Chapter 45
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Mom is an Actress
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That evening, Im Shin-hye was on set.
She was decked out head to toe in luxury brands, her makeup deliberately heavy.
The role she was playing this time was the wife of a major corporation's chairman and the mother of the corporate heir.
It was the villainous mother-in-law role that had become her signature.
Suuu.
She took a deep breath, shifting her mindset.
From now on, she wasn't Mom anymore. She was actress Im Shin-hye.
"Mom. I saw Sun-ah today."
"Sun-ah? ...Oh, that Sun-ah? So?"
"Did you tell Sun-ah to break up with me?"
"Who said that? Did that little bitch Sun-ah say so?"
"Mom!"
"Hwang Jin-woo. Hwang. Jin. Woo. Section. Chief. How long are you going to keep whining like a child? When we're staking our lives on this project, is now the time to be thinking about your ex?"
"Mom! That pro... project!"
Another NG.
"Honey, why have you been acting weird since yesterday? Didn't get any sleep?"
"Ah~ seriously, what's wrong with me? Maybe because I'm acting with the senior actress, I'm so nervous I can't pronounce properly."
The man flicked his tongue frivolously, as if loosening it up.
Joo Jung-hwan. A male actor in his thirties with a solid career.
He was popular and skilled. Today he was a mess, but he'd get better.
Still, his frivolous behavior made it impossible for Im Shin-hye to get close to him.
"Get it together. I want to wrap up on time today. You know we can't shoot indefinitely, even if half the drama's pre-produced."
"Yes, sir! Got it! Then, as a way to pull myself together, how about a drink after we wrap? I'll take you somewhere nice."
Im Shin-hye barely suppressed the urge to kick the man in front of her.
Aside from the veteran actor playing the chairman, she was the most senior on set. She couldn't sour the atmosphere with personal feelings.
"...Jung-hwan. Please, just take this seriously."
Not wanting to say more, Im Shin-hye sighed and turned away.
Truth be told, she was the one short on sleep. She didn't want to waste her precious break on pointless bickering, even if the frivolous man's repeated NGs were the cause.
A break was still a precious break.
"Whew. To think that guy's playing my son..."
Back in the waiting room, Im Shin-hye pressed her temples as if her head ached.
The character in the script wasn't bad.
But with an actor like that, it was hard to immerse herself. The portrayal was off—way off.
"Might as well bring Sun-hu in if we're using someone like that."
She shook her head at the idle thought.
It was a mother's overreach. She'd support him fully if he wanted, but forcing it otherwise was wrong.
She'd learned that the hard way with the piano.
"Sun-hu's piano playing... It's been ages since I last heard it."
Leaning back on the sofa, she murmured wistfully.
Recalling her young son at the piano, Im Shin-hye closed her eyes.
She had twenty minutes left in her break.
"Mother-in-law, you called for me?"
"Girl, do you know who your husband's seeing today?"
"No. Who?"
"Sun-ah. He met Kim Sun-ah."
"Kim Sun-ah? Who's that?"
"Who else? Your husband's first love."
"Ah... I see."
"You know this is a crucial time for the company and your husband, right? Manage him properly. If you can't do your job as a wife, no wonder he's looking elsewhere."
"...I'm sorry, Mother-in-law."
"Su-ah, your acting feels a bit dry, doesn't it?"
"Did it?"
This time's scene partner was Hwang Su-ah, playing the daughter-in-law.
Dressed as the eldest daughter-in-law of a chaebol family, she looked the part even to Im Shin-hye's eyes.
This is the kind of girl who'd actually marry into a real chaebol family.
Looking at Hwang Su-ah, she recalled fellow actresses who'd married into such families.
Im Shin-hye herself had even introduced her son to Su-ah. No mother-in-law would dislike her.
"Yeah. Put more into it—like you're incredulous, like 'So what am I supposed to do about it?'"
"Yes, got it."
Truth be told, up until yesterday, Im Shin-hye had felt a bit awkward around Hwang Su-ah.
Introducing her son had been fine, but the thought of him being taken away had made her subconscious view Su-ah as an enemy.
Hwang Su-ah possessed the radiant youth that Im Shin-hye had already lost.
No matter her son's feelings, he'd stayed over at Su-ah's that night, so the misunderstanding was natural.
Not as atonement for her coldness yesterday, but Im Shin-hye now meticulously guided Su-ah's acting.
Hoping it would help her overcome her slump, even a little.
"In front of your mother-in-law, you're holding back that expression, but since you can't show it outright, it feels frustrating, right? In real life, you'd have to hide it, but for acting, you need to reveal enough for the audience to catch on. Make them empathize and think, 'Ugh, so frustrating! Just slap her!'"
"Yes, Teacher."
Meanwhile, Hwang Su-ah was etching every word from Im Shin-hye into her mind.
Guidance from a box-office guarantee like this senior actress.
It was a precious opportunity money couldn't easily buy.
The cold attitude from yesterday had vanished, replaced by the kind, helpful Im Shin-hye Teacher.
At first, Su-ah had wondered if she'd committed some faux pas at their previous meeting.
She even remembered being called "Mother" in her mind.
To some, it might seem friendly.
But for Su-ah, who strictly observed senior-junior hierarchies unlike most young actors, it was a major breach.
Unaware of Im Shin-hye's inner turmoil, Su-ah had fretted.
Fortunately, the next day she'd returned to her usual warmth, but it made Su-ah even more cautious around her.
Publicly and privately, Im Shin-hye was an intimidating figure to her.
The real reason—the shift in her feelings, jealousy over her son, resolving it through sex with him—Su-ah would never know.
"By the way, Su-ah, did you hear Sun-hu collapsed?"
"What? Sun-hu collapsed?"
Hwang Su-ah jumped at Im Shin-hye's words.
She'd been swamped with shoots since yesterday and rarely checked news anyway.
She was the type oblivious to the world, unaware even of an earthquake in her own neighborhood.
"Yeah, looks like you didn't know. Actually, the day before yesterday, he went out with his little sister and..."
She couldn't share family-only details, but relayed the publicly known facts. Now that her reservations were gone, Su-ah was just a candidate for her son's girlfriend.
"So, is Sun-hu okay?"
"He was discharged this morning. He's healthy now."
Too healthy, in fact.
Recalling her steamy morning with Sun-hu, Im Shin-hye felt a tight squeeze deep in her lower belly.
It had been an amazing experience. Just thinking about it made her wet down there.
Im Shin-hye had entered acting young.
In her prime, she'd married a much older director and endured a long sexless marriage.
After the divorce, work and childcare left no time for dating.
On screen, she seemed elegantly swan-like, but in reality, she'd lived more fiercely than most.
She didn't regret it. But sometimes she felt sorrow at her youth withering without tasting its privileges.
Then she'd awakened to new love.
The object was her cherished adopted son—the most precious, lovable man in the world.
How could that honey not be sweet?
He'd demanded her again and again, pouring affection onto her fading body like water.
She felt her lost youth returning. Even if the script ended in tragedy, she couldn't stop now.
"By the way, Su-ah, have you made plans to meet Sun-hu separately?"
"No. We're still coordinating."
Hwang Su-ah answered a bit shyly.
She was relieved he was okay but miffed he'd gone through that without even texting.
They'd exchanged numbers, but no personal messages. She'd planned to set a date if he reached out first, wasting time waiting for his text.
Meanwhile, Im Shin-hye no longer saw Su-ah as a rival.
Being intimate with her son didn't mean monopolizing him. If there was a good match, she'd push for it.
In that sense, Su-ah was perfect. Even though she was older than Sun-hu, it wasn't uncommon for actresses and civilians.
"Sun-hu seems outgoing, but he's actually shy, so maybe you should message first. You're the noona, right? Push a little. He doesn't know how to say no."
"Is that so?"
Im Shin-hye gave Su-ah tips as Sun-hu's mom.
The two chatted warmly about him for a bit.
The mom eager to brag, and Su-ah hungry for details.
They'd never run out of topics.
"My, what fun conversation are you two having?"
A new player joined: Shin Ji-hye, the drama's de facto female lead.
Shin Ji-hye, with her refined beauty, was Hwang Su-ah's junior by two years but currently the hottest actress around.
She had no qualms inserting herself between two heavyweights.
"Want to see, Ji-hye? I was showing Su-ah pictures of my son."
Im Shin-hye was famously doting on her son in the industry. Shin Ji-hye knew it well.
But she wondered why she talked more about her civilian son than her famous daughters, Jin So-young and Jin Mi-so.
"Teacher's son? Can I see?"
Im Shin-hye's phone showed a mother and son smiling happily together.
Without knowing she was Im Shin-hye, it was just an ordinary family photo. No hint of their improper relationship.
"Teacher's son is so handsome. His eyes and nose are just like yours."
"Right?"
Praising a senior actress's son was the best way to flatter her.
Whatever her real thoughts, Shin Ji-hye lavished compliments. She didn't consider he wasn't biological, so no resemblance anyway.
Im Shin-hye basked in the praise regardless.
"He's even better looking in person."
Hwang Su-ah chimed in.
"Huh? Su-ah sunbae, you've met him?"
"We had dinner a few days ago, introduced by Teacher."
Shin Ji-hye keenly caught the subtle emotion in Su-ah's words.
She didn't know what it was yet, but she sensed Su-ah was on guard against her.
As a top actress, she needed that kind of perceptiveness to survive.
"Teacher~ Why didn't you invite me~?"
"Hehe. Next time, Ji-hye. I'll introduce you when there's a chance."
She answered the sulky aegyo, but had no intention of letting them meet.
If Su-ah was a deer, Ji-hye was a fox.
Meet Ji-hye, and her rabbit-like Sun-hu would be devoured.
Great for an actress, but not daughter-in-law material.
"By the way, Teacher. Coming to the wrap-up dinner?"
"Dinner? No?"
"No? I heard you were. From Joo Jung-hwan sunbae."
"Ah~."
Im Shin-hye sighed at Ji-hye's words.
She'd clearly declined.
It wasn't uncommon in the industry to show up expecting others, only to be alone with a male actor.
As the heavenly senior among actresses, her attendance would force juniors to join.
"Ji-hye, I won't badmouth, but try not to go if you can. He doesn't have the best rumors."
Im Shin-hye cautioned her.
Despite everything, Ji-hye was a young junior. It was a senior's duty.
Don't believe every rumor. She'd been a victim herself.
But amid the nonsense, truths hid—lessons from years in the industry.
And how to spot them.
"...Got it. Then you'll introduce your son instead?"
"Of course. Anytime there's a chance."
She answered positively, whatever the future held.
Shin Ji-hye didn't miss Hwang Su-ah's subtle dissatisfied glance beside her.