"Huh? Nothing more?"

Her trembling voice echoed back, disbelief evident on her face when I said there was nothing more.

"Why... why? Why not? You have nothing else to say? Didn't I move you at all? Me? That's impossible, right? Huh?"

She seemed quite flustered.

"Your acting was good, really."
"No, Ji-hoon, did you actually watch me while I was acting? It's part of your job to assist me, right? So, you should focus on me when I'm performing and give feedback. Why were you distracted?"

Yoo Hana's expression turned slightly indignant as she began to complain.

"I watched."
"But just saying 'it was good' can't be all there is, right? That doesn't make sense."
"What exactly do you want me to say? Just tell me."
"Ha..."

Yoo Hana bit her lip, her expression suggesting that she didn't want to have to say it herself.

"Well... I mean... When you watch an actor, there are things you could say, right? Like, the actor was charming, or you might fall for Yoo Hana, or it was so moving, and so on."

She continued to press the point.

"In my opinion, when you're asking for forgiveness from a man, it should feel more desperate, like your heart is about to burst."
"What???"

Yoo Hana looked even more flustered, shocked by the critique.

"Was it really not enough?"
"Yes."
"Why... why not?"
"Ah, I mentioned before that I was owed an apology, didn't I? But this level won't cut it."
"Oh..."

I responded dryly, and Yoo Hana's expression shifted to one of realization.

"I see... I underestimated the situation. I'll increase the intensity."

With that, she clenched her fists and headed toward the dressing room.

"Um, excuse me, sis."
"Yes?"
"Can you make my makeup look even more messed up?"
"What?"
"Like, smudge the mascara more. Make me look completely crazy."
"What?"
"I just think that the way I acted earlier wasn't enough, so I want to up the intensity."
"What? Yoo Hana, your acting was already insane just now... It was amazing, and you want to take it further?"
"Yes~ I want to make it so that the guy has no choice but to forgive me."
"Aha?"

Yoo Hana stared at her reflection in the mirror, deep in thought.

‘Hmm. My gut feeling is...’

She was considering several things.

‘Could it be that Hunter Chae Soo-hyun and Ji-hoon are dating? Maybe Chae Soo-hyun did something really wrong, and Ji-hoon wants her to regret it...? Yeah...? That's probably it, right?’

She seemed certain.

‘Alright. Let's do it this way.’

She nodded slightly to herself.

‘I'll act like I'm channeling Hunter Chae Soo-hyun. That way, Ji-hoon might like it, right? Hmm... Can I tweak the script a little...’

She was feeling a sense of urgency, with the final shoot of the day approaching.

Yoo Hana desperately wanted to capture Baek Ji-hoon's attention.

"Hey, can you smudge the mascara here a bit more... Yes, like that. And can we make this costume look even messier?"

She was very proactive.

"Sigh..."

Lee Soo-ah looked down at her smartphone.

The messages she had just exchanged with Baek Ji-hoon.

‘He’s telling me to hurry up...’

The pressure was immense. It had been a long time since she felt such pressure.

In fact, since becoming an S-rank Hunter—or rather, since achieving B-rank—she hadn’t felt this kind of pressure.

She was one of the fastest people to ever reach B-rank during the early days of the Hunter era.

"Ha... How did I end up like this...?"

She couldn't understand it. Just last week—or rather, the week before—she was the number one S-rank Hunter. Before Chae Soo-hyun took her spot as the top S-rank, she had proudly held the highest position in the country.

But now...

Lee Soo-ah glanced over at the Hunter Team 6.

"So, we're supposed to push Hunter Lee Soo-ah hard, right?"
"Exactly~ That’s how it’s supposed to be. Now things are going back to the way they should be."

Chief Cha was enthusiastically explaining the roles to Hunter Team 6.

"And Assistant Manager Park, make sure you handle the support from the rear properly."
"Yes!!"
"And Assistant Manager Kim, just cover the left wing. Hunter Lee Soo-ah will handle the rest, so there’s no need to worry too much."
"Yes, sir!!!"
"Alright, everyone, what’s our job? To push Hunter Lee Soo-ah to her limits. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!!!!"

The loud response echoed through the room.

"Ha..."

Lee Soo-ah let out a deep sigh. There was no way she could escape this situation.

‘Ha... If I say I don’t want to do it, Ji-hoon will probably say something again, right?’
‘Why am I facing this kind of trial...’
‘Wait...?’

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

‘Could it be that Ji-hoon is deliberately giving me a hard time? Like, he’s pretending to make things difficult for me, but then later, he’ll swoop in and give me points to save me? Ah~ Is that what this is?’

Lee Soo-ah, influenced by the many romance novels she had read, began to entertain this wild imagination.

‘Oh, that must be it~ Oh my, Ji-hoon, you're just playing hard to get, right? You’re going to give me the points anyway but just want to tease me first? Right? That’s why you’re putting all this pressure on me, right? Yes, that must be it. It has to be.’

She began to indulge in her own delusions.

‘Got it. So, if I work really hard, my knight in shining armor will appear and help me out. Awesome, awesome.’

Suddenly, Lee Soo-ah became all smiles.

"Hey, Soo-ah?"
"Yes!"
"Let’s get going then~ I’m all excited. It’s been a while since we’ve done something like this, right?"
"Yes, that’s true."

Chief Cha started to chuckle mischievously.

"Ha... Ha..."

Lee Soo-ah was breathing heavily.

‘Was it always this tough?’

It had been a long time since she had taken the lead in this kind of operation. It felt more challenging than she had anticipated.

‘No way... Starting with the Noksapyeong Dungeon is too much!’

She shot a glare at Chief Cha. He, oblivious to her struggle, was smiling brightly with the rest of Hunter Team 6.

"Hey~ Soo-ah, are you taking a break? Isn’t this a bit too slow~?"
"Ha. Chief Cha, can’t we take it easy? Just take a little break..."
"Hmm. What did you say to us when we asked to take it easy, Soo-ah?"
"Ha..."

She had no response. After all, those were her own words coming back to haunt her.

She was getting a taste of her own medicine.

‘Ha... Why did I say that... I should have let them take it easy... I was too harsh...’

She was undergoing a harsh reality check.

"Alright, Soo-ah~ No time for breaks~ We’ve got to finish this before the end of the day. Let’s move!"
"Yes..."

‘Sigh... Ji-hoon...’
‘No, maybe if I brag about working hard, he might help me out.’

She dusted herself off with a hopeful expression and resumed the dungeon raid.

"What? Yoo Hana looks a bit different."
"Director, for the final shoot today, I'm going to pour my soul into it."

Yoo Hana looked fierce, like a general heading into battle, ready to give everything.

"Uh... Why? You were already good enough earlier?"

The director flinched slightly, stepping back as if he felt the intensity.

"I'm going to beg for forgiveness from the man. I’m going to cling to him like it’s my last chance, with all my heart."
"Ah... But, you know, Hana, this work does include regret, but it doesn’t end with forgiveness, does it?"
"Yes, I know. But it doesn’t matter. I’m going to bring the character to life in a way that makes him want to forgive her, even if he doesn’t."

It seemed like no one could stop her now.

"Understood. Let’s get ready then."

"Ji-hoon?"

Yoo Hana approached Baek Ji-hoon.

She tapped him to get his attention.

"Ah, you startled me. Why does your makeup look like that?"
"We’re about to reshoot. It’s the last one today, so please watch it. Please, okay?"
"Ha... Fine."

Yoo Hana walked away with a bright smile, ready for the shoot.

"What’s with Yoo Hana’s makeup? She looks like a complete mess."

It was as if she had transformed into a chaotic, wild character.

‘What is this, a crazy woman?’

She clearly wanted me to focus on her performance.

‘Is she portraying a woman who regrets her actions?’
‘Did I accidentally provoke her?’

I thought that maybe my earlier comments had driven her to this extreme.

‘Well, she asked me to watch, so I guess I should see what she’s going to do.’

Step, step, step.

I moved closer to get a better view.

"Alright, Yoo Hana, are you ready? Have you gotten into character? Then let’s go~~ Action!"

The scene had become much more intense.

The man was about to walk away after delivering his final lines. Yoo Hana was desperate, doing everything she could to hold onto him.

She collapsed on the floor, struggling to keep the man from leaving.

‘Ha. Chae Soo-hyun... This is what she should be doing.’

"Ji... Jin-seok!!!"

Yoo Hana's desperate voice echoed as the scene began. The set fell silent as everyone focused on Yoo Hana.