Chapter 107:
Chapter 107
Yi-yung.
The childhood of Yeonsan-gun, the 10th king of Joseon, was often the subject of gossip among the busybodies.
Some said he showed signs of becoming a tyrant from a young age, while others said he was more merciful and upright than anyone else, and a potential sage king.
The reason for such conflicting opinions was the lack of historical records about Yeonsan-gun’s early deeds.
Even in Yeonsan-gun’s diary, his childhood was vaguely described.
They said he had a sensitive temperament when he was young, but nothing remarkable happened.
The stories recorded in the unofficial histories were also inconsistent. Some portrayed him as a psychopath, while others as a clever boy.
The gap was so wide that it was hard to tell what was true.
But there was one thing that the official and unofficial records agreed on.
That was Yeonsan-gun Yi-yung enjoyed hunting and horse riding from a young age.
Hee-hing!
A horse with a dark red mane neighed wildly. Its body was muscular, as if it was proud of it.
Every time it kicked, the muscles on its thighs twitched uncontrollably.
PD Yoo Myung-han scolded AD Kim Young-min for that.
“Kim Young-min, I told you to rent a horse for filming, not a racing horse. Look at those thighs and chest muscles. Are we filming a war scene or what? If it steps on you once, you’ll be left with nothing but bones!”
“Director, it’s not that. It’s the horse that the main character will ride, so I asked the Equestrian Association to send a handsome one that would suit a historical drama. But who knew they would send such a huge and stupid one? The caretaker who came with it said that the association president is a big fan of Young-guk and sent him a very good one. I was also shocked when I saw it this morning. I thought it was not a horse but a rhino. But we can’t send it back now, the filming is right in front of us…”
“Ugh… What do I do with this?”
PD Yoo Myung-han sighed.
The most common animal in historical dramas was none other than a horse.
It was an animal that was closely related to historical dramas, but ironically, it was also the animal that directors hated the most.
‘If an accident happens, it’ll be big trouble.’
Due to the nature of historical dramas, they often had to film in narrow mountain roads or rough terrain.
As a result, falling off a horse was also a frequent occurrence.
It was no wonder there was a joke among drama actors that if you played a role that rode a horse in a historical drama, you would either get a herniated disc or a broken bone.
Therefore, in historical drama filming, a good horse was not a horse with excellent pedigree and splendid physique, but a timid horse that adapted well to the filming site.
“Oh, Sundol, stop kicking. What the hell are you so angry about? You were so gentle until this morning. Do you want to ruin my reputation in front of the PD teacher? Please calm down.”
The old horse caretaker hurriedly tended to the horse.
He had trimmed and filed its hooves for the drama filming last night. He even carefully checked if there were any ticks in its mane.
It was a docile horse until before it arrived at the filming site. Was it because of the many people at the filming site? It snorted and flared its nostrils, inflating its muscles. In the end, PD Yoo Myung-han swallowed his sigh and asked, “Excuse me, teacher, is the horse so angry because there are so many people?”
“Well, that might be part of it. Sundol here is a pampered one at the association, and he grew up in the hands of the caretakers. He’s shy of strangers, but he’s usually a gentle one to people. He’s not the kind of horse that runs around like this. But today, he seems to be in a bad mood, or something.”
“Can’t we contact the association right now and change it to another horse? It’s too big and threatening. It doesn’t seem suitable for filming.”
“The nearest association branch is six hours away from this mountain filming site, so it’s hard to arrange it right away. And Sundol here is only a bit big because it’s winter. It’s hard to find such a handsome one in winter.”
‘It’s not Sundol, it’s Bombol.’
Contrary to the name Sundol, which sounded gentle, the horse looked dangerous enough that anyone could tell it was angry.
There were two horses prepared at the mountain filming site.
One was for Yi-yung to ride, and the other was for Yi-yung’s escort warrior. But they couldn’t switch the horses, either.
It didn’t look good. That’s when it happened.
“PD Yoo.”
Young-guk, who had finished preparing for filming, came over, fluttering his silk hem.
He wore a hat on his head and had a dignified posture. He looked like a son of a noble family.
“Is this the horse I’m riding today?”
Before PD Yoo Myung-han could say anything, Young-guk approached Sundol.
Young-guk had learned horse riding early on for historical drama filming.
Not to mention, he had ridden horses occasionally in his past life when he acted in historical dramas.
Young-guk reached Sundol before the stable manager could block his way.
Hee-haw.
Sundol neighed in a different tone than before and headbutted Young-guk’s face.
AD Kim Young-min closed his eyes. But what happened? Instead of the scream he expected to hear next…
“Hey, hey, that tickles.”
He heard Young-guk’s laughter.
How come the horse that was snorting angrily just a moment ago became as gentle as a puppy when it saw Young-guk?
It rubbed its head against his face as if it had met its owner. It acted so cute.
“Stop it, you’ll wrinkle my clothes. What’s this friend’s name, manager?”
“Sun, Sundol.”
“Just like the name, such a gentle friend. Sundol, coochie-coo.”
Everyone in the filming set opened their mouths wide.
***
“Scene number 57, The Reason For Hunting―!”
On the narrow mountain road where the first snow had melted, Director Kim Deuk-yoong was sweating as he carried the filming camera.
The unpaved mountain road was steep, and the melted snow had frozen, making it impossible to install a track.
Not to mention, the use of a crane was also impossible due to the countless branches that soared into the sky.
That was why he had to use a ladder to get a close-up shot of the full shot (F/S) every now and then.
‘Please, no NG.’
Not only the filming team, but also the other staff members had the same thought.
Despite the winter, the lighting director was also sweating as he adjusted the positions of the youngest ones holding the reflectors.
The natural light that shone through the dense branches changed direction every moment according to the cloud waves, and if he took his eyes off for a bit, the shadows would fall on the actors’ faces because of the light reflected by the melted snow.
“Your Highness, why do you want to hunt this far? This place is so barren that even the wild animals have stopped coming.”
Crown Prince Yi-yung went hunting with only his bodyguard.
He was wearing a hunting outfit that was common among the nobles, so no one thought he was the crown prince who would inherit the royal authority.
Especially in this deep mountain village.
“Kwak-san, do you know why I like hunting? Because I can enjoy this wide freedom by escaping from the palace that was suffocating like a cage. I can also avoid the eyes of the annoying courtiers. Do you know why they visit me so often when I haven’t even received the royal authority yet?”
“I dare to say with my short thoughts, isn’t it because they want to please Your Highness?”
“Well. They come to see my intentions every time. They wonder if the crown prince in front of them will be a puppet who will follow their words even after he sits on the throne, or if he will thrust a sword at them. This is also the case for Grand Queen Dowager, who is in the Dowager Palace. Didn’t she change all the palace ladies around me to her people?”
His life as the crown prince seemed glamorous on the outside, but when one looked inside, he was lonely like a twisted branch.
“Kwak-san, how many years have you been serving me?”
“It has been ten years since I have been appointed, Your Highness.”
“When Grandmother appointed you as my bodyguard for the first time, I didn’t trust you. In this deep and deep mountain, no one would know if someone died. It would be enough to say that the bodyguard who went hunting with the crown prince died while protecting him from the bandits. Can you die for me here today?”
At that moment, Yi-yung grabbed the reins and turned the horse’s head. The dark red mane shook violently,
Swoosh.
Yi-yung quickly drew his sword from the scabbard on his side and slashed at the bodyguard’s neck.
Clack.
But the tip of the sword stopped with a slight wound on the edge of the bodyguard’s neck.
On the other hand, the bodyguard did not resist or fight back, but looked at his master with a determined gaze as if he had decided to die.
“Why don’t you dodge or fight back?”
“My life belongs to the Crown Prince. Ever since His Majesty bestowed me to the Crown Prince, I have been his loyal servant. How can a subject defy his lord’s command? No matter what the reason, if he orders me to die, I will swear my loyalty by killing myself right here!”
“Fine, calm down.”
The guard Kwak-san, did he know?
That today’s oath would make him a loyal attendant of Prince Yeonsan for the rest of his life.
The sound of the horse’s hooves on the snow-covered ground snapped him out of his thoughts.
The horse’s head, with its dark red mane, was pointing to a small village.
“That place is called Gyeolsan Village, where the person you have to protect as carefully as me lives.”
Who was this person, that he was as important as the Crown Prince, living in such a humble village in the mountains?
“Your Highness, may I dare to ask who he is?”
“The one who lives in the village of commoners, isn’t he a commoner himself? But don’t be fooled by his outward appearance. The name of the person you have to protect is Gil-sam (吉三).”
Crown Prince Yi-yung, lifting his hat, looked at Kwak-san with a stern gaze.
“He is my only brother, Yi-gyeol.”
***
In the mountains, after the shooting in the woods, Young-guk was giving a carrot to Sundol, who worked hard with him today.
He looked like a magnificent warhorse, but his affectionate behavior of rubbing his head and licking Young-guk’s face was no different from a puppy.
“Sundol, stop licking me. We’ll see each other often on the set. Do you want to keep licking me like this?”
“How did you tame him so well? Young-guk, you must have been born with a talent for riding, right?”
While Young-guk was giving a carrot to Sundol, PD Yoo Myung-han came over. He still looked incredulous. Until this morning, he was throwing a tantrum, but as soon as Young-guk touched him, he became such a gentle lamb. Thanks to that, he was able to relax his mind all day long while shooting.
“Sundol is very affectionate, but he’s also very smart when it comes to shooting. He doesn’t act cute and follows the reins as I hold them, so he’s a blessing. By the way, this is the first time I’ve seen a horse that’s so friendly to people on the set.”
“How come it sounds like you’ve never ridden a horse on the set before?”
‘Oops.’
As Young-guk was wondering how to change the subject, Sundol seemed to read his mind and threw a tantrum. PD Myung-han was startled and stepped back. But as soon as Young-guk touched him again, he became calm as if it was a lie. He was truly a remarkable horse. No wonder, he could read people’s hearts so well.
“By the way, PD Yoo, you know I have to go to Seoul right now, right?”
“I heard from Manager Bong-chun that it’s because of your college interview. Where did you apply that you have to do an interview? If you’re a perfect scorer, you should get a free pass.”
“PD Yoo, you’re from the college entrance exam generation, right? It’s not the same as it was then.”
“Look at this, are you treating me like an old man in the back room? I’m still a bachelor, you know.”
“I’ll let you know after I get accepted. It would be embarrassing if I told you and then failed. I already said goodbye to the other directors, staff, and actors. I was just about to say goodbye to PD Yoo. Thank you for taking me off the schedule.”
“It’s not like it’s anything else, it’s your college entrance exam. Of course I have to take you off, don’t worry and go. Young-guk, the set won’t stop without you for a day. Rather, the other actors will work harder. They can’t lose to you.”
There was a strange atmosphere on the set.
The veteran actors who had been in the drama industry for a long time were all inspired by Young-guk and gave their best performance.
Of course, if they had seen Young-guk act even once, they couldn’t help it. How could they look like they had a hole in their acting?
A while after Young-guk left the set.
“Director Yoo, do you know where Young-guk is? He doesn’t have a shoot tomorrow, let’s have a drink with him. Where did he disappear to?”
“Hey, he just turned 18, why are you talking about drinking? And he went to Seoul, didn’t he? He said he already told Kim sunbae earlier.”
“What? I thought he said he was going to the hotel first. But why did he suddenly go to Seoul in the middle of the night?”
“He has a college interview tomorrow.”
“College?”
At the word college, the shooting director Kim Deuk-yoong asked with a puzzled look, “Didn’t they say he got a perfect score on the college entrance exam? But he still has to do an interview? Where did he apply to?”
“He’ll tell us when he gets accepted.”
The admissions process of Young-guk was kept secret. He had been in the spotlight of the media ever since he aced the SAT.
That was why he asked his agency to request the press to cooperate and announce his college results only after he got admitted.
The fierce competition for college applications was giving students and parents alike a headache.
The media outlets also respected the applicants’ sentiments and kept the embargo. But Kim Deuk-yoong, the director of photography, had a good intuition.
“Did he apply to the Korea University Law School or something? That’s where all the top students in the country gather!”
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