Chapter 146

The original role of a villain is to drive the narrative forward.

The tension or crisis brought about by the villain enhances the immersion of the story.

When it comes to acting as a villain, the most important thing is undoubtedly charisma.

Establishing a strong presence and maximizing the story’s intrigue was the essence of a villain’s character.

Perhaps that’s why.

“I thought it might be too heavy for Lee Ha-eun.”

Seo Jin-taek, who played the role of Jeon Jae-han, was one of those who had doubts about Ha-eun’s casting.

It wasn’t that he underestimated Ha-eun’s acting skills.

However, the fact that she had no experience playing a villain was a concern for him.

This was particularly concerning for Seo Jin-taek because he was regarded as a talented actor.

The doubt towards Ha-eun stemmed from Seo Jin-taek’s accumulated experiences as an actor.

Everyone has a first time.

Everyone’s first time is clumsy.

“There are always exceptions, but….”

At least in the world of acting that Seo Jin-taek belonged to, “first performances” could not be outstanding.

Ultimately, the biggest factor in acting is experience.

However, that’s now a thing of the past.

“Ha-eun, you were terrifying in your performance. I can see why Sung-jae recommended you.”

“Ah… thank you.”

The fact that veteran actor Seo Jin-taek praised Ha-eun’s performance indicated it was indeed impressive.

Now, questioning whether she had experience in villainous roles was pointless.

In Seo Jin-taek’s view, Ha-eun’s performance as a villain wasn’t about experience; it was about what she had chosen not to show before.

Especially, the indifferent gaze in Scene #18 was definitely not that of a beginner.

“It was purely chilling.”

Eyes free from guilt.

A world of ash where no morality or ethics held sway.

It was a gaze that revealed she lived in a realm completely different from ordinary people.

Above all, the fact that her demeanor was incomprehensible by normal standards was what made her seem most like a psychopath.

The chilling performance in Scene #18 made him unconsciously reflect on Ha-eun’s ordinary performance in Scene #17.

“So, this acting makes one realize they were being deceived… There truly is a real veteran here.”

In Seo Jin-taek’s eyes looking at Ha-eun, there was profound seriousness.

Despite being a completely different acting style from before, the smoothness suggested a high potential for succeeding in other styles as well.

He couldn’t see any limits to her as an actress.

At least not at this moment.

“That friend Yu Seong-a wasn’t exaggerating when he said kids nowadays are scary.”

Ultimately, the request for a script reading of the scene where Jeon Jae-han appears stemmed from this realization.

Having understood that she could perfectly embody Lee Yeo-seo, he felt eager to confront it directly.

“How about Scene #29, Director?”

Scene #29.

While it wasn’t a scene stained with blood like Scene #18, it was when Lee Yeo-seo and Jeon Jae-han would truly realize they were enemies.

“It’s a battle of wills between Lee Ha-eun and Seo Jin-taek.”

“Seo senior, you’re not giving me any eye contact since the first day of reading!”

“This is the scene that would go into the trailer, right?”

Thus, everyone’s gaze shifted to one side.

Lee Ha-eun and Seo Jin-taek.

A showdown between rising stars and established giants.

The two people soon rose from their seats and faced each other in the empty space once again.

“Neither is backing down.”

“It’s an impression that wouldn’t be easy to match, no matter which side.”

“It must be even more intense on set than now, right?”

Just staring at each other brought a heavy atmosphere around.

Though they hadn’t started acting yet, it felt like they were already probing each other.

Long hair.

A sharp, cat-like gaze.

Overall, she had a youthful appearance, yet an aura that was far from easygoing.

In this way, Seo Jin-taek’s perception of Ha-eun was undeniably that of an actress.

He felt more certain about why Yu Sung-jae had recommended Ha-eun for the role of Lee Yeo-seo after witnessing her acting up close.

Shortly thereafter, the script reading for Scene #29 finally began.

Ha-eun and Seo Jin-taek were draped in the atmospheres of Lee Yeo-seo and Jeon Jae-han, respectively.

“Could I request your cooperation for a moment? A homeless person has gone missing.”

“But why are you looking for him here?”

“Um, the last footage of the homeless person recorded him entering this building?”

“Ah, I see.”

Immediately after, Ha-eun pretended to call someone, turning her head slightly.

She quietly whispered as if conversing with someone before meeting Seo Jin-taek’s gaze again.

“I contacted the security office, but they said the CCTV file for the date you mentioned has been lost.”

“Ah, it’s been lost? The CCTV file.”

“Yes. Lost.”

Almost simultaneously, they exchanged sharp looks.

Seo Jin-taek, who was literally staring through Ha-eun, asked why the CCTV file was lost.

However, no matter how much of a company director someone might be…

“There could have been an error in the storage space, right? Or maybe the CCTV was broken.”

Since it was difficult to grasp the management status of the CCTV at the building’s entrance, she didn’t need to adopt a stance of hiding anything by avoiding Seo Jin-taek’s eyes.

Thus began the image-making.

She smoothly combined the image the other person expected with what they hoped to see from her.

“I’ll contact you as soon as it’s restored.”

“Please do it as quickly as possible; the golden time is important for missing persons.”

Ha-eun was eliciting the necessary reactions.

The owner of a reputable company.

At the same time, this was also what Ha-eun had directly heard from the elderly man who was her grandfather in her past life.

“Well then, thank you for your hard work~.”

“Ah, yes. You too, take care.”

It was about managing people.

The heir training that Lee Yeo-seo received since childhood wouldn’t differ much from what Ha-eun remembered.

Because of that, Seo Jin-taek found it difficult to distinguish between Ha-eun’s acting and what was not acting.

To be fair, due to Jeon Jae-han’s setting as someone sharp, he had an inkling that something was off.

However, in the case of others who weren’t Jeon Jae-han, they wouldn’t even consider shifting their suspicions toward Lee Yeo-seo.

This was similarly the case with other actors and staff who had just witnessed Lee Yeo-seo’s true self.

Even knowing they were only seeing a false facade, they couldn’t help but be deceived.

“Um, was I okay…?”

“There’s nothing to give feedback on. You did really well.”

Thus, the script readings for *The Veterans* continued for quite a while.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

Once Director Kim Hong-seong, wearing a satisfied expression, said, “I’ll see you next time,” they finally stepped outside.

Afterward, Ha-eun headed towards the black van as usual.

It was after this that she received news from Ju Jung-yun.

“Volunteer work with briquettes?”

“Yeah. Chang Sung-ho called directly.”

To cut to the chase, she agreed.

Either way, it was a good thing.

It didn’t even overlap with her existing schedule.

If I can help, I will help.

It didn’t seem like there needed to be any other reason for one person to help another.

Two days later, she re-encountered Chang Sung-ho.

Though it had been more than half a year since the filming of *2 Nights and 3 Days*, it didn’t feel awkward at all.

“Ah, that rascal Nam-soo broke his leg at the worst possible time. Anyway, thanks for coming. Really.”

He then asked if she had ever done anything like briquette volunteering before.

Ha-eun honestly replied that today was her first time actually seeing briquettes.

However, after Ha-eun’s hands were equipped with work gloves.

More precisely, from the moment she learned the location of the first house they needed to visit.

“Chang-ho, Chang-ho.”

“Yeah?”

“That girl you brought, is it okay for her to carry four briquettes at once…? Is she not going to get tired?”

“…Four at a time?”

Ha-eun’s obsession with exercise flared up again.

This was due to the fact that the activity of briquette volunteering was an exceptionally effective cardio workout.

Most crucially, since this was all to help others, Ha-eun’s brakes were shattered.

There was nothing wrong with carrying four instead of one quickly, so she gently dismissed Chang Sung-ho’s concerns.

“The last time during the watermelon harvest was the same. What are you going to do if you break your arm?!”

“I’m not pushing myself too hard. Really.”

“Oh dear….”

Thus, the briquette volunteer activity concluded much earlier than planned.

The compliments received from various elderly folks who received the briquettes were a bonus.

“This kid is so strong! You could be an athlete!”

“…Haha.”

The faces etched with wrinkles held expressions of pride and gratitude.

Ha-eun responded by saying she would definitely return next year and wished them well.

However, what if…

In the actual worst case…

“What if they get shocked after watching *The Veterans*?”

If the elderly people she met today were to watch *The Veterans*, which would be released in the distant future.

“Maybe I should have said something in advance….”

It seemed like it would be awkward at best.

It was not uncommon for elderly people to genuinely hate or fear the villains in movies or dramas.

However, it would not be appropriate to ask them not to watch *The Veterans*.

Thus, Ha-eun came to understand, albeit belatedly, why Jeong Do-cheol, the representative from her past, had worried about her performance as a villain.

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