The Crazy Woman Acts Too Well - Chapter 63

The editing team of the short film “Sword” was still immersed in the afterglow.

“Haaah…”

Director Park Jun exhaled deeply.

It felt like a new beginning. The past had been so difficult.

However, the struggles that Park Jun reflected upon did not include the editing of “Sword.” Even though this task had been particularly hard, it was still an exciting project that made him forget all the exhaustion.

But.

“It was tough. Really tough.”

What Park Jun truly felt was difficult were the moments after his first hit film, when he had continuously gone downhill. And finally, now, the sword that would sever the curse was in his hands.

Coincidentally, it was titled “Sword.”

The editing team’s reaction, having worked with Park Jun, was no different. Their faces showed an oddly similar expression. They were saved just by the fact that they had completed it. Some even had red eyes.

“Director Park, it’s perfect. Really, you worked hard.”

“I’m sure it’ll also be just what Sua would want!”

They continued with a long reunion, and after some time, the conversation shifted to a different topic.

“By the way, Director Park, did you hear? This year’s short film festival has quite a few changes. It’s going to be very different.”

“Right. I was about to mention it. Since we’re all here, let’s take a look together.”

The editing team began to examine the differences that this year’s Busan International Short Film Festival would bring, and soon enough, they had a lot to discuss.

“Seems like Director Kim Jun-ki is out. I wonder who they’ll replace him with? I heard Director Go Tae-min might take over.”

“Ah? If that happens, isn’t that good for us?”

Park Jun listened to them but quietly thought to himself.

“Director Go Tae-min, huh…”

And then he shook his head.

“No. It’ll actually be harder for us to win.”

“Why is that?”

“Director Go is very fair, and he’s even connected with me through the Upright Path Association. He’ll likely judge ‘Sword’ with much stricter standards to avoid any controversy.”

“Ah…”

Everyone nodded in agreement, but there was no sign of unease on Park Jun’s face. The same went for the others around him.

There was a reason for that.

“But…”

Park Jun smiled instead.

“We’re confident we can win even with the stricter standards. After all, we have a trump card. Don’t we?”

“Right!”

The editing team eagerly agreed.

The reason they were so confident was, of course, “Sword.” Even if the result didn’t match their expectations, they felt that nothing could surpass the product they had created with their own eyes.

An employee spoke excitedly.

“Sua’s acting was so excellent, and with this, I really think we can aim for the award. So, about this change, doesn’t it suit us perfectly?”

“What change?”

“The part where they’ve increased the award categories.”

“…You’re right? Besides Best Film, they added a few more?”

Park Jun quickly skimmed through the details.

It wasn’t hard to understand. Unlike the past, when only the work would receive awards, now directors and actors were also being recognized.

One of the other editing team members tilted their head.

“Why did they add more awards?”

“They probably received instructions from higher-ups. There had already been signs that short films would be given more support. Recently, the interest in short films had been dismal compared to commercial films. That’s not a good sign.”

“Ah…”

“Anyway, we just need to understand it this way.”

Park Jun adjusted his hat.

“This year’s short film festival is riding an unprecedented wave, and we might have the strongest boat ready. In other words…”

“…We just have to row it, right? Or is Sua the motor?”

“It’s definitely not ordinary. I’m already excited.”

Then the employee’s face brightened.

“Should we keep this excitement to ourselves, or should we invite the people involved and hold a small screening?”

“Of course, we need to do a test screening. There may be flaws we didn’t notice, and above all, we need Sua’s final approval. Nothing is more important than Sua’s opinion.”

“That’s true. After all, it’s the film Sua made.”

Park Jun immediately took out his phone from his pocket.

He made a call. The recipient, of course, was Mystic Entertainment’s CEO, Kim Yi-seo.

Almost as soon as he dialed, Kim Yi-seo answered.

─Hello?

“Ah, CEO. How have you been?”

• Of course.

“We’ve finished editing ‘Sword.’ We’re thinking of gathering the people involved for a test screening, and I’d like to politely ask how Mystic plans to handle it. We really hope Sua can be there…”

“I understand. I’ll bring Sua along and stop by for a bit.”

“Ah, what about Sun-il and Yeon-ju? Are they still busy? They contributed a lot to the project too.”

“Yeon-ju is busy, and Sun-il…”

Kim Yi-seo paused for a moment, considering what to say.

Currently, Kim Sun-il was rushing to the hospital to check on his sister. However, this wasn’t something easy to say, so Kim Yi-seo thought for a moment before replying.

“…Sun-il is also busy. Just like always.”

A while later, after hanging up, Kim Yi-seo quietly thought to herself.

“I hope everything’s alright. The climax shoot is today…”

Today.

The climax of the Special Mobile Unit 808 shoot was scheduled.

“What happened?”

The hospital.

Kim Sun-il asked the two doctors across from him.

The doctors opened their mouths with somewhat serious expressions.

“It’s the same as usual. She suddenly had a high fever again.”

“So? Is it still serious?”

Fortunately, the doctors shook their heads.

“We acted quickly to reduce the fever, so she should be fine. Of course, having high fevers often isn’t a good sign, but at least it hasn’t escalated into something worse. She should be fine for now.”

It’s said that we’ve gotten through the crisis well. Kim Sun-il finally wiped his face with his palm. His face was drenched in sweat.

“…What exactly is the cause?”

Kim Sun-il asked with an unusually serious tone.

His younger sister, Kim Yoo-jin, had been living in the hospital for quite some time.

In fact, living in a hospital wasn’t the real problem. Everyone gets sick at some point in life, and sometimes, we have to spend time in the hospital.

So the issue was something else.

“What’s the cause? Why does she keep suffering from high fever?”

The fact that they couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause of the high fever.

Kim Sun-il would have done anything to help his sister, but no matter what he did, the situation didn’t improve. His sister couldn’t even leave the hospital because she kept getting high fevers.

“That’s…”

At that moment, the doctor hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Are you familiar with a phenomenon called ‘Yips’?”

“…Yips?”

Kim Sun-il nodded his head.

“I’ve heard of it. It’s like a mental condition, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. It’s something athletes commonly experience. Even after someone who’s had a serious injury recovers physically, they still can’t move confidently. The memory of the injury keeps holding them back.”

For example, a pianist might not be able to move their fingers due to mental blockages, or a racing driver might hesitate to turn the steering wheel as they did before…

Yips is something like that—a mental obstacle.

Kim Sun-il had encountered it in scripts before. He had worked on sports-themed projects, and yips was a common topic among athletes.

But Kim Sun-il couldn’t understand it.

“Are you saying that my sister is experiencing Yips?”

“Probably.”

“…I don’t understand. She’s not someone who relies on her body.”

“No, you need to understand the broader scope of Yips. It’s when a troubled mind manifests in some kind of symptom. For Yoo-jin, it seems that the symptom is the high fever.”

Kim Sun-il paused for a moment, thinking.

Then, he shook his head again.

“Then it makes even less sense.”

He looked at the doctor with serious eyes.

“Isn’t the beginning of Yips caused by two things? Either a major injury, or the belief that a failure was due to oneself, causing mental damage.”

“Right. You’re absolutely correct.”

“My sister hasn’t had a major injury, nor has she failed at something she was determined to achieve. It doesn’t make sense.”

Kim Sun-il knew two reasons for the cause of Yips.

First, after a serious injury, the terrible memories of that event continue to haunt the person, preventing them from moving freely.

Second, believing that failure was their own fault, which festers and eats away at the mind.

Neither of these applied to his sister.

As far as Kim Sun-il knew, his sister didn’t fall into either of those categories.

At that moment.

“Ah, about that…”

A woman in a gown, who had been standing next to the doctor, spoke up. She wasn’t a doctor but a counselor.

“Yoo-jin talks a lot about her brother.”

“Yeah.”

“She says she thinks you’re not happy. Because of her.”

“…What?”

“It seems like she’s blaming herself for it.”

Kim Sun-il unconsciously frowned.

It wasn’t because he thought the counselor’s words were ridiculous.

It was just that even now, with everyone around him saying he looked unhappy, he still didn’t understand why he appeared that way.

He couldn’t understand at all.

Why did he seem unhappy?

And why was his sister blaming herself?

“You two.”

Kim Sun-il quietly looked at the two people in front of him.

“…Do I really look that unhappy?”

Naturally, there was no answer, and Kim Sun-il walked toward his sister’s hospital room, feeling unsettled.

Inside the hospital room.

“Oppa…”

His sister must have sensed it, even though he only held her hand. She greeted him without hiding her joy.

But the situation wasn’t good.

Yoo-jin’s body was so hot, it felt like it could burn, and she couldn’t even open her eyes. The beads of sweat on her forehead gave a hint of her condition.

It was only natural for Kim Sun-il’s expression to turn serious.

In the past, Yoo-jin had been a lively and cheerful child.

But now, if he let go of her hand, it seemed like she might break apart. When had things become like this?

“Huuh… huuh…”

His sister exhaled several heavy breaths.

It was obvious she was struggling to breathe, and her eyes were shut tight.

Even if she opened her eyes, she probably wouldn’t be able to recognize anything around her. With the high fever, her vision was likely blurry and dizzy.

In that situation, his sister spoke.

“Oppa… how much time has passed…?”

“Time?”

Kim Sun-il quickly checked the time on his phone.

“Did you do well in the shoot that day, the day we talked?”

It seemed like his sister wanted to ask something else.

She was probably wondering if Kim Sun-il had finished his shoot successfully on the day they had video-called. Kim Sun-il immediately nodded.

“Yeah. I did well.”

Up to this point, everything was fine. But then.

“Oppa, are you the best at acting?”

“…Of course.”

The answer slipped out before he even realized it.

It was a lie. The day they fought for control while holding the steering wheel, Kim Sun-il didn’t think he had done as well as Sua.

But even in this painful situation, he didn’t want to disappoint his sister, whose voice was full of expectation.

—Yips, it’s probably caused by the mind.

After hearing the doctor’s words, he especially didn’t want to give the wrong answer. If he didn’t provide the right response, there was a concern the situation could worsen.

His sister’s small hand tightly gripped his.

“Oppa, you’re not answering my question, though.”

“Then what?”

“You’re asking if you’re the best, right?”

“Yeah. That’s obvious.”

“Ehh, it sounds like a lie…”

“It’s not a lie.”

Kim Sun-il answered immediately.

“The happy moments are already recorded, and now the drama production team is all here. They want to see Sun-il’s sister. They’re curious about who the sister of someone acting this happily is.”

“Really? Really…? You want to see me…”

“So you need to get better quickly. You have to get better to see me.”

Kim Sun-il urged, impatiently.

“Oppa, are you really happy?”

“Yeah, I told you. Now stop asking.”

“…I understand. I’m glad, though.”

Even with her face covered in sweat, his sister smiled faintly.

“Our oppa, now his anger will go away.”

“Anger? What anger?”

“My doll. You were angry, right?”

Kim Sun-il’s gaze then turned to a corner of the hospital room.

An old teddy bear had made itself at home there. Now that he thought about it, his sister had this kind of doll.

Why had he completely forgotten? It seemed like something his sister treasured.

Kim Sun-il tilted his head.

“Oppa…”

“Yeah.”

Kim Sun-il’s voice unintentionally brightened a bit.

The way his sister’s voice sounded now was much better than before. When he touched her forehead, the fever had significantly decreased.

Now it seemed like sleepiness was finally taking over.

His sister mumbled in her sleep.

“…I want to see the scene where you did your best.”

“You’ll see it after you wake up.”

“I want to see your happy face too.”

“Yeah, that too.”

“I want to see the people you brought… Can I still see them? Can you wait for me here when I wake up?”

An absurd request typical of her young age.

However, Kim Sun-il nodded.

“Yeah.”

And it seemed that his sister felt reassured by that lie.

“Okay. Oppa… I’m sleepy…”

“Go ahead and sleep.”

“When I wake up, I’ll really check…”

“Okay.”

How much time had passed?

Snooze— snooze—

Soon, his sister fell into a deep sleep.

“Haa…”

Kim Sun-il let out a sigh of relief.

But that relief didn’t last long.

“Haa…”

This time, the sigh was filled with worry, and Kim Sun-il wiped his face with a troubled expression.

It was because he had told his sister too many lies.

At least he had managed to calm her down and make her fall asleep.

Yes, that was fine.

But…

‘I don’t know how to fix this.’

When his sister woke up, she would have to face reality.

The problem was that he was worried his sister would become even sicker if she was disappointed by the reality, which was different from what she had heard. Yips was something that worsened when the heart was deeply hurt.

Vibrating— vibrating—

The phone in his pocket started to buzz.

It was a call from Kim Yi-seo, the representative. He didn’t need to answer; he already knew what the content would be.

In fact, today was especially important for both Kim Sun-il and the Special Tactical Unit 808 production team. It was the most important day among the script’s events, with the climax scene scheduled to be filmed.

However, Kim Sun-il continued to contemplate without answering the call.

The lie about being the best at acting.

The lie about being happy.

These two lies were too big.

‘The only way not to disappoint my sister is…’

To film such a scene during today’s shoot.

To show her that scene when she wakes up.

An absurd idea.

It was practically an impossible idea.

Vibrating— vibrating—

The phone kept ringing.

In the end, Kim Sun-il answered the phone.

“Yes. I’m on my way. I don’t think I’ll be late.”

He began walking, his steps heavy with thought.

‘Can I really act out such a scene?’

His brightest moment, his happiest moment.

He had to create it. But at the same time, he wasn’t confident.

Today’s Special Tactical Unit 808 climax scene.

Today, his opponent would be none other than Lee Sua.