An 8 year old girl with a black eye is crying.
She holds a pink stuffed rabbit in her arms, which have blow scars.
Paper butterfly wings are attached to her back.

She's standing on the edge of the roof, facing the emptiness.
She closes her eyes and puts a foot in the void...
... hugs the rabbit tighter to her and--
Puts her foot back on the ledge.
She opens her eyes, stands still, hesitating, crying...

Building opposite, a housewife spreads a towel on the windowsill.

-

(sees the little girl) Omo!

-

(shouts inside) Honey, call the police!

-

Hurry, it's urgent!!!

Yoon-Hee types a message on her smartphone.

~

Seonsaingnim, it's urgent!!

~

There are only two days left.

She sends the message and looks at the room.
No one! The bed is made, Mi-Ra didn't come back all night.

-

When will you be back?

-

When the fire is extinguished.

Yoon-Hee enters.

-

(jaded) Soon she'll need a fire truck...

She picks up a box of cakes from the table, and nibbles on one.

-

(mouth full, chews her words, spits out bits of cake) WMost especially one Wfilled to Wthe Wbrim with firemen!

She swallows, takes out another cake, nibbles it and...
... looks at the workshop. (No partition between the two rooms, just an opening.)

(apprehensive, painful decision to make)

:

I won't sleep a wink for 48 hours.

Gloop! The cake is hard to swallow.
She looks at her sent messages, on her smartphone.
A dozen since yesterday, without reply.
She turns off her smartphone and goes to the workshop.

Yoon-Hee is sitting behind her desk.
On it, her tablet connected to a computer, some sketches, the box of cake.
She is holding a sketch of the Joseon royal family.

:

A multi-chapter plot with a new hero...

-

(puts the sketch face down) No way!

She looks at the computer: a picture of Wang Shin on the edge of a precipice.

:

So, Wang Shin has to survive... (smiles) ... to make my life easier!

-

And if we have nothing ready, we let him live?

-

Yeah, if it helps out for the next episode.

-

No, the project is he dies quickly and without burr.

-

(snide) Seonsaingnim, you just saved him!!!

She becomes serious again, cautious...

-

A princess could fit the bill, as the next opponent of the Queen of Darkness.

-

Ok, I'll introduce her but... without much detail!

-

With laaAAaarge vignettes, those of impossible deadlines.

Yoon-Hee grabs the computer keyboard, ready to type her script.

Publisher Park and his assistant (a woman) get out of a cab.
Upset, he rings the doorbell.
His assistant wipes her wet eyes with a handkerchief.

Yeon-Joo brings a pot of tea to the table, where the publisher and his assistant are sitting.

-

Sorry for coming without notice.

(upset, no desire to talk, serves the tea)

-

Thank you.

-

(looks around the room) ... Author Park isn't here?

-

(distressed, hiding her pain) ...... He couldn't.

-

Too bad.

-

(sits down) What was so urgent?

-

Cartoonist Oh, it's about "Butterfly Girl".

-

... (smiles tragically, "of course, it could only be that")

-

(excited) I don't know whether to congratulate you or curse you. The manhwa broke the sales records of "W"! It was so awesome that I fell out of my chair. Just - insanely - awesome.

-

And that ending... God, THAT ENDING!!

-

... !!

-

Wow. (needs to recover his breath)

-

... ("how painful this meeting will be...")

-

Boo hoo hoo (loud crying fit).

-

... (all is normal as usual)

-

... (fails to remain impassive, eye swollen)

-

Cartoonist Oh, we have a big problem.

-

...

-

The readers loved it, but on the other hand...

-

They are so emotionally involved...

-

... (would rather not hear about it)

-

We have a tide of comments from desperate people!

-

(complaining) Publisher Park, we have no control over that.

-

But there's much more serious!!!

-

... ??!

-

Just now, one of our young readers almost jumped into the void.

-

... !!!

-

Ren-Bo is a character that children like very much.

-

Although the manhwa is for an older audience, children always find a way to read it.

-

... (more and more overwhelmed)

-

Their little hearts can't handle the harshness of the story.

-

... ("how long will I last before I cry?")

-

And... my daughter...

The assistant's 6 year old daughter sadly looks at Ren-Bo mummified, on her tablet.

-

(disturbed) Mom... What's wrong with Ren-Bo? She's asleep?

-

Yes, she's... she's asleep.

-

(worried) Why is her face like that... Is she sick?

-

Yes... Yes, very sick...

-

(panicking) But... she'll get better soon?

-

(broken voice) ... Soon... very soon my dear.

-

(looks at the word "END", sobs) It's a mistake... says, Mom... it's printed wrong?!

-

...

The assistant's daughter bursts into tears.
The assistant hugs her, pats her back to comfort her.

-

(crying silently) Mommy will do everything to fix it...

-

... (finished off by that, about to cry)

-

People have accepted the alternative story concept.

-

So I ask you to do it again.

-

(shaking voice) Publisher Park, I can't this time.

-

What do you mean?!

-

We signed up for more episodes!

-

A bit of magic powder and PFFFT... That's it!

-

Boo hoo hoo (bursts into tears)

-

... !!!

-

Boo hoo. (cries again)

-

... (moved)

-

Something terrible happens in our personal life.

-

Park Soo-Bong is not just absent!

-

He... he's gone far, far away... He will never come back.

-

(upset, confused) ... But... but... why? How can he--

Yeon-Joo grabs Publisher Park's hands. She pleads with him.

-

If I could continue this manhwa...

-

I would give my life for that.

In an upscale neighborhood, a small luxurious building with windows of large height.
We slide towards the 3rd floor, the duplex apartment of Moon Mi-Ra.

Yoon-Hee is in front of her computer, but has only written one line.
"Princess Dong Hee: A girl a bit adventurous, and very disobedient."
She clicks to shrink the writing software. The episode ending image appears instead:
Wang Shin about to be skewered by the Queen of Darkness.

-

How to save a geezer from a supernatural arm moving at the speed of thought?

-

(so impossible) Huh?! How.

She holds her forehead as if for a headache.
Then becomes sluggish, staring into space...

~

Wang Shin, the hero created by Soo-Bong...

Yoon-Hee is in front of her tablet.
Mi-Ra clicks to load an image on it: Wang Shin wounded by a sword.

-

Magnify the scream of pain. (shows with a finger movement)

-

(sadistic) And add more blood on his wound.

Yoon-Hee chooses the red color with her stylus, then smears the wound.

~

If only she had killed him the day she was supposed to.

SUBTITLE: One year ago.

~

A day that will remain etched in my memory...

Soo-Bong dressed in geek style with his fake glasses.
Next to him, Yoon-Hee, shy and impressed by...
... Moon Mi-Ra, dressed classy, facing them.

-

(points to Yoon-Hee) We worked on "W" together. She is competent and adapts easily.

-

... (concerned, looks only at Soo-Bong)

-

I bequeath her my tablet to work in good conditions.

(hardly dares to look at Mi-Ra)

~

It was also a gift, to replace him unexpectedly.

-

... (upset, dizzy, does not notice Yoon-Hee)

-

Well... I'll let you two get acquainted. (nods to Yoon-Hee to say goodbye)

-

... You came... just for that?! ("please tell me you didn't")

-

There's no turning back for us.

-

... (pleading face)

-

Farewell, Mi-Ra.

Soo-Bong turns toward the exit, but Mi-Ra grabs his arm before he can move forward.
She is feverish, a desperate one.

-

... (not surprised)

-

Please... We'll talk... gently, tenderly.

-

(a sob) Everything will be like the first days.

-

... (painful)

Soo-Bong pulls away from her grip.
Mi-Ra sticks to his back and embraces his belly.

-

Don't go, I beg you. (crying)

-

... (tediously painful)

Soo-Bong pushes her arms down, and jerks forward to get away from her.
She stumbles forward, falls to her knees, and immediately--
She wraps his leg with her both arms.

-

... !!!

~

I felt like I had been rushed in a makjang drama.

-

(screams) Don't leave me, for mercy!

-

Everything is still possible.

-

...... (tedious)

Soo-Bong forces his way forward, Mi-Ra finds herself lying on the ground.
Crawling, clinging to his calf, impossible to get her off.

-

(desperate cry) I need you too much, I won't survive without you !

Soo-Bong tries to move forward, dragging her on the ground behind him.

-

... !? ("holy cow! is this mess real?")

~

Hanging on like a ball and chain... So pathetic.

~

No self-respect. But her sincerity made me feel sorry for her.

-

(in tears) What we have between us can't just disappear.

-

(stops moving, calm) ... But there's nothing left between us.

-

(fractured voice) No, don't say that.

-

There is no "us".

-

(broken) Of course there is... It's in your every word.

-

(lost) I know you still love me. If I love you too, it can't be otherwise.

-

... (coldly exasperated, eyes hardening)

(notices Soo-Bong change)

~

He understood that he couldn't do it smoothly.

(watches Mi-Ra lying on the floor in disgust)

-

... (hurt by his cold glance)

-

(cynical) You've improved your show.

-

(sneers) Look how ugly you are when you cry...

-

... ! (offended)

-

(shouts) You're a ing lunatic leech!

-

... !!! (like a slap that wakes her up)

-

(gets angry) You destroyed us, you've always destroyed everything, and you always will. Like a fine drug addict, that's all you're good for. Ooooh yes, the very great artist... but whose real specialty (screams) is to disgust others to live!!!

-

... (stops crying)

-

Call a social worker instead, it's beyond my strength.

-

... ?! ("is it really... Soo-Bong?")

Shaking, Mi-Ra pulls herself up with Soo-Bong's clothes. Standing on her feet!

-

It's beyond your strength... I'm the ugly one...

-

(gets angry) Who took pity on a pimply retarded ?

-

(shouts) A ty subman scared of the smallest thing!!

-

... (doesn't startle, smiles, "continue your blah blah blah")

-

I'm the only real woman you've ever known.

-

A limp like you was subscribed to the ugly girls with glasses...

-

(screams) ... OR !!!!

-

... !! ("so much vulgarity...")

-

(nods yes) How about you make someone else pay?

-

... ?!!! ("what? he calls me a-- !!!")

-

I don't check any of your boxes. That's fine! Find a real man, a karateka, a super-cop, an Olympic champion, or... I don't know, like... (snickers)

-

A suggar daddy! Get an old Cheabol to take care of you.

-

RAAAAAAAAAAH!!! (inhuman scream, like a movie monster)

-

!!!!!

-

!!!!!!

Mi-Ra rushes to the vintage sword hanging on the wall.

-

... !!!!

She takes it and ZIINK, pulls the blade out of its sheath.

-

... !! (frightened, moves back towards the exit)

(turns around, throws the sheath angrily, holds the sword with both hands)

-

..... (sees Mi-Ra's eyes... knows that gaze!!)

Not a desperate or angry woman's gaze, the one of a deadly mad maniac.
Soo-Bong panics and opens the front door. She rushes at him!!!
He gets out and VLAM!!, slams the door behind him. A split second later--
ZRACH!!! Mi-Ra strikes the sword into the door, right where Soo-Bong was.

-

!!!!

The blade went straight through the door.

~

If Soo-Bong had stayed in front, he would have been sliced in half.

-

...... (frightened, retreats to the living room / no partition with the entrance).

(drops the sword handle, which remains stuck in the door)

-

..... (looks at the messy living room, no other way out, anxious)

(stands still facing the front door)

-

... (looks at Mi-Ra then the door, "how do I get out?")

~

At least Soo-Bong had managed to break up for good...

~

But it was just a taste of the crazy girl I would work for.

At the edge of the living room, Yoon-Hee scans the entrance.
Mi-Ra turns around and slowly comes towards the living room.
Yoon-Hee, scared, but nowhere to go... stays where she is.
Mi-Ra walks past her without looking at her, gaze lost in the void, indifferent to everything.
Yoon-Hee, ...?!
She watches Mi-Ra walking and stopping for a while in the middle of the living room...

~

She had never looked at me once. It was as if I wasn't here...

Yoon-Hee looks at the entrance, then at Mi-Ra, hesitating. To leave or to stay?
Like a zombie, Mi-Ra goes to the workshop (no partition with the living room).
Yoon-Hee sees the big and expensive tablets and makes up her mind!
She follows Mi-Ra...

Mi-Ra grabs her heavy graphics tablet, one hand on each side.
As if she was going to carry it somewhere else, except...
She stands still looking at the tablet, her gaze half absent.

Yoon-Hee approaches... doesn't understand, the tablet is turned off...
But once she's two steps away...
She sees... The black surface of the tablet is reflective.

~

She was using it as a mirror... a dark mirror.

Mi-Ra's reflection in the tablet.

~

But what was she really seeing?

Mi-Ra starts to breathe strangely...
Her abdomen swells and relaxes, in irregular spasms.
Yoon-Hee, ...? "All this is too strange, creepy..."

Mi-Ra stops her abdominal breathing and leans back, taking a deep breath.
Yoon-Hee, ... ! Relief! "Finally, she comes to her senses--"
Yoon-Hee, !!!!!!

SLOW MOTION:
With all her might, Mi-Ra rears up forward, head first.
Accelerated by the pull of her hands holding the tablet on either side.
CRASHH!!! She smashes her face into the tablet!!! Shatters the screen!!!
Shards of screen fly, bits of flesh, blood!

Immediately, she collapses like a disarticulated doll.
Yoon-Hee, ... !!!!
The surface of the tablet is shattered into pieces covered with blood.
Mi-Ra in a coma. Her face in bloody shreds.
Her body is shaking with convulsions!
Yoon-Hee... Horrified...

Paramedics carry Mi-Ra on a stretcher, and go to an ambulance.

~

It was embarrassing to talk about a suicide attempt.

Yoon-Hee looks out the window, from the 3rd floor.
The paramedics bring Mi-Ra's stretcher into the ambulance.

~

So I told them that she had a fall.

She looks at the sword stuck in the door.

~

And for that, that I wasn't here at the time... Hey!

She looks at the workshop through the free opening, Mi-Ra's tablet.

Yoon-Hee, next to the smashed tablet full of blood...

~

These tablets for professionals are robust though.

She dips her finger in a spot of fresh blood.
She stares at her reddened finger for a while and, weird idea--
Slurp, She it!
She assesses the taste of blood with curiosity, without repulsion.

TinnTiNntOla, Her smartphone rings (ridiculous song).
On it, "Oppa Soo-Bong", she picks up.

-

Yes?

~

... (long, breathless, anxious tirade)

Yoon-Hee goes to the window, and sees Soo-Bong on the sidewalk.
He's talking on the smartphone, agitated and worried, next to the departing ambulance.

-

No, I'm fine.

~

... (begins another tirade but--)

-

I'll see by myself! The better thing now is to get you out of her life. At least what's left of it, because I don't know if she'll recover. But I'll keep you posted.

~

... (starts talking but--)

-

Forget about it, Oppa. Sorry, I really have to go. Bye! (hangs up)

Yoon-Hee takes out a pamphlet: the general information of Mungsey Hospital.
She opens one of the pages, a name is circled in marker: "Professor Lee, Neurology".

A lot of activity, doctors in a hurry, injured patients .
Yoon-Hee is with PROFESSOR LEE, a renowned neurologist.

-

You're her legal guardian?

-

(shakes hands) No, no, not at all, definitely not.

-

Then who?

-

Uuuh.....

-

(shouts to a doctor in the background) You prepare Operating Room #3 for me. And for yesterday!!

-

... I was told her parents were dead.

-

You are?

-

I ammm........

-

!!!

-

... her assistant! ... Uh... since recently.

Professor Lee waves to a nurse, who comes to hand him a form.
The nurse stays nearby, with other documents in hand.

-

In this case, you assume the role of guardian.

-

... ("I have no choice?!")

(ostensibly holds pen and form under her nose, impatient!)

(dejected, takes the form and signs it)

-

(to the nurse) The schedule.

The nurse shows him a surgery roadmap.

-

(to the nurse, points a line) You send this one to Professor Park first. I don't treat cerebral vascular insufficiency when the blood reflux is from aortic valve dysfunction.

-

(to the nurse) And you send the intern who screwed up this schedule to my office. For five o'clock.

-

...

-

Something else?

-

How is she?

-

In an a-reactive, stage III coma.

-

Huh... Is it serious?

-

Rather, and she was about to go into cardiac arrest, to boot.

-

But... will she stay in a coma? Like people who become vegetables in dramas?

-

There is always a risk, but I'm here to reduce it to almost zero.

-

And... uh... this is my first time as a guardian, so...

-

We're going to operate on her first for the skull fracture.

-

And then right away, for the facial injuries. Otherwise, she'll be disfigured.

-

... !

-

You sign for all that too, and we'll let you know when she wakes up.

-

Bah... Okay.

Yoon-Hee looks at the decoration, horror movie posters, some scary antiques.

-

Ugh... Grim. Brrr. It's really depressing.

In the sofa corner, she sees the giant screen of Home-Theater--
Yoon-Hee, ... smiles in wonder.

Yoon-Hee sitting in front of her new tablet.
She makes a small gap with her hands (the size of her previous tablet).
Then caressing the big tablet to its edges, a big gap!

-

Waaa. Thank you Soo-Bong!

-

And don't worry, I'll keep it even if I don't get the job! Hi hi.

Yoon-Hee in the sofa in front of the Home-Theater.
Clicks the remote and starts a historical drama.

-

Woo! It holes my ! (blown away by the picture quality)

She grabs a pot of ramen from the coffee table and...
Swiiirp, gobbles them up while watching the drama.

~

This was the best reason to hang out at her home.

~

3 days later...

Yoon-Hee, confused, facing Professor Lee.

-

But... I thought she was better?!

-

Very healthy. After such a trauma, a real medical achievement! Perfectly conscious and responsive. No neurological damage.

-

... So...?

-

If she's not saying anything, the problem is elsewhere. Before to consider another solution, see what you can do about it.

-

...

(opens the door of the room)

-

? ... Doesn't she have another visitor who--

-

I'll leave you two together. (impatient, orders her to enter with a nod)

Mi-Ra in bed, bandages on her face, except on her eyes.
Silent, staring into the void.
Yoon-Hee is about to say something... but prefers to keep silent.
She takes off her coat and sits on a seat right next to the bed.

A few shots of time passing and the clock ticking forward one hour, then two.
Yoon-Hee yawning, looking at Mi-Ra with disbelief, or remaining amorphous with lost eyes.
Mi-Ra, not a movement, same position all along.
Silence... Apart from Tick Tick Tick, the clock.

~

We stood here without saying anything. Like two strangers.

Yoon-Hee looks at Mi-Ra then the clock... This can't go on.
She gets up and puts on her coat, looks at Mi-Ra... dejected, one last time.
She takes a step to leave, but--
Stopped!!! Her coat held back.
Grabbed with an iron fist by Mi-Ra!
(...?!) Yoon-Hee turns her head to look and--

SLOW MOTION:
Mi-Ra brutally pulls the coat to her!!!
Ooops... Yoon-Hee rushed to the bed...
... falls slumped over Mi-Ra, one leg still on the floor, the other in the void.
(!!!...) Yoon-hee tries to get up but--
Mi-Ra embraces her with all her strength!
(...!) Yoon-Hee, tight against Mi-Ra!

(...?!) Fat Yoon-Hee crushes Mi-Ra, in an awkward and uncomfortable position.

-

( close to Yoon-Hee's ear) I beg you, stay with me.

-

...

-

I have an infinite abyss inside me.

-

... ?! ("something I know?")

-

It has sunk me and I am at the final depth.

-

Where there is only eternal loneliness.

-

... !! (painful compassion)

(gasps, sobs, tears)

-

... (deeply touched)

~

Yes, I knew that...

Yoon-Hee as a teenager, almost as fat as she is now, not as happy in her body.
With a handsome, slightly older boy. Natural style, not superficial.

C#1. Yoon-Hee walks with the boy, they smile at each other and joke.

~

My first and last love.

C#2. Very complicit. Deep shared glances. Moved. Understanding each other while talking seriously.

~

Such a deep feeling was bound to be shared.

C#3. Sincere and sorry, the boy rejects Yoon-Hee. It was a misunderstanding.

~

After so long of getting closer and closer, so strongly.

C#4. Yoon-Hee cries, explains how she feels. He tries to console her, too nice a guy.

~

Beyond misunderstanding and grief...

C#5. Yoon-Hee alone at home, dizzy, devoured. A devastating crying fit.

~

The discovery of an unknown abyss inside me. A void that nothing can fill.

C#6. Yoon-Hee in full sleep. Contracts eyebrows, shakes her head slightly, suffering.

~

Where nothing pretends, haunting dreams and existence.

Yoon-Hee is sitting on the bed, distraught.
In her arms, Mi-Ra is crying as if she has no one else left.
And certainly... it's the truth.

~

So, I stayed with her...

Quick shots of Yoon-Hee cleaning the apartment.
No large mirrors except the one in the bathroom.

-

Why does she like living in such a dump?

Yoon-Hee facing a calendar with a date circled. The next deadline of the manhwa.
She counts on her fingers, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Five days!

~

Uh... I'm not very good at math. Anyway, it was an impossible deadline...

Yoon-Hee looks at Mi-Ra's broken tablet.

-

I always make a backup on the computer.

On the computer, Yoon-Hee reads the beginning of the next episode, some pages.
It stops at an unfinished drawing of Wang Shin being assaulted by bandits.

-

I don't see how she plans to finish this, considering her condition...

-

Get it repaired, I'll reimburse you for the cost.

Yoon-Hee looks at pictures of "Queen of Darkness" on the computer. Sets.
She draws on the tablet and copies sets. Clumsily.

:

Not easy to adapt to her graphic style. This is the highest level!

Yoon-Hee looks at pictures of "Queen of Darkness" on the computer. Characters.

~

My role as assistant was to be limited to the sets.

-

(hesitates) Mmmh... Who knows...

She draws on the tablet and copies characters. Clumsily.

-

Seonsaingnim, about the manhwa, what should I do?

-

When we don't work, no need to call me Seonsaingnim.

-

Okay Seonsaing-- ... uh... ... Unnie?

(pushes herself into her bed, and makes a place for Yoon-Hee)

-

Come here. (taps on the bed)

-

... (hesitating)

-

Come, I say!

Yoon-Hee sits down on the bed next to Mi-Ra. Stiff, her feet on the floor.
Mi-Ra grabs her arm and pulls her.
Ooops, Yoon-Hee finds herself lying down, head on the pillow.

-

Get comfortable, or you won't last two hours.

-

... ??!

(takes out a remote control, and turns on the TV in front of the bed)

-

Halloween, by John Carpenter. A horror classic.

Click, Mi-Ra starts the movie and...
... snuggles up to Yoon-Hee.

-

... ?!

An excerpt from the first scene on TV:
The killer approaches a woman putting on makeup, facing a mirror.

Facing the mirror, Yoon-Hee applies makeup with red-brown lipstick, when--
Stupefaction!!! She suddenly stops the make-up.

(The music of the movie "Halloween" plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tGvktfjjk)
She sees in the mirror's reflection...
... On the wall behind her hangs a poster of the movie "Halloween".

Yoon-Hee turns around, goes to see the poster closely:
The killer with the white mask brandishing his knife.
Yoon-Hee... disturbed...

(The music of the movie "Halloween" continues)
On the TV screen: the end credits.

-

(in shock) I've never seen such a scary serial killer.

-

No, he's more than a serial killer...

-

Remember, he's mortally wounded, and yet... ?

-

(afraid to hear the answer) ...?!

-

He always gets up again! Do you know what it means?

-

("something not too scary, please") ... He... He has superpowers?

-

He is the incarnation of evil. The real bogeyman, from the underworld.

-

(shudder of horror) ... !!

-

(casual) On the other hand, he has some morality.

-

!!! ... A murderer like that?!

-

Halloween is the day of the dead, a day of remembrance. Not some kind of grotesque costume party.

-

Those who do not respect the dead deserve to die.

-

... !!! (looks at Mi-Ra, appalled)

(strange, disturbing smile)

-

... (fear and goose bumps)

(examines Mi-Ra's bandages looking like... a white mask)

Close-up: the white mask of the killer on the poster.
Yoon-Hee can't stand it. She rips the poster and tears it into pieces.

The tablet is on the counter, broken screen removed, components out in the open.

-

(points to the transistors) You can see here, everything's ruined.

-

... Is there really nothing to do?

-

Oh yes, yes, but honestly, it would cost twice as much as a new one. Plus, top of the line, as expensive as a Ferrari! Are you up for it?

-

... (embarrassed, can't afford that much money)

-

Ah, but because it's you... I can make a move to help you.

-

... ?!

-

There are intact components that I could recycle. I could take it back, for a discount to buy a second-hand one.

-

As efficient and reliable as a new one, it goes without saying...

-

But... that would be a reduction of what?

-

Friendly price of course, 50% off.

-

... !! (happy surprise) Cool!

~

She had asked me to visit her every day.

Sitting on Mi-Ra's bed, Yoon-Hee gets up.

-

What are you doing?

-

I have to go, Unnie.

-

... (anguish, eyes demanding a reason)

-

... uh... if we don't do anything more... I still need to practice... and uh... a little cleaning up to do...

-

On it. (she takes a step, but--)

Mi-Ra grabs Yoon-Hee to stop her from leaving.

-

(panicked) No, stay...

-

Okay, we'll talk about the manhwa.

Several bandages were removed from Mi-Ra's face.

~

(sighs) For hours. This was dragging like a drama second half...

Yoon-Hee, about to leave...

-

(in distress) No... no... stay a little longer...

-

I have to work on the manhwa, Unnie.

-

("quick! find an excuse") We'll work here! Do you have your notepad?

-

... (disappointed, would prefer her tablet, but motivates herself...)

-

(smiles) Yes, uh... Seonsaingnim. (takes out a notepad from her bag)

Over a quick sketch, Yoon-Hee finishes to draw a character on the notepad.
Mi-Ra observes in detail each of her pencil .
The angles, the ease of making the curves, the way of pressing and shading.

-

(scornful) What a waste of time...

-

... (feeling so pathetic)

-

It's a while since you should have ceased to limit yourself to sets.

-

(?!) ... ("that's... that's a compliment?")

(takes the pencil from Yoon-Hee's hands, and corrects some details on her drawing)

-

(mumbles while drawing) Here, more like this... this kind of curve, to be done in one go... the nose, too small... here, you need to strengthen the line... and that will be just about enough...

-

... (regains confidence)

Yoon-Hee draws Wang Shin on the tablet, inspired by a drawing on the computer.
She erases part of the face and starts over.

~

Soo-Bong had acquired such a talent!

~

However...

-

For the bandit leader, something like that...

Mi-Ra draws a bandit fighting on the notepad.
At superhuman speed, without prior sketching... perfection in all areas.
Proportions, details, movement, expression of the character, full and loose.

-

... !!! (beyond admiration, frightened)

-

... (sees her frightened face, "yes, she's right, I know it too--")

-

Sorry, it's really crap, but I'm not feeling well these days.

(?!!!!)

Yoon-Hee draws the bandit leader, inspired by Mi-Ra's drawing on the table.
She traces small lines that she connects, and suddenly becomes aware of this.
Yoon-Hee erases the character's shoulder.

-

At once. (draws the curve of the shoulder in one )

From afar, Yoon-Hee walking towards the hospital.

Mi-Ra has compresses on her face, instead of bandages.

-

That year, I was very lucky that my parents died.

-

!!!!

-

With the inheritance money, I bought subscriptions with fake accounts.

-

I also hired bums to buy lots of copies of the first volume in bookstores.

-

I gathered them in a garbage dump, and set them on fire.

-

... ?!?

-

("did she misunderstand?") I meant the books, not the bums. Mh?

-

Why did you do that, Unnie?

-

To convince Publisher Kwon of the success of my manhwa. So he would keep publishing it, to save me time.

-

(?!) But your art was great from the start, and your world established.

-

I know that.

-

... ?

-

Never underestimate the ignorance of the herd, and its lack of good taste.

-

Our society is a pit of idiots, just able to numb themselves by watching TV.

-

... (offended)

-

I needed the few aesthetes to find my masterpiece, and recognize its genius.

-

... um... nevertheless~~... on TV, there are, uh... sometimes~ some good dramas~... uh, historical... and even! we can learn some--

-

You should be the first to notice the lack of artistic sensitivity of people.

-

(?!) ... How is that?

-

The body standard is dictated by morons with an obsession for thinness.

-

... ?! ("hearing this, wow, is this real?")

-

I'm sure you're always looked at with contempt.

-

!! ("yes, that!")

-

Yet your body is more aesthetically pleasing to draw because of its curves.

-

(mouth agape) ...... ("so awesome and deep, I can't believe it")

-

(?) ... ("her dumb face... too intellectual for her to understand")

-

Sooo... Just look.

Mi-Ra pulls out her smartphone, and connects to an online art gallery.
She shows paintings of very fleshy women to Yoon-Hee.

-

... (slowly, an amazed smile growing)

-

Courbet, Renoir, great painters from another era.

-

(fit of gaiety) Wow, Unnie, (CLAP, claps hands), Hi hi hi, that's the first time I hear something so nice about that. Waaaaa. You're great.

-

Calm down, you're still an ugly fatty.

-

... ?!?!

-

("~~aaah, this is definitely a joke") Uh Uh Uh! ("let's laugh, or she might think I'm taking it badly")

-

... ?

-

Uh... uh... u...... (gradual extinction, "there's a bug")

-

... ("I'm not dreaming, I told her the truth and she's laughing...")

-

... ?!? ("not a joke?! but... the aesthetics of curves?")

-

ah ah ah. ("so ridiculous", laughs in mockery)

-

Aaaah... ah ah ah. (but like a doubt about what's going on)

-

Ah Ah Ah. ("let's pretend to laugh with her, it's even funnier")

-

Ah Ah Ah. ("phew, I thought there was a problem")

Both end up laughing heartily, a little crazy, so absurd is this situation.

Mi-Ra scrolls this page on Yoon-Hee's smartphone.

-

(thoughtful) Objectively, it is not fabulous, even rather......

-

(re-evaluating) ... mmmh... still impressive for a start...

-

... (takes this as a positive, but has to hide her joy)

-

But readers don't care if we start or not. Finish this by doing better.

Some clouds and light rain.

Mi-Ra has only light bandages left.
She is standing, looking out of the window, turning her back to Yoon-Hee.
Outside, a few last drops of rain, a ray of sunshine...
... a rainbow appears in the sky.

-

The housekeeper was on leave and my parents were away for the weekend.

-

Instead of hiring a babysitter, they had asked my uncle to keep me. ... While he is a busy man, the president of the family company.

~

Instinctively, I had never liked him.

Mi-Ra, a 9-year-old girl, sits on the floor.
In one hand, she holds a pink stuffed rabbit.
With the other hand, she is drawing on a large sheet of paper.
The drawing is exceptionally successful.
It shows a fairy with butterfly wings, under a rainbow.

-

(sitting in the sofa, behind) Come next to me, my little Mi-Ra.

Without turning around, Mi-Ra nods no.
Uncle gets up, lifts her by the waist.
Then sits down on the sofa and brings her to his lap.

-

(complaint, drawl) But..... Nooo.....

-

Will you give your darling uncle a hug?

Uncle pulls her in for a hug, but she crosses her elbows in front of her around her rabbit.

-

(small, frightened voice) No! I don't want to.

Uncle doesn't insist, but he's getting angry, so...
He tries to pull the pink rabbit out of her arms, but she holds it tightly.
By dint of insisting, RIIIP, the stuffed animal tears, and SCRATCH, he tears off its head.

-

Hiiiiiiii!

He tries to master her, to catch her arms.
She shouts, cries, struggles, throws random claws and--
Cuts the uncle in the cheek, a thin line of blood.

He grabs her by the collar and--
SLAM! slaps her face so hard that an adult would have been stunned.

-

... (so shocked that she no longer reacts)

-

You're going to be nice like I asked you. And stop yelling.

Mi-Ra comes to her senses. Burn on her red cheek and luxation on her neck.
As Uncle grabs her by the waist, her fear and pain become--
An eruption of violent madness! Screams of despair and anger.
She flails like a fury, hits everything she can, tries to run away.

The uncle gets up, grabs her and plates her against the sofa.
He controls her by pressing an arm on her, adding his weight.
He wraps his other hand around her little neck, almost going around.
He strangles her very hard, she can't make a sound...
... or even breathe.

-

If a kid like you drowned in the pond... ... no one would think it was anything but an accident.

-

Do you understand me?

!!!!! Mi-Ra is totally terrified.

~

That's how I was abused at the age of 9.

-

................

(gaze becoming absent, less and less receptive)

(looks at Mi-Ra, suffers greatly out of empathy)

~

I don't know why I'm the only one she told this to...

(motionless, lost consciousness with eyes open)

~

When we barely knew each other.

... (big burst of tears, but silently)

~

But that's how it is...

On the calendar, 4 more days after the deadline are crossed out.
Yoon-Hee draws the words "TO BE CONTINUED" on her tablet.

Yoon-Hee walks towards the hospital.

~

That same day, Mi-Ra was leaving the hospital.

She passes a coffee shop, slows down and...
Yoon-Hee, ... Why not? I have time and I deserve it.

Yoon-Hee leaves the cash register and heads to a table, coffee in hand when--

-

(screams) FINALLY!!!

Everyone in the cafe startles and turns their heads to... Professor Park!
Sitting at a table, he obsessively looks at his smartphone.
On it, Yoon-Hee sees from a distance...
... The first page of the new episode of "Queen of Darkness"!
Yoon-Hee, ... like in a dream, proud of herself.

She approaches discreetly to observe Professor Park.
He scrolls the pages and reads the manhwa.
Yoon-Hee, her heart beating... will this impatient fan like my work?

-

(scandalized) Four more days to do THAT?!

-

... (big disappointment)

-

(puzzled) Except for the opening, author Moon didn't bother.

-

... ?! ("Author Moon?!") (a joy grows inside her, an unbearable glee...)

-

(laughs out loud) Hu hu hu hu... hu hu hu...

The customers and Professor Park look at her, astounded...

-

Haaa... (gradually calms down)

~

The first episode I worked on, I had to finish it alone.

(happy girl face)

~

The first of a long series.

Yoon-Hee walks to a table with her coffee.

Yoon-Hee walks dressed as a Joseon Lady.

~

Step by step......

The background is blurred but we discern... A blue night of full moon.
Tortured trees with sickly colors. Farther on, an eerie Joseon village.

Yoon-Hee looks around, frightened.
Surprised, she sees something even more ominous, to her left.
Terrorized, she raises her hands theatrically...

Suddenly illuminated by a flash of light.

~

... "Queen of Darkness" was becoming my world.

The scenery becomes sharp, it's a giant manhwa mural, on a stage.
... Yoon-Hee gives a goofy smile and points both index fingers to her left.
Coming from there, Moon Mi-Ra arrives on the podium.
Dressed in black, gothic style, sad, sinister face.
Rain of luminous flashes. Cheers from the audience.

In front of the stage among the crowd, several journalists take photos.
From afar, the mural contains many characters of the manhwa. A breathtaking quality.

Yoon-Hee and Mi-Ra embrace warmly to welcome each other.
Mi-Ra's face relaxes with pain, she manages to smile, a temporary happiness.
Then she walks towards the microphone at the center of the podium.