Chapter 154: An Unfortunate Girl (1)
Kim Si-woo took Hong Soo-yeon outside the restaurant and asked her exactly what had happened with Choi Do-hyun.
As he had expected, the problem had started when Choi Do-hyun—while drinking—pointed out issues with Hong Soo-yeon’s acting.
“But… honestly, everything he said was right, so that’s why I got so angry.”
After explaining the situation, Hong Soo-yeon spoke her true feelings before Kim Si-woo even had to ask.
“I know. I know my acting is different from everyone else’s.”
Seeing her attitude, Kim Si-woo changed his mind—he realized he didn’t need to step in and deliver Choi Do-hyun’s message after all.
“But I still don’t really understand. How do I act the same way other people do?”
“There is one way.”
“What is it?”
Kim Si-woo scratched his head as he answered her question.
“You have to learn.”
“If it’s an acting academy…”
“No, not an academy… from someone who’s better.”
“No way…”
Hong Soo-yeon seemed to guess what he was about to say and waved her hands frantically.
“No. Absolutely not. I really, really hate that guy. I’d rather learn from Ji-young unnie.”
“Don’t you know Ji-young noona has been super busy lately with <Peerless Joseon> promotions?”
“No… even so, I hate him. He says whatever he wants, does whatever he wants…”
“But he’s really good at acting.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, Hong Soo-yeon suddenly got an idea. She leaned in close with a strange expression and spoke.
“Then I’ll learn from Choi Do-hyun—so do one favor for me.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“I want to stay at oppa’s house until filming ends.”
“What? Why?”
“Su-hyuk did it too.”
“Isn’t that a little different?”
“Then I’ll just do it on my own.”
“Sigh… Fine. Pack your stuff and come over.”
This time, Kim Si-woo found himself backed into a corner and reluctantly agreed to let her stay.
‘I should probably tell Noa-ssi to stay over for a while too.’
Of course, things didn’t go exactly the way Hong Soo-yeon wanted…
“But are you sure this is okay? You’re a famous actress now—what if a scandal breaks out?”
“Then… we just admit it.”
“Huh?”
“We admit we’re dating. I’m fine with that.”
Thwack!
Kim Si-woo flicked her forehead with his finger.
“Ow!”
“Let’s go back inside. I’ll talk to Choi Do-hyun—you go back to my seat and keep eating.”
“Okay.”
After finishing his conversation with Hong Soo-yeon, Kim Si-woo returned and sat next to Choi Do-hyun, who was chatting happily with Jung Pil-gyu.
He then asked Choi Do-hyun to guide Hong Soo-yeon’s acting.
But what he hadn’t anticipated was Choi Do-hyun’s response.
“So, will you teach Soo-yeon?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected refusal, Kim Si-woo blinked in surprise. Choi Do-hyun continued his explanation.
“I’m pretty busy myself. I still have performances left… and looking into her eyes, she clearly doesn’t want to learn from me at all. Even if it’s hyung-nim asking, that feels like crossing a line.”
“Sigh… Fine, I get it. Then can you at least give me advice? I’ll pass it along to her.”
“Sure.”
After that, Choi Do-hyun explained to Kim Si-woo what he had observed about Hong Soo-yeon’s acting and what she was lacking.
Hong Soo-yeon’s acting was consistent and stable, with almost no ups and downs—but conversely, that meant it lacked emotional depth.
Her emotional expressions were controlled to the level that reason could manage.
To professional actors’ eyes, it came across only as performative, showy acting.
Of course, considering how short a time she had been acting, her skill level was astonishingly high—but from a pro’s perspective, something about it felt lacking for a lead role.
“I can roughly guess why she acts like that. She had a tough childhood, right? Her mask is incredibly thick…”
“Why do you think that?”
“Call it shared trauma, maybe? Probably the complete opposite case from me. She seems like a kind kid with a good head on her shoulders—that’s how she ended up like this.”
Choi Do-hyun went on to compare his own childhood with Hong Soo-yeon’s as he explained.
“She was probably smart, so she picked up on things quickly… which meant she naturally spent her whole life reading the room—watching the adults, her friends, everyone around her. She’s so kind she couldn’t even get angry properly. Me? I was dumb, so whenever I got mad or annoyed, I just let it out right away.”
Kim Si-woo nodded at Choi Do-hyun’s words.
“So that became an obstacle in her acting?”
“Exactly. Emotional expression is one of the most important things in acting. Sure, now that she’s grown up she can say she dislikes something—but even when she got angry earlier, I could see her glancing around, checking other people’s reactions. In other words, it’s performative emotion.”
“Ah…”
Kim Si-woo listened to Choi Do-hyun’s explanation for quite a long time.
***
After hearing Choi Do-hyun’s advice, Kim Si-woo fell deep into thought.
Helping her improve emotional expression…
It was truly ambiguous advice.
“Maybe I should ask Ji-young noona too…”
While Kim Si-woo was lost in various worries, Hong Soo-yeon soon arrived at his doorstep with her luggage in tow.
“You’re here?”
“I’ve seen it before, but your house really is nice.”
Hong Soo-yeon stepped inside, admiring the place with envy. Waiting in the living room was a woman who greeted her warmly.
“Welcome!”
“Uh… uh…”
Seeing Arimura Noa, Hong Soo-yeon turned to Kim Si-woo with a flustered expression.
Kim Si-woo simply shrugged as if to say, ‘I don’t know either.’
“T-This is fraud!”
“What is?”
Kim Si-woo pretended to have no idea, even though he fully knew Hong Soo-yeon had wanted to be alone with him.
“U-Unnie, how long are you planning to stay here? Hurry up and leave!”
“It’ll probably take a while longer to find a place.”
“Then I’ll book you a hotel right now—just go!”
“Awww~ Soo-yeon-chan, why are you being like that~?”
Arimura Noa clung to Hong Soo-yeon and acted cute, pushing Hong Soo-yeon’s expression to the verge of tears.
If Choi Do-hyun had been there too, she might have actually cried.
“Anyway, unpack your stuff in whichever room you want and rest.”
“…Yes.”
With slumped shoulders, Hong Soo-yeon wandered around the empty rooms carrying her luggage until she picked one.
“Hmm… this is tricky.”
“What is?”
While Hong Soo-yeon was unpacking in her room, Kim Si-woo resumed worrying about her acting. Arimura Noa, standing behind him, spoke up.
“Ah… it’s just that.”
Kim Si-woo vaguely explained the situation to Arimura Noa.
That Hong Soo-yeon was clumsy when it came to expressing emotions in her acting.
After listening, Arimura Noa pretended to think for a moment before quickly grasping the situation.
“Really? Then shall I help?”
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I can just help whenever I have time.”
Come to think of it, Arimura Noa was also an outstanding actress—not quite on Shim Ji-young’s level, but still impressive. Getting her help didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Then… sorry to ask, but I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course I’ll help—but just so you know, I’m only doing it because Writer-nim is worried.”
“Ah… yes.”
Even in a moment like this, Arimura Noa managed to subtly promote herself.
That evening, Hong Soo-yeon began acting practice with Kim Si-woo.
But Arimura Noa suddenly had an urgent matter at her company and couldn’t join, so in the end, it was just the two of them.
Hong Soo-yeon recited lines while looking at the organized script, and Kim Si-woo frowned as he watched.
She was definitely good at acting—but she didn’t have that magnetic pull that drew people in the way Shim Ji-young did.
“Soo-yeon-ah.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s stop the acting practice starting today.”
“Huh? Why? Wait… am I getting cut from the female lead role? I-I’ll do better. I’ll work harder. Just give me a little more time.”
Seeing her desperate expression, Kim Si-woo approached her.
“I don’t think what you need right now is more acting practice.”
“Huh?”
Kim Si-woo had kept thinking about how Hong Soo-yeon could improve her emotional expression, and he finally arrived at one conclusion.
“Let’s go have fun.”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
At the suggestion of going out late in the evening, Hong Soo-yeon looked at Kim Si-woo with a slightly puzzled expression.
“Where to?”
“That’s a secret.”
“…Okay. Then I’ll go change clothes real quick.”
“Pack some extra clothes too.”
Kim Si-woo went to his room to pack as well. Ten minutes later, the two met again in the living room.
“Starting today, no more reading the script.”
Kim Si-woo snatched Hong Soo-yeon’s script, left it in the living room, and hurried outside.
Once in the car, Kim Si-woo stepped on the accelerator.
Their destination was none other than Hong Soo-yeon’s hometown—Busan.
To express emotions well, she first needed to truly feel them.
Real emotions, not fake ones.
The feelings hidden behind the mask.
Kim Si-woo believed that the best place to draw those out was none other than Hong Soo-yeon’s hometown, Busan.
Going back to one’s hometown inevitably stirred up all sorts of emotions—good and bad.
After driving for about two hours, Hong Soo-yeon suddenly started looking around restlessly before turning to Kim Si-woo.
“Oppa. We’re going to Busan right now, aren’t we?”
“Huh? Ah… no, we’re not?”
Hong Soo-yeon, sharp as ever, immediately guessed the destination. Kim Si-woo broke into a cold sweat and lied.
“Oppa, you’re really bad at lying, you know that?”
“Ah… sorry.”
“Then buy me tonkatsu at the next rest stop.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay then.”
As promised, Kim Si-woo pulled into the next rest stop. Hong Soo-yeon pulled her cap down low, and the two of them went inside together.
“One king-sized tonkatsu and one shrimp tempura udon, please.”
“Sure.”
The rest stop employee took payment and handed them a number ticket.
A short while later, Kim Si-woo and Hong Soo-yeon, waiting at an empty table, picked up their food when their numbers were called.
The tonkatsu and udon were freshly made—steam still rising in soft curls.
Kim Si-woo naturally reached over, took Hong Soo-yeon’s tonkatsu, and cut it into bite-sized pieces for her.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you cutting my tonkatsu?”
“Because if I let you do it, I’d probably finish all the udon and be waiting by the time you’re done. Why? Want to cut it yourself?”
“No… More importantly, can I eat the shrimp tempura too?”
“Sure.”
“…”
Hong Soo-yeon couldn’t make sense of it—him cutting her tonkatsu for her and even giving up the single piece of shrimp tempura.
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like Kim Si-woo had feelings for her, yet whenever things got important, he turned away.
Feeling a little sulky, Hong Soo-yeon muttered under her breath.
“I really don’t like this.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I meant thank you for cutting the tonkatsu.”
“Okay.”
By now Kim Si-woo had finished slicing everything and placed the plate of tonkatsu in front of her. The two began eating.
After the meal, Kim Si-woo texted Arimura Noa that he’d be traveling for a few days, then got back on the road toward Busan.
Several more hours passed before they finally arrived in Busan. Suddenly, Hong Soo-yeon spoke up with full confidence.
“Writer-nim. Let me show you what a real Busan full course is.”
“Busan full course? You mean that legendary full course I’ve only heard about?”
“Just trust me.”
Kim Si-woo had only ever heard rumors about the Busan full course—having it described by an actual Busan native felt strangely new.
“Okay. I’ll trust you.”
At that moment, Kim Si-woo had no idea.
The Busan full course varied wildly…
Depending on the person…
Depending on the situation…
And depending on sheer luck…
After checking into the hotel and unpacking, Kim Si-woo took a shower, lay on the bed, and thought about Hong Soo-yeon.
Just as Choi Do-hyun had said, when Hong Soo-yeon acted, even in scenes that demanded 100%—no, 120% emotion—she only ever used about 80%.
It was like carefully controlling the sluice gates of a dam.
Yet strangely, when the two of them talked one-on-one, it never felt like she was wearing a mask.
“But the moment she starts acting, she holds everything back…”
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TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176
If you’d like to continue right away, the remaining chapters are available on My Patreon Premium tier and Plus Tier, but if you want to read my other 5 translated novels, join the Premium Tier
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Genius Writer”
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