Chapter : 36
Despite So Ji-young’s encouragement, Actor No. 2 couldn’t stop crying and quietly left the stage. Haein watched her departing figure with a bitter expression.
After a brief silence, Hyojin picked up the microphone again, her face bright and lively as before.
“Then shall we reveal the long-awaited first place video?”
…What? The order’s weird.
Everyone had expected the next ranking after 70th to be 69th, so murmurs of confusion rippled through the crowd once again.
Haein’s palms began to sweat at the unexpected turn of events.
Between Han So-yi, Do Do-gyeong, and herself—had there been a change in rankings? Five days was plenty of time for shifts to happen.
She allowed herself a small flicker of hope, but quickly reined it in.
Hope only leads to disappointment. I should be satisfied with third place. That alone is a great achievement.
Steeling herself, Haein fixed her trembling eyes on the screen.
“The actor who ranked first in total views!”
Even when she became the first Asian woman to win Best Actress at Cannes five years ago, she hadn’t felt this nervous.
The one second it took for the screen to change felt like ten minutes.
Haein blinked once, then looked up again. The image on the screen didn’t change.
“Actor No. 27, who performed <Illusion>!”
…What?
“Oh my, congratulations!”
“Unnie, seriously, congratulations!”
The congratulatory voices of the other actors snapped her back to reality. An outcome she hadn’t even dared to expect had come to her like an undeserved blessing.
“Congratulations! What a dramatic contrast of results for Team Illusion! Actor No. 27’s video has reached 3,678,273 views, more than 500,000 ahead of second place!”
She felt tears rising—but they didn’t fall. Director Kang’s face showed clear disappointment, perhaps because this wasn’t the tearful reaction he’d hoped for.
Still dazed, Haein gave a faint smile and moved to the center of the stage, just as Actor No. 2 had earlier. It was time for the judges’ evaluation.
“Our Actor No. 27! You already received incredible praise from the judges for your performance earlier. We all know how this is going to go, but—haha—let’s make it official anyway. Show us Actor No. 27’s results!”
If it says passed, do I just bow and leave? Or stay onstage? No one explained this part…
Lost in thought, Haein turned her eyes back to the screen. There was still a trace of hope in her expression.
Then, in bold red letters, the result appeared.
“Uh…?”
“Huh? Is that an error?”
…What?
“J-just a moment, let me check that!”
The murmurs of the actors and Hyojin’s flustered voice overlapped.
Haein looked again. The letters were clear, the same as when Actor No. 2 had been eliminated:
FAIL.
Fail…?
“Actor No. 27, Yoon Haein, has been eliminated.”
It was a familiar voice—Hyuk’s. He announced her elimination in a calm, cold tone.
Haein slowly turned her head toward him. Gone was his usual warmth; Hyuk’s expression was chillingly indifferent as he looked at her.
It took her a moment to process what he’d said. No one seemed to understand what was happening. Silence flooded the set.
“That can’t be right—wait, wait a second. Isn’t that a system error?”
So Ji-young looked at Director Kang, bewildered, then back at the screen. Even Lee Byung-in, who hadn’t flinched when No. 2 was dropped, now looked stunned.
Director Kang crossed his arms, a faintly amused smile on his face, as though he found the judges’ confusion entertaining.
“No, really. When we tallied the scores, Yoon Haein was ranked first…”
Chun Mi-sook was so flustered she forgot the “Actor No. 27” label and used Haein’s real name.
Only Hyojin, who had just received a note from the writers, nodded in understanding.
“We need to clarify the situation! Actor No. 27’s MeTube video had a total of 3,678,273 views, and when combined with the on-site evaluation, her score was indeed first, as Judge Chun said. However—!”
Maximize the drama. Keep viewers hooked.
Hyojin skillfully filled in the “unplanned” gaps of the show, while dozens of cameras whirred around, capturing every flicker of emotion the actors couldn’t hide.
“Ah, I can already hear the ratings climbing. When we release this on OTT later, make sure to edit this part carefully—this is gold. Absolute gold!”
Director Kang grinned and gave a thumbs-up to the camera operator beside him. Who would’ve thought Hyuk would toss him a scene like this?
“Tell Hyojin to keep rolling, no cuts.”
His instruction was relayed through her earpiece. Hyojin exaggerated her expression and turned to Haein.
“Normally, Actor No. 27 would pass the first round as the top performer. However, Judge Lee Hyuk has used his hidden card. Therefore, Actor No. 27, Yoon Haein, will be leaving the competition after this stage.”
…Did I hear that right?
But the next words confirmed she hadn’t misheard.
The cameras captured Haein’s blinking eyes in full detail—her trembling hands, the way she bit her lower lip when flustered, all of it.
What was she supposed to say now? Should she give a short farewell speech? No—was this really the end of her challenge? Here?
The cameras lingered on the confused murmuring of the contestants before Hyojin raised her mic again.
She looked at Haein’s bewildered face with an easy smile. They’d gotten enough footage for broadcast.
“This was completely unexpected. Let’s hear from Actor Lee Hyuk on why he used his hidden card.”
Haein, still dazed, shook her head sharply—she’d forgotten they were still recording.
Snapping back to her senses, she took a deep breath and looked at Hyuk.
He sighed softly, then spoke into the microphone in a calm voice.
“…The MeTube video uploaded by Actor Yoon Haein was excellent. Watching it, even I forgot that she hadn’t acted in five years.”
Haein bit her lip. The tears that hadn’t come earlier now spilled freely at his words.
The phrase “Actor Yoon Haein” sounded like a declaration that her five-year slump was finally over.
Even in this moment of elimination, an odd sense of confidence bloomed inside her.
“Get the side-angle shot too,” Director Kang ordered through his earpiece.
On the monitor, Yoon Haein’s tearful expression was heartbreakingly beautiful. Kang could already imagine the countless clips and memes that would flood the internet afterward.
Behind the camera, even Hyuk’s eyes trembled slightly—something only she could notice.
Haein gave him a faint, reassuring smile.
I’m okay. You can say it.
Understanding her silent message, Hyuk continued speaking.
