༺ I Can See It ༻
“How about Senior Ryu Shin?”
With his talent, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had already filmed a major work. But strangely, there had been no news about him.
“Uh… haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“Just after you joined the movie, senior Ryu Shin also joined a historical drama. I thought it was because of you.”
“Really…?”
“You didn’t know?”
Since last year, Ryu Shin dedicated himself to acting practice rather than working on projects, trying to overcome the defeat he suffered to Yoomyeong. Of course, Yuri, Hye-Seon, and Suho knew about this, but they avoided mentioning it to Yoomyeong to protect Ryu Shin’s pride.
And then this year, Ryu Shin chose to act in the same genre around the time Yoomyeong entered a historical film. Was it just a coincidence?
Upon hearing this, Miho laughed as if he found it amusing.
{Ha! That’s just like him, kyung.}
‘Maybe it’s just a coincidence?’
{With anyone else, it might be, but not him. Ever since he returned to the scene as a child actor, scripts must be flooding in. And out of all of them, he ‘just happens’ to pick a historical drama ‘now’? It must be because of you.}
‘Do you really think so…?’
{People often bite off more than they can chew. It’s like trying to climb a cliff without a rope, a stubbornness to try even when it seems impossible. And that’s him, only several times more concentrated, kyung.}
Suddenly, Miho turned sharply to Yoomyeong and asked.
{Why don’t you work on another project with him?}
‘Huh?’
{I want to see you two go head-to-head again.}
‘Uh… maybe we’ll meet in a project someday?’
{Someday isn’t good enough. Do it soon.}
Yoomyeong chuckled at Miho’s insistence and stroked his lush tail.
Feeling the fluffy tail wrap around his hand calmed his mind.
Tomorrow was the day.
The confrontation between a fully matured Lee Bang-won and Jeong Mong-ju, who was sharpening his last sword, was finally going to happen.
Yoomyeong slowly closed his eyes, remembering the spirit Hansung’s Jeong Mong-ju had when he had acted in China.
Lee Bang-won.
A man seemingly born with a burning desire for conquest etched in his heart.
He might not fully understand such ambition, but just as he couldn’t give up acting regardless of his circumstances…
Perhaps the throne was the same for Lee Bang-won.
{Let’s get some sleep. Yawn…}
Yoomyeong followed Miho and went to bed early.
He wanted to be in his best condition for tomorrow.
*
The next day at the Yongin set.
There were about six tile-roofed houses built on set.
One was Lee Seong-Gye’s meticulously constructed house, while the other five were shells that were built only as part of the display to be captured on camera.
The Yongin set had been in production since pre-production.
Scenes such as Lee Seong-Gye’s sick visit, Bang-won’s tea conversation scenes, and the events unfolding behind their view were scenes that required exploiting blind spots in the field of view needed precisely tailored sets.
The effort of the production designer was evident everywhere—from the furniture filling each room to the paintings on the walls. Even the flowers in the garden were all carefully maintained, showcasing their vibrant beauty.
“Yoomyeong~”
“Are you well, mother?”
“Ah! Mother…! How I wish I had a son like you.”
Yoomyeong’s playful reply brought a motherly smile to Seon-ha’s face. After all, she could have had a son like Yoomyeong if she had been mischievous when she was 17 years old.
“This place is so beautiful. I’m going to ask them to sell it to me when we’re done shooting.”
“It’s a set, so it looks great, but it probably doesn’t have plumbing or heating.”
“Ah… that’s a problem. How was China?”
There hadn’t been a scene for Seon-ha since the Mungyeong set, which meant that it had been almost three weeks since they last met.
“Hansung hyung stole the show.”
“Hansung?”
“You’ll be surprised when you see it. It was incredible.”
“He’s always been good.”
“He surpassed that.”
“Wow… I should have gone, too…!”
Seon-ha’s eyes widened even more.
She was a natural at reacting, not just in acting but in real life as well. The ability to be surprised and genuinely admire the little things, especially as one aged, was a blessing for an actor.
After the two actors had their costumes and makeup ready, Director Son gave them instructions.
“It’s been four years since the two had formed an ‘alliance’.”
“Yes.”
“That’s right.”
“During that time, there’s been a change in their relationship. At the time of the ‘alliance’, their power dynamics seemed equal at least on the surface. But now, Bang-won’s insight and momentum overwhelmingly surpass Lady Kang.”
“Yes.”
“So, Lady Kang is now losing her composure more and more, while Bang-won calmly and confidently asserts his views. Do you guys get the idea?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, let’s go with that feeling. Now, Lady Kang will fully face the front, while Bang-won will slightly turn to the side. Lady Kang, having revealed all to Bang-won, faces front, while Bang-won is somewhat turned away. Remember this for your markings (*indicating the actors’ movements on the floor).”
“Got it!”
*
The year was 1392.
It was the year Jeong Mong-ju was assassinated and Joseon was founded.
What stories were hidden behind these events?
They were hidden stories created by Director Son, stories no one could definitively say ‘never happened.’
A secret battle of wits was about to unfold.
*
Two people were conversing under the shade of a large tree in the garden, whose shadows overlapped in a dense intersection.
After sending away the servants under the guise of a walk, they engaged in a dangerous conversation.
“Po Eun has sent word that he will come to visit.”
“I’ve heard.”
Seon-ha’s voice quickened a bit, revealing Lady Kang’s anxiety, unease, and ambition.
However, Bang-won leisurely plucked a leaf from a drooping branch and slowly rubbed along its veins with his finger.
“We must kill him.”
Crack—
Lady Kang’s voice broke.
It had been four years since the Wihwado Retreat. She was feeling anxious.
Lee Seong-Gye wanted to peacefully obtain the throne through their ‘abdication’. Thus, he kept waiting for King Woo, King Chang, and King Gongyang.
1391-1392 were the years when Jeong Mong-ju and King Gongyang joined hands, making a final struggle to preserve the Goryeo dynasty.
In the fall of 1391, continuous petitions from Jeong Mong-ju’s side led to Jeong Do-jeon being exiled.
Early in 1392, Lee Seong-Gye fell from his horse and was injured. While he was recovering on Byeokran Island, his allies, Jo Jun, Nam Eun, and Yun So-jong were successively exiled.
It was the last counterattack of the Goryeo loyalists.
Lady Kang grew more anxious.
Why was her husband waiting instead of just seizing the throne?
Worried that all their efforts might be in vain, she tried to persuade Lee Seong-Gye. However, he remained unwavering on the point of ‘ascending to the throne peacefully’.
“If we kill Jeong Mong-ju, then there will be no one left to threaten us. Kill him.”
There was something ghastly about her face, which had neither a forced smile nor an emotionless face but a twisted expression filled with anxiety and murderous intent.
Yoomyeong inwardly admired her expression and responded.
“Let’s try to persuade him one last time.”
“If he was someone who could be persuaded, then we wouldn’t be in this standoff.”
“He’s too valuable to lose.”
“Do you want us all to end up dead because of one ‘valuable’ man?!”
Bang-won countered her sharp criticisms without losing his composure.
“We need to set a trap. It’ll be interesting to see whether the proud Po Eun would choose to be captured or would rather die.”
“How can you even set a trap for such a cunning man?!”
As her voice grew too loud, Bang-won gave her a piercing look.
Startled by his gaze, Seon-ha stepped back.
His gaze seemed like a reprimand, like someone superior looking down on someone inferior.
Overwhelmed by the force of Bang-won’s presence, she naturally reacted despite having planned it.
Without taking his eyes off her, Bang-won crushed the leaf in his hand. The green sap stained his hand, a drop falling to the ground.
“We will set a trap on the path of the hunter who’s about to set a trap.”
“…”
“Even the most cautious hunter lets his guard down when he believes he is the one attacking.”
“What kind of trap is he even setting?!”
“Can’t you see?”
Bang-won smiled faintly.
His facade peeled away slightly at that moment, revealing his true nature.
Gulp—
Lady Kang swallowed hard.
His expression was so unfamiliar that it was hard to believe he was the same person she had known since he was very young.
“I can see it.”
Lady Kang, confused by the meaning of his words, stared blankly at him.
The 26-year-old man had already become a monster beyond her comprehension.
*
Wowwww—
“This is amazing. Lee Bang-won’s charisma is killer.”
“If it keeps going like this, the quality will be incredible…”
“Do you think we’ll get a bonus?”
The staff buzzed with excitement. The first shoot in Yongin had started off incredibly well.
The 16-year-old Lee Bang-won, a boy yet intense in his presence, had fully matured ten years later. He was a human perfected beyond belief for his age at 26, born with natural talent, mentored by exceptional figures, and someone who constantly refined himself with his own thoughts and insights.
Taejong Lee Bang-won was a figure who even calculated his cruel image for practicality.
Director Son’s vision of Lee Bang-won in this script was fully recreated.
On the set, Director Son felt a surge of emotion.
‘If we can maintain this tension for the next month while shooting the tea conversation scenes, this last work of mine will be a lifetime masterpiece.’
For that to happen, another character needed to match this intensity.
Director Son turned to look at another actor who was watching Yoomyeong’s performance with calm eyes from the waiting area nearby.
His face, still slightly gaunt from a six-day fast, held a tense atmosphere. However, his aura was overwhelming, as if the tension was wrapped around his body. Director Son had never seen him like that in the 20 years he had known Hansung.
‘It’s embarrassing. They say that an actor awakens another actor, but I couldn’t bring out this level of talent within him even though I’ve worked with him several times.’
*
Tea conversation, or tea talk. A conversation over tea.
On the day that Jeong Mong-ju visited Lee Seong-Gye, he met Bang-won and had a tea conversation with him.
Why did Jeong Mong-ju visit Lee Seong-Gye at a time when the conflict between the two was so sharp? Was it simply to fulfill a duty to a 30-year friend who was ill? Or was it to verify if Lee Seong-Gye was truly sick and to plan his next strategy?
In a time when their relationship had reached an extreme, it seemed too weak a reason to walk into the enemy’s lair.
While Jeong Mong-ju was often portrayed as an elegant and virtuous scholar, he also knew how to employ extreme measures when necessary. In other words, he knew how to restrain and hide himself until extreme measures were required.
He had orchestrated the exile of his old friend Jeong Do-jeon, attacking him for his lowly origins, and ordered the execution of Jo Jun and Nam Eun during their exile.
With all his orchestrated plans on the brink of collapsing due to ‘Lee Seong-Gye’s return,’ could his plan have been just a ‘sick visit’?
So, Director Son’s script interpreted Jeong Mong-ju’s visit as an ‘attempt to assassinate Lee Seong-Gye.’
Lee Seong-Gye was the best warrior in Goryeo. An assassination plan would have been too reckless if he wasn’t injured. But if he truly was hurt, then it was an opportunity that was too good to miss.
However, to prepare for the possibility that even the rumor of his fall was ‘a strategy,’ Jeong Mong-ju came under the guise of a sick visit to ‘scout’ and verify the truth of his injury.
Meanwhile, Bang-won realized Jeong Mong-ju’s intentions after hearing about his plan to visit.
The tea conversation scene was to unfold as the final strategic battle between Jeong Mong-ju, who intended to kill Lee Seong-Gye, and Lee Bang-won, who was setting a trap to turn him to his side.
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