Episode 60
Oh my.
Only then did Ma Soo-jung understand what her fellow actor had been trying to say.
“Come on, let’s take it easy on the set.”
The actor muttered under his breath.
“If I don’t take it easy, I’m the one who dies.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, I’m the one getting hit.”
The martial arts director approached quietly and, with visible hesitation, said, “Soo-jung.”
“Yeah?”
“If you’re angry, just say it. Say it with words, please.”
Oh my.
Ma Soo-jung gave an awkward laugh. For some reason, neither the martial arts director nor the other actor would meet her eyes.
* * *
I muttered into the empty air, “Total coins!”
323,342
Wow.
They’re climbing nicely.
The movie that had opened yesterday was a success. The coins were rising with a momentum I hadn’t seen before.
I spent quite a bit because of Mom, but it recovered right away.
If it kept going like this, I’d be able to save up the coins for strengthening my physical power before long.
Well, I still had a long way to go.
Still, it was possible.
If that’s going to happen, this sageuk has to succeed too.
Ah, Sunwoo Yeongjae PD’s Inyeon. Even thinking about it made me laugh.
And I’m in it.
I had to do well. This was real acting, after all.
Honestly, up until now, I hadn’t had much in the way of lines. But this production had even given me a script.
I want to start already.
But there was a problem.
I let out a sigh.
Right. The script was the problem.
I’d probably be about three years old right now.
I couldn’t tell very well since I didn’t know exactly when I’d been born, but roughly speaking, that was about right.
I can’t read the script.
I hadn’t even thought of that.
Three-year-olds still can’t read.
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
I didn’t know.
I lifted my head. Deok-su was sitting on a pumpkin-colored chair, turning the pages of the script.
So normally, someone around me would read it aloud and help me memorize it.
Fine. That was fine.
Wherever I go, as long as it’s to Seoul, I can just memorize it.
But there was a serious problem.
Deok-su said, “Mother! I met a scholar in the marketplace today!”
Wow.
He sounds like a robot.
So this was what they meant when they said reading straight from a textbook was still better.
No, well, I can endure this much.
Then came the lines for my mother.
“Lee Yoon-a, I told you not to go far.”
Oh, no.
I’m doomed.
The moment Deok-su shifted his tone into something more feminine, the urge to run hit me so hard I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I want to escape.
That face delivering lines like that was the very definition of mismatch. Honestly, if I had to listen for more than three minutes, I felt like I’d end up with a headache and ringing ears.
No, this won’t do.
I reached out to save myself. Luckily, I caught the sleeve of Deok-su’s robe.
“Teacher!”
“Ah, are the lines difficult?”
No, the lines are easy. You’re the difficult part.
“Teacher, you’re way too bad at this!”
Please, let me live, Deok-su.
Deok-su’s eyes trembled. Then, slowly, he lowered his head.
“So that’s how it is?”
“Ye-s.”
“I had a rough idea already.”
“I’m sorry. The Crown Prince is just honest.”
But not like this. Really.
“I’m not good at this sort of thing.”
“It’s okay. You can be bad at it.”
“The Crown Prince is very kind.”
Deok-su let out a sigh that seemed to sink straight into the floor.
“What should I do? The Crown Prince needs to memorize the script. Should I ask your mother?”
That would be fine by me. Mom wouldn’t be doing this level of overacting.
But I didn’t want to inconvenience actress Ma Soo-jung.
“Mom is busy!”
“Mm. That’s true. Your mother is busy. Then who would be good? Auntie?”
I shook my head.
Well, better than Deok-su, but honestly, wouldn’t that just be a waste of time?
I wanted to learn the script quickly.
“You don’t like that either?”
“Ye-s.”
“This is a problem. Then maybe…”
Deok-su wiped his face with both hands and muttered, “It would be better to bring in another teacher besides me.”
No, why are you taking it to that extreme?
“No! I hate it!”
“I don’t want to be separated from the Crown Prince either. But this is beyond my abilities…”
I let out a long sigh.
“Teacher! I have a good idea!”
“Yes?”
“If you do that, you can stay here.”
“What sort of method is that?”
I pointed at the script.
“Teach the Crown Prince letters.”
There. The best method was right there.
Deok-su’s pupils shook again.
“Learning should be appropriate to one’s age.”
“Usually, yes.”
But this was a special case.
“The Crown Prince has to act. To do that, he needs to look at the script.”
So teach me Hangul.
Even though I already know it.
If I just pretended to understand the basics, that should be enough.
“B-but he’s still so young…”
Hey, Deok-su.
“There’s no age limit on learning.”
So hurry up and teach me!
“Huh!”
Deok-su’s mouth fell open at my words.
“R-right.”
“Let’s start already.”
Yes. Let’s finish quickly.
“Mm, yes. Just in case, I’ll contact your mother.”
“Ye-s!”
Well, if it was Mom, she was probably going to tell him to teach me.
Deok-su called her immediately. Fortunately, the matter ended quickly.
He sat back down on the pumpkin-colored chair and said, “She says it’s fine.”
Thank goodness.
“Then teach me quickly!”
“Mm. Understood. Then first…”
Deok-su suddenly shot to his feet and opened my wardrobe.
No, why is he opening my wardrobe all of a sudden?
He rummaged around and pulled something out. Then he tied it around his neck.
Oh, no...
The yellow apron Deok-su was wearing was covered in memorization charts, with consonants and vowels everywhere.
“I’ve imagined this for a long time, and I’ve made up my mind.”
About what?
“When I teach Hangul, I said I’d wear whatever would help the lesson.”
No.
Don’t do it. Please, don’t do it!
Were you not thinking about the shock I’d have to suffer, Deok-su?
You look extremely strange right now.
If you walked around the street dressed like that, someone would report you.
“Ah, I forgot this.”
Deok-su pinned on a bear brooch.
“It’s the bear the Crown Prince likes.”
This...
Maybe I should say I hate it now.
Deok-su came up to me in that getup.
“Now, look at your teacher. Look at this. This is giyeok. Try after me. giyeok!”
“Giyeok!”
Damn it.
I blinked.
I really want to erase this from my memory as fast as possible later.
The yellow apron and Deok-su.
Terrifying.
So this was how a person, when strange enough, could become frightening.
I gave an awkward laugh while watching Deok-su teach nieun. Truly, life was not easy.
* * *
“The Crown Prince is a genius!”
No, I’m not.
I let out a sigh while eating my baby food.
Why didn’t I think of that?
Because Deok-su’s Hangul class had been so horrifying, I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. Maybe that was why I’d pretended to learn Hangul so fast.
And now this has happened.
Deok-su, tears streaming down his face, was telling Auntie, “I’ve never seen a child this gifted before!”
Deok-su, you’re the one who’s never taught anyone before.
“Oh my, oh my, really?”
“How could he memorize it all in just three hours? The Crown Prince is truly brilliant!”
The limit for tolerating you was three hours, Deok-su.
“Oh my, oh my! Well, the Crown Prince really is special.”
“He’s gifted. I can see why he’s so good at acting.”
“He spoke early too. He really is different.”
“He’s a true genius.”
Auntie and Deok-su praised me energetically.
Wow, this is bad.
I’m not a genius. What if they’re disappointed later?
Should I start pretending to be smart from now on?
I was worrying over that when Ansan-daek, sitting beside me, said, “The Crown Prince has been amazing since he was a baby.”
Ah, Ansan-daek.
I looked at her quietly. It had been a while since I’d seen her. She was thinner than before, but her complexion looked much better.
Looks like she’s recovering well.
I asked in a small voice, “Auntie, are you better now?”
Ansan-daek smiled and rubbed my cheek.
“I got better quickly because our Crown Prince was worried about me.”
As if.
“It’s true, Crown Prince. Auntie’s really fine now.”
That’s a relief.
Still, much better than a slow recovery.
While eating my baby food, I said to Ansan-daek, “Don’t get sick anymore.”
You need to stay healthy.
Ansan-daek covered her mouth and laughed when she heard that.
“Goodness. Look at this pretty little thing. My younger siblings don’t even pretend to know me, but this pretty child is worried about me.”
“Mama was worried too!”
“I’ve only ever been a burden to the young lady.”
I asked Ansan-daek, “When are you coming home?”
“Two months from now?”
“Get better soon and come back.”
Please do. So that...
I looked over at Deok-su. The large teacher was still crying.
No matter how I look at it, the only one who can calm this down is Ansan-daek.
No, it was about time he stopped crying already!
“What do you think of your teacher, Crown Prince?”
I let out a long breath.
Hey now, Ansan-daek.
You’re asking me to evaluate him when he’s standing right here?
He can hear you.
I smiled brightly.
“I like him.”
Well, he is good to me. He’s just stressful.
“Really? I’m glad he doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
I moved my spoon again to continue eating. Then, all of a sudden, Deok-su burst into loud sobs right in front of me.
“He says he likes me!”
“Oh, congratulations.”
No, Auntie. Why are you congratulating him?
I sighed and said, “Except for the crying.”
At that, Deok-su froze.
“Teacher, you’re a crybaby.”
So please stop crying already.
“Th-then, Crown Prince. Do you dislike your teacher because he cries?”
“I like everything except the crying! Please stop crying!”
Deok-su blinked. Ansan-daek arranged the side dishes on my tray and said, “My goodness, this is the first time I’ve seen the Crown Prince get irritated.”
“Oh? You’re right. Come to think of it, the Crown Prince was always smiling.”
“There’s nothing wrong with expressing something negative. Mm…”
Deok-su’s lips twitched.
“It seems I’ve become more comfortable around you.”
Oh no.
Don’t be pleased.
I just focused on eating.
Why was everyone so ridiculously distinctive?
Ansan-daek, Auntie, even Deok-su.
Well, I supposed if the result was good, that was enough.
I quietly gave up on thinking about it.
* * *
I looked around. The cameras and props were familiar.
Wow, it’s a sageuk.
A smile rose on its own. I’d changed into my costume and was walking while holding Deok-su’s hand, grinning from ear to ear.
Ah, this feels great.
As expected, being on set felt good.
“Oh, so this is you. Hello there, Crown Prince?”
Just then, someone greeted me in a bright voice. When I turned around, I immediately recognized her.
Kim Eun-ju.
She was the actress playing my mother in the drama.
She was a very famous actress.
She must already have been well-known at this point too.
She had an innocent image and solid acting skills.
Later, she’ll get the nickname ‘Queen of Tears’ in Japan.
In my past life, I’d once acted opposite her too.
Of course, I was the thug.
I remembered her as the kind of actress who was extremely quiet in private.
Anyway, it was nice to see you again.
“Hello!”
“How cute. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
Look who’s talking.
“You know what, Crown Prince? I’m close with Soo-jung unni. We trained at the same gym.”
Huh?
“Oh, Soo-jung unni’s been busy lately. She’s going to another gym because of the film shoot.”
Kim Eun-ju loosened her shoulders and said, “Ah, I’m all stiff. I want to work out with Soo-jung unni. Kickboxing is the best at times like this.”
No way, Mom.
So people with similar energy had become friends.