Chapter 18
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The scene we were about to film was of Nari, who had been living with us for about a week, using her pregnancy as an excuse to boss us around like maids.
After a brief silence, Director Shin gave Da-eun and Hye-young the signal.
“Action.”
Hye-young, playing the role of Nari with a long cardigan over her slip, was half-lying on the sofa. She speared a neatly sliced apple piece with a fork and took a bite.
“It must be a girl. I’m craving fruit like crazy.”
She giggled, wrinkling her nose, then held out the half-eaten apple on the fork to Da-eun, who was playing the role of ‘Uri’. We were squatting below the sofa, wiping the wide sofa table.
“I’m fine. You have it.”
“Uh, why? Is it because I bit into it?”
Nari pouted, pretending to be hurt, then stretched her arm out and waved the fork in front of Uri’s face.
“…”
Uri hesitated, then let out a resigned sigh and took the fork.
Her face was expressionless as she chewed the apple, as if she couldn’t taste anything. As she was about to put the fork down, Nari held out her hand.
When Uri tried to hand the fork back to Nari’s outstretched hand, thinking she wanted it, Nari snorted as if to say that wasn’t it.
“Eung, you should spear an apple piece for me.”
Suppressing the urge to laugh hollowly, Uri speared a piece of apple and placed it in Nari’s hand. Nari laughed gleefully.
“Cut me some slack. I’m pregnant, you know. I’m sooo glad I have you, unnie. Is this what having family around is like?”
The inner thought, You only call me unnie at times like this, was readable on Uri’s face.
Director Shin smiled and nodded at Da-eun’s subtle, not over-the-top expression acting.
Nari, about to eat the apple, saw Uri’s dispirited face and put the fork down as if she’d lost her appetite.
“Why that face? Don’t you like being with me?”
Even though she’d been making us do all sorts of housework all week, Nari would ask that question whenever we looked tired.
“It’s not that.”
Uri forced the corners of her mouth up as she spoke. Nari sneered.
“Really? It’s not that you like the money more than me, right?”
The money we received for working in this house and attending university classes in Nari’s stead was enormous.
In the drama, Uri’s mother had cancer, and it was to pay for her surgery that Uri had accepted Nari’s proposal.
Nari gave a strained, stretched-lipped smile, then flopped down flat on the sofa.
“I’m joking! Ah, I’m a bit stuffy. Open the window for me.”
Uri, who had been wiping the table, took a sharp breath, stood up, drew the living room curtains, and opened the large window.
Nari cast a displeased look at the rag left on the table.
Director Shin checked the insert point, filmed a separate shot, and then the filming resumed.
“God, it’s disgusting. How can you leave a rag like this here when there’s fruit I’m eating right next to it? Either put it under the table or take it away with you!”
Nari scowled deeply and, as if she didn’t even want to touch it, flicked the rag away with her toes.
The flung rag hit Uri, who was returning after opening the window, in the cheek before falling.
“Oops. Ahaha!”
Lying down, Nari burst into uproarious laughter as if she found it unexpectedly hilarious.
“Ah, that’s so funny! Sorry! You must feel bad! That’s insane, how did it fly right into your face?”
Holding her stomach from laughter, Nari even started clapping.
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Director Shin, who had been capturing Uri’s precarious emotions on camera, nodded and shouted.
“Cut!”
However, no ‘Okay’ followed. Da-eun wiped her damp cheek and went over to Director Shin’s side to check the monitor.
Hye-young, who had been lying down, also sprang up and approached. Her face looked somewhat pleased.
“Hmm.”
Director Shin, rewinding the filmed scene, seemed somewhat dissatisfied. As if choosing his words, he crossed his arms and clicked his fingers, then looked at Da-eun and praised her with a bright smile.
“The idea of kicking the rag was good. Let’s keep that.”
In the original script, it was ‘She grumbled upon seeing the rag on the table.’ It seemed Director Shin thought that was a bit weak.
Presumably because after this scene, ‘Uri’ makes a decision.
To take Nari’s life.
Even to Da-eun, the shot of the rag hitting her face had impact. But something felt a little lacking. That must be why he hadn’t given the okay.
How to put it? Hye-young’s acting was a bit…
It was too refined and polite. Like a real, ‘well-loved’ rich family’s daughter.
They hadn’t received the later part of the script yet, but based on the overall plot and twist elements she’d been given, no matter how much Nari was raised and educated as a rich man’s daughter, she was adopted and had constantly been criticized for her commoner-like behavior and manners while growing up.
It seemed she should feel more frivolous than this.
Director Shin, who had been pondering, spoke.
“Hye-young-ssi. Let’s try delivering the lines a bit more sharply. Like a nouveau riche.”
“Nouveau riche?”
Hye-young frowned, seeming flustered. Hearing the direction, it seemed Director Shin had the same thought as Da-eun.
“Yes. Okay, let’s go for a take.”
At the words to film another take, Da-eun picked up the rag and headed to the table.
Looking at Hye-young’s expression as she sat on the sofa, it seemed she didn’t really understand the director’s direction.
It was a habit of Hye-young’s. She only focused intensely on the script for the day’s filming.
Da-eun, who had seen it often since college and had watched over Hye-young for three years before the regression, had pointed out this habit of hers many times. It never stuck.
“Ready, Action!”
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With Director Shin’s shout, Da-eun began her acting.
Her own acting wasn’t criticized, so she did it the same as before, but matching Hye-young’s acting, she became more flexible.
Hye-young, having kicked the rag away, laughed raucously, rolling back as she clapped her hands.
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“Cut, cut. Hold on please.”
Director Shin, who had been listening to Hye-young’s laughter, stopped the filming and finally called an NG.
“Hye-young-ssi. The lines were okay, but the laughter is a bit… Let’s try to relax a little more.”
They started refilming from the line where she complains about feeling stuffy and asks for the window to be opened. Hye-young, grumbling at the sight of the rag, picked it up with her toes and threw it, but it flew off in the wrong direction.
Frankly, hitting someone by kicking a rag every time isn’t easy. Should she just throw it with her hand or not?
Even if the rag didn’t hit, they could edit it later, so she could just continue the scene, but Hye-young stopped acting and let out an irritated sigh.
“NG!”
Another NG was called. As a stifling atmosphere flowed through the set, Hye-young reluctantly got up and apologized.
“I’m sorry.”
“Mmm. Let’s try one more time. Ah, and Da-eun-ssi. Here, let’s try showing a bit more that you’re offended, shall we?”
At Director Shin’s suggestion, seeming to want to try various approaches, Da-eun readily nodded.
Uri was feeling humiliated after being hit in the face with the rag, but how best to show being a bit more offended?
“Okay, let’s go!”
The audio team junior raised the boom mic at Director Shin’s words. The lighting and camera teams, who had been sitting comfortably, also switched into work mode. So did Da-eun and Hye-young.
Hye-young seemed to be struggling, and meeting Director Shin’s standards didn’t look easy.
“Let’s try it with a bit more relaxation.”
Director Shin started directing her line by line.
It was the eighth take for just the scene of kicking the rag and laughing. Everyone clearly looked tired. Director Shin, who had been running his hands through his hair while monitoring, gestured and spoke.
“Let’s take a 20-minute break.”
Usually, Director Shin called for 30-minute breaks, but today he said 20. The underlying meaning was probably that the filming wasn’t going well and time was tight.
The staff let out sighs and scattered here and there.
“Hye-young-ssi, try to get some shut-eye and come back.”
Hye-young forced the corners of her mouth up and nodded.
As she went upstairs to rest for a bit on the second floor, she noticed Director Shin talking with Da-eun about something.
“What are they so chummy about? So annoying.”
Irritably, she went up the stairs, entered a random room, and plopped down on the bed. Her huffing breath revealed her emotions.
“Why is he only picking on me? What’s so great about Kang Da-eun?”
It was obvious other staff might pass by outside. She couldn’t even yell. Unable to contain her anger, Hye-young grabbed a pillow and threw it.
Once wasn’t enough to vent her fury. Twice, three times… While she was grabbing and swinging it, thump, the pillow burst.
“Ah, XX!”
Hye-young swore and shoved the pillow, with its stuffing leaking out, into a corner.
“Hoo…….”
Feeling stifled, she opened the window wide. Nothing goes right because of Kang Da-eun. That gas burner should have exploded back then.
If it had, <Secret Letters> would have come to me, and I would have been the lead in <We Must…> too. And that sponsor ajusshi is no help at all.
President Hong Mu-seok said the female lead role was guaranteed, what kind of guarantee is this!
Suddenly, they said they were holding auditions, it gave me such a headache. I wanted to take the lead role in a drama where Kang Da-eun has a supporting role and crush her pride!
Tch. She clicked her tongue. Through the open window, she could hear murmuring from below the building.
“Hey, when do you think this will end?”
They seemed to be filming staff members. They must have come around the back of the building to smoke.
“Who knows. We’re behind schedule, it’s a mess. If she can’t get the feel for it like that, seriously.”
“Weren’t we supposed to be in New York for ten days? Isn’t ten days not enough? Time is tight, I wish they’d just be less strict.”
“If it doesn’t work even after the break, that might be it, huh?”
It was impossible not to know who they were talking about. Hearing the gossip flowing in through the open window, Hye-young felt her blood run cold.
“This won’t do. I need to do something, find a way…
