Chapter 197: Murder
Kim Do-gyeong’s studio was a mess. Canvases and paints were scattered everywhere, and antique interior decorations were shattered and lying on the floor.
It was all made of sugar, so it wasn’t dangerous, but it was enough to create an intimidating atmosphere.
“The atmosphere feels a bit heavy today.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s because the scene we’re shooting is dark.”
“Muyoung and Woori are already immersed in their roles.”
The lighting crew whispered to each other as they continued to prepare for the shoot.
In the dressing room, Muyoung fixed his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. His expression looked indifferent, but he kept fiddling with the prop knife in his hand. It was clear evidence that he was nervous.
“Muyoung, relax.”
“Huh?”
“Your shoulders are too stiff.”
The stylist, who was fixing his hair, laughed and massaged his shoulders. Muyoung smiled faintly. He couldn’t help it. Today was finally the day they were going to shoot the first murder scene.
“I wish we had a little more time.”
“Don’t worry. You guys have been working really hard, right?”
“I’ve heard the managers complaining.”
During the short but long week, Muyoung had been living at the academy, practicing almost every day. Kim Woori and Chu Su-an also joined in, and there were always three futons laid out in one corner of the auditorium.
Click.
“Hi hi. Woori’s here!”
Kim Woori, who had finished her makeup, came over, adjusting her clothes. Inside, she was carrying a special makeup liquid.
The makeup team came over to Muyoung’s side and explained, “There’s one on the heart and one on the thigh. It’s a prop knife, so you have to press the handle hard. That’s how it bursts. The heart has a lot of blood.”
The blade was dull, but once it touched, it would go right in and wouldn’t hurt at all. Muyoung checked the exact location and said he understood.
“Are you done with your makeup?”
“Yes, almost done.”
“I’ll go on standby. Please finish up.”
The production team called the actors. It was time to really do it. Muyoung fiddled with his golden hair and looked at Kim Woori.
“Sister.”
“Yeah.”
They had fought and wrestled so much that Kim Woori’s body was already covered in bruises. The action director said this was pretty good, but there was no way he could feel at ease.
“Kill me well.”
At Kim Woori’s words, Muyoung steeled his heart and replied.
Chu Su-an was also waiting for the two of them, perfectly dressed in a suit. Muyoung lightly spun the knife and stepped onto the set.
A luxurious and extravagant bedroom.
Do-gyeong was lying on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking lethargic, as if he had just woken up from sleep and his hair was disheveled.
“Secretary Kim, get me some water.”
Just as Kim Secretary was about to pour water at his command,
A subordinate burst in without knocking. It was the kind of behavior Do-gyeong hated the most—chaotic, disorganized, and undignified.
“What’s going on?”
Kim Secretary also frowned and asked. But that was proof of how urgent the situation was.
“Uh, I think you should check the internet. There was blood in that work—”
“Take a breath and speak slowly.”
“One of the author’s unpublished works was obtained by foreign media, and some of the paint used contained blood components. But it’s the DNA of a person who was reported missing…….”
It was the moment Do-gyeong’s murder was revealed to the world.
In fact, the media and police already knew, but they had remained silent due to immunity. They dismissed it as a rumor and refused to investigate, claiming there was no evidence, dozens of times.
The people’s dissatisfaction and doubts were like a volcano waiting to erupt, and now the signal had been fired.
“Unpublished work?”
Unpublished works were sometimes given by Do-gyeong as gifts to VIPs or secretly bought and sold. He had no idea what it was. Do-gyeong checked the photo on his phone.
“Do you remember it?”
“Ah…….”
Rattle.
Kim Secretary asked, but Do-gyeong didn’t answer. He just got up silently and pulled a knife out of the drawer. Kim Secretary quickly gave instructions and followed his master.
“Contact the portal and tell them to take down all related posts. And give a heads-up to the media and the prosecution.”
“Yes.”
There was no emotion in his back. Soon, he realized that Do-gyeong was heading to the studio.
Click.
When he opened the door, Kim Woori was lying on the floor. She used the countless canvases, stained with oil paint, as her bed. Do-gyeong liked that sight and often made playful jokes, calling it a work on top of a work. But today, the atmosphere was different.
“Good morning, Ms. Kim Woori.”
At Do-gyeong’s calm greeting, Kim Woori opened her eyes. Her arms and legs trembled instantly. She looked clearly nervous.
“Did you know?”
“……What? What is it?”
“That you haven’t cried lately.”
Do-gyeong strode over and grabbed the woman’s hair. The frail woman’s upper body rose, and soon Do-gyeong pressed his forehead against hers and muttered,
“I thought you had gotten used to it, but you hadn’t. You were holding onto hope.”
“Augh! P-Please don’t do this.”
“I was an idiot.”
Kim Woori found a piece of paper stained with blood among the countless sketches scattered in the studio. It was clearly a trace of a previous victim. There were more of those things in the studio than she thought.
“I thought you were pretty, so I was nice to you, and this is how you betray me?”
“Aaaaaah!”
Without hesitation, Do-gyeong stabbed the knife into her left thigh. A horrific scream rang out, and blood burst forth. The dazzling red color was more beautiful than any color Do-gyeong had ever seen.
“How did you get it out?”
“……Hic…….”
Do-gyeong asked, but Kim Woori didn’t answer. She just bit her lips tightly, afraid that words might slip out. Do-gyeong expressionlessly slapped her cheek hard.
Smack!
Smack!
The merciless violence continued. Kim Secretary looked out the window with a plain expression. He had never received a report that anyone had left the room. So, the only way out was over there…….
“Kill me! Just kill me, you devil!”
As soon as Kim Secretary turned around, the blood-soaked Kim Woori screamed. Do-gyeong, who was on top of her, buried his face in the woman’s neckline. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. The smell of blood mixed with paint was intoxicating.
“Ah. Really…….”
It’s too bad to kill her.
“……You’ll definitely go to hell.”
Kim Woori whispered a curse in Do-gyeong’s ear. Do-gyeong smiled faintly and groped the floor. His fingertips touched the handle of the knife.
“What are you talking about? I’m going to heaven.”
“You bastard…….”
“Is there anyone in the world as clean as me? Even a newborn baby has the sin of causing pain to its mother’s womb. But me? God has forgiven all my sins.”
“Die. Die in humiliation, losing your dignity as a human being. Even that’s too much for you.”
“Tsk tsk. If you say such bad things, you’ll go to hell.”
Do-gyeong caressed her chin and lifted it up. Tears flowed from Kim Woori’s eyes.
“Master. If you kill her—”
He was about to stop him and say it was wrong, but Do-gyeong’s hand pierced her heart without hesitation. Stabbing the same spot over and over again, his hand looked almost sacred, like an angel who had descended to punish evil—silent but resolute in doing his duty.
“Ah…….”
His golden hair was drenched in blood. Do-gyeong pressed his face against Kim Woori’s neck again. The smell of death at the end was also special. When he didn’t get up but only turned his head, Kim Secretary approached and squatted down.
“We need to clean this up.”
“Are you throwing everything away?”
“Yeah. All of it.”
No matter how much you cover your eyes and ears, you’ll have to clean it up. The studio, of course, and the backyard will have to be dug up too.
When Kim Secretary carefully wiped his face with a handkerchief, Do-gyeong smiled, looking pleased. It was similar to the sense of liberation that came after intense exercise.
“Whoa! Okay! That’s good!”
“Great! Cut cut!”
“Good thing it went well in one take.”
“Muyoung was so worried, but it turns out he was just being humble!”
“Wow. Great teamwork. Kim Woori’s acting was really good.”
“What should we do with the leftover clothes?”
“Just keep them, just in case.”
Director Kim San gave the cut sign, looking satisfied. He had prepared five or six sets of the same clothes, worried that there might be an NG, but there was no need at all.
The acting was clean, and the timing was perfect. Kim Woori raised her drooping hand and stroked Muyoung’s hair.
“Muyoung?”
Can you get off me now?
But Muyoung was still on top of Kim Woori, his face buried in her body. Chu Su-an also tilted his head in confusion and patted his shoulder.
“……Junior?”
Muyoung was in a daze, his mind blank, like someone intoxicated by heat. His eyes were hazy. Kim Woori grabbed his cheek and called his name again.
“Ha Muyoung.”
“Junior Muyoung.”
Come back now. Not as Do-gyeong, but as Ha Muyoung.
His gaze was dark, as if he were possessed by the character of Do-gyeong. But soon, his eyes cleared. Muyoung looked down at his hands, which were covered in red blood.
“Uh…….”
Did I do well? Did I really do well?
It was a silent question, but Kim Woori and Chu Su-an smiled and patted his back.
“You did really well!”
“……L-Look at the director’s expression…….”
Excited, the actors lay on the set, not caring, while the assistant director had his nose pressed against the monitor, checking the footage. Muyoung’s face gradually filled with joy.
“Wow.”
I really did it. A sense of accomplishment made his nose tingle. Tears fell, washing away the red blood.
“Oh my. You did well, so why are you crying?”
“Uh, uh…….”
Chu Su-an fumbled and wiped Muyoung’s face with a prop handkerchief. Kim Woori hugged his waist while lying down and comforted him.
“Thank you. Sister, senior.”
Just like on the first day of shooting, the three of them huddled together, their heads touching.
If the tears that day were from sadness, this time they were tears of joy and happiness.
“Why are you all like that?”
Kim San tilted his head in confusion, and the cinematographer clicked his tongue and laughed.
“They lived together at the action school for a week. They must feel relieved after all the hard work~”
“Whoa! I did it!”
Muyoung jumped up, shouting in triumph, his whole body bouncing. If he had been a dog with a tail, he might have flown like a propeller.
“Oh my. Muyoung, help me up.”
“Are you hurt anywhere, sister?”
“No, I’m perfectly fine.”
At his words, Muyoung laughed again and linked arms with her, spinning around. When Chu Su-an stood there blankly, he pulled his arm and joined in.
People soaked in blood laughing and dancing like that. It was certainly a strange scene.
Especially Chu Su-an’s awkward movements.
“Everyone, good job. Let’s do some monitoring.”
“Yes!”
For the first time, Muyoung saw himself hurting someone. Surprisingly, his hands didn’t tremble, and he wasn’t scared. The man on the screen didn’t look like Muyoung at all.
“How do you like it? Do you like it? By the way, I really like it.”
At Kim San’s question, Muyoung murmured in awe.
“I really like it.”
His eyes shone even brighter. Like a young bird breaking out of its shell, his gaze was bright and clear. Muyoung said confidently,
“I really think I can do anything from now on.”