I Don’t Want to Play Villains Anymore - Chapter 2
There is a certain amount of leisure left in life.
Silence.
It was the utmost silence that a single child could create.
The children who were diligently practicing were too busy to notice, but all the attention of the parents waiting in the waiting room was focused solely on one girl.
Baek Ha-neul.
A child with silver hair and wall-like eyes, an alien and strongly unique presence.
Her appearance was enough to evoke a peculiar sense of discomfort just by existing in this place.
But it wasn’t solely because of her appearance.
The moment she stepped in, there was a strange feeling as if the entire atmosphere had changed.
The sound of swallowing breaths.
Subtle disruptions in the adults’ conversations.
The girl standing among the little children did not simply appear as “one of the other child actors.”
Rather, she shone the brightest, overshadowing all the shining stars.
“Who is that girl?”
“Wow… It’s definitely the child actors, their presence is impressive.”
It was a whisper imbued with cautious yet unmistakable interest and concern.
A murmur began to spread among the parents.
It wasn’t just because she was pretty.
It was because, simply by standing there, she appeared to be the very center of this waiting room.
However, at that moment, a man raised his hand without a word.
Baek Geon-hwan.
He gestured quietly.
Just lightly, without any noticeable change in the atmosphere.
But that small gesture instantly silenced the murmuring. The parents who had opened their mouths fell silent all at once.
The atmosphere tightened strangely.
‘What is this…?’
Someone instinctively froze.
The man who had merely seemed like a protector was somehow not an ordinary presence.
An overwhelming aura.
And an unspoken warning that said, “Don’t carelessly speak in front of my daughter.”
It was an atmosphere that conveyed clearly without needing words.
Even the adults instinctively corrected their postures at that single gesture.
‘He seems like the type to do anything for his daughter.’
Someone thought so.
But Baek Geon-hwan showed no reaction to such interest.
He was merely smiling subtly while looking down at the head of the girl holding his hand tightly.
“Haneul, there’s still quite a bit of time until it’s your turn. Can’t you not do what you practiced at home?”
“Ugh, I’m not doing it!”
Haneul puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away.
But since she was still holding Baek Geon-hwan’s hand tightly, she couldn’t completely turn away.
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
Geon-hwan muttered softly.
Haneul half-heartedly recalled the mirror.
‘…Could it be the practice from my previous life?’
At a time like this, she resented her father’s observant nature.
“That’s not it at all!”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Geon-hwan chuckled lightly and naturally let go of her hand.
Haneul lightly brushed her freed hand and looked around the waiting room.
On one side, the other child actors were diligently focusing on their practices.
A child reciting lines in a small voice, another reaching out into the air trying to convey emotions, a child warming up while shaking off their nerves.
They were all “young actors.”
“…Hmm.”
Haneul squinted her eyes and looked at them.
And she realized.
‘They all… have a similar way of acting.’
That’s right.
There was a unique flow in the acting of child actors.
They conveyed emotions in patterns similar to recitations, and there was always a sense of ‘cuteness’ emphasized in some way.
“…”
Haneul quietly fell into contemplation.
‘Can I act like that?’
Cute and natural acting.
It was a completely different approach than what she had been doing until now.
‘But I’m five years old.’
If it’s about cute acting, this might be the right way to do it now.
At that moment.
“Oh, there’s a new face this time?”
A fresh voice floated in.
When Haneul turned her head, a man was approaching her.
A quiet but oddly captivating presence, with sharp eyes.
It was Director Jung Hee-chang.
‘The director whose dramas created massive hits in his previous life… Jung Hee-chang.’
He seemed to have stepped out from his seat in the deep judges’ area, scanning the waiting room and apparently spotting Haneul.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you before, what’s your name?”
Jung Hee-chang asked.
‘Well, I wasn’t particularly close in the last life…’
Haneul straightened her back somewhat awkwardly.
And after a very brief silence, she opened her mouth clearly.
“I’m Baek Ha-neul.”
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but neat.
With a natural charm, several child actors and parents gathered behind her.
“Ah, so you’re Haneul.”
Jung Hee-chang looked at her with keen interest.
“Is this your first audition?”
At those words, Haneul hesitated for a moment.
‘It’s not the first in terms of my past life, but… it’s the first in this body.’
Regardless, Haneul lightly nodded.
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Jung Hee-chang’s eyes narrowed slightly.
His expression contained both interest and anticipation.
“Well then, let’s look forward to it.”
After leaving those words, he returned to his seat in the deep judges’ area.
‘…The story of Quiet God was immensely successful.’
In her previous life, the story of “Quiet God,” nickname “That God Story,” was praised as the best drama of the year and swept the award ceremonies.
A tale delicately intertwined with fantasy and reality.
An overwhelming worldview, intricate plots, and impactful direction.
Truly the masterpiece of that time.
However, there was one unique regret regarding that “God Story.”
It was the acting of the hidden protagonist, Yeomra.
Yeomra was a character with dramatic presence even in the original material.
Though he only appeared once, his line, “The rules of this world are dictated by Ral,” was that one line.
Yet that single line became the absolute thread piercing through all subsequent plots.
During the planning phase, the production team sought to cast the best child actor for this role.
Of course, they had to.
Yeomra was not just any child character.
He was the only being who bridged the realm of the living and the afterlife.
A transcendent figure whom even all gods feared.
If he could not dominate the stage, the very story risked collapsing.
However, the problem was that the cast child actor… was too ordinary.
He had basic acting skills, but he lacked the power to overwhelm as Yeomra.
Especially for that iconic line.
“The rules of this world are dictated by Ral.”
This line needed to exude absolute charisma, yet the child actor couldn’t withstand that gravity.
As a result, Yeomra’s appearance in the drama passed without impact.
That was the only regret of “That God Story.”
And now.
That spot had become vacant once again.
Baek Ha-neul walked toward the stage and quietly inhaled.
‘This time, it’s different.’
In her previous life, she was merely a competent supporting actor.
But in this life,
the lead actor.
The position that shines brightest and receives the most attention.
She was born solely to take that position.
As she moved to the center of the stage, she looked at the deep judges.
Director Jung Hee-chang narrowed his eyes and focused on her.
“Well then, I’ll begin.”
Baek Ha-neul slowly opened her mouth.
The air trembled strangely.
The postures of the deep judges instinctively corrected themselves.
Jung Hee-chang exhaled softly and scratched the back of his head.
‘What can a five-year-old do…?’
He felt an odd pressure even before the performance began.
But at that moment,
Baek Ha-neul closed her eyes.
And when she opened them again, ‘Baek Ha-neul’ no longer existed.
What stood there was,
an absolute presence.
Yeomra.
The only being who bridged the realm of the living and the afterlife,
a being even the gods fear.
He does not say much.
Just a single word to awaken the protagonist in critical moments.
For that one word, he must exist.
And now,
it was the moment when a five-year-old child had to embody Yeomra’s presence.
Baek Ha-neul slowly drew in her breath.
The look in her eyes that were focused on the deep judges shifted.
The blue-tinged wall-like eyes became cold and sunk.
It was a different atmosphere from the playful children who had been frolicking on the stage until now.
Quiet terror.
An emotion that adults can feel but children cannot.
But at this moment…
What Baek Ha-neul created was that impossible atmosphere.
Jung Hee-chang absentmindedly rubbed his fingertips.
Slowly, sweat beaded on his palms.
Though he convinced himself he felt no pressure consciously, his body instinctively reacted to this strange intensity.
The silent attention of the deep judges concentrated on her lips.
Baek Ha-neul opened her lips.
Her voice resonated.
“I am not the one who gives you the answers. Mortal beings.”
With an intensity born from a small body, she commanded attention.
“And I pose the question of life to you. The answer will be crafted not by the gods but by humanity.”
Overwhelming.
An aura and presence that felt unbelievable coming from a small frame.
Numerous children had auditioned until now.
Cute performances, crying performances, emotionally explosive performances.
But through all of that,
there had never been a performance like this.
This was not just simple acting.
She was soon to become ‘Yeomra.’
The resonance of the words.
The firmness of her speech.
The absolute conviction felt through her gaze.
This wasn’t just reciting lines, it felt as if the real ‘Yeomra’ was speaking.
And at that moment, one of the deep judges… instinctively inhaled.
A sense of fear close to panic.
Baek Ha-neul quietly gazed at the deep judges.
Her cold blue eyes, like those of a predator, embedded themselves in their minds.
“……”
And then, Haneul slowly closed her eyes.
The air was released.
The tension that had suffocated their breath until just moments ago was relieved.
Finally.
The deep judges, having unveiled their breaths, exhaled.
“…Was that okay?”
The girl, smiling slightly, looked for responses.
Jung Hee-chang let his fingertips relax and calmed himself.
This was obvious to anyone.
He smiled slowly and muttered in a slightly excited tone.
“…I think we’ve found something special here.”
It was the birth of a monster that would never again appear in the entertainment industry.