"What did you say?"
"Wasn't this all orchestrated by Mother anyway?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
While Yoomyeong was admiring Seon-ha, Seon-ha was even more astonished.
She had always thought of him as a talented junior.
Seon-ha, a drama enthusiast, had watched Showbiz Studies with great dedication.
She had laughed and cried with Bohyung's character, mesmerized by his versatile and captivating performances. However—
Up close, it's just incredible!
What would be the best seat from which to watch a performance?
In a play, would it be the front row, where you could feel the actors' breath? In a cinema, would it be the middle-back seats, where the entire screen was visible?
No, not quite.
Seon-ha thought the best front-row seat for watching an actor perform was being the actor opposite them. She wouldn't just feel their breath; it would feel as though their very presence was pressing against her face.
The thrill of watching a good actor transform the tension she gave them into something mesmerizing right before her eyes was indescribable.
It was the luxury of experiencing that overwhelming vitality and immersion from barely a meter away. Today, she was feeling it to the fullest.
The way he breathed as he received his lines, and the way his facial muscles seemed to come alive with each word.
And the tension that came from knowing the scene would fall flat if she failed to match his intensity.
However, it was not yet time to draw her sword.
A little more. The tension needed to build a little further.
She feigned ignorance, brushing aside his momentum.
"Bang-won... what are you trying to say?"
Swoosh
As Lady Kang turned to face Bang-won directly, the camera pivoted with her movement, still capturing her in profile.
There was disbelief in her eyes. Tears glistened in them beautifully.
"Mogeun asked Father to accompany ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) him to Ming, fearing Father might dethrone King Chang during his absence. Mother must have persuaded Father to send me instead."
"Why would I do such a thing?!"
"Perhaps it's because I earned too much credit during the Wihwado Retreat. Or perhaps I became bothersome as Father's favored chess piece."
"What are you talking about?"
Bang-won's actions during the Wihwado Retreat had been impressively swift. He anticipated Lee Seong-Gye's movements, and although Lee Seong-Gye sent orders to evacuate his family, Bang-won had already departed northeast with the Lee family by the time the orders arrived.
Lee Seong-Gye was pleased to see that his son Bang-won, the only one to pass the state examination, was quick to assess the situation. From then on, Bang-won's standing within the Lee family began to rise. This gradually began to irritate Lady Kang, who harbored ambitions for her own children.
"If I'm sent with the Ming envoys, I'll be out of Father's sight, and his attention toward me will lessen."
Or perhaps you thought it wouldn't be so bad if Mogeun harmed me.
"Bang-won!!"
She shut her eyes tightly, as though she had heard something unbearable.
The pressure forced tears down her cheeks, dripping from her chin.
"I may not have given birth to you, but I've always thought of you as my own child. I never intended to boast about raising you, but how could you misunderstand me so cruelly?"
"I'm the one who's hurt. I was the one who evacuated Mother and my siblings during the retreat. If not for that, we might not be able to face each other like this now."
"Yes, you even begged for food in the villages to feed your hungry siblings. How could I think such things about you?"
"Exactly. That was unforgivably cruel."
But you are capable of that, aren't you, Mother?
It was not speculation, but an assertion.
There was no trace of doubt in his matter-of-fact tone.
As his mocking words struck her, she wiped her tearful eyes with her long sleeve.
And when her face was revealed again—
"How long have you known?"
Her expression had completely changed.
Her gentle and beautiful face remained the same, but her eyes had turned chillingly cold, like a snake's.
She looked at Bang-won with crystal-clear eyes.
Her expressionless face, showing no shame despite having been exposed, was eerily unsettling.
"The mouse that hears the whispers of the night told me of Mother's plan to send me in Father's place."
Bang-won confessed to having a mouse—a secret informant who reported on the enemy.
"I was shocked. To think that I had been deceived by you for so long..."
"And what do you propose we do about it? Your Father won't believe a word you say."
She tilted her head, already contemplating her next move. She could eliminate him during the Ming mission, or perhaps fabricate a situation that would tarnish Bang-won's reputation in Lee Seong-Gye's eyes—
But surprisingly, Bang-won's response remained calm.
"At first, I was hurt. I even deluded myself into thinking someone had replaced the mother I knew. Feeling betrayed, I considered telling Father."
She simply stared at him despite the bitterness and hurt in his voice, giving no response.
"But the more I thought about it, the more I realized what the wiser course would be. Our goals are ultimately the same, aren't they? The success of our great cause."
The success of our great cause.
She repeated the words to herself, understanding his intentions.
They were in the same boat. Even those in hostile relations could join hands if their interests aligned.
In other words, he was proposing a strategic alliance.
"My brothers are foolish, and your children are still young. Father is brave, but not a strategist, and he worries too much about public opinion. The only person I can trust to make sound judgments is you."
"If you accept this alliance, then I'll let this matter slide."
The grand goal was to become the master of a new dynasty. The struggle over who would become its next ruler was a matter for later.
In these perilous times, with enemies both inside and out, one of the strongest adversaries had extended a hand.
They first needed to achieve their goal before worrying about who would reap the rewards.
In truth, Bang-won is the only one whose judgment I can trust as well.
Confined to the inner quarters and possessing no real power beyond influencing Lee Seong-Gye, Lady Kang found Bang-won's proposal appealing.
He's worryingly clever, but still green. It won't be too late to dispose of him after our great cause succeeds.
With that quick calculation, she extended her hand.
"Let's get along well, my son."
"Yes, Mother."
With those hypocritical titles, their alliance was formed.
"Great work, everyone."
"Phew..."
Yoomyeong was deeply impressed.
He had always heard that reactions were the key to acting, but performing with her made him truly understand what that meant. The power of her reactions—listening attentively to every line he delivered and responding with complete sincerity—made the scenes feel real.
He was about to express his admiration for her acting, but she beat him to it.
"Seon—"
"Yoomyeong!!"
"Huh?"
"Wow, you're no joke. Phew... I'm supposed to leave the audience breathless, but you nearly took my breath away."
"?"
"You're really good at both delivering lines and listening. I felt like I truly became Lady Kang while acting with you."
"Uh..."
"I knew it from the workshop. Shin Yoomyeong is the best!"
She had already said everything he wanted to say.
"That's what I was going to say..."
"Ah, really? Is this what my theater colleagues mean when they say it's comfortable acting with me? It's easy to concentrate..."
"I felt the same."
"Really? We're both pretty amazing, huh?"
Yoomyeong chuckled at her genuinely surprised expression. Just then, Director Son approached them.
"Ms. Lee Seon-ha, that was excellent!"
"Thank you, Director."
"People from theater sometimes overact on camera, but you didn't do that at all."
"I tend to act subtly on stage too. And I practiced a lot."
"I see. Maybe you're more suited for the camera than the stage?"
"Maybe? I should've gotten used to the camera earlier!"
Lee Seon-ha joked brightly in response to the director's praise.
"Yoomyeong, you must be tired of hearing this, but—"
"Yes??"
"I'm sure you're tired of all the praise, but you really did great."
"Hahaha, Director, you're too much..."
Yoomyeong waved his hand with a laugh.
"It's good as it is now, but I have a feeling one more take could make it even better. Shall we take a short break before going again?"
"Let's go right away!"
"No pressure."
It was a scene of sharp confrontation.
Despite its intensity, the scene was enjoyable because of the good chemistry between the actors.
Yoomyeong and Seon-ha readily agreed to another take.
Although it had seemed that Bang-won revealed his true intentions by allying himself with Lady Kang, it was all a facade. It was filled with half-truths—a clever mixture of sincerity and lies meant to deceive her.
After finishing his conversation with Lady Kang, he entered his room and summoned his personal vassal—someone who was not a follower of Lee Seong-Gye, but a man who served Bang-won himself. The most trusted, and yet not entirely.
"Si-heon."
"Yes, my lord."
"Prepare for the diplomatic trip to Ming."
"So you are going after all."
"Don't misunderstand."
Bang-won spoke coldly.
"It was my own decision to go to Ming. I merely pretended to fall for Mother's trickery because I needed to go anyway."
Although he was officially a diplomatic envoy, in reality he was a hostage.
Si-heon, who believed Bang-won was going because of Lady Kang's scheme, looked puzzled.
"What do you hope to gain in Ming?"
"I need to understand the intentions of the capricious old Emperor of Ming."
"What?"
"Whether he truly recognizes King Chang, how much he intends to interfere in Goryeo's affairs, and whether Ming would become our enemy should our great cause succeed."
Bang-won's foresight always extended beyond the immediate. He planned not merely one step ahead, but several, preparing for countless contingencies.
"The immediate enemies may be the powerful families and the remaining loyalists of Goryeo, but the greater threat in the future will be Ming. It is wiser either to remain outside the notice of an overwhelming enemy or to step willingly into its shadows."
Bang-won's eyes gleamed with determination.
"If only Mogeun goes, then who knows how that sly old man might influence the Emperor of Ming. That's why someone loyal to Father must be in the delegation—to read the Emperor's intentions and keep Mogeun in check."
"So that was your plan."
"Yes. Who else but me could do it? There may be others, but I'm the only one within our faction capable of it."
The statement there may be others referred to his teacher, Jeong Mong-ju.
It implied that only he was capable of matching his teacher's abilities. Though confident, he did not sound arrogant.
"Of course. There is no one else but you, Young Master."
"Right. By going, I'm merely incurring a debt to Mother and planting a small misunderstanding."
There was no spy.
The conclusion that Lady Kang was the reason Lee Seong-Gye recommended Bang-won for the diplomatic mission had been entirely derived from Bang-won's own insight. And Lady Kang, thoroughly deceived, now held the mistaken belief that Bang-won would never have discovered her true nature if not for the spy.
Had she not misunderstood, she might have tried to eliminate Bang-won first, since he would become a major obstacle in her sons' path.
His sarcastic tone,
The look of betrayal,
And the naive suggestion that they join hands—
It had all been calculated acting.
Bang-won allowed himself a faint smile, satisfied that everything was unfolding in the palm of his hand.
"Okay—excellent!"
The director gave a thumbs-up.
"Shooting's over. Let's start packing up, everyone!"
The <The Late Goryeo Dynasty & the Early Joseon Dynasty> team wrapped up filming in Mungyeong.
Their next scheduled location was in China.
After a few more domestic shoots, the crucial tea-conversation scenes would be filmed on a dedicated set being built in Yongin.
"Get a full day's rest, and I'll see you at the airport the day after tomorrow!"
The assistant director, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes, shouted to the cast and crew.
The break was meant for the actors; the staff would leave the following day to prepare for the overseas shoot. The hectic schedule was expected to continue because of the costs involved in filming abroad.
However, Yoomyeong was looking forward to it.
They would be acting out the diplomatic interplay between Jeong Mong-ju and Lee Bang-won on the vast lands of China.
Yoomyeong's chest swelled with ambition as he eagerly anticipated the beginning of his first overseas location shoot.
