Chapter 19
Fish tank and Sea (5)Fish tank and Sea (5)
Prince Jo Yeong
The moment he appeared, the atmosphere changed.
Seoyeon felt it for the first time. She realized that the actors around her had been considerate of the child actors all along. Her fingertips tingled with tension.
Even with her eyes closed, she could clearly feel that the atmosphere of the set was different from usual.
A brief sigh flowed, and Prince Jo Yeong’s fierce eyes swept over Queen Dowager's chamber. He looked at his mother and then at Princess Yeonhwa.
“Princess, do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”
His low voice, cracked like a beast's growl, was chilling. His glistening eyes then turned to his mother, Queen Dowager.
“What did this child say?”
Slowly bowing his waist.
“Did she cry out that it was an act of abandoning morality, an act of forgetting the grace of the royal family?”
A chuckle that rumbled in his throat filled the room. Queen Dowager remained silent with her eyes closed.
“Yes.”
As if she couldn’t bear to look at her son. Prince Jo Yeong’s lips twisted.
“I did abandon it. Morality and the grace of the royal family.”
Even those who followed him didn’t dare to speak. Anyone could see that he was a king.
A king who did not permit anyone to raise their heads.
A tyrant.
“But this is my path.”
Abandoning morality, overthrowing the royal family.
Here stood a man walking a path stained with blood.
“...Princess.”
With his eyes still on Queen Dowager, Prince Jo Yeong spoke.
“Princess...!!”
At his fierce shout, the chamber trembled, and the lanterns flickered. The dim light shone on Prince Jo Yeong’s face.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
His gaze moved to Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hyewol.
“What will you do?”
Turning his head and eventually his body, he looked down at the small, young princess.
“Will you come out on your own?”
Originally, Prince Jo Yeong and Princess Yeonhwa were close. They were on friendly terms, laughing and being affectionate.
“Or shall I escort you myself?”
At least, Princess Yeonhwa had thought so. She realized today that it had all been a lie.
She was foolish. That feeling emanated from Princess Yeonhwa as she hung her head.
The camera moved. From Prince Jo Yeong to Princess Yeonhwa. Watching the camera, Director Heo Jeong-su forgot to breathe. He stared at the screen without blinking.
The lighting wobbled, and he moved the reflector and slowly shifted the camera from Prince Jo Yeong to Princess Yeonhwa.
Actor Yoon Jong-hyuk, playing Prince Jo Yeong, was known for his outstanding acting. His portrayal of villains was always highly praised, and today was no different.
His madness and emotions had an incredible immersive quality. It felt as if he was the only one standing in the scene.
‘This is dangerous…’
Heo Jeong-su knew this wasn’t a good situation. There were few who could match Yoon Jong-hyuk's intense acting, maybe only Eun-sun Jeong playing Queen Dowager. But Eun-sun Jeong had few lines in this scene and wasn’t meant to steal the spotlight.
The only one who could reverse the atmosphere in this scene was the young Princess Yeonhwa.
But a child actor?
‘Director Gong said it would be better to zoom in and show more emotions, but…’
Heo Jeong-su, an experienced camera director, knew that if they awkwardly pulled the camera in or zoomed in on the actor's face, it could ruin the scene.
Zooming in on the camera naturally means the actor’s emotional performance is revealed more intricately.
But can Princess Yeonhwa stand up to Prince Jo Yeong?
Heo Jeong-su believed in Seoyeon’s talent. That’s why he voted for her over Jo Seo-hee in the auditions. But ultimately, she was still a child actor.
Compared to an acting powerhouse like Yoon Jong-hyuk, she would fall short. It was better to capture the scene widely and focus on the entire set rather than just the individuals.
He glanced at Director Gong Jung-tae. But there were no new instructions. They were proceeding as initially planned.
‘If we get an NG here, it will take a long time to regain the emotions. Should we shoot again after the long take?’
Heo Jeong-su wasn’t the only one. Other staff members were also anticipating an NG and preparing for a reshoot.
If anyone couldn’t properly receive Prince Jo Yeong’s performance, Prince Jo Yeong’s side would end up looking excessive. It would seem like an overacting situation.
And then, Princess Yeonhwa’s closed eyes slowly opened. As the soldiers moved to drag the quiet Princess Yeonhwa out.
“Let go!!”
A sharp cry, not fitting a child, froze the soldiers in their tracks. No, everyone except Prince Jo Yeong froze.
“...!!”
One of the staff members gasped and hurriedly covered their mouth.
A silent stillness.
In the darkness, a young girl lifted her head.
Princess Yeonhwa Lee Hyewol’s lips trembled, and she bit her lower lip.
Slowly.
Very slowly, her eyes opened wide in the dark.
They were red. Whether it was because of the reflection of the lantern’s light or for some other reason, no one knew.
Her eyes, shining more red than ever, stared directly at Prince Jo Yeong. The intense emotions in those eyes matched his madness.
Anger, hatred.
A chilling emotion spread.
Was this emotional acting?
No, Heo Jeong-su knew.
Method acting.
It was like she had become one with her character.
Seoyeon’s emotional acting had always been exceptional for a child actor. At least, Heo Jeong-su believed she was the best among the child actors he knew.
But at this moment, the qualifier for a child actor disappeared.
“Yes.”
As Seoyeon’s small fish tank broke, she stepped into the ocean.
Right now.
“I understand.”
Her trembling voice was thick with rage. A deep, dark tone that didn’t sound like a child’s.
“I will leave on my own.”
Brushing past Prince Jo Yeong, she turned towards the door guarded by his soldiers. Turning her back to Queen Dowager.
“With my own two feet, I will leave.”
“Princess…”
Queen Dowager’s faint voice echoed. But Princess Yeonhwa did not glance back.
Her body trembled.
Blood drops fell from her clenched fists.
The soldiers who met her gaze flinched and took a step back.
The only one who could meet her eyes was Prince Jo Yeong, who bared his teeth in a grin.
“Good, that’s why I like you, Princess.”
Prince Jo Yeong’s laughter echoed. Princess Yeonhwa’s red eyes glinted as her face twisted.
She wanted to shout something at him immediately.
To promise that she would return.
But Princess Yeonhwa just bit her lower lip and walked out. With Prince Jo Yeong’s soldiers.
And then.
Bang, the door to Queen Dowager’s chamber closed.
“...Cut!!”
Director Gong Jung-tae’s shout, dividing reality and fiction, was heard as everyone who had been holding their breath finally exhaled.
They had completed the long take without a single NG.
Especially surprised was Yoon Jong-hyuk, playing Prince Jo Yeong.
The emotional performance just now was beyond what one would expect from a child.
‘Genius, they said she was a genius...’
It was clear why the picky actress Eun-sun Jeong was so interested in her.
At that moment, Yoon Jong-hyuk flinched.
Because Eun-sun Jeong was already standing next to Seoyeon. This caused a few staff members who were about to praise her to freeze.
They remembered what had happened before.
“...”
Eun-sun Jeong bent down to the breathless Seoyeon. She saw the tears in Seoyeon’s red eyes.
She saw the bloody hands from clenching her fists too tightly. She took in the sight of a child struggling to escape her emotions.
And she sighed.
“...Breathe deeply.”
Inhaling and exhaling. Then she gently opened Seoyeon’s small, clenched hands.
She saw the nail marks dug into Seoyeon’s hands, stained with blood.
Seeing this, Eun-sun Jeong frowned.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and disinfect and bandage her wounds.”
At Eun-sun Jeong’s outburst, the staff rushed over, flustered.
“Ah, yes. Right away!”
“Were those real injuries?”
They naturally assumed it was some kind of prop. It didn’t make sense for a child’s grip to cause such injuries.
“...That’s why.”
Eun-sun Jeong started to say something but bit her lip and stood up. Treating the wounds was the priority.
And after seeing Seoyeon’s performance, she couldn’t say anything.
She could see how much Seoyeon had practiced for this performance.
“Don’t do it too often. But….”
After hesitating, Eun-sun Jeong spoke to Seoyeon.
“...It was a superb performance.”
Eun-sun Jeong said this and handed Seoyeon to Suah. Then she watched for a moment before turning and leaving.
Suah, who had been waiting anxiously for her daughter, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She knew how much Seoyeon had practiced for this performance. She knew she had done it wonderfully.
“Are you okay?”
“...Yes.”
Honestly, she wasn’t. Seoyeon avoided Suah’s worried gaze and wiped her tears.
Emotions are unfamiliar. It’s especially hard to immerse yourself in such intense emotions.
Looking at her palm, there were already a few small wounds.
‘It’s different from practice.’
She sighed. It was still hard to shake off the lingering emotions. Maybe it was even harder because she was still a child.
“It was really surprising.”
At that moment, Yoon Jong-hyuk, who played Prince Jo Yeong, approached Seoyeon and Suah.
“Honestly, I heard the rumors, but I was really shocked. You’ve only been acting for a year?”
“Ah, yes.”
“You’re going to be an amazing actor someday. Even Eun-sun Jeong, who usually has a lot to say, couldn’t say anything.”
She always says child actors should avoid emotional acting. But even she was silenced by Seoyeon’s performance.
“...Still, it’s best not to do it too often. You’re still a child. Your sensitivity is high, so take care of it.”
“Yes, understood.”
Satisfied with Seoyeon's response, Yoon Jong-hyuk smiled and patted Seoyeon’s head.
“Come on, let’s go see how the video turned out.”
At Yoon Jong-hyuk’s words, Seoyeon nodded slowly. It might have been her first real emotional acting. She was curious to see how it turned out.
Until now, Seoyeon had always thought, ‘Is that all?’ when watching her own performances.
But if this time was the same, she might be disappointed.