Maybe It Exists After All (6)
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If anything, the camera directors' thoughts during the filming of King and Sovereign episode 13 weren't much different from Go Beom-su's.
After the speech—whether it was from the Left Prime Minister or some limping devil—wrapped, the directors all stared at each other in a daze.
Incredible.
Incredible, but...
"...Can we even follow this up?"
"Yeah..."
The villainous Left Prime Minister had upended the entire drama in one go.
It was an amazing scene, a downright insane one.
But that's exactly why it made no sense.
"For the story to continue, the leads have to push back against this somehow, right?"
"No way that's possible..."
Episodes 10 and 11's flashbacks had perfectly established the character of Left Prime Minister Jeong Ji-uk.
In his youth, he was an idealist burning with passion.
Aiming for the roles of aiding the king and protecting the nation, he devoted his youth to loyal service in the court.
But those ideals shattered due to a massive peasant rebellion.
"What meaning is there in the blood of these people? Why isn't this much bloodshed being used where it holds true value...?"
Jeong Ji-uk, sent to suppress the traitors, is struck with shock upon realizing those "traitors" are nothing but starving, ragged peasants.
Even after repeated victories, the rebellion's momentum spreads like wildfire, and no matter how much blood he spills, the amount needing to be spilled only grows.
Plunged into confusion, Jeong Ji-uk fakes injury and illness to withdraw from the battlefield.
But that only led to even more blood being spilled.
"Traitors. Execute them all."
"Pardon?"
"Not a single one left alive. Execute them all."
The newly appointed commander was a man brimming with ambition for fame.
He massacred men, women, and children without mercy, even claiming ordinary villages of civilians were suspicious and butchering them wholesale, sending their noses back to the court. The latter outnumbered the former by three to one.
The court rejoiced at the mounting tally of noses and promoted him to Supreme Commander and Grand Governor.
It was then that Jeong Ji-uk met the ringleader of the rebellion—once his own teacher.
"I am a sinner who spilled this land's blood in vain. Use me as a cautionary tale, at least."
Jeong Ji-uk severed his teacher's head.
The court, suspicious of his sudden illness, praised him lavishly and named him the second meritorious official.
But the chain of events ignited a fire in Jeong Ji-uk's heart.
The moon is bright, stars are few, crows and magpies fly south.
Three laps around the tree— what branch can I rely on?
Fire swirls in Jeong Ji-uk's eyes as he recites Cao Cao's poem.
This land's blood cannot disappear.
If it can't disappear, then it must be used for glory.
If no one else can do it,
"Then I must."
False prophet.
False patriot.
Merely a dreamer.
That was the Left Prime Minister who had episode 11 of King and Sovereign met with rave reviews and cries of "true protagonist."
How do we handle this?
Even the camera directors, who had captured countless scenes, couldn't help but think it.
And then,
Kang Min opened his mouth.
"No sane person wakes up thinking, 'Today might be the best day to die.'"
#
"Is that so! It was that young man! How could I not have known?!"
Amid the Crown Prince's forces effectively crumbling, this intel arrives like a bolt from the blue.
The Left Prime Minister on screen can barely hide his rare excitement.
Hui-yul.
Of course Jeong Ji-uk knew of him.
In this kingdom—no, perhaps in all the world—he alone truly understood Jeong Ji-uk...!
"A young man born in the wrong era! A millennium's talent, meant to soar for his country's glory with seals of office, rotting away for lack of opportunity!"
"Forgive me, my lord! That man has already inflicted irreparable damage on us!"
"What does it matter! Wei's Duke Sun used Jia Xu despite losing his eldest son and cherished warrior to him; Duke Huan of Qi made his would-be assassin Guan Zhong his prime minister. How much more so with our grand plan ahead!"
"My lord!"
The Left Prime Minister rescinds the arrest order on Hui-yul and dispatches an envoy offering him the post of military adjutant.
Every morning, he asks if Hui-yul has arrived, sighing deeply when told no—like a man in love.
Naturally, this reaches the ears of the Crown Prince's surviving loyalists.
"You bastard! You! A remnant of the traitors...!"
Minister of Personnel Choi Myeong trembles with betrayal, while the Crown Prince and Min Hwa stare blankly at Hui-yul.
A past so unimaginable, so heroic even.
Moreover, both already owe this crow-like warrior a debt, and thanks to him, they now have time to recover.
They can't find a reason why Hui-yul wouldn't side with the Left Prime Minister...
"Will you go?"
"Hm."
Hui-yul gazes at the prince with inscrutable eyes.
Then asks nonchalantly,
"Have you figured out why I didn't sever Your Highness's head?"
"...No."
"Well, I suppose not."
What? You could've killed His Highness?!— Ignoring the fuming Choi Myeong, Hui-yul smirks.
"Well, you'd better figure it out before I join them."
Hui-yul vanished five days later.
And around 10:40 PM, viewers began holding their breath to watch the candid talk between Jeong Ji-uk and Hui-yul.
#
At first, viewers were shocked by Kang Min's appearance.
He'd always looked a bit fatigued as Hui-yul's trademark, but this crossed the line.
His gaunt, skeletal face shone only with fierce eyes—overwhelming viewers.
Even against the Left Prime Minister gripping real power with immense presence, he held his own.
...Though that was partly because the Left Prime Minister himself was grinning ear to ear, dignity be damned.
"Well come! I've been eagerly awaiting you!"
As viewers murmur, the candid talk unfolds warmly.
Sharing the same ideological roots, of course they connect.
"Word is the Great Food Kingdom is on the verge of losing Egypt for good."
"Not long since they let go of Greece due to Arabia's meddling, right?"
"Exactly! Persia's bound to stir!"
"Hm."
The Grand Queen Dowager, handling regency, dismisses this Swiss-experienced warrior as "just another barbarian anyway." Even those following Jeong Ji-uk whisper he's too fixated on foreigners.
In that stifling atmosphere, this talk with Hui-yul is like rain in drought.
The Left Prime Minister can't hide his joy.
"What do you think?!"
"Qing's already trying to annex the Junggars."
Hui-yul answers calmly.
"If successful, they'll border Arabia even in the west. Perfect setup to jump into the fray."
"You get it! You know! Not like those idiots! Haha!!"
Jeong Ji-uk claps and laughs uproariously; Hui-yul remains impassive.
Viewers who grasp it feel catharsis; those skimming along do too.
It's Joseon of this era discussing global affairs.
"Heaven's mandate comes, my sworn brother."
Jeong Ji-uk laughs, gladly calling Hui-yul his sworn brother, convinced he's gained a right arm—or heart.
Viewers get swept up in his ecstatic grin.
"Those fools prattle 'divide and conquer,' but when did uniting ever go their way? What was Yuan's imperial line? What is Qing's now? Neither division nor union ever bent to their will."
"......"
"I'll make every drop spilled on this land meaningful. I'll price every needless drop those trash nobles wasted. All of it will build this nation's foundation. No death meaningless."
The Left Prime Minister speaks with conviction.
"So help me."
No empty words.
The camera flashes through his life with every phrase: young face anxious at the civil service exam hall; burning will in daily duties; jaw clenched at ragged peasants; blank stare at ceiling after beheading his teacher; hiding crooked smile while crying "Your grace overwhelms!"; gazing at the ne'er-do-well prince; eyes closing then opening at opportunity's arrival.
—And now.
He is no king.
Never inherited a thing.
Yet viewers feel he's truly sovereign.
-
-
The message boards quiet down. All eyes on Hui-yul's reply.
Story logic aside, everyone wants him to accept.
And,
Hui-yul speaks calmly.
"No sane person wakes up thinking, 'Today might be the best day to die.'"
"...?"
His teacher's manifesto opener.
But what follows differs.
"At the edge of my village stood a house with three shared roof tiles."
"...What?"
"Three homes pooled money for tiles but fell short. They stared hopelessly, then laughed and each added one to their thatch roofs."
"......"
"Even though those kids fought like cats."
Viewers swallow hard.
Episode 4 flashback: camera focused on the heroine.
Background Hui-yul out of focus. No one caught his movements—or dismissed them.
Every scene like that.
"All idiots. Dogshit could only count to three; Sam-dol never learned water rock-paper-scissors despite lessons; and Sam-dol couldn't even wipe his own nose. Though A-hee, mocking them, had the biggest booger."
—But naming each, Hui-yul's hands overlay those flashbacks.
Slowly,
Precisely.
What the...?
He remembers every single move from old shoots?!
Impossible—
Broadcast staff gasp in horror; the camera stays calm.
No exaggeration, no force.
Just clear.
That Hui-yul remembers everything he's passed.
"Well, all idiots."
"......"
"Even in death."
Left Prime Minister's flashbacks point futureward.
Hui-yul's backward.
Left PM's: always tilt down.
Deficiency, desire, dreams, wishes—
All one, so screen empty.
Hui-yul's opposite.
Every hand motion, face twitch matches prior scenes.
All familiar shots gain meaning, forging a weapon against the monstrous Jeong Ji-uk. Viewers stare blankly.
Every frame packed with people.
Hui-yul smirks.
—A sneer.
"Lord Left Prime Minister, how are you different from that nose-collecting butcher?"
"How dare you insult me!!"
Jeong Ji-uk shoots up.
Beard bristles.
"I swore no meaningless blood on this Joseon soil! All for the nation's glory, for those needlessly slain—!"
"So those idiot kids weren't needless blood. More will flow if the prince flees."
"Kuh...!"
"One more time."
Hui-yul lifts his head.
"What makes you different from them?"
And it all roots in one child grinning innocently in ragged clothes.
Hui-yul calm.
Jeong Ji-uk grits teeth.
Viewers stare blankly at the standoff.
But most dazed is director Choi Bong-man.
Kang Min... didn't do anything special.
Left PM Jeong Ji-uk's speech brimmed with power and direction—enough to stir hearts across the TV screen.
Hui-yul, Kang Min, just spoke calmly.
—Yet that alone stood against the directed force, imprinting Hui-yul's nature on viewers.
Prospect? Great actor? Bullshit...
Choi Bong-man sweats.
That's already a monster...!
No techniques on screen.
Just two men's talk.
Yet viewers swallow in tension, watching the dimensional clash.
And,
Jeong Ji-uk grits, asks.
"You think you alone can oppose me?"
"Who knows."
"Foolish, meaningless! Above all, you're alone! Who inherits your will?!"
Sharp question.
Against Jeong Ji-uk's total power, what can one warrior do, no matter his personal strength?
Even the world's Cheok Jun-gyeong met death.
Truly meaningless.
And,
Hui-yul smiles faintly.
"Who knows."
Far from enough, pretty stupid but—
"There's at least a 'next' candidate."
Screen fades on the tormented prince's face.
King and Sovereign
Theme song, then title.
But soon, prince and Jeong Ji-uk's faces split the flaming title left and right.
King.
And Sovereign.
Ten-million director Choi Bong-man could only stare blankly.
#
"Fuck, an interview right in my shift."
A day later, Han Ye-seul grumbled, suiting up for the first time in ages.
Salary through this month, but next? True unemployment. Had to job hunt to eat.
Even freelance producers, usually "come on in," now hedged with "interview first."
Not doubting her skill, but leveraging her situation to lowball.
Didn't make it suck less.
"Should've hit up Wiztone back then. Got lured by broadcast sub-company for nothing."
Han Ye-seul sighed, slapping her cheeks.
Skipped Black Forest and King and Sovereign yesterday, no articles.
Watching would just piss her off.
Why's that actor Kang Min invincible when she's around, now pitying her?
Asshole. I'll repay it someday.
Repay grudges and favors tenfold. Her long-held creed.
...Though now, just praying no flop at interview.
"Leave early?"
Checking time, small sigh. As she crammed into uncomfortable heels to exit—
Call from the production company with her interview.
What?
"Producer Han Ye-seul! Good morning, haha!"
"Yes? Oh, good morning..."
"Great weather today, and getting to welcome you— what a day!!"
The president himself.
Of the freelance production company she was to interview at.
Polite, low posture. Days ago: "Interview then decide."
Huh? Han Ye-seul blanks momentarily.
"The, interview..."
"Haha, interview? As if you need one! We're honored! Just come stamp the contract!"
"?"
"Know a great limited-course spot. Haven't eaten? I'll escort you now! How's that?!"
What.
Crazy?
As Han Ye-seul reels, another call.
She picks up to buy thinking time.
"Sorry, emergency. I'll call back."
"Huh? Wait! We'll double the terms—!"
Switches calls.
Unfortunately, even crazier.
"Hello, Wiztone Entertainment's Manager Kang Ju-yeon! Is this Producer Han Ye-seul?"
"Yes? Yes, but..."
"Yes, we're reaching out to see if Wiztone can welcome you as producer."
"......?"
"As you know, Wiztone's top production company in Korea? We can provide the best environment you want! Top terms too—"
In this world-gone-mad situation, another call.
Her ex-boss, KBC Drama Department Chief.
...Now Han Ye-seul knew something weird was up.
"Hahaha! So, whatcha gonna do, Han CP? Come back now, that asshole prez might bow and beg?"
"No, what the hell happened?"
"...You don't know? Didn't watch yesterday's dramas?"
"Yeah..."
"Articles?"
"Interview today... slept early, just woke."
"Jeez."
Chief keeps laughing like winded lungs.
"Remember? Go Beom-su boasted to prez! Black Forest and King and Sovereign ratings double difference!"
"Heard. So?"
"Nailed it hilariously, puhaha!"
"?"
Same time,
Reporters scrambling to interview Left PM actor Yi Hoon also floated question marks.
"Ah, that speech scene? Did just as junior Kang Min said, and it worked."
"???"