Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception
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"It's finally complete."
"That was really tough..."
Seo Ji-tae PD and the youngest writer Park Se-eun examined the script, their faces etched with deep fatigue and an even greater sense of accomplishment.
They had to wrap up Tears of the Queen Consort, which was ending next week, produce the making-of film, and immediately dive into preparations for the new project right after.
Lately, the avalanche of tasks had left them feeling constantly ground down,
but even so, holding this completed script in their hands now filled their hearts with profound pride.
"This project... it should do well, right? At the very least, better than Tears of the Queen Consort."
"The script is excellent on its own merits, but it's too early to say for sure."
The story and dialogue were undeniably top-notch.
However, there had been plenty of dramas with great scripts that bombed spectacularly.
Take Tears of the Queen Consort—everyone had such high hopes when the initial script came out.
"Still, it feels better than that one. Especially Chae Soo-jeong's acting—it's on another level."
"True, but who knows? Shooting could go sideways. Especially if we stick to this script; the acting demands are insane."
"Hoo..."
At Seo PD's concerned words, the youngest writer let out a small sigh and began reviewing the script again.
"So this is the script for the new project?"
"Yes, miss."
"Hmm..."
A woman dressed in what could only be described as a maid's outfit masquerading as manager attire.
Ha Yu-ra carefully reviewed the printed script she'd brought, her brows furrowing slightly at one point.
The role is... pretty unusual.
The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
A fusion historical drama set in a parallel-world Joseon.
The young king ascends the throne at an early age following the sudden death of his father, King Gyeongjo.
Being both young and frail, his mother, the Queen Dowager, seeks to seize power under the pretext of regency.
The story follows the Queen Dowager's plot for a massive purge through fabricated treason cases and those who resist her.
Ha Yu-ra's role was Lee Su-ryeon, one of the three protagonists and the daughter of the Minister of War, a loyal retainer of the late king.
Su-ryeon, whose family fell after her father was executed in one of the Queen Dowager's schemes.
Now hiding her identity as a gisaeng in a Hanyang brothel, her goal is to ally with the next targets of the purge, thwart the Queen Dowager's plots, and achieve revenge.
She's aided by the other two protagonists.
One is Kim Seong-ryong, the male lead and son of the Left Prime Minister.
The other is Han-seo, a detective who befriends her after saving her from danger by chance.
The issue was the actress cast as this detective Han-seo...
It's not just the acting... I see. Is this why they cast Teacher Soo-jeong as the lead?
Chae Soo-jeong, still unknown with zero public recognition.
And the role of Han-seo she was playing was actually a woman disguised as a man.
Since her face wasn't known, both the characters in the drama and the viewers would naturally assume she was male.
Of course, they'd drop hints gradually,
but her revealing her true identity at the end would surely create a massive impact.
This was why Lee Dong-cheol PD had slotted Chae Soo-jeong into the lead role in one bold move.
With her godlike acting skills and the fact that searching her name online yielded zero info, she was perfect for Han-seo right now.
However, regardless of how sensible Lee Dong-cheol PD's choice was, Yu-ra felt a twinge of worry deep down.
But playing a man as a woman isn't easy. Can our teacher... really pull it off?
No matter how much acting involved mimicking someone else, crossing the gender barrier for a woman to play a man was incredibly tough.
Especially since this wasn't like that hit drama a few years back, Cafe Princess Branch 2, where a woman openly mimicked a man.
Here, she had to fool the audience completely as a genuine male role, ramping up the difficulty even more.
If Ha Yu-ra herself had been cast in such a role, it would've been a real challenge.
Of course, for someone like her—whose name auto-completed with just 'Ha' in searches after winning the Excellence Award—it was impossible from the start.
But,
even with these worries, Yu-ra couldn't help feeling expectant too.
Who was Chae Soo-jeong?
She was the 'teacher' with skills so impressive that Yu-ra had swallowed her pride to seek guidance.
Even after that day, Yu-ra often met with Soo-jeong for acting advice, now fully accustomed to calling her 'teacher.'
With thoughts like maybe she'll pull it off, Yu-ra eagerly awaited the first shooting day.
The shooting day arrived amid various worries and expectations.
In one corner of the fully rented Folk Village, the crew bustled about, frantically handling their tasks.
Checking cameras, doing real-time makeup and costume adjustments for actors, patrolling the area to prevent accidents.
Amid all this frenzy,
one person alone stared off somewhere with a distinctly sour expression.
A man in a black gat hat and blue dopot, possessing the kind of looks that could warm any woman's heart.
Yoon Tae-young.
A member of idol group The Beasts and an actor with considerable recognition, he was in a foul mood right now.
God, what the hell are these people thinking? ZTVC was already going nuts, and now these guys too?
Then.
"Something wrong?"
"...Nothing."
"Bullshit, anyone can see you look like you bit into crap. Spill it before I wring it out of you."
A man in official robes slung his arm over Yoon Tae-young's shoulder.
Park Chan-su, a fellow member of The Beasts and his friend.
Cast as a supporting role in this drama, he teased his sour-faced friend today.
Yoon Tae-young let out a small sigh in response.
He glanced around cautiously before whispering to Chan-su.
"This drama... you think it'll succeed?"
"Huh? Why bring that up?"
"Hmm..."
Tae-young had joined at Lee Dong-cheol PD's request.
He held the PD's abilities in high regard and respected lead actress Ha Yu-ra's skills, so he'd pinned big hopes on this project.
Especially since it was ZTVC sharpening its blade after wobbling.
He saw high odds of success.
That's why he'd brought his friend Chan-su on board as a supporting role—out of firm belief in victory.
But one fact he'd learned late was shaking that confidence.
The third lead was a no-name rookie.
Such cases weren't unheard of, but this bold move naturally bred unease, escalating to dissatisfaction.
"Come on, you think Lee Dong-cheol PD would do that without reason? There must be something to it."
"The problem is that 'something' might not be legit."
ZTVC, where all sorts of shady stuff had blown up lately.
Sure, the police probe and internal purge had axed the top brass involved, but lingering unease remained.
Personally, he couldn't shake the thought that this rookie woman might've snagged the lead through some dirty backroom deal.
Like the station head's hidden daughter,
or the chairman's side piece or whatever...
"Hey, isn't that her? The parachute you mentioned."
"Huh?"
Tae-young whipped his head around at Chan-su's words.
Seeing the woman who entered his view, he thought inwardly.
She really a side piece?
A beautiful woman standing with a child who looked just like her.
In this situation, with the woman seemingly close in age to him and accompanied by her presumed daughter, his suspicions deepened.
Then.
"Soo-jeong, this is Yoon Tae-young, playing Kim Seong-ryong. And right next to him is Park Chan-su, the Captain of the Inner Guard. You all know the faces, right?"
The woman turned toward them at Seo PD's introduction.
She flashed a slightly odd expression before smiling, bowing her head in greeting.
"Hello, I'm Chae Soo-jeong."
"Ah... hello."
"..."
Park Chan-su gave an awkward greeting, while Yoon Tae-young merely nodded curtly.
If it weren't for Seo PD's intro, he'd have ignored her outright.
Thick-skinned bitch. If you pillow-talked your way to lead, just slink away.
Too many eyes to say it aloud, but the situation grated on him.
The kid stuck to her side was cute enough, but it didn't dilute his disgust toward the woman.
Just watch. I'll show you the standards of this industry proper.
Yoon Tae-young ground his teeth inwardly, waiting for shooting to start.
Then.
"Teacher~!"
"!?"
"Huh?"
In that instant, a familiar yet utterly alien voice rang in his ears.
The scene before him made Yoon Tae-young's mind blank out momentarily.
"I told you not to call me that..."
"Hee-hee. True, but the vibe's surprisingly good."
Suddenly, someone appeared, glomming onto that woman with a beaming smile.
Anyone else, and he'd shrug it off—but not this woman.
Ha... Ha Yu-ra? That's Ha Yu-ra, right?
Last year's Excellence Award winner, known in the industry as the icy noble.
Rumors swirled she was some chaebol heiress, exuding an untouchable aura.
And yet,
she was clinging to that woman's side like a tame puppy...
to that 'side piece' woman's side.
This sight was enough to flood Yoon Tae-young with indescribable feelings and even greater doubts.
How the hell did she... No, wait—'teacher'? What the fuck?
Then.
"Alright, script reading starts now. Everyone gather up!"
"Ah, it's starting. Let's go, teacher."
"Mm... alright. Let's go, Seon-hwa."
"Okay, Mom."
Before he could even try unraveling his questions, Lee Dong-cheol PD's voice boomed.
Staring blankly as they hurried off, Tae-young belatedly moved with Chan-su.