Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Our Mom's a Woman
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The moment she landed on the ZTVC site main page, a familiar face jumped out at her.
Spotting Ha Yu-ra smack in the middle of the trailer thumbnail, Oh Young-ae's eyes lit up.
"Ooh… So our Yu-ra's the lead in this new one too?"
Ha Yu-ra beaming brightly in her flashy red gisaeng outfit.
Everything else aside, just knowing Ha Yu-ra had snagged the lead again set her heart racing. Without hesitation, Oh Young-ae hit play.
"Oh, Yoon Tae-young?"
The idol singer now more familiar as an actor—Yoon Tae-young in scholar robes. The trailer kicked off with his face.
A scene that made it obvious at a glance who the male lead was.
With Ha Yu-ra and Yoon Tae-young heading the cast, it was already a win on casting alone.
Brimming with anticipation for what the story might hold, Oh Young-ae poured all her attention into the trailer.
A blood-red sky hung over the palace.
At its center,
a young scholar in a blue dopot stood alone.
Holding a bloodied sword,
his face streaked with sweat and gore.
Standing amid countless corpses scattered everywhere, a deep solemnity etched his features.
Then.
From beside that scholar,
one person stepped into view.
A stunning woman in a red jeogori.
Her face likewise smeared with blood and sweat, she fixed a gaze of utter iciness on the grand hall before her.
The scholar gazing at that woman's face.
Longing and desperation filled his eyes.
A solemn monologue from the scholar.
Yet as if his voice couldn't reach her, she simply stared at the hall.
A woman's monologue laced with icy resolve.
In that instant.
From between the two,
yet another man strode forward.
Bloodstained black martial robes,
yet his sword remained sheathed at his waist,
his face utterly free of a single drop of blood.
As if cleaving the space between them.
The woman's gaze on the hall,
the scholar's on the woman,
both shifted straight to that man.
The two trailing right behind him.
Then,
with the massive grand hall looming before him, the man slowly turned around.
The man now looking at the two approaching him.
His previously blank face flickered with emotion in that moment.
Sadness,
agony,
and resignation.
The changes were subtle, yet the emotions hit crystal clear.
No single tear, no wail of grief—yet his face conveyed a raw pathos that swelled in the viewer's chest.
A voice utterly devoid of inflection.
One that felt all the sadder for its flatness.
With that, the screen faded to black.
And.
-Sssrrrring.
A chilling scrape of metal, and stark letters materialized onscreen.
"Oh… It's got real vibe."
The trailer ended, and admiration spilled naturally from Oh Young-ae's lips.
Plot unclear, but the ominous vibe and flashy visuals stirred plenty of curiosity.
Reminiscent of Tears of the Queen Consort before it—watching this only ramped up her expectations.
Plenty shared her thoughts; views already topped 50k.
Impressive for a fresh trailer from small station ZTVC.
"But… who's that guy? Never seen this actor before…"
The man in black martial robes emerging between Yoon Tae-young and Ha Yu-ra.
Seasoned reviewer of countless dramas and films, yet zero recall of this actor.
Strikingly androgynous flower-boy looks that popped right away.
Someone with a face like that would've stuck even in a bit part—lack of memory meant total newbie likely.
"Theater actor maybe? Let's see, name… Chae Soo-jeong?"
Feminine name for a guy, surprisingly—but plenty like that, no big deal.
Her favorite mangaka was Kim Soo-jeong, after all.
Issue was, no matter how she scoured the net, zero hits on Chae Soo-jeong.
Theater folks usually had something—total absence raised eyebrows.
'Real newbie?... Trailer makes him seem lead-level or close…'
Intriguing, but she soon brushed it off.
Key point: new drama starring Ha Yu-ra.
Fusion historical, her jam, no less.
Plus popular actor Yoon Tae-young meant ZTVC putting more behind this than Tears of the Queen Consort.
Poster boy as potential newbie was odd… but hey, if it tastes good, who cares?
Monologue-only trailer, yet emotions leaped off the screen—clearly no amateur acting.
Especially conveying such profound sadness with mere glances: top-tier talent.
Face handsome enough to rival Yoon Tae-young too.
Unlike his rugged masculinity, this androgynous pretty-boy vibe hit her taste dead-on.
Buzzing with hype for a drama actually worth watching, Oh Young-ae rose from bed to prep her
The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception trailer review—for air in a month.
"Hehe…"
Our adorable daughter wriggling on the bed in her tiny body.
Whatever had her giggling nonstop sparked my mild curiosity.
"What're you watching so fun, sweetie?"
"Mom stories."
"Huh? Mom stories?"
"This."
She showed her smartphone to her puzzled mom.
What came up: comments on the drama PV we'd shot recently.
About half the comments were just Yoon Tae-young and Ha Yu-ra hype.
Made sense—current traffic mostly actor fans.
The other half?
What most folks fixated on was.
Anyone know celebs? Pull his profile.
Over half the comments zeroed in on curiosity about me.
No way info on a plain mom from days ago would surface, no matter the digging.
Sole vid out there was my daughter's audition—but my face was half-obscured, ID impossible.
Plus makeup team's blood, sweat, and tears turned my look into feminine-tinged pretty boy.
Comments just called me "pretty"—zero gender suspicions.
"Hehe… Everyone's calling Mom a guy. But our Mom's a woman."
"Hehe, yep. But Seon-hwa, we promised—don't tell a soul. Got it?"
"Yeah, don't worry. Seon-hwa won't say a word."
Our daughter giggling like it was the funniest game.
I stroked her hair, then got up to finish prepping to head out.
For today's drama shoot.
Park Chan-su.
The Beasts member and Yoon Tae-young's buddy.
Playing supporting Captain of the Inner Guard this drama, he was lately mighty intrigued by the odd vibes.
Singing chops neck-and-neck, but pure acting edge went to Yoon.
Once a twinge of envy at that talent, now full respect for his friend's skill.
But right now.
That very friend was.
Sprawled wretchedly in a chair.
"Haaa…"
"You good? Still alive?"
"…Ugh…"
Yoon Tae-young groaning, ashen as death.
Always bold and powerhouse on camera—lately, though, wrecked mid-shoot was routine.
And the one effortlessly dismantling this ace every time? Her.
Over there fixing makeup.
Chae Soo-jeong.
More mind-blowing the longer you watched.
A talent even his vouched-for Yoon couldn't touch.
Younger than him too, apparently—just baffling how.
'Thought Tae-young was the genius. Turns out he's just solid—real prodigy was hiding.'
Utter naturalism oozing from every tiny gesture—even veteran Chan-su flinched sharing the frame.
Plus those frequent Kim Seong-ryong vs. Han-seo stare-downs in script.
Soo-jeong left Tae-young shredded every time—pure awe.
'Well, Kim Seong-ryong's scripted to eat dirt regular, so scenes pop…'
Trailing that thought, Chan-su rose slowly for final costume check.
Next up: his scene.
The recurring Queen Dowager–Captain of the Inner Guard face-off.
Women in martial robes lined left and right.
In that gravely tense air, Captain of the Inner Guard Kim Yul advanced cautiously and knelt.
A woman seated in black robes embroidered with gold thread.
Face veiled in fine silk, unidentifiable—she sat before the Inner Guard captain, silently drumming fingers on the table.
-Tap tap tap
The faint finger taps echoing,
a bone-chilling aura palpable without a word.
Like an unseen blade prowling the air—the captain merely fidgeted, eyes darting.
Then.
Fingers halted abrupt.
Pressure thickened; captain's eyes quivered.
And.
A quiet voice whispering in the ear.
Soft and lovely, yet laced with indescribable murder.
To the trembling-voiced captain,
she issued her order calmly.
Utterly casual…
Like flicking a passing bug dead with a finger.
The captain jerked his head up, stunned.
He knew full well
what her decision meant.