Chapter 463

“From here to there, just walk while talking in a cheerful tone. The stuntman will pull Namye to the car at the point marked with an X on the ground, so just go along naturally without resisting. Easy, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll try it once.”

I put down the script and went up to the set.

The stuntman playing the kidnapper bowed to me.

Suddenly, a question occurred to me.

What exactly is a cheerful tone? How do I fall naturally?

“I’ll give it a try. Ready, action!”

Before I could even think, the action sign was given.

Following the script, I put on my earphones and walked down the street while talking on the phone.

“I made a carnation at school today for my mom. But the kids used up all the red paper, so I made it in blue instead. Is that okay?”

[A blue carnation? That’s a bit weird.]

“Oh really? Then I’ll stop by the stationery store and pick up some red paper and make it again at home.”

I turned around and walked back the way I came.

Just then, the door of a van slowly opened across from me.

Kidnappers dressed in all black reached out their hands.

“I learned how to fold a carnation from my teacher, so I know how to— eek!”

A man picked me up and I landed on the soft seat.

“Cut! Namye, everything was good, but there are a few points that need fixing. Could you come over for a moment?”

The music video director frowned with dissatisfaction.

While the hair designer smoothed my tangled hair, I watched the footage we just shot.

“First of all, the cheerfulness was too lacking. I would like it to be about 300%, no, 500% more cheerful. Also, your scream during the abduction scene felt too artificial.”

“How should I change it?”

“Hmm… Oh! Minsu, play that video you showed earlier.”

“Oh, yes, director.”

The music video director played the video and brought the speaker closer to the speaker.

[Tada! This is the carefully selected gift for you~ in… Geoyang!]

“…!”

The voice echoed across the set.

Laughter erupted from all around.

“Yes! This is it! This purity and cheerfulness! If Namye can do it like this, I’ll have no regrets!”

“No, that’s…”

“You can do it, right?”

“Yes…”

“Please put a little more sincerity into your scream. Now, let’s give it another go, everyone back to your places!”

I took a deep breath and stood back under the lights.

Pure, cheerful, natural.

After all, if I fail from trying awkwardly, I’ll have to do it again.

“I made a carnation at school today for my mommy! But you know… the kids used all the red paper, so I made it in blue instead. Is that okay?”

I emphasized the “ca” of carnation and the “pa” of blue.

“Really? Ah, then! I’ll stop by the stationery store, get some red paper, and make it again at home! Yes!”

To match that cute sound, I spoke at least two keys higher overall.

“I learned how to fold a carnation from my teacher— Aaaah!”

When I screamed, I imagined the most horrific scene I could think of.

Scenes of limbs being severed and eyeballs and entrails bursting out had lost their shock value from being seen countless times.

Instead, imagining my stepbrother Hiasen getting pregnant with a man’s body was the maximum limit I could come up with.

Ugh, that’s disgusting.

“Okay, cut! Everyone, applause! Wow, for just one feedback, you did exceptionally well!”

I stumbled out of the van.

I should have just thought about a normal gory scene.

Afterward, I enjoyed watching the completed music video we had filmed earlier.

It was a short film-style music video that had recently become popular again.

A child from a wealthy family was kidnapped by a mafia organization, and the mother immediately reported it to the police.

To save the child, special forces NB members filmed action-noir scenes in different locations.

As I continued to read the lyrics of the hostage, it became clear that it metaphorically compared love between lovers to a hostage situation.

The kidnapped child must have represented pure love in a metaphorical sense.

And as the song neared its end, the NB members succeeded in locating the mafia’s hideout but fell into a trap and were dragged before the boss.

“Namye, look at the twist that comes next!”

The youngest member, White, pointed at the screen while humming the song.

A desperate scream from the mafia members could be heard, and the front door burst open as the kidnapped child appeared.

“What? They said the child was kidnapped, and yet they look fine?”

They looked more than fine.

The child performed near-acrobatic action against the vicious mafia members and rescued the team.

“That wealthy child was actually a spy planted by us from the beginning. Hehe, how about that for a huge twist in our music video?”

“It’s a bit forced, but it definitely conveys meaning.”

“Huh?”

“The lover held the pure love hostage and manipulated it at their whim, but in truth, it was this side that held the initiative and tested the other from the very start. That’s the nuance, right?”

“Wow! Namye, are you a genius? How did you catch such a complicated concept all at once? Wow, that’s so amazing.”

“Which is why we couldn’t use a child actor.”

The child from the music video was actually a stuntman who filmed using a child avatar in virtual reality.

Producer Kang Jihun was dissatisfied with this unnaturalness.

In the end, we had to reshoot, even paying extra to the music video company, so I felt a heavy responsibility.

The filming staff, having finished the set, began to move busily.

“Namye, could you raise your arms for a moment? I’ll attach wires to your body.”

“Director, can’t I act without wires? It doesn’t seem like the movements are that difficult.”

“You think you can just do that? You need to be climbing walls and flying around! Stunt team, gather here, everyone!”

I went up to the set with five foreign stuntmen made up as mafia members.

“Namye, could you discuss with these guys and show a basic action performance?”

I called the men over while following the path I had seen in the video earlier.

“The first scene was probably when I dove at you, right?”

“Yes. Namye, can you really do it? What if you get hurt…”

“I’m actually more worried about hurting you. I’m fine, so you can dive at full speed.”

I reassured the stuntmen and got into position.

The man still seemed unsure but eventually clenched his teeth as if he had made up his mind.

“Don’t let her escape! Surround her! Aaaaaah!”

The stuntman shouted with a cheesy Italian accent and came charging while pounding the floor.

Everyone here knows how to handle the aura, so they should be able to protect themselves.

I stood still and caught the moment his foot hit the ground.

“Now!”

I exerted strong force with my left foot and instantly twisted my body to the right.

I swung my left hand to push his annoying arm away and grabbed the back of his head with my right hand.

In this position, I slammed his head down to the floor.

Boom—!

Thanks to the inertia created by his massive mass, the man slid several meters across the floor on his face.

The director, who had been sitting on a folding camping chair, jumped up and threw away his sunglasses.

“Wow!”

A heartfelt exclamation came from deep within.

The director clapped enthusiastically and rushed into the set.

“Namye, let’s film quickly before your focus fades! How can you perform such a nerve-wracking action perfectly… I have goosebumps all over my skin right now! What’s everyone doing, get ready!”

* * *

While being chased by the mafia, Hayan, Rani, Yu Ju, and White opened different doors and gathered in one room.

It was no coincidence that they met in the same room at the same time after being scattered.

They kept their guard up and leaned against each other, surveying their surroundings.

Screech—

The chair in front of the large desk spun around.

The mafia boss put down the cigar he had in his mouth and trapped them in a barrier.

[Cast: Unique Barrier – Blood Flower]

A translucent red cuboidal curtain was raised.

The boss intended to bury them along with the concrete block by planting bombs in the ceiling.

At that moment, loud screams could be heard from outside.

Boom—!

As the front door swung open, Namye appeared before them, cracking her neck side to side.

The organization members guarding the office were all fainted, lying face down.

The boss frowned and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, I suspected there was a spy planted within the organization, but I never imagined the identity would be this. To think that it was the hostage we have captured. Take care of it together.”

“Old boss!”

It was an order from the head of the Corleones family, which had instilled unparalleled fear throughout Italy.

Five of his closest organization members lunged at Namye.

In an instant, the scene unfolded.

The largest member of the organization flew toward her, and Namye evaded it with a light movement, slamming his head into the floor.

With no breathing room, two mafia members attacked from the sides.

Cornered, Namye kicked off her shoes and made her aura spike like thorns on the soles of her feet.

She then dashed towards the wall and ran up it.

Thud-thud-thud—

Every time Namye stepped, sharp holes pierced the wall.

With a backflip, she lightly landed back in the center of the room.

Though she escaped the encirclement, the battle was far from over.

The organization members, showing no mercy just because she was a child, unleashed punches and kicks without hesitation.

Namye’s eyes gleamed like a tiger.

Vroom—

Even watching the dizzying strikes, she maintained a precise distance and evaded.

“Gaaah!”

Moreover, the strength coming from her petite hands defied common sense.

An organization member hit in the solar plexus bent at the waist like paper and flew into the wall.

“Damn it…!”

In a brief moment, four elite members had already fallen.

Attacks never landed, only destructive power overwhelmed them.

The boss turned tail and fled right in front of their eyes.

Namye quickly chased after him, jumping with all her strength.

She strangled the tall man by the neck with her thigh, knocking him down and guaranteeing his unconsciousness.

With the situation reversed, the boss attempted to smash the chandelier and escape the room.

But at that moment, the magical barrier broke, and the contributions of the NB members shone.

Yu Ju and White cast a shield to protect Namye, while Rani made a noose knot to capture the boss.

Finally, leader Hayan dealt a critical blow to the boss as part of a wonderful operation.

With that, they finally had a moment to catch their breath.

Namye sat down on top of the fallen members and spoke.

“Great job, team.”

The NB members all stared at Namye in shock.

“Code name Artemis was you?”

The camera zoomed in on Namye.

Namye didn’t know the detailed settings of the world where NB operated.

So she simply spoke the lines given to her.

“Hmm. Wrong person to be deceived.”

Namye smirked devilishly, tossing her long hair and laughing at everyone.

As she exited the scene, the video gradually faded to black.

From the beginning, the hostage never existed.

[envy NB ‘Hostage’ MV] [Released 5 days ago at 23:51:49]

* * *

“You’ve died today, Saetbyeol.”

“Eek! Wait, time out! Ahhhh, older sister, it hurts! Why are you doing this to me?”

“Why? Do you think I suffered insults from people today? I told you, if you post a video like that one more time, be prepared.”

“Eew! Please…! Ahhh, please don’t pinch my belly fat! Aaaah, you’re gonna kill me, nooo!”