I Only Play Villains - Chapter 7
The mountains of dead bodies soaked in blood stretch endlessly along the beach.
Faint cries of unending agony can be heard among the fallen soldiers.
In an instant, the soldier’s emotions, suppressed within Jeong Seo-hoon, exploded.
“Why didn’t you follow the orders, Private?”
-Why didn’t you follow the orders, soldier?
Two overlapping voices echoed as if in a hallucination.
It was a scenery familiar above all else, but because of that, it also felt alien.
He knew he must express exactly what was written in the script.
But the soldier’s emotions were one step ahead, evoking a twisted laughter.
An incompetent and corrupt officer who led himself and his comrades to their deaths with absurd orders.
Though unable to shoot him in the head, the sensation of turning the muzzle towards his shoulder at the last moment remained vividly etched in his fingers.
“I wanted to kill you so badly.”
Jeong Seo-hoon began his acting.
The soldier started walking through the past.
***
‘Are you crazy?’
Hwang Shin-yoon screamed inwardly.
He admired the eerie and refined expressiveness, but the other person had made a huge blunder.
They had changed the lines on their own accord.
The original line was supposed to be, “You deserve to die,” but they twisted it with an ad-lib.
However, that wasn’t what he should be concerned about at the moment.
The writer was present at the scene as well.
Being a person famous for disliking ad-lib lines that deviate from the script, they may end up burying Hwang Shin-yoon’s career instead.
‘Focus, concentrate…’
Hwang Shin-yoon struggled to gather his wavering concentration.
Not only was he surprised by the unexpected ad-lib, but the other person’s acting was more captivating than he had expected.
The fiery gaze, seemingly devoid of emotion at first glance, seemed to contain a condensed hatred within.
The atmosphere in the studio had suddenly changed.
Sensing it, Hwang Shin-yoon unknowingly became restless, and his lips became dry.
In the end…
“Cut. Well done.”
Hwang Shin-yoon’s concentration, which had been accompanied by sweat during the performance, was shattered, and the cut sign was given.
He was completely overwhelmed by the rough breathing of the other person, which had approached right in front of his nose.
***
-Cut. Excellent.
The scenery of the past abruptly halted.
The faint sound that had been echoing like a dream became more and more clear.
The sight of a beach filled with blood, corpses, discarded weapons, and a sunken warship vanished.
The vivid expressions of fallen comrades were erased, and the original studio landscape was overlaid on top of it.
In an instant, Jeong Seo-hoon returned from the battlefield to this place.
Song Jeong-woo, the director, approached him with a somewhat reminiscent expression.
“It was very good. Do you want to see it? Come over here.”
He took Jeong Seo-hoon’s hand and sat next to him in front of the camera monitor.
Then, he showed the scene they had just filmed.
“This right here. Exactly this. The performance I received from you that day. It’s just perfect for the role of Lee Jin-wook, absolutely perfect.”
Jeong Seo-hoon’s pupils shook.
The character acting on the monitor was not Jeong Seo-hoon.
The anger he was unleashing wasn’t directed towards the military officer role played by Hwang Shin-yoon.
It was the frustration of not being able to kill the corrupt and inept coward of an officer who led the troops to their demise.
That frustration was vividly replaced with rage.
The expression of not Jeong Seo-hoon but the soldier, Rashid, whom he sometimes discovered in the mirror even now.
It was captured with such vividness.
“Writer Kim, do we need to see more? Isn’t just one scene enough?”
“The acting is good, but I’m worried seeing ad-libs being thrown in during
auditions.”
“Oh, well, getting too immersed and nervous can lead to mistakes. And the ad-lib wasn’t bad, was it? I actually found it more engaging than the original
dialogue.”
“Why would you be nervous if you were immersed? If you get immersed, you should forget about the tension and perform even better.”
“Well, regardless, the image is perfect, isn’t it? For the role of Lee Jin-wook.”
“Hmm, I need to see more to know.”
Kim Sang-hee, the writer, glanced at Jeong Seo-hoon with a cold gaze, then gathered her paperwork and went out.
“I’ll go to restroom for a bit.”
“Oh, sure. Let’s go together. You wouldn’t know where the restroom is.”
Song Jeong-woo chuckled and got up, personally guiding Jeong Seo-hoon.
After the two left, the staff members were left speechless, their eyes wide.
“Wow, why is PD Song acting like an angel?”
“He must have really liked it. But the acting was indeed good.”
“I got goosebumps for a moment. It suddenly felt so cold…”
“For someone who has never acted before, he seems really good.”
“I felt like he literally brought Lee Jin-wook to life. The person completely changed.”
“Indeed, PD Song really has an eye for actors…”
***
While Jeong Seo-hoon was washing his face, Song Jeong-woo continued to chat by his side.
“Don’t worry too much about the ad-lib. It can happen when you’re too immersed. Sometimes, when you completely embody the character, the true emotions that couldn’t be captured in the script come out. Our writer Kim knows that too.”
Jeong Seo-hoon calmed the heated excitement with cold water.
“Earlier, Writer Kim said she needs to see more to decide, right? That means she liked it. But, because it’s our first meeting, she didn’t want to show too much excitement. She’s just trying to keep her cool for the time being, but once you get closer, it’ll be a completely different story.”
The soldier’s gaze in the mirror stared back at him.
“Just by watching that one scene earlier, I knew. Jeong Seo-hoon, you have to become an actor. You were born to be one. Even though it will only be a short appearance this time, how about playing the role of a handsome and wealthy villain in your next work? I’ve already been thinking about it as my next project…”
Song Jeong-woo’s enthusiasm felt like an echo.
‘What happened?’
The moment the shooting started, everything around him changed.
It was not a hallucination; everything was clear as if he had returned to the battlefield.
It was intense and vivid.
At that moment, he had not acted.
He had simply explosively released the soldier’s unrestrained anger, and it
coincided with the situation given in the script.
His heart was pounding.
The soldier’s suppressed emotions seemed to rejoice at their first escape, creating a chaotic commotion.
If he couldn’t somehow release the bubbling struggle within this soldier, he felt like his whole body would boil with frustration.
‘Lieutenant Duriard.’
An incompetent commander who pushed Rashid and his comrades into the jaws of death.
The cries of his comrades desperately trying to stop him, saying that killing a superior officer would lead to immediate execution.
The vivid echoes clung to his ears, constantly tempting the raging emotions of the soldier.
“I’ve already given you my word of acceptance, so let’s just do a few more scenes without any pressure. But let’s also respect writer Kim’s dignity. If you showcase excellent acting, she will increase your role in the script. It has become a habit for her to adjust the script based on the inspiration she receives, and you’re doing great. You won’t stumble and fall.”
***
“Hey.”
“What?”
“I told you not to step on the trap after taking only the cheese, didn’t I?”
“Did I?”
“What if you trip and fall into it just for a mere piece of cheese?”
“I thought it was just a trap with cheese, but it turned out to be a cheese factory.”
“Sigh. Are you crazy?”
Jeong Su-ryeon, feeling frustrated, thumped her chest and took a deep breath before speaking.
“Yeah, fine. I admit it.”
“What?”
“You’re good at acting. I was honestly surprised. The staff’s reactions were also positive.”
“Really? It’s my first time, so I’m not sure. I thought maybe the PD is just overly enthusiastic and gives everyone this much praise.”
“That PD doesn’t know anything about flattery. I’ve never seen PD Song smile like that. He’s usually frowning all the time.”
“…”
“Are you really going to do it?”
“Since I passed, trying it out wouldn’t hurt.”
Even now, his heart pounded when he recalled that moment.
‘It’s not just the recollection of memories of that place. It’s certain that I’ve been there.’
The soldier’s heart constantly yearned for the scent of the battlefield and the breath of his comrades.
And now, Jeong Seo-hoon was more determined than ever.
‘When the cameras start rolling, will I be able to see that place again?’
Whether it was a mere coincidence or inevitability, he couldn’t bear it without confirming.
The fact that the three years he dreamt of was not just a momentary illusion became evident.
“Do you know how difficult it is to be an actor?”
“I don’t know.”
“The glamorous and well-off actors you see on TV are a tiny fraction. Below the 0.01% top tier actors, there are 99.99% of unknown actors who support them. Do you know the average income of a lesser-known actor? It’s less than 500,000 won, not even 500,000 won. Not for a month, but for a year.”
“So?”
“You have to think carefully. If you claim to be an actor and waste your time without building a career, eventually you’ll end up with no accomplishments and nowhere to go. 999 out of 1000 people end up like that.”
Jeong Su-ryeon took a deep breath and calmly spoke.
“That’s why you should try this just for experience and fun. Just do it this one time and then move on without looking back.”
“But, my beloved sister, isn’t that it?”
“What?”
“All of that was what I said.”
“Oh, really? No wonder it’s stuck in my mouth. Damn.”
***