In This Life, I Want an Oscar, Not a Husband - Chapter 82

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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This life, I choose The Oscars over a husband.
Chapter 82

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Two days after filming wrapped on The Apartment.
Go Heung-jae sat in the Administrative Office of the School for the Visually Impaired.

“Let’s go volunteer together sometime.”

It was because of the give-and-take deal with Ha Eun-rae.
He’d pushed Seo Eun-sul’s script and was receiving only this in return. She would have naturally agreed to something far more substantial.
‘I’m truly a pushover….’
Go Heung-jae shook his head and gazed at Ha Eun-rae, who stood before him as if educating him.
Beside him sat Seo Kyung-bin.
And….
“Hello, senior!”
Maeng Hye-seung as well.
He didn’t actually know her name, but recognized her face immediately.
The woman who played the Prosecutor in “Dear Kim Ji-hyun.”
‘She was quite talented.’
But seeing her like this, she looked rather young.
Go Heung-jae smiled and accepted her greeting.
“Ha, I enjoyed your performance. But your name is….”
“Maeng, Hye, Seung.”
Maeng Hye-seung….
Go Heung-jae looked her up and down.
A female actress who didn’t get intimidated in front of an experienced actor like himself, with solid acting skills….
If she continued well, he’d likely see her often in dramas.
After quick calculation, Go Heung-jae decided to manage his connection with Maeng Hye-seung appropriately.
“May I call you Hye-seung?”
“Oh my~ Of course. I’d be honored~”
Ah. She was from the same generation as him.
Go Heung-jae laughed along, hearing Maeng Hye-seung’s smooth response.
“Have you been coming here often with Soo-hyun— I mean, Eun-rae?”
At his question, Maeng Hye-seung shook her head.
“No, that’s not it. I originally planned to have a meal with Eun-rae and grab some tea, but when she mentioned volunteer work, I tagged along. Plus, I wanted to make a good impression on my senior at the talent agency!”
Maeng Hye-seung said this while turning to look at Seo Kyung-bin.
“Senior Kyung-bin~”
That was right.
Maeng Hye-seung had signed directly with Naru Stage.
According to what Ha Eun-rae heard from Director Jang Hee-ja, she had appreciated how straightforward and decisive the contract process was, without unnecessary complications.
She had even said she wanted to join specifically because Eun-rae was there.
‘I didn’t think we had built up that much trust between us yet….’
Of course, it was true that I had been the one to facilitate the introduction.

Unnie. Our talent agency moved recently—would you like to stop by sometime? Our Agency Representative wanted to meet you.
Maeng Hye-seung unnie
Naru Stage? I’m in!
Maeng Hye-seung unnie
👍👍

Seeing that she already knew the agency’s name made me wonder if she’d had Naru Stage in mind all along.
Well, regardless.
That was how Maeng Hye-seung became the third actor signed to Naru Stage.
And—
“…n, ni…ce… to… me…et….”
“Pardon?”
“Nice to….”
She became another victim of Seo Kyung-bin’s eternally incomplete sentences.
Maeng Hye-seung laughed awkwardly as she watched him.
Recalling the Seo Kyung-bin she’d seen in his works, the contrast was so jarring that she was momentarily flustered.
If Ha Eun-rae hadn’t stepped in to explain, she would have seriously wondered if Kyung-bin disliked her.
“He’s naturally a bit introverted.”
“Ah, yes. I see. Haha, hahaha!”
Maeng Hye-seung couldn’t quite finish her awkward laugh and sank deeper into her chair.
Just as extroverts drain the energy of introverts, introverts drain the energy of extroverts.
Watching the two of them, Go Heung-jae casually interjected.
“So Kyung-bin, have you been coming to volunteer continuously with Eun-rae?”
“Uh, Eun-rae…?”
Seo Kyung-bin shot Go Heung-jae a slight glare for a moment.
‘Was that a glare… or not?’
Was it my imagination?
“Y, yes… we… have… been… coming… together….”
Seo Kyung-bin spoke in a slightly higher tone than before.
“The whole time.”
“Ah….”
At those words, Go Heung-jae recalled Ha Eun-rae’s performance from two days prior.
That portrayal of a visually impaired character that had captivated everyone.
Many actors had played visually impaired characters before.
Most of them focused on what was visible to the audience.
They’d deliberately open their eyes as if cross-eyed, or fumble their hands excessively.
In other words, they mimicked what a visually impaired person “should” do.
And because of that, it sometimes felt repulsive.
You could see the actor trying to showcase their own acting prowess before the character itself.
And simultaneously, the character would be entirely consumed by the single trait of “being visually impaired.”
But Ha Eun-rae’s performance was nothing like that.
Ha Eun-rae’s Soo-hyun was a visually impaired character, yes—but also a survivor with remarkable adaptability, the quickest to acclimate to a world overrun with zombies.

“Why the frying pan….”
“I was trying to kill it. Since it’s a zombie.”
“….”

The character bleeding through in every inflection of dialogue.
With each movement, rather than reaching out her hands, she seemed to count her steps with deliberate precision.
It felt as though Soo-hyun truly existed in that very space.
That’s why Park Chang-sung, the conductor of this film set, had grown so fond of Ha Eun-rae’s acting.
So much so that he’d demanded five additional takes.

“Eun-rae, sorry to ask, but could we do just one more take? I want to capture a few more edit points.”

Go Heung-jae could sense that Park Chang-sung would expand Ha Eun-rae’s screen time.
He’d likely preserve every shot—close-ups, wide angles, all of it.
And that wasn’t a bad thing for him at all.
The more scenes Soo-hyun had, the more times his own face would appear on screen.
And beyond that—

“Oppa. Could you get some water for her?”

Watching Soo-hyun perform, I found myself naturally drawn into her world.
Receiving the emotions she conveyed, my own acting seemed to grow alongside hers.
How could a rookie who debuted less than a year ago deliver such a performance?
I was curious—
‘Ah, so she’s someone who works hard.’
With both talent and effort, one becomes unstoppable.
“Now we’ll be going to the Classroom where the children are. There are a few things you need to know.”
Eun-rae, who had volunteered here frequently with Kyung-bin, appeared quite practiced.
“First, everything must be communicated verbally. You absolutely cannot grab their hands suddenly or pull their arms.”
“Then how do I help them?”
“There’s a blue pen at seven o’clock. An eraser at nine o’clock. You describe it like that. And the important thing is—you shouldn’t think of it as ‘helping.'”
“Then…?”
“We simply assist the children in doing things independently. Once they leave this School, they’ll have to live on their own.”
Go Heung-jae’s expression became complicated at those words.
A person with a disability living alone?
Isn’t that dangerous?
How could someone who is visually impaired live independently?
That’s what Go Heung-jae thought, but—

Snap!

Thirty minutes later.
My perspective changed after meeting Seo A-reum.
“I’ll take out the pen myself. Just tell me where it is.”
“…Huh? Ah… That’s….”
“Sigh….”
Seo A-reum didn’t wait for me.
Instead, with an irritated expression, she immediately reported my attitude to Eun-rae.
“Teacher, switch please. I want to work with Eun-rae.”
“Me? I’m helping Jung Soo right now.”
“Then Kyung-bin!”
Damn.
Wow… This….
“Twelve o’clock! There’s a blue pen at twelve o’clock. Red pen at nine, pencil at seven. The eraser is right next to the pencil, so six o’clock.”
…I felt my competitive spirit ignite.
I had no choice but to reflect once more on what Eun-rae had said.

“We simply assist the children in doing things independently. Once they leave this School, they’ll have to live on their own.”

Living alone….
Go Heung-jae’s mind suddenly recalled the ‘Soo-hyun’ he had witnessed on set.
The way she moved forward without hesitation, counting her steps rather than feeling her way with her hands.
Soo-hyun was learning how to live ‘alone’ without anyone’s help.
The moment this realization struck him, Go Heung-jae felt heat rise to his face.
He had never truly considered it.
What it meant to live alongside someone who is visually impaired.
Perhaps this moment right now… wasn’t a repayment he was offering her—
but rather an awakening that Ha Eun-rae was giving to him, who had arrived on set like a blank slate.
‘I’ve been thoroughly schooled.’
Go Heung-jae let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Ha Eun-rae.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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