Chapter 623: Last Lesson (3)

『Aaaaaaaah!』

Standing before the birthday banquet table, Yoo-Jin looked up to the sky. Her eyes filled with resentment cried out toward the Heavenly God. Her clear voice began to crack until it turned into a hoarse wail.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin began to tremble as if struck by lightning. Her slender body swayed like a willow branch in a storm. Moments later, the convulsions stopped. Then, she suddenly opened her tightly shut eyes with tears streamed down her face as if she had realized something.

It was the moment when, triggered by her mother's death, the childhood memories lost to poison came flooding back.

In the blink of an eye, a murderous glint appeared in Yoo-Jin's eyes. Her piercing gaze turned toward the two princesses competing for the throne.

『Ten years ago... you're the ones who fed me the poisonous mushroom?』

Yoo-Jin's face radiated the charisma of a lead actor.

『You... you remember?』

『So this time, you used poison on my mother too?』

『No, Yu-Hwa! It wasn't us! We didn't do it!』

『Silence!』

At Yoo-Jin's thunderous shout, Han Sang-Hee and Min Gyu-Ri froze in fear, unable to speak.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin reached into her robe. She pulled out a red horn flute given to her by BiHyungRang, the goblin. He had told her to blow it if anything ever happened.

Though the late Second Queen had warned her not to involve BiHyungRang in human affairs, Yoo-Jin, blinded by revenge, summoned the goblin.

Piiiiiiiik!

The high-pitched note rang endlessly through the royal palace.

At that moment, Han Woo-Hyuk, playing the masked BiHyungRang, emerged from within the palace. He held his usual bamboo flute in one hand, but he was no longer dressed in his usual attire. Instead, he wore a fluttering red robe. On top of that, his long black hair had turned white.

It was as if he had been grief-stricken by the death of the Second Queen, his former companion, and had transformed.

Step, step.

Han Woo-Hyuk walked listlessly out of the palace and stopped at the top of the steps.

At that moment, the soldiers shouted.

『I-It's a goblin!!』

『The goblin has appeared!』

Seeing a goblin from legend with their own eyes, the soldiers panicked and fled. Only about ten of them stayed behind trembling as they raised their swords with their legs frozen.

Han Woo-Hyuk ignored them and spoke only to Yoo-Jin.

『You called for me, child.』

With tears of blood streaming down her face, Yoo-Jin cried out.

『My mother... my mother... has passed away.』

Tears also streamed from Han Woo-Hyuk's eyes.

『I saw it too. I saw her ascending to the Heavenly God.』

『But... but... why didn't you protect her?! You could've reversed it!』

When Yoo-Jin screamed with a cry coming from deep within her chest, Han Woo-Hyuk answered with tears streaming down his face.

『No... she had already exchanged her lifespan with yours. There was nothing I could do. And she used her final wish... to ask something else. She asked me... to protect you in her place. And... she named you as the next contractor.』

Yoo-Jin bit her lip and glared. The moment Han Woo-Hyuk met her sharp, blue gaze, he flinched involuntarily. He was overwhelmed by the charisma radiating from Yoo-Jin.

『Then... from now on, I'm your contractor, right?』

Han Woo-Hyuk spoke in a low, solemn voice as if making a vow.

『By the ancient covenant sealed in blood, I, BiHyungRang, acknowledge you as my contractor. And as proof of our contract, I shall grant you three wishes.』

At that moment, Yoo-Jin turned her body and pointed toward the queens and princesses at the table.

『Make them all kneel. Everyone except His Majesty.』

『Is that your wish?』

『Yes!』

『That much can be done even without calling it a wish. But from now on, speak your desire as a wish first. Only then can I fulfill it within the bounds of my power.』

With that, Han Woo-Hyuk lowered his hand and spoke softly.

『All but the king... kneel.』

Bang!

Everyone except for Song Ji-Hwan, who played King Eumgalmun, slammed their heads into the mess of the banquet table—First Queen, Lee Tae-Yeon; Princess Jeong-Hwa, Han Sang-Hee; Third Queen, Yoon Joo-Yeon; and Princess Do-Hwa; Min Gyu-Ri.

Bang! Bang, bang!

Then the soldiers and ministers also collapsed to the ground, flat against the floor.

At that moment, the expressionless Han Woo-Hyuk asked.

『Child, do you wish for me to end them all? But that is only if you make that a wish first.』

Just then, Lee Tae-Yeon, lying across the table, gasped and shouted.

『If... if a goblin harms a human... your power... weakens. The moment you kill us... you'll die too! Go on, do it, you monster!』

Yoon Joo-Yeon also shouted defiantly.

『Everyone listen! Even if he is a goblin of legend, we can overcome him! When the goblin loses his strength... cut off his head!!』

At that moment, Yoo-Jin began walking forward and pulled a sword from the hand of a soldier lying on the ground.

Shing.

The sharp blade glinted in the light. Yoo-Jin lowered the sword and moved slowly.

『He won't kill you. I... I'll be the one to do it.』

Tears streamed down Yoo-Jin's cheeks as she glared at the queens and princesses with murderous intent. In a moment frozen in time, only Yoo-Jin moved gracefully forward. She declared that she would eliminate the princesses who had tried to kill her, and the queens she suspected of killing her mother.

Yoo-Jin dragged the sword slowly.

Screeeeech.

The long sword scraped against the stone floor of the Moon Palace, making a harsh metallic sound.

The actresses playing the queens and princesses began to tremble violently. The only one who could stop her was the king, the only person still able to move.

However, he was written to be half out of his mind. After all, his wife was dead, a legendary goblin had appeared, and now his daughters were trying to kill each other.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin walked up beside Lee Tae-Yeon, who lay on the banquet table.

Seeing that Yoo-Jin chose her first target, Han Woo-Hyuk spoke.

『Are you sure about this?』

『Even if I'm not... I have to be!』

Grinding her teeth, Yoo-Jin glared at the two queens and two princesses.

『I will become the great flower of Gyerim, just as my mother's final wish said. Even if it means I have to slaughter every last one of these vile humans...』

With those chilling words, Yoo-Jin raised her sword.

Lee Tae-Yeon was shaking as the blade hovered above her head.

『You're... you're crazy! No! It wasn't me! Please, spare me! Your Majesty!!』

Because Yoo-Jin's expression made it impossible to tell whether she was acting or truly furious, sweat began to bead on Lee Tae-Yeon's forehead.

『Haah!』

Yoo-Jin shouted a battle cry and slammed the blade downward.

At that moment, Lee Tae-Yeon shrieked and rolled away in panic.

『

Kyaaaa!!

』

Bang!

Yoo-Jin's sword embedded itself in the spot where Lee Tae-Yeon had just been lying. The script had called for Yoo-Jin to threaten her with the sword, but she had swung it so fiercely that Lee Tae-Yeon was genuinely startled and dodged.

Oh Bok-Hee was about to call NG, but then hesitated. No one had been hurt, and Yoo-Jin was radiating such powerful lead-actor charisma that it was hard to interrupt.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin began to force the situation forward, just like she had learned from Choi Ji-Yung.

Without giving the staff time to call a cut, Yoo-Jin turned her eyes on Han Woo-Hyuk and addressed him.

『BiHyungRang, why... are you interfering? Are you telling me not to kill them?』

It was an improvised line not in the script, but it made the transition to the next dialogue feel seamless.

In response, Han Woo-Hyuk unconsciously delivered his next line.

『I'm fulfilling... your mother's final wish. Protecting you includes protecting you from your own actions.』

As the conversation flowed naturally, Oh Bok-Hee stood with her mouth agape. Then, relaxing her grip on the megaphone, she turned to the monitor.

That's when Song Ji-Hwan, the only one who could move, rushed forward and stepped in front of Yoo-Jin.

『Yu-Hwa! That's enough! You cannot kill someone based on suspicion alone! Get a hold of yourself!』

Yoo-Jin's cold stare shifted to Song Ji-Hwan. Her gaze was so murderous that he flinched.

Gulp.

Song Ji-Hwan swallowed hard.

『Don't forget the Second Queen's final wish before she ascended. Yu-Hwa. The flower of Gyerim... is not something won through bloodshed!!』

At that moment, Yoo-Jin dropped the sword.

Clang.

Her entire body went limp and she collapsed into Song Ji-Hwan's arms, crying out.

『

Ugh

...

Sob

... Mother... Mother... Mom~~』

Clutching Song Ji-Hwan's chest, Yoo-Jin began sobbing with a voice torn by grief.

Whoooosh~

A cold wind blew through the set, making the flags flutter.

Flap flap.

The flags of Gyerim planted around the set trembled all at once as if resonating with Yoo-Jin's voice.

Oh Bok-Hee finally called out. "Cut~~ Okay!"

At that moment, all the actors who had been filming collapsed where they stood.

The completely dazed Lee Tae-Yeon clutched her chest to try to calm her frantic heart. The soldiers and ministers, too, gasped for air as if they had been struck by real supernatural power. They stumbled as they slowly rose to their feet.

Everyone clearly showed signs of being awestruck and frightened by Yoo-Jin's performance. Yoo-Jin had just shown an overwhelming level of acting and charisma that truly befitted a lead.

Then, Song Ji-Hwan came to his senses and patted Yoo-Jin on the back as she was still crying and unable to calm down.

Standing beside me, Choi Ji-Yung smiled in satisfaction. "She always shocks people like that, doesn't she? You tell her to go for it, and she just charges that far ahead..."

When I turned to her, I saw tears of emotion rolling down Choi Ji-Yung's face. It was as if she had become the Second Queen again the moment Yoo-Jin called out for her mother

Yoo-Jin's acting, which had moved even actors outside the set to tears, was on a whole new level compared to anything she had done before.

Even Park Woo-Min, who had cast Korea's top actress Choi Ji-Yung, reacted the same way. "Man... I've seen a lot of actors, but I can't figure out Yoo-Jin at all..."

Just then, Yoo-Jin steadied her breathing and slowly stood up from her crouched position.

She bowed her head first to Lee Tae-Yeon, whom she had threatened. "Sunbae-nim, I'm so sorry..."

Lee Tae-Yeon responded with a halfhearted look. "Y-yeah, it's fine. But... next time, maybe tone it down a little, huh?"

"I'm really sorry. I got carried away with the emotion. I had no intention of hurting you."

"Yeah... okay."

It was the first time since starting

Hwaranjeon

that Lee Tae-Yeon had been overwhelmed from the very beginning.

Yoo-Jin then bowed to the extras and staff. "Thank you for your hard work."

Finally, everyone snapped back to reality and burst into applause.

Clap clap clap clap!

The sound of clapping filled the set along with loud cheers.

"Wow~~ Miss Yoo-Jin, that was amazing."

"Seriously, your presence was insane!"

"If our lead keeps this up, we don't even need to worry about

Queen Jeong-Hee

or whatever!"

"Leads really are on another level, huh?"

"Great work today, lead actress~~"

Everyone started referring to Yoo-Jin as the lead actress when talking to her. Having crushed this scene, Yoo-Jin had left a lasting impression as the lead, just as Choi Ji-Yung said. Yoo-Jin was now being recognized by the cast and staff as the true lead actress.

However, Yoo-Jin looked unsteady as she accepted their congratulations, which made me nervous.

I looked at Choi Ji-Yung and said, "Mrs. Choi, I'm going to bring Yoo-Jin over."

"Oh, go ahead."

I rushed onto the set to help Yoo-Jin out.

***

As soon as I reached her, the relieved Yoo-Jin collapsed into my arms.

Thud.

"I knew it."

With her forehead covered in sweat, Yoo-Jin smiled faintly. "

Hehe

... Oppa, you're here."

"Of course I'm here. I'm your talent agent. But... Can you walk?"

Yoo-Jin shook her head. "Nope. I've got no strength left at all."

"If you can walk on your own, I'll let you eat two bowls of rice later."

Yoo-Jin made a playful pout. "I really want to eat... but I still can't walk."

She had wrung herself out so completely that her body really wouldn't move.

Just then, Yang So-Ri ran over. "Mr. Jung, I'll help support her."

I shook my head. "No, she doesn't even have the strength for that. I'll carry her. Ms. Yang, can you just help steady her from behind?"

"Oh! Got it."

I turned my back to Yoo-Jin. "Yoo-Jin, hop on."

For a moment, Yoo-Jin glanced around hesitantly. "Um, I had two bowls of rice this morning... so I'm kinda heavy..."

'

Two bowls of rice? No wonder she kept avoiding making eye contact

.'

Still, today of all days, I was only going to praise her. She deserved it after working so hard.

"It's fine, just hop on."

She still seemed worried, but Yoo-Jin was barely in the mid-40 kg range. She was as skinny as ever.

Cautiously, Yoo-Jin reached out her arms and wrapped them around my neck. I braced my legs and stood up easily.

'Hmm. Looks like she gained about a kilo.

'

Since carrying fainting actresses off set was basically part of my job, I could estimate their weight pretty accurately the moment I picked them up.

"Oppa... I'm heavy, aren't I?"

"Don't worry. You're light."

Yoo-Jin replied in a slightly cheerful tone. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Lighter than a sack of rice."

Yoo-Jin grumbled brightly while piggybacked on me. "Oh, come on!"

Normally she would squirm and insist on getting down, but today she just complained with words. She really had no strength left.

"You did great today. Seriously, you were amazing, Jung Yoo-Jin. That just now... you really looked like the star of

Hwaranjeon

."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin smiled and gently tightened her grip around my neck. "Thank you, oppa."

I smiled and carried Yoo-Jin toward the standby tent. As we walked, the staff parted to either side like Moses parting the Red Sea.

"Miss Yoo-Jin, great work."

"Take a short break... and then let's do it again."

"Your presence was on another level."

"Chief Jung, take good care of our lead!"

"Of course!"

Oh Bok-Hee looked at us and said, "Mr. Jung. Once Miss Yoo-Jin is resting in the standby tent, come see me."

She probably wanted to check if the next scene could be filmed today.

"Yes, Mrs. Oh."

So I carried Yoo-Jin to the standby tent.

Outside the tent, Choi Ji-Yung took Yoo-Jin's hand with a warm smile. "Great work, Yoo-Jin."

"It's all thanks to you, Mrs. Choi."

The two of them looked at each other like a real mother and daughter, their expressions full of warmth.

***

Inside the standby tent, I took out a pouch of soft porridge and had Yoo-Jin eat it. Choi Ji-Yung, too, sat nearby and ate some to recover her strength.

They had used up more mental stamina than physical, so the porridge immediately helped Yoo-Jin perk up.

"Oppa. This warm porridge is saving my life. I think I can film the next scene right away!"

"No way. I'm telling them to shoot in an hour, so rest until then."

"Yes, sir!!"

I left Yoo-Jin in the care of Yang So-Ri and Park Woo-Min before stepping out of the tent. I needed to tell Oh Bok-Hee that Yoo-Jin needed at least an hour before the next shoot.

But just then, Min Gyu-Ri appeared in front of me. She hadn't even changed clothes. It seemed like she must have been waiting for me.

"Mr. Jung, can I talk to you for a moment?"

I didn't know what it was about, but I didn't want to get involved with her.

I shook my head and said, "No, I have nothing to say."

I gave a brief nod and tried to walk past, but Min Gyu-Ri grabbed my arm.

"You might change your mind once you hear what I have to say."

'

What the hell is she trying to tell me?

'