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At last, the day arrived. Because CG filming was required, the schedule had been pulled forward significantly.
‘The final episode....’
The transition from Episode 15 to Episode 16—the very moment Yeomga and Seoryeong finally faced each other. A strange anticipation and heavy tension hung in the air on the set as preparations went on.
‘Professor is staying inside the van.’
Whether she was holding her emotions in check or not, the professor did not come out of the van. Straw mats were spread over the dirt ground, red cloths were tied to the bamboo that had been planted, and throughout it all I quietly watched the scene unfold.
‘A gut ritual Yeomga prepared herself....’
The thought that she had compressed all of her long-standing resentment into this moment suddenly made my body feel heavy.
Yeomga—the opponent I had to fight.
I recalled Yeomga as we had analyzed her during earlier conversations with the professor.
‘We were just filming scenes where Seoryeong went to the marketplace with Myungdo until recently, so I thought it would be hard to grab the emotions.’
Instead, comparing that set with the current one made it easier to immerse myself emotionally.
Because the straw mat spread in the marketplace and the mat laid out for Yeomga’s ritual were the same. Seeing the rough mat smeared with dirt, it felt as if Geum Bitgang’s voice was echoing by my ear.
“I couldn’t possibly allow a world like this to keep running peacefully.”
Did Yeomga’s child have been a daughter, or a son? Would they have had an upright disposition like Myungdo, or been willful like Seoryeong?
‘I don’t know.’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t possibly know. Because that child...
‘...died.’
They no longer existed in this world. What they might have liked or disliked, what they might have been good at or bad at—those were things that would remain unknowable forever.
If Yeomga’s child had been there in the marketplace where Seoryeong and Myungdo walked together, where would they have run first? Maybe they would have gone to the fruit vendor to haggle, or perhaps bought an ornament that suited Yeomga and handed it to her.
‘But that never happens.’
In a world where Seoryeong and Myungdo shared bright smiles, Yeomga and Yeomga’s child were foreign matter—things that could not exist.
So for a day, a year, ten years... for a span of time as vast as eternity, Yeomga must have been filled with the desire to swallow all of it whole.
‘The time Seoryeong and Myungdo shared might have been the very moments Yeomga wanted to give her child....’
A mountain path where the water was clear and beautiful, trees beneath the rain, the sound of a waterwheel, the wide-open sky, the air at dawn.
The figures of staff members moving past me blurred. And Seoryeong’s past lives flashed by like a panorama.
Even Seoryeong—who had buried her resolve toward death in her heart alongside Jeongan—had days when she wanted to live so badly it felt like she might die.
‘Did Yeomga really not know that beauty....’
She must have known. There must have been moments in life when unbearable joy suddenly pierced straight through Yeomga’s heart.
When the wind blew just as it had beneath the sky she once shared with the person she loved, when the wild berries they shared tasted especially sweet.
Yeomga must have felt miserable knowing she could never give any of that to her child.
Ding-.
「Hidden Mission: A Perfect Understanding of the Cast」
You’ve reached the level of understanding not only yourself, but even your counterpart! All works ultimately touch upon our own lives. By understanding the people closest to you, you can create a more vivid character. Perfect immersion achieved.
[A new skill has been created]
<Beyond the Frame> C
A status window appeared. The ritual set was finally complete.
“Yeoreum, shall we go?”
A stage that seemed prepared just for me had been built. I nodded. At last, it was the moment to face Yeomga.
Emotions surged violently. My throat began to ache from the rasping, clawing shouts I tore out. The sound of the kkwaenggwari and the pipes I’d heard on set rang loudly in my ears.
For a moment, I could no longer feel the gravity of the world. The camera lens felt distant, the microphone disappeared from view, and everything was focused solely on Yeomga.
Everything was blurred. Only Yeomga before me was vivid in this instant.
I had the illusion that I was no longer a being with my feet planted in this world, but something floating loosely above it.
How much time passed like that. As I lay collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, someone approached. Black shoes entered my field of vision. When I looked up at the person who slowly knelt down, I saw Geum Bitgang wearing a strange expression.
“...”
“...”
We faced each other in silence for a moment. Sweat streamed down both of us from the back-to-back shoots. Geum Bitgang spoke first.
“You did well.”
“...”
“Seoryeong.”
At that moment, the status window appeared before me once more.
[Seventh Title] has been granted.
▶Hidden Reward
[Lucky point]
10,000p
[Name: Han Yeoreum]
Level: 530,000
Titles: Dok Gomin’s Muse / So Yesol’s Muse / Iconic Rookie / Pi Chaewon / Acting-Type Rookie / Visual-Type / Seoryeong <<< NEW!!!
With three weeks remaining until the final broadcast, I finally obtained the name Seoryeong.
* * *
‘This is insane.’
That was the single thought that crossed Jegal Rok’s mind when he stopped by the set briefly. It was insane. Without a doubt.
If Yeomga crushed her opponent by using every facial muscle, producing hundreds of expressions with a single voice, Seoryeong was the complete opposite.
‘Her expression stays the same, but only her voice changes....’
With a face that looked as though something truly possessed her, Seoryeong poured out everything she had. So much that blood streamed from her fingernails as she clutched the dirt-covered ground like a lifeline.
From a corner of the set, Jegal Rok captured every one of those moments clearly with his own eyes. He had come merely to confirm something, but instead witnessed a moment that far exceeded expectations.
‘It’s really insane.’
How could this even be described? Searching for a word to replace it, Jegal Rok picked up his phone. <Law-Faster-than> was drawing audiences smoothly. Vitality was returning to the theaters.
“This is Jegal Rok.”
He made a call somewhere. At this rate, <Law-Faster-than> hitting ten million viewers was practically a certainty.
So the next step—befitting the name of JC ENM’s new innovation.
“For the final episode of <Strange Tales>, proceed with simultaneous screenings by renting out theaters.”
He was about to present yet another paradigm to the industry.
What kind of reaction would audiences have if vivid sound was added to a massive screen?
Within that rapidly shifting vortex, just how far could Han Yeoreum climb?
“Yes. I know. I know it probably sounds like I’m not in my right mind right now.”
Once again, Jegal Rok chose a path no one else took.
“Still, the finale will be a theater rental. Even if it’s just one auditorium. Either way, all we need is to bring in the <Strange Tales> viewers.”
Anything that could be done with JC ENM’s power.
“This isn’t a celebrity-invite event. Invitations go mainly to reporters and critics. All remaining seats will be sold.”
Jegal Rok cleared out a GCV Yongsan auditorium for the final broadcast day of <Strange Tales>.
“That’s all.”
<Strange Tales>’ ratings were already exceeding 17%.
* * *
It was another day of overtime. On the way home, an office worker watched <Strange Tales>. It was the kind of drama that completely washed away the fatigue of a long commute.
[♨No time to think of a title, just dive in—Strange Tales Ep.10 Live Thread♨] [2987]
-At this point, just seeing their faces makes tears stream down... kids, for fuck’s sake, you have to be happy
-TT_TT next month is already goodbye? I won’t be able to watch this drama anymore...
-Please, please stick the landing, please, I want to rewatch this over and over
<Strange Tales> continued to carry its story smoothly. Episode 7 in particular was hailed by fans as a scene that would be remembered for a long time.
‘Especially the scene where Myungdo realizes Seoryeong is a woman....’
The office worker had replayed it so many times that the moment came back instantly whenever they closed their eyes. The soft OST mixed with the sound of rain—it was perfect.
The moment when Seoryeong, soaked by the rain, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) collapses with a fever, and Myungdo reaches out to change her wet clothes.
-Ah fuck, THIS is it!!!
-Please kiss already, I’m in a hurry, how does it make sense they haven’t even held hands yet
-We’ll close our eyes... TTT__TTT freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
‘The live thread exploded.’
The next day, Myungdo acted awkwardly around Seoryeong for a while. Everyone ran through Episode 7 with warm smiles.
And for some of them, <Strange Tales> actually changed their lives.
Ppongdang @pppongdang___e
On days without Strange Tales, get out of my way you insane bastard, nothing works because of you, stop ruining people’s moods and disappear already, can’t you hear me
On days with Strange Tales, ah
Retreat 17k views, 7,729 likes
It felt like life had split into days with <Strange Tales> and days without it. When <Strange Tales> aired at 10 p.m., happiness started from 9 p.m.—no, it went beyond that. Every day was being counted as a <Strange Tales> D-day.
Those who watched the live broadcast used the remaining days of the week to rewatch it.
Intube
[Just watching hurts—Strange Tales Ep.7 rain scene, Seoryeong don’t cry T_T] 02:17
2.13 million views
-The size difference between the two of them is insane... his hand is bigger than her face right now TT_TT
-She’s completely soaked in the rain, how can she still look this pure...hehe I’ve watched everything Han Yeoreum has appeared in, and the way she cries really tugs at your heart... she leaves you uneasy, in a good way. Feels like she’ll soar even higher in the future^^
ㄴ“Leaves you uneasy” is exactly it TT_TT she cries so heartbreakingly well... we’ve seen her tears now, let’s move on to blood and sweat
ㄴPlease we need the full blood-sweat-tears set, fuck I’m desperate
The rain scene—Episode 7’s iconic moment—shot up in views the moment it was uploaded. That scene spread far and wide, not only as videos, but also as GIFs and captures.
‘She looked like she was crying even when she wasn’t....’
From the moment viewers saw Seoryeong’s face streaked with rain, a new meme began circulating among <Strange Tales> fans.
ScreenDaze (British drama community) @ScreenDaze
It’s the rainy season.... Don’t bring umbrellas, everyone just get soaked.... fuck, our Seoryeong gets rained on too....
ㄴYou’re insane
It was the complete opposite of the ‘clumsy regretful girl’ character she showed on variety programs. Yeoreum earned a new nickname: “the woman who makes you worry.” And this was how people worried about her.
Yup (118.235) Can I even sleep well tonight... our Seoryeong is sleeping in a rundown tavern on the verge of collapsing, fuck
Yup (39.119) I can’t even eat... Seoryeong, you’re not starving, right...? TT_TT
ㄴYup (10.112) Are you crazy, our girl eats three bowls a meal, just imagining her starving makes my chest hurt like hell
Yup (14.40) It’s raining like crazy again today, our Seoryeong doesn’t even have an umbrella, is this weather for real, fuck... I can’t function in daily life
Pretending to be wistful while taking care of Seoryeong became a meme among <Strange Tales> viewers. It was all thanks to the impact of Han Yeoreum’s rain scene. Before anyone realized it, Seoryeong had become the embodiment of fans’ “aching weak spot.”
‘And above all, that bait!’
It didn’t end there.
