He Only Plays Villains 070: Gotta Reshoot? (1)
The filming location was Gyeongbokgung Palace.
The staff bustled about, setting up cameras and lights, while PD Jang Seung-won paced endlessly, checking the shooting paths.
Meanwhile, writer Kim Sang-hee lounged comfortably in a folding chair, sipping from her tumbler and watching the scene.
Manager Ha Tae-soo let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
"That's the leisure of a writer who's met her deadline. With the script all done, she must be taking it easy."
"Hyung, she'll still tweak the later parts during filming."
"It's not finished?"
"Not exactly, but she says better lines and developments keep popping into her head."
"Impressive. If it were me, I'd ditch it once it's done and jump straight into the next project."
On one side of the set, fans who'd come to watch and regular tourists clustered together.
"Seo-hoon-ah. Looks like your fans are here too? Your name's on those placards."
"They're all so diligent."
"But the Jeong Seo-hoon fandom's signs are something else, huh."
[Villain☆SeoHoon☆Crew]
[Haegeuk Ep.1 Hits 30% Ratings Prayer]
[No Grad School!]
[No Side-Gig Professor! Go Full-Time Actor ㅠㅠ]
[Bachelor's Is Enough, No Need for More]
Jeong Seo-hoon glanced over and gave a light wave, sending the fans into squeals—especially those with the "No Grad School!" signs, which shook even more violently.
Amid the tourists, gasps in Chinese erupted nonstop.
The female tourists whipped out their phones, snapping photos of Jeong Seo-hoon nonstop.
"Whoa, our Jeong Seo-hoon actor's popularity is no joke. Seems like all the tourists are staring only at you. To them, I must look like a squid."
The staff advised against approaching the fans to avoid messing up the site. Jeong Seo-hoon followed the advice faithfully.
Veteran actors Lee Min-soo and Lee Do-geun pored seriously over their scripts, while Han Seo-hee paced short distances anxiously, immersing herself in her emotions.
The child actors, under their mothers' care, clutched their scripts in small hands, reading diligently.
"Whoa, what? No way that guy's a fan of yours too?"
Ha Tae-soo suddenly startled, whispering right in his ear.
Jeong Seo-hoon instantly knew who he meant and smirked.
"She's originally a Yoo Jeong-ah fan. Guess she drops by now and then to check on me."
"Yoo Jeong-ah isn't even in Haegeuk. Why check on you?"
"We had that scandal. Probably thinks we're secretly dating and wants to confirm."
"Like you'd spot that at a public shoot..."
Ha Tae-soo eyed the hulking, muscle-bound giant who looked over 190cm with wary eyes.
"Yakuza? Gotta be yakuza, right?"
"Heard he's a detective."
"They say detectives and yakuza are just a paper's width apart. Even their fortunes come out the same."
"I don't believe in fortunes."
The set's energy ramped up even more.
They were ready to roll cameras any second.
The child actors took positions, double-checking scripts to the end, while lighting and sound techs settled in.
"Not much for you today, right?"
"Yeah. Just the late Ep.1 and early Ep.2 scenes here, then I'm out."
"Su-ryeon's looking busy too. Shame. She's got celeb visuals."
"Doesn't matter if the camera doesn't love you. Real looks mean nothing."
"Huh? Isn't that the excuse she uses after quitting acting because her skills wouldn't improve?"
"Really?"
Jeong Seo-hoon flashed a subtle smile, and Ha Tae-soo realized his slip, clamping his mouth shut.
He'd just handed a fatal weakness to Jeong Su-ryeon's natural predator...
"Jeong Su-ryeon said that, huh?"
"Don't say it was me."
"Don't worry, hyung. My lips are sealed."
Jeong Seo-hoon gave his blood sister a meaningful look before moving to a spot that wouldn't disrupt filming.
The PD and cinematographer took positions, cameras aimed at the actors.
"Standby, cue."
The nonstop shooting marathon kicked off without a holiday in sight.
An era of great peace under a sage king.
The royal family, blessed with princes in abundance, reveled in festival-like joy every day.
Amid unending bright laughter, tragedy struck.
-The Second Prince has collapsed.
-Send the royal physicians at once for treatment.
The second prince, who got along well with his brothers and adored his eldest, fell to a mysterious illness.
A somber mood enveloped the palace; the king, consumed by worry, could barely attend to state affairs.
The queen visited temples to offer prayers for the prince's recovery, while the entire capital prayed for his swift return to health.
Commoners passing the palace bowed toward it, beseeching his recovery; even provincial scholars prayed for the king's sorrow to lift soon.
-Your Highness... I deserve death for this. How can I deliver such grievous news...
-Speak! Out with it!
-The physicians say... he won't last the year.
This despairing prognosis, with New Year's so near, swelled the king's anguish further.
Sinister rumors swirled through the capital.
-It's the plague, the plague.
-Seems the Second Prince caught the plague.
-Oh no, does that mean the whole palace has it now?
-Shh, quit yapping! Wanna get nabbed for treason?
Eunuchs and court ladies uniformly hushed talk of the prince's condition; with no leak on the illness, the rumors grew ever darker.
-They say they've strung a forbidden rope around the prince's quarters.
-Really?
-Yeah, really.
-Shh, runners are patrolling! What are you blabbing for? Gotta lose your whole family to wise up?
-Plague, it's the plague. If it's spread in the palace, that means the ghost pox is already lurking everywhere in the capital—oh god!
-Shouldn't we flee while we can?
Frightened by plague talk, ignorant commoners who spread wild tales got rounded up and flogged, but the rumors ballooned, spreading nationwide.
Petitions poured in from provinces; officials eyed the capital suspiciously, questioning if plague truly infested the palace.
-Heavens are heartless. What sin did my son commit, that they take him so soon...
The king even offered sacrifices to heaven himself, but the second prince showed no improvement.
-Mother! When will I see Yu again?
-Crown Prince...
The crown prince, months without seeing his young brother, clung to his mother asking after him, but she could only swallow her words with a sad face.
As all braced for the prince's death, a renowned high monk arrived in the capital.
-The deep-seated grudge from a past life has seeped into the prince's body as illness. Have one pure in faith carve a Buddha statue from a pine grown alone by clear waters and offer prayers; he shall be saved.
-Reverend, you must handle this. Who in our land has faith deeper than yours?
Clinging to final hope, the queen mobilized everything possible.
A Buddha statue from a lone pine in deep mountain springs; the high monk knelt three days and nights, striking the wooden fish.
And a miracle occurred.
-The prince has awakened! Awakened!
-Is it true?
-Yes! He's utterly exhausted, but he's shaken it off completely and risen!
The queen, overjoyed to near fainting, suddenly thought of the monk and rushed to find him.
The site of his three-day vigil stood empty.
Oddly, the pine Buddha had turned to pure white ash alone.
No trace of fire remained anywhere.
-How wondrous. Truly wondrous. Buddha pitied our Yu and sent a virtuous monk...
The king rejoiced greatly, throwing a feast for the capital and pardoning all criminals save the worst offenders.
Jang Seung-won blazed through the schedule at breakneck speed.
He wrangled three assistant directors at once.
Extra rented cameras and gear were rotated ahead to next sites for pre-setup.
Once all needed scenes at a spot were done, they bolted to the next; after PD's final tweaks, straight into continuous shooting.
"Jang PD's really pushing hard."
"No wonder the schedule's so tight."
"Didn't you know? He hates wasting time or inefficient paths most."
"Won't the actors burn out? No breaks except travel."
"PD's expending the most stamina. Haven't seen him sit once."
"First time seeing the writer bail mid-shoot saying she's beat and head home..."
They'd shot most Ep.1-5 scenes at Gyeongbokgung Palace and were already heading to the third location.
Extras like eunuchs, court ladies, and inner guards piled into chartered buses for transport.
Usually they'd be told to show up by X time at Y place, but for efficiency, Jang Seung-won controlled even the moves.
As sunset neared, shooting paused briefly; one side of the set grew chaotic.
"Oh, food trucks. Food trucks are here?"
"Right, the VillainCrew said they'd send some today. Jeong Seo-hoon actor's fandom."
Several trucks lined up and parked, flashy placards fluttering.
[Villain☆Haegeuk Blockbuster Prayer☆Crew]
Staff heading to the trucks bowed at the massive banners.
"Jeong Seo-hoon actor, thanks for the grub."
"VillainCrew, grateful for the daily bread."
Extras queued for meals.
Jeong Su-ryeon grabbed a 16-tier lunch box and sat with colleagues in a suitable spot.
"Whoa, this bento's too fancy? Gotta be over 10,000 won each? Jeong Seo-hoon fandom's loaded."
"Heard during the donation drive, someone tossed in the full amount at the last minute. Doubled the target."
"Crazy. A rich true fan already?"
Chatting over bento quality, the staff's talk shifted back to the drama.
"But about Prince Suyang."
"Just say prince. PD'll flip if he hears."
"Right."
"And he wasn't called Suyang back then anyway."
"Anyway, what illness is it? Smallpox for real?"
"Feels like smallpox. One of the prince's brothers died of it young."
"They wouldn't toss in a childhood illness randomly. Hmm... what is it?"
"Curious about the monk's role. Just an early MacGuffin? Gone after?"
"Park Jun-ho teacher's a cameo, so probably MacGuffin."
"Who knows. Could be 'cameo' but he's already signed for regular."
Script's complete, but not all staff know the full plot.
Standard leak prevention.
"Su-ryeon-ssi, you know anything? You've seen the whole thing."
As eyes turned to her, Jeong Su-ryeon teasingly waggled her spoon.
"I know, but I don't. Can't say even if I do. You know that. Why ask?"
"Does Park Jun-ho teacher reprise the monk or not? Just that."
"No. Can't say."
The prince, who seemed he could die any moment, shook off his illness like a lie.
The king rejoiced while scouring everywhere for the monk who'd cured him with prayers.
Meanwhile, the queen searched for another lone pine by pure waters, but none fit.
Resigned, she stored the statue's ashes in a clean silver urn, cherishing it and praying daily before it.
-Have the prince pray to the statue daily too. Buddha will protect against relapse.
The young prince followed, praying before the urn of ashes each day.
One day, the queen caught a severe cold and couldn't pray, guarding her instead.
That night, the young prince suffered horrific nightmares, convulsing awake.
-Prince! Prince! Are you conscious?
-Ah... nightmare. I had a nightmare.
-Gasp! The prince is vomiting blood! Call the physicians, quick!
In just a year, the young prince's illness relapsed.