Chapter 88
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: A Performance Too Real
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It was Seojun's last day of filming for 'Naeuiwon'.
“It’s already the last scene.”
Lee Jiseok and Kim Jongho greeted Seojun with wistful expressions as he entered the set. Seojun smiled and handed out the cookies he had brought.
“These look good.”
“I made them with my mom and dad. This one isn't sweet. This one is sweet. And this one is super sweet. Which one would you like?”
“I'm curious about the super sweet one, but I'll just take a regular sweet cookie.”
Lee Jiseok chose a sweet cookie. Kim Jongho picked one that wasn't sweet. Seojun continued around the set, handing out cookies one by one to the staff. Lastly, he went to Producer Choi Minsung and Writer So Eunjin.
“There are no more super sweet ones.”
“I was so curious what they tasted like!”
Writer So Eunjin bit into a non-sweet cookie with a look of disappointment. Seojun laughed. Everyone had been curious, but after one bite of the incredibly sweet cookie, they had all shuddered at the overwhelming sweetness.
“Today is the last day of filming for ‘Naeuiwon’. Thank you for everything.”
Lee Jiseok and Kim Jongho smiled as they watched Seojun chatting with Producer Choi and Writer So.
“The show’s doing well, and Dohun has improved so much. He’s a true lucky charm.”
“I know. Isn't this the first time you've gone through a whole drama without shouting, Hyung?”
“You can't exactly scream in front of a kid.”
“You have high blood pressure. You should try to be like this more often.”
“Hey, if I could just control it…!”
“You’ll worry Seojun.”
At Lee Jiseok's words, Kim Jongho, who had been about to erupt, wiped his face with his hands. Lee Jiseok chuckled.
“It’s not just me. You have a real soft spot for Seojun, Hyung.”
“Is there anyone who doesn't have a soft spot for Seojun?”
Kim Jongho’s question made Lee Jiseok nod in agreement. The atmosphere on set was warm and friendly, but the scene they were about to film was anything but.
No one noticed how thrilled Seojun was, fully prepared and excited to deliver a perfect performance.
“Ready, action!”
Grand Prince Seongnyeong’s face, afflicted by a virulent rash, was red and blotchy. His breathing grew rough, turning into harsh wheezes. The royal physician sent by King Taejong, Yang Hongdal, and his disciple, Heo Yuseon, did their best, but the Grand Prince’s condition did not improve.
His breath was short. His lungs ached.
A fever raged through his body, and his head spun.
As Grand Prince Seongnyeong exhaled a faint, pained breath, Director Choi Minsung, the staff, and the waiting actors all held their breath, their eyes fixed on Seojun.
“F-Father… Mother…”
The small Grand Prince's voice seemed to reach King Taejong, as the father and mother, who had rushed to their son's side, appeared in his quarantined chambers. Ignoring the pleas of their retainers, they grasped their rash-covered child’s hand.
“Jong-ah, Jong-ah.”
“Mother is here, Seongnyeong.”
Wasn't this the son who always delighted them with his vibrant laughter? He should get up any moment now and show them that bright smile. King Taejong and the queen stroked the Grand Prince, tears streaming down their faces.
Royal Physician Yang Hongdal and Heo Yuseon could only bow their heads low. Their remorse must have reached the royal couple, as King Taejong and the queen shook their heads.
“No. It’s not your fault. Why must you leave before your parents?”
“This cannot be. Seongnyeong, please wake up. Your mother is here.”
At the faint sound of his parents' voices, the good-natured Grand Prince Seongnyeong’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
[(Good) The Nucleus of a Blue Slime is activated.]
The rise and fall of Grand Prince Seongnyeong’s chest slowly came to a halt. His once-burning body temperature began to cool.
[(Evil) The Stench of a Skeletal Mouse is activated.]
Seojun activated all the abilities he had prepared. An unsettling stench of death emanated from him.
The hearts of the few actors and staff members who caught the scent of death began to beat erratically.
One of those few, Kim Jongho, who played King Taejong, felt the dropping temperature and gathered Seojun into his arms. The unpleasant aura made him anxious. Seojun’s hand fell limply to his side.
“Jong-ah. No. Jong-ah!”
With trembling hands, Kim Jongho held Seojun. The smell of death clouded his judgment. *No, why is his temperature dropping so fast?* He knew the kid was a good actor, but Seojun’s body was cooling far too quickly. He tried to massage him with his large hands to get the blood flowing, but it was no use.
Suddenly, Kim Jongho remembered a conversation from the first cast dinner.
Method.
Method acting. At the time, he had just thought it was fascinating, but this was something else. Kim Jongho’s heart pounded.
*Is it because of his method acting? Has he become so immersed that he truly believes he is the ailing Grand Prince Seongnyeong?* Kim Jongho’s hands trembled, and the color drained from his face.
If his body temperature dropped below a certain point, it would be dangerous. Kim Jongho held Seojun tighter, trying to warm him with his own body heat. His mind wasn't working.
“Someone! Is anyone there!?”
Kim Jongho's eyes turned red. His fierce expression startled Director Choi Minsung, who was watching through the camera, as well as the staff and the other actors. The irregular beating of their hearts only amplified the anxiety radiating from Kim Jongho's face.
‘Huh? What’s this? Is he ad-libbing?’
Seojun heard the frantic thumping of Kim Jongho’s heart. He felt Uncle Jongho's trembling hands.
Seojun, who had been feigning death with 100% realism using his carefully selected abilities, tilted his head. *Huh? Huh?*
A red light flashed in Seojun’s mind as he processed the situation. This was an instinct that signaled a crisis more dire than any experience he'd gained over his long life.
It was a crisis even more urgent than the day he, once a demon reborn as a low-ranking celestial, had made eye contact with a high-ranking angel who had seen through his identity.
Seojun realized that Kim Jongho's state was not normal. And that it was because of his acting. His mind raced.
‘So, Uncle Jongho thinks I’m in real danger.’
And in an emergency, anyone would logically call an ambulance. An ambulance would mean news reports. Then, not only his mom and dad but many other people would worry.
And besides that, it would cause a host of other problems that had nothing to do with the perfectly healthy Seojun.
‘That can't happen!’
It couldn’t have been more than 0.01 seconds. Seojun quickly deactivated his abilities and snapped his closed eyes open.
Kim Jongho, his mind finally catching up, was just about to shout louder than he ever had before.
“Some…!”
Seojun shot up from Kim Jongho’s arms, clapping one hand over his mouth and using the other to touch the wrist of that hand.
As the apple blossom pattern on his wrist glowed, Seojun used his ability, pouring out a calming aura with more force than he ever had before. He poured every bit of good energy he had into it.
[(Good) The Calming Scent of Apple Blossoms is activated!!]
[(Good) Elf’s Basic Breathing is activated!!]
The good energy emanating from Seojun’s body enveloped the set. With a mid-to-low-tier ability combined with a basic breathing technique, it was only natural that the stench of death from the lowest-tier ability would vanish. It was certain that more than half the people here would be calmed.
Producer Choi Minsung and An Daho, who were about to rush onto the set at Kim Jongho’s frantic expression, and Lee Jiseok, who had been unaffected by the [(Evil) Stench of a Skeletal Mouse] and was lying on the floor casually admiring, ‘Wow, Jongho Hyung is a great actor.’ The staff, who had been worried it was an accident, all regained their composure.
Still, the biggest challenge remained. Kim Jongho and Lee Jihye were right next to Seojun.
Auntie Jihye’s panicked expression softened, a sign that the ability had worked. What about Uncle Jongho? Seojun carefully removed the hand that was still covering Kim Jongho's mouth.
“Hoo.”
Kim Jongho let out a deep sigh.
The fog that had clouded his mind lifted in an instant. His pounding heart settled, and the events of a moment ago felt like they had happened days before.
A perfectly fine child was right in front of him. Taking another breath, Kim Jongho hugged Seojun, who was looking up at him, and gently patted his back.
At Uncle Jongho’s reaction, Seojun let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his body.
* * *
“You thought Seojun died because he was acting too well? Really, Jongho Hyung!”
“Yeah. Why did I think that back then?”
Under the influence of the warm, good energy, Kim Jongho, feeling more magnanimous than usual, nodded at Lee Jiseok's playful teasing. The whole shoot from moments ago felt like a dream.
The good energy he had poured out seemed to have been so effective that everyone had forgotten their earlier anxiety and were now chatting with languid expressions.
Seojun felt a pang of guilt. This wasn't what he had intended. He just wanted to give a more perfect performance.
“I'm sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry for, Seojun? It’s our fault for getting too immersed.”
“You were just doing your best.”
Still, he would have to be more careful next time. He had only thought about the viewers on the other side of the camera, waiting for a great performance. He hadn't considered the feelings of the actors performing alongside him.
Of course, no actor would remain calm if the person they were acting with suddenly grew cold and stiff right next to them.
‘And I even used dark energy.’
I'll have to write a letter of apology before bed tonight. Seojun resolved, holding back the tears that threatened to fall from his genuine remorse.
While those affected by Seojun’s ability had calmed down, the rest of the set was still in a state of confusion. Kim Jongho had seemed utterly desperate during the shoot, but now he looked completely relaxed.
“Was that all acting?”
“I got goosebumps watching that.”
“But didn't Seojun look like he was in real trouble for a second there?”
Sensing the awkward atmosphere on set, Producer Choi Minsung decided to wrap up filming for the day.
Producer Choi looked over at Seojun, who was sitting between Kim Jongho and Lee Jihye, being doted on.
Over the course of filming, the staff had grown very attached to Seojun.
They loved the energetic Grand Prince Seongnyeong and felt proud of the studious Grand Prince Seongnyeong.
Once the episode was edited and broadcast, the public’s reaction would surely be the same. In other words, the staff's reactions were a preview of how the viewers of ‘Naeuiwon’ would feel.
Even the staff, who saw Grand Prince Seongnyeong being filmed over many separate days and knew it was all an act, were worried about Seojun.
Viewers, who were being healed by the perfectly edited broadcast, would undoubtedly be even more invested.
This fact plunged Producer Choi Minsung into deep thought. The time had come to make a decision.
After everyone had left the set, Seojun headed to a university hospital with An Daho.
“The hospital?! Why!?”
No matter how long he had lived or how many past lives he’d been through, he hated hospitals. Pressed against the window, Seojun grew flustered as the hospital drew closer.
“You had a few sick scenes during this shoot. We were planning on getting you a check-up after filming wrapped, but since we finished early today and have time, let’s get it done.”
“I’m super healthy! I eat well! And I’m never sick!”
“The CEO already made the appointment, so he should be at the hospital. Let’s get something delicious to eat after!”
“Daho Hyung?! I’m telling you I’m healthy!”
“Everyone will be relieved if we show them the check-up results, right?”
“...Yes.”
Seojun, who had been vigorously asserting his health, could only nod silently at An Daho’s last words.
*I guess I have no choice. If everyone’s worried, I should do it. But I still hate hospitals.* The huge, white building loomed closer and closer.
The test results came back quickly. On a day Kim Jongho and Lee Jihye were filming, Seojun appeared on set holding the health report.
Like a scholar who had placed first in the state examination, he proudly presented the results to the two actors.
“I, Lee Seojun, am completely! Healthy!”
Kim Jongho and Lee Jihye took Seojun’s health report and studied it as if analyzing a script. As people who had undergone many check-ups, they read through it with ease. Lee Jiseok and Park Dohun craned their necks, trying to get a look.
“Jongho Hyung! Let me see too!”
“Uncle! Me too!”
*Hey, you could just ask me, you know?* Seojun pouted, watching the four of them huddle over the report.
That report was a copy; the original was at home. His mom and dad, after hearing from Uncle Chan what the doctor had said—a compliment disguised as a question: “How did you raise him to be this healthy? Is there a secret?”—had smiled brightly and stored it away safely.
To Seojun, it seemed like the doctor had been genuinely asking. When he went to get the results, the doctor's eyes had sparkled as he looked at Seojun, as if he were about to write a research paper.
After a long moment engrossed in the health report, Kim Jongho finally nodded.
“You’re healthy.”
“That's what I’ve been saying!”
“Still, please go a little easier on us next time.”
“...Okay.”
He had pretended to be dead once, and it had turned the entire set upside down. He decided that for the next shoot, he wouldn't do anything else and just lower his body temperature slightly. But just as he thought that...
“We’ve changed the scene.”
A bombshell was dropped.
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