Chapter 55

A tense confrontation with no hint of retreat.

A cold and sharp gaze that conveys no feelings whatsoever.

“Starting off strong.”

“Not a hint of awkwardness.”

Even though it was clearly the first time they were exchanging lines today, it felt unusual.

In particular, the battle of wills between Queen Yoon and Yeom Wol felt fiercer than expected.

“ ‘You speak as if you’d give your liver and gallbladder at the Crown Prince’s request.’ ”

“ ‘If my lowly means can be of help to you, how could I not offer them?’ ”

Those aiming to control Crown Prince Lee Hyun and those wanting to protect him.

Simultaneously, they were adversaries to each other.

The fact that these two, who were the same age both in the drama and reality, clashed head-on made the experience even more vivid.

It was a clash of wills where you could not say one side had an advantage or was at a disadvantage.

This also meant that Ha Eun’s acting and Da-yeon’s acting had harmonized beautifully.

If one side stood out too much, the tension of the scene would inevitably diminish.

“Both of them have changed their images significantly.”

It was the first time Ha Eun acted in a role with a sharp image like Yeom Wol.

It was also Da-yeon’s first time playing the villainous Queen Yoon.

Both of them felt unfamiliar in many ways.

No, it felt new.

Yet, there was not the slightest hint of forcedness or awkwardness, allowing those watching to immerse themselves deeper in their performances.

Most importantly, such freshness precisely aligned with the director Jin Kyu-seong’s intentions.

“All three of you were great. I’m looking forward to the shooting day.”

Jin Kyu-seong’s unfiltered praise for the recently completed [S#13. Three-way Face-off in the East Palace] was evident.

The second script reading session began, featuring the main cast, supporting roles, and minor roles blending together in harmony.

For a considerable time, the actors tuned their performances, adjusting the tone, intensity, and inflection of each character’s voice to create an even more cohesive scene.

Witnessing this seamless progress began to fill the staff’s minds with a good premonition.

“This time, it really feels different.”

“I hope we can relax during the dinner party this time.”

It had already been three years since the KBC Drama Department entered a slump.

They were tired of the bitterness that came from failed drama productions they had poured effort into.

Thus, for this time, they wished to taste the sweetness of success rather than the bitterness of failure.

They believed that the superb performances they were witnessing could certainly bring that sweetness.

Having lost track of time while engrossed in the script reading, the late night eventually descended with a dark sky.

“Alright, just one more scene, and we’ll finish.”

Jin Kyu-seong’s announcement, intending to wrap up the script reading with a highlight scene illuminated by the moonlight breaking through clouds, was conveyed to everyone.

It was only natural to wonder which scene it would be.

“[S#47. Injured Yeom Wol]. Please start right away when you’re ready.”

S#47. Injured Yeom Wol.

This was the scene Ha Eun had told Yu Sung-jae was her favorite just hours ago.

At the same time, it was a scene that made her want to portray Yeom Wol.

This particular scene was what piqued Ha Eun’s interest in dressing as a man.

It was not a scene that revealed a confrontation with a hostile character like Queen Yoon.

Nor was it a scene showcasing charisma as a noble.

“It’s the scene where Yeom Wol first reveals herself as a woman.”

The cross-dressing Yeom Wol finally displays her feminine side.

It was a complex scene that expressed the gap between man and woman through the character of Yeom Wol, and it was more gentle and emotional.

For Ha Eun, portraying such a gap between masculinity and femininity was an area she could excel in more than anyone else.

She believed that nobody could match her in traversing the performance of both genders.

After all, no one in this world had experienced what Ha Eun had.

Only Ha Eun had lived both a man’s and a woman’s life.

“Ha Eun, are you ready?”

“…Yes.”

With Ha Eun confirming her readiness, Yu Sung-jae slowly cleared his throat.

Just seconds later.

“ ‘I wondered where the injured person was rushing off to. So, you were hiding here.’ ”

The final script reading commenced with the voice of Crown Prince Lee Hyun reciting lines.

“ ‘…Your Highness?’ ”

“ ‘Who else would be wandering the palace looking for you at this hour?’ ”

The scene depicted the assassin’s ambush aimed at Lee Hyun, who was returning stealthily.

Yeom Wol, trying to fend off the sudden attack alone, ended up getting injured.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious wound, but the bandages around her upper body, which had been wrapped for cross-dressing, became stained with blood.

This scene of trying to change the bandages in a small storage room in the East Palace occurred right before the “Injured Yeom Wol” scene.

The main narrative of “Injured Yeom Wol” begins when Lee Hyun learns that Yeom Wol, who disappeared suddenly, is in the storage.

“ ‘Open the door. I need to see with my own eyes that your injury is not serious.’ ”

Due to concern and remorse for Yeom Wol, Lee Hyun wishes to examine her wound directly.

And Yeom Wol pleads with Lee Hyun not to come into the storage.

From Yeom Wol’s perspective, this was a natural request.

This was because Yeom Wol was currently in a situation where the bandages around her upper body were half-unwrapped.

If by any chance Lee Hyun were to enter the storage, he would undoubtedly realize that Yeom Wol is a woman.

Wanting to remain close to Lee Hyun, Yeom Wol had to prevent Lee Hyun from entering the storage at all costs.

“ ‘You mustn’t, Your Highness. It’s not a sight you should see.’ ”

“ ‘It’s a wound I got while protecting you. What’s so shameful about a wound that I need to hide it?’ ”

“ ‘Please, Your Highness. Just this once, grant my request.’ ”

Uneven breaths.

A trembling voice.

It was an emotional side of Yeom Wol that Lee Hyun had never encountered before.

At the same time, it was the first time Yeom Wol revealed such a vulnerable side.

The character Yeom Wol, as a man, gradually faded, making way for Yeom Wol as a woman.

This transition process is something that any actress would usually find awkward to portray.

“…So natural.”

“Is this acting?”

“Where could you even learn such acting?”

Only one person, Ha Eun, could perform so seamlessly without awkwardness.

“ ‘…Are you truly alright?’ ”

“ ‘Yes, Your Highness. There’s absolutely nothing you need to worry about.’ ”

Thus, unable to enter the storage where Yeom Wol was, Lee Hyun leaned against the door and slowly sank down.

The story of how Lee Hyun perceived Yeom Wol began thereafter.

“ ‘When I was five, I saw Ki Mi-sanggung die, bloodied.’ ”

The assassination attempts against Lee Hyun had been ongoing for quite some time.

Against the odds, he somehow managed to survive, but the attempts had continued nonetheless.

“ ‘I’m afraid to see those lifeless eyes again, so I could let nobody stay close to me. Truly, no one…’ ”

Lee Hyun had made himself a solitary figure.

He had caused himself to be unable to rely on anyone in the vast palace.

However, after meeting Yeom Wol for the first time a few years ago.

Eventually, after Yeom Wol voluntarily became his guard.

“ ‘Only after meeting you was I able to hold onto something for the first time. I finally had someone I could call my own.’ ”

He no longer needed to endure solitude.

He no longer had to coldly push away those who approached him.

“ ‘So, never again.’ ”

However, just a few hours ago, Yeom Wol was struck by an assassin’s blade meant for Lee Hyun.

More precisely, the sight of Yeom Wol’s black clothing gradually turning red was a nightmarish scene.

“ ‘Don’t make me fearful. …It’s a command.’ ”

No matter how strong Yeom Wol was, this reminded him once again that she could leave his side.

He felt the fear he had experienced at five years old wash over him again.

For Yeom Wol, standing beyond the storage door, Lee Hyun’s voice was something she could not ignore.

At the same time, it was a voice revealing how dear Yeom Wol was to Lee Hyun.

And only then did Yeom Wol understand why she wanted to remain at Lee Hyun’s side.

“ ‘…Yes, Your Highness.’ ”

Suppressing feelings that she could never express, she barely managed to respond with a voice tinted with moisture.

Her expression was darker than ever before.

Thus, with the confused mix of emotions on Yeom Wol’s face, S#47, “Injured Yeom Wol,” came to a complete end.

Jin Kyu-seong, who had silently watched Ha Eun’s and Yu Sung-jae’s performances, finally opened his tightly shut mouth.

“It was perfect.”

He shared a brief but precise review with Ha Eun and Yu Sung-jae.

The heavy atmosphere that no one could break slowly began to lift immediately after.

The ensuing murmurs were all composed of individual observations about Ha Eun’s and Yu Sung-jae’s performances.

Amid the excitement, mixed with surprise and anticipation, Da-yeon remained the only one still silent.

However, even Da-yeon could not help but speak after facing the approaching Ha Eun.

After all, Ha Eun’s expression was one of:

“…Why didn’t you say anything?”

It was a face solely expressing disappointment toward Da-yeon.

The usual indifference had completely vanished.

“I shouldn’t have to get your permission to audition for a role I want.”

“Still… you could have at least told me. I shared everything with you.”

And thus, the face of Ha Eun, who wanted to slap herself for this, appeared.

However, it wasn’t because she wanted to slap Ha Eun that she had applied for the role of Queen Yoon.

Rather, it was because she supported Queen Yoon to resolve the ‘strange sensation’ she felt when Da-yeon was surrounded by classmates.

“…Let’s act like we don’t know each other until this filming is over.”

She declared her intention to distance herself from Ha Eun for a while.

After all, she wouldn’t be able to immerse herself in the role of the villain Queen Yoon, who needed to torment Ha Eun’s Yeom Wol, if she was constantly hanging out with Ha Eun.

Da-yeon believed she was not the same as Ha Eun, who could freely manipulate her emotions.

Therefore, for a more perfect portrayal of Queen Yoon, she thought it necessary to suppress her emotions even in daily life.

“If I don’t do this, I’ll never be able to take on that sly character.”

The performance of Ha Eun, whom Da-yeon had at one time underestimated, once flustered, at one time coveted, and at one point resented.

Thus, she absolutely refused to engage Ha Eun’s performance lightly.

So began the distancing from Ha Eun.

However, there was one problem Da-yeon hadn’t considered.

“…I’m bored.”

That was the fact that she had no real friends besides Ha Eun.

Perhaps because she had been projecting the sharp atmosphere of Queen Yoon for the filming of the moonlit scene.

None of the others in the practice room dared to approach Da-yeon.

As time passed, the void left by Ha Eun grew bigger, and Da-yeon turned to her phone.

More precisely, to a familiar-sounding internet broadcast clip that started this Tuesday.

“ ‘Do you have a boyfriend? Oh, of course I do☆’ ”

– Oh my

– Me

– Diah, my horns hurt! Diah, my horns hurt! Diah, my horns hurt! Diah, my horns hurt! Diah, my horns hurt! Diah, my horns hurt!

– Rock

– Me

– Do you want to perform at the dome concert? Do you want to perform at the dome concert? Do you want to perform at the dome concert? Do you want to perform at the dome concert? Do you want to perform at the dome concert? Do you want to perform at the dome concert?

“ ‘What are you so surprised about? I have at least 3000 boyfriends in this room alone.’ ”

– What

– Extreme

– My horns don’t hurt, my horns don’t hurt, my horns don’t hurt, my horns don’t hurt, my horns don’t hurt, my horns don’t hurt, my horns don’t hurt, my horns don’t hurt.

– Rock

– Extreme

– I’d prefer a daughter (message deleted)

– When did I escape the virgin life?

“…It’s quite entertaining.”

At first, she watched the broadcast because the name sounded familiar.

But now, it was due to the vibrant, bubbly voice and the mood of the chatting window changing every few seconds.

Of course, she only watched when no one else was around.

She still lacked the courage to explain what it was if her classmates asked, without any shame.

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