Chapter 20: The Aquarium and the Sea (5)
Chapter 20: The Aquarium and the Sea (5)
Grand Prince Jo Young.
The moment he appeared, the very air in the room seemed to shift.
For the first time, Seo-yeon truly felt it.
She realized that, until now, the adult actors had been holding back out of consideration for the children.
A sharp tension prickled at her fingertips.
Even with her eyes closed, she could clearly sense that the atmosphere on set was different than usual.
"Ha."
A short, sharp exhale escaped him as Grand Prince Jo Young’s fierce eyes swept across Queen Dowager Eunhye’s chambers.
He looked at his mother, then turned his gaze toward Princess Yeonhwa.
"Princess, do you have any idea how long I have searched for you?"
His voice was low and raspy, like the guttural growl of a beast. It was enough to make one's skin crawl.
Soon, his glinting eyes returned to his mother, Queen Dowager Eunhye.
"What did this child say to you?"
He slowly leaned forward.
"Did she wail that this is a betrayal of humanity? That you have forgotten the grace of the Royal House?"
Heh, heh, heh. A boiling laughter, rising from deep within his throat, filled the room.
Queen Dowager Eunhye simply kept her eyes closed in silence.
"Indeed."
It was as if she couldn't bear to look at her own son.
The corners of Grand Prince Jo Young’s mouth twisted.
"I have abandoned them. Both humanity and the grace of the Royal House."
Even those following behind him did not dare to open their mouths.
To anyone watching, he was a king.
A king who demanded that no one dare lift their head in his presence.
A tyrant.
"However, this path is mine."
One who had abandoned humanity, overthrown the Royal House, and now stood here walking a path drenched in blood.
"…Princess."
With his eyes still fixed on Queen Dowager Eunhye, Grand Prince Jo Young spoke.
"Princess!!"
At his fierce roar, the oil lamp flickered, vibrating with the force of his voice.
The faint light blinked, illuminating the Grand Prince’s face.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
His gaze shifted toward Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hye-wol.
"What will you do?"
He turned his head, then his entire body.
He looked down at the small, young princess.
"Will you leave on your own?"
Originally, Grand Prince Jo Young and Princess Yeonhwa had been close.
They were kin who had always treated each other with smiles.
"Or shall I escort you personally?"
At least, that was what Princess Yeonhwa had believed.
Today, she realized it had all been a lie.
She had been a fool.
That was the emotion radiating from the bowed form of Princess Yeonhwa.
The camera moved.
From Grand Prince Jo Young to Princess Yeonhwa.
Watching this, the camera director, Heo Jung-soo, forgot to breathe.
He even forgot to blink as he stared at the monitor.
The light source was wavering; he feared he might miss the shot.
He adjusted the reflectors and slowly panned the camera from the Grand Prince to the Princess.
Yoon Jong-hyuk, the actor playing Grand Prince Jo Young, was a powerhouse.
His portrayals of villains had always been praised as masterpieces, and this was no exception.
The madness he exhaled as naturally as breathing had an incredible magnetic pull.
It felt as if he were the only one standing on the screen.
This is dangerous…
Heo Jung-soo knew this wasn't a great situation.
The only one with enough acting prowess to counter that performance was Jung Eun-seon, who played Queen Dowager Eunhye.
But Jung Eun-seon had very few lines in this scene.
It wasn't a role meant to command the screen's presence in the first place.
The only one who could shift the atmosphere in this scene…
Was the young Princess Yeonhwa.
But a child actor?
Director Gong said to zoom in and focus on the emotions, but…
Heo Jung-soo was an experienced camera director.
If he clumsily pulled the camera forward or went for a close-up on the actor's face here, things could go south.
Naturally, a close-up reveals an actor's emotional performance in much finer detail.
But could Princess Yeonhwa hold her own against Grand Prince Jo Young?
Heo Jung-soo believed in Seo-yeon’s talent.
That was why he had voted for her over Jo Seo-hee during the audition.
But in the end, she was a child.
Compared to a veteran like Yoon Jong-hyuk, she was bound to fall short.
It might be better to keep the shot wide and focus on the scene as a whole rather than the individual.
He glanced toward Gong Jeong-tae.
But the director gave no new instructions.
It seemed he intended to proceed exactly as they had first discussed.
If this turns into an NG, it’s going to take a while to get the emotions back.
Should we just start over from after the long take?
It wasn't just Heo Jung-soo.
The other staff members were already mentally preparing for a retake after an inevitable NG.
If the others couldn't properly receive the Grand Prince’s acting, he would be the one left looking awkward. It would come off as overacting.
And then.
At that moment, Princess Yeonhwa’s closed eyes slowly opened.
Just as the soldiers moved to drag the silent princess away.
"Let go!"
At that sharp command—one that didn't sound like it belonged to a child—the soldiers froze.
No, everyone except Grand Prince Jo Young froze.
"…!!"
One staff member gasped and quickly covered their mouth.
A heavy silence.
In a spot where the lamplight barely reached.
The girl sitting in the shadows lifted her head.
Princess Yeonhwa’s lips trembled before she bit down hard on her lower lip.
Slowly.
Very slowly, Lee Hye-wol’s eyes, glaring up from the darkness, moved.
They were red.
Whether it was because they reflected the lamplight or for some other reason, no one knew.
Her pupils, glowing redder than ever before, stared straight at Grand Prince Jo Young.
An emotion that rivaled his madness radiated intensely from those eyes.
Rage. Hatred.
A bone-chilling emotion spread through the room.
Was this just acting?
No, Heo Jung-soo knew.
Method acting.
An emotional performance where the actor becomes one with the role.
Until now, Seo-yeon’s acting had been exceptional for a child.
At the very least, she was the best child actor Heo Jung-soo had ever seen.
But in this moment.
The qualifier "for a child" vanished.
"Yes."
The moment Seo-yeon’s small aquarium shattered and she stepped into the sea.
Right now.
"I understand."
A deep resentment could be felt in her trembling voice.
It was a heavy, dark tone one wouldn't expect from a child.
"I shall leave on my own feet."
She brushed past Grand Prince Jo Young and turned toward the door guarded by his soldiers.
Turning her back on Queen Dowager Eunhye.
"I will walk out on these two feet."
"Princess…"
The Queen Dowager’s fading voice brushed past her.
But Princess Yeonhwa didn't give her a single glance.
Her body trembled.
Drops of blood fell from her small hands, which were clenched so tight they looked ready to break.
The soldiers who met her eyes flinched and retreated a few steps.
The only one who could meet that gaze was Grand Prince Jo Young, who grinned, baring his white teeth.
"Yes, that is how it should be. That is why I am fond of you, Princess."
The Grand Prince’s laughter echoed.
Princess Yeonhwa’s red eyes sharpened, and her lips parted slightly on her contorted face.
She wanted to scream something at him right then and there.
She wanted to tell him that she would return.
That she would definitely return.
But Princess Yeonhwa simply bit her lip and walked away.
Accompanied by Grand Prince Jo Young’s soldiers.
And then.
Thud. The door to Queen Dowager Eunhye’s chambers slammed shut.
"…Cut!!"
At Gong Jeong-tae’s shout, which drew the line between reality and fiction, everyone who had been holding their breath finally exhaled.
A one-take, against all odds.
No one expected they could film this without a single NG.
The most shocked of all was Yoon Jong-hyuk, who played Grand Prince Jo Young.
That emotional performance just now was hard to believe coming from a child.
A genius… I heard she was a genius, but…
Indeed, there was a reason why the prickly Jung Eun-seon had taken such an interest in her.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Yoon Jong-hyuk flinched.
Jung Eun-seon was already standing by Seo-yeon’s side.
Because of that, several staff members who were about to shout their admiration froze.
They remembered what had happened before.
"…."
Jung Eun-seon leaned down toward Seo-yeon, who was breathing heavily.
She saw the tears welling in those red eyes.
She saw the hands stained with drops of blood.
She looked at the child who was struggling to pull herself out of her own emotions.
Then, she let out a sigh.
"…Breathe deeply."
Inhale, exhale.
Then, she slowly pried open Seo-yeon’s tiny hands.
She saw the palms where the nails had dug in so deep from the force of the grip that they were bleeding.
Jung Eun-seon’s brow furrowed at the sight.
"What are you all doing? Hurry up and disinfect this, then wrap it in a bandage."
At Jung Eun-seon’s shout, the staff members snapped out of it and rushed over.
"Ah, yes! Right away!"
"Wait, was that real blood?"
They had naturally assumed it was a prop.
After all, a child’s grip shouldn't be strong enough to make their own hands bleed.
"…This is why."
Jung Eun-seon started to say something, but she bit her lip and stood up.
Treating the wound came first.
And having seen the performance just now, she couldn't bring herself to say anything else.
She could clearly imagine how much the girl must have practiced to deliver a performance like that.
"Don't do this too often. Still…"
After a moment’s hesitation, Jung Eun-seon spoke to Seo-yeon.
"…It was a splendid performance."
After saying just that, Jung Eun-seon handed Seo-yeon over to Sua.
She watched them for a moment before turning and disappearing.
Sua, who had been waiting for her daughter while pacing anxiously, finally felt a sense of relief.
The performance Seo-yeon had been practicing so hard for.
Sua could tell that she had pulled it off magnificently.
"Are you okay?"
"…Yes."
To be honest, she wasn't okay.
Seo-yeon avoided Sua’s worried gaze and wiped away her tears.
Emotions were unfamiliar to her.
To be precise, stepping into such deep emotions was harder than she had thought.
Looking at her palms, she saw several small wounds already.
I guess it really is different from practice.
She let out a sigh.
It was still difficult to shake off the lingering traces of the emotion.
Perhaps it was because she was still a child.
There was a reason people told her not to do this too often.
"My, I was truly surprised."
Just then, Yoon Jong-hyuk, the actor who played Grand Prince Jo Young, approached Sua and Seo-yeon.
"Honestly, I’d heard the rumors, but I’m stunned. You’ve only been acting for a year?"
"Ah, yes."
"You’re going to be a truly great actor someday. Even Jung Eun-seon wanted to say something but couldn't, right?"
It was a performance that had silenced even the woman who made a habit of saying child actors should restrain their emotional acting.
"…Well, still. It’s best to hold back for now if you can. You’re a child, after all. It’s a sensitive age, so please keep an eye on her."
"Yes, of course. I understand."
Satisfied with Sua’s answer, Yoon Jong-hyuk grinned and patted the head of Seo-yeon, who was looking up at him.
"Now then, I should go see how the footage turned out."
At Yoon Jong-hyuk’s words, Seo-yeon slowly nodded.
It was likely the first real emotional acting of her life.
So, deep down, Seo-yeon was curious too.
Until now, whenever she saw her own acting, she could only think, Hmm, is it really that good?
But if it was the same this time…
She thought she might be a little disappointed.