Chapter 71

Villain Only Acting 071

Should We Reshoot? (2)

Rumors of the Second Prince's severe illness swept through the palace, and whenever the palace maids and eunuchs gathered in pairs, they whispered among themselves.

- What illness does His Highness have?

- Could it be a recurrence of the previous illness?

- That's unlikely.

- I've never heard of that illness being cured. It was only temporarily suppressed by the Queen's utmost love and devotion. Now that Her Majesty is ill, it has resurfaced.

The eunuchs and palace maids gossiped every day about whether it was a recurrence or a different severe illness.

The entire capital was shrouded in worry over the Second Prince's illness.

The Queen, who had regained her strength, searched the country for a sage monk, but there was no news of where he had disappeared to.

- A pine tree that grew alone by the river? It's not easy to find such a thing. Unless someone deliberately planted one tree by the river, where would you find such a pine tree?

- Usually, pine forests form together...

Amidst the fear that the epidemic might be raging through the capital again, a strange rumor began to circulate.

- The physician who examined the young master said that large, ugly spots had appeared on his chest.

- Oh my. Then it really is the epidemic?

- But they say it's quite different from the epidemic...

- If it's large and ugly spots, isn't it the epidemic?

One of the men drinking makgeolli at an inn cautiously looked around and then whispered.

- It's not the epidemic, but leprosy, they say.

- What? Leprosy!

***

The filming that continued until late at night finally ended, and everyone dispersed.

Jang Seung-won earnestly instructed the actors not to be late for the next day's schedule.

"It's already past midnight, Director Jang. It's today, not tomorrow."

Veteran actor Lee Do-geun joked, and Jang Seung-won scratched the back of his neck and laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I made the filming go on too long today, didn't I?"

"Will you keep doing this? We can't endure it if it continues like this. Neither can the staff, and neither can you, Director Jang."

"I'm pushing hard at the beginning. Once we have enough footage, I'll need to edit, so the shooting schedule will naturally become more relaxed. Don't worry."

"So you'll be working hard from start to finish, Director Jang."

"Well, I'm the captain, right? I think every hour I play, the production schedule gets delayed by a day. That makes me want to stop resting."

"You've been working hard. Let's have a great meal when we have a wrap party later."

"Yes, go home, sir."

As Jang Seung-won bowed, he noticed Han Seo-hee looking dejected.

Today, Han Seo-hee had the most NGs among the actors.

The atmosphere could have turned sour, but Jang Seung-won maintained a gentle attitude, and thanks to that, Han Seo-hee managed to get an OK, though it took some time.

'Is it because it's not a duet scene with Jung Seo-hoon? It's completely different from the camera test last time.'

Her diction and acting were not bad.

But due to her nervousness, she kept making minor mistakes.

Although he had given her a pass, Jang Seung-won was not entirely satisfied.

"Maybe we should have filmed the duet scenes first, even if the location was a bit complicated..."

Standing stiffly beside him, Jung Su-yeon subtly asked,

"Director, was Han Seo-hee's acting not good?"

"No, no. It wasn't bad."

"Frankly, it was just barely above the cut-off line. I'm worried that she might stand out too much compared to the other actors who did well."

"..."

"Besides, the young actors also did well."

"Ah, this is making me nervous."

Jang Seung-won stroked his chin in deep thought.

"Just in case, prepare to reshoot Han Seo-hee's part later, when we film the couple scenes. We'll just need to reset the props and the other actors."

"Yes, Director."

***

Ha Tae-soo didn't stop talking from the moment he got behind the wheel.

"Prince Suyang having leprosy, that's quite a fresh twist."

"Bro, it wasn't explicitly stated that he has leprosy. It's just a rumor that's circulating."

"Hey, you should tell me. Does he have leprosy or not?"

"I don't know. It's not clearly stated in the script."

"Do you have to hide the plot from your manager? Did the writer specifically ask you to?"

"The writer did say not to show the script to family. But it's not that I'm hiding it from my manager; it's just not clearly stated in the script yet."

"Anyway, whether it's leprosy or not, when this airs, the viewers will be shocked."

Jung Su-yeon muttered from the passenger seat.

"There must be a reason for including the leprosy story in the first episode. It's not just to grab attention without cause."

"From what I've seen of the later episodes, that's true."

"But if they already make such a big deal in the first episode, how will they handle it later? If the second prince has leprosy, the historical drama fans will riot."

Ha Tae-soo responded,

"So what if it's a trendy historical drama?"

"The prince's name is Yu, right?"

"The surname wasn't mentioned. There's no indication of which era or background the royal family is from."

"You're right. The royal surname isn't mentioned throughout the drama."

"Wow, they're thorough in that aspect."

"And the leprosy is just a rumor. It's not officially announced, so there's no issue with historical accuracy."

The van was now approaching Gangnam.

Feeling tired, Ha Tae-soo rubbed the back of his neck and asked,

"If the first broadcast is in March next year, how many months are left? When will we wait until then?"

"Bro, if we keep going, March will come around quickly."

"But Su-yeon, is it okay for you to come with us like this? Shouldn't you stay and help the other staff with the wrap-up?"

"Director said it's better for me to go home and get Seohoon a shoulder massage during the wrap-up time."

"You might get glares for that."

"One day won't hurt. Sometimes it's good to be a bit rebellious. Everyone lives like that."

Jung Seohoon felt his phone vibrate, checked the accumulated messages, and then put it away.

Jung Su-yeon, noticing this through the rearview mirror, asked,

"Are your ex-girlfriends whining again?"

"Ex-girlfriends? That's a dangerous thing to say."

Of course, Jung Seohoon had no one he could call an ex-girlfriend.

Jung Su-yeon chuckled and stretched.

"Ah, I wish I could see what it's like for male actors to have unread messages from fans. What would that feel like?"

"You should have tried to act better and become an actor."

"How can I fix it if the camera keeps showing me weirdly? Director Song Jeong-woo acknowledged that."

Jung Su-yeon shot back, looking incredulous, and Ha Tae-soo quietly cleared his throat from the side.

***

A few days had passed since the filming started.

Due to the late hour yesterday, Ha Tae-soo stayed in the guest room.

Waking up groggily after a few hours of sleep, he quickly washed up and came downstairs.

His co-star was already prepared in the first-floor common living room, showing no signs of fatigue.

"Su-yeon?"

"Wait 10 minutes. If she doesn't come, we'll just go without her."

Jung Su-yeon barely made it out, half-asleep, at the 9th minute, and the three of them got into the van and headed to the filming location.

Fans holding placards were waiting at the outdoor filming site and cheered as soon as they saw Jung Seohoon.

"Hey, go comfort your wife. She's been gloomy since she had the most NGs on the first day."

Jung Su-yeon lightly nudged him with her elbow and pointed at Han Seo-hee.

"I thought you'd say something to comfort her on the first day, but you just watched her the whole time?"

"It would look like I'm making a move if I talked to her without rehearsing together."

"Who said that?"

"Her manager was quite wary. I have to be careful. This is my first year, and I've already had a few scandals. Besides, she's a minor."

"Oh, that makes sense. But you're only three years older. Honestly, you might be too high a tree for Han Seo-hee to reach."

"Today we'll rehearse together, so I'll talk to her."

For the past few days, they hadn't filmed any scenes with the prince and his consort together. They had filmed scenes individually or with other co-stars.

Today was the first day they would stand in front of the camera together.

Jung Seohoon walked over to Han Seo-hee.

Feeling his presence, Han Seo-hee looked up, her face brightening.

"Ah, Oppa."

Although a few staff members glanced over at the "oppa" title, he ignored them.

"Han Seo-hee, today we finally have our first scene together."

"Yes! I'm so nervous that I couldn't sleep well last night. How about you, Oppa?"

"I always get a good night's sleep."

"You look so refreshed. I envy you. You really are a star actor."

"I just debuted this year. What star actor?"

"But you received star-level treatment in the sequel to 'The Royal Storage.' So you are a star actor, right?"

Han Seo-hee's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Her manager was on edge, looking around nervously, but fortunately, there were no strange glances.

There was a slight murmur from the fans who had come to see Han Seo-hee, but it wasn't significant.

"By the way, I finally binge-watched 'Illegals' again yesterday. It's my second time."

"I only watched it once during the live broadcast to check my performance. It's impressive that you binge-watched it again."

"Your acting is so captivating the more I watch. I heard you never studied acting and this is your debut, yet how could you act so realistically? It seems like you've been blessed with all the talents in the world."

They talked for a few more minutes, and Jung Seohoon could feel the tension in Han Seo-hee's shoulders easing.

He glanced at the crew's mood.

"The camera will start rolling soon. Let's do our best today."

"Yes, Oppa."

***

Today's filming schedule starts with a scene from the end of the first episode.

It's a scene that erases the young prince's era and introduces the young prince to the audience.

The married prince no longer lives in the palace.

He must live as a leisurely man in a residence provided by the king within the capital, doing nothing and studying nothing until his death.

That is the fate of princes who were not born as the first son.

The staff vividly remembered the scene where Han Seo-hee had the most NGs on the first day.

She barely passed, but her performance was so worrying that historical drama fans might have bled from their noses.

'She needs to do well today.'

'But Director Jang, who is usually so strict, is being very patient. What's going on?'

Under the tense gaze of the staff, the cue sign was finally given.

"Your Excellency..."

As she spoke her lines and took a step, Han Seo-hee almost flinched again.

Her vision narrowed, with the edges shimmering white, just like before.

Thinking she should go to the hospital, her vision suddenly cleared, and the prince's appearance became vividly clear.

The cameras watching from all sides and the microphone hanging above her head were pushed to the back of her mind.

All she could see was the clear image of the prince, her life partner.

A storm of emotions she had never experienced before swirled in her chest.

Han Seo-hee didn't know what it was, but the consort knew it clearly.

It was an endless, infinite longing and compassion for the prince.

An 18-year-old Han Seo-hee had never experienced this, but a 20-year-old consort had felt it since her marriage.

"Today, you've had too much wine."

The prince's eyes, blurred by either alcohol or the passage of time, looked up at her weakly.

"Are you now ignoring me, my consort?"

The deep sorrow in his eyes made the consort feel tears welling up, but they stopped just as they were about to spill, leaving her eyes slightly bloodshot.

***

"Hmm..."

Han Seo-hee, sitting next to the director for monitoring, was anxious.

Jang Seung-won watched the screen several times with a serious expression.

There was no NG declaration, and the scene was completed in one take, but Han Seo-hee was uneasy.

"Han Seo-hee, we need to reshoot this."

"Director, I'm sorry. Oppa is also sorry. I'm so bad..."

"No, not that. The scene from the first day."

"Huh?"

"The difference is too great. We can't use the first day's footage. Why are you suddenly doing so well today?"

Jang Seung-won showed her his first genuine smile.

"You did very well."