Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Person Who Bent Her Waist Like a Bow
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"Are you okay?"
Her waist bent like a bow.
A woman nestled in my arms, as if we were dancing a tango.
I had brought my daughter first for her shoot makeup and was heading down the stairs, thinking I'd grab something from the convenience store.
That's when it suddenly happened.
If she hadn't tripped right next to me,
and if my body wasn't fairly toned from regular workouts,
it could have been a bit dangerous.
Thankfully, I caught her without any major issues, and only then did I recognize the woman's face.
'Ha Yu-ra?'
The lead actress in Tears of the Queen Consort, the drama her daughter was appearing in.
She was the one who should have been at the audition before to run lines with her.
However, to me, she held a slightly different significance related to my past life.
SBC Acting Awards winner.
It would take about ten more years for that to happen, but even so, Ha Yu-ra was a bona fide superstar actress incomparable to someone like me, who had lingered as a supporting actor without even a decent award.
Unlike me at this time, scraping by without even supporting roles, she had already won an excellence award last year—proof her talent was evident from the start.
'Hmm? Come to think of it, despite that, she had a slump after the excellence award... Is this why?'
I remembered that she went quiet for a while starting the year after winning the excellence award.
Since I didn't follow every celebrity's personal life, I had no exact knowledge of an incident like this.
Anyway, having inadvertently saved a future superstar,
I carefully straightened her bow-like waist back to normal.
"...Hah! Th-thank... you. Th-thank you... for s-saving me."
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"N-no... I-I'm... f-fine... I th-think. W-well, I'll just..."
Ha Yu-ra's face flushed bright red as she stammered those words and hurriedly climbed the stairs.
I had wanted to at least say something like "take good care of my daughter" since she was her co-star,
but she vanished without giving me the chance.
Fortunately, no one seemed to have seen it, but the future superstar still looked mortified.
Watching her go, I gave a small wry smile and continued down the stairs.
'Guess I should buy one more soda.'
*
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Panting heavily, Yu-ra leaned against the bathroom wall.
Her still-flushed face burned hot.
Ragged breaths.
Pounding heart.
Whether from exhaustion running here or from that earlier situation, she didn't know,
but she tried to calm herself somehow.
Even so, one image remained vividly in her mind.
The woman she had just seen.
The face of an 'angel'.
Even after just one glance, it was unforgettable,
like something out of a dream.
As she recalled that image,
Yu-ra belatedly realized her mistake.
'Oh. I didn't even properly thank her...'
She was her lifesaver, yet Yu-ra had fled without even learning her name or address.
Now she had to go back and find her...
-I love you forever! I'll find you wherever you are! I won't let you go! My eternal love~!
"?!"
The sudden ringtone snapped Yu-ra back to reality.
She grabbed her phone, and a familiar PD's voice came through.
-"Yu-ra, where are you right now?"
"Ah... yes, I-I'm... here. Right in front."
Her voice trembled uncharacteristically.
Only then did she realize time was running very tight, so she had no choice but to head to the studio.
Finding her benefactor was important, but she couldn't skip work.
Especially since her accident had already delayed filming by a week.
Swallowing her bitter regret, Yu-ra began managing her expression again.
Not the flustered girl from moments ago,
but the poised actress Ha Yu-ra.
After rushing to get her makeup and costume adjusted, Ha Yu-ra headed straight to the rooftop filming set at the station.
Designed like a Joseon-style garden, it had been selected for today's shoot.
Upon arrival, Ha Yu-ra reviewed her script one last time to mentally prepare.
But then.
"Yu-ra, this is the child actress you'll be filming with today."
"Ah... this child...!?"
"Hello. I'm Chae Seon-hwa."
The little girl bowed her head quietly.
She had a strangely mature air for her age, but regardless, Yu-ra couldn't tear her eyes away from the girl's face for a moment.
'She looks just like her...'
The woman from moments ago...
The 'angel' who saved her had an identical face.
Of course, there was a difference between girl and grown woman, but the resemblance was so striking that Yu-ra stared blankly at the child.
"...Yu-ra?"
"Ah!... Um... I'm Ha Yu-ra. Let's do well."
"Yes. Please take care of me."
But she quickly composed herself, putting on her usual aloof expression.
Questions bubbled up in her mind, but she pushed them aside.
'Calm down. I can ask after it's over.'
This was time to focus on acting.
As a professional actress about to shoot, distractions were forbidden.
"Get into character, and we'll start as soon as you're ready."
Ha Yu-ra nodded at the shooting director's words and closed her eyes.
Her condition wasn't great, but the role she was playing was none other than Seo Yu-hwa, the protagonist of Tears of the Queen Consort.
This was her first lead role, deeply meaningful, and a character she had immersed herself in countless times over the past months.
Capturing the emotions wasn't hard—in fact, it felt familiar.
"Ready."
"Alright, let's start. Scene number 237, action!"
The shoot began.
The scene itself wasn't long.
Seo Yu-hwa, now Queen Consort, regrets her life so far in a conversation with her daughter.
"Is that really true? Then am I living in a prison right now?"
"...A prison."
The Queen Consort responded to the princess's question with quiet loneliness.
Infusing vanity into the futility of her past, Yu-ra flawlessly portrayed the Seo Yu-hwa she had built up.
Meanwhile, Chae Seon-hwa handled her acting far better than expected.
She truly felt like an innocent, naive young princess, which brought Yu-ra inner relief.
'Good, the audition seemed rushed, but they picked well.'
The role wasn't highly difficult, but even accounting for that, it was solid acting.
She might even continue as a child actress, Yu-ra thought, smiling inwardly at the girl adjusting her makeup after the take.
Though she didn't know the details, the mysterious familiarity from her resemblance to her savior made her hope the child succeeded.
Being here meant aspiring to act, after all.
'The shoot today went well overall, despite all the mess. This is...'
Even normally, some days her acting flowed, others not.
Today's felt highly satisfying to her.
Excellent, despite her poor condition.
Thinking no retake needed and they could move on, Yu-ra decided to chat with the girl later.
But then.
"Seo PD, this..."
"Hmm... It's not bad, for sure..."
"?"
A strange vibe from Seo PD and the youngest staff writer.
Feeling puzzled, Ha Yu-ra approached them as they examined something.
They had just finished editing and were reviewing her footage.
And at the same time, she noticed another video playing on the youngest writer's phone.
"What's going on?"
"Huh? Uh... umm..."
"Ah... no... nothing."
The youngest writer awkwardly pocketed her phone, while Seo PD slowly averted his gaze.
Growing more suspicious, Ha Yu-ra eyed the PD sneaking glances and the sweating writer.
They seemed hesitant to tell her.
Normally, she'd let unspoken matters slide, but this was right after her take.
The incongruity hit harder, so she spoke calmly.
"It's fine. Tell me honestly. Is there a problem with my acting?"
"No, not a problem exactly..."
Still evading.
Then a voice from behind.
"...Show her."
"Pardon? B-but."
"It's okay."
Drama department section chief, Lee Dong-cheol PD.
He wasn't supposed to be here, but since it was the last scene, he had come.
His voice carried unusual
"Better she knows now for future projects. Avoid misunderstandings or complaints from the newbie."
"Ugh..."
His serious directive prompted the reluctant youngest writer to slowly show her phone.
A short video appeared before Yu-ra's eyes.
It was from the child actress audition.
Specifically, Chae Seon-hwa's audition—the girl she had just acted with.
Seemingly filmed for a making-of, it showed Chae Seon-hwa with a woman playing the Queen Consort.
Portrait rights protected, her face wasn't fully visible.
Unlike Yu-ra's current attire, she wore crude hanbok and began acting immediately.
And then.
'!... H-how... impossible.'
Struck by profound shock, Yu-ra lost her words.
'What is this... H-how... better than me?'
Crude hanbok, studio's dim backdrop.
Yet throughout the video, Yu-ra barely noticed.
The woman on screen devoured every flaw with overwhelming acting.
Her face wasn't even fully shown.
Yet she captured the Queen Consort Seo Yu-hwa of that era with immense presence.
Exactly 30 seconds.
But it felt like 3 hours.
When it ended with a tear trailing down her cheek,
Yu-ra's puzzled face was now filled with horror.
"Wh-what is this? Who... who is this woman..."
Acting superior to her own, as the lead.
Confused and aghast, Yu-ra finally spoke.
As Seo PD tried to respond,
"Ha Yu-ra."
A voice in her ear.
Different tone, but unmistakably the same as in the video—Yu-ra whipped her head around.
And.
"!"
There she was.
The woman standing, holding Chae Seon-hwa's hand tight.
The one who saved Yu-ra's life moments ago.
Who bent her waist like a bow.
The 'angel'.