King of Dying Acting - Chapter 37
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The day after Black Forest Episode 8 aired.
The aftershocks were still rippling through.
Netizens had been up since morning, eagerly playing the role of brilliant paid trolls, locked in fierce debates.
Most opinions were harshly critical, of course.
But there were plenty saying it was unavoidable or that things had gotten way more interesting.
Considering how people usually put on a polite face when judging dramas—what insiders call "shy makjang"—the real split was about even, and even the haters had no intention of dropping Black Forest.
For KBC, it was the perfect picture.
Naturally, pessimistic takes on King and Sovereign's future poured in.
Such sentiments naturally influenced the next day's ratings.
Black Forest Episode 9 hit 26.4%, while King and Sovereign Episode 8 started in the mid-15% range—far below the previous episode.
The double-score gap solidified, and with Black Forest posting numbers far from last week's typhoon levels, rival networks finally breathed a sigh of relief.
TVM's Choi Dan-yong PD, who'd suffered the most damage from Wine Talk, naturally downplayed the previous day's fiasco.
"Ahem, they just scraped together ratings with that nonsense. No big deal. Dramas usually hit 35-40%, so it's basically back to normal!"
"......"
"The section chief and headquarters boss are just hot-headed. Stuff like this happens in broadcasting! Gotta see the big picture, not get all panicky!"
You were the one who said it'd hit 10% after sniping them properly—
No one could say it outright, so Choi Dan-yong PD raised his voice even louder, as if blurring over yesterday's humiliation.
"This is our chance, actually. Black Forest blew up once, so they'll play it safe now, other dramas are watching nervously—time to surge ahead!"
"...Yes."
"Hell, we could even deliberately suck up King and Sovereign's audience! With all the momentum on Black Forest, we can use that...!"
Choi Dan-yong PD's dream actually started off promising.
Black Forest Episode 9 continued the previous episode's storyline but shifted focus to the protagonist's inner turmoil, without the overt kiss scenes or implied sex.
Viewers were a bit disappointed by the lack of cheap thrills but reasonably satisfied that Black Forest had returned to its original vibe.
In the end, KBC succeeded in inflating ratings, the Black Forest team got the drama back on track, and rival networks were content with their own upward curves.
Everyone was reasonably happy.
Until King and Sovereign Episode 8 truly began.
#
[Catch him! Grab the deposed crown prince by any means necessary!]
[Urk...!]
[H-how...!]
In the night-shrouded mountains, the crown prince and Minhwa clutch hands and flee.
Flaming torches flicker everywhere, voices drawing near then fading—endless dread.
The protagonists' flight has no destination. They dart left, then right, through the chaos, the jittery camera underscoring the desperation.
"Catch him!" grows closer—they spin in panic, roll on the dirt getting filthy, then bury themselves in leaf piles to hold their breath.
But hey,
To viewers hardened by countless dramas, it's nothing special.
Viewers griped or not, the protagonists just bolt in frenzy.
Out for a brief stroll, now hunted—their steps aimless. Not knowing where to go, they race toward their village in hope.
And soon,
the scene shifts.
Viewers swallow hard.
An unexpected scene erupts in what was seen as quirky romantic comedy-ish King and Sovereign.
[Hope you enjoyed your outing, but we're all running late, Your Highness.]
[.........Huh?]
The crown prince's jaw drops.
Minhwa too.
Their faces go from stunned to utterly lost.
Everything's burning.
Minhwa's house, the young blacksmith next door's, chatty old man Kim's, the kids she played with's—
Fields,
community hall,
granaries,
all engulfed.
As the camera lingers on the firelight dancing in their dazed eyes, Hui-yul gently closes the eyes of a child lying below.
A tragedy so raw it makes even viewers gape,
and more sudden than anything.
The crown prince stammers.
[Wh-what... what happened...]
[Didn't I tell you early on?]
Moths flock to lanterns for grand causes, justice, glory, and more, but
[Inexplicably, the purest is the royal line. It was obvious from the moment Your Highness refused to yield your neck.]
[.......]
[In that sense, I suppose I'm complicit too, for helping block it.]
Hui-yul is endlessly calm.
As if what was bound to happen, did.
The crown prince's face pales. This isn't what he wanted.
He never imagined this.
He just—
I just—
[Th-the Left State Councillor... what kind of monster is he... No need for this... I just...!]
[Well, no need to call him a monster.]
Power isn't built on just one sacrifice, right—
Hui-yul shrugs.
[That guy's probably agonized and decided. How he'll recover the lost justification here, who knows. But political pressure enough to yield a Minister or two langgwan—]
[You're defending that bastard Left State Councillor now?!]
The crown prince roars.
Fury flames in his eyes.
[So many dead, and you dare! Instead of punishing the one who helped me cause this atrocity, you spout political burden bullshit...! How are you even human!!]
[Defending?]
Hui-yul stands slowly.
The camera faces Hui-yul's eyes head-on for the first time since the drama began.
The two leads swallow.
Hui-yul's eyes aren't their usual dry calm.
No,
instead—
The two, seeing those gleaming eyes, feel their breath stop.
Blazing inferno all around.
But the faint madness leaking out chills more.
[If not the Left Councillor, defend Your Highness? Are these kids' deaths objectively heavier than those starving on streets a decade ago? Is reverting to that rotten court the right path for all? Or does candy and scraps from gracious Your Highness make their deaths nobler?!]
[M-my point is...]
[My answer: both are bullshit.]
Minhwa realizes those names are the kids she played with.
Sees Hui-yul's hand twisting the worn warrior's robe.
Sees, for the first time in not-short years, this warrior's essence.
But as she freezes, the madness flickering in Hui-yul's eyes vanishes like an illusion.
Hui-yul blinks calmly, pointing one way.
[Go.]
[...What?]
[Old man Yi-pan must've caught on by now. He'd want more time to build strength, but bad luck—no one's fault. Join him, at least adults die instead of kids.]
[I...]
[Or hand your neck to those chasing you. Probably tidier.]
[.......]
The crown prince hesitates.
The heroine grits her teeth, yanking him.
[Let's go.]
[M-Minhwa?]
[I said go.]
Minhwa strides, teeth clenched.
But before parting, can't resist looking back.
Hui-yul stands still, gazing somewhere.
Minhwa asks.
[Staying here... what for?]
[Client didn't die.]
[Huh...?]
[Gotta do my duty's memorial rite.]
Minhwa finally sees what Hui-yul holds.
A cheap kite.
The kid Hui-yul saved recently gave his prized possession in thanks; Hui-yul took it as commission, promising a sled later.
That kid sleeps quietly amid corpses, winter not even come.
[You're crazy?! That's thousands—]
[Not quite, maybe a thousand. That boastful old-timer I just closed eyes for had lots of disciples.]
[Stop! What's the point?! Hide first, then later...!]
[Miss.]
Hui-yul chuckles.
[Searching for meaning's for those who can afford it.]
[.........]
As Minhwa stiffens, Hui-yul turns.
Torches and shouts close in.
Viewers who'd griped the escape was "boring" can't even breathe.
Not the torch count.
Not echoed shouts amplified.
Not shaky cam faking quaking earth.
Just Hui-yul.
Facing not a foe, but inescapable fate—a dinosaur—or crashing wave—dino tongue—with resolve.
And obsession beyond.
Or blind fury—
One man's face and eyes convey the looming crisis clearer than any direction.
And soon, it becomes reality.
Viewers' backs prickle.
[Found him, Hui-yul!]
[You dare mock Master's cause with petty tricks, scum...!]
[Die!]
The legacy of once-splendid combat crashes on Hui-yul.
Blades fly from all sides.
Hui-yul doesn't counter flashily. Just swings silently.
Slash and more scream, charging.
Camera shuns "humans," capturing only blades, arrows, roars, blood.
No flashy heroism expected. No room for it.
Just,
endlessly wretched.
No hero, no master warrior.
Just a furious man facing absurd fate—giganotosaurus.
Reactions weren't explosive.
The boards that ignited wildly whenever Hui-yul shone stayed eerily quiet this time.
But,
the impact outstripped everything before.
The typhoon hits the abandoned house; dinosaur starts trampling.
"...Kim PD."
"Y-yes, Section Chief."
"Didn't you say it was solid this time?"
"......."
"When MBS asked if we were okay, didn't you say Kang Min couldn't do shit?"
"Th-that's..."
"What's 'that'! You making me drag my ass there and get chewed out, you punk?!"
And—
"......."
"......."
"C-CP..."
"...Call them back."
"Pardon?"
"......Writers. Reconvene."
"Y-yes."
"......."
"......."
"......MBS you conscienceless rice-eating bastards!!!!"
But well,
amid screams and wails everywhere, the most horrific situation belonged to someone else.
"Huh...?"
Stuntman Kim Ho-jin.
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