Chapter 117
Chapter 117
The Imperial Seal
Spurred on by the alcohol, Lee Jeong-hun had nodded. The next day, he dragged his throbbing, hungover body to a production company under JSENM.
Lee Jeong-hun stared blankly at the contract presented before him, his mouth agape.
“Wow… it’s real.”
“Did you think it was a joke?”
“I just thought you were trying to console me.”
“Me?”
Yu Yeon-seo, sitting opposite him, snorted. My image has really improved, huh? Then again, even before he was possessed in 2018, some industry insiders apparently saw him as ‘a guy who gets flak for his acting but is good for saving rookies.’
“There’s no time to get emotional. We have to get this out faster than planned, no matter what.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bring me the results as soon as possible.”
Even as Yu Yeon-seo threw cold water on the moment, Lee Jeong-hun’s eyes sparkled.
He’s so happy, not even realizing it’s a slave contract.
After that, Lee Jeong-hun immediately began revising the scenario. The staff, who now had to produce a film within two years at most, were also being ground down. However, the promise of performance bonuses silenced any complaints.
It would probably get done faster if I took the lead role…
He quite liked Lee Jeong-hun’s synopsis… and the character was good too. But he already had a drama scheduled for filming, and with more important matters at hand, he decided to be content with just investing.
“Dead?”
“Yeah, here.”
Baek Seo-jun had completed a basic background check based on the list Yu Yeon-seo had sent. Yu Eun-ho and Yu Yeon-seo, who took the documents he handed over, flipped through the papers simultaneously, their brows furrowing.
“Out of the 30 guards who worked at the mansion, five are dead?”
Yu Yeon-seo muttered to himself, his voice filled with suspicion. If they were in their thirties in 1999, they would only be in their fifties now. But this many of them were dead?
“Well, aside from the ones who died from chronic illness, three died in car accidents.”
“Could this possibly be related to what we suspected?”
“It’s not a zero percent chance.”
Yu Eun-ho and Baek Seo-jun spoke in grave tones.
“But, is this all?”
Yu Yeon-seo gently shook the papers, looking at Baek Seo-jun.
“Well, I’ve done all the basic checks. I can’t move recklessly either. This is illegal, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
“This guy here, believe it or not, is the commissioner’s son. It’s risky for me to do anything that could get me in trouble. Besides, the guy at the next desk has been getting on my nerves lately…”
“What, so the police officer has some connections.”
Baek Seo-jun shrugged. But the fact that it came with restrictions on his actions was unwelcome news.
“Still, we have all their addresses, so we have to investigate.”
“Hmm… really?”
Yu Yeon-seo tried to ignore the ringing in his ears. Is legwork the only way to handle the rest? I’m the only one who remembers their faces… But twenty-five people was still too many. Plus, he couldn’t completely dismiss the ones who were already dead.
“By any chance, these dead people… could you do a more detailed background check on them?”
“Probably.”
As the two brothers casually discussed digging into people’s pasts, Baek Seo-jun let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“Hey, are you plotting something illegal in front of a cop?”
“Got the guts to lock me up?”
“Wow, seriously, can I just flick you on the forehead once?”
“Don’t.”
The answer came from Yu Eun-ho. Baek Seo-jun let out a sharp breath. He’d been surprisingly tame for his reputation before, but today he was a bit prickly.
“So, we investigate these people first, and then we have no choice but to visit them one by one?”
“Hey, you. You don’t remember anything else?”
Yu Yeon-seo didn’t answer Baek Seo-jun’s question. He had his head down, covering his mouth. Seeing this, Yu Eun-ho sighed.
“…Spit it out.”
“Is it obvious?”
A wet-sounding reply, but the inside of his mouth was unusually red. Baek Seo-jun flinched.
“What, what is it?”
“What do you mean, what is it? Give me some more tissues.”
“Wait, right now…?”
Baek Seo-jun, bewildered, passed over the tissue box while frowning and staring at Yu Yeon-seo, who was dabbing a tissue at his mouth.
“Tsk…”
He had been holding it in so well, but of all days, it had to happen today. It wasn’t intentional, but since they would be spending a lot of time together to catch the culprit anyway, it was better to reveal his condition now.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Baek Seo-jun raised his voice in disbelief. He looked back and forth between Yu Eun-ho and Yu Yeon-seo in a silent protest, demanding an explanation.
“Don’t look at me. I don’t know the reason either.”
“Hah…”
Baek Seo-jun slumped back against the sofa and stared blankly at Yu Yeon-seo.
“I seriously can’t even handle one Yu Eun-ho, but meeting you two brothers just drains all my energy…”
“Excuse me for a moment. This is an important call.”
“See?”
Look at him, cutting me off like that. Baek Seo-jun shot up and pointed an accusing finger at Yu Yeon-seo’s retreating back. When Yu Yeon-seo was out of sight, he looked at Yu Eun-ho with a serious voice.
“Is he really okay?”
“Well, the tests came back clean… but I don’t know either.”
“Hah… This is a secret, right?”
“You keep an eye on him when I’m not around.”
Unaware that he had just added another person to the list of those frustrated because of him, Yu Yeon-seo stepped out onto the terrace and leaned against the railing.
“Oh, CEO Han.”
(Are you busy right now?)
“No.”
Yu Yeon-seo switched the phone to his other ear.
“Have you done some investigating?”
(That’s actually why I called. I found the contact information for someone who worked at the agency back then. Turns out he started his own agency and is training idols.)
“Oh, that was fast.”
(I’ll text it to you. Yeon-seo, by any chance, can you squeeze some of our kids into ‘The Imperial Seal’?)
“It’s not impossible… but you know what happens if it’s overdone, right?”
(I know. I’ll just stick a few in minor roles.)
CEO Han excitedly hung up. He could have asked for a more personal favor… but either way, it was clear he was working hard for his actors.
“What was that?”
“My agency’s CEO. It’s about my mom’s stalker.”
“Any luck?”
“Not yet.”
He wanted to handle it himself, but he was too well-known. Left with no choice, Yu Yeon-seo sent a message to Im Seung-hyeon.
[Exclusive] Yu Yeon-seo Cast in JSTV’s ‘The Imperial Seal’… to Star Alongside Shin Ye-won
Highly Anticipated Second-Half Drama ‘The Imperial Seal’ Confirms Shin Ye-won X Yu Yeon-seo Casting… A Battle Romance Set in a Constitutional Monarchy
└Wow, the casting is insane
└Shin Ye-won and Yu Yeon-seo??
└I was praying for this combo TTTT it’s really happening TTTT
└But a lot of people were looking forward to this since last year, and in the end, Yu Yeon-seo gets it
└└He’s a director, duh lol
└Isn’t Yu Yeon-seo not quite on Shin Ye-won’s level yet?
└└Why do you think he’s not? Isn’t he the top actor in his 20s right now?
-Ah, I was looking forward to The Imperial Seal, but it’s Yu Yeon-seo again?
I was worried when I heard JSTV got it, and now it’s Yu Yeon-seo again lol
└You can basically assume that Yu Yeon-seo sweeps up all the decent scripts from broadcasting stations or studios under E&M lol
└I was getting nervous when I heard he became a director, and just as I thought lol
└The hate is insane lol. If you’re so salty, tell your favorite actor to become a chaebol~
-I knew the people on this forum were awful, but
When an actor like Yu Yeon-seo gets a good project, they say he’s using connections and trying to block rookie male actors from debuting
When established actors in their 30s and 40s get good projects, they complain that some old-timer actor is taking roles that rookie male actors should get. What do they want?
Their only excuse is ‘rookie male actors,’ but what can you do when there are no standout rookie male actors right now lol
└fr, no matter what, Shin Ye-won isn’t at a level to be paired with a rookie. Yu Yeon-seo is a good fit
└Isn’t it a fact that Yu Yeon-seo is blocking the path for rookie male actors?
└└Stop saying ‘fact, fact’ about everything ffs
└└└Does Yu Yeon-seo have a shadow clone jutsu or something? To block the path for all male actors in their 20s and 30s lol
└But the original poster is also subtly dissing rookie male actors lol
└Anyway, I like The Imperial Seal, hope it comes out soon
└The general public is already going wild over the pairing, the social media reaction is crazy. It’s only the people here who are dissing him and making a fuss lol
Ever since the news broke that Yu Yeon-seo had become an in-house director at JSENM, these kinds of hateful, jealous posts had increased.
No matter how much Chairman Yu pulled strings from behind the scenes, trying to block all negative reactions was like trying to cover the sky with the palm of one’s hand.
Of course, it wasn’t just fans keeping each other in check like this; there were also whispers among actors about it being unfair, but it wasn’t anything new worth worrying about, so he mostly ignored it.
“Hello.”
“You’re here?”
Yu Yeon-seo visited a magazine studio for the promotional marketing of ‘The Imperial Seal.’ As ‘The Imperial Seal’ was a major drama for the second half of 2021, the promotional marketing schedule was packed.
“Have you… lost some weight?”
“Oh, will I not look good in the photos?”
“No, on the contrary, your jawline is more defined, so it looks good.”
While some reacted with concern over his weight loss, many others loved it, saying he had become even more handsome when there was no room for improvement, and that it gave him a sensitive, edgy beauty. After all, broadcast cameras tend to make people look slightly puffier than they are in real life.
While he was waiting, there was a commotion near the entrance. Shin Ye-won, wearing sunglasses, was entering the studio with her staff.
“Hello.”
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
Shin Ye-won took off her sunglasses and offered Yu Yeon-seo a handshake. Yu Yeon-seo shook her hand as politely as possible. Shin Ye-won was an actress whose experience and career were incomparably more established than his.
“I feel a bit embarrassed for acting so silly before.”
“I thought it was nice. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other anyway.”
“Really? Feel free to be casual.”
“Okay.”
They were scheduled to work together on the same project for several months anyway. They made small talk, asking if the other had eaten and what they thought of the synopsis.
“This pairing is no joke.”
“It’s insane.”
The staff members murmured in admiration, feeling an extraordinary atmosphere just from the two of them standing near each other. Some even took pictures with their phones, but since they were all professionals, nothing would be leaked before the magazine was released.
“Alright, let’s start with Yeon-seo.”
The concept for today’s photoshoot was to appropriately mix in traditional Korean clothing to match the setting of ‘The Imperial Seal.’ Yu Yeon-seo stood before the camera wearing a suit with an ornate traditional robe draped over his shoulders.
“Great gaze!”
The photographer continuously clicked the shutter, offering words of encouragement. It was awkward at first, but he relaxed once he started thinking of the photoshoot as an extension of acting.
Shin Ye-won also wore a form-fitting suit with a red robe draped over it, as if she were a king. An ornate hair ornament was placed in her neatly braided hair, maximizing her luxurious and elegant image.
After shooting in several different outfits, Yu Yeon-seo received a careful request from the photographer during a short break.
“Um… Yeon-seo. Can you show a more affectionate gaze?”
“…I’ll give it a try.”
“Okay.”
He thought he had put some affection into it… was it not enough? As he pondered, Lee Tae-gyeom, who handed him some water, gave him the answer.
“Just look at her the way you looked at Do-yul. Honey was practically dripping from your eyes.”
Do-yul was the name of the child actor he had often played with on the set of ‘Dreaming.’ Was he still holding onto that comment about the kid being cute and me being creepy? In any case, it was good advice.
“Wow! That’s perfect!”
He was good before, but now that he had intentionally changed his gaze, he could hear the staff murmuring in admiration. Shin Ye-won didn’t back down, her eyes turning sharp. The concept was a man courting a woman who was putting up a wall.
The grand finale of the photoshoot was a scene where Yu Yeon-seo placed a ceremonial crown on Shin Ye-won’s head as she sat on the throne.
“Perfect!”
The photographer encouraged the models until his voice was hoarse. He later heard that the photographer wasn’t usually so talkative. He was clearly excited by his excellent subjects.
“Let’s go one more time!”
When Yu Yeon-seo gently pushed aside the beaded tassels of the crown with his hand and brought his face precariously close, as if to steal a kiss, the staff, who had been murmuring quietly, cried out loudly.
“Whoa… that’s insane.”
“This is going to cause an uproar when it’s released, right?”
“There’s no way it won’t. We’d better print a lot of copies.”