Chapter 25
Everyone would be shocked once it was revealed later that Hye-young had been performing a double role all along.
Even the people who praised Kang Da-eun would turn their attention to Hye-young instead.
“So now what should I do?”
Hye-young inhaled sharply, sinking into thought. How do I break Kang Da-eun’s leg naturally?
The script says, ‘We get annoyed because she imitates us too well, so we shove her.’
But that alone wouldn’t break a leg. Even if Da-eun stepped on something and fell. But if Hye-young hurt her outright, she would be blamed.
Since it was break time, the staff were scattered around the set.
“Hm. This will work then.”
After closely inspecting various equipment around the set and surrounding area, Hye-young suddenly smiled as though she’d gotten a brilliant idea and walked off.
⁂
“How is it? Playing the adopted daughter of a chaebol family isn’t easy, right?”
Filming had resumed, and Hye-young, playing Nari, let out a scoff as she sprawled on the sofa. She scanned the living room and frowned.
“What’s with your taste, sis? You need to replace all this furniture.”
The camera followed “our” role—Da-eun’s character—from behind as she walked lightly out of the kitchen and sat across from Nari.
We sat on the sofa with newly refined posture, our expression blank as we spoke to Nari.
“You’re trying to come back?”
Nari, who had been lying on the sofa armrest fiddling with her nails, sharpened her gaze.
“You’ve got to be kidding. This was originally my place.”
“Nari. Everyone thinks I’m you.”
“So that justifies skipping graduation and pretending to be me? They think you’re the real one just because your face looks like mine?”
Nari slowly sat up.
“There’s a limit to delusion. Seriously, stop it. Do you think this makes sense? No—seriously… are you insane?”
After sitting up, she let out a snort and leaned heavily back into the sofa.
“Weren’t you the one pretending to be a filial daughter because you needed money for your foster mother’s surgery? But once you tasted money, you got greedy? So this is why Mom told me not to associate with poor kids.”
We clenched our fist slightly and spoke coolly.
“You were poor before you were adopted, too.”
We both had our struggles, didn’t we? We’d both been abandoned in that rundown orphanage, barely standing.
“Haha!” Nari burst into laughter.
“That’s right. Before I was adopted.”
And things changed drastically afterwards, didn’t they?
“Sis, I thought you were different. No matter how poor you were, still. I’m the younger one. You’re trying to steal your little sister’s place?”
Just then, someone began pressing the passcode at the front door.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
The camera captured our and Nari’s faces in close-up as we sat facing the entrance.
Tension filled the air.
No one yet knew the two women were twins.
The housekeeper was purposely given the day off, and the husband wasn’t due home yet.
Regardless of our tension, the front door swung open.
“You’ve got… company?”
“Honey.”
The person entering was our husband. Si-won, playing the husband, swept a sharp gaze over us and Nari.
“What are you doing here at this hour?”
We stood carefully and approached Si-won to take his jacket, but he refused. He said he’d leave soon.
“I needed a document.”
“You could’ve sent me instead of coming yourself?”
“Why? Am I not allowed to come? Because of her?”
Before going into the study, Si-won glanced at Nari seated on the sofa, then stepped inside.
“I knew you were adopted. But I didn’t know you were twins.”
We followed him into the study. The tilted camera angle captured the heightened tension. Nari’s gaze followed us—and then she suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ahahahahaha!”
When Si-won emerged holding the document, Nari immediately shot to her feet.
“Oppa, how could you not recognize me?”
Si-won ignored her and moved to leave, but she blocked his path.
“Even if we only met once before the wedding, seriously—how could you confuse me with that cheap knockoff? Huh?”
Standing still, Si-won looked down at her and replied icily:
“You seem cheaper.”
“What—!”
He walked past the stunned Nari, put on his shoes, and said to us:
“I get why you tried to hide the twin thing. But if you’re going to hide something, do it properly. Why create a scandal?”
Clucking his tongue, he left, and silence filled the room.
“……”
Nari’s face flushed with humiliation, while we—expecting just such a reaction—lifted the corners of our lips faintly as we walked to the door and straightened her shoes.
“Go home now.”
Nari turned to us, laughing thinly before her face hardened.
“I’m Nari. I’m Im Nari! This—this is my place! Who do you think you are!!”
Hye-young screamed with her whole heart.
She had abandoned any conscience. She believed every position Kang Da-eun rose to was originally hers.
Her conviction melted perfectly into Nari’s lines.
Staff members shuddered at her madness-tinged outburst.
Even when Hye-young threw props and knocked over a cabinet, no one intervened.
Not even Director Shin blinked—he stared at the monitor, entranced by her possessed-like acting.
And Da-eun? She stood with elegant composure, conveying emotion with nothing but stillness.
A faint tremble of the eyes, a subtly tense jaw, a graceful but hollow smile. The simple act of standing straight—without a single line—radiated presence.
The contrast between us and Nari was striking.
They had been worried about casting a rookie as both lead and supporting roles, but—
Da-eun never disappointed from start to finish, and Hye-young proved unexpectedly useful as well. Thanks to them, ratings kept climbing.
“Everyone’s forgotten the old lively, immature Nari.”
We lifted our chin, speaking as if delivering a warning. Because taking Nari’s place, returning from abroad, and preparing for marriage had shown us growing calmer—
Our family and everyone around assumed we’d matured after marriage.
Thanks to that, we could comfortably act as our true selves.
“No matter how loudly you scream the truth now, no one will believe you. So—!”
At that moment, wild-eyed Hye-young grabbed Da-eun by the collar and slammed her down.
“……!”
Director Shin almost yelled NG, but swallowed it. Da-eun didn’t seem injured despite being hurled onto the fallen cabinet.
He had goosebumps—he felt strongly that they couldn’t cut here.
Slowly, Da-eun rose and continued her line.
“Give up.”
“Shut up!”
Panting, Hye-young pushed her messy hair back. Her whole body trembled with rage.
Da-eun stood straight and whispered as she stepped toward her:
“You saw earlier. Even my husband doesn’t suspect a thing.”
As Hye-young shoved Da-eun, the blocking shifted drastically.
Because of that, Da-eun was gradually pushed toward the scattered props on the floor.
“Hey! Do you wanna die?! How dare you—!”
With each line, Hye-young advanced threateningly.
Just as Director Shin was about to intervene, Da-eun tripped over the sprawled props and lost her balance.
She tried to steady herself, but her foot slipped—and she stepped hard on the glass door of the fallen cabinet.
CRASH!
The shattering noise froze everyone.
“C-cut!”
“Da-eun! Are you okay?!”
Through the tearing pain in her leg, Da-eun met Hye-young’s eyes. The madness softened into a small grin—and then vanished completely.
“Oh my gosh! Da-eun!”
Was this what they called “everyday acting”?
Hye-young’s worried expression looked genuinely sincere.
Seeing her fussing anxiously nearby made Da-eun recall the time she’d been burned. Rage surged so strongly she barely felt the pain.
It was you. You led me here on purpose, didn’t you?
“Da-eun, can you get up?”
Ha-jung rushed over and helped lift Da-eun’s leg from where it was trapped against the cabinet.
“Ah—!”
Only then did the sharpness of the glass shard dug into the back of her knee feel vivid again.
“Oh no! Da-eun!”
Hurrying over, Hye-young helped Ha-jung support Da-eun’s arm.
“That must hurt… Are you okay?”
Instinctively wanting to escape Hye-young’s touch, Da-eun involuntarily put weight on her injured leg.
“Ugh!”
“What? What’s wrong?!”
Hye-young checked her back, then guided her to a nearby chair, pretending to support her.
People gathered in a circle. Sweat poured down Da-eun’s face.
“Gasp! Look at her leg!”
“She needs a hospital immediately!”
Seeing the blood running down Da-eun’s elegant skirt, staff members urged hospitalization. Hye-young’s lips curled upward in ecstasy.
Though she quickly covered her mouth in feigned concern, Da-eun saw it clearly.
“Oh my, yes—we need to go to the hospital.”
Director Shin, seeing blood still flowing, urged them to hurry.
“Can she get in a car?”
“Should we call an ambulance?”
With the manager and several staff supporting her, Da-eun left for the hospital.
Left behind, Director Shin and the staff let out heavy sighs.
“What do we do? The final scene isn’t finished.”
It was nearly a live-shoot schedule—very troublesome. Only the last bit needed to be wrapped.
But they couldn’t keep an actress whose leg was torn badly. They’d have to wait.
As Director Shin sighed deeply, Hye-young stepped forward.
“Director… I’m sorry. I really tried hard…”
She didn’t cause the injury directly, but still apologized. Her over-immersion had toppled a cabinet, which seemed to have led to this.
Then she quietly proposed her idea.
“What if…”
“I play both roles myself.”
