I Don’t Want to Play Villains Anymore - Chapter 52
Ierenmen, Ielay
Honestly speaking, Yun Byeol-ha is not a money-making director.
He has received numerous praises for being a genius, but his movies are, in a word, closer to ‘art films’.
They are difficult and unkind, and sometimes they are so sharp and dry that you wonder, ‘What the heck is this?’
How many Buram would enjoy that kind of work?
No matter how much critics make a fuss, the art film world is a world that eats away at the public’s interest.
In that sense, Yun Byeol-ha was always a risk, and this time it was even more so.
“Are you really suggesting a contract like this?”
“Yes. Trust me, Director.”
Yun Byeol-ha held the contract with trembling hands.
There was a highlighted area labeled ‘royalties’.
“Didn’t you hear? This movie is going to fail…”
“It’s fine. Who knows? It might become a huge hit.”
Yun Byeol-ha stared at the contract for a long time and then slowly raised his head.
In his eyes, there was exhaustion and distrust, mixed with a very small—but clear—hope.
“…Are you joking?”
“I’m serious.”
Haneul responded with a familiar smile.
It was an expression that had never wavered, not once, in front of any adult.
“If it’s a contract like this, the one at a disadvantage is you, actor…”
“That’s not true.”
Haneul said kindly.
“When it comes to money, I’ve lived a life where I haven’t lost anything.”
At those words, Yun Byeol-ha blinked.
“…What do you mean?”
Haneul’s face turned momentarily serious.
It was a story too old to be told.
A tale from a past life.
A story that didn’t need to be spoken.
“I just realized a little earlier that it’s about enjoying the game.”
Yun Byeol-ha bowed his head without answering.
His gaze towards the contract was markedly different than before.
Instead of worry, it was closer to admiration.
“But seriously, this movie is going to fail. Really. The reviews will probably not go well, the production team is half out of it, and the investment team is now…”
“That’s why it’s me.”
Haneul interrupted him with a laugh.
“I considered all of that, and I know this film… better than you, Director.”
“…What?”
“So trust me, Director.”
Haneul pointed to the contract again.
“For me, this is like Monopoly money.”
“Monopoly…?”
“It’s not real money. The numbers inside the contract don’t mean anything. If this project succeeds, it could turn into real money. But if it fails, it’s just a piece of paper.”
Haneul stood up, quietly walked to the window, and stood there.
The sunlight brushed against her silver hair and shimmered.
She slowly turned her head.
“But you know, that piece of paper can mean a real life to some Buram…”
Yun Byeol-ha couldn’t say another word.
One piece of paper, one pen, one decision.
From this moment, everything that could happen was possible.
An actor named Baek Ha-neul was proving that right here, in this place.
Haneul slowly sat down again in front of the director.
“So deny it, Director.”
Yun Byeol-ha raised his head.
He was no longer the tired man or a defeated artist.
He was simply witnessing the most rare fortune right in front of him.
“Actor Baek Ha-neul.”
“Yes.”
“…Because of you, I feel like I’ve seen real money in Monopoly.”
With the sound of the pen clicking open, Yun Byeol-ha cautiously signed the contract.
The ink seeped into the paper, and ‘All Day’ became not just a fleeting idea, but an actual film being created.
She slowly stood up and carefully tidied the table across from the director.
She organized every paper scrap and pen left where the contract had been, muttering softly like a small habit.
“It’s really starting…”
Yun Byeol-ha stared at her with a dazed expression, still feeling unreal.
“…But are you really okay with this?”
“With what?”
“Just… this movie itself could be a bit… uncomfortable. It could tarnish your name for no reason.”
Haneul tilted her head slowly to look at him.
That gaze seemed to say, why are you just now asking such a question, mixed with a soft chuckle.
“Director, do you know why my father named me Haneul?”
“…”
“To go to a place where no one is, to stand above the sky. That’s Baek Ha-neul.”
She walked back to the window.
This time, it wasn’t sunlight, but the twilight that had settled beyond the glass that gently channeled onto her shoulder.
It was a time when the sun was beginning to set.
Suddenly, she felt a pang.
Now this project would become the most beautiful ‘adventure’ in the world.
It was okay to fail.
It was okay to expend emotions.
It was fine if people didn’t recognize it.
At least for this work.
At least for this movie.
Because she truly wanted to do it.
“When will you give me the script for the masterpiece ‘All Day’ that will be a major turning point in my acting career?”
“Come on, you just…”
As Haneul turned her head to ask, Yun Byeol-ha took out a thick manuscript from his elegant bag.
On the cover was neatly written the title.
[All Day]
Written by Yun Byeol-ha & Ierenmen
She gently turned the pages with her fingertips.
The first page.
On the black-and-white screen, subtitles rise like a silent film.
“Ielay, Ieny, Ierenmen.”
As soon as she saw those words, Haneul gasped.
Those words symbolize the infamous 3 of insurance claims.
Shifting responsibility, denying, defending.
And in that cycle, Buram d*e.
Haneul slowly closed the page.
“It’s perfect.”
“You’ve only read one page…”
Yun Byeol-ha still didn’t know.
That on this day, at this time, in this room, a revolution had begun.
That it would shake the lives of countless Buram in the future.
In the name of film,
And with the acting of emotion,
A journey began to prove how one person’s life could become a miracle.
And that the first scene of that miracle had just unfolded.
Yun Byeol-ha had no idea at all.
***
“Haneul, today your lips are slightly upturned?”
“Impressive, Su-a. None of the thirty classmates in our class could guess.”
I responded with arms crossed.
It wasn’t that I liked the feeling or that I had practiced smiling in front of a mirror.
It was just that my lips were naturally going that way.
But Su-a seemed to catch that like a ghost.
After all, a friend who goes around selling her name is different.
Her face and eyes don’t seem like merely human. Especially when it comes to me.
“Hey~ You’re such an expert on Haneul. I’ve gone back and watched all your YouTube videos. I’ve even learned the pattern of how your lips move~”
“That’s creepy.”
“But Haneul, seriously. You’re a bit different today.”
Su-a rested her chin on the desk, looking at me.
This posture, it seemed like a scene before the female lead confesses to the male lead in a romance.
Of course, it’s possible because Su-a is not that type.
“Something… Hmm? It’s hard to explain, but you seem, mature.”
“But I’m just a high school student.”
“No, not that. It’s just… uh. No.”
Su-a waved her hands, trailing off.
She probably feared I would kick her for saying something awkward.
But strangely, today, I didn’t feel like saying anything at all.
That would be understandable.
If your friend just came back from signing a contract to play a character in a ‘life-changing’ role, they might seem a bit more mature.
I certainly don’t want to brag about landing the lead in a movie I love. Hmmm.
“So… if I ask whether something good happened these days, you’ll probably just shrug and say ‘Whatever?’”
“No. I’ll answer today.”
Su-a’s eyes sparkled.
They were truly shining.
Not in a superficial way, but a kind of light that seems to come from deep within.
Emotionally driven Buram sometimes have those eyes.
I don’t think I’ve ever had those eyes except when I’m acting.
“There have been good things, and more will come. Probably.”
“What? Wow, Baek Haneul is saying this. Are you dating? Who is it? What grade? Which class—”
“No, I’m dating by myself.”
“…What?”
I slightly turned my head to look out the window.
Today, the sunlight looked particularly bright.
It was a nasty light that seemed to see through my heart.
“There was something I wanted to do. For a very long time.”
“Yeah…”
“And now, I can do it. That’s enough.”
“Uh… wait, you’re not filming another melodrama, are you?”
“It’s a movie.”
Su-a’s eyes widened even more.
“What? A movie? Really? Awesome! Awesome! What? When? Where? Who with?”
“Shhh. The funds haven’t come out yet, and I got the filming schedule today.”
“What does it look like?! Let me see the script! Please, give me some spoilers… No, just one line!”
I hesitated for a moment and then shook out a corner of the script that was in my bag.
Su-a looked like she was about to jump on the desk, but I put the script back, saying.
“No way. Not yet, I don’t know it well either.”
“What? Are you filming some spy movie?!”
“No. The title is… All Day.”
As soon as I said that, Su-a’s expression froze for a moment.
It must’ve carried a weight heavier than the usual surprise.
Had it been a normal day, she would’ve said something like, “What? Are you going to film all day without food?”
But strangely, she kept her mouth shut.
“…There’s something. Haneul, you’re genuinely acting this time.”
Instead of answering, I nodded slowly.
This time, I didn’t just want to ‘appear’.
I wanted to be a part of it.
It was less about acting, and more about wanting to gamble my memory and life on it.
Su-a, who could have no idea about that, still smiled and said,
“You’re lucky, Haneul. You’re sure about what you want to do.”
“Jealous?”
“Yeah. So much.”
I quietly smiled for a moment.
And then, a line I’d been holding onto for a long time popped into my head.
“Aren’t actors always actors?”
That was me.
That was one reason why I had a slight smile today.
And another reason was…
“Today’s lunch has spaghetti.”
“Haneul, you really have the taste of an old man.”
Su-a made a face that looked like she was disgusted.
“…You don’t understand this taste.”
It’s really delicious.