Escape From the Daytime Drama

Chapter 4

This was my way of bullying Han Seori. Most of her actions were completely acceptable in this soap opera world, but how absurd were they in reality? Villains in TV shows commit heinous, almost comically exaggerated crimes, then go even further not to get caught. Then, once the female lead exposes them, they eventually self-destruct. Could that really be the only way to torment and obstruct the female lead? I had my own methods.

Loyal as I may be to the original script, there was a chance I could never return to my world again. Did I have to dig my own grave and rot in prison for the rest of my life? No, thanks. In the end, all I had to do was bully Han Seori—within the confines of the law, if possible—and arrive at an ending in which she successfully marries Cha Yebin.

Bullying Seori was easy. It was only a matter of bringing reality into this daytime drama. For scenes that viewers would find unrealistic, I only had to show everyone just how absurd the situation was. Like now, for instance. Han Seori was all over the place in this show. She was a pathetically incompetent character with no talent of her own, who gets caught up in all kinds of problems just to drive the plot forward or to help the male lead shine.

Meanwhile, all the extras are working their butts off in the shadows to clean up her mess, simply so that the plot can move along smoothly without realizing how unfair that is. I could not possibly express how frustrated and irritated I felt re-watching this drama hundreds of times to prepare for my audition.

How is the female lead allowed to leave her desk so often?

Han Seori got away with so much at work, for the simple reason that she was the female lead. Most of her actions were tactless and dumb, but since she was a lead character, everyone gave her the benefit of the doubt. My goal was to let all these poor extras see how easy Seori had it in life and how unfair it was that they had to do all of her work for her. Once I did that, everyone would feel resentful whenever they saw Seori leaving her desk. Perhaps they might even try to stop her or end up hating her.

For Cha Yeryeon, this was the most effective and gratifying method of bullying Seori. This way, I could get everyone to turn against her and bully her on my behalf, all without breaking the law. I wanted to avoid an ending in which Cha Yeryeon goes to prison.

“I can’t get in touch with her,” Mr. Choi said, looking baffled as he held the phone to his ear.

Staring at his face, I broke into a pleasant smile.

Office life is going to be hell for you now, Han Seori.

I only hoped she’d be able to endure the hostility soon to come her way, and that she’d eventually be able to marry Cha Yebin, as written in the script. That was what I wanted more than anything. To make that happen, I would do my best to hate her, despise her, and torment her. However, no matter what I did, Seori would always be the one to triumph in the end. Still, I was determined to do my best, so that both she and I could find our happy endings.

“I’m sorry that you all have to suffer because of Ms. Han,” I said sympathetically. “Can someone take over her tasks and report to me? Within the hour.”

Oh, my. It was getting difficult to keep the smile off my face. I couldn’t help but feel a savage pleasure at everyone’s annoyed expressions.

There we go.

I returned to my desk in high spirits. Things were going much more smoothly than planned. Truth be told, Han Seori was quite a frustrating character for a female lead in a daytime drama. It was almost impossible for her to clean up her mess or to avoid causing harm to anyone else.

I suddenly wondered why The Flower of Trials had painted her as such a useless person. Normally, when the lead and the villainess competed over a project, the villainess lost. The plain and humble female lead would always outsmart the rich villainess with an elite background. And the villainess would try to counter that by committing a crime. In The Flower of Trials, Han Seori is incapable of looking after herself and always has to rely on others for help—there’s always someone like Cha Yebin or Park Eunwoo to swoop in and save the day.

In that case, why did Cha Yeryeon have to take the illegal route and commit crimes instead of just picking on Seori at work?

Hiring thugs to hurt her, forging documents to make it look like she caused damage to the company, breaking into her home and wrecking her possessions, faking DNA tests, commissioning her kidnapping, faking her pregnancy, framing her for embezzlement—my character had committed more than enough crimes to warrant a life sentence.

If not for Han Seori, Cha Yeryeon could be perfectly successful and happy. Was it necessary for me to behave the same way and ruin my own life? No, I decided not to do that. I would still do my best to hate Han Seori because that’s what this world required of me. I would bully her and make sure she found her happy ending.

“I’ll protect you, Cha Yeryeon. Because if I can’t return to my world, then that means you’re me.”

* * *

“Seori’s parents are suddenly against our marriage. Are you behind this?” Cha Yebin demanded, looking livid.

He’d been drinking liquor at the dining table and ran out to confront me the second I came home after a long, tiring day.

How long has this guy been drinking?

Yebin positively reeked of liquor. Couldn’t he just go over to Seori and console her, instead of being like this at home?

Man, this is why none of the viewers were attracted to you. While the female lead wallowed alone with sad background music for company, all you did was drink.

Sensing the disdain on my face, Yebin flushed a deep red, his pride wounded.

“I asked, are you behind this?” he repeated.

“Not really.”

“Impossible. Nothing else could explain why Seori’s parents would suddenly change their minds.”

“You already seem to believe it’s me. Why are you even asking? Just go to sleep if you’re drunk and stop being so pathetic.”

“Cha Yeryeon!”

Geez, that was loud. It’s such a turn-off when all you do is raise your voice whenever you’re losing an argument. You’re lucky at least you have the looks to make up for it. Is this what you want in a man, Han Seori? Think about it. He’s nothing without his money and looks.

I was beginning to feel sorry for Seori, knowing she’d do everything in her power to fight for this sad excuse of a male lead.

“I’m tired,” I said. “I’m going to my room. Do you even know what happened to me today? You could give me at least half the attention you give that woman.”

“‘That woman?’ She’s your future sister-in-law!”

“Forget it. And stop drinking already.”

I turned away from Yebin, leaving him to tremble in rage, and went upstairs to my room. I knew that despite all his anger, he still couldn’t hate me. Yebin still had love for me as a sibling, and yet he resented me for interfering with his romance. Cha Yebin was always mad at me for one thing or another, but deep down he couldn’t help but love me. I, too, found him frustrating and annoying, but I could never bring myself to hate him. If anything…

“Yeryeon, I’m sorry,” he called after me.

That was even more irritating. It’s not that I wanted to get in the way of Yebin and Seori’s love. I rooted for them more than anyone. They needed to achieve their happy ending for me to even have a chance of returning to my world. That was why, last year, I’d left them alone to fall in love.

When Yebin declared his intention to marry Seori in front of the whole family for the first time, I was the only one who had voiced support. While our father clutched the back of his neck and collapsed into his chair, and our mother swayed unsteadily from the shock, I alone had clapped my hands in joy.

“You want to marry that nobody? You fool! I should beat some sense into you!”

“Son, listen to me. There’s no way she’s good enough for you. Why can’t you see that?”

“That’s excellent news, Yebin! You should get married. Congratulations! Ignore Father and Mother. Just go ahead with the wedding!”

Yebin had pulled me along by the wrist to take me upstairs. As I grinned happily back at him, he looked me straight in the eye.

“Come on, Yeryeon. Can’t you help me out for once?”

“Huh? What do you mean? I said I support you.”

“Yes, I know you hate her. But she’s the woman I love. I want you to accept her, more than anyone else.”

“Hello? What are you even saying? I’m already on your side!”

“Please, Yeryeon. Don’t be so cruel.”

“This is driving me nuts.”

Our conversation had gone nowhere. No matter how many times I told him I wouldn’t bully Seori and that I didn’t oppose the engagement, Yebin only repeated the same thing. This damn show. Was it unacceptable for me to support their relationship? In this intricately crafted soap opera world, I was the real Cha Yeryeon. Whenever I started to think this might be reality, I was brutally reminded otherwise.

For nearly two hours, we’d repeated the same conversation. Even after I left to avoid him, he followed me around, pleading for my understanding. And when I shut myself in my room, he’d even begged through the locked door. Whenever I tried to escape from the plot of The Flower of Trials, this world would always torture me in this way, as if to send a message.

You can never escape. You must finish the story as Cha Yeryeon.

“I can’t believe you want to marry that woman. Are you out of your mind? Han Seori will never be a good match for you. I’m going to destroy her!”

“I’m so disappointed in you, Yeryeon. I always thought you’d be on my side…”

I didn’t answer him.

“If you do anything to hurt Seori, I’ll never forgive you. Just remember that,” Yebin warned, responding accordingly once I eventually said Yeryeon’s scripted line. Then he stormed out of the room.

No, Yebin. You’re not going to do a thing.

Cha Yebin was just as incompetent as Han Seori in the show. My legs gave way and I sank to the floor. Tears started trickling down my face, and soon I was bawling at the top of my lungs.

That incident had happened about a year after I woke up in this world. Cha Yeryeon’s family, colleagues, and even the extras were all people who were dear to her. Even when I didn’t behave like the Yeryeon they all knew, they had embraced me and accepted me, which was why, occasionally, I’d forgotten that I was living in a daytime drama—it was just too tough to make it through this show all alone, without relying on anyone.

That is until the day Yebin declared his engagement to Seori. At the start, while I was struggling to accept my new reality as a TV show character, Yebin had once been my closest ally.

“Yeryeon! What’s wrong? Are you all right? Damn it, I’m taking you to the hospital. Hang in there!”

He’d rushed me to the hospital barefoot in freezing weather the day I fainted after an uncontrollable sobbing fit.

“Let’s put an end to the sleeping pills. I’ll stay by your side until you fall asleep.”

When I found it impossible to sleep without medication and would wake up trembling in fear from frequent nightmares, Yebin had even sat beside my bed each night to watch over me, nodding off in his chair.