I Don’t Want to Play Villains Anymore - Chapter 21

Still, I didn’t expect it to come to this.

“Thud. Woo Ah Deum-bae… what…”

I murmured, but already, Ral Shin Sound echoed throughout the entire hall through the microphone.

Whispers erupted in the audience.

The reporters’ fingers were moving faster, and the staff were exchanging glances, abandoning all formality.

However, Woo Ah Deum-bae’s mouth showed no signs of stopping.

“No, really! Even though I couldn’t act with Ral during his childhood… Wow, I only saw the edited footage? This friend. Crazy. Seriously. Is that how a five-year-old acts?”

“Um… Deum-bae… please stop now…”

“Oh. And by the way, this beautiful silver hair is natural! I wore a wig for the scene! If you call it dyed hair and accuse us of child ab*se, I’ll sue! Remember that! Haneul is precious!”

One reporter, quietly adjusting the camera, was shaking his shoulders while bowing his head, and the assistant director kept his mouth tightly sealed while turning his head toward the wall.

Were they even worried that breathing would betray their laughter?

I looked at the scene and shouted inwardly.

‘…Is this Ral’s first press conference?’

Kang Soo-won Deum-bae was unable to hold back and pressed his forehead with his hand, while Yoon Seok-won the director quietly shook his head with a resigned, “Oh my…”

Still, the hand holding the microphone seemed to be trembling uncontrollably.

Indeed, even the director had his limits for holding back laughter.

Yet, Woo Ah Deum-bae’s rants were far from over.

“And you, reporters, did you see Haneul’s gaze? Wow, at first, when I watched the edited version, I thought, ‘Wow, he’s going to burst into tears in this scene?’ but he really cried. Tears welled up! I’m an actor standing next to Kang Soo-won, and I was surprised by the emotional wave!”

“Deum-bae, really…”

I bit my lip and gently pressed the microphone against my chest.

Please. Please, stop…

“This is! Haneul is just… not just an actor. What should I say, she’s completely overflowing with spirit. It felt like a ghost was attached. Of course, it’s not a ghost! It’s natural!”

‘Natural? Ghost?’

Some of the reporters were already typing like crazy.

Somewhere, someone must be writing something like ‘Baek Ha-neul, ghost acting? The five-year-old actor who even made Kang Soo-won cry!’

Camera flashes went off without a pause, and Shin Seung-joo tried to move on to the next question but was pushed back by Woo Ah Deum-bae’s “Wait, I have more to say!”

I quietly inhaled.

‘It’s okay. This is all experience. Yes, it’s positive. It’s okay…’

“Haneul, could you wave your hand a bit?”

“Ah… yes…”

I awkwardly raised my hand and waved it slowly.

“So cuteee…”

“Reporters, get the video! Get it now! Get the laughing one!!!”

I mechanically raised my hand and waved like a doll.

My lips formed a forced smile disguised as ‘I am calm.’

‘What the hell is this…’

This wasn’t a press conference; it was essentially a fantasy somewhere between an award ceremony and a kindergarten graduation.

Moreover, Woo Ah Deum-bae was genuinely expressing admiration, so no one could stop her, and that made it even more difficult.

“…Ah, and this is really important. I visited the filming site, you know? When Haneul acts in front, it feels like the emotions wash over you, I swear. Didn’t you tear up too, director?”

Yoon Seok-won, suddenly put on the spot, quickly grabbed the microphone to clarify.

“Um… that’s because the lights were hot…”

“Yes! That’s an excuse?!”

Woo Ah Deum-bae covered everything with a confident smile, showing no hesitation.

I silently repeated to myself.

‘This… is going to go viral. 100%. No, 200%.’

And just then, a reporter raised the microphone and asked the question.

“So, Baek Ha-neul, do you have any plans for your next project?”

Thud.

Is it Ral’s turn now?

‘I got too much attention because of Woo Ah Deum-bae.’

That might actually be good.

The sooner Ral’s plans could go public, the better.

I brought the microphone closer to my mouth, answering as calmly, naturally, and politely as possible.

“I’ll keep working hard until I graduate from kindergarten… but I want to take a little break.”

A momentary silence followed my statement.

The sounds of laptop keyboards stopped among the reporters, and a few eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Was it a sudden remark?

Or perhaps it felt awkward that such a statement about ‘taking a break’ came from the mouth of this little child actor.

But I was sincere.

My fingers were slightly tense on the microphone, but Ral’s voice remained steady.

Rather, at that moment, my heart felt strangely lighter.

“I want to go to school.”

Some reporters’ eyes widened at that statement.

From somewhere, a woman quietly exclaimed “Oh my…” in admiration, and someone from the staff behind let out a light laugh.

Amidst the orchestrated chaos of the stage, it might have been the true breath of a child that settled there.

I cautiously continued.

“I love acting, being on set, and spending time with Deum-baes. But I also want to go to school and eat lunch with friends, just attend classes, look at the blackboard, and do those normal things.”

Some might think this is strange. Some may wonder, “You’ve succeeded as an actor, and now you want to stop?”

But I know.

On the other side of that brilliant stage, there are children living ordinary days.

And in my past life, I couldn’t even enjoy that ‘ordinariness.’

So this time…

Even if just for a day, I want to joking around and sleep during breaks and have lunch, and vote for class president.

“I will continue acting because I love it. But for a bit, I want to experience living as a child.”

Once my words ended, the hall fell silent.

The reporters paused briefly before restarting their typing fervently.

Some nodded as if they had just heard something profound and unexpected.

The assistant director behind the camera whispered, “He talks like a seasoned pro…”

At that moment, Woo Ah Deum-bae next to me gently tapped my shoulder.

“Haneul is really, truly amazing.”

I smiled, breaking into a quiet grin.

And I slightly bowed my head, expressing my gratitude.

I really hope this message goes public.

Because it was more ‘real’ than any dream.

What I want isn’t just acting.

I want to live the life of Baek Ha-neul.

A little ordinary, a little special.

A little like a friend, and a little like an actor.

That’s just Baek Ha-neul, a five-year-old going back and forth between both worlds.

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Brrrr—

The scenery passing by outside the window gradually slows down.

On the road leading out of Seoul, the afternoon sunlight streamed in warmly through the front windshield.

Mom’s hand on the steering wheel looked no different from usual.

Her neatly arranged blonde hair and the natural movements of her hands.

If I lightly tilt my head, I feel like the horn would honk in my chest.

But today, I sensed a kind of excitement inside that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

A slightly higher pitch than usual, a tone that almost seemed to hum a song.

Perhaps Ral had received quite a good response at the press conference, and no one was more pleased than her.

“How about a management agency or something? I was curious, but I couldn’t ask.”

Mom’s tone was quite cautious.

It didn’t carry the tone of an adult trying to dictate something but rather one that seemed to wait for my thoughts… that kind of voice.

I quietly turned my gaze out the window and thought.

‘A management agency…’

Many child actors are already signed with agencies or at least have management contracts under their guardians’ names.

But I haven’t been with any agency thus far.

Since daddy is a legal professional, he’s made sure to oversee contracts carefully, and on set, the production team took care of everything, so there has been no discomfort.

However, recently, the production teams and executives have started often asking, “Which agency are you with?”

‘Maybe it’s time to think about it.’

Having an agency isn’t just about administrative convenience.

It also means having a conduit for future project offers and having someone to help me develop my image.

I slightly raised the corner of my mouth.

“I’m not sure yet. Once I have a clearer direction on what I want to do or my acting, I’ll think seriously about it then.”

Mom nodded.

“Hmm, I see. Of course, our daughter wouldn’t join just any agency, right?”

“Not exactly, I just don’t know what I want yet.”

“Still, seeing today, it seems like the responses are changing little by little, right? Reporters and staff were really supportive of Haneul.”

“Yeah. I felt that too.”

I played with the seatbelt with my fingertips, pondering the thought.

“Suddenly becoming famous… I wonder if this is what it feels like. I still don’t quite get it, but everyone looks at me as ‘actor Baek Ha-neul’ when they stand in front of me.”

A moment of silence passed, and Mom spoke quietly.

“Haneul is just Haneul. You don’t have to prove anything.”

At those words, an unintended smile formed on my face.

Sometimes, Mom’s words are like unfair advantages.

While I generally like to be independent and make my own decisions—

Sometimes, these moments, where she treats me as just a five-year-old, provide great comfort.

“Well then… I’ll be more serious about thinking. If in the future there’s a place where I can continue acting, the place where I really want to, then having a management agency might be okay.”

“Sure. Mom will always be on your side.”

With those words, Mom turned on the turn signal.

The traffic light changed, and the car slowly made a left turn.

And I absentmindedly repeated a name that floated to the surface of my mind.

‘…Sakkkeo Enter.’

There are actors, idols, and singers there.

It may seem like an ordinary agency dabbling in various fields—

But I know.

This company will someday become the heart of the entertainment industry.

All trends and all currents will revolve around this place.

Because—

In my past life, I was right in the middle of it all.