Chapter 296 - I Returned as a High School Girl (2)
Today was the last film shoot of Just like a Melodrama Protagonist. With the finish line right around the corner, the staff members seemed extremely excited. Not just the staff members, but the actors were also excitedly preparing for the shoot.
The final scene was the wedding ceremony between Kang Seo-Mi and Min Woo-Chan. Nam Yun-Seok, who had let go of Seo-Mi, the woman whom he once loved, had appointed himself as the master of ceremonies to wish the two of them happiness.
Ji Han-Seok, who played Yun-Seok, stood in front of the mic.
“We will now begin the wedding ceremony between Mr. Min Woo-Chan and Ms. Kang Seo-Mi.”
The camera zoomed in on Han-Seok’s face. Yun-Seok would be lying if he had absolutely no regrets as he saw his two friends’ wedding, since he had yet to fully move on from Seo-Mi. Han-Seok did his best to express the emotions of a man who was forcing himself to erase his once-passionate feelings of love.
“May the groom enter.”
Je-Woon entered the venue first. The extras acting as guests clapped passionately. Je-Woon made short eye contact with Han-Seok while walking down the aisle. It had not been in the script, but Director Yoon Tae-Yoon immediately told the camera director to focus on their eye contact. The two men lightly smiled at each other.
And now, it was finally time for today’s protagonist to enter.
“May the bride enter.”
Kang Ra-Eun slowly walked down the aisle in a wedding dress while holding hands with the actor playing Seo-Mi’s father. Both Je-Woon and Han-Seok had seen Ra-Eun in a wedding dress a few times since both of them had played her love interest in their respective productions. Despite that, the two men were unable to take their eyes off of her, who seemed to be more beautiful than anyone else in the world.
Their action had also been written in the script.
(Min Woo-Chan and Nam Yun-Seok stare blankly at Kang Seo-Mi.)
However, both of their reactions were not an act. Ra-Eun stood side by side with Je-Woon. The shoot continued with their vows and the kiss to seal the marriage and to end the shoot.
“That’s a wrap! Thank you all for your hard work!”
The production team cheered as soon as Director Yoon announced the end of the shoot. It was finally over. Ra-Eun wanted to be as happy as the other staff members, but she couldn’t because of the wedding dress. She put down the bouquet and sighed deeply. Han-Seok and Je-Woon approached her.
“Great job, Ra-Eun.”
“You must’ve been exhausted wearing that dress for so long.”
There was no need to even mention it. The first time she had acted while wearing a wedding dress, she thought she was about to die from suffocation, but the feeling had lessened considerably after having done it a few times. She took off her heels and changed into comfortable sneakers.
“I feel much better now.”
Ra-Eun had only changed shoes, but she felt like she could fly. She realized how nice she once had it as a man. The freedom swept through her as soon as she changed out of the wedding dress and into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt in the changing room.
The set had been cleaned up quite a lot in the time that she had changed.
Director Yoon asked, “Ra-Eun. You know we have an afterparty this evening, right?’
“Yes, of course.”
After her revenge against Kim Han-Gyo was finally over, she felt extremely at ease.
‘I’ve worked my ass off all this time, so I’m gonna eat as much as I want.’
Now that her revenge was over, it was time to become true to her desires.
***
There was one thing that Ra-Eun had wanted to do once her revenge had been fulfilled, which was...
“Moaarr! Moar alcohol, pleaseeee...!”
...To drink to her heart’s content. Ra-Eun wanted to experience being drunk, which she had experienced all the time back when she had been a man. The twisting of her tongue made her sound very cute.
Han-Seok, Je-Woon, and Director Yoon, who had been sitting with her, simultaneously laughed awkwardly.
“I guess Ra-Eun is extremely weak to alcohol.”
Director Yoon had never drunk with Ra-Eun before. He knew that Ra-Eun was a lightweight, but he did not know that she acted this way when drunk. Neither did Han-Seok and Je-Woon, but they weren’t as surprised as the director. The sight of the flushed Ra-Eun having a staring contest with an empty glass was extremely cute.
Je-Woon got up from his seat first.
“I’ll go get Yu-Bin, so you watch over Ra-Eun, Han-Seok.”
“Got it.”
That was enough alcohol; it was time to go home now.
“Are you okay, Ra-Eun?” Han-Seok asked.
“...Da night haz onlee just begun, sunbaeeee...”
“Okay, okay. I get that you want to play a bit more.”
The gap between Ra-Eun’s usual charismatic self and her tongue-twisted speech was massive. Han-Seok wanted to keep Ra-Eun’s extremely rare cute side on video, but he couldn’t, so he decided to just treasure it in his memories.
Ra-Eun had fallen asleep while lying down on the table. Seeing her, Han-Seok recalled the final scene of the film shoot where Ra-Eun and Je-Woon made their vows of love to each other. Although it had only been an act, something had surged within him.
“I won’t ever give up on you.”
Han-Seok had fallen for Ra-Eun at first sight. Although he had lost to Je-Woon in the film, he was determined to be the victor in real life.
***
Shin Yu-Bin, who had managed to drag Ra-Eun into the car, sighed deeply.
“Sigh, jeez. What’s gotten into you? You never drink.”
As soon as Yu-Bin tried to put a seat belt on Ra-Eun, Ra-Eun suddenly hugged her.
“Miss Manager... Ya smell zo niceee...”
“That’s not my scent, it’s your perfume. Just stay still... Ah!”
The upper portion of her chest came into view through her disheveled clothes. As Yu-Bin hurriedly fixed Ra-Eun’s clothes, Han-Seok and Je-Woon instantly turned their heads away out of courtesy. Only after she fixed Ra-Eun’s hands in place so that she wouldn’t try to take off her clothes was Yu-Bin finally able to speak to the two men.
“I’m so sorry. Ra-Eun isn’t usually like this...”
Yu-Bin had exhausted her energy from supporting Ra-Eun. Either Je-Woon or Han-Seok could have easily been able to lift Ra-Eun and carry her to the car, but they had no choice but to leave it to Yu-Bin, a fellow woman, since Ra-Eun might attack them with skinship.
The two men shook their heads.
“We know just as well.”
“Something nice must’ve happened to Ra-Eun lately if she was willing to drink alcohol that she rarely drank.”
“Yes, I think so too. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, but as her manager, it’s better than seeing her in a bad mood.”
Yu-Bin had been extremely worried about Ra-Eun during the Kim Han-Gyo incident, but Ra-Eun had become far brighter than before after it had been resolved. Yu-Bin didn’t know why, since Ra-Eun usually wasn’t the kind of person to share personal matters. But even so, Yu-Bin decided not to care too much about it.
“I’m sure Ra-Eun will resolve any problem that she’s in and move on like she’s always done. I think that’s why I can be at ease when I’m working with her. The same goes for you two, right?” Yu-Bin asked.
Han-Seok and Je-Woon both agreed. After sending off Yu-Bin and Ra-Eun, Je-Woon said first while staring at the car getting further away.
“Ra-Eun sure is a fascinating girl.”
“Why?”
“Because she has a charm to her that puts people around her at ease and pulls them toward her.”
Je-Woon had also been influenced by Ra-Eun, just like Yu-Bin had. He had fallen even deeper into her charms through this film.
“I don’t think I can give up on Ra-Eun.”
Han-Seok chuckled. “Are you declaring war against me?”
“I guess you could say that.”
Han-Seok would not back down.
“I won’t give up on her either.”
Min Woo-Chan and Nam Yun-Seok’s war to win Kang Seo-Mi’s heart was not over yet.
***
On the release date of Just Like a Melodrama Protagonist, Ra-Eun and the Seo siblings went to a cinema early in the morning for the first screening to avoid as many people as possible, but...
“Wow... The theater is packed,” Seo Yi-Seo expressed in shock.
Yi-Jun also couldn’t hide his surprise at the unexpected sight. Ra-Eun, who had hidden her face as much as possible with glasses and a mask, walked toward the frontmost seat as quickly as possible to avoid being recognized. She could finally take off her mask after taking a seat.
“Should I buy something to drink?” Yi-Jun asked the two ladies.
They had headed straight to the theater without even getting anything to eat or drink in fear of Ra-Eun getting recognized. They had come all the way to a cinema, so it would be a shame to not get anything.
Ra-Eun whispered, “A coke and popcorn, caramel flavored. I’ll give you my card.”
“It’s fine. You bought the tickets, so I’ll buy the snacks.”
Ra-Eun was impressed by Yi-Jun as he quickly left.
“He’s gotten more sensible.”
Yi-Seo lightly laughed. Yi-Jun had come back with the things that Ra-Eun had wanted in a flash. Advertisements played as soon as all three of them had taken their seats.
Ra-Eun fixed her gaze on the huge screen showing her, Je-Woon and Han-Seok going to school in school uniforms. She was reminded of her past as she watched herself walking to school with her two male friends. The revenge of the high school girl Kang Ra-Eun had started at that very moment.
The Kang Ra-Eun on the screen did not look like a girl who harbored feelings of revenge against Han-Gyo; she was nothing but a normal high school girl. Thoughts swirled within her mind.
‘That’s also how I’ll have to live on from now on.’
Ra-Eun wasn’t sure, but for some reason, she felt like such a life wouldn’t be all that bad.
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