Originally, the villain plays the role of driving the plot forward.
The tension and sense of crisis caused by the villain are what create the immersion in the story.
When it comes to acting as a villain, the most important thing is, of course, charisma.
The villain’s presence is meant to establish them as a powerful force, maximizing the interest in the story.
Perhaps that's why...
‘I thought this might be a bit too heavy for Ha-eun.’
Among those who had doubts about Ha-eun's casting, there was Jeong Jae-han’s role, played by Seo Jin-tae.
He didn’t undervalue Ha-eun's acting skills, but the fact that she had no experience playing a villain bothered him.
This was something Seo Jin-tae, a respected actor, couldn’t easily ignore. His doubts about Ha-eun came from his own experience as an actor.
Everyone has their first time.
Everyone is awkward at first.
‘There are always exceptions, though…’
At least, in the world of acting Seo Jin-tae was a part of, a “first performance” could never be an outstanding performance.
No matter what, experience played the largest role in acting.
But that was a thing of the past now.
“That was a terrifying performance. I think I understand why Sung-jae recommended you.”
Ha-eun’s acting was so impressive that veteran actor Seo Jin-tae personally praised her.
At this point, questioning whether she had experience playing a villain was pointless.
To Seo Jin-tae, Ha-eun's villainous performance wasn’t something she had never done—it was something she had never shown.
Especially that blank, emotionless gaze in S#18—it was not something an amateur would possess.
‘I was genuinely chilled.’
A gaze completely free of guilt.
A gray world where no morality or ethics could hold sway.
It was a look that made it clear she was living in a completely different world from ordinary people.
What stood out most was how this couldn’t be understood with a regular worldview—it was what made it feel so psychopathic.
The chilling performance in S#18 made me recall the ordinary acting in S#17.
‘An acting performance that makes you realize too late that you were deceived… There really was a veteran in the making.’
The gaze Seo Jin-tae directed toward Ha-eun carried a deep seriousness.
There was no sign of any limits to her acting potential.
At least, not at this moment.
‘Sung-jae wasn’t joking when he said kids these days are scary.’
This was why Seo Jin-tae requested a script reading for Jeong Jae-han’s scene.
Now that he knew she could perfectly portray Lee Ye-seo, he wanted to challenge her directly.
“How is S#29, Director?”
It wasn’t a scene stained with blood like S#18, but it was the moment when Lee Ye-seo and Jeong Jae-han realized that they were enemies.
‘The showdown between Ha-eun and Seo Jin-tae.’
‘Seo-seonbae, you’re not going to pay attention to me on the first day of the reading.’
‘This is the scene that was supposed to be in the trailer, right?’
Everyone’s gaze shifted toward one side.
Ha-eun and Seo Jin-tae.
A battle between rising stars and established giants.
The two of them stood up and, after a brief pause, walked to the empty space to face each other.
‘Neither of them is backing down.’
‘It’s not easy to face either one of them.’
‘The atmosphere will likely be even more intense once the filming starts, huh?’
Just by looking at each other, a heavy atmosphere began to spread through the room.
Although they hadn’t even started acting yet, it felt like they were already sizing each other up.
Sharp, cat-like eyes.
Despite their youthful appearance, they radiated an aura that wasn’t easy to approach.
Seo Jin-tae's view of Ha-eun was that of a true actor.
It made sense why Sung-jae had recommended Ha-eun for the role of Lee Ye-seo.
Shortly after, the script reading for S#29 finally began.
The atmosphere of Lee Ye-seo and Jeong Jae-han enveloped Ha-eun and Seo Jin-tae.
"May I ask for your cooperation for a moment? A homeless man has disappeared."
"Why are you looking for him here?"
"Well, the last time he was seen was entering this building."
Right after that, Ha-eun pretended to make a phone call, briefly turning her head.
"I contacted the security office. They said the CCTV footage from the date you mentioned is missing."
"Missing? The CCTV footage?"
At almost the same time, Seo Jin-tae’s sharp gaze met Ha-eun’s.
He stared intently at Ha-eun, asking why the CCTV footage was missing.
However, no matter how high his status as a corporate director was,
“It could have been an error in the storage system. Or maybe the CCTV is malfunctioning.”
It was difficult to have full knowledge of the CCTV management at the building’s entrance.
Thus, Ha-eun didn’t need to adopt a stance of hiding something by avoiding Seo Jin-tae’s gaze.
What followed was image crafting.
She skillfully blended what the other party expected and what Ha-eun herself had prepared, delivering the necessary response.
"I’ll contact you as soon as it’s recovered."
"Please do it as soon as possible. It’s important to catch missing persons during the golden hour."
Ha-eun had drawn out the required response from him.
The owner of a reputable company.
At the same time, she recalled the lessons she had learned from her past life as her grandfather, who had once personally shared such wisdom with her.
"Ah, yes. You take care as well."
It was a way of handling people.
The heir training Lee Ye-seo received from a young age was likely not much different from what Ha-eun remembered.
This made Seo Jin-tae unable to distinguish between Ha-eun's acting and what was not acting.
Thanks to Jeong Jae-han, who was set up as being particularly sharp, he had a gut feeling that something was suspicious.
But other actors and staff members didn’t even think to question Lee Ye-seo.
This was the same for those who had witnessed the real Lee Ye-seo’s appearance earlier.
Even though they knew they were seeing a fake version, they couldn’t help but be deceived.
"There’s nothing to give feedback on. You’re really good."
After quite a long time, the script reading for Veterans continued.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work."
With a satisfied expression, Director Kim Hong-seon said, "See you next time," and everyone left.
Ha-eun headed toward the usual black van afterward.
It was only after that when she heard some new news from Ju Jung-yoon.
"Volunteer work with coal briquettes?"
"Yeah. Jang Seong-ho called directly."
To cut to the chase, Ha-eun accepted the offer.
After all, it was a good cause.
The new schedule didn’t overlap with her existing commitments.
If she could help, she would.
There was no reason to need another excuse to help someone.
Two days later, she reunited with Jang Seong-ho.
Even though more than six months had passed since the filming of 2 Days 3 Nights, it didn’t feel awkward.
"Sigh, Nam-su, that bastard, broke his leg. Anyway, thanks for coming. Really."
Then came Jang Seong-ho’s question about whether Ha-eun had ever done volunteer work with coal briquettes.
To which Ha-eun honestly responded that it was her first time actually seeing them today.
However, after Ha-eun had her work gloves on,
and after learning the location of the first house she would visit,
"Seong-ho-ssi, Seong-ho-ssi."
"The kid you brought, carrying four briquettes at once... Is that okay? Shouldn’t we dry them first?"
Ha-eun’s obsession with exercise flared up.
This was because the volunteer work with coal briquettes was, in fact, excellent cardio exercise.
Crucially, the fact that it was all to help others completely shattered Ha-eun’s restraint.
There was no harm in carrying four at once instead of one like everyone else, so she gently ignored Jang Seong-ho’s caution.
"You did the same during the watermelon harvest. What will you do if your arms break?"
"I’m not overdoing it. Really."
Thus, the coal briquette volunteer work finished much earlier than scheduled.
The elderly people who received the briquettes praised her as a world champion, and Ha-eun responded by promising to return next year and wishing them well.
However, a thought lingered in her mind.
‘What if these old people watch Veterans and get shocked?’
If these elderly people watched Veterans when it was released,
‘Maybe I should have warned them in advance…’
It seemed like it might become a difficult situation.
It wasn’t rare for the elderly to genuinely hate or fear villains in movies or dramas.
Yet, Ha-eun couldn’t just ask them not to watch Veterans.
Now she understood why Jeong Do-cheol, the CEO, had worried about her villainous performance.