The Crazy Woman Acts Too Well - Chapter 289

Shattered mirror shards scattered everywhere.

Each one acted as a mirror, reflecting futures Yang Ha-rin didn't want to see.

Yang Ha-rin with burns, Yang Ha-rin weeping silently, Yang Ha-rin collapsing, Yang Ha-rin sighing deeply….

It was impossible not to feel bad in this situation. Anxious, too. Yang Ha-rin remained silent, and the guide burst out laughing.

"Hahahahahaha─!"

How long did they laugh like that?

A little later.

"Yang Ha-rin, give up on filming the highlight."

That was the guide's suggestion.

"The humiliation you'll experience on set is temporary, but it's nothing compared to what you'll face in the future. You've been given a chance to avoid a horrible future. Isn't that incredibly lucky?"

"I see."

Yang Ha-rin nodded quietly.

"I figured you wouldn't show me the future for free, and I was right. It was to make that offer."

"Actually, it's less of an offer and more of a gift of survival. You've been given the chance to escape such a cruel and terrifying future."

"A chance to survive…."

The guide's words made sense.

The future Yang Ha-rin saw here was not hopeful in any way.

She wouldn't perform well in the highlight scene, she'd hinder the success of 'Crescendo From Tomorrow,' and she'd become an obscure nobody forgotten by everyone.

She didn't want that future.

She didn't want that future, but.

Why?

"No way. Why would I?"

Yang Ha-rin's lips answered like this.

"I'm not giving up."

"What?"

The guide's voice was tinged with bewilderment.

Although she still couldn't see his face, Yang Ha-rin could faintly sense that he was flustered.

Soon, the guide urged Yang Ha-rin.

"Are you out of your mind? You're not going to give up?"

"…."

"That's a ridiculous answer. You can't make that decision after seeing these horrible futures. What's the reason? Are you trying to mess with me right now!"

"…."

Yang Ha-rin thought.

Come to think of it, why did I give that answer?

'Why did I blurt out that answer?'

At first, even Yang Ha-rin questioned her own answer. After seeing such a horrible future, she couldn't bring herself to give up? Why? What confidence did she have?

But soon she knew.

After carefully organizing her thoughts, there was an answer.

Yang Ha-rin moved her lips.

"It's because there wasn't anything before, but now there is."

"What? What is there?"

"It's not just one thing. There are many things."

Just as dust accumulates in an old room, so does the human heart. Many people mistakenly believe they know themselves well, but that's not the case. If you don't truly examine it, your heart will only be filled with dust.

Yang Ha-rin was like that too. She was only now beginning to clean up that dust, and finally beginning to face her heart.

Yang Ha-rin said quietly with her eyes closed.

"First of all, I made a friend."

She thought of Lee Soo-ah as she answered.

"That friend made me believe in myself. So, now I have confidence in myself."

She discussed the changes she had experienced with Soo-ah.

"Since I have a friend and I can believe in myself, there must be hundreds of possibilities that didn't exist before. How could I run away like this?"

"It's nonsense, trivial words. You'll regret it, you'll despair. I clearly showed you the future!"

Was she in a position where she had to make Yang Ha-rin give up? The guide seemed very impatient, unlike when he first appeared.

On the contrary, Yang Ha-rin began to find her composure.

"How can there only be good things? There will be bad things too. But whether I go or not, whether it's a big deal or not, I'll decide. I'll just endure the hard things while wiping away tears, and I'll avoid the worst somehow."

"...Are you serious?"

"I'm serious. I have to get to hell or wherever, right?"

"Nonsense!"

The guide suddenly started tearing at his hair.

"Lies! You're lying right now! There's no way you'd want to move forward after seeing this future! You'll definitely ruin everything and end up living a life worse than death!"

Around that time.

"…."

Yang Ha-rin stared blankly at the guide, then.

"Guide, let's go together."

"What? What did you say?"

"I said, let's go together."

"...What are you talking about all of a sudden? You, you're not in your right mind after all? You've gone crazy!"

"No. I'm in my right mind. It's just…."

Yang Ha-rin shook her head and continued.

"...I think I know who you are now."

It wasn't a lie.

The guide was wearing a deep hood so his face couldn't be seen, and his voice was full of noise. Nevertheless, Ha-rin was slowly guessing who he was.

Of course, the guide denied it.

"No. This can't be happening. This space is a space where you have to give up. It's a space where I have to stop you from moving forward to the future no matter what…."

At that moment, Ha-rin showed some action for the first time.

Scraaape─!

She picked up a mirror shard from the floor and suddenly slashed her cheek with it. The guide across from her was startled. Suddenly harming her face like that?

"What are you doing…!"

The guide was surprised, but Yang Ha-rin didn't care. After all, she realized that this was a fantasy space.

There was something else that was important now.

"How have we lived until now?"

Yang Ha-rin said.

Continuing to slash her face. Not cutting deeply, but enough to bleed and leave scars.

"...Stop that. What are you doing to your face? You're an actress. You can't do things that will make your face ugly."

"No, what was uglier than this was my heart. It was no different from a house that was only fancy on the outside but full of garbage on the inside. I lived like that my whole life."

Scraaape─!

Yang Ha-rin scarred her cheek once more.

"You said I'd get burns on my face in the distant future, right? I'm confident that I can now live proudly even with that kind of face. The same goes for this scarred face."

This was the first time she faced her true feelings after cleaning up the dust in her heart. She had only lived pretending to be strong and cool. She never looked back at her own inner self.

"Now I've changed my principles. I'm not just trying to walk on a flower path. My destiny is a mud pit? Then I have to go? I have to go even if it gets dirty and disgusting?"

Then the guide retorted.

"Those who haven't experienced it always act so recklessly. But will you be able to maintain that thought even after you've truly experienced the mud?"

"To be honest, I don't even think I'm going to experience that mud. I've changed. And if that situation really comes and you're in danger…."

Yang Ha-rin smiled brightly.

"I'll save you."

"…!"

The guide was startled by the sudden words.

"S-save me? What are you!"

But in fact, it wasn't sudden at all.

Yang Ha-rin knew who the guide was.

"Why wouldn't I know who you are? Maybe you've been waiting for me all along. Sorry I'm late. It's awkward to say hello. You are, clearly…."

Yang Ha-rin awkwardly started talking.

"...It's me."

Srrr─

It was at the same time as removing the guide's hood.

What was revealed was another version of herself. A face that was horribly burned and emaciated. Even her eyes were clouded, so she didn't really look like herself.

Perhaps it was a version of Yang Ha-rin who hadn't strengthened her will, who hadn't met Soo-ah.

Ha-rin chuckled and teased the guide.

"Ugh, it's my potential and another me, but it's also ugly. I really shouldn't become like you."

The guide was flustered, as if she didn't know what expression to make, but soon she chuckled too.

"You're acting so confident? You might become like me too?"

"If Yang Ha-rin films the highlight, that's what will happen."

Yang Ha-rin grinned.

"I'm Kim Yoon-kyung right now. Let's go. Let's go film."

And to change the future.

Sssssssss─!

The view turned white again.

◈◈◈◈◈

"Ms. Kim So-hee, why did you get eliminated?"

Pat─!

Along with the last line she had spoken echoing in her head, Yang Ha-rin returned to the real world.

The other actor continued the line.

"Participant Kim So-hee…. Why? Do you know each other?"

"She's my younger sister, and also my ex-boyfriend's student."

Yang Ha-rin delivered her lines as naturally as if she hadn't just had a bizarre experience.

Even she was amazed.

Why wasn't she so nervous? And why was she so natural? She could tell even if no one praised her.

She was acting very smoothly right now.

The judges frowned.

"Who is your ex-boyfriend?"

"Kim Sung-cheol."

"Kim Sung-cheol? If it's Kim Sung-cheol…."

The judges soon reacted. They couldn't not know Kim Sung-cheol. He was just a music teacher now, but he used to be a very famous pianist.

"No wonder, while listening to the song performance, I thought of Sung-cheol. There was an influence? Breathing, pauses, dynamics, touch, expression, accuracy. All excellent. So that's it."

"If everything was excellent, why did she get eliminated?"

"Interpretation."

The judge said as if drawing a line.

"You have to interpret the song properly and play it, but it was too much of your own way. So I had no choice but to eliminate you."

Zhiiiing─

The camera zoomed in on Yang Ha-rin's face.

'Here.'

Yang Ha-rin suddenly thought. Here it is.

'This part. The part that always caused an NG.'

She always failed because she couldn't bring out the emotions here. Was that why? She could feel it. The staff around her were also swallowing hard and nervous.

But, in fact. Yang Ha-rin wasn't nervous right now.

"…."

Rather, she was filled with conviction.

That conviction that she could do it.

"Interpretation, isn't that just a pretext to put in a candidate you like?

"Hmm?"

"So-hee is unpredictable and difficult to handle to your liking. That's why you eliminated her. I heard it from Sung-cheol. She probably got eliminated for that reason, right?"

What would the old Yang Ha-rin have been like?

She would never have been able to say these lines.

Because she had to pretend to be strong and cool. Yang Ha-rin couldn't even imagine herself breaking down for others. No, rather, she had to trample on others to become noble.

But now it was different.

"My sister has Savant syndrome and can't read sheet music."

Yang Ha-rin was willing to break down for others.

If someone opens their eyes today with a completely different heart from yesterday, it is killing oneself and at the same time being reborn as someone new.

Therefore, parents may give birth to someone, but only the person themselves can truly bring them into being.

Therefore.

"...Does that matter? Is that interpretation really wrong? Even though she played it so perfectly?"

The girl who was finally born had the courage to break down for others for the first time in her life. Very willingly.

Yang Ha-rin's Yeoncheon-gyeong, reborn.