Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Image Adjustment
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Director Ko Seok-hoon's latest film.
The plot of Last Sign went something like this.
A shootout between gangsters erupts in Pyeongtaek.
The famous celebrity Kim Kyung-soo, left in critical condition from the incident, is rushed to the nearby Justice General Hospital.
He barely clings to life but remains trapped in a coma, unable to wake.
Meanwhile, Dr. Song Na-rae, who performed Kim Kyung-soo's surgery, realizes this wasn't just a stray bullet accident.
Through the bullet extracted during surgery, she uncovers that this isn't mere gangster business—it's tied to the U.S. military.
Thus unfolds an intense crime thriller pitting Dr. Song Na-rae, determined to uncover the truth, and Detective Seo In-hyeok, who handled the case, against Hospital Director Chae Mi-ri—a young woman pressured by the government and U.S. military to cover it up—and her ally, U.S. officer Helen.
Though police and military are involved, the protagonists are undeniably the two doctors, giving it a touch of medical drama flair.
My role in this film?
Hospital Director Chae Mi-ri.
A woman who, at just 33, steps into her late father's shoes as hospital director after his sudden death.
To solidify her shaky position, she receives government backing and strengthens ties with the local hospital and U.S. military—leading her to bury this incident.
The archetypal sinister "higher-up" villain typical of these stories.
My third villain role, following the Queen Dowager and Kaguya Queen.
Having played every kind of part in my past life, I didn't care if it was hero or villain—as long as the screen time was substantial.
However...
"Hing... Mom, are you a bad guy again?"
"Uh... yeah... I guess so. Don't you like it?"
"Yeah... Mom's so nice. But she keeps playing bad people. Seon-hwa liked it better when you were the college student sister before."
"Haha... I... see..."
Seon-hwa's response dripped with disappointment.
Of course, no daughter would feel great seeing her mom always cast as the villain.
"Haha. Seon-hwa, even so, Mom plays bad roles so well that everyone loves it. You said she was cool too."
"Still, I don't like it now. I wanna see you play good people more."
Seon-hwa replied to Ha Yu-ra's words with a slight flinch.
It might seem like childish whining at first glance, but it was starting to become an issue even I couldn't brush off lightly.
'Come to think of it... how did I end up doing so many villain roles?'
In my past life, I lacked presence overall, but heroic roles still outnumbered the villainous ones in screen time.
In this life, though—from my debut onward—most were "bad bitches," the fiercely strong kind of villains.
And the result?
A recent post on my brand-new fan cafe.
It laid bare how the public saw me—nothing I could take entirely positively.
Even in the currently airing Soccer Girl, they treated me like some demolition tank.
'Well, I did go pretty hard in that one...'
Once on the soccer field, winning was everything—no room for image concessions there.
Still, the recognition was a clear positive, even if my image skewed too heavily in one direction.
The biggest pitfall for any actor: image consumption.
Get typecast in one role type, and your image burns out fast.
That's why even great actors see their careers stall abruptly.
To avoid it, you need diverse roles.
In that sense, Choi Soo-jin in Answer 1989 diluted those concerns somewhat...
But the fan cafe reactions showed even that role wouldn't fully fix my image.
And now, my first film role in this life—Hospital Director Chae Mi-ri—would likely cement it further.
'Short-term, no issue... but long-term, not a great trajectory.'
In my past life, thin presence as a perpetual supporting actor let me last long because my image didn't wear thin.
To extend my acting lifespan here, I needed variety.
With that in mind, I delved deeper into Chae Mi-ri.
Villain she was, but I pored over the subtler facets shining through.
"Hmm..."
A man in his early forties gazed calmly at the actors.
Film director Ko Seok-hoon.
He scrutinized the real-life casts joining his film.
The lead and the very reason he'd greenlit this project: actress Ha Yu-ra.
With personal ties, her image and role meshing perfectly for the "kind yet steadfast protagonist" archetype, there was zero worry.
The issue: the other two with her.
'Elizabeth Stormwalker... no wonder she's Hollywood; her aura sets her apart from civilians.'
Honestly, when first contacted, "Who, me?" had slipped out.
Why would a star thriving across the ocean bother with a modest domestic foothold?
Maybe for a world-class like Bong Joo-hong.
This A-lister wanting in still baffled him.
The promo boost and proven talent made refusal foolish, but the pressure was real.
And one more.
A woman whose entrance momentarily overshadowed even Elizabeth's presence with her aura.
Chae Soo-jeong.
Cast on Ha Yu-ra's recommendation—a rookie, but one whose acting Ko Seok-hoon acknowledged.
Beyond her rising star status, she aligned with his private guilty pleasure; he was a bit of a fan.
'Kaguya Queen in the flesh... her presence is just on another level. Makes sense she's Korea's first Mask Hero final boss.'
For tokusatsu geek Ko Seok-hoon, meeting the real Kaguya Queen was pure joy.
Yet, setting fandom aside, as director he harbored concerns.
'Ha Yu-ra's rec and solid skills aside... can she nail this role?'
It mirrored her usual image but with distinct nuances.
Would she grasp and embody it? He wondered.
For today's first meeting, he started light: script reading.
"Let's try from scene 3."
The actors dialed into emotions at his cue.
Especially lead Ha Yu-ra, a veteran slipping seamlessly into protagonist Dr. Song Na-rae.
"Alright, let's give it our all today! Everyone, do your best!"
The specialist Dr. Song Na-rae, ever bright amid grueling hospital life.
Spreading positive energy to patients and colleagues—watching her, Ko Seok-hoon reaffirmed choosing her as lead.
'Ha Yu-ra doesn't disappoint.'
The reading flowed around Song Na-rae.
Then the mood flipped.
"Dr. Song Na-rae, hand this surgery to someone else."
"Pardon? What is this all of a sudden... Director, you know we miss the golden hour otherwise."
Dr. Song Na-rae pleaded urgently.
But actress Chae Soo-jeong—as Director Chae Mi-ri—responded with steely force.
"Do it. That's an order as hospital director."
An imperious, rigid decree.
She dominated the room in an instant; Song Na-rae flinched briefly,
but quickly composed herself and shot back firmly.
"I cannot let a patient's life hang in the balance, no matter who you are—even the director."
"Dr. Song!"
"My apologies."
Song Na-rae bowed deeply and headed to the OR.
Anger flared vividly in Director Chae Mi-ri's eyes as she watched...
'...Huh? What... what's this?'
Just a script read, yet Chae Soo-jeong unleashed acting too potent to dismiss.
But in that moment, a question bloomed in Director Ko Seok-hoon's mind.
'It's clearly an anger scene... so why...'
At a glance, it blazed like roaring flames.
Yet Director Ko Seok-hoon—and not just him, but the other actors reading along—sensed it too.
Another emotion flickering across Chae Mi-ri's face before them.
It was...
'...crying?'