Chapter 78

Villain Only Acting 078

Traditional and Trendy (2)

“Oh, it’s starting. It’s starting.”

The Jeong family, rarely all four of them gathered in one space, were eagerly waiting for the start of *Hageuk-sang*.

They waited for the commercial to end with a spread of appetizers and a large keg of draft beer prepared.

“I’ll just watch it alone.”

“No way. This time, we’re watching together.”

When Jeong Seohoon tried to get up, his mother quickly grabbed him, and his father also tried to stop him.

“Seohoon, when else will we be able to gather like this and watch you act?”

“Dad, you’re going back to America soon. We should all watch it together until then.”

“Are you really that heartless, even after getting the van? Do you want to trade it for my bag?”

“Bag? Did you buy her a bag, dear?”

“·····She kept nagging me to buy her a small Prada bag. That’s all.”

“Really? If I find out it’s not true when I check her room later······.”

“Mom! The drama is starting! It’s starting!”

Jeong Su-ryeon, making a fuss, turned her gaze to the TV.

The mother’s mouth dropped open in delight at the sight of her son filling the large screen.

“TV really is better when it’s big. I’m glad we got a new one before *Hageuk-sang* started. Honey, what is this?”

“It’s an OLED 8K 4th generation model. It supports Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, and HLG, and has artificial intelligence picture quality and Dolby Atmos······.”

“Honey, I just asked about the size.”

“Oh, 120 inches. It’s really big. They don’t make anything bigger than 88 inches in the country, so it was really hard to get. It has built-in Harman Kardon speakers, so you get a rich 7.1 channel sound······.”

“Oh, it’s starting. Honey, focus.”

“Yeah.”

Jeong Seohoon, who had been listening intently, and Jeong Tae-hyun, who had been explaining enthusiastically, were disappointed. Jeong Su-ryeon shrugged, and Lee Jeong-suk opened a can of beer.

The soft music ended, and the title appeared.

*Hageuk-sang Episode 1*

***

In the era of peace, the royal family, having many princes, was always in a festive mood.

But one day, tragedy struck.

- The Second Grand Prince has collapsed.

- Send the royal physician immediately to treat him.

The royal family was enveloped in worry, and the queen consort visited temples daily to pray for his recovery and offer Buddhist services.

However, on a particularly rainy day, the king heard news he did not wish to hear.

- The royal physician says····· he will not survive the year.

Amidst the unknown illness, ominous rumors spread throughout the capital.

- The Second Grand Prince seems to have caught the plague. They say a quarantine line has been drawn around his residence.

- Shh, do you want to be accused of treason? Don’t talk so recklessly!

The people were frightened, and petitions from the provinces poured in like rain.

Even as the queen consort prepared for the Second Grand Prince’s death, a renowned high monk visited the palace.

- The illness is due to the deep resentment left by the late prince, which has seeped into the Second Grand Prince’s body.

- Please, Venerable Master, help him.

Following the monk’s advice, a statue of Buddha was carved from a solitary pine tree that grew by a water source deep in the mountains, and the drum was struck. Miraculously, the Second Grand Prince’s illness was cured.

The queen consort was overjoyed and sought out the monk, but he had already disappeared.

- The Buddha must have pitied us and sent a virtuous monk to help······.

The young Grand Prince, who had recovered, offered daily prayers to the statue of Buddha in a jar, as the queen consort had said.

However, on a day when the queen consort was busy nursing him, the Grand Prince collapsed again, and his illness recurred.

Centered around the Grand Prince who was spitting blood, ominous rumors spread, and even the king’s elder brother came to urge the young Grand Prince to be exiled from the capital.

Rumors grew more ominous each day.

- It’s not the Second Grand Prince, but leprosy.

- What? Leprosy!

“Seohoon, are you really leprous?”

“Honey, leprosy can be stigmatizing, so we should call it Hansen’s disease even among ourselves······.”

“That poor child. If it’s such a terrible disease, won’t he have ugly scars even as an adult? Seohoon, you won’t have to wear that makeup, right?”

“Mom, I haven’t seen Seohoon with that special makeup on set, so don’t worry.”

“Really? I was worried. Why is Kim Sang-hee so anxious about not killing or tormenting our Seohoon······.”

Despite the ominous rumors about the young Grand Prince being leprous, the drama skips ahead in time, leaving the audience curious, and the young Grand Prince becomes a young adult who idles away his days.

“Oh, thank goodness. I was worried that if he had scars on his face, I wouldn’t be able to watch the drama. Fortunately, that’s not the case.”

“Honey, smallpox causes pockmarks, but Hansen’s disease is caused by bacteria······.”

“Seohoon’s dad, pour me a drink. Hurry.”

“Oh, yeah.”

The camera, which had been showing the young Grand Prince drinking heavily, changed direction.

Han Se-hee, dressed in a demure noblewoman’s attire, slowly approached, looking directly at the audience.

But she was looking at her husband, not the audience.

Jeong Seohoon gazed intently at the sad eyes of Han Se-hee on the screen.

Despite the lack of the vibrant atmosphere of their past, the director’s portrayal of the Grand Prince’s gaze at his wife was vividly conveyed.

- Sir, you’ve had too much wine today.

- Even you, my wife, are ignoring me now?

The Grand Prince’s wife shed tears at the poignant tone in his voice.

But even faster, his mother sniffled with reddened eyes.

“Our Seohoon has never been ignored. He’s always been number one and praised······.”

“Honey, the Crown Prince’s actions undermined the strong royal authority established by King Sejong and the robust political system, leading to the downfall of Joseon in the future······.”

“Seohoon’s dad, it’s just a Grand Prince, not the Crown Prince. And it’s not even set in Joseon, right?”

“·····.”

“Still, our son is definitely a standout. The screen brightens up when Seohoon appears. Su-ryeon, who is that?”

“Han Se-hee. She’s the center of a popular girl group these days.”

“Don’t they look good together? Seohoon, I like her. Bring her home sometime.”

“Mom, she’s just a second-year high school student. That’s a big deal.”

“Only three years apart. Time flies.”

***

Oh So-hee and Kim Da-hye gathered in their dorm room to wait for *Hageuk-sang* Episode 2.

“Honestly, it was a bit boring yesterday.”

“Agreed.”

“It couldn’t be helped. There must have been a reason to include the young Grand Prince’s era.”

“To me, that high monk was a MacGuffin. Wait and see. He’ll definitely come back.”

“Wasn’t it a one-time appearance? Maybe he just healed the illness and disappeared.”

“The illness recurred, so now he has a reason to come back.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, it’s starting.”

The ominous ending from yesterday was nowhere to be seen, and Episode 2 began with the bright brotherly love between the princes.

The camera occasionally highlighted the Grand Prince’s right arm, thickly wrapped in bandages, making it unusually thick.

“No one seems to know that the Grand Prince has leprosy.”

“It might not be leprosy. Could it be another disease that looks like leprosy?”

“Kim Sang-hee would do that. He’s probably planning to surprise the audience.”

“I heard Seohoon is back at school this semester. Did he go to school today?”

“Seohoon skipped school to come to the set. Looks like he’s not planning to go to grad school.”

“That’s a relief.”

In the early part of Episode 2, the Grand Prince sends people to search for a solitary pine tree that grew by a water source.

The drama unfolds with the Grand Prince, who has kept his illness a secret, desperately searching for the clue that healed him in his youth.

- Is there not a single solitary pine tree by a water source in this country?

- Sir, I apologize. There are pine trees by water sources, but none that grew alone.

- We don’t have time. Find it quickly, quickly!

The Grand Prince’s anxiety visibly deepened, and one day, a famous shaman told him a prophecy.

- Tomorrow, wait alone at the hunting ground the Grand Prince frequents. Follow the first thing that appears. You will find what you seek.

- What do you mean?

- I cannot interpret the prophecy further.

Despite his doubts, the Grand Prince waited alone at the hunting ground the next day.

When a stag with a broken horn appeared, the Grand Prince mounted his horse and began to chase it.

The stag ran for a while and then vanished on a small hill.

- This place······.

It was where the king performed sacred rituals to the heavens during natural disasters.

Going any further would be a crime of sacrilege.

Just as the Grand Prince was about to turn back, he suddenly heard a gentle stream and turned his head.

He saw a small spring on the east side of the altar and a small pine tree standing in the center of the water.

A solitary pine tree that had grown by a clean water source in the sacred ground where the king performed rituals.

The Grand Prince’s face twisted in anger, and he gritted his teeth.

- Why here······ of all places.