Chapter 35

35. The King's Path

“A~ Bu~ Ji~”

The warm May sunlight shone down on Siwoo’s face.

It had already been a month since the script reading.

After the initial scenes of the palace, featuring adult actors, were completed, it was now Siwoo’s turn to appear.

The filming location was a folk village.

Siwoo, dressed in a slightly worn-out hemp robe, called out cutely to his father and then waddled over to Dongshik.

The camera was set to capture Siwoo’s beaming face, filling the screen.

Dongshik, dressed as a hunter, squatted down and opened his arms.

Siwoo quickened his pace and ran into Dongshik’s embrace.

“Oh, you adorable little thing. I live for you, my son.”

Dongshik lifted Siwoo up suddenly.

Siwoo burst into a beautiful laugh.

The staff, who had been watching the filming, couldn’t help but smile at Siwoo’s laughter.

Director Lee Honggyun, satisfied with the scene where Siwoo and Dongshik looked into each other’s eyes and smiled, called out:

“Cut! Okay~!”

Clap, clap, clap!

The staff applauded.

It was a round of praise and encouragement for baby Siwoo, who had successfully completed his first scene.

“Wow, he did well!”

“His expressions were great! He seems to be naturally adorable.”

“He just turned two, right? He’s really smart. What did I do at that age?”

“You’re not doing much now, either.”

“Indeed... Wow!”

“Hahaha!”

The atmosphere was completely different from when they were filming the palace scenes.

Of course, the difference in the drama’s content played a role, but Siwoo’s presence had a significant impact on the set’s atmosphere.

Amid the grueling schedule where the staff barely got enough sleep, Siwoo provided a moment of respite, allowing them to forget their fatigue and exchange jokes.

Director Lee Honggyun, seeing the staff’s faces light up with laughter, clicked his tongue.

‘Just as Han said, he’s not an ordinary baby.’

Director Lee Honggyun was also gradually becoming enchanted by Siwoo.

Even if Siwoo’s actions and words weren’t outwardly apparent, there was a certain feeling that came from years of working on set.

‘Very good. The scenes with this child will definitely be a hit. The first episode’s script was also exceptionally well-written... The drama’s first button will be perfectly fastened.’

The importance of the first episode in drama production was self-evident.

“Alright, let’s move on to the next one.”

At Director Lee Honggyun’s words, the staff put away their smiles and quickly prepared for the next scene.

Siwoo lay in a portable stroller, gazing at the blue sky.

Clouds slowly drifted across the sky.

After finishing his first appearance and feeling the spring breeze, Siwoo started to feel drowsy as he chewed on his vitamin.

With the vitamin half-chewed in his mouth, Siwoo dozed off for a moment but woke up suddenly, kicking his chubby little legs.

Startled.

‘Ah... I fell asleep... There’s still filming left, so I can’t sleep. I should have a glass of cold water.’

“Mom~ Water~”

“Huh? Do you want water?”

“Mmm~”

Hyunju, sitting on a folding chair, opened her bag and took out a bottle of water.

“Here you go~”

Gulp, gulp.

After drinking the water, Siwoo regained his composure and looked around.

The filming was still ongoing.

Dongshik was walking through the village, greeting the locals familiarly.

When Dongshik reaches his house by walking like this, it will connect to the scene of Siwoo’s first appearance that was filmed earlier.

It’s common for the actual story sequence and the filming sequence to differ.

Watching Dongshik act with the extras, Siwoo turned his head and glanced at the green script book on his mother’s lap.

“Umm...”

A slightly discontented sound escaped Siwoo’s lips.

Hyunju asked:

“Siwoo, are you feeling uncomfortable?”

“Nope~”

Siwoo, who answered immediately, pouted and reached for the script book.

“Ah, you want the book? Siwoo, you can’t tear it. You have to be careful. Understand?”

“Mmm~”

“Can you say ‘yes’ instead of ‘mm’?”

“Yes~”

“Aww, you’re so cute. Here, take the book, our little one.”

“Mmm~”

Siwoo, holding the script with his tiny hands, flipped through it playfully.

To Hyunju, it looked like he was just playing with the book, but Siwoo was actually skimming through the entire script, focusing on the parts where he appeared and memorizing them.

This time, unlike in Mister Moonlight or I Am Too Scared to Be Your Wife, Siwoo had lines of his own.

His first official lines in the script.

Of course, it was a happy thing.

However, the problem was...

‘What kind of lines... are they all just “A~ Bu~ Ji~”...’

They start with “A~ Bu~ Ji~” and end with “A~ Bu~ Ji~”.

It was a natural thing to do.

It’s unrealistic to expect a 24-month-old baby to deliver various lines and act on cue.

‘Hmm... Never mind. When did I ever have lines to speak?’

Siwoo closed the script.

He thought he should pay more attention to the other actors’ lines rather than his own.

That way, he could naturally fit into the scene.

“Ma’am~ Siwoo is ready~!”

Siwoo, who had been resting comfortably in the stroller, sat up.

“Siwoo, shall we go?”

“Mmm~ Let’s go~ Mom~”

Siwoo was carried by Hyunju to the filming location.

Dongshik, who had finished preparing, came over to take Siwoo.

Dongshik and Siwoo waited for the director’s cue in front of a small thatched house.

Two elderly extras passed by Dongshik and Siwoo and went inside first.

“Siwoo, when A~ Bu~ Ji~ puts you down, you need to walk over to the grandfather and grandmother. Can you do that?”

“Mmm~!”

Siwoo, leaning his head on Dongshik’s shoulder, answered.

Dongshik wasn’t sure if Siwoo really understood and answered, but he thought that if Siwoo didn’t go, the adults could make it work by saying the grandparents would come to him.

Dongshik knew from raising his own child how difficult it was to guide a 24-month-old baby’s actions.

‘If he doesn’t suddenly get angry and lie down crying, it’ll be a relief...’

Director Lee Honggyun called out in his characteristic clear voice:

“Ready, action!”

The set instantly became quiet.

Dongshik entered the thatched house yard and delivered his line.

“Please take good care of our Deokgu today~!”

Dongshik put Siwoo down in the yard.

Siwoo, lifting his face, looked up at the two extras who were smiling kindly.

They were the kind-hearted grandfather and grandmother who lived in the neighborhood and took care of Deokgu like their own grandson whenever his father, Daegil, went hunting.

In return, Daegil often brought them various foods as gifts, earned from his hunting.

Waddle, waddle.

Siwoo, walking slowly on the dirt ground, confirmed the faces of the two elderly actors and then sped up, looking incredibly happy.

And he delivered a line not in the script.

An evolved version of the line “A~ Bu~ Ji~”.

“Ha~ A~ Bu~ Ji~”

Siwoo ran with a big smile.

Feeling it would be unfair to only call the grandfather, he also called the grandmother.

“Ha~ Mu~ I~”

Watching from a distance, Hyunju wondered if Siwoo was mistaken.

It seemed he thought his real grandparents, whom he rarely saw, had come to visit him.

The grandfather did look a bit like him.

The two actors, seeing the small Siwoo running towards them lovingly, forgot they were acting and smiled widely.

“Our puppy~! Hehehe~!”

The grandfather knelt down on one knee and hugged Siwoo tightly.

The atmosphere was so natural.

The grandmother was looking at Siwoo with adoring eyes.

Dongshik, watching the scene with a pleased expression, delivered his line.

“I’m going to the mountain~! Deokgu~! Listen to the grandfather and grandmother~! A~ Bu~ Ji~ is going!”

“Deokgu A~ Bu~ Ji~! Come back soon~”

The actress playing the grandmother delivered her line smoothly.

Just as Dongshik was about to turn and leave with a wave of his hand.

Siwoo, who had escaped from the grandfather’s embrace, called out to Dongshik with a cute voice.

“Deokgu A~ Bu~ Ji~”

...Huh?

Dongshik stopped and turned around.

The small baby Siwoo was looking at him with sparkling eyes.

Siwoo’s mouth opened again.

“Come back soon~~~”

The unexpected ad-lib from Siwoo made all the staff struggle to hold back their laughter.

A cut was needed.

Director Lee Honggyun, to save the staff, raised his voice.

“Cut! Okay!”

Laughter erupted from everyone.

“Hahaha! No... the kid said ‘come back soon’... ‘come back soon’...”

“Wow, what is this? He followed what the grandmother said?”

“So cute! How can a kid be so smart?”

Director Lee Honggyun was recalling the same thoughts that Director Lee Hansu had in the past.

“...A genius, maybe?”

* * *

Late afternoon.

Siwoo’s third scene was being set up.

“Ready, action!”

At Director Lee Honggyun’s cue, filming began again.

Thanks to the lucky appearance of prey, Dongshik finished hunting early and took Siwoo to the stream.

This scene was originally scheduled for another day, but due to the unusually warm and pleasant weather, the schedule was changed on Director Lee Honggyun’s instruction.

Dongshik, holding Siwoo’s hand, walked along the path, telling a tall tale.

“A~ Bu~ Ji~ used to be able to catch tigers with one hand~! Just the sight of A~ Bu~ Ji~ made wild animals tremble, you know?”

Siwoo, looking up at Dongshik, responded.

Originally, this was a scene where Dongshik was talking to himself, but Siwoo had no intention of just walking quietly.

“Ho~ A~ I~?”

Siwoo, wide-eyed with surprise, opened his mouth and looked at Dongshik.

Dongshik, delighted by the unexpected reaction from the baby, delivered his line more enthusiastically.

“Yeah, tigers~!”

Suddenly, an idea for an ad-lib popped into Dongshik’s head.

Would this baby