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A taut confrontation with no signs of yielding.

A cold, sharp gaze devoid of any warmth.

“Wow, they’re really going at it from the start.”

“They don’t give off any awkward vibes at all.”

Even though it was certainly our first time exchanging lines today, it felt anything but ordinary.

Especially the standoff between the empress Yoon and Yeongwol felt even more intense than I had anticipated.

“You always talk as if you’d give up your liver and gallbladder if the crown prince asks.”

“If this humble body can be of any assistance to Your Highness, how could I not offer?”

A struggle between those wanting to keep the crown prince Lee Hyun in check and those wanting to protect him.

At the same time, people who were adversaries to one another.

It felt more vivid when the two people, both the same age in the storyline and in real life, clashed head-on.

A collision of full effort where neither side could be deemed superior or inferior.

This meant that Ha-eun’s acting and Da-yeon’s acting seamlessly blended together.

If one side stood out too much, the tension of the scene would inevitably drop.

“Both of them have such drastically changed images.”

This was Ha-eun’s first time portraying a character with a sharp image like Yeongwol.

It was also Da-yeon’s first time playing the antagonist role of Empress Yoon.

Both of them felt unfamiliar in multiple ways.

No, it felt new.

Yet, there was not a trace of awkwardness or forced feelings, allowing the viewers to immerse themselves even deeper in their performances.

Above all, this fresh feeling matched exactly what the director, Jin Gyu-sung, was aiming for.

“All three of you were great. Your performances were something to look forward to on filming day.”

Jin Gyu-sung’s genuine praise for the freshly completed [S#13. The Three Meeting at the Eastern Palace] was clear.

With the second script reading scene about to begin, it was an overall scene of harmony among the main cast, supporting roles, and extras.

After that, for quite a while, they adjusted their combined tones, intensities, and nuances for each character’s voice more harmoniously.

As the staff began to feel the positive vibes filling the room, they thought more and more:

“This time, it really might be different.”

“I hope we can enjoy a relaxed company dinner this time.”

It had already been three years since the KBC drama department hit a slump.

The bitter taste from the dramas they poured their hearts into failing at the box office was getting old.

So this time, they hoped to taste the sweetness of success instead of the bitterness of failure.

Feeling the impressive acting they were encountering now, they believed it could definitely bring that sweetness.

After quite a long time of losing track of the passage of time while reading the script, night fell, shrouding the sky in darkness.

“Okay, just one more scene and we’ll wrap it up.”

Gyu-sung’s words, signaling to finish with one of the highlights under the moonlight that split the clouds, reached everyone.

Naturally, it was only natural to be curious about what scene it would be.

“Ready for [S#47. Injured Yeongwol]? Just let me know when you’re set.”

S#47. Injured Yeongwol.

This was the scene that Ha-eun had told Seung-jae was her favorite just a few hours earlier.

At the same time, it was also the scene that made her want to play Yeongwol.

This was the very scene that piqued Ha-eun’s interest in cross-dressing.

It was not a confrontation with an antagonist like Empress Yoon.

It wasn’t a scene showcasing charisma as a knight either.

“It’s the scene where Yeongwol first reveals her femininity.”

Yeongwol, a girl dressed as a boy, finally shows her aspects as a woman.

It was a complex scene expressing the gap between man and woman through the character Yeongwol, quiet yet emotional.

For Ha-eun, this gap between man and woman was acting that she could confidently perform better than anyone else.

No one could match Ha-eun when it came to switching between both genders.

After all, no one else in this world had the experiences Ha-eun had.

Only Ha-eun had lived as both a man and a woman.

“Ha-eun! Are you ready?”

“…Yes.”

As soon as Seung-jae confirmed that Ha-eun was ready, he slowly cleared his throat.

Within a few seconds thereafter.

“I wondered where the injured person was hurrying off to. So you were hiding here.”

Finally, as the voice of Crown Prince Lee Hyun recited the line from the script, the final script reading began.

“…Your Highness?”

“Who else would wander through the palace looking for you at this hour?”

The assassination attempt by the assassins waiting for Hyun’s return from stealth.

Yeongwol, who single-handedly fended off the sudden attack, ended up with a cut to her waist.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious wound, but her upper body bandages, which were wrapped for cross-dressing, were soaked in blood.

The scene preceding <Injured Yeongwol> involved trying to change the bandages in a small storeroom within the Eastern Palace.

The main content of <Injured Yeongwol> starts with Hyun finding out that Yeongwol, who had suddenly gone missing, is in the storeroom.

“Open the door. I need to see with my own eyes that your injury isn’t serious.”

Hyun, worried and feeling guilty about Yeongwol, wants to check her wound directly.

And Yeongwol, who pleads with him to please not enter the storeroom.

From Yeongwol’s perspective, this was a reasonable request.

Because currently, Yeongwol was in a state where half of her upper body was exposed, her bandages loosened.

If Hyun were to enter the storeroom, he would definitely realize that Yeongwol was a girl.

Wanting to stay by Hyun’s side, Yeongwol absolutely had to prevent Hyun from entering the storeroom.

“You mustn’t, Your Highness. You cannot see me like this.”

“This wound came from trying to protect me. What is so ugly about it that you want to hide?”

“Please, Your Highness. Just this once, I beg you.”

Uneven breath.

A trembling voice.

This was an emotional side of Yeongwol that Hyun had never encountered before.

At the same time, it was Yeongwol’s first time showing her vulnerable side.

The manly side of Yeongwol gradually faded, and the gap left was filled by her as a woman.

This process of transformation would typically be awkward for any actress to perform.

“…So natural.”

“Is this acting?”

“No one could have taught her that kind of acting.”

Only one person, Ha-eun.

She was able to perform it without any awkwardness at all.

“…Are you truly okay?”

“Yes, Your Highness. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Thus, Hyun, unable to step into the storeroom where Yeongwol was, simply leans against the storeroom door and slowly sits down.

The story of how Hyun had perceived Yeongwol up to that point began then.

“When I was five, I witnessed Gimi Sang-gung dying from coughing up blood.”

Assassination attempts against Hyun had been ongoing for quite some time.

Though he’d managed to survive through sheer coincidence, the ongoing attempts never ceased.

“I was afraid I’d see those lifeless eyes again, so I couldn’t keep anyone by my side. Really, no one… I couldn’t have anyone close.”

Hyun made himself a lonely figure.

In the vast palace, he was kept from relying on anyone.

However, after meeting Yeongwol for the first time a few years back.

Once Yeongwol had ended up as his bodyguard.

“Only after meeting you did I finally find something I could hold onto. For the first time, I found someone I could call mine.”

He no longer had to endure loneliness.

He no longer had to harshly push away those who approached him.

“So don’t make me fear again… that’s an order.”

However, only hours ago, Yeongwol had been stabbed instead of the crown prince, Lee Hyun.

More accurately, it was that nightmare scenario where Yeongwol’s black attire was slowly turning red.

“Do not make me fear… that’s an order.”

No matter how strong Yeongwol was, it reminded us that she could leave Hyun’s side.

It made him experience the same fear he felt at five.

To Yeongwol, Hyun’s voice from beyond the storeroom door was something she could not overlook.

At the same time, it was a voice revealing how dearly Hyun valued her.

And finally.

Yeongwol realized why she wanted to stay by Hyun’s side.

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

After suppressing feelings she could never convey in any other time, she managed to respond with a voice tinged with moisture.

Her expression was darker than it had ever been.

Thus, with Yeongwol’s face, muddled with various emotions, the performance of S#47 Injured Yeongwol came to a complete close.

Jin Gyu-sung, who had silently observed the performances of Ha-eun and Seung-jae, finally opened his tightly shut mouth.

“That was perfect.”

He delivered his brief yet precise impression to both Ha-eun and Seung-jae.

The heavy atmosphere that no one could break began to slowly lift just after that.

The chatter that followed consisted entirely of individual impressions about Ha-eun and Seung-jae’s performances.

Among the bustling mix of amazement and anticipation, there was still one person maintaining silence—Da-yeon.

However, even Da-yeon couldn’t help but speak after facing Ha-eun, who had quietly approached.

After all, Ha-eun’s expression was.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

The expression simply radiated disappointment toward Da-yeon.

The usual indifference had completely vanished.

“I don’t need your permission to audition for a role I want.”

“Even so… you could have at least told me. I shared everything with you.”

Finally, there she was, asking if she wanted to slap herself.

However, she hadn’t auditioned for the role of Empress Yoon just because she wanted to hit Ha-eun.

The reason she selected that role was to resolve the ‘strange sensation’ she’d felt when she saw Ha-eun surrounded by friends back then.

“…Let’s act as if we don’t know each other until this filming wraps up.”

She declared that she would keep her distance from Ha-eun for a while.

After all, she realized that if she was always attached to Ha-eun, she wouldn’t be able to immerse herself in the role of Empress Yoon, who had to torment Ha-eun’s Yeongwol.

Ha-eun could manipulate emotions effortlessly while Da-yeon could not.

Thus, she thought she needed to restrain her own feelings for a more perfect performance as Empress Yoon.

“If I don’t, I can’t take on that brat.”

Once, she had looked down upon, been flustered by, desired, and resented Ha-eun’s acting.

That’s why she could not entertain any half-hearted resolve when it came to acting against Ha-eun.

And thus began her distancing from Ha-eun.

However, there was one very important problem Da-yeon hadn’t considered.

“…This is boring.”

That was the fact that aside from Ha-eun, she didn’t have any decent friends.

Could it have been due to needing the sharp air of Empress Yoon for the shooting of the moonlight scene?

None of Na-rae-ye-go’s people dared to strike a conversation with Da-yeon.

As time passed, the absence of Ha-eun grew larger, and Da-yeon chose her phone to fill that void.

More precisely, it was an internet broadcast clip featuring a name she found somewhat familiar starting from this Tuesday.

“Do you have a boyfriend? Of course, I do☆”

– Whoa

– Me

– Diya, my horn hurts, Diya my horn hurts, Diya my horn hurts, Diya my horn hurts, Diya my horn hurts, Diya my horn hurts, Diya my horn hurts

– Rock

– Me

– Do you want to do a dome performance too? Do you want to do a dome performance too? Do you want to do a dome performance too? Do you want to do a dome performance too?

“Why are you so surprised? I bet there are at least 3000 guys, not counting those in this room.”

– What?

– Extreme

– My horn doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt

– Rock

– Extreme

– Wouldn’t mind if the firstborn is a daughter (this message has been deleted)

– When did I escape from being single?

“…It’s kind of fun.”

Initially, she tuned into the broadcast thinking the name sounded familiar.

As of now, she was watching it for the lively voice and the atmosphere in the chat room that changed every few seconds.

Of course, she only watched it when no one was around.

She currently lacked the confidence to explain it without any shame if the classmates asked her what it was.