Chapter 64

S#87 highlighted Yeom Wol’s unmatched strength, while S#88 revealed Yeom Wol’s true identity.

‘Could this also be considered a red pill in some way?’

As Ha Eun prepared for the filming of S#88, the part that troubled him the most was Yeom Wol’s feelings upon being discovered as a woman.

This S#88 was also the part where the distinctive traits of a female character disguised as a man would be most vividly showcased.

Just as so many cross-dressing female characters have before, Yeom Wol too was taken aback when her identity was revealed.

Moreover, she desperately tried to conceal her female appearance with her still-developing body.

‘Mask.’

For Yeom Wol, the male façade was a mask that allowed her to stay by Lee Hyun’s side.

Even though she knew it was too late, turning away from Lee Hyun and hiding her exposed upper body stemmed from that reason.

Only the sworn protector Yeom Wol could be by Lee Hyun’s side.

One had to wear that mask, filled with nothing but lies, in order to be with Lee Hyun.

However, once the mask had been removed once already.

Once her true identity had been revealed.

She knew deep down that she could no longer hide her identity.

She knew she could no longer be by Lee Hyun’s side.

“…Please punish this woman who dared to disrespect your highness…”

She spoke while engulfed in deep sorrow, claiming she would pay the price for deceiving Lee Hyun thus far.

Her outward appearance appeared more fragile than ever before.

Ha Eun had already understood why someone as strong-willed as Yeom Wol would become infinitely weak just because her identity had been exposed.

No, it would be more accurate to say she had long known.

‘She can’t help but be afraid.’

In her past life, Ha Eun had also feigned a facade far removed from the truth to gain affection.

She was well aware of the fear that arose when her frail true self was inadvertently revealed, knowing it all too well.

The affection she had received by acting under a false guise had vanished.

The void left by what she had so desperately desired was filled with abandonment and neglect.

Strictly speaking, Yeom Wol had not yet been abandoned or neglected.

However, she firmly believed she would soon be cast aside by Lee Hyun.

She thought the bitter feelings Ha Eun had experienced countless times in her past life could easily become Yeom Wol’s feelings.

She believed she could depict Yeom Wol’s expression with that dark countenance reflected in the hospital window.

A meager figure that held no glimmer of hope.

Just like that, she held her breath and awaited Lee Hyun’s judgment.

– Sluuk.

Warm fingers, rather than a cold voice, slipped through Yeom Wol’s scarred fingers.

What followed was a calm voice that was far removed from anger.

“…You were this small.”

Eventually, the gaze that had turned unconsciously met a face that was remarkably serene.

A face that felt no trace of betrayal towards Yeom Wol.

She couldn’t help but be taken aback.

It was impossible not to be chaotic.

She was a sinner who had deceived none other than a prince.

Only punishment and consequences should have been dealt to her.

Mercy or compassion should have been utterly impossible.

Should never have been something that existed.

Still.

“Thank you for coming back.”

Eyes.

Expressions.

Voices.

Even the soft warmth that enveloped her hands.

“And, never… leave again. It is a command.”

It was inexplicably warm.

What should she say?

What on earth, should she say?

A scene she had never even seen in her dreams.

A sight she had not even been allowed to glimpse in her dreams.

She couldn’t believe this dream-like scene was reality.

She absolutely could not believe it.

“I am a sinner who deceived your highness.”

“I am also your benefactor who saved your life.”

“I merely wanted to stay by your side, due to my trivial selfishness.”

“That trivial selfishness is what keeps me alive.”

“I fled out of fear of what might befall my father!”

“It is my sin that caused you not to trust.”

How could she blame him?

The gentle voice that added that only completely shattered Yeom Wol.

Her head dropped.

Shoulders began to tremble slightly.

The voice gradually started to quaver.

“No, your highness. You must not embrace a sinful girl like me…”

She uttered words that conflicted with her inner feelings due to her guilt towards Lee Hyun.

However, the reply that came still retained a gentle tone.

“How could I embrace the entirety of my subjects if I cannot embrace the woman I love?”

What Yeom Wol longed to hear in the past.

“I cherish you, Wol Ah.”

Her breath momentarily halted at the heartfelt words.

At almost the same time, her heart began to race.

She cautiously lifted her trembling gaze.

And at last, she managed to ask.

“From… when?”

“From the moment you saved me once again. No, perhaps it could even be from that time in the forest.”

Strictly speaking, Lee Hyun’s realization of his feelings toward Yeom Wol as romantic interest came after confirming her identity.

Yet, it remained unchanged that he had valued her for quite some time beforehand.

“Let me grant your wish to stay by my side.”

Yeom Wol’s earnest feeling, uttered unconsciously, returned in a form she could hardly have ever imagined.

What then greeted her was a soft smile.

Lee Hyun’s warm hand remained gently intertwined.

At this, Ha Eun began to form a smile she had never dared to express.

‘…Incredible.’

‘This will surely garner considerable viewer ratings.’

‘This scene will definitely be featured in the articles.’

Emotions overflowing from her heart were clearly reflected in her eyes.

Eyes that looked wet yet did not seem sad.

A mouth that trembled, struggling to utter any words.

All of this was Yeom Wol’s first display of sincerity.

The first time showing her affection.

What Yeom Wol had to continually hide and suppress in the past.

Something she had believed would never come to pass.

Yet, in the end.

“Become my lord…”

“Gladly.”

The response received.

At that moment, the shared gaze filled only with affection collided in the air.

The distance between the two, which had once been quite narrow.

Then, slowly, Lee Hyun’s outstretched hand cradled the back of Yeom Wol’s head.

As they drew closer and closer.

– Tok.

Only when they could no longer draw closer did they completely close their eyes.

At the same time, a warm tear rolled down Yeom Wol’s left cheek.

S#88.

Reunion.

A perfect conclusion fitting of that name.

***

“How does it look to you, Sung-jae?”

“It seems good, especially the emotional lines.”

“And what about you, Ha Eun?”

“It seems like… it turned out well.”

Honestly speaking, the thought of re-shooting did not come to mind.

After all, it was Ha Eun’s first time experiencing skinship acting in his 18 years of life.

He had been aware of the presence of the skinship scene for a long time.

The difference between knowing it in his head and actually performing it was greater than he had thought.

Of course, since it was acting, it was not something to be overly concerned about.

However, continuously re-shooting numerous skinship scenes seemed a bit too much to handle.

It had been difficult to draw up the emotions of Yeom Wol, which had just reached a peak.

Well, be it this way or that.

Since Jin Kyu-seong did not see any particular problems.

In fact, it was so perfectly filmed that he wondered if he could shoot the same scene again.

“Thank you both for your hard work today.”

The two lead actors of [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight], Yu Sung-jae and Ha Eun.

And he announced to all the crew that the filming for today was completely finished.

However, Yu Sung-jae and a few other male actors had to remain on set.

The reason being.

“Well, it would be better to have the speakers turned on during practice, right? Does anyone have a Bluetooth speaker?”

“Actually, Hee-seong went to get one.”

Because a special dance video shoot for the promotion of [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight] was just around the corner.

Since Yu Sung-jae and the other male actors each had their own schedules, it was better to practice while everyone was gathered at the filming site like this.

After all, it was for the success of [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight], so the actors also wanted to give their best.

After that, the dance practice continued for approximately 30 more minutes.

And there was one person who had been quietly observing this dance practice.

“Isn’t that Ha Eun?”

“Has the manager not arrived yet? Why hasn’t he gone home yet?”

Not long after that, encouraged by the other actors—since they were almost old enough to be his fathers—Yu Sung-jae temporarily halted the dance practice and approached Ha Eun.

However, before he could even ask why she was still at the filming site.

“Can I join as well?”

“For the dance video? Or the dance practice?”

“Um… both?”

Ha Eun was the first to express her wish to appear in the dance video.

The special promotional video of [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight] remained a topic of significant interest within Ha Eun’s memory.

Since the view count had surpassed 10 million, she figured that Yeom Wol’s appearance in the video would garner even more attention.

After pondering for a while, Yu Sung-jae called over the staff in charge of the promotional video to ask if Ha Eun could participate.

“Ha Eun cannot be in it.”

This was immediately cut off by Jin Kyu-seong, who casually overheard it next to him.

This was due to the potential damage to Yeom Wol’s image, which needed to showcase strong charisma in the early to mid-parts of [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight].

Ha Eun felt it wouldn’t damage the image that much.

However, since the director Jin Kyu-seong believed so, she ultimately gave up on appearing in the dance video.

But.

“Then, can I at least practice the dance together?”

“I won’t stop you from practicing… but why?”

“Ah, well… it looks fun.”

She insisted on joining the dance practice.

‘What Virtual YouTuber has ever danced with Yu Sung-jae?’

It was a purely personal reason.

Finally, the dance practice resumed with Ha Eun added in.

Unlike the male actors, with whom she had practiced dance several times, she hadn’t had the chance to practice with them, so she decided to participate for the sake of it.

‘Why are you so good at dancing?’

She had practiced dancing to some extent for her audition video for the Fantasia, and the memory of the special promotional video for [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight] was still fresh in her mind, allowing her to blend in without difficulty among the male actors.

“This could definitely be included in the making film, right?”

A suggestion from a staff member who had been watching Ha Eun’s impeccable dancing skills.

This time, there was no reason to oppose, so Jin Kyu-seong ultimately accepted the staff’s suggestion.

The promotional meeting for [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight] officially took place a few days later.

“Rather than Sung-jae appearing alone on [2 Days & 1 Night], I think it would be better for Ha Eun to appear together too.”

After that, several more suggestions were presented regarding how Lee Ha-eun could contribute to the promotion of [Cloud’s Splitting Moonlight].

Among them, the one that garnered the most support involved KBC’s main entertainment program [2 Days & 1 Night].

These days, the viewer ratings had dipped slightly, but it was still a sufficient program for achieving the purpose of drama promotion.

However, the fact that Ha Eun was still a minor weighed heavily.

Furthermore, the somewhat rough nature of [2 Days & 1 Night] stirred Jin Kyu-seong’s concerns.

If Ha Eun were to display a clumsy side on [2 Days & 1 Night], Yeom Wol’s image would also inevitably become clumsy.

Thus, he expressed concerns regarding the option of having Ha Eun appear on a variety program like [2 Days & 1 Night].

“Wait, director, don’t you really know? Ha Eun shoots incredibly well in variety shows!”

“…What do you mean by that?”

After hearing that Ha Eun had performed excellently as a guest on the popular variety show [Don’t Stop People] a few years ago.

More accurately, after seeing the viral meme titled [Han Yu-hwa Training the Fake Dojo Fighters with Physical Education.gif] that had heated up internet communities for a while.

“It wouldn’t be too bad for the two main actors to appear on [2 Days & 1 Night] together.”

He shifted to support Ha Eun’s appearance on variety shows.

The shocking yet refreshing image of Ha Eun from the internet meme he had just seen had certainly impacted his decision.

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