Sounds of screaming and thundering footsteps stirred the air of a certain noble family's mansion.
"'No! Get back!'"
"'How dare you people step into the sacred grounds of our Seo—'"
Eeeeeeek—!
Fake blood sprayed everywhere as the prop swords slashed and cut their targets.
"'Don't blame us—it is your Seo family who went against the empress in the first place. Blame your own fates for being in the way of Her Highness' path!'"
"'Nooooo—!'"
Crash!
Just as the members of the main branch was being dragged out into the courtyard to be executed, the large gates of the mansion was thrown open.
Several men rushed into the chaos, swords drawn.
"'Stop! By my power as the crown prince, I order you to stand down!'" One of the men shouted. He stood regally with his sword pointed at his enemies, looking as if he was challenging them.
"'It's the Crown Prince! Men, take him down!'"
Contrary to his expectations, the soldiers did not heed his order. Instead, they pointed their weapons at him and attacked his party.
"'Your Highness! Ryeong!'" An old man who was holding his ground as he bled in the courtyard called out. He looked at the newly-arrived reinforcements with panic and a slight hint of relief.
"'Father!'" The second male lead called out. He rushed out to help him, but was blocked by the enemy soldiers.
"'General Seo, we've come to help!'"
"'Forget about me, and save the women and children!'" He valiantly yelled.
"'Hurry and take down the general! He won't last long with those wounds!'" The enemy's commanding officer yelled.
"'Captain Tae, you...! You've betrayed the Crown! The heavens will not forgive your treachery!'" Patriarch Seo yelled back.
"'Hmph! The one who betrayed the Crown was you. If you and your son hadn't foiled the empress' plans, things would not have turned out this way.'"
"'How dare you—!'" The patriarch charged at the other man, intending to take him down.
"'General, wait—!'" The crown prince moved to stop the older man's reckless act, but he, too, was swarmed by enemies.
Schiiik—!
However, the old general was outnumbered and ended up being the one who was taken down.
"'Father! Nooo—!'" The second male lead yelled, his voice tinged with pain.
The sound of women's cries grew louder.
"'Men, leave no lives intact.'" After leaving this instruction, the evil man walked away with heavy, confident steps. He had achieved his objective, thus there was no need to stay around. After this massacre, the feud between the empress and the crown prince would be revealed to the public. There was no turning back, and he had to prepare for the war to come.
"'Captain Tae! I will not allow you to leave. On this day, I shall take your life in atonement for your sins!'" The main lead said. He slashed the soldiers left and right, attempting to reach the man.
He turned to look at his confidant and his personal bodyguard. "'Seo Ryeong, I will leave the matters here to you. Seok, I'll leave you and a few others to assist him. The rest, come with me! I want to capture Captain Tae, dead or alive!"
"""'Yes, your highness!'"""
The fighting intensified.
Finally, it was Yeo Ri's turn to appear.
One of the soldiers dragged her out of the house by the arm as she tried to fight back. However, the man was far stronger than her, and the frail young miss could only resist helplessly.
"'Kyaaa—!'" She shrieked as the soldier tugged her towards the courtyard. She almost tripped on her skirt but the man refused to let her go even as she was half-kneeling on the ground. With slightly dishevelled hair, she was brought out into the maelstrom of swords and dust.
"'Yeon!'" The second male lead yelled as he took notice of her. His eyes widened in agitation as he witnessed his one and only sister being manhandled on her way to her impending doom.
"'Orabeoni—!'" Yeo Ri turned to the second lead with tears in her eyes, face filled with fear. She called out to him miserably.
Without meaning to, Yeo Ri broke character for a split second.
Her focus unwittingly shifted to the other man—the third male lead, Ryeon Jae Hwan—who stood with his brows furrowed, his prop weapon stained with red. With his serious, unsettling expression, he reminded her of Hyuk even more.
Clenching her teeth, she fought hard to suppress her longing. It just wasn't the same without him, and not even Gun could fill up the hole that Hyuk left no matter how hard he tried. She missed those days when it was just the three of them; always, together. It didn't feel right when either of them were gone.
The man noticed her gaze and looked back at her, as if surprised to feel her gaze on him.
Realising her faux pas, Yeo Ri immediately lowered her head and bit her lips. 'Oh, no!' She trembled, fearing for the 'cut!' to be called out and the flurry of scoldings to rain down on her. She tightly closed her eyes.
Surprisingly, the director did not scrap the take and Yeo Ri had no choice but to go on. She glance back up, "'Orabeoni...! Help me...!'" She cried as she acted as if she was struggling to get out of her captive's hold. The soldier spurred back into action and continued to drag her away.
"—Okay, cut!"
—Finally, the take ended.
The director said nothing after stopping the cameras. He merely stared at the actors thoughtfully, whispering something with the scriptwriter. Their gazes went back and forth between Yeo Ri's spot to the main leads'.
Yeo Ri stood worriedly. She knew she erred in the last take, and it made her scared considering that this was the first time she had made such a glaring mistake during a job. It was shameful to both herself and the agency she was representing.
However—
—Yeo Ri was just overthinking.
The director, who had been monitoring everything thoroughly, had also noticed Yeo Ri's distraction. The spark of affection in her gaze and the trace of interest in Ryeon Jae Hwan's eyes in that split second of OOC did not escape his eyes. His mind whirred with ideas.
Actually, he was at a loss for the direction of Ryeon Jae Hwan's character. As the crown prince's bodyguard, he appeared very frequently. However, being such a serious and untalkative character, he had little to no character development and at some points seemed like an ornament or a convenient tool for the main lead's character. Despite carrying an important role, he was practically invisible.
But the momentary lapse of concentration by the two actors opened up a path for him. He found a way to give some personality to the character, and Yeo Ri was the key.
"I'm making some changes to the scene," he said after finishing his discussion with his team.
"Miss Yeo Ri, Jae Hwan-ah, can you come over here for a bit?" He called out to the two actors who caught his attention.
Yeo Ri flinched as the director called her name. "Y-yes!" Sweating coldly, she took a deep breath and headed down to the director.
"What's wrong, Director?" Ryeon Jae Hwan asked as soon as he reached the director's side.
"Oh, it's nothing. I wanted to revise some scenes for Yi Seok's backstory. I thought it would be a good idea to tie him to the Seos. I was thinking of adding a loveline between Yi Seok and Seo Ryeong's little sister, Seo Yeon. What do you guys think?"
Yeo Ri's eyes widened in surprise. "Does that mean..." She was going to get more screen-time? That was good news; far from the scolding she thought she was going to get from the director!
"That sounds good. But wouldn't it seem like an afterthought if she was added at this juncture?" The scene they were filming right then was for the fourteenth episode; it would be far too late to add anything to a character's backstory without it looking forced.
"That's what I'm worried about. I discussed it earlier with Writer Go about reshooting some of the earlier scenes, but I don't know if other people are willing to do that."
"Well, you're the director." The actor shrugged his shoulders, a slight smile on his face. Yeo Ri found herself staring again, though she hadn't intended to.
"Miss, is there something on my face?" The man teased as he noticed her gaze.
"O-oh! Um—I—uh—" Yeo Ri looked away in a fluster, a blush staining her cheeks.
"Jae Hwan-ah, your beauty is sinful. How can you seduce a young girl?" The director laughed as he poked fun at the actor. Was this the start of a wonderful love story? The guy was devilishly handsome, and the girl was an angelic beauty... what a match. Even though there was an age gap between them, it was still within an acceptable range. Standing side-by-side, they appeared like a gorgeous painting.
"He's handsome, isn't he, Miss Yeo Ri?" The director switched his target and teased the girl.
"...Yes." Yeo Ri seemed as if she only knew how to be honest. She nodded seriously as she responded to the older man.
"Oh my! Oh my!" The director gaped. He wasn't expecting the girl to be so straightforward. "If you guys end up dating, don't forget to give me my credits," the director sighed.
"You're speaking nonsense, Mr. Director!" Ryeon Jae Hwan laughed, raising an eyebrow at his claims. He glanced at the blushing girl, a feeling of fascination and a hint of sweetness rising inside him over her apparent interest in him. It was always flattering for a man to have a cute girl crushing on him, after all. He'd probably have to wait for a few years before they could date openly, though.
"Am I? Tell me, Miss Yeo Ri, did you or did you not fall for our Jae Hwan here?" The director laughed again.
"Oh, no—that's not it—I—!" Yeo Ri immediately shook her head. "Um—!"
"Okay, that's enough, Director. You're going to make her uncomfortable." Ryeon Jae Hwan raised his hand, motioning the director to stop with his bantering. He placed his arm politely around her, as if to insinuate that he would protect her.
Yeo Ri shrunk instinctively though he was barely touching her.
Noticing her grimace, he increased the space between them, letting his arm hover without actually touching her.
"Sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?" He asked gently. They just met, so he couldn't afford to scare her away, after all.
"Um, no..." Yeo Ri answered feebly.
"—Excuse me. I would like to continue the discussion about her future scenes. If you could confirm the details for me, then maybe we can work it in our schedules soon."
Secretary Kwon intervened from out of nowhere. His lips were set in a straight line as he deliberately inserted himself between the actor and the young miss, creating a division between them. Inwardly, he complained about how she easily allowed the stranger to come close to her when she had treated him like a criminal when they first met. This was unfair! Favouritism! Double standards!
"—O-oh, yes, of course." The director realised his over-reaction and immediately snapped back into professionalism.