22-22

EP. 22 # 2. (Actress Soo-rim) - I Didn't Do It! (1)

"The court hereby rules on February 3, 2562, as follows."

That day was just an ordinary day. The only special thing was that my friend Joo-yeon came over to my house, and we had a drink together after a long time.

The only unusual thing was that she brought a guy I didn't like.

"The defendant is found to have forcibly administered drugs to her sleeping colleagues, Park Sang-moon and Lee Joo-yeon."

But drugs? No way. I didn't do it.

"The defendant herself is also found to have taken drugs."

Are you kidding me? Why would I take drugs?

I'm healthy, both physically and mentally. Exercise relieves all my stress, so why would I need drugs?

"The defendant, as an actress, should set an example for citizens. However, she enjoyed drugs and forced them on others, causing serious imitation crimes among citizens."

I said it wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

Let me see Joo-yeon. She knows I'm not that kind of person.

But why won't you let me see her?

"Therefore, the court sentences defendant Soo-rim to have her human rights revoked."

No way. Something's wrong here.

No one listened to my explanation. They didn't even let me meet my friend who was with me.

This one-sided judgment is unheard of.

Why would I give drugs to my close friend if I wasn't crazy?

"What...what's going on?! This is wrong! There's been a huge misunderstanding!!"

The voice I had been holding back became reality. The judge ignored me and left, which was infuriating.

Two police officers grabbed my arms.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!!"

"We're taking you to the livestock grading inspection facility."

"This is wrong! I'm not livestock!!! Lawyer, please explain! I didn't do it!!"

But my lawyer shook his head, indicating that no one could change this outcome.

"No...no way! I didn't do it! How could I?! You all know me!!"

I looked around.

Police.

Lawyer.

Spectators.

Everyone stared at me.

I'm used to being the center of attention as an actress. I even enjoy it.

But their eyes were cold, unlike before.

[She had a clean image, but why did she do that?]

[Her last movie had over ten million viewers, and she must have earned a lot.]

[Maybe she did it because she got bored after achieving everything?]

[Anyway, taking drugs is career-ending, especially for women; it turns them into livestock.]

They looked at me like I was an insect.

This feeling was something I hadn't experienced since my orphanage days.

[You can't hide your origins.]

I felt my body grow cold. No one believed me.

This realization filled me with a terrifying fear.

"No...I didn't take drugs. Why...why...?"

But no one listened to my explanation. I lost strength and couldn't resist.

In reality, resisting wouldn't have changed anything. The court's power is absolute.

I learned this in social education: women who don't marry by 25 must go to baby factories. There, they give birth until menopause and then die.

So, you're supposed to marry a good man quickly.

I hated that fate.

Children produced in factories are raised in national facilities and usually end up in the lower classes.

Men from orphanages often work in sewage cleaning or hazardous chemical manufacturing. Women try to find good husbands, but good men rarely choose orphanage-raised women.

Eventually, they marry men from similar backgrounds and often suffer abuse.

It's a story without dreams or hope. I was one of them.

So, I worked hard to avoid that fate.

But I didn't know how to escape this terrible cycle.

I wanted to go to the capital university. There, I could gain human rights and meet a good man, not just someone from the lower class.

However, even if a woman studies hard, she's considered a livestock student. To attend the capital university, you need to take an expensive genius test as a child. Orphanage kids rarely get this opportunity.

I was stuck.

So, I felt frustrated.

"Want to try acting? There's an urgent need for a middle school role."

That's how my life changed. I started as a child actor in middle school after catching the eye of my current agency's president.

No one taught me acting, but maybe it was thanks to my unknown parents that I could control my emotions easily. As I entered puberty, my face and body matured quickly, and my name became known to audiences.

"You'll definitely make it. I guarantee it."

My agency president told me how to change my life.

Unlike humanities, the arts have a special admission system. Since talent can emerge later in life, you can apply to the capital university with a recommendation from a teacher or expert.

"Go and do well. I've used my one-time recommendation for you."

But getting in wasn't easy, even with a recommendation.

[You think you can get in just because you've been a child actor a few times? This isn't a place you can enter so easily.]

The interviewers had biases against me. My competitors had received genius education for 12 years.

I worked incredibly hard.

I wanted to shine in my life.

With that desire, I practiced until I was exhausted.

I surpassed my competitors and entered the capital university, where I could secure lifelong human rights.

I was the only special admission in the university.

It wasn't easy to overcome the interviewers' biases.

But after overcoming that hurdle, I faced another challenge.

"She got in because of her face, right?"

"Shameless. You're only fit for a room, not a sacred university like this."

People openly mocked me, calling me "face-pretty."

So, I worked even harder.

And four years later, I graduated at the top of my class.

My acting skills improved dramatically. No one could match me.

I played strong female warriors, tragic heroines, and quirky four-dimensional girls.

I could do any role.

Finally, a movie I starred in surpassed ten million viewers. Half the country's population watched it.

I reached the top. I had nothing more to wish for.

But why? Why did I fall so miserably at the peak of my career?

Just like when I first entered the capital university, everyone criticized me.

I thought I had escaped, but why...why...?

"Ahh...ahh...ahh..."

My legs gave out, but the two police officers holding me kept me from falling.

"How long will you keep this livestock here? Take her to the inspection facility quickly."

The examiner's terrifying order.

Yes, fate is unchangeable.

My fate was to be born in a factory and become a breeding animal. No matter how hard humans try to escape such a terrible fate, it's impossible.

Thinking this way, my mind somewhat cleared up.

Livestock. I was always meant to be livestock.

I stopped resisting and was dragged out of the courtroom by two men.

The inspection facility looked like a scene from a horror movie.

The ceiling, corridor, and walls were all painted white.

"What...what do you do here?"

The men didn't answer my question. After all, I'm no longer an actress; I'm just livestock.

There's no need to answer a livestock's questions.

The heavy iron door creaked open, revealing a room like a surgical ward.

Will I be graded here?

How...how could this be?

"Are you a criminal today?"

A man in a white gown looked at me with a blank expression.

"Yes. I took drugs."

"Foolish."

No, I'm not foolish. I didn't do it. I didn't take drugs.

I wanted to protest, but I knew it was pointless.

"Undress."

"Yes."

One of the police officers went behind me.

Rip.

The sound of my clothes being torn came from behind.

"What...what are you doing?"

"Be careful. If you make a mistake, your back might get stabbed with a knife."

Livestock doesn't undress; their clothes are just ripped off.

Rip.

"Raise your arms."

I raised my arms.

Rip. My arm was torn.

"Pull it off."

Whoosh.

In an instant, I was naked. Shame filled me.

Actresses shouldn't fear being naked, especially not female ones.

There's an unwritten rule in this world: a female actress who doesn't appear in erotic films can't become a top star.

Early in my career, I had the opportunity to appear in such films. It's a rite of passage for new actresses with good bodies like mine.

Appearing in those films would give me recognition among male-dominated audiences, and with that recognition, I could get roles in regular movies.

But I refused.

I took pride in my acting. I didn't want to raise my profile by showing my breasts or buttocks.

[Hey Soo-rim! If you don't appear in this movie, your career is over! You'll never make it in the entertainment industry!]

[Brother, when have I ever disappointed you? I'll become famous through my skills, even if it takes time.]

[Come on! Who doesn't know you're talented? I even wrote a recommendation for you! But Soo-rim, this is different. If you miss this opportunity, you'll really regret it. Besides, Director Kim Dae-woo is a legend in erotic films. If you appear in this, you're guaranteed to be a top star!]

[Soon, I'll show you my rising star status.]

[Do you know how much money has been invested in you? I can't wait any longer.]

[So, I agreed to a 4:6 profit distribution. It's a condition for listening to my opinion.]

4:6. I get 40%, and my agency gets 60%.

Usually, it's 7:3, but I accepted this unfair distribution.

I was grateful to the brother who saved me from the slums, and I wanted to have a voice in situations like this.

[Please wait a bit, brother. I've been looking for new directors and collecting scripts. You know I have an eye for scripts.]

My plan was to impress new directors. The problem for new directors is that they can't afford talented actors. I aimed to fill that gap.

[...Okay, Soo-rim. Just for one year. If things don't improve by then, you'll have to appear in an erotic film.]

[Thank you, brother. I'll keep my promise.]

After making that promise, exactly one year later, I achieved huge success with a new director's film.

Low budget. New director. New actor.

We overcame three disadvantages and attracted an audience of 200,000. It was the start of my success.

But how ironic that my body, which I had protected so fiercely, would be exposed to others so meaninglessly.

"Spread your legs."

"Ahh...ahh...ahh!!"

It wasn't said to me; it was an order to the police holding me.

My head was pressed to the floor, with only my buttocks raised in a humiliating posture.

This marked the beginning of my life as livestock.