I Don’t Want to Play Villains Anymore - Chapter 7

Is it really something that can become this much of an issue?

Given the circumstances, it wasn’t surprising that a donation mentioning me had appeared.

It’s difficult at first to have your name mentioned in a public forum, but you get used to it eventually.

Thinking back to what kind of donations I received as the “villain actor from The Korean Democratic Movement,” this isn’t too shocking.

“Mom. I’m okay…”

“What should we do… Today is Haneul’s first day at the kindergarten. I can’t believe this is happening…”

Swoosh.

As soon as Ral opened its mouth, it spoke up.

It’s strange. I’ve always felt confident in handling such issues, but my brain has frozen.

‘This must be a joke, right?’

I slowly observed my mom’s expression.

A mix of deep concern and anxiety was evident on her face.

Hmm. This must be serious.

My fingertips nervously moved across the trembling smartphone screen, and I felt a strange heaviness in my chest.

“Y-You mean the kindergarten?”

As I spoke in a shaky Shin Sound, my mom looked at me in surprise.

“Yes. Haneul’s first day is today, and I’ve prepared so much… I had no idea this would happen on such a day…”

Her voice quivered slightly.

I tilted my head slightly and very slowly wrapped my mind around the reality.

News that the play has been announced. Okay. That’s not surprising at all.

But…

‘Kindergarten? First day?’

It was an unfamiliar event that I had never experienced, even in my past life.

My mind felt clouded, as if I had suddenly encountered an unexpected obstacle.

“Haneul? Are you really okay?”

My mom cautiously asked me.

She was probably worried that I might be hurt because of this news.

However, my mind was preoccupied with much bigger concerns than that.

Kindergarten. And all those kids over there.

In a world where they are all really only five years old, could I really fit in naturally?

Even though I had faced countless actors in my past life as a villain actor, I had no experience in relationships with kindergarteners.

I couldn’t have possibly acted that out, could I?!

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what I should say or how I should act.

“Haneul?”

My mom called me. I quickly pulled myself together and looked up at her.

She stared at me for a moment, as if trying to read my thoughts, then slowly smiled.

“Don’t worry. I’ll call the kindergarten and let them know in advance. And you’ll get along well with your friends. Our Haneul is so pretty, kind, and smart.”

At her words, I gave a small smile.

Even though it was a somewhat awkward smile for an actor, thankfully, my mom didn’t seem to notice.

“Yes, mom. Thank you.”

Only then did my mom seem to relax a bit, gently patting my head.

“Right. Our Haneul will do well anywhere. I believe in you.”

I nodded slightly. But a strange heaviness still lingered in one corner of my mind.

I’ve already faced negative comments, controversies, and annoying donations. That’s not the problem.

‘Surviving the whole day as a real kindergarten student is the much bigger issue.’

My heart raced. I would feel more confident if it were acting, but I was not at all confident when it came to kindergarten life.

This was the first time I had ever felt this kind of “anxiety” since living as a villain actor in my past life.

I slowly took a deep breath and composed myself.

Okay. Baek Haneul. Remember how many villains you played in your past life.

I slowly got up from my seat, picked up my bag, and then, with a firm resolve, I opened my mouth.

“Let’s go, mom. I need to go to kindergarten.”

And I whispered very softly.

“I just need to show a perfect performance today…”

***

“They look like dolls…”

“They’re like princesses!”

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“I want to be friends…”

Ah. Acting and all that, I’m already tired.

I forced a smile and slowly looked around at the faces of the children surrounding me.

Each one was looking at me with sparkling eyes filled with curiosity.

‘As expected, this is completely different from the attention I receive in acting.’

If it were acting, things would be much simpler.

I would just have to understand the expectations and acting style of the other actors and crew.

But here, everything was unpredictable.

I had no clue what to say or what actions to take.

If I showed even a hint of discomfort, a barrage of questions would come pouring in, so I tried my best to keep a natural smile and spoke cautiously.

“Ah… Hello. I’m Baek Ha-neul.”

It was a short and straightforward introduction, but already the kids’ eyes sparkled even brighter. Some squealed in excitement.

“Wow, your name is pretty!”

“Shin Sound also looks like a princess!”

“My mom said to be friends with you!”

‘What on earth would make them say I’m not pretty…?’

Despite having been a villain actor in my past life and facing countless praise, jealousy, and criticism…

I felt a strange powerlessness in front of these innocent praises from five-year-olds.

To be honest, this was an entirely unexpected situation.

I had tried to act more naturally like a kindergarten student, but I found myself instinctively matching the children’s expectations with graceful actions.

‘This needs to stop…’

As I hesitated, thinking that I shouldn’t act too childish now, more and more kids began to gather around.

“Haneul! Do you want to play with me?”

“No, play with me! I’ll protect you!”

“No! I talked to her first!”

Suddenly, as a small argument broke out among the kids, I panicked. How on earth was I supposed to resolve this situation?

Having only acted my whole life, this kind of social interaction felt far too alien.

If it were acting, a director would have already shouted “Cut!” but here, unfortunately, it was reality.

‘Where are all the teachers…?’

No one was around to stop this chaos.

I tried to stay calm and raised my hand.

“Um… shouldn’t we all play together?”

As soon as I spoke, the children fell silent and turned to stare at me in unison. A heavy silence filled the room.

‘Uh-oh. Did I sound too grown-up…?’

Just as I started to sweat lightly from anxiety, the kids quickly nodded with bright smiles.

“Haneul wants to play together!”

“Wow! That’s great!”

The kids cheered as if I were some kind of important person, and they crowded around me.

‘…Oh, I see. This is how it works.’

I sighed with a mix of disappointment and realization.

I had to perform in a much harder situation than acting from the very first day of kindergarten.

I hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to act like a five-year-old.

It was just the beginning of the day, and I was already feeling exhaustion wrap around my body.

It couldn’t be helped. Since I’ve started acting already, I have to see it through to the end.

After all, it was a matter of pride as a villain actor.

I took a small breath.

And, putting on the cutest and most innocent expression possible, I smiled at the kids.

“Let’s all be friends…”

“Yay!”

“Cutie! Hooray!”

“That’s definitely Haneul!”

The cheers and applause from the children filled the classroom.

“Hahaha…”

I awkwardly joined in the applause with an unsure smile.

It seems I’ve done well.

‘Am I the only sane person here?’

Thus began the most daunting performance of my life, with whatever rumors had just been mentioned already fading away.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit studio in a quiet neighborhood of Seoul, a small desk lamp was the only light illuminating a cluttered desk.

Papers were scattered all over the desk, and a few pens and empty coffee cups were visible amidst the chaos.

Crumbled draft pages piled up like a mountain. On an old laptop screen, a draft file was open, but the blank document just kept getting longer without any content.

“Ah. I’m stuck.”

The one in the mess was Yun Byeol-ha.

Currently just an aspiring director… but will later become the director of the ten-million-view film “All Day.”

“Argh!”

Of course, that was still something only Haneul knew.

Byeol-ha, running a hand through his messy hair, let out a frustrated sigh.

At this point, he felt almost foolish for trusting his own creativity.

“d*mn it. No one would be satisfied with such a cliched plot…”

The drafts he had already written had been revised dozens of times.

Yet, the quality of the writing was declining, and he had lost track of the direction he wanted to take.

He even felt like the assessment that he was a genius was beginning to feel wrong.

Crash!

At that moment, he accidentally knocked over the coffee cup next to him.

Cold coffee spilled over the desk, and several sheets of paper were instantly stained with dark brown spots.

“Ah, d*mn…”

Byeol-ha gave up trying to clean the coffee and simply slumped back in his chair, resting his chin in his hand.

His mind wandered out the window beyond the messy papers.

Slowly, he raised his hand to rub his forehead.

Fatigue and frustration weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he was the type of person who didn’t know how to rest until the work was done.

He had pushed himself hard to get this far.

With that effort, he had received funding for several short films and even won a small award at a film festival…

Yet, what he truly desired was a larger, more impactful, and more perfect piece.

He wanted to reach a level beyond calling himself a genius, a level everyone would acknowledge.

Then, there was a knock.

Tap. Tap.

His cellphone vibrated and shook slightly on the desk.

Byeol-ha wearily glanced at the phone screen. The caller’s name was Director Jung Hee-chang.

Byeol-ha frowned slightly. The director was known for always being a bit of a nuisance to him.

From the days when he was just known as a student director, Hee-chang had kept an eye on his talents and constantly recommended projects.

As if it were a habit, he checked the message.

[Byeol-ha… how are you doing? I’m sending this because I’m worried about an actor; apparently, they’ve received a donation too? Haha, let me know your thoughts after you watch it~@@^^]

“…Sounds like an old man.”

He unconsciously scrolled through the messages. Attached to Hee-chang’s message was a video file.

“Yeomra_Baek Haneul.mp4”

Looking at the file name, Byeol-ha couldn’t help but smirk.

“Baek Haneul? Sounds unfamiliar…”

But the Hee-chang he knew wouldn’t jokingly send out such messages.

He was always someone who chose words carefully and was more thorough than anyone when it came to selecting a project.

If he was recommending an actor, that piqued his curiosity.

“What now… is he going to show me something annoying again?”

Grumbling a bit, Byeol-ha casually played the video.

On the laptop screen, a small child stood in a bright and cheerful setting.

The little being looked directly at the camera. It was undeniably a young child.

With sparkling silver hair fluttering and a certain fresh energy emanating from its big eyes, it stared at the screen.

Byeol-ha raised an eyebrow, watching the screen.

“What? Just a cute little kid…”

As he muttered, just when he was about to switch off the video, the child slowly opened their mouth.

[I am not the one who provides you with answers. I am but a mere being.]

Yun Byeol-ha froze for a moment.

The small, gentle voice was an entirely different kind of sound.

Yet, the depth and presence hidden within it were not something a child should possess.

His fingers began to tremble slightly.

[I pose unto you the question of life. The answers will not come from a god but will be shaped by humanity.]

Byeol-ha was left speechless.

This was something that couldn’t be described simply as acting.

The eerie energy felt through the screen felt incredibly real, almost like a tangible presence.

For a moment, he felt his hand shaking.

“What the… is this?”

The overwhelming charm he had longed for.

The depth of emotion he had yearned for but couldn’t even imagine began to overflow from this small child.

He wasn’t even able to breathe properly as he rewound the video.

This time, he focused intently, trying not to miss any movements or resonances.

And when the video ended, he put his phone down and took a deep breath.

“…Wow. Wow.”

On the page he had been struggling over began writing feverishly.

The title “All Day” was noted at the top.

“…I need to ask Director Hee-chang to let me meet this one.”

The snowball Haneul started rolling would soon create an enormous snowball effect in the unseen.