Free Web Novel"Yoomyeong~"
As Yoomyeong entered the makeup room, Lee Seon-ha raised her slender hand in greeting.
Although Lady Kang was a very important character in <The Late Goryeo Dynasty & the Early Joseon Dynasty>, her actual screen time was limited. Since she mainly operated behind the scenes, most of her scenes were with Lee Seong-Gye and Lee Bang-won.
As a result, she had continued participating in Comet's regular rehearsal schedule alongside the movie shoot. Director Son, who preferred filming in chronological order, had been grouping Lee Seon-ha's scenes together while taking Comet's rehearsal schedule into account.
Today, Lee Seon-ha was filming Scene 41, a two-shot with Lee Seong-Gye, and Scene 58, a two-shot with Lee Bang-won.
It would be Yoomyeong's first time acting alongside Lee Seon-ha since the [Contradiction] workshop. He had been both curious and excited about the acting of an actress so widely favored by fellow performers as a scene partner.
"You'll be filming before me, right?"
"Yes~ I'll shoot Scene 41 first, and then I finally get to act with Yoomyeong!"
"Is today your first frontal shot?"
"Yes. Does my makeup look okay?"
Lee Bang-won was twenty-two years old in Scene 58, while Lady Kang was thirty-three.
That scene marked the first time Lady Kang's face was shown properly.
Until then, Lady Kang—Lee Bang-won's stepmother—had only been shown from behind. Even her conversations with Lee Seong-Gye had been filmed through vague side profiles.
It was intended as a metaphor for a character who concealed her true thoughts completely.
Hansung had jokingly said that Seon-ha would not realistically be able to portray Lady Kang in her twenties since she was already in her forties, which was why frontal shots had been avoided. However, the real reason was this:
Scene 58 was the moment she first revealed her true intentions.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Lee Bang-won forcibly exposed them.
"Did you already °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° rehearse Scene 41 with Senior Bae?"
"Yes. While practicing, I asked a friend who married at twenty-one about the psychology of hearing that her son had succeeded—like when her son got accepted into Seoul National University last year."
"Wow, she must've been really happy."
"Yes. She said it felt as joyful as when her child was first born, but honestly, I still don't fully understand that comparison..."
Seon-ha, who was still unmarried, laughed softly.
"But then I thought, for Lady Kang, Lee Bang-won's success probably doesn't feel like a son's achievement. It's more like successfully leveling up a useful tool for her ambitions, right?"
"Yes, I think that's true."
"So I also called a friend who's really into gaming."
"Gaming?"
"Yes. I asked how it felt when they got a Great Success on weapon enhancement."
"Hahaha—"
Yoomyeong burst into laughter without meaning to.
"So Lee Bang-won is his mother's weapon?"
"Exactly. If that weapon hadn't developed its own will and turned its blade around, Lady Kang might have conquered the world."
"That's a really interesting interpretation. I like it a lot."
Yoomyeong laughed for a while before sitting down beside Seon-ha.
"You still need to do your hair, right? Should we go over Scene 58 while I get my base makeup done?"
"Sounds good~"
Their rehearsal continued until Seon-ha had to leave the makeup room to film Scene 41.
It was the first time he had seen Lee Seon-ha's acting up close.
Yoomyeong vaguely remembered watching Seon-ha perform when he attended Comet productions in his previous life, but he could no longer recall the details clearly.
She was dressed as a noblewoman of the Goryeo era. Her light makeup and cool, breathable mosi fabric looked simple at first glance, yet details such as the delicate embroidery at the sleeves and the elaborate ornaments hanging from her waistband highlighted the elegance of a fashionable Kaesong noblewoman.
"Let's go~~ Standby!"
Scene 41.
News had arrived that Lee Bang-won had passed the civil service examination.
At sixteen, he had passed the Jinsa examination. Then, just a year later, he impressively passed the civil service exam, placing seventh in the military division and tenth overall. He was also the youngest successful candidate that year.
Lee Bang-won's success in the state examination must have brought immense joy to Lee Seong-Gye, who had always carried an inferiority complex about his provincial origins.
On the day the news arrived, Lee Seong-Gye and Lady Kang shared their happiness together. Bae Geohyeong and Lee Seon-ha sat facing each other as they filmed the scene.
The camera captured Bae Geohyeong from the front and Lee Seon-ha from behind. Lady Kang's face was still not shown directly.
"Madam. Our Bang-won— Bang-won passed the civil service exam, hahaha. What joyous news!"
"Congratulations! Bang-won has always been clever since childhood, and now he's showing such filial devotion as well."
Her voice was soft and velvety, comforting like a warm cotton blanket.
Yoomyeong felt a shiver run through him as the sound wrapped around him.
It was a voice overflowing with maternal warmth, the sort that would make any man want to rest in it.
"Our family has never been talented in civil examinations, so how did he manage this? Haha."
"Surely he inherited your excellence, my lord." freёwebnoѵel.com
"Mine?"
"If you look back to the era of Wei, Shu Han, and Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, there were both generals and strategists on the battlefield. The scholarly brilliance of an outstanding strategist surpassed even that of most scholars of the era. Yet my lord excels in both military strategy and warfare. Had you devoted the time spent on martial arts to scholarly pursuits, you would have surpassed Po Eun himself in talent."
"Hahaha. You're flattering me again, my wife."
Lady Kang skillfully elevated him through witty remarks and historical references, and Lee Seong-Gye's laughter only grew louder.
She truly was a femme fatale capable of swaying the founder of a nation. People said that a man would give his life to someone who recognized his worth—especially if that person was his beautiful and loving wife.
"It's such a shame Bang-won isn't my biological son... Ah, what am I saying?! He's simply a child I'm very fond of."
She deliberately stumbled over her words and blushed. Petite and delicate-featured, she was barely half his size.
Remembering how she had supported the Lee family in establishing its prestige within Kaesong, Lee Seong-Gye looked down at her with affection and delight.
"He is our son! I haven't forgotten how lovingly you've cared for and supported Bang-won. Without you, would he have managed to pass both the Jinsa and civil service exams within only five years of arriving in Kaesong? It's all thanks to you!"
"What are you saying? Now you're flattering me too, my husband."
Her voice remained soft and gentle, yet there was a trace of seduction in her gaze. The slightly coy way she said my husband added subtle charm to her tone. Caught up in his excitement, Lee Seong-Gye reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Pretending to pull away slightly, she said,
"I hope our Bang-beon grows up to be just as clever as Bang-won..."
"With a wise mother like you, Bang-beon is sure to become even more remarkable. Though it never hurts to have contingencies..."
"Contingencies?"
The eyelid barely visible from the side-angle shot blinked innocently. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"What about having another child?"
"How can you say something so embarrassing?"
Her cheeks flushed bright red as a large figure leaned over her.
And with that, the scene ended.
Praising Lee Bang-won's achievement while turning it into her own accomplishment, then gradually redirecting the attention toward herself—it was the cunning speech of a true femme fatale. She pretended to admire her husband while actually manipulating him like a puppet in her hands.
Watching the scene, Yoomyeong found himself thinking that no one could resist such an angelic femme fatale if she truly existed.
As expected, she was a theater actress acknowledged for her talent within the country's top theater company.
And now came the challenge of his own performance.
Yoomyeong waited for his turn, anticipation steadily building inside him.
Scene 41 was completed successfully on the third take after minor corrections to line timing and movement details.
There had been no need to adjust the emotional flow at all, proof of the strong performances delivered by both actors. The various cut sizes were also completed smoothly within a short time.
"Let's prepare for the next scene—"
Lee Seon-ha quickly left for a costume change and makeup touch-up.
There was a five-year gap between Scenes 41 and 58.
After passing the civil service examination, Lee Bang-won steadily built his influence within the government. Meanwhile, Lady Kang strengthened her affectionate bond with Lee Seong-Gye and became the true power within the Lee family in Kaesong.
Then, in 1388, the historic Wihwado Retreat occurred.
When the Ming Dynasty unreasonably demanded that Cheolryeong, part of Goryeo territory, be surrendered to Ming control, a split emerged within Goryeo. Lee Seong-Gye, Jeong Do-jeon, and Jeong Mong-ju advocated resolving the matter diplomatically, while Choi Young insisted on war against Ming.
King Woo sided with Choi Young and ordered an expedition to the Liaodong Peninsula.
However, Lee Seong-Gye, who had been ordered to lead the army north, defied the royal command and turned his troops around at Wihwado to march on the capital instead.
While carrying out what was effectively an act of treason, Lee Seong-Gye's greatest concern was the family he had left behind in Kaesong. If they were taken hostage, the entire situation could turn against him.
Lee Bang-won, with his exceptional intellect, immediately grasped the situation and swiftly relocated the household from Kaesong to Lee Seong-Gye's northeastern stronghold.
The success of the Wihwado Retreat marked the beginning of Lee Seong-Gye's era.
Choi Young was exiled and later executed. King Woo became a puppet ruler before eventually being deposed after a desperate struggle.
However, loyalists to the Goryeo dynasty still remained. Jo Min-soo, former Left Army Commander during the Liaodong Expedition, joined forces with the respected official Lee Saek to enthrone Chang, King Woo's son, as the new king.
Righteousness.
Lee Seong-Gye had always been obsessed with righteousness. Rather than seizing the throne by force, he desired to ascend gracefully through abdication, and so he postponed his greater ambitions.
At the time, his impatience must have been boiling beneath the surface.
And Lee Saek, seeking to strengthen King Chang's legitimacy, departed for the Ming Dynasty to obtain imperial recognition. Although he requested that Lee Seong-Gye accompany him to prevent ulterior motives, Lee Seong-Gye instead sent his son Lee Bang-won as his representative.
For Lee Bang-won, the mission was effectively a hostage assignment.
Scene 58 began as Lee Bang-won visited Lady Kang to bid her farewell before departing for the Ming envoy mission.
"I'm ready."
"Mr. Shin Yoomyeong, please come this way."
"Yes, Director!"
Once Lee Seon-ha finished preparing, the director began explaining the next scene.
"You two probably understand these characters better than I do by now, so I won't ask for much. Just show me what you've prepared. Seon-ha, pay close attention to the timing when you turn around. Show your profile first, then reveal your face dramatically once Lady Kang's identity is exposed, as though her mask has cracked."
"Yes, Director."
Lee Seon-ha nodded, looking slightly tense.
"Yoomyeong, I want the feeling that you're cornering Lady Kang. Rather than an equal confrontation, create tension like you're trapping a beast and tightening the snare little by little."
"Yes, Director."
Yoomyeong nodded.
"As the scene progresses, your lines should nearly overlap. I want the tension to become so intense that the audience unconsciously holds their breath, then finally exhales at the end."
"Yes."
"Understood."
The two actors swallowed their nerves and faced one another.
This was the first confrontation between the two figures who would later become mortal enemies after the founding of Joseon.
Filming for Scene 58 began.
The camera began rolling.
The setting was Lady Kang's inner chamber.
At twenty-two, Lee Bang-won had grown into a handsome young man. Though he visited his stepmother's quarters under the pretense of paying his respects, he carried a clear purpose with him.
"Mother."
"Bang-won."
Standing by the sunlit window, she turned her head slightly and smiled at him. Though once famed as the greatest beauty in Goryeo, Lee Bang-won merely tilted his head faintly and smiled back, already aware of her true nature.
"I depart for the Ming Dynasty today."
"Traveling so far must be difficult, my son."
"There will be many people along the road, but I would not call it difficult."
"The Ming Dynasty is a vast nation. With your intelligence, I am sure you will learn much there. And your traveling companion is a great man as well. I hope you return having grown even further."
It felt warm.
Even knowing the truth, it felt as though he could easily let himself be deceived if he lowered his guard for even a moment.
It was not simply the acting. The atmosphere itself felt tense.
It was so comfortable that he naturally sank into Lee Bang-won's emotions—Relax, and you'll let your guard down.
Yoomyeong felt chills run down his spine.
This was the power of actress Lee Seon-ha.
Her acting made the entire situation feel real.
No wonder she had earned the reputation of being an actor who was easy to act alongside.
Yoomyeong gathered both the immersion he himself had built and the immersion Lee Seon-ha had drawn out of him, channeling everything into his next line.
"Ah, so that was the educational reason you made me the envoy."
The sarcasm woven into his tone caused Lady Kang's eyes to widen slightly.
