Chapter 24: In the Colors You Will Love
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24: In the Colors You Will Love
“Even if Se-rang acts a bit prickly today, don’t snap back at her. Just let her win today, no matter what. Okay?”
Director Choi Jin-hyun recalled the CEO’s earnest plea.
Our Se-rang isn’t the type of actress to treat people poorly, though.
How did she end up with such a cold and haughty image that even the CEO misunderstood her?
Perhaps it was because it had been too long since the CEO had actually shown his face on set.
Wait… has he ever visited the set since Se-rang became an adult? Or has it been since high school?
Yoon Se-rang took immense pride in her looks.
Yet, when she first met Lee Yu-jin, she had shown a rare lapse in confidence.
A star whom other actresses avoided being in a two-shot with had felt a powerful sense of crisis from a rookie scouted off the street.
Still, Yoon Se-rang had shown she could overcome it wisely.
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
Choi Jin-hyun chuckled softly, remembering how she had said those words so decisively, almost as if making an excuse.
His actress was currently sitting before a mirror, having her makeup finished.
She had prepared with such meticulous care, knowing this was the first scene where she would be in a two-shot with Lee Yu-jin.
“Manager Oppa, how do I look?”
Surprisingly, she looked perfectly composed.
Choi Jin-hyun gave her a thumbs-up.
“The most beautiful in the world.”
Yoon Se-rang gave a faint smile and stood up.
Her ornate royal robes fluttered elegantly, showcasing her stunning figure to the fullest.
“Well then, shall I go meet my enemy?”
“Why is Yeon Si-ho your enemy? She’s your bodyguard.”
“Every actress is an enemy in front of the camera.”
*
She was too dazzling.
That was the thought that crossed Jang Ji-hye’s mind as she watched Yoon Se-rang walk gracefully toward them.
Can Yu-jin win against this?
One was a princess, the other a maidservant warrior.
To make matters worse, Lee Yu-jin wasn’t wearing the palace ceremonial dress today, but a dark, drab, solid-colored warrior’s outfit.
Clothes usually make the person, though. And our Yu-jin is even wearing a mask.
But the moment the two stood side-by-side before the camera, those worries vanished instantly.
It made the subtle competitiveness over who would look prettier feel embarrassing.
Like a vibrant painting, the two of them harmonized perfectly before the lens.
Jang Ji-hye’s father, PD Jang Hyun-soo, picked up the megaphone and gave one last instruction.
“Just laugh and chat comfortably. We’re not recording audio anyway, so just talk about whatever and try to capture the feeling of the two of you spending a quiet moment together. Be free with it.”
The camera began to roll.
The princess and the maidservant walked slowly, side-by-side.
The princess led the way, and the warrior followed half a step behind, matching her pace.
The princess said something with a smile, and the eyes visible above the warrior’s mask trembled slightly.
Even the Haeju Sword cradled in her arms seemed to harmonize with the two women’s radiant atmosphere, reflecting a bright flash of light.
Though their conversation couldn’t be heard, they were painting a picture of a peaceful, sister-like relationship exactly as the PD had requested.
And it was undoubtedly Yoon Se-rang who led that bright palette.
Jang Ji-hye marveled inwardly.
I guess not just anyone can be a lead. But what are they talking about that’s so interesting?
*
“Do you really not go to any dermatology or plastic surgery clinics?”
“I don’t have the money for that.”
“You mean you don’t have the need for it? But why is your tone so stiff? Are you staying in character as a bodyguard?”
“The PD said that even a minor adjustment in speech reflects subconsciously in one’s facial expressions.”
“But you’re wearing a mask.”
“…”
“Whatever. Want me to recommend a good skin clinic? They’re really good, and their security is trustworthy.”
“I’m really fine.”
“But it’s seriously awkward when you talk so formally.”
“Please bear with me while I’m in the role of a warrior. I want to do a good job.”
“Because it’s your retirement project, you’re going to pour everything in without regrets?”
“…”
“You’re not really going to retire, right? You’re just vaguely wondering if you’ll do another project, right? Well, I was like that when I was a rookie, too. I understand.”
Yoon Se-rang chattered about all sorts of things.
Which restaurants were good, who was secretly dating whom, which actress was actually spiteful despite her public image and should be avoided…
If Jang Ji-hye had heard it, the fantasy she held in her head would have shattered into pieces.
“Ah, what should I eat after filming today?”
“…”
“Seriously, what should I eat?”
The moment Yoon Se-rang shook her head lightly as if in thought, her hairpin came loose, and her voluminous wig cascaded down like a waterfall.
But the hairpin didn’t hit the ground.
Lee Yu-jin had moved reflexively, snatching it out of mid-air.
“Whoa, impressive. You caught that?”
“…”
Yoon Se-rang smiled brightly like a true princess and clapped her hands lightly.
In that instant, Lee Yu-jin realized the camera hadn’t stopped.
Despite the trivial nature of their chatter, Yoon Se-rang was still acting as the Princess of the Hwan Empire.
Then she had to match her.
Until the PD gave the cut sign.
“Please sit here. I will fix it for you.”
“You know how? Ah, right. You said you learned it in one go from a WeTube video last time, didn’t you? I’m counting on you.”
The princess sat on a convenient rock (a prop).
The masked warrior stood gracefully behind her.
The tip of the hairpin gripped in one hand glinted sharply like a keen dagger.
While the onlookers held their breath in a sudden wave of tension.
The maidservant’s white hands gathered the loose hair and twisted it skillfully.
In an instant, she shaped it and slid the pin in to secure it.
The light in Yoon Se-rang’s eyes, who had been playing the joyful princess, suddenly dimmed slightly.
She slowly turned her head and looked up into the maidservant’s eyes visible above the mask.
“Something is strange. Why does it feel like this isn’t the first time?”
“…!”
The long eyelashes partially veiling the eyes above the mask fluttered for a moment.
Yoon Se-rang’s gaze gradually, steadily sank into a pool of sorrow.
“Could it be that… you’ve pinned my hair like this before?”
“…”
The moment those trembling eyes hesitated.
“Cut!”
PD Jang Hyun-soo’s signal broke the spell.
Yoon Se-rang stood up abruptly, her expression turning confident as if she had never been sorrowful at all.
In an instant, she had returned from the Princess of the Hwan Empire to the actress Yoon Se-rang.
“Good job.”
“G-Good job.”
“The camera stopped, you know?”
“…Good job, everyone.”
“Let’s go. We have to monitor the footage. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited to see how a scene turned out.”
“…”
Following behind, Lee Yu-jin hesitated before asking.
“Sunbae-nim, what did you mean by that earlier?”
“Huh? By what?”
“About it not feeling like the first time, and asking if I’d pinned your hair before…”
“What else? It was an ad-lib.”
“…”
“Even if we aren’t recording audio, we have to set the mood. I just threw out whatever came to mind.”
Only then did Lee Yu-jin take off her mask, a refreshed smile spreading across her face.
“You startled me.”
*
Meanwhile, PD Jang Hyun-soo…
“What? You didn’t record the audio?”
“PD-nim, you said to just talk about whatever since we’d be playing BGM and just capturing the atmosphere.”
“Ah, right, I did. Damn, what a waste. I wanted the audio for the hairpin scene.”
The hairpin coming loose, and Lee Yu-jin fixing it.
It was all entirely unexpected.
But it had produced a breathtaking scene that PD Jang Hyun-soo absolutely wanted to include in the drama.
However, since they had agreed from the start to go without audio, what the two had discussed would remain a mystery forever…
“Oh, they were probably talking about what to eat after filming. When the audio is off, Yoon Se-rang is famous for delivering trivial gossip with such a serious and sorrowful expression.”
At Writer Jung Yoon-ah’s words, Jang Hyun-soo finally let go of his regret and examined the still frame again.
“This is truly incredible. I mean, when did she even notice it falling, and how did she catch it like that? She really was born with amazing reflexes.”
“The Jincheon National Training Center truly lost a great champion forever.”
The two actresses arrived to monitor the footage.
PD Jang Hyun-soo showed them the shots and laughed heartily.
“I don’t really have any notes; you both did exceptionally well. Just keep doing exactly what you’re doing. Any questions?”
Lee Yu-jin asked.
“PD-nim, is it historically accurate for an unmarried princess to wear her hair up with a hairpin? And Yeon Si-ho too…”
“It’s a fantasy period drama, so who cares? As long as it looks good on screen, that’s all that matters.”
*
Jang Ji-hye, who had been watching with her hands clasped in admiration, glanced to her side.
Her friend’s younger brother, Lee Yu-seok, was frantically clicking the shutter of his telephoto camera.
He looked like a man possessed, as if he were fulfilling a long-held grudge.
“Um, hey. Yu-seok…”
“Yes, Noona. Speak away.”
He didn’t stop clicking even as he answered.
He was capturing everything, even the moments they moved to monitor the footage after filming ended.
“Why are you taking pictures so intensely?”
“Because it’ll be a problem if we lack content to display when I build the Lee Yu-jin History Museum later. It’s important to preserve even one more record.”
“…”
“Would you like to see?”
“U-Uh, sure…”
Jang Ji-hye leaned in toward the camera’s LCD screen.
With every shot he scrolled through, her eyes widened, filled with awe.
“Whoa, you’re a really good photographer.”
“It’s because the subject is good. Even a monkey’s paw could get results like this.”
“Well, the subject being good is a given, so that doesn’t even need praising.”
Jang Ji-hye could only let out continuous gasps of admiration as she saw the close-ups of Lee Yu-jin’s bare face.
“Wow, Yu-jin is really… how can a person look like this?”
“Since that face has been wasted for the past sixteen years, can you imagine the gut-wrenching pain I’ve lived in all this time?”
“I can relate. Wow, seriously, I’ve felt this since I first saw her at the entrance ceremony. This isn’t just being pretty. It’s like she’s a different species altogether.”
“Oh, I love that expression! ‘A different species’… I should record that and put it on the history museum’s server later.”
*
As soon as the monitoring was over, the two child actors came running to me.
Where are Ji-hye and my brother?
I thought they’d be the first to come over, but the two of them were whispering about something while holding that massive camera.
They had been awkward earlier, but they seemed to have become friends already.
“Yu-jin-nim, you were so cool! Seriously, the best!”
“Noona, you’re so, so pretty!”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
What should I eat after filming?
Ah, have I already been infected by Yoon Se-rang?
But seriously, what should I eat?
The adult portion had begun, but the two child actors still had scenes left to film.
Apparently, there were occasional flashback or vision sequences.
While I was chatting with the two kids, Writer Jung Yoon-ah approached with a pleasant, lingering smile.
“I enjoyed the shoot. Especially when you caught that falling hairpin so nonchalantly! I almost screamed.”
“Thank you.”
As expected, the two child actors slunk away. They must really be scared of Writer Jung Yoon-ah.
Even though she’s a kind and good person.
Writer Jung Yoon-ah glanced around and lowered her voice.
“About what you said before—doing a face reveal in a way your mother would be proud of. The PD and I have a general idea, but this is strictly confidential, so you can’t tell anyone. Not Yoon Se-rang, and not even the PD’s daughter.”
“Yes.”
I listened intently.
It turned out my character was the Soul of the Sword, the sword itself, and after protecting the princess with all her might, she would return into the sword in a solemn atmosphere…
My skin crawled because it was a story about me, but I couldn’t show that in front of the sparkling eyes of Writer Jung Yoon-ah.
“So, about that… would you be okay with dyeing your hair for the final scene?”
“Pardon? Dyeing my hair?”
“We could use a wig, but it tends to look a bit bulky and loses the vibe.”
A slight chill ran down my spine.
“Since the setting is that you’re shedding the shell of Yeon Si-ho and returning to your true form as the Soul of the Sword, I thought it would be mystical to dye your hair white or silver.”
Jung Yoon-ah’s bright smile pierced my chest like a cold dagger…
“White? Silver? Which color do you like?”