Chapter 171
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The King's Final Moments
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Park Youngjin looked around anxiously.
In the middle of a country road with few cars and even fewer people, the cameraman and the youngest PD shook with laughter at the sight of Park Youngjin, completely lost.
“I’ve been left behind! Left behind!!”
Perhaps taking pity on the stranded Park Youngjin, or maybe it was part of the plan all along, the youngest PD soon pointed him in the direction of the filming location.
Park Youngjin started walking in that direction.
A road with no cars, no people. Overwhelmed, Park Youngjin let out a sigh.
“How long will it take?”
“About two hours on foot.”
“...Please, let someone pass by...”
Park Youngjin clasped his hands together and prayed. After walking for some time, as if his prayers had been answered, he heard the sound of a car from behind.
Unlike the delighted Park Youngjin, the youngest PD looked back with a hint of disappointment.
“A car! I can hitch a ride, right?”
“Ye-es.”
“Aren't you a little too disappointed?!”
Park Youngjin and the two staff members stood by the roadside, waiting for the car.
Hoping for an empty seat, Park Youngjin’s eyes widened at the sight of a much larger vehicle than he had expected.
It was a tour bus, something he never thought he’d see on a country road like this. And it seemed there was more than one. A tour bus followed by a procession of other vehicles.
As the three of them blinked in confusion, the window of the driver's seat of the lead tour bus rolled down.
“What are you doing here... Huh? Aren’t you Park Youngjin?”
“Yes. Hello. I’m currently filming for *Working Man*. Could I possibly get a ride?”
“Just a moment.”
The driver stopped the bus, got up from his seat, and went to the back.
The youngest PD whispered to Park Youngjin.
“Do you think it’s a group tour?”
“Looks like it.”
Meanwhile, the cameraman was filming the vehicles behind the tour bus. There was the bus, two smaller buses, and a sleek black car that looked expensive even at a glance.
“Youngjin-hyung. Isn't that a pricey car?”
“Huh?”
At the cameraman’s call, Park Youngjin looked back. The car seemed strangely familiar. Where had he seen it before... Just as Park Youngjin was about to get lost in thought, the driver spoke.
“They said it’s okay.”
“Wow! Thank you! So where should I get in?”
The tour bus, the smaller bus behind it, or the last car.
The driver smiled at Park Youngjin’s question.
“You can get in the very last car.”
“Okay! Thank you so much!”
Park Youngjin headed toward the end of the line, overjoyed. The youngest PD and the cameraman shrugged and followed.
“Not a single car passed by when we did our location scouting.”
“I told you I’m lucky!”
“I guess so. I should call the PD. Tell him we’ll be arriving earlier than expected.”
As the youngest PD took out his phone, they reached the car at the end of the line. Park Youngjin kept tilting his head.
“I’m sure I’ve seen this car somewhere...”
“A car that looks like there are only a few of its kind in all of Korea?”
“That’s what I’m saying. I’ve seen it in person, not in a picture... Where...!”
As he spoke, Park Youngjin remembered where he had seen this car.
This! No way!
The cameraman, filming Park Youngjin's horrified expression as if he’d seen a ghost, tilted his head, then quickly turned the camera toward the car as its door began to open with a soft click. The sleek black door slid open.
A person emerged, bathed in the bright sunlight. The camera shook as the startled cameraman flinched. Seeing the familiar face, Park Youngjin shouted.
“Right! Seojun’s car!”
“Ahaha. Hello!”
Seojun’s bright laughter rang out. A short distance away, the youngest PD, who had been on the phone with his director, turned around at the commotion.
“Yes, PD-nim. I think we’ll arrive earlier than expected...!”
And there, he saw the face of an actor he had never once imagined seeing here.
While the youngest PD stared blankly at Seojun exchanging greetings with Park Youngjin, the PD on the other end of the line called out to him.
-So you think you’ll arrive? Or you won’t?
“...PD-nim.”
-Huh?
“We hit the jackpot.”
-What? Why?
“Youngjin-hyung hitched a ride, and,”
-Then he’ll be here soon. I need to adjust the schedule...
“The owner of the car is Lee Seojun.”
-?? What?
“Lee Seojun. The actor, Lee Seojun!”
After a few seconds of silence, processing the youngest PD’s words, the director of [Working Man!] let out a cheer that sounded like a scream.
Seojun and Park Youngjin’s journey together wasn’t very long. Their destinations were different, so they had to part ways at a fork in the road.
The [Working Man!] production team, who had rushed to the fork in the road after the youngest PD’s call, filmed Seojun and Park Youngjin.
“Samchon! Goodbye!”
“You too, Seojun! Good luck with filming! I’ll definitely watch the movie! I’ll promote it hard, too!”
“Yes! PD-nim, Camera Director-nim, please be careful on your way!”
As the youngest PD waved enthusiastically with a bright face, the main PD whispered to him.
“Maknae, did you get good footage?”
“Yes! I got permission, too. His manager said we can air it!”
“You lucky charm! Well done!”
It seemed they could look forward to high ratings for this episode. With pleased expressions, they all waved to the departing film crew of *Yeok*.
* * *
After the unexpected encounter, the film crew arrived at their destination, Maejukru, and quickly began preparing for the shoot. Seojun and the other actors changed into their costumes and finished their makeup.
“Ready, action!”
The back of King Danjong, standing at Maejukru, looked desolate. As he gazed at the scenery, trying to soothe his gloomy heart just as he had yesterday, Eunuch Kim and Kangdol came running in a flurry. Kangdol, his face streaked with tears, sobbed as he struggled to speak.
“Let’s run away, Your Majesty! Let’s hide deep in Mount Geumgang or Mount Baekdu and escape!”
“I told you not to call me Your Majesty.”
“That’s not what’s important! Let’s just run!”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Kangdol is right. We must leave at once. Kangdol knows the roads here well, so please, hurry!”
At their words, Danjong knew instinctively.
“Did my uncle... did His Majesty command it?”
“That tiger-faced bastard...!”
Kangdol roared at Danjong's words.
That tiger-faced bastard had ousted the benevolent Danjong and seized the throne. He had even killed loyal subjects and sent Danjong into exile. Just thinking of that traitor made his blood boil.
Eunuch Kim’s face turned even paler than before.
“...Your Majesty. You must leave this place at once!”
I see.
From Eunuch Kim’s evasive answer, Danjong heard the truth. He looked up at the blue sky. As the end drew near, the faces of many people flashed through his mind. A faint smile touched Danjong’s lips.
“So, this is how it ends.”
Where did it all go wrong?
It was a thought that had constantly plagued him since coming to Yeongwol.
Should I have done this, should I have done that?
He resented his father and mother for leaving him behind. He even resented his grandfather for entrusting such a heavy responsibility to his uncle Suyang. But it was all pointless.
The end he had foreseen was here. From the night he arrived in exile, Danjong had not slept easily. He would toss and turn each night, imagining the worst.
He thought it might never come, but now, that day had truly arrived.
The shouts of Kangdol and Eunuch Kim pierced through Danjong's thoughts.
“Let’s hurry and escape!”
Kangdol and Eunuch Kim looked ready to throw Danjong over their shoulders and flee at any moment. Feeling their heartfelt desperation, Danjong smiled. It was a smile that looked like it would crumble.
Danjong wanted to run away, too. He was only seventeen. He still had a long life ahead of him. But what held his feet to the ground was the duty that had weighed on his shoulders since birth.
Through all he had endured, Danjong knew to his bones what King Sejo was capable of.
He would reprimand the officials of Yeongwol for their lax management and turn the villages upside down, searching for accomplices or anyone who might have helped.
“If I run, His Majesty will turn the entire world upside down searching for me.”
“Your Majesty...”
In Danjong's line of sight, he could see smoke rising in the distance. It was Kangdol's village. Laughing children and hardworking people lived there.
“This place won’t be safe either.”
They were people he had saved. Danjong smiled with satisfaction.
“As someone who was once king, I must protect my people.”
Sobbing, Kangdol and Eunuch Kim bowed their heads before the king who thought of his people.
“Cut, okay! We’ll take a short break and then resume filming!”
At director Woo Jeonghan’s words, Kim Hoyoung, playing Eunuch Kim, and Park Cheonil, playing Kangdol, wiped away their tears.
Unlike the two who were slowly composing themselves, Seojun, who had been their benevolent king, was doing some warm-up stretches.
“Seojun. What do you want to drink?”
“Hmm. Lemon tea, please.”
An Daho asked as Seojun sat down in a chair after finishing his stretches. An Daho opened a thermos of lemon tea and poured it into a cup. Taking a sip of the warm tea, Seojun smiled warmly.
For some reason, the area around Seojun was quieter than usual today. Lee Jiseok and Park Unyeol, who had come to watch the afternoon shoot, also kept their distance, unlike the last shoot where they had chatted with Seojun.
An Daho handed him the script, and Seojun began to read it quietly.
So as not to disturb him, the staff and other actors watched Seojun from a slight distance. Of course, they couldn't stare openly, managing only furtive glances.
“Aren’t you excited to see what kind of acting he’ll do?”
“Yes. I expect him to do well, but I’m excited to see just how well.”
At Park Unyeol and Lee Jiseok’s words, some nearby minor actors whispered among themselves.
“Will he be able to pull it off? He only has one line, it's all facial expressions...”
“He’ll do great. That’s why those actors came to watch, isn’t it?”
“I just wish I could talk to Lee Seojun once.”
At the words of the actor playing Soldier 1, the actor playing Soldier 2 replied.
“I want to see his acting. I really want to see with my own eyes how an actor who’s even been in a Hollywood movie performs.”
The minor actors, who dreamed of slowly rising from extras to famous actors, nodded in agreement with the young actor playing Soldier 2.
“We don’t know when we’ll get a chance like this again. We have to watch carefully.”
“I’ve seen a lot of other actors perform while working as an extra, so I’m curious how different he’ll be.”
The minor actors chatted about Seojun. Normally, Seojun’s sensitive hearing would have picked up their conversation and made him feel shy, but right now, he heard nothing.
His mind was quiet, focused on the script, envisioning the performance he was about to unfold.
A short while later, filming began.
“Ready, action!”
In the courtyard of Gwanpunghyeon, Danjong's residence in Yeongwol, Danjong knelt on the ground. At the sight, Eunuch Kim and Kangdol, who wasn't supposed to be there, hid behind a tree and burst into tears.
“Prince Nosan conspired with Grand Prince Geumseong in a treasonous plot...”
An official, holding a bowl of poison, said something or other, but his words didn't reach Danjong's ears.
Danjong stared blankly at the bowl. The black poison looked just like the cold water from his vision.
After finishing his speech, the official took a couple of steps back.
The official had heard the rumors circulating in the palace. Everyone kept their mouths shut, but they knew. The story of an uncle who had dragged his nephew down and taken his place.
Delivering poison to Danjong, who had been the rightful king, felt wrong. He shuddered, recalling the whispers of people who said he would be punished by heaven in an age where the king was like the sky itself.
A heavy silence fell over Gwanpunghyeon.
Everyone’s eyes were on Seojun. In the silence, where even the chirping of birds had ceased, the muscles in Seojun’s face began to move slowly.
The black poison began to slowly creep up from Danjong's toes. It was as if he were sinking into a murky swamp, unable to escape. Feeling the coldness in his feet, Danjong felt fear.
It was something he had expected and prepared for since the day he left the palace. But that had only been a thought. Seeing death with his own eyes was terrifying enough to make his stomach churn.
Why do I have to die?
In Danjong's eyes, a flicker of doubt mingled with fear.
Why did my grandfather entrust such a heavy responsibility to my uncle? Hadn't it been forbidden since ancient times to give official posts to royal relatives, who could become the king's greatest enemies?
Why did my father pass away so early? Couldn't he have lived just a little longer, just a little longer to guide me?
Danjong bit his lip. His eyes, filled with resentment and indignation, wavered.
Why couldn't I run away? If I had escaped with Eunuch Kim, I could have lived. I wanted to live a little longer, too.
What is this duty of a king? What are the people? He wanted to lash out in every direction. Why do I have to look after the people? Why do I have to go through this?
Danjong squeezed his eyes shut.
I should have ignored the people and just run away!
No.
The tension in Danjong's face slowly eased.
No. That was a lie.
Danjong loved his people and loved his country. He wanted to be a great king like his grandfather and father. If he had great power, he would have done many things, but both during the rebellion and now, all he could wager was his own life.
He had risked his life to stop Grand Prince Suyang's rebellion, and he had not run away, so that innocent people would not be harmed.
Danjong,
had truly done his best as a king.
Danjong smiled softly and looked up at the sky.
“...Haven't I done well enough?”
At those words, Eunuch Kim and Kangdol burst into tears without realizing it. Hearing the sobs of those who had loved him, Danjong slowly reached his hand toward the bowl of poison.
“Cut, okay!”
Before Seojun’s hand could touch the bowl, director Woo Jeonghan yelled, "Cut!"
At the sound, Seojun’s hand froze in mid-air, and he blinked. An assistant director rushed out and snatched the bowl of poison as if a hawk snatching its prey, then ran off.
‘Huh, what’s going on?’
Staring at the empty tray, Seojun tilted his head.
“Weren’t I supposed to drink the poison?”
“No, you don’t have to. It was in the script, but seeing it in person, I think it’s better to stop here.”
It wasn't good for the audience to get too immersed in the movie. Especially when it came to a death scene.
Director Woo Jeonghan knew where to draw the line. At his words, Seojun looked disappointed.
‘I tried some earlier, it was delicious...’
The color was black and a bit off-putting, but weren't cola and chocolate a similar color? While Seojun was thinking he should ask how it was made later, the staff and actors were dabbing at their tears.
“If he had drunk the poison, I would have bawled my eyes out.”
“Nice one, AD-nim!”
“That poor young boy, drinking poison...”
“I heard that in reality, a servant strangled him to death...”
“What!?”
At the staff member's words, everyone turned to look at him in surprise.
“There are many stories about King Danjong’s death. The poison theory, the suicide theory, and the murder theory.”
“That’s so tragic.”
Park Unyeol wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. Lee Jiseok also sniffled.
“They say you get more sentimental as you get older.”
“Everyone’s crying, though. It’s because of Seojun’s acting.”
“True. Just with his expression, you could see the anger, the resentment, the doubt. He’s truly a great actor.”
“Right?”
Lee Jiseok grinned as if he were the one being praised. Seojun joined the two actors' conversation.
In Seojun’s hand was a thermos. He had asked a staff member for the recipe for the fake poison, and Hyung Daho, his nose red, had ended up giving him the entire thermos of lemon tea.
‘Well, lemon tea is delicious too.’
“Sir. Would you like some lemon tea?”
“Of course. That would be great.”
“What about me?”
“Just a moment.”
After handing a cup of lemon tea to him, Seojun sat down next to the two actors and sipped his own tea. Park Unyeol said with a smile.
“Is the next scene the last one?”
“Yes. It’s the last one, unless there are additional shoots.”
“Then you both do your best until the end.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
And so, the filming in Yeongwol, the place of King Danjong's exile, came to a close.