Chapter 110:
Translator: MarcTempest
Chapter 110
On the table, a large-mouthed fish lay stretched out with its mouth wide open.
Its flesh was plump from the spawning season, and the pinkish glow between its gills showed its freshness.
As if to tell of the harsh winter, the red tub containing the live fish was also covered with frost.
But the Namhang merchants, who were notorious for their persistence, were not bothered by the cold and instead raised their voices.
A girl with earplugs and her father walked through the maze-like Namhang Market.
“Dad, here it is. Here!”
The girl, who must be in middle school, grabbed her father’s hand and led him.
The place where the father and daughter arrived was a small shop.
Like a peg fitting into its hole, the girl entered the shop without hesitation.
Who did she take after to have such an impatient personality?
The father also couldn’t resist his daughter’s urging.
“Ma’am! We’re here!”
As the tide receded, the customers left and the shop owner, who was busy preparing the side dishes, was startled and greeted them warmly.
She had met the child at the Namhang Merchants Association earlier.
They had also exchanged friendly greetings while walking around the market.
“Is that you, Ji-soo? What are you doing here at this time?”
“My dad has something to say to you!”
“Your dad?”
Unlike the rough Namahng men, he had no guts.
He sold well when he sold side dishes, smiling sweetly at the elders, but now he hesitated.
In the end, the daughter, who was frustrated by her father’s silence, poked him in the ribs. Then his pale skin flinched and he let out a groan.
“Do, do you have any cockles?”
“Cockles?”
“Yes, yes. I want to try making spicy cockles for a side dish.”
“Oh, the fresh ones are all gone by morning. How many do you need?”
“No, no. Just a little bit. I’m not selling them. I just want to eat them and share them with the elderly neighbors.”
“Then wait a minute, I have some set aside for side dishes.”
The shop owner generously filled a bag with seasonal cockles.
The daughter still beat her chest, annoyed by her father’s awkwardness.
Finally, the father, who received the bag, took out a bill from his wallet. But the shop owner waved her hand and smiled.
“That’s okay, you said you were helping the old ladies who pick up trash. I can’t take money from you for doing such a good deed. And you brought me a lot of kimchi when Young-guk won the award the other day. Just take it.”
“But, but.”
“Did you have a meal? It’s almost time for the night market to get crowded, so don’t starve yourself and have a spoonful here. Ji-soo, did you eat?”
“No, I’m hungry!”
The daughter was quick-witted unlike her father. In no time, the three of them sat around a small table for side dishes.
The two of them chatted warmly like mother and daughter, while the girl’s father, Mr. Kim, the side dish seller, still looked uncomfortable.
The shop owner explained with a kind smile, “Don’t be so nervous. There’s not much to eat, so it’s just like adding a few more spoons. Ji-soo is a regular customer of our shop.”
The girl with earplugs smiled brightly.
She was a regular customer, but she didn’t actually buy anything.
She rather got a lot of free food from the shop.
“Doesn’t Ji-soo bother you?”
“She doesn’t. She comes to talk to me whenever she’s bored, I’m so grateful for that.”
That was when it happened.
“Hey, Young-guk’s mother, let’s eat!”
A voice like a cannonball, it was Mrs. Yang, who came to the shop to eat with her. Mrs. Yang opened the shop door and was surprised to see the man. Then she quickly recognized Mr. Kim, the side dish seller, and her eyes were filled with both confusion and curiosity.
“Did, did I come at a bad time?”
“You came at the right time, what’s that in your hand? Is that mackerel? It looks delicious. Ji-soo, you came at a good time, right?”
It was a lively meal.
The market merchants had an early dinner.
They ate early to avoid the time when the customers flocked.
Even then, they often ate lightly to fill their stomachs. But today, there were many people, and the side dishes were also fancy.
As she said, it was a feast.
“Mom, it’s Young-guk. The phone is ringing.”
As she was about to scoop up some rice, the phone in the store rang.
It was an unusual time for a call, so Young-guk’s mother picked up the receiver with curiosity. Her expression changed rapidly as she heard the voice on the other end.
Joy and happiness, and then tears. She suddenly burst into tears, startling Mrs. Yang, the old lady next door, Mr. Kim, the owner of the side dish shop, and his daughter Ji-soo.
“Young-guk’s mother, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Young-guk. He called me.”
She wiped her tears with her sleeve as she hung up the phone.
“Young-guk is coming? What’s going on in Seoul?”
“It’s nothing bad. He had some very good news.”
“What kind of news?”
Mrs. Yang, Mr. Kim, and the girl Ji-soo all looked curious.
The answer that followed made even the grilled mackerel on the small table open its mouth in surprise.
“Young-guk, our Young-guk, got accepted to Korea University Law School!”
***
His nose went up and down as if it were touching the floor.
Sweat beads ran down his flawless skin. His muscles swelled as if they were screaming. His rough breathing reached his chin.
“Huff!”
Like a car warming up, steam rose from Young-guk’s shoulders as he sat on the floor of the waiting room.
PD Yoo Myung-han who was watching him asked, “How many did you do?”
“I don’t know, maybe three hundred? It feels like two hours have passed.”
“Young-guk, you’re so diligent. It’s not like you have a scene where you take off your clothes. You always exercise a lot anyway. Just shoot it as it is.”
He said that, but he was pleased.
After all, where could he find a young actor who was so focused on his role?
He memorized the entire script, and his acting skills were excellent.
He worked hard to immerse himself in his character, making him the best actor without a flaw.
“Don’t say that. I’ve been eating so much for the past few days because of the university acceptance. The agency’s president always buys me delicious food. And when I go home, there’s another feast. I don’t know if you know, but I’m worried about gaining fat.”
“That’s nothing. By the way, when is your orientation?”
“Next week. Luckily, it doesn’t overlap with the graduation ceremony.”
“Wow, finally you’re my hoobae.”
PD Yoo Myung-han continued the conversation with some advice on today’s shooting. Then he hesitated and said, as if he was sorry, “Our broadcast date has been moved up.”
“Really?”
“It’s about a month earlier than the original schedule. The drama that’s airing right now has low ratings, so it’s going to end early.”
He felt the truth of the saying that the broadcasting industry was a jungle.
Early termination, even if it was a drama that aired in prime time, they would cut it off mercilessly if the ratings were low.
“It’s not finalized yet, but I think it’ll be around March. I wanted to give you a month to relax after you became a freshman, but it got tough.”
“It’s okay. I thought I might not be able to go to school properly for a semester anyway. But does this happen often, that the broadcast date is suddenly moved up?”
“There’s a one-month gap because of the early termination. They can’t just leave that time empty. The higher-ups must have seen our pre-recorded footage and script and thought it was okay to move it up. It’s usually an impossible thing to do.”
“And you agreed to that?”
PD Yoo Myung-han smiled.
Well, yes.
“How can I accept that? I’m not a fool. I told them to back off, I can’t do it. Sure, the script is going well now, but wait until Writer Choi gets stuck at the end. Then it will be a war of half-scripts, and it would be better to delay the broadcast date as much as possible.”
“So what’s the condition that PD Yoo offered?”
“Smartass, you’re quick on the uptake. I got more production costs. I told them to give us some of the leftover money from the program that ended early. And from now on, we’ll have Team B and Team C join the shooting. I hope you understand the sudden change, Young-guk.”
It was a pity that the schedule was moved up by a month, but it was nothing compared to what PD Yoo had achieved.
The increase in production costs meant an improvement in the production environment, and having a backup shooting team and team C would make the shooting schedule run smoothly and eliminate the night shifts. It was like a golden work-life balance. That was when it happened.
-PD Yoo!
PD Yoo’s walkie-talkie was filled with the urgent voice of AD Kim Young-min.
***
The atmosphere of the shooting site was as tense as the voice.
The costume team leader’s face was red and blue. In his hand was a burnt piece of clothing.
“We’re about to shoot, and you burn the lead’s clothes? Where’s your head at? I told you before ironing the clothes. Spray them with a mist, then put a cloth over them and iron them! Are you trying to make me mad?”
The culprit of the incident was the youngest of the costume team, who bowed his head and didn’t know what to do. It started like this.
Young-guk, or Prince Yi-yung, was wearing a costume for his physical training at the East Palace. It was meticulously made according to the historical records, since it was worn by the crown prince.
But maybe it was because of the thin material, the youngest of the costume team burned the top while ironing it. That was when PD Yoo asked–
“Team leader, do you have a spare?”
There was no point in blaming anyone anymore. It was the youngest’s mistake. The reason why the team leader raised his voice in front of everyone was simple. He wanted to scold his own kid himself.
“I have some spare costumes, but they’re all for extras, not for the lead. They’re not as good as the ones for the physical training scene. I only made one set of clothes for the East Palace, since there weren’t many scenes. And it’s embroidered with gold thread, so it’s hard to fix it right now.”
No one could throw a stone at the team leader. It was for budget cuts.
The fabric and the expert’s labor cost a lot, since they were made according to the historical records.
He couldn’t afford to make a spare for the physical training scene, which didn’t appear much throughout the drama.
“What do we do…”
PD Yoo’s face was full of worry.
If they used the spare clothes for the extras, the team leader was right, they wouldn’t look good.
He was the crown prince, not an ordinary noble.
Clothes meant a lot in the Joseon era. They were like a measure of status. As he was deep in thought, that was when it happened.
“PD Yoo, just shoot it.”
“Huh?”
Young-guk stepped up.
It was spilled milk anyway.
There was no point in brainstorming here, the burnt clothes wouldn’t be fixed.
And in a historical drama, these kinds of emergencies were bound to happen.
Young-guk emphasized again.
“Let’s shoot it without the top.”
***
Dark clouds gathered between the crescent moon.
Raindrops fell as the movement of the Grand Consort’s Palace was suspicious.
The guards of the palace looked around with anxious eyes, wondering if there were any rats.
“Grand Consort, you must make a decision.”
The court officials were urging the Queen Mother Insu to abdicate.
They were the leaders of the Hun and Sarim factions, who usually divided the court and opposed each other politically.
Even they were united in trying to persuade the Grand Consort.
“Your Majesty is in critical condition. If the crown prince is deposed soon, there will be a bloodbath in the court. Grand Consort, you must make a decision and appoint a new crown prince.”
King Seong-jong’s illness was getting worse by the day.
The doctors were using all kinds of acupuncture and medicine, but his back was already swollen so much that he could barely move, and the lump in his chest was getting worse as if it would choke him any moment.
According to the doctors, it was too late to reverse his condition.
This was a serious matter.
“I know what worries the ministers. But it is impossible to undo the crown prince who has already been exiled. Besides, the crown prince is not as cruel and ruthless as the ministers fear. Even if His Majesty tells him the truth about his mother’s death, I can keep it a secret for the next hundred years.”
“Mother, please forgive me for saying this, but the crown prince might already know how Yun was expelled. He just chose to ignore it…”
“Nonsense! If he knew the truth, how could he have stayed silent for over ten years!! Do not mention Yun in front of me anymore. I understand the ministers’ concerns, but I hope they do not act recklessly and bring death upon themselves. It is late, so please leave.”
The one who showed determination on their face was more dangerous than the one who was sinister.
The ministers judged that the crown prince, Yi-yung, was clearly the latter.
They could not fathom how deep his thoughts were.
Soon, the camera captured the palace of the crown prince with an overlap.
“Hoo.”
He lets out a rough breath.
The crown prince’s jawline was swollen as if his veins were about to burst. His muscles were twitching, showing their strength.
He had a simple reason for torturing his body like this.
The court was always full of dangers, like walking on thin ice.
The ministers threatened his life without sparing their words or actions.
It was not strange that assassins could appear anywhere at any time.
‘Wow, he really worked out well.’
PD Yoo Myung-han swallowed his admiration. He was worried for nothing.
The sight of him doing push-ups with his shirt off was like a well-carved statue.
Thanks to him, the female staff on the set were enjoying the view.
Sweat drops flowed between his ripped muscles.
He got up from his spot as dawn broke through the window.
The sweat drops reflected the dawn and highlighted his contours.
At that moment, someone rushed into the Donggung.
“Your Highness, it’s Kwak-san!”
“Come in.”
“You must hurry to the Daejojeon!”
It was too early for the ministers to enter the palace, so there was only one reason why the guard, Kwak-san, was here.
“Could it be…”
Kwak-san lowered his head without answering.
The cries had not yet filled the air, so it must be a national mourning.
The crown prince wiped off his sweat and put on his robe. His lips curled into a faint smile as he headed to the Daejojeon to pay his respects.
How much time had passed?
The camera showed a flashback of the Daejojeon’s roof.
The eunuch climbed up the dragon’s head and held the king’s robe on his left.
He shouts “Restoration!” The dragon robe that once wrapped the king’s body fluttered in the wind, losing its owner.
The expressions of those who watched it were varied.
Some would mourn the departed king, while others would regret not being able to change the crown prince. But they all knew.
It was now the era of Yeonsan-gun.
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