Sua Trash, Sua Bug

After lunch.

Vroooom—!

Mystic's van was eating up the road. Its destination was Director Go Taemin's studio, and for a simple reason: today was the day Sua would give her thoughts on the newly delivered script for Starting Tomorrow, Crescendo.

Thump, thump, thump. Sua's heart beat in timid little flutters. She couldn't help it. She had just heard incredible news.

I made the finals? Really?

Film festivals weren't entirely foreign to her. She knew the picture well enough: a red carpet unrolling in elegant splendor, celebrities glittering like jewels as they stepped out of sleek black cars, a baptism of flashes as they made their entrance and offered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one dazzling smile.

Of course, what lay ahead of her now was the Busan International Short Film Festival. Set beside a year-end awards ceremony, or Cannes, its prestige fell well short. But so what? To Sua, even this was enormous.

…To think my lot in life would change like this.

Only a few months ago, she had been nothing but an unemployed nobody.

Anyway. I ought to tell the CEO before long.

Sua turned toward Kim Iseo in the seat beside her.

"CEO."

"Yes, Sua."

"Have you heard from Director Park Joon, by any chance?"

"Heard from him? What sort of call do you mean?"

Right then—

♩♪♬

Kim Iseo's phone rang, as if on cue.

"Speak of the devil. It's Director Park. One moment."

She lifted the phone to her ear, and to Sua's eyes that hand was as tiny as ever. Tiny enough, in fact, that the phone itself looked bigger than the CEO's hand.

"Yes. This is Kim Iseo of Mystic."

An extremely excited voice came bounding back.

"Ah, CEO! I'm calling with wonderful news!"

"Wonderful news, you say?"

"I mean the production money Mystic put behind us has more than earned its keep!"

Park Joon was so worked up that the sound spilling from Kim Iseo's phone reached all the way to Sua's ears.

"Sword made the finals! Only thirty films get that chance, and Sword is one of them!"

"…Truly?"

"Yes! It's certain! I couldn't believe it myself, so I asked again and again—twice, three times over. Oh, and I've already sent word to Miss Sua. Aigoo, my hands won't stop shaking even now."

Kim Iseo sat blank for a beat, then joy nearly lifted her off the seat.

Sword had been something that pleased Sua, not a film that pleased Kim Iseo. Sua had climbed onto a tiger's back, and Kim Iseo had only gambled by climbing on after her. And the result? A pass into the finals. This was the moment Sua was proven right, and at the same time the moment Kim Iseo's judgment in trusting her was proven just as sound. She couldn't help being moved.

Kim Iseo parted her lips again.

"From all the articles pouring out lately, interest in this year's Busan International Short Film Festival looks especially fierce. Even the number of submissions alone must have been staggering."

"It is. The more money they splash around, the more attention follows. They seem to have promoted it everywhere, and with the awards expanded on top of that, I hear the number of entries hit an all-time high."

"I thought as much. And you cut straight through all of that."

Kim Iseo clicked her tongue in fresh amazement.

"But now that I think of it, the results came unusually fast, didn't they? Even last year, when interest had gone cold, it took quite a while for the finalists to be announced. Why was Sword so quick?"

"It can only mean one thing."

Park Joon said.

"Before they even looked at the other films, the moment they saw Sword they decided it absolutely had to pass. As a director, I don't think I've ever felt prouder."

"I imagine not. Congratulations. As an investor, I'm proud as well."

"Thank you! Truly, thank you! Ah—and you know this is confidential, yes? It's only been told to people connected with Sword."

"Of course I know. It's an unwritten rule of the industry."

The two went on together for a good long while, until at last Kim Iseo nodded, thoroughly satisfied. The lengthy call had finally reached its end.

"I should let you go. Have a good day, Director."

"Yes! Take care!"

Even after she hung up, though, Kim Iseo couldn't put the phone down. She only rifled through her contacts like a woman possessed. There were a great many calls to make from here.

First was Sua's styling team—the very team, that is, that had painted Sua white and shot her profile.

"Good heavens, that rookie made the finals?"

The moment the news landed, the head of the shoot team—sure enough—couldn't hide the surprise. Kim Iseo's pleasure only deepened for it.

"That's right."

"Even at the profile shoot I thought she was no ordinary person, and sure enough, she's gone and pulled it off. She doesn't even have a filmography yet, and now she's getting a film festival?"

"Hmm…."

Kim Iseo hesitated.

"Well. In Korea, yes."

She left it at that, with a careful eye on Sua beside her.

As Kim Iseo saw it, Sua was from overseas, so she couldn't swear a festival was actually new to her. More than anything, there was the face. Didn't Sua look calmer than anyone right now?

Just as that thought settled, the shoot lead spoke again.

"We'll need to limber up our hands ahead of time. If she's going to a festival, the styling has to pull its weight. I heard a lot of heavyweights are coming this time?"

"That's right. Actors, directors, journalists, industry people, audiences—every sort of soul who loves this medium gathers there. I'm counting on you. I want Sua shining brightest even in that room."

Meanwhile, Sua's heart kept right on pounding.

Thump, thump, thump.

She could hear every word of Kim Iseo's call, and the worries came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rushing in. Whew. So I'm walking into a place where all those people gather. I'll really have to show them nothing but my best.

Of course, that was only Sua's private turmoil. From the outside she wore nothing but a solemn face, and Kim Iseo marveled all over again.

A blank filmography, and she's setting foot on the finals floor? That's radical. It's as if the moment Sua steps forward, success comes chasing after her. Even the ones they called rising stars never managed this.

That Sua acted well was something Kim Iseo had grown used to by now. What truly astonished her was the scale of everything clinging to the girl: a finals berth, courtship from master directors, praise and fixation from every sort of industry person.

To Kim Iseo, what it all pointed to was perfectly clear.

Sua was an actress who possessed charm as well.

An actor's skill and the charm that draws people in are different things. Look at Seonil. He acts well, but he's prickly, so offers don't come in all that often….

And that was hardly all. Start listing the girl's virtues and there was no end to them.

…And she's good with foreign languages, too. What on earth is she, really?

Thinking it over now, Kim Iseo didn't find the three cars she had handed over as a contract condition the least bit wasteful. If anything, she almost felt she had snapped Sua up at a bargain.

She stayed steeped in that happy thought for a long while.

A moment later, she turned to Sua.

"Oh, right. Sua, have you looked over the script?"

"And have you decided? The role of Kim Sohee."

Sua nodded.

"Kim Sohee. I want to play her."

"…."

At that, Kim Iseo quietly shook her head, the way a person shakes off drowsiness when they wonder whether the moment might be a dream.

"Sua. What did you just say?"

"Starting Tomorrow, Crescendo. I'll take part."

"…."

Kim Iseo didn't answer. She only closed her hand tight around Sua's.

"Sua."

"Yes?"

"Thank you. Truly."

"…Yes?"

"At last, you're not refusing."

Well, it had just sort of ended up that way.

The ones before had carried such outlandish grades that she couldn't take them, but Starting Tomorrow, Crescendo was a 1.9. There was no reason not to.

Thanks to that, the plan in Sua's head snapped into focus. Graduate the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Musician trait through Starting Tomorrow, Crescendo, then cultivate the other traits one careful step at a time. Keep on like that, and before she knew it, wouldn't she be a perfect human being?

Yes. In a word—Sua Perfect!

Sua pretended not to see the Special Privilege window. Sua Block.

Instead, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spoke to Kim Iseo.

"This work sets my heart racing."

"I'm glad. I was worried there might never be a piece that could light a fire under you. Ah—and will you be all right? To play Kim Sohee, you'll have to learn the piano as well."

She was on the verge of blurting it out—I already know how to play that piano—

"…."

Sua clamped her lips shut. A better line had come to her, and so she said this instead.

"CEO, I'm an actress. If it's for the sake of a role, I'm prepared to endure any hardship. The piano is no exception. Even if my fingers ache like they're about to break, I'll practice."

Shut up. Are you going to be quiet?

…?

Sua thought, Has this thing lost its mind?

While she was privately vowing that she and the Privilege would be settling who was in charge, and soon, an enormous swell of feeling broke across Kim Iseo's face.

"Thank you, Sua. Director Go Taemin will be delighted, I'm sure. Oh—then shall we pause the script search for a while? Or would you like me to keep them coming?"

"Hmm. Keep them coming. They turn into inspiration."

More precisely, because I can see the grades. Yeah.

Ah, right. And Sua hastily tacked on one more line.

"If you can, I'd like scripts that are still in production."

"Oh? Is there a reason? For studying this and that, finished works that have already aired would serve you better."

"That's…."

Sua soon let a faint smile settle on her lips.

"…Because scripts like those are ones I can find on my own. I don't want to trouble you, CEO."

Pop—!

Sua slammed the Special Privilege window shut. Transparency, maxed to a hundred percent.

"All right. Then just name the genre."

Still soaked in feeling, Kim Iseo nodded.

"Romance. Or a noir crawling with crime and action. Or you could simply tell me the sort of character you want—a madam fanning herself with a brick of cash, say…."

But Sua didn't choose a single one.

"Yes."

Nothing but that one syllable, paired with a nod. The meaning was plain enough. She wanted every last one of them.

And then they arrived at Director Go Taemin's studio.

"…Huh?"

Sua froze where she stood.

"…?"

A sight far too shocking had filled her eyes.