Chapter 5

Translator: Diva

Chapter: 5

Chapter Title: In This Life, It's the Oscar, Not My Husband

That evening, when I got home, I received this text.

[Actress Ha Eun-rae-nim. You've passed the audition. I'm thrilled we'll be working together^^ I'll send over the reading and shooting schedules soon.

Before that, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. For schedule-related stuff, just message the staff member you met earlier.]

How long had it been since a film director had been this nice to me...

It felt like the first time since that damn debt-investment scandal.

I felt a strange mix of emotions as I pulled up the wiki page I'd left open earlier.

<Living with a Ghost>

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Horror

Director/Screenplay: Jeon Se-yeon

Lead Actors: Ha Eun-rae, Seo Kyung-bin

It had changed.

My name was there, freshly edited and shining.

Something else had changed too.

The shooting period and production details seemed the same...

Awards: Updating...

Box Office: Updating...

Awards history.

I swallowed hard.

Was I influencing this film somehow, causing changes?

And maybe... that change meant a movie that originally couldn't even get festival invites would end up winning awards somewhere?

The thought made my heart pound like it was about to burst.

Truth be told, I'd always had some quiet regrets about my debut film.

It was a commercial flick with heavy box-office appeal.

It did well at the theaters, but it was so violent, with tons of scenes where the female leads stripped down, sparking all sorts of controversy.

Of course, I was grateful just to debut, but I'd often wondered what if my debut had been something else entirely—

'This life, I'm debuting with Jeon Se-yeon's film.'

An indie, sure, but I'm the lead.

My career, my life—they were definitely shifting.

Part of me wanted to search my own name on the wiki, but that seemed impossible.

[‘Search Rights’ remaining: 0.]

...Search Rights.

Based on every regression story formula out there, that had to be a ‘foreshadowing’ element.

Probably something that comes as a reward once I rack up achievements—

'No clue what it does right now.'

And anyway, there was a more pressing issue at hand.

[Actress-nim. Sending the pre-revised script for <Living with a Ghost>. Director-nim said she'll handle revisions from page 42 on, but here it is anyway.]

[<Living with a Ghost>.pdf]

It was from Park Seo-woo.

I recalled Park Seo-woo's updated wiki.

Without ‘Search Rights,’ it seemed I could only see changes on wikis tied to my direct actions...

'And only pretty major, direct ones at that. Can't see my own wiki, after all.'

Did that mean my acting clip had such a huge impact on Park Seo-woo?

The idea put a smile on my face.

Sure, Park Seo-woo the person was still a jerk, but a director like him liking me as an actress? That was huge.

The Oscar-winning director was into me.

'And he even remembered me years later in interviews.'

With that in mind, a grin spread across my lips.

That's when I was beaming like an idiot.

"Ha Eun-rae, what's that? Who's got you grinning like a fool? Hand it over. Let your unni check it out."

Someone's hand playfully lunged for my phone.

My housemate, Ye-reum.

For the record, this was 21-year-old Ha Eun-rae's ‘safe haven.’

I'd worked my butt off at a barbecue joint to save up for college tuition since my folks couldn't afford it, only for Dad to blow it all.

I lost it completely, trashed the house, grabbed my phone, and stormed out.

Then I made a call.

- ...Hello?

"......"

To Kang Ye-reum, a friend I'd been tight with through high school.

Someone I'd ghosted out of some weird inferiority complex after she got into a top Seoul junior college for fashion design.

I couldn't even get a word out, but Ye-reum suddenly invited me to her one-room and gave me the address.

And from that day, we lived together.

'Looking back, that was so shameless of me.'

I was too young then to realize just how much I was mooching off her.

'And that wasn't even the half of it.'

After the debt scandal blew up, when she tried to talk me out of my sudden marriage announcement, I didn't listen.

"Getting married when you're this stressed doesn't seem right. Take more time to really get to know Do-woon and... marriage doesn't mean you have to quit acting right away..."

"Do-woon's a good guy. I'll introduce you properly next time."

She clamped her mouth shut at my words.

Probably stunned by how off-kilter I seemed, like a few screws loose.

'Disappearing after the scandal, then popping up out of nowhere talking marriage—who wouldn't be baffled?'

We kept in touch sporadically after I wed, but it was never the same close friendship.

There were some bumps too.

Ye-reum's ambitious online shop tanked, leaving her buried in debt, and I stuck my nose in to "help pay it off," nearly getting cut off for good.

"Do I look like a joke to you?"

Looking back, I'd been so thoughtless in so many ways.

Kang Ye-reum had always quietly cheered me on whenever I was down.

Yet I couldn't be that friend for her.

This time would be different—I vowed as I held out my phone screen to Ye-reum.

"Huh...? Thought it was a guy. It is a guy, but... what? You got a script? Who asked you to do another short film?"

Ye-reum sounded a little disappointed.

"This one's different. I'm getting paid, and there's a proper contract."

Once the money starts rolling in, I'll pay her rent on time every month.

Man... 21-year-old me, why were you so shameless?

"Wait, so you're actually going pro as an actress? I thought you weren't interested. You turned down that agency card before, remember?"

Oh.

Agency business card.

Right.

I suddenly remembered getting handed a card from a big agency around this time, just walking down the street.

A name I could never forget.

Kanna.

My first and last agency.

The place that left me with unforgettable memories.

Years later, after I was married, my manager back then, Jong-ho oppa, came to me and said:

"That was right around when your contract was ending... The CEO gave special orders to Cheol-hyun to keep you from hitting free agency. I didn't find out till later. That's why I quit Kanna. How about joining Naru Stage with me now?"

Shocker: my debt-investment scandal had been a "surprise event" cooked up by my agency to lock me into re-signing.

At Ye-reum's words, I pulled out Kanna's business card—tucked preciously in my wallet—and crumpled it in my fist.

"Why? You were so excited about the casting offer..."

"Casting...?"

I flashed a bright smile at Ye-reum.

"Who's casting me? My manager's the one getting cast."

With that, I shot to my feet.

Hong Jong-ho.

I'm coming for you, you bastard.