INVSD 08

Chapter  08

“Baek Ga-yoon, stop.”

Lee Jeong-han stepped in front of Baek Ga-yoon and reprimanded her sternly.

Then he turned to Jung Ga-yoon.

“Ms. Jung Ga-yoon. You both gave as good as you got, so let’s just forget this ever happened. We need to finish filming without any problems.”

Gave as good as she got?

At Lee Jeong-han’s words, Min-ji looked at Jung Ga-yoon in confusion.

Ga-yoon was rubbing her neck. She grabbed Min-ji’s wrist, silently telling her she would explain later.

“What do you mean, forget it? She scratched my face up like this! Huh?”

“Ah! Enough, seriously!”

Baek Ga-yoon jerked violently as if she were having a fit, and Lee Jeong-han glanced at Jung Ga-yoon before dragging Baek Ga-yoon into the waiting room.

Click.

Once Baek Ga-yoon disappeared inside, the hallway fell quiet.

Of course, a voice that sounded unmistakably like Baek Ga-yoon’s could still be heard shouting violently from inside the waiting room.

“What? Is that true? No……”

Min-ji began questioning her urgently, but then noticed a staff member nearby and lowered her voice. She gestured for Ga-yoon to go into the waiting room.

“It’s true.”

But Jung Ga-yoon remained standing in the hallway.

“Hey……”

Min-ji gave her a warning look, but Ga-yoon ignored it.

If she left things like this, the story could spread as though everything had been her fault.

That could not happen.

“The day before yesterday, while we were filming, Senior Baek Ga-yoon strangled me on the rooftop of the studio.”

“What……?”

It was a shocking statement.

“You saw it just now, too. She grabbed my neck without hesitation.”

“Really?”

Since the incident had happened right in front of him, the staff member who had been standing awkwardly nearby widened his eyes and cautiously approached.

“Yes.”

Ga-yoon answered calmly.

Beside her, So-hee, who had been quietly listening, suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

“No wonder……! That day, there was something like sand in your hair, unni.”

She explained that while touching up Ga-yoon’s makeup and brushing her disheveled hair, she had noticed sand and bits of concrete stuck in it.

She had found it strange but forgotten about it because they had immediately started filming.

“Was there a fight?”

“What? Besides strangling you, did she hit you anywhere else?”

At So-hee’s question, Min-ji anxiously looked Ga-yoon over. The staff member also glanced at her with concern.

Ga-yoon smiled faintly before answering.

“She pushed me while strangling me, so I hit my head on the floor. It was swollen at the time, but I’m fine now.”

“Oh, no……”

The staff member’s eyes drooped sympathetically.

If someone strangled you, it was only natural to instinctively push them away.

So the scratches on Baek Ga-yoon’s face must have happened in the process.

Besides, he had clearly heard Baek Ga-yoon mutter in a chilling voice while looking at Jung Ga-yoon.

“You really are alive?”

“Hey, rookie! What are you doing here? I told you to bring the lead cable!”

It was the audio director, who had come looking for the youngest staff member because he still had not returned even though he had been sent to get it a long time ago.

“Gah! Yes, I’m coming!”

“Geez. Hurry up and bring it!”

The audio director shouted, and the youngest staff member hurried off.

The hallway fell quiet again.

“Good grief. Hey, you! If something like that happened, you should have told me right away! Are you okay? Should we take a break before you go back out?”

Min-ji carefully suggested it.

After all, Baek Ga-yoon had just treated her so roughly again.

The way she had grabbed Ga-yoon’s neck without hesitation was not something someone did for the first time.

“I’m fine. We’re about to start filming.”

She really was fine.

Ga-yoon shrugged and headed toward the set.

Thinking about Baek Ga-yoon’s expression.

She had probably figured out that Ga-yoon was alive after checking what was happening on set before coming in.

And yet, the look of utter shock on her face when she saw Ga-yoon.

That was worth seeing.

Ga-yoon quietly curled up the corners of her lips in amusement.

She only regretted not being able to see Baek Ga-yoon’s face when she first found out that Ga-yoon was alive.

As they passed through the hallway outside the waiting rooms and entered the set, Min-ji exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, it feels like we came to an awards ceremony!”

The set had been decorated as a lavish party hosted by the male lead’s company.

And the first scene they would film today was a confrontation between Baek Ga-yoon and Jung Ga-yoon.

The hotel seminar room had been transformed into a party scene straight out of the drama.

Catering, champagne, supporting extras dressed in gowns and suits……

“Is everything ready?”

After filming a few shots to use as background footage, Director Kang headed toward the balcony where they would film the scene in which the villain attempted to harm the female lead.

“Yes. Everything’s ready.”

They had even prepared for wire filming, so there was more to set up than usual.

“What about the stuntwoman?”

Baek Ga-yoon would not be doing the scene where she fell herself. They had decided to use a stunt double.

“She’s ready.”

After checking the stuntwoman, who had already been practicing, Director Kang spotted Jung Ga-yoon waiting nearby and smiled.

“Actress Jung! This is your final shoot, right? Let’s do our best today.”

Then he called out,

“Hey! Go get Actress Baek!”

It was time to start filming.

One of the staff members ran toward the waiting room to call Baek Ga-yoon.

Jung Ga-yoon picked up the script and checked the scene they were about to film.

After arguing with the female lead, the villain loses control, strangles her, and pushes her over the balcony.

It was ironic.

The day before yesterday, Baek Ga-yoon had strangled her.

And today, she would be the one strangling Baek Ga-yoon.

Jung Ga-yoon looked down at her hands.

It was only acting, but she was confident she could put plenty of sincerity into it.

It was another chance to increase her remaining lifespan.

She lightly touched the area around her neck.

The more she watched the countdown ticking away in real time, the more anxious she became.

How many days would she gain after today’s shoot?

She hoped it would be a decent amount.

At the very least, she needed enough time to secure her next role.

Because this was her final shoot.

Baek Ga-yoon had repeatedly messed up the schedule by refusing to show up on time, so all of Ga-yoon’s other scenes had already been completed.

“……”

After reviewing all the scenes they would be filming today, she looked around.

Just then, the staff member who had gone to call Baek Ga-yoon returned alone and approached Director Kang.

He looked troubled.

“Actress Baek says she needs some more time.”

At those words, Director Kang’s face twisted.

“Ha…… shit. I’ll go see her.”

Director Kang left the set, and the staff member followed him.

The dozens of supporting extras who remained looked at the staff in confusion.

“Please stay on set. We’ll wait here for a little while.”

At the assistant director’s words, the supporting extras gathered in small groups and sat around to rest.

“This is seriously too much.”

Beside Jung Ga-yoon, Min-ji shook her head in disbelief.

Ga-yoon secretly agreed as she glanced toward the waiting room.

After seeing the scene they were supposed to film today, she had expected Baek Ga-yoon to react like this to some extent.

After all, being strangled by her, even if it was only acting, would be terrifying.

“Let’s get ready to film.”

The staff member who had followed Director Kang returned to the set and announced it.

Baek Ga-yoon appeared behind him with Director Kang.

The supporting extras who had been resting in small groups immediately stood up and moved to their assigned positions.

The staff members also took their places.

“Let’s film!”

“No, Director! I told you I can’t act with her!”

Baek Ga-yoon had somehow made it all the way to the set, but she clearly had no intention of actually filming.

Director Kang sat at the monitoring table and spoke coldly.

“What is this, school? Am I supposed to solve a fight between the two of you? If you can’t separate your personal problems from work, then stay home!”

Director Kang let out a deep sigh, remembering all the people who had warned him when he had said he would be working with Baek Ga-yoon.

He had heard plenty about her notorious reputation.

But he had been blinded by her financial backing and popularity and had not considered it a serious problem.

“Then at least get me a stand-in!”

Baek Ga-yoon began throwing an absurd tantrum.

Apparently Jung Ga-yoon had scratched her face or something.

Honestly, it was hard to believe.

A struggling supporting actress from a small agency with no powerful backing had scratched Baek Ga-yoon’s face?

Unless she wanted to disappear from the industry without a trace, that made no sense.

“Director!”

As Baek Ga-yoon’s stubborn refusal dragged on, the waiting staff rubbed their faces in exhaustion, while the supporting extras sighed wearily.

“Senior.”

Jung Ga-yoon stepped forward.

She could not stand watching this any longer.

When she had encountered Baek Ga-yoon in front of the waiting room earlier, Baek had grabbed her by the neck and glared at her as if she could not believe Ga-yoon was really alive.

So Ga-yoon had assumed she would at least go through with the shoot.

She had expected Baek Ga-yoon to confront her head-on.

But refusing to film as though she were afraid was unexpected.

“Are you afraid of me?”

Jung Ga-yoon approached her and whispered quietly enough that only Baek Ga-yoon could hear.

Why was she suddenly acting like this?

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll really strangle you? Just like you did to me, Senior?”

Well, that might have been part of it.

But somehow, Ga-yoon felt there was more to it than that.

“……”

The two of them met each other’s eyes from only a hand’s breadth apart.

Baek Ga-yoon’s eyes were not filled with fear.

They were full of venom.

Ah.

I see.

A thought suddenly flashed through Jung Ga-yoon’s mind.