Chapter 175
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Yeok (逆)
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From 0-Years-Old, a Superstar 175
“I’m so glad I came to LA to study.”
Choi Yuseong’s friends laughed at his words. Today was the release day for *Yeok*, and Choi Yuseong and his friends had planned to see the movie together. They had booked their tickets online and were about to head out.
Rotten, who was behind the wheel, spoke up.
“Movies with subtitles are a little strange, but Jun played for our school. We have to go see it.”
“They say the number of applicants shot up after that. The professors were thrilled, too.”
“And it’s good for us, since the school’s reputation improved.”
The students, not far from graduation, nodded in agreement. Just mentioning that their school was where *Over the Rainbow* was filmed instantly drew people’s attention. And for those who had seen the recital in person, others would lean in, eager to hear about it.
“Still, the busking was more incredible than the recital.”
“Ah. I agree.”
Natalie and Choi Yuseong, who had witnessed the eighth week of busking firsthand, had seen their skills improve dramatically since then, almost as if by magic.
It was as if they had broken through a barrier that had been holding them back. The same was true for some of the students from other departments who had been there.
It was less a technical improvement and more a change in the amount of emotion they could pour into their performance, but the music students, sensitive to even the slightest changes, reacted strongly.
It wasn't just the students; their professors noticed it too. When their students' skills improved so noticeably, the professors grew curious about the cause.
The common denominator was that they were all students who had been at the busking. Wondering if there was something special about that performance, they watched the video of the eighth busking session over and over, but they couldn't find a reason.
The news left many other students sighing in disappointment.
Even if it was a coincidence, their skills had improved. For students who were constantly practicing and striving to move forward even a little, it was something they wanted to believe in, even if it was just a fluke.
“I wonder if he’ll ever busk again.”
“Even if he does, he probably won’t do it here.”
“That’s true.”
Everyone nodded at Natalie’s words.
The park at the LA College of Music had become a must-visit tourist spot for anyone coming to LA. The spot where Seojun Lee had busked was always crowded with people, and kids majoring in musical instruments made sure to visit at least once to take a picture. Of course, the majority of them were violin majors.
“I heard there are even kids at our school who take pictures for people. They rent out violins, too.”
Megan’s words made Natalie sigh with an “ahem.” The mention of violins brought it all back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Because people want to buy my violin.”
At Natalie’s words, the other three widened their eyes. It had already been two years since *Over the Rainbow* was released.
“Still?”
“Yeah.”
Natalie’s violin.
The one she had intended to gift to the violin boy, the one that became the star of the eighth-week performance.
After the video was released and Natalie and Choi Yuseong became known, people started appearing one by one, wanting to buy the violin.
Rotten nodded. The ‘Gray’s Performance Piece’ was playing in the car.
“I mean, I get it. Even items owned by celebrities sell for high prices, and this is a violin used by an actor who won an Academy Award. The story behind how he came to play that violin is incredibly moving, too.”
Choi Yuseong and Natalie, the main characters of that story, smiled sheepishly. A year ago, it had gotten to the point where people passing by would occasionally recognize them.
“At first, the offers were a little more than the violin’s price… but then Jun won an Academy Award, and the price went through the roof, you know?”
“How much?”
At Natalie's answer, a silent shock filled the car. Natalie sighed.
“It’s been a year, and the price shows no sign of coming down.”
“Is the violin still at Whale Studio?”
Natalie nodded at Megan’s question.
With the price of the violin climbing endlessly, she worried it might get stolen, so she entrusted it to the high-security Whale Studio. Whale Studio had even offered to pay a rental fee.
“It’s probably on display in the lobby right now.”
“You’re right. It’s here.”
Choi Yuseong searched for Whale Studio on his phone. In photos taken by tourists who had visited the studio, Natalie’s violin was displayed in the center of the lobby under a spotlight, alongside the violin from *Over the Rainbow*.
“Whale Studio offered to buy it, too…”
“That might be the best option. Since it’s Whale Studio, they might make good use of it in connection with the movie.”
Natalie nodded at Megan's words. It might be better to sell it to Whale Studio, which had a connection to Seojun Lee, rather than continue to be pestered by people.
In the meantime, Choi Yuseong and his friends arrived at the parking lot near the movie theater. Although the film had a simultaneous release in LA, there were few theaters showing it. This one, a little far from the school, was the closest.
“Alright, we’re here.”
“Thanks, Rotten.”
“Lunch is on us.”
After getting out of the car, Choi Yuseong and his friends headed toward the theater.
“Whoa.”
Choi Yuseong let out the word in Korean without thinking. His friends let out hollow laughs. Rotten, after locking the car, rubbed the back of his neck and spoke.
“It’s a historical film about an unfamiliar part of Asian history, with subtitles… I thought it wouldn’t be very crowded…”
“To be honest, I came because I was worried it would flop in the US, even if it did well in Korea.”
“Looks like we worried for nothing.”
The front of the theater was bustling with people.
Most of them were Asian. They seemed to be Korean, as Korean could be heard here and there.
But it wasn't just Asians. There were many white and black people as well. From what they overheard, it seemed people had come from cities outside of LA too.
“I wonder if it’s like this everywhere else.”
“It’s going crazy on social media.”
It wasn’t just this theater. The few theaters across the US showing *Yeok* were packed with people. Many posts were popping up on social media.
-…What’s going on today? Why are there so many people?
=It's the opening day for YEOK.
=Yeok? What's Yeok?
=It's Seojun Lee's movie. The actor who played Royal Physician Heo in *Naeuiwon* is in it too.
=Oh, *Naeuiwon*! Is it *Naeuiwon 2*?
=I don't think so?
-Tried to buy tickets at the theater, but it's too crowded :(
-Never thought I'd be seeing a foreign film on opening day
=Same. And it's subtitled, not even dubbed. That's Seojun Lee for you :))
Sold out. Sold out. Sold out.
The four of them sighed in relief at the glowing red letters.
“Good thing we booked online.”
“We might not have been able to see it today otherwise.”
Inside the theater, Choi Yuseong and his friends let out a sigh of relief and grabbed a poster.
The trailer for *Yeok* was playing on the monitors inside. Natalie, who had watched it countless times on N-tube, stared at it again, mesmerized, before asking.
“Yuseong, what does ‘Yeok’ mean? I thought it was the main character’s name, but I guess not.”
“It means ‘to go against.’ It signifies rebellion.”
“Oh.”
“It’s a good thing Yuseong is Korean. He can explain anything we don’t understand. But I wonder if other people will get it. My parents said they’re going to see it. I don’t know if they’ll be able to follow along.”
At Megan's words, Choi Yuseong smiled and said.
“Then you should tell them about this site.”
“A site?”
“Yeah. I think the film production company made it.”
Choi Yuseong sent his friends a link to the site. They were impressed by the clean layout.
[Understanding Yeok (逆)]
-Before Watching Yeok
-After Watching Yeok (Spoilers Included)
There were two categories.
“It’s like a guide for people who don’t know much about Joseon. Of course, it’s designed to have as few spoilers as possible. Even if unfamiliar words or cultural aspects are briefly explained in the subtitles, it’s different from watching the movie with a real understanding.”
“It has language settings, too.”
“They made it in collaboration with Plus+.”
“Ah, Plus+.”
His friends nodded at the mention of the globally popular streaming site. Finding translators would have been easy for Plus+.
“I should send this to my parents.”
“The pamphlet has explanations too, but the site is easier to understand with the pictures. And it’s more detailed.”
“Then we should read this before the movie.”
After thoroughly reading the ‘Before Watching’ section and the pamphlet, Choi Yuseong and his friends entered the theater. They settled into their seats with popcorn, nachos, and drinks in hand.
Soon, the theater darkened, and the screen lit up.
*Thump!*
An unfamiliar Asian castle gate appeared. The unfamiliar castle and the shadows of two people were projected onto a white paper screen. Someone whispered.
“Is that a castle?”
“Looks like it.”
“Is that paper? Isn’t it a door?”
“More importantly, when does the main character show up?”
It seemed this person hadn’t even seen *Naeuiwon*. Choi Yuseong scratched his cheek.
‘Are they going to keep talking?’
Ugh. Of all the luck, getting a talker on the first viewing… Rotten and Natalie, sitting next to him, also seemed to let out a light sigh. Choi Yuseong tried his best to ignore it and focus on the movie again. He was planning on watching it multiple times anyway.
*Yeok* began with the death of the previous king. Kim Jongseo appeared, Grand Prince Suyang appeared, and Lee Hongwi was shown participating in the royal assembly.
And then, at some point, the whispering voices asking ‘what’s this, what’s that’ fell silent. It was the scene where the young heir meets his pitiful subjects and becomes a true king.
As Danjong smiled benevolently, the theater fell silent for a moment.
Wow.
So this is the aura of a wise king. Natalie was in awe. The young king of a foreign land was benevolent and compassionate. The future of this young, wise king she wanted to keep watching was…
‘It means ‘to go against.’ It signifies rebellion.’
Choi Yuseong’s voice suddenly came to mind, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.
No way.
Soon, that foreboding feeling became reality. The man who shared the young king’s blood, a man named Grand Prince Suyang, wore a chillingly ferocious expression.
The Koreans, who knew the story of Danjong and Suyang well, clasped their hands with grim expressions.
‘Here it comes!’ Unlike the Koreans who had braced themselves, the foreign audience members all blinked in confusion.
The background music changed. As the tense music swelled, the noise in the theater subsided, and the audience’s breathing slowed. The hands reaching for popcorn and nachos gradually stopped. Even the soft crunching sounds died down.
And then, the rebellion began.
Natalie, Megan, and Rotten’s jaws dropped as they watched the man who dared to step into the king’s bedchamber.
What? Why?
Wait a second. What?
Among the four of them, the only one watching the unfolding situation with a sense of ease (though the psychological battle between Danjong and Suyang was full of tension) was Choi Yuseong, the Korean.
The situation deteriorated without end. He became the retired king, handed over the royal seal, and was demoted to Prince Nosan and exiled. Just when it seemed he might find some peace, a bowl of poison was delivered.
The three foreigners and one Korean shed tears. As they wept like open faucets out of sorrow, the man of royal blood who had killed the king laughed thunderously. Everyone stared at the man who had become king with disgusted eyes.
‘Someone just… deal with that bastard.’
And then, like divine retribution, the dead king appeared.
For a moment, faced with something so chilling, the four of them couldn't help but pity Sejo.
A small shadow sitting down, and a large shadow cowering in fear.
It was the dead Danjong and the living Suyang.
The movie ended.
The theater lights came up, and the four, drained of energy, leaned back in their seats, wiping away the tears they had shed. The end credits rolled, and the OST for *Yeok* began to play. It was a sad yet beautiful melody.
Natalie, wiping her tears with a tissue Choi Yuseong had prepared, let out a deep sigh and said.
“Ah, I cried so much.”
“His acting is amazing. ‘Jiseok Lee,’ was it? Jun is great, but Lee was incredible too.”
“Jun and Jiseok Lee are both Lees.”
The three of them let out a weak laugh at Megan’s words, drained of energy from all the crying.
Rotten, wiping his tears with a tissue, looked around. He saw Koreans calmly taking tissues from their bags, wiping their own tears, and sharing the rest with those around them. It seemed nearly all the Korean audience members had come prepared.
“It’s a historical film… so this really happened, right? All the Koreans brought tissues.”
“Well, Danjong’s story is famous. Any Korean would have come mentally prepared to cry. And the actor playing Danjong is Lee Seojun. Though I doubt they expected to cry this much.”
After leaving the theater, the four sat in a cafe, sipping drinks and taking a short break. The afterglow of the movie seemed to reverberate through their bodies. Megan, drinking a sweet chocolate beverage, went to the [Understanding Yeok] website.
“There was a link here for after watching, too.”
“Right.”
At Megan’s words, everyone took out their phones.
[Understanding Yeok]
-Before Watching
>After Watching (Spoilers Included)
-About the Nosan-gun Ilgi
-Danjong and Sejo in the Nosan-gun Ilgi
…….
They quietly read through the articles one by one. The images of Danjong and Sejo from the Nosan-gun Ilgi automatically morphed into the faces of the two actors. Because of this, it felt quite dissonant.
“The image is very different from the movie.”
“History is written by the victors, after all.”
Rotten and Megan nodded at Natalie’s words. Choi Yuseong, who had already looked up a lot about Danjong before the release, was checking out the reaction in Korea. It was just as noisy there.
“So there’s something called the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.”
“Huh? They have that on there too?”
Choi Yuseong, who had been leisurely reading the Korean reactions, turned his gaze at Megan’s words.
“Yeah. It’s here. To have this level of documentation from that long ago. It’s amazing.”
“There are a lot of comments about the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, too. They even wrote down things the king told them not to? That’s incredible.”
“So it’s a UNESCO Memory of the World.”
Huh… what?
Choi Yuseong blinked at his three friends’ reactions.
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