Chapter 83: Seeing What The Rookie Actor Had Prepared

Chapter 83: Seeing What The Rookie Actor Had Prepared

Seeing What The Rookie Actor Had Prepared

The next day, Yoomyeong overslept.

It was understandable, considering he had been up until dawn dealing with an unexpected guest.

After eating at a restaurant contracted with the film team, Yoomyeong sat on a park bench, basking in the late May sunshine.

Tomorrow was the script rehearsal for his first shooting as Lee Bang-won.

Unfortunately, Hansung wasnt around.

Yoomyeong could rehearse his lines alone while imagining his co-star, but it lacked the dynamism of a real interaction. While reading the script, an idea struck him.

Miho.

{What?}

Can you help me practice my lines?

{Practice? Hmm}

Miho tilted his head playfully, but his large ears fluttered noticeably. Yoomyeong could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his ears. Strangely, his ears always revealed his true feelings.

Please help me. Its hard to get immersed when Im practicing alone.

{If you insist, then I guess Ill help you, kyung.}

Miho swiftly joined him on the bench, and Yoomyeong showed him the script.

Here, lets start from Scene 30.

{The tea conversation between Bang-won and Mong-ju?}

Yes.

The script of <The Late Goryeo Dynasty & the Early Joseon Dynasty> alternated between the present and flashbacks.

The backbone was the conversation between Jeong Mong-ju and Lee Bang-won.

Jeong Mong-ju reunited with his student Lee Bang-won and was invited for a chat while he was visiting Lee Seong-gye. Mong-ju, who would have sought out Bang-won anyway, gladly accepted the invitation.

They proceeded to have a meaningful conversation in a secluded pavilion in the garden.

The film progressed as past events were interwoven with their conversation.

The tea conversation scenes are the hardest. Its the climax I have to slowly reveal Bang-wons respect for his teacher, caution against his adversary, his greed for talent, and his overarching control of the situation.

{Are you filming this part tomorrow?}

No, its the last part. The shooting is done in chronological order.

Director Son decided to shoot in chronological order, except when international locations like the Ming dynasty palace or when cameo appearances required shooting all at once.

The idea was that following the timeline would naturally bring out the evolving emotions.

{Then why are you practicing this part?}

Because the tea conversation scenes best showcase Lee Bang-wons character. I want to get a good grip on this part; I feel like getting this right will help me portray his younger days better Is that wrong?

Yoomyeong explained his intention and sought Mihos opinion, the best acting expert he knew.

{No, its a good idea. Lets start the lines.}

Alright.

It was in this room that I first met you, Master. Do you remember?

{How can I not?}

Your teachings are still vivid to me. Be firm in your purpose, unwavering in your gaze, and decisive in action. In politics, we use whatever means are necessary to achieve our goals, even if they are imperfect.

{}

You did the same in reality. After returning from Japan, it seems as if you had made peace with yourself since youre even sharing drinks with those you despised.

{I regret telling you about that.}

Miho read his lines without moving his lips. The sound seemed to emanate from a different space, the air vibrating with the sound.

The weather was clear on the first day of shooting.

The film crew crowded around the building set to represent Sungkyunkwan, the royal academy.

Hansung easily spotted Yoomyeong among the crowd.

Hmm?

Lately, Yoomyeong stood out more than usual. Hansung didnt even have to look hard for him.

He was already in makeup, dressed in a white hanbok and the headgear with two feathers attached to either side of it.

It was the sixteen-year-old Lee Bang-won. Although Yoomyeongs stature was that of an adult, his face still held youthful brashness, which was perfectly captured by the makeup.

The script so far went like this:

Jeong Mong-ju, on Lee Seong-gyes request, taught Lee Bang-won from the ages of 12 to 14. Excited by his intelligence and qualities similar yet flexible to his own, Mong-ju wanted to groom him as his top student.

However, in 1380, after sensing Lee Seong-gyes ambition at the clan council in Jeonju following his participation in the Battle of Hwangsanbeol, Mong-ju made an excuse to stop tutoring Lee Bang-won. He realized that continuing to nurture him would indirectly support Lee Seong-Gye.

Young Bang-won, who was unaware of the reason, felt abandoned by his teacher. In 1382, he passed the state examination at the age of 16 and entered Sungkyunkwan.

Todays first shooting scene was scene 38 in which, two years later, Bang-won encountered his teacher, who had greatly impacted his youth, when he gave a special lecture at Sungkyunkwan.

Well start with the scene of Jung Mong-jus lecture. Actors, please go to your positions~

Actors dressed like Yoomyeong in white outer hanbok and headgear hurried to their places.

Unlike modern schools, the academy was a mix of very old and young scholars. Among them, Bang-won was one of the youngest, but his eyes emitted a determination and composure unmatched by anyone else.

Dressed in official attire, Hansung sat in front of the students.

Director Son came over to give him some directing tips and soon approached Yoomyeong as well.

From Bang-wons perspective, his most trusted and respected teacher abandoned him without a word. Over the past two years, he must have had countless thoughts. Was something wrong with him? Should he visit his teacher? Did he do something wrong? These thoughts helped shape his character, with a perspective that oversaw situations and a cold nature that holds no lingering sentiment.

Yes, Director.

Yoomyeong listened intently and nodded.

The Sungkyunkwan scene, marking the rookie actors first appearance, should reflect the complexity of longing for and the feeling of being betrayed by a mentor, yet not easily revealing these emotions. Its the quality of a young, astute politician. Lets start with the agreed-upon movements and see what the rookie actor has prepared, then adjust and direct accordingly.

Understood.

Alright, lets go! Everyone, stand by.

The bustling set quickly fell silent.

Action!

The lecture was held in a pavilion bathed in lazy sunlight.

The lecturer was a celebrated figure in Eastern Neo-Confucianism, known for his significant academic achievements and diplomatic feats extending to Ming and Japan.

Amidst the idolizing gaze of the students, only one pair of eyes regarded the figure at the front with a detached assessment.

Dressed in a blue robe, Jeong Mong-ju skillfully and elegantly lectured on the Interpretations on Great Learning (Great Learning: a text that was once part of the Chinese classic, the Book of Rites, which is closely related to Confucian doctrine), walking step by step across the pavilions floor where sunlight and shadows interplayed.

The monarch may represent Heavens Way, but it is not because they are the monarch or because only they can do so. As a human, the monarch must constantly cultivate and strive to understand Heavens will. This means that a stable system supported by ministers and officials is necessary if the monarch lacks cultivation or finds it difficult to govern alone, a stable system supported by ministers and officials is necessary.

It wasnt about policies being dictated by the whims of a single king.

Instead, administrators ran the state, with overseers vigilantly monitoring their actions, and the king serving merely as the final approver.

Jeong Mong-ju, through this lecture, was conveying to the future of the nation the ideal world he and Jeong Do-jeon envisioned.

Yet, his gaze kept returning to one students head. Unsurprisingly, a hand rose from that direction.

Please ask your question.

The student stood up with a respectful bow, signifying deference to the teacher, and then presented a counterargument.

However, wont good policies be lost under the guise of majority rule or endless discussions without conclusion if the system revolves only around officials? To respond flexibly to rapidly changing political situations, wouldnt a system with both competent leaders and stable administrative system be more ideal?

The voice confidently challenged the greatest scholar of that time,

And Bang-won and Mong-jus gazes clashed sharply.

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