already sour, and the stairs not even properly cleaned—why were they so slippery today...
"Huh?"
A sharp pain made her knee buckle for a split second.
Her leg in high heels lost balance completely and gave way.
Her mind already cluttered, she hadn't even grabbed the railing.
Her stumbling body lost equilibrium and started toppling backward.
'Fuck... talk about a shitty streak...'
Curses flashed through her mind like a life review.
Feeling terror at the thought she might actually die like this, Yu-ra instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
At that moment.
-Thud!
A sudden sensation—firm yet gentle.
Fluffy and warm, yet solidly catching her. Amid lingering fear, Yu-ra slowly opened her eyes.
What she saw right after was
a woman with a pair of violet eyes and porcelain-white skin,
possessing an unbelievably beautiful face.
To Yu-ra, who had just tasted the fear of death, this woman naturally evoked one word.
'...Angel?'
Like a heavenly hand pulling her back from death.
To Yu-ra, who had lost herself for a moment, the "angel" asked in a soft voice.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah..."