Chapter 120
Chapter 120
The Imperial Seal (2)
A few days after filming for The Imperial Seal began, the photoshoot pictures of Yu Yeon-seo and Shin Ye-won were pre-released on a website. They were labeled as B-cuts and a behind-the-scenes collection, but in truth, every shot was too precious to discard, so they decided to release them early.
-Have you seen the couple photoshoot for The Imperial Seal?
It’s insane. This is what I live for.
└If those are the B-cuts, I can’t even imagine the A-cuts...
└Their chemistry is amazing.
└So good, give us more.
└But what’s with that look in his eyes? Yu Yeon-seo is guilty.
The photo captured a moment during a break in the photoshoot. Shin Ye-won was laughing because the beads of her ceremonial crown had gotten tangled, and Yu Yeon-seo had stepped closer to help her untangle them.
In reality, he had been studying how to convey a look of affection, staying in character even during the break. The photographer, not missing the opportunity, had captured it on camera.
-Someone spotted them filming The Imperial Seal.
└Whoa.
└An amusement park date? So cliché, but I’m already loving it.
└I saw an interview with the writer, they said they love clichés lol.
└└Even better.
└Their chemistry is even better than I thought.
└When does The Imperial Seal air?
Following that, a leaked photo from the set appeared on social media. It was an eyewitness account of the two leads wearing headbands at an amusement park, holding soft-serve ice cream. In fact, some of these “eyewitness” photos had been intentionally released by the production company.
By releasing photos one by one, The Imperial Seal built up anticipation while the cast and crew threw themselves into filming without a break.
Persuaded by Seong Hyeon-woo, Lee Seo-eun signs the contract. However, this contract came with detailed conditions, most of which were added by Lee Seo-eun.
(Seo-eun, what are you doing tomorrow?)
“I plan on being sick that day.”
(Then what about the day after?)
“I think I might have plans then.”
(It’s difficult for me if you’re this uncooperative. We’ll have to use up one of your dates.)
Their contract was for exactly six months, with four dates per month. However, it included conditions such as an exception to the date count if the media published articles speculating about their relationship.
“An amusement park?”
(Yes. You don’t like it?)
“What are you, a child? An amusement park?”
(Why? I like the idea. Actually, I’ve never been.)
Truthfully, Lee Seo-eun had never been either. Hearing him talk about it made her want to go. But her pride wouldn’t let her agree so easily.
In the end, pretending to give in to Seong Hyeon-woo’s request, Lee Seo-eun found herself at the amusement park, frowning as he suddenly intertwined their fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“There are reporters behind us.”
Lee Seo-eun’s expression immediately softened, a smile gracing her lips. At her swift transformation, Seong Hyeon-woo leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“Wow, Your Highness could be an actress.”
“What did you say?”
“That one! Let’s ride that one.”
“What? H-Hey?!”
Her hand still in his, Lee Seo-eun was pulled along. At first, she was just bewildered, wondering what kind of person he was. But seeing the chaebol heir, known as the nation’s son-in-law, running around and laughing like a child, reminded her of a big, playful dog, and the corners of her own lips began to rise.
For this scene, Yu Yeon-seo, who had never actually been to an amusement park, and Shin Ye-won, who hadn’t been since she was a child, genuinely enjoyed the rides. As a result, the scene of Seong Hyeon-woo and Shin Ye-won’s first date came out looking incredibly authentic on screen.
“Cut! That’s great!”
Following that, a series of contract-date scenes designed to make viewers’ hearts flutter continued. The director’s specialty was a visual style that made natural colors pop, and he used this to film Lee Seo-eun and Seong Hyeon-woo walking slowly through a field full of daisies. As if on cue, the sky was clear and free of dust.
“Things like this are nice sometimes, aren’t they?”
“Yes, it’s beautiful.”
Lee Seo-eun marveled at the flower field stretching out before her. Her left hand was already held by Seong Hyeon-woo. Holding hands had now become a natural occurrence.
Noticing this, Seong Hyeon-woo stopped in front of Lee Seo-eun and gazed at her face.
“Do you know something?”
“What is it?”
“There’s no one else here but us.”
Their contract dates were originally supposed to take place in bustling areas where people could witness them, creating enough buzz for reporters to write articles.
Realizing this belatedly, Lee Seo-eun stared blankly up at Seong Hyeon-woo. Just then, a breeze blew, and her long hair tickled her forehead.
“Ah...”
As Lee Seo-eun winced, Seong Hyeon-woo raised a hand to brush her hair back. It was a gentle, careful touch filled with affection. This was an ad-lib by Yu Yeon-seo, not in the script.
“......”
Lee Seo-eun stared dazedly at his touch and his heart-piercing gaze.
As the two stood facing each other, holding hands, the director, his cheekbones high with delight, finally spoke after letting the moment stretch far beyond its intended time.
“Cut! Wow, that was perfect!”
The staff, who had been watching with bated breath, let out small cheers.
“Oh, your nose is bleeding again.”
“...So it is.”
“Are you sure you’re not sick?”
Ahead of the premiere of The Imperial Seal‘s first episode, during lunchtime, Shin Ye-won stared at Yu Yeon-seo, who was having another nosebleed while eating from a food truck sent by one of his family members.
“It’s nothing like that.”
“Still, you should go to the hospital just in case. Our bodies are our livelihood.”
Well, it’ll be the same even if I go to the hospital... He pressed a wad of tissue to his nose and glanced around.
His occasional nosebleeds and coughing fits, which often led him to step away from the set, had become frequent enough that rumors were starting to spread among the staff, with people wondering if Yu Yeon-seo was ill.
It’ll be a problem if rumors spread.
He forced a bright expression and shoveled a spoonful of food into his mouth. He couldn’t taste a thing, barely aware of what he was chewing.
“Anyway, about the next scene.”
“Yes.”
“Seo-eun gets framed for Lee Kang’s accident again and becomes the target of public criticism, right?”
As the romance between Seong Hyeon-woo and Lee Seo-eun proved to be more than a one-time fling, and the beautiful couple continued to meet quietly, Lee Seo-eun’s fallen approval ratings had recovered significantly. With the prospect of becoming the Prince Consort, Seong Hyeon-woo began to receive attention from his father.
But then, an incident occurred that sent her recovered ratings plummeting once more. Her cousin, Lee Kang, who was incompetent and only caused trouble, framed her out of jealousy over her ascent to the throne.
“I’m saying this with absolutely no ill intent. You know that, right?”
“Yes, it’s fine. Go ahead.”
“Well... what was it like for you? You were in a similar situation before.”
Shin Ye-won added that he didn’t have to answer if he didn’t want to, as if she herself thought it was a strange question.
“Let’s see...”
Yu Yeon-seo fell into thought. Before he was possessed, back when the original Yu Yeon-seo’s public image was at its lowest, the memories he’d synchronized with showed that the original host had seemed unfazed. Back then, he had actually...
“I liked it when people cursed me.”
That way, I could constantly remind myself of the fact that I caused my mother’s death. It was more comfortable to be pointed at and called a lost cause.
He really dug his own grave, didn’t he?
The thought came to him unintentionally, and Yu Yeon-seo flinched.
“What are you talking about? Who likes being hated?”
“What does it matter? They’re all just jealous, you know. Because I’m rich and handsome...”
“Ugh. Seong Hyeon-woo, please stop.”
Yu Yeon-seo, channeling Seong Hyeon-woo, gave a slick reply and silently chewed his food.
After finishing filming, Yu Yeon-seo dragged his feet to his bed at home and threw himself onto it.
Ugh... I’m exhausted.
Shin Ye-won had praised his acting, saying she was genuinely going to fall for him, and the staff had echoed her sentiments. The atmosphere on set was great because of it, but in truth, it was taking a huge mental toll on Yu Yeon-seo.
In the drama, Seong Hyeon-woo gradually falls for Lee Seo-eun. As the story progressed, his gaze and actions had to overflow with affection.
To achieve that so-called “romantic gaze,” he had to calculate every angle at which his face was captured by the camera and control his emotions accordingly. While immersing himself, the auditory and visual hallucinations would sometimes pop up, causing him to make a few mistakes.
Filming time was limited, so he had to ignore it all and somehow get the “okay” from the director, which meant he had a lot to worry about.
“...Yes.”
After lying face down on his bed for a long time, doing nothing, he felt a vibration from his pocket. Without even checking the caller, he answered the phone.
(Is this Mr. Yu Yeon-seo?)
“Yes, it is. Who’s this?”
He could feel the person on the other end sigh. Yu Yeon-seo frowned and looked at his screen. It was an unknown number.
(We’re in a very difficult position because of you, Mr. Yu.)
“Who is this?”
(Ah, I’m from Vision Films...)
“What the hell.”
His number must have leaked somewhere. He wanted to just hang up, but he didn’t want to seem like he was scared, so he decided to hear what the person had to say.
(You’re the one who poached Director Lee Jeong-hun, aren’t you? Because of that, we’re in a very tight spot. Even actor Jang Ye-jun is furious, asking what this is all about.)
At Yu Yeon-seo’s rude response, the caller shot back in a rather confrontational tone. Listening silently, Yu Yeon-seo let out a laugh of disbelief.
I’m already exhausted, and now this? Do I look like a pushover?
Between his first attempt at romance acting, the hallucinations, and trying to find Lee Hui-seo’s killer, he had enough on his plate. Now some weirdo was calling to pick a fight, and his irritation boiled over.
“Ah, I heard from the director. You had the nerve to steal someone else’s script, and now you want to sign a new contract with him?”
(Look here, Mr. Yu.)
“Now that I’m involved, you’re getting scared, aren’t you?”
The news of his aggressive recruitment of staff and his groundbreaking offer to accommodate any guarantee an actor proposed was bound to spread in the industry. He had finished pre-production and started filming almost miraculously quickly.
But then they found out the director was Lee Jeong-hun, and a script like that couldn’t have been written in such a short time. Belatedly, Vision Films must have realized the director had latched onto Yu Yeon-seo and hurriedly contacted Lee Jeong-hun.
[What? A new contract? Are you insane? Do you take me for a fool?]
[There is no way I’m signing with you people. I’ve already signed on for two more projects with JS.]
Of course, Lee Jeong-hun had rejected their offer. He had already signed a contract, and what was to stop a production company that had backstabbed him once from doing it again? He had told Yu Yeon-seo that it felt incredibly satisfying to say that.
(Let’s not be like this. We’re in the same industry. It’s problematic if you muddy the waters over a personal hobby.)
A personal hobby... what an interesting way to put it. As if he was certain Yu Yeon-seo wasn’t a real filmmaker, just a chaebol wasting his money. But it seemed the caller had forgotten that this particular chaebol held the distribution rights.
“And stealing someone else’s script doesn’t muddy the waters?”
(Mr. Yu, you might not know how this industry works, but things like this happen all the time.)
“Just because it’s common doesn’t make it right. Does it?”
Who does this guy think he is, trying to lecture me? Yu Yeon-seo sat up and irritably ran a hand through his hair.
“Are you saying it’s common for a creator to have their rights stolen and not be fairly compensated? Are you just spouting whatever nonsense comes to mind?”
(Sir...)
Faced with Yu Yeon-seo’s aggressive tone, the caller seemed quite flustered, his words trailing off.
“I have no intention of backing down. You can go ahead and try to make your movie.”
(Mr. Yu, even so, this goes against professional courtesy.)
“So what? If you’re not happy, why don’t you make your movie and release it before ours? Oh, wait. Do you even have a distributor lined up?”
(Sigh... let’s play fair.)
The moment he mentioned distributors, the caller’s attitude suddenly changed. Yu Yeon-seo found it so pathetic that he laughed out loud.
(Mr. Yu.)
“What, should I block not only that film but every movie your company produces from being screened? How about I get you a few early morning and late-night slots in some provincial theater? You want me to show you what a real lack of professional courtesy looks like?”
(No, wait...)
“Ah, so that’s what you want. I understand.”
(Wait a moment...!)
He ended the call with a jab of his finger and tossed the phone aside. It rang again, but he ignored it. They were a fairly large film company, so they wouldn’t give up. They’d probably call again or try some media play.
Ugh... my head hurts.
But he was too tired to even think about it anymore.