༺ The First Confrontation Between Archnemeses ༻
“Yoomyeong~”
As Yoomyeong entered the makeup room, Lee Seon-ha’s slender hand shot up in greeting.
Although Lady Kang was a very important character in <The Late Goryeo Dynasty & the Early Joseon Dynasty>, the actual scenes she appeared in were limited. Since she was always active behind the scenes, the only scenes she had were those with Lee Seong-Gye and Lee Bang-won.
So, she had been participating in Comet’s regular performance rehearsals alongside the movie’s shooting. Director Son, who preferred to shoot in chronological order, had been batching Lee Seon-ha’s scenes while considering her rehearsal schedule for Comet.
Today, Lee Seon-ha was filming scene #41, which was a two-shot with Lee Seong-Gye, and scene #58, a two-shot with Lee Bang-won.
It would be the first time Yoomyeong would be acting together with Lee Seon-ha since the [Contradiction] workshop. He had been curious and excited about the acting of this actress, whom colleagues preferred to have as their counterpart.
“You’ll be filming a little before me, right?”
“Yes~ I’ll shoot scene 41 first, and then I’ll finally get to work with Yoomyeong!”
“Is it your first time doing a frontal scene today?”
“Yes. Is my makeup okay?”
Lee Bang-won was 22 years old in scene 58, while Lady Kang was 33 years old.
That scene marked the first time when Lady Kang’s appearance was shown.
Previously, Lady Kang, or Lee Bang-won’s stepmother, was only shown from the back. Her conversations with Lee Seong-Gye were also only shown in vague side profiles.
It was meant as a metaphor for a character who tightly concealed her inner thoughts.
Hansung joked that Seon-ha wouldn’t be able to realistically portray Lady Kang in her twenties since she was already in her forties, hence the lack of frontal shots. However, the actual reason was this.
Scene 58 was the first time she revealed her true intentions.
Or rather, it was more accurate to say that Lee Bang-won forcibly exposed them.
“Did you already practice scene 41 with Senior Bae?”
“Yes. While practicing, I asked a friend who married at 21 for insight into the psychology of a son’s successful exam, like when his son got into Seoul National University last year.”
“Wow, they must have been so happy.”
“Yes. He said he was as happy as when his child was born, but I honestly still don’t quite get that analogy…”
Seon-ha, who was still single, chuckled.
“But then I thought that for Lady Kang, Lee Bang-won’s success isn’t so much like hearing about a son’s achievement but more like leveling up a useful ‘tool’ for her ambitions, right?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“So I also called a friend who’s really into gaming.”
“Gaming?”
“Yes. I asked how it felt when they got a ‘Great Success’ on weapon enhancement.”
Hahaha—
Yoomyeong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“So, is Lee Bang-won his mother’s weapon?”
“That’s right. If that weapon hadn’t developed its own will and turned the blade, Lady Kang could have conquered the world.”
“That’s an innovative interpretation. I really like it.”
Yoomyeong laughed for a while, then sat next to Seon-ha.
“You still need to do your hair, right? Should we go over scene 58 while I get my base makeup done?”
“Sounds good~”
Their practice continued until Seon-ha had to leave the makeup room to shoot scene 41.
*
By the time Yoomyeong was finished with his makeup and costume, the rehearsal for scene 41 was just wrapping up.
It was the first time he saw Lee Seon-ha’s acting up close.
Yoomyeong vaguely remembered seeing Seon-ha act when he went to see Comet’s performances during his past life, but he couldn’t recall the details.
She was dressed as a noblewoman of the Goryeo era. The light makeup and the cool, breathable mosi fabric, though seemingly simple at first glance, highlighted the elegance of a fashionable noblewoman of the capital, Kaesong, with details like the delicate embroidery at the sleeves and the elaborate accessories dangling from her waistband.
“Let’s go~~ Standby!”
Scene 41.
News of Lee Bang-won’s successful civil service exam arrived.
At 16, he passed the Jinsa exam (literary licentiate). And just a year later, he impressively passed the civil exam as the 7th in the military section (10th overall). He was even the youngest to pass that year.
Lee Bang-won’s success in the state examination must have overjoyed Lee Seong-Gye, who had always been burdened by a complex about his provincial origins.
On the day the news of Lee Bang-won’s successful civil service exam reached them, Lee Seong-Gye and Lady Kang shared their joy. Bae Geohyeong and Lee Seon-ha sat facing each other to shoot this scene.
The camera captured Bae Geohyeong’s front side and Lee Seon-ha’s rear side. Lady Kang still hadn’t shown her face directly.
“Madam. Our Bang-won… Bang-won has passed the civil service exam, hahaha. What a joyous occasion!”
“…Congratulations! Bang-won has always been so smart since he was young, and now he’s even showing such filial piety.”
Her voice was soft and velvety, comforting like a warm cotton blanket.
Yoomyeong felt a shiver as the sound wrapped around him. It was a voice filled with maternal warmth, the kind that any man would want to rest in.
“Our family never had a talent for civil service exams, so how did he manage to do it? Haha.”
“Surely he inherited your excellence, my lord.”
“Me?”
“If you look at the Three Kingdoms era of the Wei, Shu Han, and Wu families, there were generals and strategists on the battlefield. The scholarly prowess of an excellent strategist was second to none among scholars of the time. But my lord, you excel in both warfare and strategy. Had you devoted the time you spent on martial arts to civil studies, you would have surpassed Po Eun in talent.”
“Hahaha. You flatter me again, my wife.”
Lady Kang skillfully elevated him using witty words and historical references, and Lee Seong-Gye’s laughter grew louder.
She was truly a femme fatale capable of swaying the founder of a nation. They said that a man would give his life to someone who recognized him, especially if it was his beautiful and loving wife.
“He’s so dutiful… it’s a pity that Bang-won isn’t my biological son… Oh, what am I saying?! He’s just a child I’m very fond of.”
She deliberately stumbled over her words, blushing. As a petite woman with delicate features, she was only half his size.
Remembering how she supported the Lee family in establishing its prestige in Kaesong, Lee Seong-Gye looked down at her with fondness and joy.
“He’s our son! I haven’t forgotten how you’ve lovingly cared for and supported Bang-won. Without you, could he have achieved the success of passing the Jinsa exam and the civil service exam within five years of arriving in Kaesong? It’s all thanks to you!”
“What are you saying…? Now you’re even flattering me, my husband.”
Her voice remained soft and gentle, but there was a hint of seductiveness in her eyes. The way she addressed him with a slightly coy ‘my husband’ added a subtle charm. Lee Seong-Gye, buoyed by excitement, reached out and grasped her wrist.
Pretending to pull away slightly, she spoke.
“I wish our Bang-Beon would grow up to be as smart as Bang-won…”
“With a wise mother like you, Bang-beon will surely be even more outstanding. But it’s always good to have contingencies in life…”
“Contingencies?”
Her eyelid, barely visible in the side shot, blinked innocently.
“What about having another one?”
“…How can you say such embarrassing things…?”
Her cheeks flushed red, and a large figure loomed over her. And so, the scene ended.
Praising Lee Bang-won’s achievement while turning it into her own merit, and in the end, turning the focus on herself – it was the cunning speech of a femme fatale. She pretended to look up to her husband, all the while playing him like a puppet in her hands.
It made Yoomyeong nod and think that no one would be able to resist if such an angelic femme fatale existed.
Indeed, she was a theater actress recognized for her talent in the nation’s top theater troupe.
And then, there was the challenge of his own performance.
Yoomyeong waited for his turn, feeling the anticipation building within him.
*
“Very good!”
Scene 41 was a success on the third take after minor corrections in dialogue timing and action details.
There was no need to correct the emotional lines; that was a testament to the good acting of both performers. The different-sized cuts were also smoothly completed in a short time.
“Let’s prepare for the next scene—”
Lee Seon-ha hurriedly exited for a costume change and makeup touch-up.
There was a 5-year gap between scenes 41 and 58.
Lee Bang-won, having passed the civil service exam, started building his power base in the government. Meanwhile, Lady Kang solidified her affectionate bond with Lee Seong-Gye and became the real power behind the Lee family in Kaesong.
Then, a historic event occurred in 1388: the ‘Wihwado Retreat’.
Faced with the unreasonable demand from the Ming Dynasty to hand over Cheolryeong, a part of Goryeo territory, to the Ming Dynasty, a split occurred between the diplomatic faction of Lee Seong-Gye, Jeong Do-jeon, and Jeong Mong-ju, who wanted to solve it diplomatically and Choi Young, who advocated fighting against Ming.
King Woo listened to Choi Young and ordered an expedition to Liaodong Peninsula.
However, Lee Seong-Gye, who was ordered to lead the army northward, disobeyed the royal command and turned his troops around at Wihwado to attack the capital.
While executing this nearly treasonous strategy, Lee Seong-Gye’s main concern was his family, which was left in Kaesong. If they were taken hostage, it could turn the situation unfavorable.
Lee Bang-won, with his exceptional mind, grasped the situation and timely relocated the household from Kaesong to Lee Seong-Gye’s stronghold in the northeastern region.
The success of the Wihwado retreat marked the beginning of Lee Seong-Gye’s era.
Choi Young was exiled and then beheaded. King Woo became a puppet ruler, later deposed after a desperate struggle.
However, loyalists of the Goryeo dynasty remained. Jo Min-soo, the former Left Army Commander of the Liaodong Expedition, and the respected official Lee Saek joined forces to crown Chang, King Woo’s son, as the new monarch.
Righteousness.
Lee Seong-Gye had always been obsessed with righteousness. He harbored a desire to gracefully rise to the throne through abdication rather than seizing the throne through force, so he postponed his grand ambition.
At that time, his mind must have been boiling with impatience.
And Lee Saek, to solidify Chang’s enthronement, departed for the Ming Dynasty to gain the Emperor’s recognition of the king’s legitimacy. He requested Lee Seong-Gye to accompany him to prevent any ulterior motives, but Lee Seong-Gye sent his son, Lee Bang-won, as his envoy instead.
In this mission, Lee Bang-won was essentially a hostage.
Scene 58 unfolded as Lee Bang-won visited Lady Kang to bid her farewell before leaving for the Ming Dynasty envoy trip.
“I’m ready.”
“Mr. Shin Yoomyeong, please come here.”
“Yes, Director!”
Once Lee Seon-ha finished preparing, the director began directing the next scene.
“Both of you seem to know the characters better than I do, so I won’t ask for much. Just show me what you’ve prepared. Seon-ha, pay attention to the timing when you turn around. Show your side profile first, but dramatically turn to show your face frontally once your identity is revealed, showing how Lady Kang’s mask broke.”
“Yes, Director.”
Lee Seon-ha nodded, slightly tense.
“Yoomyeong, you should give a feeling of cornering Lady Kang. Rather than an equal confrontation, create tension as if laying a trap for a beast and tightening it step by step.”
“Yes, Director.”
Yoomyeong nodded in agreement.
“As the scene progresses, your lines should almost overlap with each other. It should be so intense that the audience holds their breath and then exhales deeply at the end of the scene.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
The two actors swallowed their nervousness and faced each other.
This was the first face-off between the two characters who would become arch-enemies after the founding of Joseon.
The shooting of scene 58 began.
*
“Ready—Action!”
The camera started rolling.
The setting was the inner chamber of Lady Kang.
At 22 years old, Lee Bang-won was now a handsome young man. While he visited his stepmother’s quarters under the pretext of greeting her, he went with a clear purpose in mind.
“Mother.”
“Bang-won.”
Looking out the sunlit window, she turned her head slightly and smiled at him. Although she was once considered the greatest beauty of Goryeo, Lee Bang-won only tilted his head slightly and smiled, knowing her true nature.
“I am departing for the Ming Dynasty today.”
“Traveling around must be tough, my son.”
“There will be many people on the route, but it’s not something I would call a hardship.”
“The Ming Dynasty is a vast nation, and I’m sure you’ll be able to learn a lot with your intelligence. Your traveling companion is also a great man. I hope you grow further and return.”
It felt warm.
Despite knowing better, it seemed as if he could easily be deceived if he let his guard down.
It wasn’t just because of the acting; he felt tense.
It felt so comfortable that he naturally immersed himself in Lee Bang-won’s emotion of ‘relax and you’ll be caught off guard’.
Yoomyeong felt shivers go down his spine.
This was the power of actress Lee Seon-ha.
Her acting made the situation feel real. It was no wonder that she had been regarded as an ‘actor that’s easy to work with’.
Yoomyeong gathered both the immersion he created and the one given by Lee Seon-ha, channeling it into his next line.
“Ah, so that’s the educational reason why you ‘made’ me the envoy.”
The tone, laced with sarcasm, made Lady Kang’s eyes widen.
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