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Jisoo cried out in agony, her blood flowing red in a relentless river down her already crimson-stained shirt, pulse thready and weakening.
Her eyes were wet with angry, desperate tears. She would fight, even in the last few moments of her life.
With all of her remaining strength, she dragged herself across the gravel using her left arm, an M1911 just barely within her reach. She let out a grunt, finally getting a firm grip on the handle of the gun.
Her eyes locked onto the monster walking out of the barrier of smoke, revealing his presence. His beady red eyes and snarling mouth focused on his prey. Jisoo knew that in her state of vulnerability, she didn't have much time. It was now or never.
The moment played out in slow-motion. Taking aim and locking on her target, Jisoo squeezed the trigger, sending one bullet hurtling precisely into the center of the monster's forehead.
However, there were two shots fired.
At the same time, Jisoo felt her body shudder, excruciating pain branching out from her chest, like those of a tree, consuming every crevice of her slender frame. She slumped down on the ground in both defeat and triumph, a bullet lodged within her heart.
Lifting a weak hand up to her earpiece, she took in a shaky breath and pressed the transceiver to deliver her final message.
"Mission accomplished,"
With tears of relief in her eyes, Jisoo's head tilted to the side, arm laid out before her as her body lay limp in the rubble of the collapsing building. Her breathing was a noisy rattle, before it was gone.
"Aaand cut! End scene!"
The director clapped her hands together, rising from her chair behind the monitors and made her way towards Jisoo who was up and dusting herself off. The crew quickly rushed into the set, sweeping up the debris and remnants of the demolition.
"That was absolutely brilliant and emotional, Jisoo! Probably your best shot yet!" she beamed, "The viewers are going to be devastated,"
Jisoo snorted, amused by her contrasting statement.
This was the last episode that her role as a supporting character would appear onscreen. It was quite a journey playing a villain-turned-hero for 14 episodes, and the support she received from both idol fans and drama fans was overwhelmingly positive.
She was going to miss this role.
She'd miss the action—the heart-racing, nail-biting, breathtaking scenes in this fantasy-action series. This time, she hadn't been playing a bubbly schoolgirl, a damsel in a hanbok, or an airhead teenager. She was a strong-minded, fearless warrior for once. Nevertheless, despite her temporary time of monster-hunting and bad-assery, all the roles she was given would always end with her laying in a pool of her own blood.
Couldn't she not die for once?
"You are so good you'll have directors lining up to cast you right after this airs," she praised, "I bet you already have some offers you're considering,"
"Nayeon, you already helped me land this role, you don't need to be so nice," Jisoo replied sheepishly. "I can't thank you enough,"
"Look, I know I recommended you for the role, but passing the auditions was all you. I had faith in your talent and your talent got you where you are now," Nayeon reassured her with honest eyes, "It's too bad the writer killed off your character. I swear, if the next drama you're in ends up with you bleeding to death again, we're gonna have several dead screenwriters on our hands,"
Jisoo chuckled and shook her head, truly thankful for having such a supportive colleague. Even if the things she'd say were a little crazy at times.
"Jisoo!"
Her agent came jogging in, halting the conversation between the actress and director. She had a phone in one hand, the other covering it with her palm to prevent the person on the other line from hearing anything.
Nayeon took this as her cue to leave, pulling Jisoo in for a quick goodbye hug.
"I wish you the best, babe. I'll be looking forward to your next project,"
Nayeon let go of her and gave her a wink. Jisoo blew a small kiss back as she watched the director walk away before turning her full attention to her agent.
"I have someone on the phone for you with good news," she pursed her lips, trying to fight back an excited smile.
"Who is it?"
Jisoo took the phone from her hands and looked at the unfamiliar number, lifting it up to her ear. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest, anticipating the voice of the stranger who had called her.
"Hello, this is Kim Jisoo speaking,"
"Congratulations, Miss Kim. You got the part,"
The part? The part for what?
She hadn't auditioned for any roles for quite some time because of her music. The only ones she could truly recall were several fantasy films and one particular crime show. It's dark and mysterious plot was different from her previous roles and had immediately caught her attention. Boy oh boy did she pray every night to get a callback for that role, but she never did hear anything from casting.
"May I ask who this is?"
Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion until the caller's next words had her mouth hanging agape.
"This is Kim Namjoon, the producer of the crime drama Scarlet Letter,"
