Thrilled by Madness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
It was just past 4 p.m.
Oh Min Jung was surrounded by idol trainees.
“I heard you’ve been chosen as the lead in Director Yoon Ji Wan’s drama, sunbae?”
“I saw the news article online too. Congratulations, sunbae!”
Do these kids really think I’d risk my life for some silly drama lead role? Sure, it’s true I’ve been aggressively courting the screenwriter with all sorts of gifts.
It’s hard enough to suppress the smirk tugging at my lips after beating out so many established actors for the role. Still, Min Jung spoke with a deliberately bland, unimpressed expression.
“Why are you all making such a fuss? Is it really that big of a deal? Maybe it seems impressive to you, but I’ve turned down this project several times already. They just won’t take no for an answer, so I had no choice…”
Her animated chatter abruptly trailed off. Her eyes had locked directly with So Yeon, who had just entered the lounge after shooting a new profile video on the second-floor studio.
“…!”
Ah, I’m caught!
She’d only come down absentmindedly craving the lounge coffee, famed for its unusually rich bean aroma—but now she’d been spotted by Oh Min Jung, whom she’d rather avoid at all costs. It felt like a curse from a thousand lifetimes. So Yeon instinctively froze in alarmed confusion.
That’s because Oh Min Jung had a terrible reputation within the company. Though not always the case, once she singled someone out, she was infamous not just for cruel remarks but also for ruthless, uncompromising behavior—reducing people to tears was practically routine for her.
So when So Yeon stood awkwardly rooted in place, unable to retreat or advance, Min Jung—as expected—shot a sharp remark toward the lounge entrance.
“Ms. Eom So Yeon! Aren’t you going to greet me properly?”
To Oh Min Jung, already a top star, Eom So Yeon was practically invisible dust—two years younger and still without a breakthrough role, effectively an unknown actress.
Grateful only for the considerable distance between them, So Yeon lowered her gaze, bowed her head slightly to defuse the tension, and quietly moved toward the cafeteria’s self-service bar.
But Oh Min Jung wasn’t about to let her off so easily.
“Where are you going? Come here instead of walking away.”
Should she have just turned around and left the lounge?
Even as regret washed over her, So Yeon stared at Min Jung like a startled rabbit. She knew Min Jung would surely latch onto any tiny fault to scold her.
“Huh? Why are you calling me…?”
“What do you mean ‘why’? When a senior tells you to come, you come immediately!”
Somehow sensing So Yeon’s intent to slip away, Min Jung arrogantly jiggled her crossed ankle and pressed her further.
As So Yeon reluctantly approached, her sharp eyes caught something.
Min Jung was wearing outrageously glittering high heels, studded with countless cubic zirconias. It looked just like something So Yeon had randomly glimpsed while browsing an online shop—she quickly scrambled to recall the hazy memory.
“Oh my! Aren’t those the brand-new Versace heels, Ms. Oh Min Jung?”
So Yeon’s eyes sparkled as she suddenly remembered the exact item.
“The ones that closed the recent Spring Collection show—the ones people say you can’t even buy for any price! Such a bold and dazzling design that hardly anyone can pull it off… but clearly, there’s a rightful owner after all.”
So Yeon’s lavish, honeyed praise completely made Min Jung forget the torrent of insults she’d been about to unleash. Struggling to suppress a smug smile fighting its way onto her lips, Min Jung bit down on her twitching mouth.
Everyone’s attention had now shifted entirely to the excessively gleaming shoes.
“They’re really pretty, sunbae.”
“Yes, yes! They suit you so well!”
Flattery could tame even a whale—or in this case, miraculously silence Oh Min Jung’s notoriously harsh tongue. It was almost laughable how simple people could be. As everyone eagerly took turns showering her with compliments, Min Jung finally burst into an unrestrained, loud laugh.
“Hmph, at least you’ve got good taste!”
Even by her own standards, So Yeon thought, her quick wit and improvisation were brilliant. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief at having dodged the crisis while watching Min Jung’s smiling face—
“Did you come for coffee?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Something warm?”
“Y-yes, yes.”
At So Yeon’s awkward reply, Min Jung pointed to one of the trainees seated at the table.
“You there—the one with eyes too close together!”
“M-me?”
“Yes, you. Go get Ms. Eom So Yeon a cup of coffee.”
“Yes, sunbae!”
Being mocked for her looks was the very last thing she wanted to hear—but obeying her sky-high senior’s command, the young trainee sprang up without showing the slightest hint of discomfort on her face.
With a glance, Min Jung signaled So Yeon to take a seat at the table, then resumed her interrupted story.
“Well, it’s not as if just anyone can play that role. Since they insisted it perfectly matches my image, how could I possibly refuse such an offer?”
“So… does that mean Director Yoon Ji Wan’s chosen male lead, Deputy Director Tae, will be your co-star?”
“That’s how it’s been decided.”
It was information Min Jung herself had only just learned from CN’s planning team leader. When a younger colleague, somehow already informed, asked her about it, Min Jung immediately nodded.
“I’ll admit I was a bit surprised too—but apparently, Deputy Director Tae made that decision after seeing me as the female lead.”
“Wow! Then you and Deputy Director Tae must be pretty close!”
“Well, it’s not so much about closeness—it’s more that my appearance and acting skills are simply outstanding…”
The trainees gazed up at her with eyes full of admiration—even as Min Jung brazenly fabricated more and more far-fetched tales, pretending they were facts.
Thrilled by their awe, Min Jung grew even more boastful and self-satisfied.
Yet to any observer, the sight of her lounging in the break room, bragging to utterly naive juniors, was undeniably comical.
While the others listened intently, So Yeon’s thoughts grew deeper.
Though Min Jung’s words sounded somewhat inflated, So Yeon couldn’t help but envy the confidence that allowed her to speak so boldly—and the fact that she’d get to share equal footing with Tae Seo Jun in the same project. That feeling became a sudden, powerful motivator: she needed to work even harder.
In truth, So Yeon had already expressed her desire to join Director Yoon’s drama production. Yet over a week had passed with no word from them. That silence alone confirmed her suspicion: “maybe” had become “of course not.”
Though it happened long ago, the memory of being harshly rejected by Director Yoon at an audition remained painfully vivid—and because of that, she’d convinced herself there was no chance of being cast, leaving her utterly disheartened.
But how long could she keep blaming fate and sucking her thumb?
How long would she keep clapping for others’ successes while her own dreams gathered dust?
For the sake of her precious child, she had to push herself harder than anyone else.
So Yeon quietly rose from her seat—it felt far wiser to return to the practice room immediately and rehearse even one more line than waste precious time here.
“Ms. Eom So Yeon! Why are you leaving already? I’m not done talking yet.”
“I have my practice room to go to, don’t I? Like you, I also want to become a great actress as soon as possible.”
Though Min Jung was the type who could spit venom even at a smiling face, So Yeon’s mention of “great actress” left her feeling oddly conflicted. With a sour expression, she lowered her voice deliberately.
“Well, I suppose it makes sense—for someone like you, who gets rejected everywhere she tries to submit her profile. Fine, go ahead.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Worried Min Jung might call her back again, So Yeon hurried out with her eyes fixed on the floor—only to suddenly bump her forehead hard against something solid.
At that exact moment, cheers and gasps erupted all around.
“Oh my!”
“Kyaa!”
“It’s Deputy Director Tae!”
All eyes instantly swiveled to Seo Jun, who had appeared as if out of nowhere.
Indeed.
Seo Jun stood leaning casually against a central pillar in the lounge, his posture relaxed and at ease. It had been his unusually broad, firm chest that So Yeon’s head had collided with.
No wonder it hadn’t felt like a wall—strangely, it hadn’t been hard at all.
Amidst the commotion, So Yeon kept her head deeply bowed. Whether this counted as a polite greeting or a deliberate act of avoidance, either interpretation would be valid.
Whichever it was, Seo Jun wasn’t pleased by So Yeon’s clear attempt to dodge his gaze. He slowly lowered eyes filled with scornful amusement.
So Yeon glanced up at him for just a moment—then flinched, quickly brushing past him and hurrying out of the lounge.
Watching her retreating back, Seo Jun lifted one corner of his mouth in a faint, derisive smirk.
[This is the timeline separator]After stepping out of the elevator, So Yeon finally felt the fog in her mind begin to clear slightly.
Ah, I just don’t understand—why does my mind go blank the moment I’m in front of him? Why do I end up acting like a flustered fool? Why do I keep wanting to run away?
Shaking off the encounter as if tossing it over her shoulder, So Yeon straightened her back firmly and marched resolutely toward the ninth-floor pantry.
The electric kettle bubbled and boiled.
Not long after, So Yeon bobbed her head gently along to music playing from the radio. Her hands moved skillfully as she set out a teacup taken from the cabinet and dropped a slice of lemon into a warm cup of black tea.
Was this just habit?
For years, she’d missed him desperately—yet now, seeing him felt as frightening as encountering a goblin.
And yet, the moment he was out of sight, she’d find herself longing to see him again. How fickle the human heart could be—even now, as she hummed softly to herself, her mind was entirely filled with him.
Blowing gently on her hot tea, So Yeon held the cup in one hand and her phone in the other. Her eyes, fixed on the tiny photo of a baby on the screen, had already grown misty.
—So Yeon! You got it!
So Yeon’s brows instantly knotted at Yeo Do Sun’s incoming call—the loud, ringing voice practically assaulted her eardrums.
“Got what?”
—The role in “Master of the Sun”! The younger version of Cha Yeo Hwa! They said it’s yours!
It had been an intensely competitive role among actors. Especially after that ugly clash with Director Yoon, she hadn’t dared to hope at all. If this wasn’t luck, what was?
So Yeon’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“R-really?”
—Yes! Seriously, seriously, really!
Still dazed, So Yeon asked again—and Do Soon repeated her answer emphatically, sounding even happier than So Yeon herself.
—I just got off the phone with the planning team leader! They said you have to meet the drama production team tomorrow to sign the contract! Wow, seriously! If they were going to give it to you anyway, why’d they drag it out like that and keep us all on edge?
“…”
Good. This was so good.
She’d finally gotten the role she’d longed for—her chance to prove to everyone the value of all her efforts built up meticulously over time.
Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.
All that past heartache from having dared not hope—now rendered meaningless. All that anxious worry about an uncertain future—now swept far away.
Yet clinging to the tail end of this sudden, surprise gift of good news was a tangle of nervous excitement and unavoidable apprehension about what lay ahead.
Could she truly see him only as a fellow actor?
Could she hide her feelings?
Could she endure working alongside a man who showed her nothing but professional detachment?
Perhaps the Tae Seo Jun inside her heart and the real Tae Seo Jun were as different as black and white. And if they had to film scenes together, physical contact would be unavoidable.
If she couldn’t withstand it all, she’d be swept away helplessly by raging storms—she absolutely had to steel her resolve.
Just moments ago in the lounge, Tae Seo Jun had seemed the very embodiment of aloofness.
His cold expression, etched into his sharp features, had been fiercely, almost aggressively intimidating. And those terrifying eyes—piercing into her as if saying, “What could someone like you possibly do?” How could anyone not flinch before a man like that?
Fine! I’ll just face him head-on!
This is life or death now, Eom So Yeon—no holding back!
Steeled with determination, So Yeon forcefully shook off her uneasy premonition—but at that very instant, the teacup slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
Crash!
The marble tiles were instantly ruined—splattered with spilled tea and shards of broken glass.
As if to foreshadow the coming storm that even her firmest resolve couldn’t hold back.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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Chapter Comments (4)
Inline Comments (1)
Though his gesture had been instinctive, So Yeon accepted it without resistance.
I wonder if Korean women really cry that easily. Wow, that’s exhausting.
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Finally…some communication. Love triangle at this point is surprising and yup it’s gonna be awkward 😑.
Why do I get the feeling that she’s not going to tell him? Haah
I know the revelation is not gonna happen😀, but the ml is just..🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️