"Father!"
"..."
"Please spare me!"
Tears flowed unceasingly from the eyes of a woman who appeared to be in her late teens.
Her desperate pleas evoked a sense of pity, but the man observing her showed no emotion at all.
No. There was one emotion.
Disdain.
A cold look of disdain towards her.
"Drag her away."
"Ah, father!"
As soon as the man's order was issued, several knights nearby rushed forward and grabbed her.
Even as she was being dragged away by the knights, she continued to cry out for help.
But no one was listening to her.
It wasn't just the knights. The eyes of those around her were all the same as well.
Pathetic and ridiculing.
Moments later, someone stepped in front of her. It was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
"Elder brother!"
The man, too, had a cold look in his eyes.
"I… I was wrong!"
"…"
The man stared at her in silence while she pleaded for forgiveness, as if she were burying her face on the ground to hide the shame, then unsheathed the sword that hung by his side.
And then…
"I…!"
"U-Ugh!"
Sia's eyes snapped open and she instinctively placed her hand on her chest.
Exhaling deeply, a surge of relief washed over her as she felt her beating heart.
'At least it wasn't the guillotine.'
Was she supposed to be grateful? Sia let out a brief sigh. She suddenly recalled the first time she experienced this phenomenon.
'Was I five years old then?'
It was that day when the incident occurred. The day she saw a ghost for the first time.
'Mom…'
Her mother, who died at her side.
Ever since the moment she caught her mother's gaze, filled with a mix of sorrow and relief, just before disappearing, Sia was able to see ghosts.
'Okay.'
Seeing ghosts is one thing.
'But what is this?'
It was also around that time when Sia began to experience this phenomenon. She first experienced it shortly after her mom died.
'It's not a dream.'
It wasn't a dream. It was just a phenomenon that happens occasionally when she closes her eyes. A new world would unfold before her, as if she were being sucked into another world.
'The first scene I saw was…'
Being stabbed with a sword; just like now.
'My heart.'
No, it's that woman's heart.
An eerie sensation washed over her when she had possessed her.
Even after Sia opened her eyes, she couldn't say anything for a while.
That was the beginning.
Since then, she would often close her eyes, only to be sucked into a strange world where she would live the same life over and over again.
There, Sia is always the same woman. A woman who appears to be a medieval noblewoman.
The woman was, in a word…
'Dark.'
Dull!
She doesn't talk much and her expression is very gloomy.
However, her pride as an aristocrat was so high that she could not bear to be ignored or shunned.
At first, she would be annoyed by the sight of the woman who would scream and behave violently when she got angry. The end of such a woman has always been the same.
Death.
At the hands of a man who appears to be her brother.
At the hands of a man who appears to be her father.
Or she was led to the guillotine and beheaded in front of a crowd.
'It feels really…'
Horrible.
Despite having seen her die countless times, Sia couldn't get used to it.
She shouted at her to stop dying and live a different life every time.
The thought of the woman dying and going back in time to repeat the same life made Sia feel a sense of pity beyond irritation.
Perhaps it's because she's possessing her body and watching her life every time.
A longing for that woman's happiness started to surface over time.
However…
The woman died again today.
'Sigh…'
Sia, who briefly closed her eyes while waiting for the next shoot, let out a string of profanities when she experienced the phenomenon of being drawn into a strange world.
She felt awful.
"Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?"
Ji-hyun, who had just returned from sorting out her grandmother's belongings, inquired as she rushed up to her with wide eyes.
Her face was shrouded in gratitude, thankful that she had found money worth nearly 30 million won under the persimmon tree.
She said she cried for days on end, thinking about her grandmother who saved the money without spending it to give to her in difficult situations.
"...It was a nightmare."
"You're sweating. Let me redo your makeup."
"Okay."
Sia let out a short sigh and closed her eyes, feeling Ji-hyun's familiar touch.
"...!"
But it wasn't long until she had to open her eyes again.
"Sia?"
"...."
"What's wrong?"
Ji-hyun asked, throwing a puzzled expression at Sia's pale complexion.
But Sia did not have the energy to answer her question.
'W-What was that?'
The scene from before continued the moment she closed her eyes.
'This never happened before…'
Once the phenomenon happened, it would go away for a few days. But this time, as soon as she closed her eyes, the scene unfolded again.
Is it because the woman died? Sia did not possess the woman's body, but was looking at the world while floating in the air.
Soon, her eyes met Sia's, as she was bleeding to death.
"..."
Seeing the resentment and sadness in her eyes, Sia couldn't let go of her hardened expression for a while.
* * *
"Hey… Sia."
"What?"
"Get some shut-eye."
"I'm fine."
She was not fine…
Manager Hyun-seok flashed an awkward smile as he looked at Sia.
The sight of Sia sitting there with red, bloodshot eyes was unappealing.
As soon as he entered the waiting room, he told her to get some shut-eye, though Sia was having a hard time doing so.
There was something eerie about seeing her eyes every time she closed her eyes.
"We still have over an hour left until we start finishing the scene."
"I know."
"Get some sleep."
"I'm okay."
Alright, it's up to her.
Hyun-seok shook his head at her firm refusal. He wasn't sure why she was acting that way.
Sia didn't even know what was going on, she couldn't even explain what was happening to her, so she quietly held it in.
'I want to close my eyes.'
She wants to sleep!
Sia knew it was important to get some shut-eye between takes since filming continues throughout the night.
'But…'
She didn't think she would be doing that today.
Sia let out a brief sigh as she recalled the scene she'd seen earlier, seeing the dead woman's eyes that were filled with resentment and sorrow.
'I'd rather play
She didn't want to see that scene again.
She'd seen countless horrific things through various ghosts. But she never felt the need to be afraid of them.
It's because she knows that it's very rare for ghosts to physically harm humans unless they are frightened.
But…
'Why?'
The moment she saw the resentful eyes of the dead woman, she was strangely appalled.
It's not like she hasn't seen her die once or twice, so why?
'Today's was different.'
Her eyes seemed to be looking at her.
Sia never wanted to see that look or those eyes again. Her heart throbs in her chest, and she felt like something sharp was needling her body.
'Pity?'
That's not it.
Although that woman's life is frustrating and unfortunate, it was not heartbreaking enough for her to care.
She's seen her die countless times for over the past 20 years… but now? It didn't feel like that.
That look she gave her. She couldn't get it out of her head.
'It's gotten bad…'
She should've lived well.
「Three people were found dead in an apartment in Daegu. Mr. A, who was struggling to make ends meet, allegedly killed his wife and six-year-old son before taking his own life…」
"Oh my…"
The TV in the waiting room was broadcasting the news. All eyes were drawn to the screen that shed light on the sad story.
The manager, Hyun-seok, who stood next to Sia, clicked his tongue with a sad expression.
"…"
Sia glanced over at the TV.
Displayed on the screen was a single room nestled in the basement, where the family had met their tragic end. The scene portrayed an undeniable truth that their deaths were a direct result of the struggles they faced that they could not overcome.
"How hard must it have been… tsk."
"If things get hard, will you do that?"
"Huh?"
Hyun-seok, who was muttering to himself without realizing it, was startled by the soft voice he heard.
"Then you should just die alone."
Sia's tone and expression were very calm, as her eyes were fixated on the screen.
However, Hyun-seok could not hide his embarrassment when he remembered something.
"U-Um, Sia…"
"What sin did the child commit?"
"Well…"
Hyun-seok was desperately wanting to turn off the TV, but he couldn't find the damn remote control.
"But that man, the father, killed the child with him."
Hyun-seok ended up unplugging the TV cables altogether. He looks back at Sia awkwardly with a smile.
Although it was off, Sia could not take her eyes off the TV.
"Sia, are you okay-"
"Sia, please get ready."
Just as Hyun-seok was about to speak again, the filming crew came into the waiting room.
'Phew.'
Letting out a brief sigh, Sia tore her gaze away from the TV and slowly rose to her feet.
'
Sia fought back the sigh she wanted to let out as she headed to the set.
She was not having a good day today.
Is it because she's been around ghosts for so long? There were times when she really felt like this.
She sensed that something was about to go wrong.
No matter how big or small, something was bound to happen on days like that.
And on days like those, it's best to just go home and rest well.
"Are you two ready?"
A romantic comedy drama depicting the romance between a handsome and capable young president and his secretary.
It was not a particularly difficult scene; it's a scene where she attends a party as the male lead's partner and takes care of him as his secretary.
'A squeak?'
Sia was filming a scene where she was checking the food for the male lead, who happens to be a picky eater, when she looked at an unfamiliar noise coming from somewhere.
"Aaaah!"
"Sia!"
She looked up the moment she heard their screams.
"...!"
Sia was stunned by the fact that the chandelier had fallen on her---- no, by the sight of a ghost hanging above.