Chapter 305: Chapter 305

Ha-eun was the type of actress with a commanding presence.

So much so that Da-yeon once said she looked like a “delinquent unnie”—a face that naturally seized people’s attention.

In other words, a screen-dominating face. This distinct heaviness in Ha-eun’s features had become especially pronounced since The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds.

“I still remember how shocked I was when I heard that Yeong-wol was actually the young Han Yuhwa from Byeolon Hall.”

Director Kwak Jung-yeon of Dynasty was already well aware of Ha-eun’s striking charisma. He still vividly remembered her fierce expression as Yeong-wol in her first lead drama, slicing down assassins with cold precision.

When cast in warm, gentle roles, Ha-eun’s image shifted completely.

But her first villain role as Lee Ye-seo in Veterans had taken her savagery to a new level, even beyond Yeong-wol’s.

“There’s a reason that movie hit ten million tickets.”

Actors are often said to have “a thousand faces,” but there are always roles that suit one’s face better than others.

And when Ha-eun’s deeply immersive acting met roles that amplified her intense aura, the resulting synergy shattered expectations.

Disheveled hair. A face caked in ghostly white makeup. Mouth gaping open as she lunged at Jeong-hoon and Da-yeon. A bloodstained court lady uniform drenched in deep crimson.

It was far more terrifying than anyone had anticipated.

The highlight of Ha-eun’s zombie performance was a charge that ripped through a battalion of royal guards.

“Protect His Highness the Crown Prince─!”

“Please, Your Highness! You must flee─!”

Guards surrounded her in defense of Crown Prince Lee Jin, but—

Not a single one managed to stop her.

Men easily a head taller than her were tossed aside like autumn leaves in a storm.

“Whoa, their ad-libs are on point.”

“They’re syncing with Ha-eun perfectly.”

“They look like they’re really being thrown around.”

The extras flung aside by Ha-eun’s charge even drew nods of approval from Director Kwak and the crew.

It was a perfect embodiment of zombie terror.

Zombies are supposed to gain tremendous strength—so it wasn’t exactly unbelievable that a horde of guards couldn’t take her down.

Technically, this wasn’t in the script, but the reactions felt so seamless it was hard to believe it wasn’t pre-arranged.

“...! RUN! RUN, NOW!”

Ha-eun exuded the terrifying resolve of someone utterly determined to sink her teeth into Crown Prince Lee Jin.

Jeong-hoon and Da-yeon, faces pale with fear, fled in genuine panic.

It was the kind of performance that made you think,

“Yep, she’s the real deal.”

A breathtaking chase sequence that left the audience glued to their seats.

“She’s almost catching them, this is so intense.”

“Even their gasping feels real.”

“Ha-eun’s face... that’s gonna haunt my dreams.”

The actors racing across the massive set looked perfectly natural even to Director Kwak.

Their full-throttle sprinting was captured across multiple camera angles.

The OK sign from Director Kwak came a few moments later.

As soon as he gave the cut, Jeong-hoon and Da-yeon collapsed, panting hard.

Meanwhile, Ha-eun approached without so much as a wheeze, casually thanking them for their hard work.

“You’re faster than I expected.”

“Ah... huh... I-is that... so...?”

“Hey... I... told you... to take it easy...”

Neither Jeong-hoon nor Da-yeon had the strength to even lift their heads.

They had no desire to know that Ha-eun had actually adjusted her pace to match theirs.

Still, Jeong-hoon’s exhaustion stood out.

It felt a bit sad to see a healthy young man in his twenties winded just from running.

“Sung-jae could’ve done multiple action scenes in a row without breaking a sweat...”

Maybe it was because she remembered how Jeong-hoon died in her past life—but she couldn’t shake the urge to see him build up some stamina.

Not that his accidental death was solely due to poor fitness.

But better stamina could, even slightly, reduce the odds of another tragedy.

“I’ll try to bring it up later.”

Having resolved to suggest exercise to Jeong-hoon, Ha-eun headed for the makeup room.

It was time to switch her look from undead to human—the palace maid before she became a zombie.

The filming order called for the zombie scene to be shot first, followed by the scene where the maid sacrifices herself to buy time.

So, the stylists smoothed her wild hair into a neat bun, and her pale zombie face returned to a healthy complexion.

About 30 minutes later, filming resumed.

“Alright, if everyone’s ready, let’s begin. Cue!”

With Director Kwak’s signal, the scene began:

Ha-eun, now playing Hong-ryeon, the maid who buys time for the Crown Prince and Princess to escape from the swarm of undead.

“Go... please, hurry....”

One shoulder had already been bitten.

The sleeve of her court maid uniform was torn to shreds.

Even so, her feet turned away from the royals.

Dragging her blood-soaked skirt behind her, she moved toward the infected.

The Crown Princess’s hand reached out, trembling, toward the slowly retreating figure.

Hong-ryeon was her trusted companion—a palace maid the same age, and someone who had been by her side for years.

But even the desperate voice of the Crown Princess couldn’t make her turn around.

Eyes fixed on the swarming corpses ahead, Hong-ryeon pressed ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) forward.

Her limping steps left flower-petal-like red footprints behind.

A trembling elbow, a ripped shoulder, pus and blood streaming down her arm.

“Please... pl-please... survive....”

Her voice quivered as she whispered it like a mantra.

Even though she had lost too much blood and her breathing was fading, she did not stop.

“She’s like a completely different person.”

“All of that was ad-lib... she’s built different.”

All Director Kwak had requested was for her to walk toward the zombie horde.

Everything else was Ha-eun’s own creation.

Even the dialogue had been improvised.

“Hkk... Guh... Ugh...”

The final moments of Hong-ryeon, being torn apart by a horde of zombies, were almost entirely ad-libbed.

When she moaned in agony with increasingly clouded eyes, the experience of having once played a VR zombie horror game came in unexpectedly handy.

With the visceral sound of zombie teeth sinking deep into flesh, court lady Hong-ryeon drew her final breath.

Moments later, she too became one of the infected.

“Cut! That’s a wrap~!”

Director Kwak Jung-yeon’s satisfied “OK” filled the set.

Even though it was just a brief cameo, he was deeply grateful for how fully Ha-eun immersed herself in the role.

Her performance was flawless—without a single weak spot.

If anything, the only issue was that it may have been too good.

Something about it stood out just a little too much.

For a sudden cameo, it felt like there was some tragic backstory behind the character.

After thinking for a moment, Director Kwak decided to reinforce the connection between Hong-ryeon and Crown Princess Jeong ever so slightly.

He cautiously approached Ha-eun to ask about filming a short additional scene.

“It won’t be long—just a few short lines showing them talking casually. Is that alright?”

“Ah, yes. That’s fine.”

To his relief, Ha-eun gave a positive answer.

They quickly revised some lines originally meant for other maids into Hong-ryeon’s dialogue and resumed filming.

The tone was more peaceful—like friends talking.

At the same time, it subtly foreshadowed Hong-ryeon’s eventual death.

“There probably isn’t anyone who’s known me as long as you.”

“So... if there ever comes a time when I have to protect you, I...”

“Don’t say that. I don’t want to hear it.”

“...Yes, understood.”

“Cut! That was great~.”

And so, they wrapped up even the short dialogue scenes that would be inserted into the early episodes of Dynasty. Newest update provıded by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩

Soon after, Ha-eun and Da-yeon headed to the makeup room together.

All that was left now was to change back into their casual clothes and head home.

But before that, Ha-eun had something she needed to ask—related to Jeong-hoon.

“You... uh... what do you think about Jeong-hoon?”

Da-yeon tilted her head slightly, unsure of what Ha-eun was getting at.

Seeing the puzzled expression, Ha-eun decided to be more direct.

“Like, do you like him? Want to date him or anything like that...?”

“...Did you eat something weird?”

“No, no—it’s nothing. Never mind...”

Even though Da-yeon had changed a lot compared to her past life, Ha-eun still had to be sure.

But from the looks of it, Da-yeon currently had no feelings for Jeong-hoon.

“...Should I consider that a relief?”

Regardless, even if the two never dated, Ha-eun wanted to make sure Da-yeon wouldn’t be hurt by anything related to Jeong-hoon.

In the end, saving someone was always better than letting them die.

Luckily, Jeong-hoon was still at the set.

So right after changing, Ha-eun made her way to him.

First, she asked if he exercised regularly.

Then she planned to exchange contact info and, over time, encourage him to start working out.

“I’ll need to stay in contact anyway, to know if that variety show reaches out to him.”

But then—right in the middle of their conversation—

“Oh, I actually live nearby too.”

“Really? Do you know the OJ Building?”

“The new one? That’s like a 10-minute walk from my place.”

It turned out Jeong-hoon lived in the same neighborhood as Ha-eun.

She hadn’t known where he lived in her past life, so this was a welcome surprise.

“Would you want to work out together sometime? I go to a gym, but I don’t really know anyone there, so it gets kinda boring.”

“Yeah! And they’re doing a new member promo right now—”

Jeong-hoon raised an eyebrow, slightly thrown by how much Ha-eun sounded like a gym marketing rep.

Still, it didn’t feel like something to reject outright, so he replied that he’d think about it.

“A gym, huh...? I guess I could stand to build up some stamina.”

They exchanged phone numbers soon after, and that was the end of the conversation.

Having gotten his number more easily than expected, a sense of relief washed over Ha-eun’s face.

But then she noticed something strange about Da-yeon, who was walking beside her.

Something about her seemed... off.

Her voice was soft, but tinged with something heavier.

Yet, she trailed off without finishing the thought, brushing it aside.

So Ha-eun simply tilted her head in confusion.

But Da-yeon’s mind was far more tangled.

“What do you think about Jeong-hoon?”

“Like him, want to date him...”

Ha-eun’s behavior kept replaying in her head—

It felt like she was hiding something about Jeong-hoon.

Come to think of it, hadn’t Ha-eun been watching him closely all day?

“Want to work out together? I go to a gym, but I don’t know anyone there—”

“No way... no way... right?”

Her heart was in turmoil.

She couldn’t stop thinking about how Ha-eun had been talking to Jeong-hoon, alone.