Chapter 88

Villain Only 088

Thirst in the Throat (1)

Go Seung never revealed his name from beginning to end.

-All of this is due to the long-standing resentment of Jeonjo.

-Then, Your Highness, please help me. Why should the mere desire to live be considered a rebellion against heaven?

Daegun tried hard to persuade the monk by quoting what he had heard from the Haneum shaman.

-Your Highness should carve a Buddha statue from a solitary pine tree growing by a clear water source. That is the only way, Your Highness.

-But, Great Monk, it won’t cure me, will it?

-Your Highness.

-I must become king. I must remove the secret technique that made me like this. I must live.

In front of the monk, Daegun openly revealed his rebellious intentions.

Strangely, he felt no fear that the monk might inform the king and ruin everything.

He had a small but firm belief that the monk would keep it to himself.

-Will you, Great Monk, report everything to my father and block my path of rebellion?

The monk closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.

-If that were the case, I would not have come to see Your Highness first.

-Oh, Great Monk...

-Telling the king about Your Highness’s misfortune would cause even greater harm to the royal family.

It had been over ten years since he had heard any news, and the monk appeared to persuade him after noticing his resolve.

If he had intended to inform the king, he would not have shown himself at all.

-Great Monk, please help me. With the same heart that you spent four days and nights praying for my life when I was a child, please help me from beside me.

-There will be no future you truly desire at the end of the path Your Highness wishes to take.

-Great Monk.

-However, I will stay by Your Highness’s side for the time being.

The monk closed his eyes and slowly rolled his prayer beads, reciting calmly.

-To prevent the righteous flow of this land from being distorted, I will offer my humble words of advice from beside Your Highness.

-Thank you, Great Monk.

The monk decided to stay by Daegun’s side to dissuade him from his rebellion.

However, Daegun was delighted that the monk, whom he had sought for so long, would remain by his side.

-Great Monk, I have not been able to find a solitary pine tree growing by a clear water source. Except for the young pine tree growing on the king’s altar.

The pine tree statue cannot dispel the secret technique, but it can suppress it.

It can collect some of the time that is being cut short from his life.

-You have been looking in the wrong place. Please go back to the place I first told you about.

Daegun, after many years, returned to the place where he had first cut the pine tree.

To his surprise, a new pine tree had grown from the stump.

-Although the divine power it contains is insufficient, it will be able to alleviate Your Highness’s pain for a few years.

-Indeed, Great Monk, everything seems to be flowing smoothly. Hahaha!

The newly grown tree was very small, about the thickness of a child’s arm.

When he offered a prayer to the small Buddha statue, the pain disappeared as if by magic from that day on.

The festering wound that had spread to a grotesque size began to heal noticeably.

The monk stayed at Daegun’s residence, rolling his prayer beads and reciting scriptures every day for Daegun.

Daegun, using the excuse of looking for the monk, traveled around the country to find things that could serve as a foundation.

He also did not forget to create a smokescreen by showing a dissolute lifestyle to allay his father’s suspicions.

Unaware of Daegun’s situation, his wife often sighed and shed tears due to the rare sightings of her husband.

One day, the Haneum shaman secretly visited Daegun.

-Your Excellency, although I cannot be certain, it might be possible to stop the royal secret technique without committing treason.

-Haneum, what do you mean?

Daegun was overwhelmed by a sinking feeling in his heart.

It was certainly good news, but strangely, his heart did not soar.

'Is it because I no longer need to become king? No, my desire to rebel is only... for the sake of...'

-The Great Monk’s spiritual power was so profound that it almost deafened my ears. I could hardly dare to look at him straight.

-So?

-Take the Great Monk’s life and burn his body to ashes.

-How confident are you in this?

-About fifty-fifty.

With a success rate less than half of half, Daegun felt a strange calm and a complex emotion.

However, he did not show it and lightly scolded.

-He has been trying to save my life for a long time, both in the past and now. Do not speak such impious words again, Haneum.

-I apologize for causing you concern.

After sending the shaman away, Daegun fell into deep thought.

He knew exactly what the residue of emotion in the corner of his uneasy relief was.

-I must become king. Only then can I survive...

Is it to live that he wants to become king, or is it to justify his desire to become king that he wants to live?

The feeling that he could not sacrifice the monk came from the whisper of ambition to not give up the throne.

-I will defy my father’s will, drive away my elder brother, and seize the throne, all for the sake of survival...

Not out of a desire for power.

Daegun mocked himself.

***

The drama "Rebellion from Below" was quietly climbing the ratings, steadily renewing its highest ratings by 1% or 2% each week.

Jeong Seohoon delivered a solid and stable performance, but it was now difficult to find reactions praising his acting skills.

He was only frequently mentioned in the V-Lab community, and there were no compliments about his acting from the outside.

Even on the set, praise for Jeong Seohoon’s acting was rare.

"Now it’s become so obvious. There’s no need to praise it anymore. What, Jeong Seohoon is a good actor? It’s a given, and it hurts to say it."

Lately, Kim Sanghee always seemed to be in a good mood.

Everyone on the production team knew why.

"Besides, something much more interesting than our drama happens every week. Honestly, I’ve thrown up my hands at KBC’s real script. Watching their drama is much more fun than mine these days."

"Writer, it must feel great to have something more interesting than your own drama."

Jeong Seohoon chuckled, and Kim Sanghee became even more animated.

"Do you know what the highest rating was yesterday after it ended at 9.7% last Tuesday?"

"How much was it?"

"Don’t be surprised. It was 8.1%, 8.1%! How can it drop 1.6% in just one episode? I’m really looking forward to how much it will fall today. I couldn’t even sleep properly last night."

"Can’t you sleep well these days? Still, you should get a good night’s rest."

"I should, but it’s too fun to check the original ratings of Taesong and the audience’s reactions every day. Ah, I should be writing more during that time."

It’s often more enjoyable to see the competition fail than to succeed oneself.

Especially when it’s not a friendly competition, but a KBC production that started with arrogance and resentment.

"Seohoon, let’s watch Taesong’s original together today. I’ll also invite PD and Lee Seohyun."

"Understood."

That evening, after wrapping up the shoot early, the four of them gathered at Kim Sanghee’s bar.

Jang Seungwon pointed out the shortcomings in the production throughout the broadcast, Lee Seohyun said little but showed her satisfaction through her expression, and Kim Sanghee was busy relaying the real-time audience reactions to the three of them.

The highest rating never exceeded 5.6% in the first 15 minutes of the broadcast.

"Wow. It was 8.1% yesterday, and today it’s 5.6%? How low will it go?"

"It’s scarier than the stocks I sold a long time ago. This isn’t a falling knife, it’s a bomb."

"Next week, it will definitely be below 4%. Is it really going to end early at episode 20?"

"Even setting it at 20 episodes was a mistake. It seems they’re shooting a completely different script. It might be better to end it early next week."

The PD and the writer were in high spirits, exchanging compliments about each other’s contributions.

"I’ll go call my wife for a moment."

"I also got a call from my manager. I’ll be right back."

After Jang Seungwon and Lee Seohyun left, Kim Sanghee asked with a serious expression.

"But are you managing your emotions well lately? Scene 42 of episode 32, the scene you said would be the hardest, right?"

"It’s a bit difficult."

"Why? Just do what you did in 'Illegals.' It’s a scene you’ve already acted out thoroughly. Killing someone."

"·····It’s subtly different. Others might give it a passing grade, but I’m not sure about PD and the writer."

"Is that so? No, just doing what you did in 'Illegals' should be fine."

Kim Sanghee tilted her head, and Jeong Seohoon smiled bitterly inside.

***

"Big sister."

"Yes, little brother. What troubles you that you seek my help? Speak your mind freely."

"·····Just help me capture the emotion for a moment."

"Look at you, so well-behaved. Why are you making me so anxious?"

"I can’t imagine it well by myself. Big sister, can you help me?"

"Alright. What do you need me to do?"

"Lie on the bed and pretend to be asleep. Not really sleeping, though."

Jeong Seohyun complied, climbing onto the bed and lying down with her legs stretched out, despite her confusion.

"Cross your hands over your stomach lightly."

"Got it."

Jeong Seohoon stood up from his chair and quietly looked down at her from the bedside.

His slightly moist eyes held a myriad of complex emotions.

In the depths of his pupils, where no one could guess what he was thinking, Jeong Seohyun had a strange thought.

'His gaze is so good right now. If I took a photo and sold it as merchandise, it would make a profit...'

Jeong Seohoon just stood there, silently looking down.

A vibration started from his shoulders and traveled to his fingertips, causing a subtle tremor.

A profound sense of pity was being conveyed through the thick silence.

'But what scene is this? It seems like he’s looking at a dying Daegun’s wife with concern. Is that it?'

After a long time of trying to capture the emotion, Jeong Seohyun, feeling restless, subtly asked.

"Hey, what scene is this that you’re looking at so seriously and intensely?"

"Wasn’t it supposed to be sensual?"

"Exactly. If you look at someone with that gaze, it should normally make them shiver. But why do I feel so calm and comfortable?"

Fans and actresses would probably swoon if they saw that gaze. Even between siblings, it should make one’s corneas break out in hives.

But feeling as comfortable as wearing a perfectly tailored suit was strange.

"I told you to lie down, and you’re standing there. Is it a scene where you’re worried about a dying Daegun’s wife?"

"No, I was trying to capture the emotion of wanting her to die quickly."

"What? Not the Daegun’s wife, but the Crown Prince, and you’re cursing him while looking down?"

"Something like that. I said it wouldn’t be sensual."

"Damn. No wonder your gaze felt like a cool breeze from an air conditioner. It’s a relief. I thought I was going crazy for a moment, but it’s normal."

Jeong Seohyun grumbled, closed her eyes, and quietly asked.

"Does this help more?"

"It’s a bit better than doing image training alone."

"Remember my contribution when we divide the inheritance later?"

It felt ticklish.

The uncertainty of whether it would work or not made the frustration build up.

'I’ve killed so many times that I can’t even remember. My hands have been stained with enough blood. But...’

Jeong Seohoon imagined the co-star he needed to kill, looking at his sister’s face.

However, the emotions he tried to layer kept losing their grip and falling apart.

'Among all those killings, I’ve never experienced this kind of murder.'

The emotions on the battlefield are simple.

Hatred, a desire for revenge, and all sorts of negative emotions that justify killing swirl around.

Such experiences were perfect for playing the sadistic killer Lee Jinwook and the materialistic action leader Kim Chan.

However, he had never cruelly killed a kind and innocent life for the sake of ambition.

That was the very deficiency he now felt, the emotion he sensed he lacked.

Whenever he discussed this issue with Kim Sanghee or Jang Seungwon, they would casually say:

'Just do what you did in 'Illegals.''

'It’s the final episode, so you have plenty of time. Take your time to study the emotions.'

Jeong Seohoon could not be as relaxed as they were.

To capture the emotion for this scene, he had recorded and reviewed videos dozens of times.

But each time, a 1% gap that he could not fill kept appearing.

Jeong Seohoon slowly gripped his sister’s neck.

He imagined infusing his fingers, tendons, bones, and muscles with strength.

But at this moment, he could not picture what emotion to convey on his face.

'This is a kind of murder I’ve never done. Even with the Lens power, I can’t express it satisfactorily. Then...’

If only he could return to that world.

Suddenly, Jeong Seohoon was startled by his own thoughts and quickly withdrew his hand.

"Little brother. Thinking about the first time you countered me with a leg lock makes me feel emotional. Is it over now?"

"Ah, wake up. It’s not working. Maybe the teaching aid is just not good enough."

The idea of returning to the world where Rashid’s life existed, where he had fought with dear comrades, just to capture the emotion of slaughter, made Jeong Seohoon feel a light disgust towards himself, which he forcibly shook off.