Choi’s Mother’s face crumpled at seeing Choi Lee so lost and helpless.
She held her daughter close and gently patted her back.
“Why are you like this, Choi? Hmm? What exactly is wrong? You have to tell me so I can do something about it. How do you plan to keep filming like this…?”
It was clearly a voice full of concern.
The overflowing love behind it was raw and unmistakable.
And yet, it made her feel suffocated. ‘Tell you? And you’ll understand?’
Even if she spoke, the answer would be the same.
‘Is that so? Our daughter found it hard, huh? Mom will think about it too. So let’s get through this shoot first, and then we’ll think about it together.’
Ultimately, the conclusion was always that she had to keep filming, keep acting.
It was only natural. That was her job, and she had signed a contract.
Unless she was truly on the verge of death, she had to follow through with the scheduled work.
Choi Lee knew this as well.
She had earned money through acting since she was young, and now she was an adult.
What made it unbearable, though, was that the “next step” her mother promised never actually came.
‘Are you having a hard time? Let’s rest after this shoot, okay?’
If she held on trusting those words… “Choi, look at this script for your next project! It’s from an amazing writer! They really want you to take the role!”
“Want to rest? Then let’s take it slow and pick the next project after a little break.”
“Mom really wants you to do this. Just imagining how amazing you’ll be makes me so excited.” Those were the words that always came back.
Only after hearing that several times did Choi Lee realize.
‘Ah, Mom can’t even imagine that I might stop acting altogether.’
She didn’t want to quit acting completely, but she just wanted a break without having to think about the next project at all.
But her mother always brought up what was next, her voice full of high hopes. “Mom wants you to firmly establish yourself as a respectable adult actress. It’s frustrating how your child actor image keeps holding you back.”
Her mother had a big, ambitious goal.
And Choi Lee knew that if she achieved it, her mother would tirelessly bring up the next goal.
Choi Lee could never dare betray her mother’s expectations.
She loved her mother deeply and knew full well that her success was built on her mother’s sacrifices.
She painfully felt that she was the one supporting her mother—actress Choi Lee.
So the emotions she could never bring herself to express only grew and consumed her.
Even she couldn’t control herself anymore. ‘I don’t know what to do. Even when I’m acting, I don’t know if I’m really acting.
I don’t feel anything. It all feels like homework.
It’s boring and suffocating.’ Choi Lee muttered the words she wanted to vomit out in her heart and gave a bitter smile. Her mother’s answer echoed like a phantom voice. ‘…Did acting become unfun?’
It wasn’t just that it wasn’t fun.
The very thought of going to the set suffocated her and made her heart race wildly.
After filming ended, the thought that there was another shoot waiting made her so depressed she just wanted to sleep forever.
No matter how much she spoke about these feelings, the answer would be the same.
In truth, Choi Lee had never fully poured out these feelings to her mother.
But there had been countless attempts.
Whenever she cautiously expressed her struggles, her mother’s answer was always fixed. ‘Not fun?’ As if hearing a child’s tantrum.
As if the feelings were just fleeting and it was worrying to overreact.
She could feel the fear that her mother was afraid she would quit acting forever.
It wasn’t a simple misunderstanding.
Every time, her mother would feed her favorite food and explain that she would inevitably have to continue acting to make a living.
So even if she spoke honestly now, nothing would change.
Choi Lee had resigned herself to that.
Swallowing the swelling emotions in one gulp, she forced a bright smile.
Though it was a put-on expression, sadly her mother didn’t notice.
She simply believed her daughter was feeling better and felt relieved. “Sorry, Mom. I think I’ve just been too sensitive lately.”
“No, my dear. Being a lead must be a huge burden. But once you get through this, things will get better.”
Will they really?
Choi Lee couldn’t bring herself to believe it.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that her acting had been circling the same point for a long time now. “…Okay.”
“You’re good, my dear. Let’s do our best in today’s shoot, alright?”
Her mother held Choi Lee’s hand tightly.
Warmth flowed through their clasped hands—the warmth of the mother she loved so much.
She couldn’t help but smile as she lifted her head. Her mother’s face came into view.
“…….”
Her mother smiled but anxiously scanned Choi Lee’s expression.
Not with worry for her well-being, but the fear that she might stop acting altogether.
‘Mom.’
She knew. She knew all too well. Her mother had been an unknown actress.
Having been forced to give up acting due to family circumstances was a lifelong regret.
She knew how much comfort and joy her mother found in watching her act.
‘But…’
She barely suppressed the rising emotions again.
Yes.
Even if she spoke now, it would have to wait until after this project.
Then she would truly express all her feelings.
Then surely her mother would agree to take a break.
“Okay. I’ll do my best today too.”
“That’s my girl. Beautiful.”
Her mother pulled her into a hug.
As her body turned, the scenery of the set came into view beyond the car window.
At that moment, her breath caught again.
She forced her gaze downward and clenched then released her mother’s sleeve.
‘But Mom… if I really can’t make it through this shoot, what do I do then?’
The unspoken question echoed only within Choi Lee’s heart. … The top of her head was hot.
The burning sun poured down relentlessly, and the hand fan in front of her never stopped spinning.
The manager who had been grumbling about the awful weather since departure had long disappeared, leaving only the stylist by her side to protect her makeup. ‘Summer shoots are… always like this.’ Today’s outdoor shoot was especially tough.
The filming location was a university campus that would serve as the exterior of Cheonmun High in the drama.
Although they had shot here several times before, curious onlookers still gathered.
Watching the inquisitive gazes quietly, she looked away.
‘It’s Choi Lee.’ Choi Lee, also ready, appeared. But… ‘Her expression looks really bad.’
Her face was pale under the scorching heat.
She looked either sick or overly nervous.
Yet, when someone approached, she greeted them with a bright smile.
That smile looked even more fragile.
‘Today… this really isn’t going to be easy.’
Her mouth went dry with ominous premonition.
Though aware of Choi Lee’s poor condition, she had to get through the shoot safely today.
[ Successfully complete today’s filming without incident. Deadline: Until today’s shoot ends. Reward: 100 Karma, ??? Failure: -300 Karma or Hell-bound]
That damn quest was glaring at her with wide-open eyes.
Since the first shoot, the quest was always the same.
The content never changed, but sometimes it felt like the difficulty spiked because of her current situation… ‘Still, Choi never stops filming midway.’
From what she’d seen, Choi always finished the shoot somehow.
Sometimes, it seemed like just getting through that day’s shoot was her only goal.
It was natural—no matter the slump, she had to fulfill the shoot scheduled for that day.
‘All I can hope for is that no problems happen during our scenes.’
Finally, the shoot began.
Choi looked like someone being chased by something but acted with fierce determination.
“Okay! That was good!”
“Great~! Okay!”
“Let’s do this one more time, shall we?”
Because of the tight schedule, they filmed multiple scenes all at once.
Seo Sangwoo joined midway, filmed together, then left for the day.
As the sun began to set, they finally started the last scene.
The slate clacked sharply. Choi, in a soaked school uniform, trudged into an empty lot.
Han Yeoreum, bullied by those who liked Lee Hyuk, was quietly suppressing her anger alone.
To avoid the cliché where the male lead appears to save the suffering heroine, Choi quickly had to leave the scene. “…….” But Choi didn’t act.
Han Yeoreum, who was supposed to huff and vent, stood rigidly in place.
Murmurs rippled through the staff. Director Choi Younghwan, watching through the camera, immediately focused on Choi.
“Yeoreum?”
As soon as the director called, Choi lowered her head deeply.
“I’m sorry. I….”
“…….”
“I can’t act.”
Her voice trembled with sobs, echoing across the empty lot.
The director stopped filming in shock, and Choi’s mother, who was watching nearby, rushed to her side.
At that moment.
[Time Attack!]
[Complete the quest within the remaining time! 2:59:58] ‘Crazy.’
The quest’s difficulty level jumped through the roof. … Three hours?
Finish filming one scene in three hours? ‘It might be possible if it’s one take.’ But that was only if it could be done in one take.
It wasn’t just a simple NG.
The co-actor had declared she couldn’t act.
Was that even possible? ‘Unless someone drags her by the collar, it’s impossible.’
Of course, that was only if Choi herself was willing to try to act. ‘Ha….’
Feeling hollow and incredulous, she rarely entertained such thoughts, but the moment she saw the screen, the first thought was whether to just give up.
‘Since I’m dead anyway, going to Hell once….’
At that thought, chills ran down her entire body.
A cold sensation pierced through her bones and seeped in, making her body tremble involuntarily.
At the same time, she felt her neck and palms growing damp.
It felt like the ground beneath her feet would collapse, swallowing her into endless darkness.
‘I’ll be trapped in that darkness, suffering forever, forever.’
Wandering endlessly through the most terrifying memories of her life.
She would beg to die, saying death would be better.
Being trapped in Hell was a punishment far worse than death.
It was as if someone whispered inside her head.