Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Last Sign
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-Bang!!!
A sharp gunshot pierced through his ears.
Right after, what came into view was a man collapsing while bleeding.
He was handsome with a tall stature, but now his face twisted in pain as he stared at the person standing before him.
"You... fucking... really shot..."
A voice soaked in agony leaked from the man.
He flailed his hand weakly toward the person in front of him.
But ignoring him, the other vanished into thin air.
With the sound of sirens following soon after,
the man was left alone on the night street, his arm dropping limply.
Blood pooled thickly on the ground.
His body twitched within it, eyes still open.
In that heavy atmosphere from the very start, the movie truly began.
*
'Ha Yu-ra... this woman's gotten even better than before.'
Lee Sung-min watched the movie with a serious expression.
Watching the heroine Song Na-rae on screen at that moment, he made a cool judgment.
Honestly, Ha Yu-ra's acting skill wasn't bad at all.
However, from what he'd seen in the past, it was clearly a step below his own.
Especially since she still hadn't formed her own distinct image, Lee Sung-min judged that she hadn't fully matured as an actress yet.
But at some point, he noticed.
Very gradually, her acting as Ha Yu-ra was starting to show her own unique color.
Though that color wasn't sharply defined yet.
Comparing her role from Answer 1989 to Song Na-rae right now, it wasn't just the character's personality—the base tones differed slightly.
Only when an actor completes their own unique acting philosophy—what could be called their personal vision—can they truly shine with their color without being swayed by the role.
And now, watching the performance on the screen, Lee Sung-min had to admit it.
Her acting skill was still growing rapidly.
And at this rate, Ha Yu-ra would soon find her own color.
'Honestly, I didn't pay her that much attention before... but she's at a level where I might need to watch out...'
Quietly marveling inside, Lee Sung-min focused intently on the two clashing figures in the movie.
Song Na-rae, the doctor, and Chae Mi-ri, the hospital director.
-"I'm warning you one more time. Stop it—for Song's safety if nothing else."
-"I can't do that. Where did your conviction as a doctor go, Director?"
A bullet discovered during surgery.
Not a Russian-made one used by gangsters, but one from the U.S. military.
From this discovery, Song Na-rae the doctor digs into the culprit behind the incident, while Chae Mi-ri the hospital director tries to stop her. Their argument unfolds.
There were no guns drawn or flashy fistfights, yet their confrontation felt razor-sharp, like sparks flying between them.
Especially Chae Soo-jeong's intense aura shining unchanged even in this situation.
Her portrayal of the ever-imposing villain was just astounding...?
'Huh?'
At that moment, Lee Sung-min, eyes on the screen, began to feel a slight bewilderment.
Not just him—many in the audience started having similar doubts.
'She's... crying?'
Chae Mi-ri appeared as the stern hospital director on the surface.
However,
a certain emotion peeked through.
Like a single dab of jam inside bread,
small but vividly felt.
Sadness.
Feeling that emotion, opposite to the image on screen, touch his heart,
Lee Sung-min realized two things.
One, that Chae Mi-ri wasn't just a simple villain.
And two, Chae Soo-jeong's acting, expressing such complex emotions so naturally, was terrifyingly good.
Naturally drawn into the unfolding story, Lee Sung-min and the audience sank deeper into the film.
And then, another character finally appeared.
'...Here it comes. Elizabeth Stormwalker...'
A woman in sunglasses and a crisp suit.
Her extraordinary aura drew small gasps from the audience.
For a moment, she overshadowed Chae Soo-jeong standing beside her with her overwhelming presence.
No... Helen, the U.S. military officer.
Unlike Athena in Revenge, where she played a goddess with a gentle heart yet righteous will, the 'Helen' on screen now exuded a chilling, eerie coldness.
-"...What do you plan to do?"
-"Eliminate it."
Without a hint of hesitation, she ordered to clean up the situation...
To kill Kim Kyung-soo lying in the hospital bed.
Irresistible charisma and the pressure of palpable power.
In this oppressive atmosphere, Chae Mi-ri the hospital director's conflict naturally drew the audience's empathy.
They'd all been pushed around like that by someone in society at least once... or some were still enduring it now.
'She was a heavenly goddess in Revenge...'
'She totally gives off our boss vibes like this.'
'Ugh, she looks just like Section Chief Park... total bitch face.'
'Hollywood's top actress is on another level. Didn't expect the image change to be this drastic...'
Recalling unpleasant faces, people built up hatred toward Helen.
But despite the foul mood,
in this situation on screen, most knew how it would end.
No matter what, people bend before power.
Feelings are fleeting, but reality persists.
Even if it left bruises or scars in the heart, they had no choice but to bow to reality.
That's what they thought.
-"...I... can't."
-"What?"
-"That... I can't do that... no matter what."
A voice trembling like aspen leaves.
Frail, as if it would snap any moment...
But that's why it felt all the more desperate.
Helen showed a flicker of bewilderment,
but despite her icy command that followed,
Chae Mi-ri gripped her shaking hands tight and met her eyes directly.
With eyes filled with fear,
yet unwavering...
"I... I'm... a doctor. No matter what happens... I can't take the life of a patient fighting to live."
Chae Mi-ri had cooperated actively to destroy evidence... retrieving the bullet.
But she refused to outright kill someone.
One human resisting immense authority,
yet without the defiance or steadfastness typical of such rebels.
All that was felt was one thing.
The pitiful struggle to cling to her convictions.
However, this powerless, desperate resistance
—so human in its hesitation and instability, since she wasn't superhuman—
and the fragile yet unquenchable spark called courage that refused to bow,
struck the audience's hearts even more powerfully.
Strong enough, in that instant, to eclipse Helen's commanding charisma...
*
Chae Mi-ri the hospital director barely shook off Helen's coercion.
Meanwhile, Song Na-rae and Detective Seo In-hyeok were literally crawling on the floor, gathering evidence.
They scoured the crime scene, interviewed locals, pouring everything into collecting info.
They faced interference from U.S. military agents,
and watched hard-won evidence slip away right before their eyes, but in the end, they secured the key clue.
CCTV footage of a U.S. soldier leaving the building with a gun.
But facing them, just as they reached the truth...
"Ugh!"
"Y-You're..."
"Good luck, kids."
Another wave of despair.