Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: It's Visible!
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It's visible!
"Ah..."
The Queen Dowager collapsing, blood streaming from her.
Watching her, Oh Young-ae let out a groan laced with regret.
Even though her identity as a woman had been revealed, there were still plenty of people who liked the Queen Dowager... Han-seo.
The charisma she'd shown consistently since hiding her identity, the lingering favor from her Han-seo days that hadn't faded entirely despite some erosion.
And on top of that, the raw maternal love she displayed as a mother who'd lost her child.
She was an unforgivable villain who'd caused the deaths of Lee Su-ryeon's family and countless others,
but at its root, it all stemmed from a mother's desperate struggles to protect her young child.
The methods were certainly wrong, but the intent itself resonated with many, naturally leading to sympathy for her.
And now, in her final moments,
the sight of her—not for anything else, but to protect Su-ryeon—taking a dagger to the chest and collapsing began to tug at the heartstrings of Oh Young-ae and the viewers alike.
Su-ryeon, holding the fallen Queen Dowager in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
Gazing at her expression of mingled resentment and sorrow, the Queen Dowager laboriously lifted her arm to wipe away her tears.
"You must... be happy... Don't ever... suffer... You, at least..."
"..."
A voice brimming with desperate longing.
Su-ryeon couldn't bring herself to respond, simply shedding silent tears as she gazed at the Queen Dowager.
And then.
The next moment, the scene shifted as the camera showed the Queen Dowager's hand slowly losing strength and falling to the floor.
"...Huh?"
Immediately after, a bewildered voice slipped from Oh Young-ae's lips.
The following scene felt oddly familiar from Oh Young-ae's perspective.
No, not just her—many watching her stream remembered it too.
A woman turning to gaze at a familiar-looking garden.
And a young girl slowly approaching her side, now a familiar face.
The Queen Dowager's daughter—the same child who'd played the Queen Consort's daughter in the previous work.
With the exact same setup, minus Ha Yu-ra as the Queen Consort, the viewers' minds naturally flashed to the final scene of Tears of the Queen Consort.
Meanwhile.
The girl in question looked up at her "mother" standing beside her and spoke in a voice that carried a solemn weight.
"You've finally escaped from prison."
"...I see. Finally..."
The Queen Dowager responded calmly to her daughter's words.
Even with her emotions restrained, her voice conveyed crystal-clear feeling.
It wasn't regret or lingering attachment from life.
There was only one emotion within.
What was known as... liberation.
The immense burden she'd wanted to set down but couldn't.
The fact that she'd finally laid it down.
The fact that she'd escaped the palace prison at last.
A quiet smile began to bloom on the Queen Dowager's lips.
She slowly bent down and pulled her daughter into an embrace.
Her face held a vivid emotion she'd never shown before.
An emotion that could only be called 'happiness'.
"I've missed you, my baby..."
"I've... missed you too, Mother."
The two clung to each other, tears flowing.
The girl then spoke calmly to the Queen Dowager.
"Let's go, Mother. His Majesty... and Seon are waiting over there."
"Yes... let's go."
The daughter's hand tugging at her.
The Queen Dowager followed with a serene smile, vanishing with her daughter into somewhere.
Into darkness that hinted at hell, not exactly bright...
With that bittersweet yet hopeful end to the Queen Dowager, the mid-episode ads rolled.
Snapping out of her reverie, Oh Young-ae hurriedly spoke up.
"Th-that scene just now! It reminds me of something."
She frantically moved her mouse cursor to pull up a video.
What appeared on screen was making-of footage from the previous work, Tears of the Queen Consort.
It featured a scene shot in a similar composition to the one just shown in The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception.
An audition.
Specifically, the audition for the child cast as the Queen Consort's daughter and the woman presumed to be her mother.
Though the "mother's" face wasn't clearly shown in this video due to portrait rights...
At this point, Oh Young-ae and the others recognized her instantly.
"Now I see it... This is Big Brother Han-seo."
Only in the very last moments did the long-foreshadowed twist from the previous work come to light,
and realizing that The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception was essentially a continuation of Tears of the Queen Consort sent shivers down the viewers' spines once more.
Bonus: rumors that actress Chae Soo-jeong and "Ha Yu-ra's daughter" might really be mother and daughter.
Buzzing with excitement over this new revelation,
Oh Young-ae wrapped up for now to resume watching the drama.
"Hmm... anyway, in the end, Big Brother Han-seo passed away like this. From that final vibe, it looks like she went to hell... but she reunited with her kids, so it's a happy ending in its own way."
The Queen Dowager, the drama's true protagonist.
Her death effectively marked the end of the series, leaving viewers with poignant condolences, satisfaction from a well-crafted story, and a sense of fulfillment.
All that remained was the epilogue.
Hoping the wrap-up would be solid, they settled into a mix of reluctance at bidding farewell to the Queen Dowager and relief that the tale was concluding, ready to watch the final part.
"Alright, it'll start soon. Everyone, push through to the end."
The ZTVC control room was abuzz.
With the finale of the hit drama The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception approaching, the atmosphere was hectic.
Final video checks,
and on-the-spot fixes for any glitches made for a chaotic scene.
Then.
"Whoa! Director!"
"H-hello, sir!"
"Haha, no need. You're all busy—carry on with your work."
ZTVC station director Kim Gyu-cheol appeared unexpectedly.
The burly middle-aged man's entrance caused a brief stir, but everyone quickly returned to prepping the broadcast.
Amid the bustle, PD Lee Dong-cheol took a spot beside the director.
He addressed him carefully, with maximum deference.
"Welcome, Director. It's truly an honor to have you here."
"Haha, it's only natural. This is the finale of ZTVC's flagship program. I'll watch it with you this time."
"Thank you so much for your interest."
PD Lee Dong-cheol slathered on the flattery like a pro employee, while the control room hummed on noisily.
However.
"..."
"Gulp..."
In stark contrast to the earlier chaos,
by mid-drama, a heavy silence blanketed the room.
From junior staff to the attending director.
All stared at the real-time ratings for The Queen Dowager, Sovereign of Deception, gripped by intense tension.
Ratings had climbed steadily since the finale began.
They'd long surpassed 20%, now soaring even higher.
Peaking with the scene evoking Tears of the Queen Consort, the ratings hit...
"28.7%..."
"...Haha..."
"Is... is this a dream? No glitch on the board or anything, right?"
The highest in ZTVC history.
A number even variety shows in their golden age hadn't reached,
one the big three broadcasters struggled for nowadays.
Seeing it right there, the drama team—and even the director—gaped in disbelief.
And then.
"...PD Lee Dong-cheol."
"Y-yes?"
"You'll have... a lot of work ahead."
"Ah..."
The director's words.
Grasping their meaning instantly,
a line from his favorite work bubbled up in PD Lee Dong-cheol's mind.
'WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!'