Chapter 45: The Empress’s Lunchbox
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: The Empress’s Lunchbox
Every time I ate, I struggled fiercely to get into character. I desperately tried to imagine what it would feel like to eat something delicious while feeling sorrowful.
It’s so damn good, so how am I supposed to feel sad while eating this?
I honestly had no clue.
Maybe I’d feel a wave of sadness if I looked at the empty plate after devouring everything?
I tried testing that theory by scarfing down my food until the plate was spotless, but the only thing I felt was a pleasant sense of fullness.
“Is it good?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Honey, is acting fun for you?”
“Huh? Why so suddenly?”
“Just because you’ve seemed so much brighter lately.”
“...?”
“Before, your eyes often looked heavy, but these days your face is always glowing. I figured it was because you enjoy being an actress.”
Had I been like that lately? Well, I suppose Mom would know best.
“For starters, swinging a sword and running around really relieves my stress.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
“And being with Ji-hye is fun. I guess her energy is rubbing off on me?”
“That’s true. Ji-hye is always high-energy.”
“But more than anything, I can’t help but smile every time I check my stock balance.”
Out of the 700 million won I received for Quarter 2, I gave 30 million to my brother and dumped the rest into Envidium.
PD Jang Hyun-soo told me to keep about 300 million aside for next year’s taxes, but who knows how much Envidium will rise over the next eight months?
I can just sell the appreciated stock then and pay the taxes.
What if it drops? Please, there’s no way that’s happening.
I must emulate the heart of a beast, just like Writer Jung Yoon-ah.
“Most of all, I’m happy because I haven’t been getting hit with confession barrage attacks lately. It’s so refreshing.”
“What? No confession attacks! Are they all blind? My daughter is still as beautiful as ever!”
My brother, who was clearing the table, chimed in.
“Mom, who would dare launch a confession attack on a high school star who ruined Kim Ho-jin, has Netscreen begging her with piles of cash, and has luxury brands desperately courting her? Everyone knows to bow their heads and stay in their lane.”
“Ah, is that how it is? I was worried for a second.”
“No, Mom... those confession attacks were always painful for me.”
“But I always felt good whenever I heard the number of attacks you received in a day. It felt like constant validation of how successful and pretty my daughter is.”
To think my pain was my mother’s self-esteem...
“Oh? Sis! Another piece of good news for Envidium just dropped!”
“What? Where, where?”
I checked the article my brother showed me. It said they had secured a contract for AI semiconductors worth a total of 10 billion dollars.
I hurriedly opened my stock app, and a brilliant blue light welcomed me.
It was as if it were saying:
「Hello? I’m the blue light. Tomorrow, we’re going limit-up.」
“Sis, ‘limit-up’ is for the domestic market...”
“Are you looking down on me just because I’m Grade 3 on the mock exams?”
*
Today, I finished school after another exhilarating session of pounding the timpani.
Being famous does have its perks.
I love that the confession attacks, which used to be as frequent as breathing, have decreased exponentially.
The kids in the music department are too busy worrying about their own careers to create any awkward atmospheres, which is also great.
And above all, my Envidium stocks are growing healthily once again.
But seriously, how the hell am I supposed to act ‘deliciously but sorrowfully’?
I clutched my head while waiting for Jang Ji-hye and my mom’s Carnival near the road outside the school.
“Yu-jin, Yu-jin, what’s wrong? Did you get hit with a confession attack today?”
“I haven’t had one of those in a while. It’s just that the PD’s acting directions are making my already bad brain even worse in real-time.”
“How about this? Imagine you’re eating your final bowl of cheese ramen with the last 5,000 won you managed to salvage after Envidium stocks became worthless due to a US-Russia nuclear war, right before you head to the Han River.”
“That sounds like it would taste even better because it’s the last supper. I’d probably feel a renewed will to live while eating it.”
“Gosh, you carnivorous elf.”
“Jang Ji-hye, you’re the one person who shouldn’t be teasing me by calling me an elf.”
While waiting for the Carnival, quite a few people passed by, tilting their heads as they looked at me.
I intentionally ignored them and focused on my conversation with Ji-hye, and they eventually passed by, muttering, “Maybe not...”
Even though I was bundled up in a tracksuit, a mask, and a hat, they still suspected me. People are truly amazing.
“Kids, get in.”
As soon as the Carnival pulled up, we hopped in.
“Ma’am, when are you moving to Hannam-dong?”
“There’s no furniture there at all, so I have to buy everything new. But buying furniture that fits the house is going to cost a fortune.”
“Mom, just buy something cheap. Just whatever. They say the richest man in America wears a ten-dollar digital watch; we should learn to flex like that.”
“Sis, that’s not what ‘flex’ means.”
“Get your back ready. You need to earn your keep.”
“Please go easy on me, sister.”
*
On the way to the set, I put on a sleep mask and took a nap.
I was wandering aimlessly in search of the pipe dreams that hadn’t visited me lately when I was woken up by Ji-hye shaking my shoulder.
Ugh, I still haven’t gotten the hang of it. What do I do?
Today was the day to film the “deliciously but sorrowfully” eating scene that PD Jang Hyun-soo had forewarned.
The day the Sword Spirit Yeon Si-ho, in a human body, experiences for the first time the taste of food she had only been curious about.
After changing into my costume and finishing my stage makeup, I trudged along with the heart of a Hanwoo cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
PD Jang Hyun-soo welcomed me with an exceptionally bright smile.
“Yu-jin, welcome. Did you do some research on the emotions?”
“I almost ripped my timpani apart.”
“Oh dear, you must have agonized over it.”
“I just can’t get the image in my head. I guess I don’t have any talent for anything other than swordplay.”
PD Jang Hyun-soo let out a loud, silent laugh.
That sounds a bit strange, but with my Grade 3 mock exam brain, I couldn’t think of a better expression.
“Yu-jin, let me make a prediction. Listen carefully.”
“Yes.”
This man, who has been using formal speech with his daughter’s friend for months, isn’t normal either. Can I really meet the expectations of someone like him?
In Quarter 1, I just had to be good at swordplay, running, and archery. But now that I have to pull off a lead role with a ton of dialogue, my head feels like it’s going to explode.
“As you become more famous, you’re going to face a lot of acting skill undermining. You’ll be plagued by slander and jealousy from people claiming you’re just an actress who sweeps up major roles solely because of your ‘elf-factor.’”
“As expected, I should just earn a lot quickly and retire early...”
“But, Yu-jin, you have talent for acting. No, it’s actually overflowing.”
“Pardon?”
“At first, I cast you with the determination that even if your acting talent was rock bottom, I would stubbornly teach you and put you in front of the camera. But look how smoothly our Quarter 1 filming went.”
“Wasn’t that just because I focused on action without much dialogue?”
Jang Hyun-soo shook his head as if that were out of the question.
“I was surprised many times during filming too. Yu-jin, you’re actually a good actress. You have talent. It’s just that your face overshadows it, so the talent doesn’t stand out much. I don’t know if that’s a misfortune or a blessing.”
“...”
“In the future, many people will pretend to praise your face while subtly putting down your acting. Those who whisper things like, ‘Her acting is a bit lacking compared to her face, but she’s pretty so it’s okay,’ are the blackened anti-fan trolls. Never forget that.”
Dad, I’m sorry...
At this moment, your unfilial daughter is jealous of Jang Ji-hye for having this man as her father.
“Do I really have talent for acting? Truly?”
“Of course. Even without that face, you would have eventually become an S-grade actor with that talent alone. I guarantee it.”
The frustration left by the difficult theme of “deliciously but sorrowfully” was instantly washed away.
“I’ll do my best today as well.”
“Trust me, who trusts in your acting talent. Or trust in Envidium, which is soaring again today.”
“Hey, if you’re a man, it’s both.”
“What do you mean, ‘man’?”
“Oops, I’ll go get into character now!”
*
Yoon Se-rang, who had been watching calmly from a distance, approached Jang Hyun-soo after Lee Yu-jin left.
“PD-nim, was that just another one of your ‘free-for-all discussions’ to help an actor immerse themselves? Or...”
“A free-for-all discussion? I always speak only the truth. I can swear on my camera.”
Yoon Se-rang crossed her arms and scrutinized Jang Hyun-soo, wondering if he was serious.
Jang Hyun-soo shrugged as if he were being wronged.
“It’s true. It’s just that Yu-jin’s visuals are so radiant that they hide it, but she has talent for acting. She’s outstanding.”
“I know that too. We’ve acted together, after all.”
Because they had acted together, all the actors, including Yoon Se-rang, knew.
That Lee Yu-jin didn’t just have an amazing face and action skills, but also possessed considerable talent for acting.
However, Yoon Se-rang was curious.
“Is she really at a level where she would have become an S-grade actor through talent alone, even without her face?”
“That’s my feeling.”
“She’s better than me in everything, then. Face, talent, age...”
“Hey, that’s not true.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t know about the rest, but among Korean actresses in their 20s and under, Yoon Se-rang’s acting is top-tier. I can guarantee that.”
Yoon Se-rang laughed despite herself, then quickly turned demure and narrowed her eyes.
“You’re just doing a free-for-all discussion to boost my spirits right now, aren’t you?”
“Good grief, who on earth is spreading such propaganda and fabrications... Is it Writer Jung? I’m so wronged I could just die.”
*
Lee Yu-jin was so startled she almost dropped the Haeju Sword she was hugging.
“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just prepared everything. How is it?”
“Wow, is this a birthday feast? My birthday is still a long way off.”
There were dozens of plates of food for the shoot.
The menu was diverse.
Lasagna with plenty of cheese, braised short ribs, spicy fried chicken, Hanwoo steak, rose pasta, chop steak, butter garlic shrimp, fried chicken with lemon juice, sweet and sour pork, honey cookies...
“Wait? Why did you prepare a hamburger? Who was it? Who ordered this?”
“It’s a fusion historical drama anyway, so what’s wrong with a little hamburger?”
“Still, there’s such a thing as historical accuracy. This isn’t right. Set it aside; I’ll take care of it myself.”
As Lee Yu-jin and Yoon Se-rang took their places in front of the camera, a staff member brought over a plate of food.
It was lasagna topped with plenty of cheese.
“Si-ho, do you remember this?”
“The one I was curious about a long time ago... what it tasted like...”
“Yes, that’s the one. Try it.”
“You remembered, Your Majesty.”
While everyone held their breath, Lee Yu-jin picked up a layer of cheesy pasta with her chopsticks and ate it.
The way she chewed, her red lips moving slightly, was so elegant it felt like cheating.
How can someone look so pretty even while eating?
That crazy bastard Kim Ho-jin certainly had an eye for talent.
It was an elegant sight that left everyone entranced.
However, PD Jang Hyun-soo shouted with a sigh.
“Cut, next.”
Abalone steamed with truffle oil, spicy fried chicken, Hanwoo steak, and more were placed before the two actresses one by one, only to be cleared away at the cut sign.
“You’re eating beautifully and it looks delicious, but it’s lacking that poignant feeling. This is the joy of eating that humans enjoy; I’ve been missing out all this time; it’s unfair; it’s sad—try to capture that kind of sorrow.”
“Wow, that really is a free-for-all discussion.”
But Lee Yu-jin couldn’t capture the sorrow that would satisfy the PD.
“Cut! Break! Let’s do it after we eat.”
*
I sat right where I had been filming with Yoon Se-rang and had my meal.
Yoon Se-rang’s manager brought her a lunchbox, and my brother brought over the plate of steamed abalone I had been eyeing the most.
“It’s hard. I don’t know why I should be sad when it’s delicious.”
Yoon Se-rang chuckled as she opened her lunchbox.
“It’s because you’re young and inexperienced. You have to have eaten bread soaked in tears while struggling to act to understand.”
“Se-rang, when did you ever struggle to act while eating bread soaked in tears...”
I was about to reach for the steamed abalone when I froze.
It was because of the food in Yoon Se-rang’s lunchbox.
“Sunbae, what’s that?”
“Oh, this? Boiled pork my mom made.”
“H-can I take a look?”
“You have a nose for good food. Want some?”
Nod, nod, nod, nod...
I nodded frantically and stared as if possessed at the suyuk and white pickled cabbage she handed me.
The roasted sesame seeds lightly sprinkled on the pork, the yellow bean powder coating the cabbage pickled in salt without any chili powder...
A visual I could never forget.
I picked up my chopsticks and wrapped the cabbage around the pork.
Damn it, why are my hands shaking so much today?
The moment I put the trembling suyuk-baechu into my mouth, tears welled up in my eyes.
It’s the taste Eonnyeoni used to make...
*
PD Jang Hyun-soo, who was chewing on the hamburger he had set aside from the props, suddenly looked at Lee Yu-jin.
The hamburger in his hand dropped, but his dilated pupils followed only Lee Yu-jin.
Lee Yu-jin, who had been eating the suyuk-baechu wrap with her chopsticks, set them down.
With her own hands, her long white fingers trembling slightly, she carefully wrapped the pork in the white pickled cabbage.
The way she slightly parted her red lips and slowly pushed the wrap inside was as elegant as a painting.
She covered her mouth with both hands joined together and chewed slowly.
Her large eyes, out of focus, suddenly filled with tears. Like a cup overflowing, the teardrops rolled down her cheeks, wetting the next wrap she had just made and put into her mouth.
Her blurred eyes weren’t crying at all.
The transparent tears simply flowed sorrowfully down her cheeks on their own, bead-like on her slender jawline.
Jang Hyun-soo, who had been staring blankly, completely captivated, finally snapped out of it after the last piece of pork disappeared and clutched his head.
“Aaaargh! Camera! Camera! You should have caught that! Aaaargh!”
“I-I’m sorry. I was so entranced watching that I forgot...”
At that moment, the large frame of Lee Yu-seok, who was aiming a massive camera at Lee Yu-jin, caught Jang Hyun-soo’s eye.
“Yu-seok, don’t tell me?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve captured every single detail with this camera.”
“G-good job! Amazing! But wait, this camera is the same model as mine? Where did you get such an expensive...”
“Oh, this belongs to my uncle.”
*
My vision was blurry.
When I snapped out of it and looked to my side, Yoon Se-rang was smiling brightly.
No, that face wasn’t Yoon Se-rang; it felt like someone from the Hwan Empire...
“Is it delicious, Si-ho?”
A quiet ripple echoed in my chest.
I politely held out the empty plate with both hands.
“Please give me more of this.”