Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: I Won't Hurt You
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As an actor who's been at it for years, you get pretty good at handling emotions.
Especially for someone like me in my past life—someone with zero standout looks or presence—emotional acting was the only way I could express myself as a performer.
Sure, it all ended in despair back then, but I now know full well how much those efforts are helping me in this life.
And for someone as accustomed to controlling emotions as I am, this current performance...
A being that takes on a human form,
but has completely stripped away all human emotions—
acting that out wasn't as tough as you might think.
Of course, it's not like I nailed it overnight.
The reason I could pull it off so naturally was because I'd done something similar in my past life.
A random zombie that wanders by, groaning wordlessly without a single line of dialogue, only to get cleaved by the protagonist's axe.
Dialogue or no, my role back then was the first zombie the hero ever took down—even if it was just a minor part.
Short screen time aside, it got its own solo shots and close-ups, which was nice.
Back when I was still burning with passion for my dreams, I spent days agonizing and practicing over how to portray this living corpse.
A husk wearing human skin, but utterly devoid of anything human-feeling...
Even without the rotting flesh, it had to evoke pure fear and revulsion through vibe alone.
And after grinding away at it, my emotionless monster act surprisingly got some solid praise.
Of course, with my negligible presence and full zombie makeup, it didn't boost my fame or anything.
But seeing the occasional online compliment felt like water in a drought.
For someone who couldn't even draw eyes, let alone an aura, that was reward enough.
And now,
I'm building on that old experience,
layering it with my mental image of Takami Yuka—the Predator character I know from the source material.
A monster pursuing cold rationality,
cloaked in a human-yet-not-human form.
As I calmly prepared my performance, visualizing that image,
one person suddenly caught my eye.
'Oh... is that the writer?'
Iwaki Hitori, the creator of Predator.
As the original author of the drama I'm in, I'd made sure to memorize his face.
He looked like he was here for an inspection.
As a fan of the source, I felt genuine joy at seeing this VIP and couldn't help but flash a slight smile.
Of course, with filming about to start, I had to hold onto the mental image I'd built.
Staying fully in character as Takami Yuka.
But...
'...Huh?'
The writer's expression looked downright sour.
Shooting hadn't even kicked off properly, but he seemed seriously uncomfortable.
And I figured out why without much trouble.
'Guess he's unhappy after all. About me sitting here instead of Airin the actress.'
Japan's famous star had just wrapped her CM shoot and left.
Naturally, that would've ramped up expectations for the main production.
But now here I was, some no-name, plopped in the lead spot. No wonder he wasn't thrilled.
Still, it didn't bother me.
I'd probably feel the same if I were in his shoes.
If anything, seeing such a raw, realistic reaction fired me up even more.
Fired me up with the burning resolve to turn that scowl into awe.
With that determination,
I dove even deeper into my mental image of Takami Yuka.
And threw myself into the shoot as it officially began.
The plot of Predator goes like this.
Monstrous Predators suddenly appear from somewhere in space, devouring humans. They instinctively mimic the exact appearance of their prey, blending into human society.
Our protagonist, Inazuma Shinji, is one such victim. But things play out a bit differently for him.
A Predator the size of a finger latches onto him, starting from his fingertip and aiming to consume his entire body, head first. But in the dead of night, Shinji—awake by chance—feels an inexplicable dread and ties off the finger where it burrowed with string.
Unable to reach his brain, the Predator only devours part of his left finger and gets stuck there. Shinji dubs it "Lefty" and begins a bizarre symbiosis.
Unlike Shinji's luck, Predators have already successfully mimicked humans across Japan in significant numbers. Despite their superhuman abilities, they know from their victims' knowledge that human firepower like guns can kill them.
So they hide their true nature, hunting humans stealthily on instinct whenever opportunity strikes.
Shinji encounters these Predators too, and when his childhood friend Musashino Sato falls into danger, he starts using Lefty's power to fend off the infiltrating monsters.
This is exactly the footage shot before Chae Soo-jeong arrived—the prologue of the main story.
The real tale kicks off with the entrance of Takami Yuka,
a Predator unlike the beastly ones hunting mere prey up to now.
Among them, she boasts exceptional intelligence—not driven by base survival hunger, but pursuing something more.
With her superior mind, she's become the de facto leader of the local Predators.
And she takes keen interest in Shinji, the human coexisting with one of her kind.
Pretending coincidence, Takami Yuka appears before Shinji.
Lefty and Shinji sense she's a fellow Predator and face her with heavy suspicion.
The thing sitting across from him.
Watching her elegantly sip her tea,
Kujo, playing Shinji, wasn't acting—his hands genuinely trembled a bit as he forced down his own tea.
'...Scary.'
Thanks to the makeup, Chae Soo-jeong looked even more stunning than usual.
But staring at this beauty, Kujo felt no admiration—only a quiet horror.
Elegance in every motion,
yet an alien chill screaming that this wasn't human—just something mimicking one.
No CG needed; it felt like twisted Predator claws might sprout from her back any second.
In that tense grip of real fear, Kujo let the emotion carry his "acting."
"Did... did you come to kill me?"
"..."
His voice quivered with the question.
Takami Yuka responded by slowly, rigidly turning her face toward him—like a "fixed" expression.
A motion like some tentacled monster lifting its gaze.
That eerie, seductive creep made Kujo swallow dryly without thinking.
And then.
"That wouldn't be bad. Most of my kin think you need to die. I did too, at first."
A voice utterly flat and mechanical, devoid of any emotion.
And Takami's eyes right there before him.
Deep purple voids, bottomless abysses holding not a speck of light—like peering into an endless gulf.
Something you could call "eyes," sucking you in with chilling unease.
And in the next instant, what emerged from them...
Was killing intent.
"!"
His heart clenched in visceral agony.
That horrific pressure, crawling from the depths,
seized Kujo by the throat in primal terror, pulling him back instinctively.
That's when.
'Ah!?'
-Thud!!
He lost balance and toppled backward.
'Crap...'
Pain shot through him as he half-rolled on the floor, but what hit harder was the shock of botching the take.
But...
"...?"
Chae Soo-jeong—no, Takami Yuka—gazed down at him without the slightest flinch.
'! Oh...'
Realizing no "cut" had been called, Kujo quickly reined in his churning emotions
and locked eyes with Yuka again.
And then.
"But... it would be a shame."
"Wh-what...?"
Her words unchanged, whether he fell or not.
But in that moment, Kujo could tell.
The killing intent had vanished from her voice.
"I see... So this is... fear?... Fascinating."
No shift in tone or face.
Yet the emotional pivot cut through crystal clear.
Curiosity, intrigue... even a flicker of what you could call "amusement."
After flashing that dry spectrum in a blink,
Yuka slowly picked up the bag beside her.
A bag stuffed with parenting books.
She caressed her lower belly gently,
then addressed Shinji, still slumped on the floor.
"I'll take another look. If you're still alive then."
"...Tch."
Cold words, yet laced with a feather-light "concern."
Leaving Shinji with a faint scowl, Yuka simply walked away.
And.
-Cut!
The director's call finally rang out.
A heavy sigh of relief escaped Kujo naturally.
Pure, sweet relief.
That's when.
"You okay?"
"!? Gah!"
Yuka approached the fallen man.
The instant Kujo saw her face, he gasped again without thinking...
But quickly realized the person there was no longer the monster—
just Chae Soo-jeong, a human with genuine worry.
He patted his chest in relief.
'I... I lived?'