Chapter 72 : Well, I don’t think I’m straight, at least

No, I don’t think I’m heterosexual.

“Hmmm. Considering how much Bihangwoon praised her, she must not be an ordinary person…”

Yoon Byeolha stood still, watching Suhyun, who was trembling on the set, with a sigh.

Though she had been drawn in by the impressive performance shown on the busker stage and brought her over, Suhyun was still a beginner with no acting experience.

Watching her nervously twitch her fingers, Yoon Byeolha began to worry.

I started wondering if I might have been mistaken.

“Ugh. Heh. Hm.”

Suhyun started coughing, seemingly choked despite doing nothing.

Yoon Byeolha crossed her arms and quietly watched Suhyun.

The set was silent.

“Whew… Ha…”

Under the dim fluorescent light, Suhyun slowly inhaled and exhaled.

She looked expressionless as usual, but her fingertips were subtly trembling.

With no stage experience and no history as an actress, she was a complete rookie.

But Bihangwoon had called her acting “monster-level,” and that was why she had personally brought her to the audition.

Yoon Byeolha slowly ran her fingers along her chin.

No matter how much Bihangwoon praised her, if she froze in front of the camera, it would be useless.

If she can’t act, she has to be cut.

In this industry, casting based on expectations alone is foolish.

If Suhyun gets picked despite this, it would be because of her pure face.

But…

Right now, Suhyun seemed to exude more “anxiety” than anything else.

It was clear she was nervous.

Her fingertips were twitching, moving slightly.

The hand holding the script unconsciously crumpled and flattened the paper repeatedly.

Her eyes alternated between looking at the floor and glancing up ahead.

“…She’s nervous.”

Yoon Byeolha sighed briefly.

As expected.

She was already nervous about having to act before even starting.

Yoon Byeolha clicked her tongue briefly.

“Did I push too hard…”

No matter how much Bihangwoon praised her, being the lead and being an extra are different.

She needs to know how to control her emotions.

Too much, and it becomes cheap acting, too little, and it fails to evoke any reaction.

And the most important point.

She has to be “natural” in front of the camera.

But right now, Suhyun…

She looked far from natural.

Yoon Byeolha crossed her arms and lightly tapped her foot, thinking inwardly.

“Right now, she looks like just a rookie actress.”

She had no experience in front of the camera, yet Bihangwoon had called her “overwhelming.”

But if she truly had such monster-like talent, she wouldn’t be trembling like this.

If she were the real deal…

The moment she starts acting, everything should change.

Yoon Byeolha squinted her eyes and stared intently at Suhyun.

She may seem like an “ordinary beginner” right now…

But if she has real talent, everything will change the moment she begins acting.

If not?

“She’s just a parachute hire.”

With that thought, Yoon Byeolha quietly tapped her finger.

“Alright. Participant number 26.”

Suhyun startled and looked up.

Yoon Byeolha smiled casually.

“Relax. We haven’t even started yet.”

Suhyun gave a subtle expression.

It seemed like she wanted to defend herself, as if saying, “I’m not nervous.”

But her fingertips were still trembling slightly.

She pressed her lips together, then slowly pulled them apart.

“…Yes.”

Yoon Byeolha checked her watch briefly.

Then, with a relaxed voice, she spoke.

“Well then, let’s begin. We’re doing the scene where you sit on the sofa and look at ‘Junseok.’”

She gestured lightly with her hand.

At that moment, someone walked out from behind the set.

‘Jung Do-han.’

He had jet-black hair and a cool vibe.

His flawless features and sharp eyes.

And a presence that shone even on the giant screen.

He had just immersed himself in the character of ‘Jeong Junseok’ and slowly took his place.

And at that moment.

Suhyun looked at his face.

‘If she’s going to change, it’s now.’

Yoon Byeolha eagerly uncrossed her arms and watched.

Would Suhyun’s gaze completely change, or would it remain shaky?

Would she be real or fake?

It would be proven from here.

“Well then… let’s begin!”

Suhyun clenched her small, white fist and confidently shouted.

Yoon Byeolha barely stopped herself from letting out an exclamation of admiration.

Her face really was deceiving.

Then, Suhyun’s acting began.

One.

Two.

Three.

“…What? The atmosphere changed.”

After three seconds, Suhyun’s gaze shifted.

She naturally leaned against the sofa.

It was hard to believe that the same person who had been nervously twitching her fingers earlier was now calm and steady.

And—

Her gaze turned towards ‘Jeong Junseok.’

No.

Her gaze, which had been aimed at ‘Jung Do-han,’

Really transformed into a look aimed at ‘Jeong Junseok.’

The camera wasn’t even rolling.

It wasn’t practice; she was simply acting in front of the judges.

But to Suhyun, it seemed as if—

That place was the true reality of Song Yeonwoo.

Jeong Junseok.

The man sitting here.

He was her ‘husband.’

But to her, he was a stranger.

Had Yeonwoo loved him before she lost her memory?

Or was he simply a familiar presence?

Yeonwoo couldn’t remember her feelings for him.

She couldn’t remember the time spent with him.

The words they shared.

The moments they had together.

But he had said he loved her.

And Yeonwoo looked at him.

And…

An indescribable feeling, one that couldn’t be explained by the mere presence or absence of memories, surged deep within her chest.

His gaze.

There wasn’t a trace of doubt in it.

Perhaps…

Maybe, just maybe.

She could love him again.

Suhyun expressed all those emotions with a single gaze.

‘Confusion’

‘Fear’

And…

‘Forgotten but lingering feelings deep within the heart.’

Those emotions flowed gently within her eyes.

The judges all straightened their postures at once.

Yoon Byeolha did the same.

Until just a moment ago, he had been worried about her ‘beginner’s nervousness,’

But now, he was seeing something entirely different.

This wasn’t just acting.

It was a perfect manifestation of emotion.

She wasn’t understanding and acting with her head —

She was simply reacting naturally within the scene.

As if she were a person who had lost her memory, seeing her husband for the first time.

Yoon Byeolha kept watching her.

Now, once the dialogue is added…

‘I’ll be able to confirm just how perfect this really is.’

Jung Do-han was watching her quietly without saying a word.

The judges sensed that something was off.

Jung Do-han was extremely good-looking.

If you exaggerated a little, he wouldn’t lose even to an idol, ranking comfortably in the top tier of any “ideal type” world cup.

On top of that, he was already making the character of “Jung Junseok” his own.

When creating a character, he was the type to leave a strong impression on his partner.

In internet slang, he was a born alpha male.

That’s why most actors — especially actresses — visibly tensed up the moment they faced him.

But.

Suhyun wasn’t shaken at all.

She wasn’t startled upon seeing him, nor did she avoid his gaze.

She just…

Looked at him as if she were seeing him for the first time,

Yet with a gaze that held a sense of familiarity, as if she’d seen him somewhere before.

How was that possible?

In that moment, Yoon Byeolha realized.

“Now I understand…”

“This girl isn’t ‘acting’ emotions —”

“She’s simply ‘replaying’ them.”

Method acting?

It wasn’t even at that level.

Most actors have to “set up” their emotions.

They have to think, ‘How would I feel in this situation?’ and then pull out the appropriate emotions.

But,

She was already there.

It was like…

“A switch being flipped — her emotions just ‘clicked’ into place.”

The gaze she was showing now was the reaction of someone seeing their husband for the first time after losing their memory.

No —

It was even more precise than that.

“A gaze that mixed forgotten feelings lingering deep within the heart.”

Could any actor in the world express that kind of emotion purely through their eyes?

Yoon Byeolha took a quiet breath.

And then, Jung Do-han opened his mouth.

In a trembling voice filled with yearning, bitterness, and deep love—

“I still love you, Yeonwoo.”

His voice was calm and unwavering.

“I don’t care who you are.”

At that moment—

Suhyun’s eyes wavered slightly.

As if she were truly wondering, “Should I accept this feeling?”

And then, she parted her lips.

But,

She couldn’t speak.

A hesitant breath.

Her lips trembled faintly.

Yet her expression seemed to be holding back.

And finally, she opened her mouth.

“…A me that even I don’t know.”

A quiet voice.

But her words resonated clearly in the ears of the judges.

“Can you love that person?”

With tears welling in her blue eyes, ‘Yeon-woo’ looked at Do-han.

Do-han’s eyes widened, as if he had momentarily forgotten they were acting.

Silence.

A perfect, immersive silence settled over the set.

There was no need to see more.

“Cut.”

Yoon Byeolha licked his lips.

And then he spoke.

“Suhyun… Do you… perhaps like women?”

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s strange how unaffected you are. Even men usually stammer in front of Do-han.”

“…This scene isn’t supposed to have romantic feelings yet, right? It’s too soon for love…”

“Suhyun. Not all actors can wipe their emotions clean the way you do.”

A performance that pulled out pure emotion with no residual trace.

A performance so convincing it made you forget it was acting, turning a lie into truth.

And on top of that, enhanced by her unfairly good looks.

“Suhyun, go home and wait for a call. It’ll probably be good news.”

It was like handing her the role at knifepoint.

Yoon Byeolha smiled as he said goodbye to Su-hyun, unaware that this had been part of Su-hyun’s plan all along.

A week later, the news broke that Suhyun had been cast as the female lead in “A Better Life.”

[Genius director Yoon Byeolha’s new work… Office romance drama “A Better Life.” Male lead Jung Do-han, female lead Kang Su-hyun? A shocking casting that’s leaving netizens in disbelief…]

Of course, it was Suhyun.