Originally, the villain plays the role of driving the plot forward.
The tension and sense of crisis caused by the villain are what create the immersion in the story.
When it comes to acting as a villain, the most important thing is, of course, charisma.
The villainâs presence is meant to establish them as a powerful force, maximizing the interest in the story.
Perhaps that's why...
âI thought this might be a bit too heavy for Ha-eun.â
Among those who had doubts about Ha-eun's casting, there was Jeong Jae-hanâs role, played by Seo Jin-tae.
He didnât undervalue Ha-eun's acting skills, but the fact that she had no experience playing a villain bothered him.
This was something Seo Jin-tae, a respected actor, couldnât easily ignore. His doubts about Ha-eun came from his own experience as an actor.
Everyone has their first time.
Everyone is awkward at first.
âThere are always exceptions, thoughâ¦â
At least, in the world of acting Seo Jin-tae was a part of, a âfirst performanceâ could never be an outstanding performance.
No matter what, experience played the largest role in acting.
But that was a thing of the past now.
âHa-eun-ssi.â
âYes, yes?â
âThat was a terrifying performance. I think I understand why Sung-jae recommended you.â
âAh... Thank you.â
Ha-eunâs acting was so impressive that veteran actor Seo Jin-tae personally praised her.
At this point, questioning whether she had experience playing a villain was pointless.
To Seo Jin-tae, Ha-eun's villainous performance wasnât something she had never doneâit was something she had never shown.
Especially that blank, emotionless gaze in S#18âit was not something an amateur would possess.
âI was genuinely chilled.â
A gaze completely free of guilt.
A gray world where no morality or ethics could hold sway.
It was a look that made it clear she was living in a completely different world from ordinary people.
What stood out most was how this couldnât be understood with a regular worldviewâit was what made it feel so psychopathic.
The chilling performance in S#18 made me recall the ordinary acting in S#17.
âAn acting performance that makes you realize too late that you were deceived⦠There really was a veteran in the making.â
The gaze Seo Jin-tae directed toward Ha-eun carried a deep seriousness.
Despite this being a completely different style of acting from what he was used to, he had done it skillfully, which meant that she could likely master other styles as well.
There was no sign of any limits to her acting potential.
At least, not at this moment.
âSung-jae wasnât joking when he said kids these days are scary.â
This was why Seo Jin-tae requested a script reading for Jeong Jae-hanâs scene.
Now that he knew she could perfectly portray Lee Ye-seo, he wanted to challenge her directly.
âHow is S#29, Director?â
S#29.
It wasnât a scene stained with blood like S#18, but it was the moment when Lee Ye-seo and Jeong Jae-han realized that they were enemies.
âThe showdown between Ha-eun and Seo Jin-tae.â
âSeo-seonbae, youâre not going to pay attention to me on the first day of the reading.â
âThis is the scene that was supposed to be in the trailer, right?â
Everyoneâs gaze shifted toward one side.
Ha-eun and Seo Jin-tae.
A battle between rising stars and established giants.
The two of them stood up and, after a brief pause, walked to the empty space to face each other.
âNeither of them is backing down.â
âItâs not easy to face either one of them.â
âThe atmosphere will likely be even more intense once the filming starts, huh?â
Just by looking at each other, a heavy atmosphere began to spread through the room.
Although they hadnât even started acting yet, it felt like they were already sizing each other up.@@novelbin@@
Long hair.
Sharp, cat-like eyes.
Despite their youthful appearance, they radiated an aura that wasnât easy to approach.
Seo Jin-tae's view of Ha-eun was that of a true actor.
It made sense why Sung-jae had recommended Ha-eun for the role of Lee Ye-seo.
Shortly after, the script reading for S#29 finally began.
The atmosphere of Lee Ye-seo and Jeong Jae-han enveloped Ha-eun and Seo Jin-tae.
"May I ask for your cooperation for a moment? A homeless man has disappeared."
"Why are you looking for him here?"
"Well, the last time he was seen was entering this building."
"I see."
Right after that, Ha-eun pretended to make a phone call, briefly turning her head.
Then, after whispering quietly, she faced Seo Jin-tae again.
"I contacted the security office. They said the CCTV footage from the date you mentioned is missing."
"Missing? The CCTV footage?"
"Yes. Missing."
At almost the same time, Seo Jin-taeâs sharp gaze met Ha-eunâs.
He stared intently at Ha-eun, asking why the CCTV footage was missing.
However, no matter how high his status as a corporate director was,
âIt could have been an error in the storage system. Or maybe the CCTV is malfunctioning.â
It was difficult to have full knowledge of the CCTV management at the buildingâs entrance.
Thus, Ha-eun didnât need to adopt a stance of hiding something by avoiding Seo Jin-taeâs gaze.
What followed was image crafting.
She skillfully blended what the other party expected and what Ha-eun herself had prepared, delivering the necessary response.
Smile.
"Iâll contact you as soon as itâs recovered."
"Please do it as soon as possible. Itâs important to catch missing persons during the golden hour."
Ha-eun had drawn out the required response from him.
The owner of a reputable company.
At the same time, she recalled the lessons she had learned from her past life as her grandfather, who had once personally shared such wisdom with her.
"Then, thank you~."
"Ah, yes. You take care as well."
It was a way of handling people.
The heir training Lee Ye-seo received from a young age was likely not much different from what Ha-eun remembered.
This made Seo Jin-tae unable to distinguish between Ha-eun's acting and what was not acting.
Thanks to Jeong Jae-han, who was set up as being particularly sharp, he had a gut feeling that something was suspicious.
But other actors and staff members didnât even think to question Lee Ye-seo.
This was the same for those who had witnessed the real Lee Ye-seoâs appearance earlier.
Even though they knew they were seeing a fake version, they couldnât help but be deceived.
"Was I... okay?"
"Thereâs nothing to give feedback on. Youâre really good."
After quite a long time, the script reading for Veterans continued.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work."
With a satisfied expression, Director Kim Hong-seon said, "See you next time," and everyone left.
Ha-eun headed toward the usual black van afterward.
It was only after that when she heard some new news from Ju Jung-yoon.
"Volunteer work with coal briquettes?"
"Yeah. Jang Seong-ho called directly."
To cut to the chase, Ha-eun accepted the offer.
After all, it was a good cause.
The new schedule didnât overlap with her existing commitments.
If she could help, she would.
There was no reason to need another excuse to help someone.
Two days later, she reunited with Jang Seong-ho.
Even though more than six months had passed since the filming of 2 Days 3 Nights, it didnât feel awkward.
"Sigh, Nam-su, that bastard, broke his leg. Anyway, thanks for coming. Really."
Then came Jang Seong-hoâs question about whether Ha-eun had ever done volunteer work with coal briquettes.
To which Ha-eun honestly responded that it was her first time actually seeing them today.
However, after Ha-eun had her work gloves on,
and after learning the location of the first house she would visit,
"Seong-ho-ssi, Seong-ho-ssi."
"Huh?"
"The kid you brought, carrying four briquettes at once... Is that okay? Shouldnât we dry them first?"
"...Four at a time?"
Ha-eunâs obsession with exercise flared up.
This was because the volunteer work with coal briquettes was, in fact, excellent cardio exercise.
Crucially, the fact that it was all to help others completely shattered Ha-eunâs restraint.
There was no harm in carrying four at once instead of one like everyone else, so she gently ignored Jang Seong-hoâs caution.
"You did the same during the watermelon harvest. What will you do if your arms break?"
"Iâm not overdoing it. Really."
"Oh my...!"
Thus, the coal briquette volunteer work finished much earlier than scheduled.
The elderly people who received the briquettes praised her as a world champion, and Ha-eun responded by promising to return next year and wishing them well.
However, a thought lingered in her mind.
What if...
âWhat if these old people watch Veterans and get shocked?â
If these elderly people watched Veterans when it was released,
âMaybe I should have warned them in advanceâ¦â
It seemed like it might become a difficult situation.
It wasnât rare for the elderly to genuinely hate or fear villains in movies or dramas.
Yet, Ha-eun couldnât just ask them not to watch Veterans.
Now she understood why Jeong Do-cheol, the CEO, had worried about her villainous performance.