I Don’t Want to Play Villains Anymore - Chapter 41

Let’s create a piece together.

Late at night, a large and bright full moon quietly settled beyond the window.

The moonlight spilling over the narrow streets of the small town seemed particularly beautiful.

At the boundary between dawn and night, the Buram were fast asleep.

Everything around was quietly holding its breath, surrendering to the peace of the night.

In that moment, Na Jae-hyeon, still awake, was pouring water into a familiar coffee pot on the stove to boil.

It was a slightly smaller, yet quite spacious apartment than usual for a high school student living alone.

While it might feel excessively large for a high school student, for Jae-hyeon, it didn’t hold much significance.

In fact, he valued the times when he could be alone, finishing the day and spending his own quiet moments.

Especially when he was trying to digest the difficult things like these days.

“Wow… seriously, today was a bit much.”

A low sound escaped, accompanied by a heavy sigh, clearly revealing his tiredness.

Under the dim light in the small kitchen, the corners of Na Jae-hyeon’s eyes appeared somewhat puffy.

Makeup still lingered on his face, and he had headed straight to the stove without properly washing up after the end of the filming.

Fatigue was piling up all over his body, and the discomfort of shoulders that had been tightly knotted all day felt glaringly annoying.

More than anything, the pressure and intensity that hadn’t existed during his child actor days had been increasingly weighing down on him, following him throughout the filming set.

Even though he had worked harder than anyone else during his childhood and had acted with zeal, it was evidently different now.

Expectations from Buram had grown larger, and even the slightest mistake would cause an uproar in the SNS and internet community—a dangerous situation.

Put positively, it meant he had become popular, but negatively, it was a perilous matter where even the slightest flaw could get bitten into.

Still, Jae-hyeon didn’t dislike this situation.

“… Well, having a lot of work is a good thing.”

He muttered quietly. His voice, mature and calm for someone his age, belied the high school student image.

Drip, drip, drip—

The sound of boiling water filled the quiet house. Jae-hyeon stood still, listening to that sound.

Sometimes, he felt a bit strange and empty during such solitary moments.

Throughout the day, he was immersed in a noisy and bustling atmosphere on set, juggling between distractions and concentration.

Lights, cameras, staff, direction from the director, and the chemistry with co-actors—everything had to match perfectly in his life.

Breaking free from such a chaotic and intertwined filming set during the day, he found himself alone at that moment.

As always, the overly quiet home made some corner of his heart feel somewhat empty.

“… Hmm.”

Jae-hyeon lightly rested his chin on his hand and turned his gaze outside the window. The scenery of the neighborhood visible from the window seemed even more serene and peaceful under the moonlight.

After a while of being in thought like that.

Suddenly, his cellphone emitted a small vibration.

Ding, ding—

There weren’t many calls to come at that hour.

While there was a possibility that his manager might call regarding work, he wouldn’t make a call at this late hour.

Frowning slightly, he picked up his phone.

At that moment, his eyes widened at the name displayed on the screen.

[Baek Ha-neul Calling]

“… Haneul?”

A small surprised sound escaped Jae-hyeon’s lips unconsciously. The fatigue he felt just a moment ago dissipated in an instant, and a slight excitement emerged.

To be honest, talking with Haneul made him a bit nervous.

While they had become comfortable and close over time, Haneul had always been a presence that evoked strange tension and expectations for Jae-hyeon since they were young.

Aside from the occasional eccentric behavior and her strange points, she was a good person.

Jae-hyeon placed a smile on his face and brought the phone to his ear.

He cautiously answered the call with a slightly trembling voice.

“Hello?”

[Oh, Jae-hyeon. Are you still awake?]

Baek Ha-neul’s voice had its unique low and clear tone.

Though her tone was calm and natural, the strange sense of presence she exuded remained unchanged.

Jae-hyeon cleared his throat slightly and composed his voice.

“I just finished filming. Is there something up?”

[Nothing special, I just thought I’d call since I was bored. I heard you’ve been really busy lately.]

“Yeah. I just wrapped up a drama… I plan to take a bit of a break before starting the next film.”

While talking, Jae-hyeon felt his heart racing a bit.

It was peculiar. Since childhood, he had received acting guidance from Haneul, and they had spent quite a bit of time together.

Yet, even now, every time he had a conversation with her, he felt a strange fluttering.

[Oh, I see. Should I let you rest a bit if you’re busy?]

Her low, almost disappointed-sounding voice.

That wasn’t a mere suggestion, but a form of intimidation.

The first role where he had been engulfed in acting.

And the instructor from hell during the rigorous acting training.

Of course, if asked whether he harbored any other feelings, there was a faint sense of respect.

Jae-hyeon stuttered for a moment.

“No! It’s not like I’m too busy. I’m fine.”

Haneul laughed lightly.

[Good. I’m relieved. I actually have something to talk about.]

“…Something to talk about?”

Jae-hyeon felt his ears getting slightly warm. He tried to remain calm as he collected his voice, but Haneul seemed to sense it and said with a brief, knowing smile.

[Do you, by any chance, have a filming schedule for a new drama?]

“A new drama?”

Jae-hyeon’s voice trembled slightly.

He quickly calculated his schedule in his head.

But Haneul’s next words were a proposal so enticing it wiped all calculations away.

[You’d be the co-lead, and your character is a rival to Ral. It’s a youth piece focused on dance.]

Jae-hyeon’s heart leapt in an instant.

A chance to act again with Baek Ha-neul.

Especially since this time it involved serious themes about dance and conflict, it was a golden opportunity he couldn’t miss.

“I’ll do it.”

[Right now? Is that all good?]

“Yeah. I’ll definitely do it.”

Jae-hyeon answered clearly without hesitation. The fatigue from before evaporated in an instant, and he felt inexplicably light at the prospect of a new challenge.

[Great. I knew I could count on you. We’ll discuss the details later. Sleep well.]

After the call ended, Jae-hyeon quietly took a sip of the coffee he had just brewed and gazed out the window.

The weariness he had felt suddenly began to fade, replaced by excitement.

It was a new beginning.

“A new beginning. I can finally call her by that name…!”

A day would come for him to take revenge in the realm of acting.

Na Jae-hyeon gladly accepted the role, and the filming progressed rapidly.

Whether that was good, he wasn’t quite sure.

Perhaps he didn’t want to let go of that title.

“Is this the right place?”

“Yeah! This is it! You made it without being caught by anyone! Haneul.”

“That wasn’t easy.”

On Saturday afternoon, the front gate of the high school was bustling with tourists.

A school that idols and actors attended had become a fantasy, or whatever.

“The filming schedule begins at three o’clock…! We’ll sh**t all the scenes in the hallway! We’ll take thirty minutes to do the final check on costumes and the script! Use this time wisely!”

They sure give a lot. Like a Buram who doesn’t know their limitations…

“Well then. I’m going to the fitness center.”

“Okay! Have a good trip!”

The school gate was already closed, and only approved staff and actors were allowed inside the set.

I was organizing my shirt buttons in the makeshift changing area set up inside the fitness center.

A worn-out curtain had been drawn up, but it was so shabby that it felt rather like a n*ked room.

“…Ah, seriously.”

Being a woman is such a hassle.

In the previous life, I just used to throw on my clothes and cover up with a blanket.

Not caring about the size of the top or bottom, just wearing comfortable clothes and sneakers, and that was it.

But now?

I must sit carefully, considering that the inner clothing might show, I need to worry about how the bra fits, the shirt gets tight, and it even feels constricting.

Furthermore, the shirt tends to open with any movement, the top button feels suffocating if done up, and if left undone, it becomes concerning.

“…Seriously, why on earth is this designed like this?”

I was murmuring to myself while trying to button up the shirt again.

“Oh, the director is—”

Rustle.

The curtain was slightly drawn back.

I instinctively shrank back. I still hadn’t completely buttoned my shirt.

Two buttons from above? Through the partially opened shirt, the lace of my bra was peeking out.

What had entered my view exactly at that moment—

“…Oh?”

“…Su-a?”

The words slipped out before my recognition caught up.

A face peering through the curtain.

A familiar hairstyle, a pink hair tie, and a bright smile.

No matter how much I searched the school hallways, there wouldn’t be a gaze as clear and transparent as those eyes.

“Oh? Haneul, you were here!”

Su-a came running over with a delighted expression.

That carefree smile looked just like a friend who had randomly met someone in the classroom after leaving some belongings behind.

“Were you changing clothes alone here? I came to look for the script…”

“…Su-a.”

I quietly, very quietly pulled the curtain back.

If not for the distracting background, my bra lace would have been fully exposed just now.

I made sure to button my shirt back up as tightly as possible.

I was worried that if I rushed and made a mistake, I’d end up in a situation like this.

“Did you, by any chance, see something just now?”

“Huh? Ah…”

Su-a placed her hand over her lips, pretending to contemplate seriously.

That expression was even more dangerous.

“Um… I think I saw that Haneul’s underwear looked quite fancy…”

“Ah, you saw.”

“No, no! Just a second! I didn’t mean to—!”

Su-a waved her hands quickly, denying it in a hurry.

But her face was already flushed red like a tomato.

“Haneul, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to do that…!”

“I understand that…”

I sighed faintly and fastened the last button.

Then I turned my head and looked directly at Su-a.

“Next time, please knock before you come in.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Su-a bowed her head, hands clasped together.

At first glance, she seemed ordinary, but seeing the slight tremble at the corners of her eyes showed she was genuinely sorry.

I felt bad for scolding her when it genuinely didn’t seem like she meant any harm.

“It’s okay. I’ll let it slide this time.”

I slightly twisted my body to check the mirror, smoothing out the wrinkles in my shirt.

Through the mirror, I noticed the look in Su-a’s eyes had slightly changed as she stared at me.

“But…”

“Yeah?”

“Your chest is really beautiful.”

“It’s quite big… would you say it’s around a C-cup? The shape is also really nice… like a cartoon character. I’m envious… could you possibly be an idol…”

“Su-a.”

That wasn’t a compliment directed at me.

…

Later, when I found out that Su-a was going to cameo in a role that would set me up for a fall early on.

I couldn’t help but smile sincerely.

“Director!!! Change my role!!!”

“But? There are no vacant roles…”

Su-a couldn’t laugh.