“Even though we have different majors, we got to know each other because we took the same classes. To be precise, she’s on more friendly terms with Hyun-Min, and just happened to take the exam today.” Woo-Jin replied.

“She’s a beauty.” At Kang Ho-Soo’s remark, Woo-Jin nodded thoughtlessly. As soon as he got into the car, he dried himself with a towel Kang Ho-Soo handed him.

“She’s beautiful and seems to be quite an honest person, so I think she’s alright, but….”

“But?”

“She seems to be a little gloomy.”

“Well, you do like people who are bright and cheerful.”

“Do I?”

“Have you taken a good look at the people around you?”

After thinking earnestly about what Kang Ho-Soo said, Woo-Jin couldn’t disagree, so he simply chuckled softly. His tastes and preferences were as unchanging as a pine tree,[1] so that was rather amusing to him as well.

“Even if no one’s watching, it’s good to be careful. If people start spreading rumors, that girl will have a harder time than you.”

Kang Ho-Soo had observed Woo-Jin the entire time, so he knew there hadn’t been any emotional exchange between both parties. Woo-Jin looked at the people he liked with a different kind of gaze, making it easy to identify his thoughts and feelings. However, since other people didn’t know Woo-Jin that well it could lead to a different opinion. If someone had taken a photo of a similar situation, then depending on how it was implied, it could easily lead to a scandal.

“Then it would indeed be troubling.”

Since they had different majors and classes, coupled with the fact that he no longer had to take any law classes, he wouldn’t have to see Kim Tae-Hwa much in the future. Still, Woo-Jin promised himself that he would be careful going forward. Earlier on, he had subconsciously approached her and sheltered her with an umbrella, but would never do something like that ever again.

“Did you do well on the exam?”

“I’ll only know when I get the score, but I think I should be able to pass the first exam without much difficulty.”

“How can you be that confident before they have graded the papers?”

“Most of the questions on the exam were ones that I knew how to answer.”

It might be different for open-ended questions, but it would be an issue if he couldn’t even tell with certainty how many questions he had gotten right in the multiple-choice section.

“What a show-off. In any case, I’m glad you took the exam today. They’ll be airing The King of the Masked Singers tomorrow, and your face will be revealed to the public, so you’ll be busy for quite some time. So prepare yourself to some extent.” Normally, Woo-Jin would be modest, but this was one of the rare moments where he nodded positively. Woo-Jin had put in a considerable effort for his performances in TheKing of the Masked Singers for the sake of personal glory, as well as giving Production Director Son the proverbial middle finger. As a result, he defeated the leading contenders by a huge margin and protected his title as The Masked King, causing him to feel proud of himself.

“I think I did a good job this time around.”

Upon seeing how Woo-Jin was brimming with confidence, Kang Ho-Soo could no longer hold himself back and laughed aloud.

***

“What are you doing here?” Cha Young-Joo asked as soon as she saw Director Yoon Seon looking for her. She had a sour look on her face. Even though they were close friends, she didn’t really want to greet him right now.

“It seems like they’re going to start filming Red Enemy soon.”

“They’ve finally decided on the main lead?”

Red Enemy had been delayed for three years due to casting difficulties. Upon hearing Director Yoon Seon mention Red Enemy, Cha Young-Joo took her eyes off the TV for the first time since he appeared and looked at him.

“Who’s going to be the main lead? I guess I’ll be getting really busy now.” Cha Young-Joo was in-charge of the outfits for the historical film, Red Enemy. It had been delayed because the production team couldn’t decide on the main lead. The thought of starting this long-awaited project made her feel excited. She had already completed the designs and prepared the fabric, so she was ready to start the project at any moment.

“But for some reason, why do you sound so unenthusiastic?”

“Well…” Perhaps, the actor playing the main lead wasn’t the best choice, so Director Yoon Seon sat down with a frown on his face.

“Who is it?”

“A few days ago, we made an official offer to the actor’s agency, but due to personal circumstances, they will inform him only on Monday, and he’ll then decide whether to accept it or not. For all I know, maybe I’ll get rejected.”

“No way~! When the script for Red Enemy was released, more than one or two actors fought with each other for the part. None of them got it in the end because you turned them down. Even after the auditions took place, none of the actors caught your eye, forcing you to intervene on purpose. You even complained a lot about it. There are still three or four actors that I know of… who are still obsessed with the production.”

There were so many actors coveting the part of the male lead for Red Enemy. While it was a historical film based on an actual historical figure, taking on the lead role would also be very meaningful.

“Prince Myeong-Hwan is one of the historical figures well-liked by Koreans. Even though he had a tragic life, he was a very charming person, so it’s guaranteed to be a big hit whenever a drama or movie about him gets made. Actors consider it an honor just to be called the first or second-generation Prince Myeong-Hwan. Who wouldn’t want to take on that role?” And right now, several actors aim to become the third-generation Prince Myeong-Hwan. Cha Young-Joo assured Director Yoon that there was no way he got rejected and asked who the lucky young man was once again.

“Chae Woo-Jin.”

“Ah! Chae Woo-Jin sure deserves that role. Judging from his appearance and his acting skills, he’s the perfect person to play Prince Myeong-Hwan. But what are you unhappy about? In my opinion, he seems to be the most perfect candidate so far.”

As Director Yoon Seon was preparing for Red Enemy, a movie with Prince Myeong-Hwan as its protagonist, he became as stubborn as he could. Others might call him picky and curse at him, but Red Enemy was more than just a movie; he aimed for success. Since he was a child, Prince Myeong-Hwan had been his idol, and he wanted to make an outstanding production centered on him. Thus, he had high expectations of the main character and the actor portraying him.

“He has to be perfect. I wonder if I’m uncertain because he’s too modernized for the role. I doubt he’s a good fit for historical movies and dramas. Frankly, I wasn’t a fan of all the actors that portrayed Prince Myeong-Hwan thus far. Prince Myeong-Hwan loved the arts. I didn’t like how they overly emphasized his carefree nature and turned him into a libertine, or put their focus on politics and interpreted him as a political scapegoat.” There were a lot of movies and dramas about Prince Myeong-Hwan thus far, but Director Yoon Seon brought up the two most widely known ones and clicked his tongue.

“You’re very greedy. To be honest, it’s true that Prince Myeong-Hwan was quite a carefree person and did what he wanted. Based on the evidence that surfaced a few years ago, his scandal with Queen Yun turned out to be true as well. Of course, the king who intentionally stole his younger brother’s wife was the main culprit of all the tragedies, though.”

Looking back at every piece of information, it was evident that Prince Myeong-Hwan’s life wasn’t very smooth-sailing. He lived a life of absolute destruction because of his father, brother, and mother before dying a tragic death. However, his life was so dramatic that people felt sorrier for him and even loved him.

“If Hanryang Doryeong is an actor, he would be the perfect candidate!” Director Yoon Seon’s gaze shifted to The King of the Masked Singers that Cha Young-Joo was watching; he coveted Hanryang Doryeong.

“Even though his face was covered with a mask, he really brought out the beauty of hanbok. He seems to be good at traditional dance and ink painting, so there would be no need to use a double during filming.” Prince Myeong-Hwan was good at singing and dancing, as well as poetry and calligraphy. There would be several scenes in the movie where he would be painting or doing calligraphy, as well as dancing. Hence, the director was very concerned about casting the right person, ensuring they had a certain level of skill to take on the role and act out the scenes beautifully.

“I’m the one who made that hanbok.”

“I know, which is why it would be a bigger shame if he’s not an actor.” The more he looked at how fitting Cha Young-Joo’s hanbok would be in his movie, the more wistful he felt.

“Why are you a singer? Why are you so old~!”

“He’s definitely a singer, but we don’t know how old he is yet. What if he turns out to be a musical actor? He would be handsome and good at acting, right?”

“Nobody that amazing exists in this world!” Director Yoon Seon smiled cynically and said that if such a person existed, he wouldn’t have wasted three years before snorting.

“Be quiet! It’s Hanryang Doryeong’s turn to sing now.” Even if Cha Young-Joo hadn’t sponsored the hanbok, she would still become Hanryang Doryeong’s fan. But since she was sponsoring his outfits, she showed her affection for him without holding herself back.

After Hanryang Doryeong finished his song, Cha Young-Joo and Director Yoon Seon couldn’t stop basking in the afterglow of his performance. They were envious of Na Yu-Ri as they listened to her comments. Hanryang Doryeong’s songs were worth listening to at any cost.

“It must be truly incredible to hear it live, right?”

“Ack! Na Yu-Ri only received three votes. But it makes sense. Perhaps, she got three votes because she’s Na Yu-Ri. If it were someone else….”

Seeing Na Yu-Ri’s attitude as she acknowledged the situation while speaking incoherently made people smile. It was definitely different from Min Si-Hoo’s attitude back then, even though he had also gotten the same number of votes as her.

“Oh, oh! He’s removing his mask!” Cha Young-Joo showed how tense she was by squeezing Director Yoon Seon’s arm. As soon as Hanryang Doryeong took off his mask and turned around, Cha Young-Joo wasn’t the only person to be in shock. After they saw Hanryang Doryeong turn around, both Cha Young-Joo and Director Yoon Seon thought of the same thing.

“What is Chae Woo-Jin doing over there? Where is Hanryang Doryeong?”

Even after hearing Gam Sung-Joo introducing Hanryang Doryeong as Chae Woo-Jin, they both simply stared at the TV in a daze. While they were in a state of disbelief, they gradually believed Chae Woo-Jin was Hanryang Doryeong after he sang a verse from the song earlier.

“Ah, Chae Woo-Jin was Hanryang Doryeong, huh.”

Chae Woo-Jin raised his sword and told the audience he would dance to finish his performance on stage. Only then did Director Yoon Seon’s eyes light up again, just a tad slower than Cha Young-Joo. A Korean traditional dance instructor he became acquainted with during the preparation of the movie commented that Hanryang Doryeong’s dance was flawless. They said in admiration that not only did he get the basics down pat, but he had learned and executed every step like a professional. Hence, Director Yoon Seon couldn’t help but be curious about Chae Woo-Jin’s geonmu[2].

“Geonmu…”

A geonmu was essentially a sword dance, particularly prevalent during the Joseon Dynasty. The gisaengs[3] would dance or perform court dances as a warm-up act, causing brutality to be replaced with elegant and beautiful movements. While synchronized group dances were lively and energetic, the sword had been reduced to an instrument for dancing. Prince Myeong-Hwan’s cold geonmu had disappeared and couldn’t be seen.

Chae Woo-Jin closed his eyes after lowering the sword. And as the music played, he moved his body slowly. When he lifted one foot and moved it to the side, the hand with the sword slowly moved upwards. His movement became faster and faster; the sword left behind a trace of silver line, painting a picture. It left a mark in the air as though a silver dragon had ascended to heaven. Whenever the edges of his sleeves fluttered, the sound of wind blowing could be heard. The movements were powerful, fierce, and had no hesitation.

“That’s geonmu?” Cha Young-Joo was full of admiration and felt very inspired as she watched Chae Woo-Jin’s geonmu. It was very different from all the other geonmus she had seen thus far. She felt this way because the shape of his collar as it flapped with every move made her pay attention to the outlines of hanbok. She wanted to take a pen and sketch right away, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Chae Woo-Jin, so her fingers kept wriggling.

“Instead of a sword dance, it’s more like swordsmanship.” Just like Prince Myeong-Hwan when he danced. According to old manuscripts, Prince Myeong-Hwan was like a warrior that jumped right into a battlefield when he danced. Many were afraid of being slashed by his sword. Nevertheless, it was said that his geonmu was so beautiful and fascinating that it captivated people.

Additionally, it was also said that his sword stole people’s hearts and souls instead of their lives. Of course, nobody could know for sure as they couldn’t see Prince Myeong-Hwan’s dance right now, but Director Yoon Seon imagined that if his dance remained in present times, it would be similar to Chae Woo-Jin’s geonmu.

As Director Yoon Seon watched without taking his eyes off for even a second, he soon realized that Chae Woo-Jin’s geonmu was different from Prince Myeong-Hwan’s. Chae Woo-Jin’s geonmu seemed to have the intention of protecting someone. It was just as charming but didn’t give off any deadly vibes, as though it was going to slash a person’s neck at any moment.

Director Yoon Seon wondered if Prince Myeong-Hwan’s dance would look like that if his last dance had been passed down through the generations and Chae Woo-Jin was dancing with a sword to protect something or someone.

“I need to get him on board, right?” As soon as Chae Woo-Jin was done performing his geonmu, Yoon Seon muttered as though talking to himself.

“Probably. As far as I know, if you don’t get Chae Woo-Jin to take on the role, you’ll never be able to shoot Red Enemy in this lifetime.”

The truth was like a curse at times.

1. Interesting to note that the pine tree (Korean red pine specifically) is the national tree of Korea. It symbolizes tenacity, unchanging beliefs, and tenacious vitality to grow strong even in a barren land. ☜

2. Korean traditional sword dance. ☜

3. Gisaengs or kisaengs were women from outcast or slave families trained to be courtesans. They provide artistic entertainment and conversation to men of the upper class. ☜