“I’m going to contact you again once the ad shoot schedule is confirmed.”
Moments later, the image of Park Hwan-su saying that he would appreciate a good relationship in the future came to mind.
Ha-eun, who had just signed the contract, responded with her own words of gratitude.
It was right after that when the question about the smoothly progressing <Moonlight Parting the Clouds> came up, even more successful than Ha-eun had remembered.
“Is the name of the character Ha-eun is playing Yeom Wol, the woman disguising as a man?”
“Yes.”
“So, when will Yeom Wol’s image start to change? She can’t pretend to be a man until the end.”
Following that, Park Hwan-su predicted or conjectured that the specific image of this ad would be determined by how and when Yeom Wol’s image changes.
After considering briefly, Ha-eun remembered that the preview for the next episode, which aired recently, included a scene of S#88 reuniting.
“It will change, at the latest, starting this week.”
She talked about Yeom Wol’s image change without giving away spoilers.
If a more detailed explanation was needed, she also advised reading the original novel of <Moonlight Parting the Clouds>.
However, in ads featuring female celebrities, like Ha-eun’s bed advertisement, a certain degree of femininity was inevitably emphasized.
For Ha-eun, her own femininity was still an unknown territory.
Thus, on the very next day after signing the contract with Sears,
“What do you think?”
“What?”
“As a woman.”
“…? Are you asking me how you look as a woman?”
“Yes.”
Ha-eun, among her peers, almost exclusively took Da-yeon, who had experience in commercials, to the school snack bar, and asked about her femininity.
The scene she was set to act as Yeom Wol later that afternoon was one that showcased Yeom Wol’s femininity very clearly.
The issue was that for some reason, Da-yeon’s eyes had narrowed considerably.
“Do you have a crush on someone again?”
“It’s because of the commercial, not because of a guy.”
“Commercial? Did you get an ad?”
“It just happened.”
It was only after she had explained in detail about Sears’ bed advertisement from start to finish that Da-yeon’s evaluation finally came.
Though Da-yeon still felt awkward complimenting Ha-eun, fortunately, it turned out to be a roughly positive assessment rather than a harsh criticism.
“You look like a female actress.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means you’re pretty.”
“Ah…. Thanks.”
In any case, Da-yeon had been with Ha-eun for over ten years.
She had also witnessed Ha-eun being confessed to by several male students, whether classmates or seniors.
In the end, Ha-eun had rejected them all.
Still, it was evident that she must have received confessions because of her charm as a woman.
Da-yeon, a fellow woman, found Ha-eun’s appearance quite beautiful.
However, Ha-eun herself was unsure what exactly constituted her femininity or how to highlight it.
“Da-yeon, how do you pose when shooting ads?”
Ha-eun asked Da-yeon to share some tips related to advertisements, having had some experience in commercials where femininity was highlighted.
While Ha-eun had some experience shooting ads, it was from the time when she was still called a child actor.
“Look softly at the camera. And….”
“And?”
“Smile gently. Tilt your head slightly.”
Da-yeon took out her hand mirror from her bag and demonstrated once.
But.
“I don’t really get what that feels like.”
Ha-eun couldn’t discern what part of Da-yeon’s smiling reflection in the hand mirror highlighted her femininity.
After some thought, Da-yeon offered a response that slightly surprised Ha-eun.
“Um… It feels like you’re seducing the camera?”
“S-seducing?”
“Why are you so surprised? You did it once before.”
“I did? Seduce?”
“That time in the drama <You Who Came From the Stars>…. Never mind. It’s faster to show you directly.”
In an instant, Da-yeon pulled out her phone.
And within seconds, the highlight video of <You Who Came From the Stars> began to play.
“Do you know, sir? I’m going to be a star. A star that no one can ignore, shining so high that everyone must look up to.”
– The sound of footsteps.
“Would someone who is going to be such a remarkable star be trapped by a man they’ve just met?”
With softly curved eyes.
A subtle smile.
A slightly tilted head and hair that fell gracefully.
‘Is this what seductive acting is?’
The image of the young Han Yu-hwa, portrayed by young Ha-eun, matched exactly with what Da-yeon had just described.
Maybe that’s why.
“I’m going to film it on my phone; do it again right now.”
At Da-yeon’s urging to recreate the scene she had just shown, Ha-eun started to pose without hesitation.
Ha-eun thought she too needed to understand exactly what kind of acting felt seductive.
Soon, in the small clearing behind the school snack bar, Ha-eun’s seductive performance began.
As the only director and audience, Da-yeon’s review of the recreation of the highlight that had drawn attention a few years ago was.
“…Too much.”
“What do you mean?”
“You, Lee Ha-eun, are too alluring! You look like a nine-tailed fox that devours men!”
“A-nine-tailed fox?”
It was a strange review that was quite different from what Ha-eun had expected.
Regardless, she felt she had an idea of what kind of performance felt seductive, and she asked Da-yeon to send her the video recorded just moments ago.
Since then, she constantly rewound and practiced image training with the video Da-yeon sent her.
As today’s scene that Ha-eun would shoot would be the final highlight of <Moonlight Parting the Clouds>, she wanted to deliver an even more ideal performance.
For Ha-eun, Yeom Wol was a character of multiple meanings.
Since she had hidden her true identity through acting for so long, in many ways, she resembled her past life as Ha-eun.
Therefore, even more so.
That ending must be different.
So that the true identity she had tried so hard to keep concealed would not be cast aside but rather be loved until the very end.
So that she would have to be loved.
“S#145 Forest. Let’s begin. 3, 2, 1… Action!”
Truth.
Sincerity.
Without hiding anything.
“…Your Highness.”
She took a step towards the one she loved.
“May I ask why you have stepped into this perilous place again?”
“Isn’t this the place where you first saved me? I wanted to tell you something important, so I came.”
The sky, now entirely dark, had even the crimson sunset swallowed up by darkness.
Trees densely filled the surroundings that had grown without a gap.
And, right at the center of all that.
A gentle smile, just like always.
In the moment filled with silence, the sound of her heartbeat gradually started to escalate, revealing its presence.
Even after she began to walk following the familiar footsteps of the one she recognized, the trembling didn’t settle.
Everything around was familiar, yet the anxiety that wouldn’t easily calm down was a testament to her longing.
She felt both excited and fearful of the stories of Lee Hyun, afraid it might be different from what she expected.
Thus, she merely walked alongside Lee Hyun.
“The moon is already rising.”
Finally, she arrived at a vast field.
In the middle of the vast night sky, a huge grey light was shining alone.
She stood still, waiting for Yeom Wol to approach her shadow.
– Thud.
As the moment she realized it was time arrived, she reached out, maintaining a distance that seemed touchable.
Soon after, she heard the sound of crunching leaves beneath someone’s feet.
A gust of wind started to blow from afar behind it.
And so, ultimately, thud.
A hand reaching out to the side intertwined completely with Lee Hyun’s hand.
“…Since when did you become so bold?”
“Is it so bold to hold my lord’s hand?”
“Are you sure the only one you’re holding isn’t your lord?”
“At this moment, let me be with you as your lord.”
A calm voice, like any other time.
An atmosphere that she had never encountered before.
A silence flowed for a while at the mixed state of familiarity and strangeness of Yeom Wol.
Yet, she felt there was no more time to waste.
“Soon, the selection of the Crown Princess will be held.”
She began the conversation that she needed to have specifically with Yeom Wol.
The mouth that had remained shut until Lee Hyun’s story was completely told remained closed.
However.
“However, don’t worry too much. I shall firmly reject any woman.”
At that moment, attempting to reassure Yeom Wol with words that she wouldn’t choose any of the Crown Princess candidates.
“…The selection of the Crown Princess is a serious matter. It must not be carelessly mishandled.”
Instead, Yeom Wol spoke as if to prepare him for the Crown Princess.
This made Lee Hyun’s gaze falter for a moment.
“Are you telling me to embrace someone other than you?”
“I never said to embrace another woman.”
“Then why do you insist I must not mishandle the Crown Princess selection?”
“Because it endangers your position.”
The selection of the Crown Princess was also preparation for ascending to the throne.
Refusing to select a Crown Princess was tantamount to declaring that one would not continue the royal line.
If Lee Hyun mishandled the selection of the Crown Princess because of Yeom Wol, clearly there would be whispers here and there.
The Queen Yoon, Lee Hyun’s greatest enemy, would certainly attack him by using the absence of a Crown Princess as leverage.
“So, choose.”
“…Who am I supposed to choose?”
At that moment, a heavy shadow fell over Lee Hyun’s face.
– Staggering!
In an instant, Yeom Wol, who had suddenly pulled Lee Hyun, lost his balance and fell onto the vast field.
What awaited was Yeom Wol, lying beneath Lee Hyun, gazing up at him with her characteristic fierce gaze.
Lee Hyun, taken by surprise at this unexpected turn of events, was left speechless.
Then another silence filled the air.
However, unlike Lee Hyun, who looked flustered.
“The woman facing my lord right now, the woman who has long cherished you, let it be her.”
The silence was completely shattered by Yeom Wol’s calm gaze.
“Let Kim Yeon, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kim Ho-jin, serve my lord and continue the royal line.”
What she revealed was yet another hidden identity she had kept concealed all this time.
And, Yeom Wol’s final wish.
“I will become yours. So… please take me.”
In that moment, her serious gaze fixed on Lee Hyun until she finished her words did not waver even once.
Her hand, still tightly gripped.
“Once your identity is revealed, everyone will point fingers at you.”
“For me, nothing is more important than you.”
“I don’t want you to be hurt because of those who know nothing.”
“Then, protect me. Hold me dearly in your embrace so that no one can touch me.”
No words could shake that unwavering resolve.
The face that had already made its determination showed only resolve.
Thus, finally, she nodded.
She promised that there would be no mishandling in the selection of the Crown Princess.
The face of Yeom Wol, who had been displaying that unyielding will, began to soften afterward.
Her eyes gradually began to bend, and her lips bore a gentle smile, displaying a completely different atmosphere from before.
Feelings that were clearer than ever.
Sincerity that conveyed more clearly than ever.
Soon, her affectionate touch began to wrap around Lee Hyun’s neck and pulled him down gently.
Almost simultaneously, the face of the woman who had been smiling in a slender arc.
“I long for you, my lord.”
Completely entranced by that enchanting form, which shone under the bright moonlight, Lee Hyun couldn’t shake off all those that bound him.
In just a few seconds, his vision descended into darkness.
In the end, he accepted that he could not escape the warm presence coming from so close.
He realized belatedly that he had embraced a truly terrifying woman.
