Chapter – 35
I didn’t want to deal with my uncle in my room, so I led him to the lobby of the annex.
He sat arrogantly on the sofa, appraising me from head to toe, then asked,
“Is Jaedamjae treating you well?”
In my previous life, I would have laughed awkwardly and answered casually. But now, I couldn’t even force a smile. I just nodded lightly.
“Yeah… Actually, I thought we didn’t really get a chance to talk properly at the meal, so I came over.”
“……I see.”
My uncle spoke to me kindly. He said he heard I was in the same class as Joo Suyeon and promised he’d tell his daughter to take good care of me.
If I didn’t have memories of my past life, I would have felt grateful for an uncle who seemed to care about me.
But now, I saw through his intentions.
For example:
“So when will we discuss that share you mentioned before…?”
He set the bait with words that seemed considerate, then planned to take what he wanted.
My uncle was always like that—approaching with a friendly smile while speaking as if he were on my side.
“Ah, you mean Mom’s share…”
He had already driven the me of my past life to death. He had swallowed my mother’s share—my own aunt’s share—whole.
And yet, he smiled at me again. I knew exactly what he was thinking, and it infuriated me.
Why hadn’t I seen through his filthy intentions in my previous life?
Back then, I tried to please him and would bow whenever I sensed even a hint of displeasure. Now, I could clearly see how useless that had been.
“It doesn’t seem like the right time yet.”
The moment I said this, his eyes turned icy. For an instant, the smile that had clung to his face like wrapping paper peeled away.
“Hmm. Looks like being a performer has made you fearless.”
“…….”
“Do you even know what kind of world this is? Do you understand how dangerous it is for someone like you, someone who knows nothing…?”
I clenched my trembling fingers, forcing them to remain still.
‘Even just listening to him is unbearable.’
I had thought facing him would be fine, but it made my stomach churn. The way he justified it as protecting me from a dangerous world felt disgusting.
I knew now that the most dangerous person for me was him. I hadn’t realized it before, but I knew now.
“I know it’s dangerous, which is why I’m doing this.”
“……What did you say?”
I spoke up while silently enduring his lecture. My uncle blinked in surprise.
“You say I know nothing, and all that’s left is the share, right?”
“Yes. So you want to take it for yourself…?”
“And that’s why I’m afraid of you too.”
The moment I spoke, his expression hardened. I didn’t look away; I met his gaze head-on.
“I have no intention of giving my shares to someone who calls what I do ‘performer’s nonsense.’ This is everything I have.”
I worried my voice might tremble, but it came out steadier than I expected.
“Thank you for worrying about me. I’ll think it over and let you know.”
With that, I turned away from him.
It would have been easier if he had shown his true colors and yelled, but the silence behind me felt like a blade stabbing into my back.
‘…I hope I didn’t provoke him too much.’
Even as I worried, I didn’t stop walking toward my room.
Stopping now would make me seem weak. If I wanted to avoid being victimized like last life, I couldn’t show any signs of wavering this time.
‘I did well. I really did.’
I comforted myself against the unease. Forcing back the urge to gag, I broke into a cold sweat.
The moment I returned to my room, I popped a digestive pill into my mouth and collapsed onto the bed, eventually falling into a deep sleep.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in Jaedamjae but in the living room of the house where I lived with Dad.
The lights were out everywhere, and a faint metallic scent hung in the air. Every breath sent chills down my spine.
Frantically scanning the room, my eyes fell on…
“……Dad!”
Dad was kneeling, barely able to lift his head. The floor around him was soaked in his blood.
Next to him stood my uncle.
As always, he wore a friendly smile, holding a fistful of Dad’s hair in his hand.
He tightened his grip and stared directly at me. A shiver ran through me at the sight of his cold eyes. Then, he spat at me:
“What you have should ultimately become mine.”
His voice was low, resonating through the silent living room.
“Dad….”
I wanted to scream for him to let go, but no sound came from my throat. My lips trembled helplessly.
My uncle kicked Dad in the side. The impact sent him sprawling sideways. Even as he groaned in pain, his eyes sought me out.
The instant our eyes met, I immediately understood the desperate message in his gaze.
Run.
That was exactly what his eyes said.
I shook my head without moving. Dad moved his lips repeatedly.
Run, Sae-yi. You have to survive. Though only metallic sounds came out, I could read his words perfectly.
“Dad, p-please let go….”
Even though I wanted to rush at my uncle, it felt as if the floor was gripping my legs, leaving me frozen.
“You’re trying to grab more than you deserve, even though you’re nothing.”
“Please….”
“Struggling won’t change anything.”
With that, he kicked Dad violently again.
“Dad…!”
Finally, my voice broke free. I reached out, calling to him, but my hands grasped nothing.
Suddenly, my mind went blank. I blinked rapidly, breathing heavily, scanning my surroundings.
‘……Jaedamjae.’
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn’t in the house with Dad. I was back in my room at Jaedamjae.
It had all been a dream. My uncle harming Dad wasn’t real—it was only a nightmare.
Should I be relieved that it was just a dream?
In the quiet room, I exhaled deeply. My entire body was drenched in sweat.
‘Even in my dreams, I have to have a nightmare like that…….’
As I tried to regain my composure, my phone screen lit up. Do Je-hyun’s name flashed on the display.
I grabbed it with trembling hands.
“……Hello?”
“Hey, what’s up with your voice? Do you have a cold or something?”
Hearing the slightly hoarse voice, Je-hyun immediately scolded me, probably thinking I caught a cold. Still, he didn’t call me “sister” yet. I’ve given up expecting that by now.
“No, um…”
“Shut up and sit still. I’ll send you something through KakaoTalk right now.”
He sounded as if he was my guardian. But hearing him fuss over choosing a gift strangely eased the lingering discomfort from the nightmare.
“My throat’s fine. I just woke up from sleep.”
“……You were sleeping at this hour?”
I knew he was about to scold me for my schedule.
“Who sleeps in broad daylight—”
Exactly as expected. I hurriedly cut him off and changed the topic.
“So why are you calling? Something happen?”
“I see you didn’t check my KakaoTalk.”
“KakaoTalk?”
I suddenly remembered. I hadn’t read Je-hyun’s message because I went straight to sleep after dealing with my uncle.
“……Ah, right. I went to bed before checking it.”
“Yeah. I called because I didn’t want you to miss the news by being careless.”
“What is it? What happened?”
There was a quiet pause on the other end as he caught his breath. Then, with a voice full of anticipation, Je-hyun said:
“You’re going to be in Choi Ki-young’s latest work, right?”
“How did you know?”
“Didn’t you hear about the male lead casting?”
“Has it already been cast?”
How did he find out about my casting? And more importantly, how does he know something I haven’t even been told?
Just as I was pondering this, Je-hyun continued slowly:
“Your co-actor is…”
“……Senior Kim Won-seok?”
In my previous life, the male lead of ‘The Mountain Spirit Blesses You’ was Kim Won-seok.
“No.”
What?
“I got the male lead role. That’s it.”
My co-actor is… Je-hyun?
