Hell's Actor-Chapter 86: To Live A Lifetime

Chae-Won Choi, playing Neena, was completely immersed in her role.

She had spent years as the lead of the show, so not only did she act like Neena but thought like her too. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

With quick feet, she traversed the curving dirt path leading to the top of the hill marked with trees.

It was raining fiercely, and her transparent umbrella only did so little to shield her from the barrage.

The girl desperately clutched her purse to her chest, trying not to let it get wet.

She had just gotten off the bus, and if she had known it would rain so hard, she would have brought her coat along. Or perhaps she would have stayed at the office or gone home.

Neena walked past the shabby wooden sign that read Pavillion of Illusions.

Soon, she saw it.

Surrounded by a cluster of trees too small to call woods was a gazebo built in the traditional Eastern style. Flowering vines had climbed its pillars and roof.

Finally in sight, Neena rushed towards the gazebo for cover and heaved a sigh.

She left her umbrella open near the entrance to dry. But that seemed like a futile effort.

The rain was showing no sign of stopping. It was only getting heavier.

The girl took a step forward and realized a moment later that she wasn’t alone. Sitting at the table, facing away from her, was a man in a gray turtleneck.

He wore scuffed shoes, an old watch, and faded pants.

The girl was surprised. She was not expecting anyone to be there. And honestly, she was hoping no one would be there.

It was her female coworker who had informed her about the place.

Neena hadn’t asked for it, but her coworker had insisted again and again on her visiting the place. It was her way of being considerate.

Neena knew it was because of her recent gloomy behavior that everyone in the workplace had been acting differently towards her.

She looked around.

No one else was there except her and the man.

’Did she set me up with him?’

That seemed far-fetched. Her coworker was a responsible woman; she would not do such a thing.

’What is he doing here in such rain? Just relaxing?’

Neena contemplated.

It wasn’t safe to be with some unknown man on a hill far from society.

But the rain wasn’t stopping, and she had come all this way just to relax and enjoy the view. It wasn’t worth it to return without resting for a single moment.

After agonizing for a minute, she made up her mind.

Cautiously, she approached the man, making noise with her heels so as not to scare him.

"Excuse me," she called in her quiet voice.

The man turned his head slightly and leisurely. He was not one bit surprised to see her there.

For a moment, Neena was stunned.

Because Chae-Won was stunned.

The man in front of her looked extremely ordinary.

His hair was roughly combed with no sign of care or style. His eyes held weariness, and his expression showed not a sign of interest. His shoulders and his leaning figure were completely lacking in strength.

He was so ordinary that he looked extraordinary.

But even then, he had something about him. Despite having no gravity or weight to his existence, he attracted the gazes of everyone on the set.

He looked ephemeral. It was as If he was fading.

If he were to disappear or leave right before their eyes—which seemed extremely likely—they would have to question whether he was ever even there.

He was like an illusion or a gust of wind.

He was there, but it felt like he wasn’t.

The director watched him with a frozen expression. This was beyond his expectations. It felt like something a bit more magical than acting.

But to Averie, it was just a craft honed to alleviate the decades of boredom.

Chae-Won—by extension, Neena—came to her senses.

She examined the face that was staring at her questioningly. It was that of someone she had seen before.

And she remembered.

They worked for the same company. And although she had never talked with him before, she had seen him in passing. He was quiet and kept to himself.

He was the IT guy.

’What’s he doing here? How did he get here so quickly?’

Neena had left work on time and directly traveled to this location. If they had left at the same time, they should have arrived together.

She couldn’t recall seeing any vehicles at the foot of the hill.

’Did he leave work early?’

Lost in countless questions, Neena’s gaze wandered towards the side. There, she saw the terrace fields leading down to the valley.

In the rain, it looked extremely beautiful.

’Is this his spot? So far from the city?’

Her pupils dilated.

’Why here?’

"May I help you?" the man asked.

His voice was dull and airy. It traveled with the wind as if unwilling to disturb the sound of nature.

She turned back to face him.

"Are you expecting someone?" She pointed at the seat next to him. "Is it fine to sit here?"

"It is not."

Chae-Won was surprised.

That was not part of the script.

’Adlib? Now? Why?’

According to the script, he was only supposed to nod his head. It didn’t make much sense for him to change the direction of the script so drastically.

But before she could come up with something, with the index finger of his hand holding the soda can, he pointed towards the chopping block she was about to sit on.

It was wet.

’Whoever placed a chilled can there is an idiot,’ Averie thought.

He didn’t want to improvise there either, but letting her sit on a wet surface didn’t seem right. After all, an itchy bum wasn’t flattering to any actress. It held the potential to ruin a great performance.

He lightly tapped on the table, gesturing towards it with his head.

Neena wasn’t sure about that. It didn’t seem appropriate.

She struggled with her thoughts for a while before abandoning decorum and perching on the unpolished table.

The man didn’t say anything. Before long, they were lost in the allure of the scenery.

But the silence lasted for only a short while.

Neena glanced at the quiet man.

He was just as aloof as before. It was hard to determine whether he was even enjoying the scenery.

"We work at the same office, right?"

He nodded silently.

"I thought so," she said. "I am Neena Lauren."

Unable to recall his name, she braved her anxiety and opened her mouth once again.

"I didn’t catch your—"

"There will be a meteor shower in a few weeks," the man interjected, his gaze following the movements of the clouds.

The actress was dumbfounded, and even the director looked up from his screen. Just like before, this was not a part of the script.

Averie was supposed to answer with a generic name, an obviously embellished pseudonym. There was no reason to go off-script like this.

’This is not a mistake,’ Chae-Won thought.

There was no way an exceptional actor like Averie Quinn Auclair would make such an error.

Neena tried to broach the subject again.

"So, you are—"

"As rocks come hurling down, will the rain continue?"

She was sure now—he was avoiding her question.

But that wasn’t all.

To the rhythm of his fingers tapping on the edge of the table, he turned his head upward towards her. It was just the right angle that the cameras could not capture his eyes.

But they clearly captured Neena’s pupils as they shook.

The man’s gaze, although dull, contained a sharp message only for her—something that resonated deeply with her.

’You are feeling the shackles, aren’t you?’

It was as if he could read both the actress and the character with just a glance.

’You don’t want to live this scripted, boring life. You want to be free like a bird of the vast skies.’

That lazy, knowing gaze contained Averie Quinn Auclair’s remarkable audacity. That was why it was not for the audience to witness. Only his fellow co-star was allowed to see it.

’Aren’t you bored of the path you see before you?’

He was addressing Chae-Won as well as Neena.

’Isn’t that why you came to this place, to me?’

The scene was supposed to show their surreal and silent chemistry. It was supposed to show Neena’s unexpected encounter with someone who was so similar yet so different from her.

It was meant to be a pair of souls forming a connection while finding commonalities in their conundrums. And there was no better place than nature to aid them.

’Let’s enjoy this moment that belongs solely to us.’

But Averie wanted to elevate the scene to a higher plane.

’No one will be able to stop us, not even the director, if the characters of the story choose to revolt.’

He was communicating with just his eyes.

’This encounter belongs to you and me. Why should we let someone else dictate it?’

His lips very slightly moved.

’While they watch in awe, let’s live this rare moment of absolute freedom the way we want.’

It was an invitation for a grand time.

’Abandon the script. We have only one take to live a lifetime.’

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