Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: B...reasts?
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Bre...asts?
The drama was sprinting ahead as if it had caught a tailwind.
The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
After Han-seo's true identity was revealed, the story intensified even further.
This incident prompted Su-ryeon to become even more proactive than before.
In response, the ministers, believing they had seized an opportunity to counterattack the Queen Dowager, began moving more aggressively than ever.
However, all of this was part of Han-seo's scheme.
Appearing as the Queen Dowager's closest confidant, he shadowed Su-ryeon and meticulously uncovered every move the ministers made,
while preparing to uproot Su-ryeon's plans entirely.
Meanwhile, Seong-ryong grew suspicious of Han-seo's actions and began digging into his background.
Of course, this wasn't mere suspicion—it was also fueled by Seong-ryong's jealousy toward Su-ryeon, whom he adored.
As a result, Seong-ryong gradually began to uncover the true nature of this man called Han-seo...
The fact that he was an imperial spy acting as the Queen Dowager's blade.
Finally, the clash between the two erupted.
In a bid to secretly eliminate Han-seo, Seong-ryong set a trap... but his plan had already been exposed to Han-seo.
And the outcome of that was the infamous scene from the prologue.
"That child... is mine. Forever."
Han-seo whispered into Seong-ryong's ear with a chilling smile.
Watching that scene from the prologue—where he was with his daughter—reappear in the main story,
I suddenly felt like turning off the TV.
The internet was buzzing about it being the drama's first iconic line or godlike acting,
but as the actor who performed it, I just felt my face burning with embarrassment in that moment.
'No matter how many times I watch it, I still can't get used to it. Watching my own acting...'
Everyday acting was one thing, but scenes that stirred such intense emotions just made me want to grab the remote and change the channel—they were that mortifying.
Still, the reason I sat there enduring it quietly was solely because my daughter was enjoying it so much.
"Hee hee hee..."
"Mmm..."
My daughter let out a silly giggle, completely absorbed in the drama.
This reminded me so much of how I was in my past life watching our ultimate bias... Seon-hwa's performances that I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of kinship.
'Honestly, the show itself has parts that aren't great for a kid's sensibilities...'
But since it starred not just anyone, but me and my own mom—er, daughter—no, it starred my daughter and me, it felt awkward to complain.
If she said, 'Does that mean we're making something bad?' I'd have nothing to say.
Anyway, as the climax wrapped up with Su-ryeon walking off alongside Han-seo, marking the end of this episode, Seon-hwa leaned back on the sofa and said in a pleased voice,
"Haa... That was fun. Mom was so cool today too. Thanks, Mom."
"Hee hee, yeah. Thanks for watching it with me, my girl."
Basking in the praise from my most precious viewer, I felt a swell of pride as I slowly rose from the sofa.
At that moment.
"Hm?"
My phone suddenly rang.
Seeing PD Lee Dong-cheol's name on the screen, I felt a twinge of curiosity.
Main filming had already wrapped, and no schedule had been set for the epilogue parts yet.
With no real reason for a call at this point, I felt puzzled and intrigued as I answered.
"Yes, PD? What's up?"
"Oh, Chae Soo-jeong. Well, it's about..."
His voice carried a hint of awkwardness.
I started worrying if some accident had happened that I didn't know about, but...
The words that followed were a bit different from what I'd imagined.
"Ad... advertising?"
"Yes, you know Venaris? They reached out wanting you for an ad."
"Oh..."
The unexpected news made my heart race for a moment.
Advertising.
Some might see it as just a chance to make big money,
but in truth, for celebrities, ads held even greater meaning—like a badge of honor.
It signaled that a fame-driven entertainer had been recognized in a specific field.
And in my past life, I'd never shot a single ad.
My name barely came up even during drama airings.
Calling someone with zero presence as an ad model would have been absurd.
For me, advertising was a dream beyond a dream, right up there with a lead role—something utterly unattainable...
But right now, talk of that very ad was reaching my ears.
Just that fact alone had my heart pounding already.
Following the rare lead actress role I'd landed, here came another stroke of 'luck.'
From my position, there was no reason to turn it down.
However...
"Um... but the thing is, the advertiser..."
"...Pardon?"
*
"Hmm..."
"Haha... what the heck..."
Even the production team for The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception could only let out awkward laughs upon hearing the request from Venaris, one of Korea's top cosmetics companies.
The drama's lead, currently a massive internet sensation.
Chae Soo-jeong, the actress playing Han-seo.
She displayed acting prowess that belied her rookie status, captivating countless viewers—especially female ones—so an ad offer for her felt entirely natural... however.
"The problem is that actress Chae Soo-jeong is actually a woman..."
"And the advertiser thinks she's a man..."
With no agency or manager yet, they were handling things for her, but this situation was a real headache.
They never imagined the final twist they'd hidden for the drama would backfire like this.
"What should we do? We need to give them some kind of answer..."
"First off, she'll be coming in person, so let's hear what she has to say."
They knew full well how valuable a CF was to an actor.
Especially for a female actress, a cosmetics ad was like a trophy.
The ultimate title proclaiming her as a symbol of beauty, so turning it down would be a huge waste.
Their role was just to relay; the decision was hers.
As they waited anxiously, actress Chae Soo-jeong finally arrived.
And her response to this was...
"I'd love to do it, but if they knew I'm a woman, wouldn't they cancel the offer?"
"Hmm..."
"Probably... yeah?"
PD Seo and the junior writer were at a loss for words at her perfectly realistic point.
In this industry, gender was strictly categorized when casting, so her words were utterly commonsensical.
"It's a shame, but we'll have to decline."
"Ugh, sorry. We never thought writing the script would cause this..."
"Haha, it's fine. There'll be another chance."
With the decision to decline, they contacted Venaris accordingly.
But then...
"...They're asking how much more we need?"
"No, that's not the issue. Did you explain it properly?"
"Yes, I said it's tough due to the actress's circumstances, but they kept insisting. They're begging for a chance to negotiate in person, at least."
"Sheesh... this is something."
The other side was proving more persistent than expected.
With them requesting even just a face-to-face, the team felt even more awkward.
Not to mention, Venaris's parent company, Hansan Group, was a major investor in ZTVC, making outright refusal tricky.
So they checked with Soo-jeong once more.
"We can't lie about gender, so... we'll have to come clean with them. Under a confidentiality agreement, of course."
"You okay with that?"
"Seems like the best option right now. Better than fumbling the rejection and building misunderstandings..."
It felt iffy, but Chae Soo-jeong ultimately agreed to negotiate directly.
The team consented too, watching with half worry, half curiosity about how it'd unfold.
Even these industry veterans had never dealt with something like this, so their interest grew by the minute.
*
'Am I finally meeting him... my Han-seo big brother...'
Han Jeong-hwa, head of Venaris's advertising department.
She sat in ZTVC's reception room, her heart pounding wildly.
Normally, she wouldn't need to handle new model scouting personally as department head.
Yet she'd come herself because this was so important... but more so to indulge her personal fandom.
A longtime fan of The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception, her obsession had grown lately.
Especially Han-seo, who dominated every scene with overwhelming charisma, had thoroughly captured her heart.
Just the fact that she could meet the actress playing him made it worth her trip.
'No info on the internet at all... This means I'll be the first to see big brother Han-seo in casual clothes. Can't wait... I wonder how cool he'll look?'
Her anticipation building as she waited for him.
Then.
-Knock knock.
"! C... come in!"
The awaited knock, and the door slowly opening.
The moment she saw the person enter,
Han Jeong-hwa felt like time itself had slowed.
Gem-like violet eyes seen only on screen.
Cherry-red lips.
And above all, the flawless, smooth skin that perfectly matched her tastes.
Not to mention a wasp-thin waist and breasts so full they sparked envy in any woman...
"...Huh? B... b... breasts?"
Her mind bluescreened at the scene, freezing her thoughts momentarily.
Toward her, that person...
The woman with a refined air greeted her calmly.
"Hello. I'm actress Chae Soo-jeong, playing the role of Han-seo."
"...Ah?"