Chapter 337: Shadow (4)

The Script Supervisor was the person responsible for recording everything that happened on set. They kept track of how many NGs occurred, the shooting order, any instructions from the PD, and any issues that arose within the filming or props team among other details.

They would then compile all this information to create an edited script, which was then passed on to the post-production team.

Therefore, no one would find it suspicious if the script supervisor was anywhere on set. That was also why neither I nor Cha Soo-Yeon suspected her of being the culprit.

However, despite our strong suspicions, we still needed definitive evidence.

'

How do I catch her...

' I wondered.

As I was racking my brain for a good method, the filming continued.

Lee Byung-Jun snickered as he skillfully stabbed the knife into Manshin Wol-Ah, who was sitting on the wooden porch of the shrine.

At that moment, Manshin Wol-Ah leaned forward and matched the movements.

Splat!

Red blood splattered from the spot where the knife struck and stained Manshin Wol-Ah's white robes a deep crimson.

『...』

『You know what? I've stabbed people more times than I can count, but you're the first one to endure it this much. Honestly, I'm impressed.』

Lee Byung-Jun, playing the psychopath, cackled. He slowly pulled out the knife and then plunged it into the chest area once more.

As Manshin Wol-Ah trembled and endured the pain, Lee Byung-Jun cheered.

『Wow. You are amazing. Are you really going to endure all four stabs?』

『Now...only two, two... left...』

All the staff were so engrossed in Lee Byung-Jun and Yoo-Jin's performance that they were speechless.

However, Jang Si-Ah couldn't hide her startled expression. She was in shock that Yoo-Jin, who should have screamed and collapsed after being stabbed, continued the scene without any issue.

I became more certain that she was the culprit.

Seemingly sensing something was off, Jung Sang-Bong and Lee Yung-Jin quietly approached me. "Mr. Jung, Script Supervisor Jang is..."

I nodded. "I know. Even if you saw it, just pretend you didn't. We've identified the suspect. Now we just need to catch the evidence."

The two nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Manshin Wol-Ah had taken all four stabs: twice under her left armpit and twice under her right.

Manshin Wol-Ah barely caught her breath and leaned against the wooden porch with her body drenched in blood.

Her once-white robes were now dark red and blood trickled down from her mouth.

Lee Byung-Jun shook his head.

『You're tough. Really tough. I thought the daughter was tough, but the mother's even worse.』

『

Cough

... all, all four...

Cough.

』

『So I'm supposed to spare your daughter because you endured all four stabs?』

Manshin Wol-Ah nodded weakly.

At that moment, Lee Byung-Jun burst into laughter that echoed across the set.

His voice tinged with a chilling madness filled the entire set.

『

Hahahaha.

No way. I plan to kill that bitch Cheongmyung just like you.』

『If you break... your promise, you're destined for eternal damnation...

Cough

.』

Lee Byung-Jun turned away with a sinister smile.

『Do you know what people call me? A demon. And do you know where demons live? In hell. So it doesn't matter where I go. Wherever I am is hell whether it's this world or the afterlife.

Hahaha

.』

Manshin Wol-Ah lying on the wooden porch began gasping for her final breaths with all her remaining strength.

She then looked up at the blue sky and slowly raised her right hand.

『Cheongmyung... I'm... sorry...』

Manshin Wol-Ah's mouth slowly opened as she took one last breath. At the same time, her heaving chest stopped. The hand that pointed to the clear sky to mark the final moment of her life fell to the ground as soon as she finished speaking.

With an awe-inspiring performance that sent chills down the spine, Yoo-Jin's portrayal of Manshin Wol-Ah finally came to an end.

Kim Sung-Woon jumped up and clapped his hands. "Cuuuuut!!! Bravo~ No, Brava!!"

Applause poured out for Yoo-Jin, who had flawlessly completed the difficult scene without a single NG.

The staff simultaneously stood up and gave a round of applause.

"Jung Yoo-Jin is the best!"

"Wow~ Miss Yoo-Jin! You're such an amazing actress!"

"Mr. Byung-Jun, you really are a natural villain!"

As praise rained down on the two actors, Yoo-Jin and Lee Byung-Jun came down from the set with bright smiles.

Yoo-Jin shed her role as Manshin Wol-Ah, a character almost like her alter ego now, and bowed to the staff at a 90-degree angle. She expressed her gratitude to the staff who had participated in this ridiculous attempt to play a dual role.

Even Jang Si-Ah reluctantly clapped her hands.

"Yung-Jin, please take care of Yoo-Jin."

"Yes, Mr. Jung."

I immediately rushed to Cha Soo-Yeon.

It was time to catch the culprit.

***

In a corner of the set where no staff were present, I showed Cha Soo-Yeon the video of the staff's reactions when Yoo-Jin was being stabbed. "Look closely at the Script Supervisor Jang Si-Ah's expression."

Jang Si-Ah was smirking to herself in the video I showed Cha Soo-Yeon. Moreover, she was the only one who couldn't hide her uneasy expression while everyone was cheering for Yoo-Jin's stellar performance.

Everything was caught on camera.

Cha Soo-Yeon clenched her fists and started trembling with anger. "This is infuriating. How dare that crazy bitch...!"

In the Name of God

was achieving record-breaking success for Blue Dragon.

Cha Soo-Yeon, who was eager to take this opportunity to solidify their position as the industry leader, would not tolerate this situation.

Cha Soo-Yeon was ready to tear apart Jang Si-Ah at any moment, but I held her back and said, "Even though she seems suspicious, this is only circumstantial evidence."

Cha Soo-Yeon paused and looked back at me. "Then what are you planning to do?"

"Do you think someone who pulled a stunt like this will give up easily? Now that we know who the suspect is, I'll handle the rest."

I had a feeling that the planner would reveal new information after midnight regarding this incident.

Of course, I would have to wait until after midnight to confirm that. After all, the planner only showed one new entry each day for new events.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Cha Soo-Yeon spoke in a frustrated tone. "Then I'll inform Mr. Kim about this."

"With Mr. Kim's personality, he won't just turn a blind eye... Will that be okay?"

"He'll likely wait if I tell him that you're looking for evidence. Don't worry. If he does start to lose it, I'll try to calm him down."

"Alright. I'm counting on you, Ms. Cha."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

After parting ways with Cha Soo-Yeon, I headed straight to where Team Jung's talent agents were.

It was important to finish today's filming without any further issues.

***

All of our team members stayed close to Yoo-Jin to provide tight protection until midnight.

Just as I had expected, a new schedule popped up right after midnight.

[Notification: October 7th. A new schedule for Miss Jung Yoo-Jin has been added.]

I immediately checked the planner.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: October 7, 2020]

-00:55 a.m. [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Jung Yoo-Jin, deep scar on the face. Appointment with Doctor Jo Dae-Jin at Hansung University Plastic Surgery.

I fumed. '

A scar on a celebrity's face? There's no way...'

I took a deep breath to suppress the boiling anger. "

Huff. Huff~

"

There were 55 minutes left until the incident was supposed to happen.

Once I managed to calm down, I quickly sent a message to the talent agents on KkTalk.

[Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho: What's Ms. Jang Si-Ah's current location?]

Since following her alone might tip her off, the talent agents took turns tracking the whereabouts of Jang Si-Ah.

Shortly after, I received a message from Lee Yung-Jin.

[Assistant Manager Lee Yung-Jin: She just entered the chicken coop.]

[Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho: Okay. I'll head over there right away, so wait for me.]

After entrusting Yoo-Jin to Jung Sang-Bong and Lee Mi-Ri, I headed to the chicken coop with Yang So-Ri.

***

An abandoned chicken coop located in a secluded corner of the set was a 50-meter-long rectangular greenhouse-like structure with several side doors.

Because this was a place where chickens were once actually raised, the chicken cages were still intact. Even though it was the next filming location, the staff were so busy that the area felt completely deserted.

Since the script supervisor recorded everything that happened on set, they often had the cue sheets and filming schedule memorized.

As such, Jang Si-Ah was exceptionally aware of the times when there were no staff around and could even come up with dozens of excuses even if she got caught.

When I approached the chicken coop, Lee Yung-Jin, who had been hiding and waiting for me, waved. "Mr. Jung, over here."

"Yeah."

I carefully approached and peered inside through the window.

Just as I had expected, Jang Si-Ah was sawing the chicken coop cages with a hacksaw. She was sweating profusely and bending the sharply cut edges at right angles.

'

Wow, she is actually out of her mind,

' I remarked inwardly.

Soon, this location was set for a fight scene between Lee Byung-Jun and Yoo-Jin playing Cheongmyung.

There were quite a few scenes where they would collide with the metal cages, and it seemed she had planned this by deliberately cutting and bending the cages to make them dangerous.

I shook my head. '

She is insane..

.'

Grinding my teeth, I began recording everything on my phone.

Then I immediately checked the planner again.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: October 7, 2020]

-00:25 a.m.

(Deleted Schedule: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Jung Yoo-Jin, deep scar on the face. Appointment with Doctor Jo Dae-Jin at Hansung University Plastic Surgery.)

Fortunately, the schedule was deleted right away.

'

You're finished now!'

I thought.

All that was left now was to deal with her with the evidence captured.

A moment later, Jang Si-Ah stood up from her spot after dusting off her hands.

I immediately stopped the video recording and spoke to the talent agents who had come with me. "Yung-Jin, you go around to the other side. Ms. Yang, please go with him. I'll corner her from the left."

Both nodded and bent down to avoid being seen through the window as they quickly walked to the opposite door.

I headed toward the left entrance of the chicken coop.

As I opened the thick, black greenhouse door, Jang Si-Ah was startled and froze in her tracks. "W-what is this?"

"What are you doing here, Ms. Jang Si-Ah?" I questioned her.

Despite my raised voice, Jang Si-Ah responded shamelessly. "I'm just doing a quick site check under the director's orders."

"Isn't that something the props team should be handling?"

"Well, we're short on hands. I majored in art and even worked with props at a film company."

I waved my phone at her to confront her blatant lies.

"Stop with the nonsense. I recorded everything outside, so just give up already. Ms Jang Si-Ah. You're the one who swapped the knife, right?"

At that moment, Jang Si-Ah was stunned and bolted toward the opposite door.

However, Lee Yung-Jin and Yang So-Ri were already blocking that exit.

Jang Si-Ah tried to push her way through, but she only ended up bouncing off as Lee Yung-Jin and Yang So-Ri stood their ground.

Thud.

Jang Si-Ah landed on her rear on the ground.

I slowly approached her as she realized there was no way out.

"There's nowhere to run. So stop causing further trouble, Ms. Jang Si-Ah."

A drama created with the hard work of many actors and staff should be known for its entertainment value and viewership ratings. It should not be marred by a stalker issue like this.

That's why I planned to handle this matter quietly without involving the press.

I walked up to her step by step and stood in front of her.

At that moment, Jang Si-Ah spat at me. "Fuck! Fine, I did it. Call the cops if you want!"

"You'll regret this..." I warned her.

Jang Si-Ah scoffed. "Regret? The only thing I regret is not being able to ruin that bitch Jung Yoo-Jin! If she were gone, Yung-In could really be successful!"

Seeing that she still showed no remorse, I decided she needed a different kind of punishment before calling the police. "Yung-Jin, come inside."

The door of the greenhouse opened and Lee Yung-Jin came running in. "Yes, Mr. Jung."

I immediately gave Lee Yung-Jin a specific instruction. "Go bring Miss Ju Yung-In here. And ask Ms. Cha to come, too."

"You want me to bring Miss Yung-In... here?"

"Yes. Tell her that her stalker tried to attack Yoo-Jin. She'll come right away."

At that moment, Jang Si-Ah's expression turned pale. "What? No, wait... I-I was wrong! Please, wait!"

Just as I thought, there was something she feared more than the police.

It was the thought of being hated by the celebrity she adored.

***

A little while later, the bewildered looking Ju Yung-In arrived at the chicken coop with Cha Soo-Yeon. "O-oppa, what's going on? My fan... targeted Yoo-Jin?"

Though Yoo-Jin's popularity had surpassed hers in this drama, Ju Yung-In was still the lead actress of a series that had consistently broken 30% viewership ratings.

Her improved acting had received rave reviews more than just popularity, and offers for her next projects were pouring in.

However, if I reported this incident to the press, all of that could come crashing down.

Knowing this, Chief Ahn Yung-Hee of Ace Entertainment who had come along, was also visibly pale.

Rather than explaining the situation, I handed my phone to Ju Yung-In to show her the recorded video. "Take a look at this."

As Ju Yung-In, Ahn Yung-Hee, and Cha Soo-Yeon watched the video, their expressions simultaneously twisted in dismay.

"Have you told the press about this...?"

"Not yet. But I won't have a choice but to tell them if Miss Yung-In's side doesn't handle this properly."

Quick to grasp the situation, Ju Yung-In immediately understood what she had to do. "We'll handle it on our own. Please leave it to us, okay?"

When I nodded, Ju Yung-In clenched her teeth and approached Jang Si-Ah. "You! Why did you do this?"

Jang Si-Ah began babbling nonsensical excuses, claiming it wasn't her fault. "B-but Miss Yung-In, you're the lead of this drama! You did all the hard work and Yoo-Jin just reaped the rewards. This isn't fair!"

As Jang Si-Ah continued her twisted reasoning and excuses, Ju Yung-In stared at her coldly. Her eyes were full of contempt and disdain.

Jang Si-Ah flinched under her glare. "Why are you looking at me like that? You know it too, Miss Yung-In! That sly fox cozied up to the writer and stole all the good scenes! That's why I did this to Jung Yoo-Jin and..."

Slap

~

At that moment, Ju Yung-In slapped Jang Si-Ah across the face with all her might.