I Will Live As An Actor

I Will Live as an Actor Episode 121

Cherry blossoms are falling. The pink leaves, which made the hearts of college students flutter, fall and their hearts begin to pound once again. It was none other than the midterm exam period. The eyes of the college students sitting in the lecture hall are all red and bloodshot. Anyway, it’s probably because I stayed up all night studying for an exam last night.

“The white stuff is the blank space, the black stuff is the writing…!”

Kim Dong-jin, a third-year law student, is screaming while holding his head. Jaehee Shin, the president of the society, who was watching the scene from the side, quietly asked.

“Kim Dong-jin, didn’t you study for the test?”

“I couldn’t do it because there was a rugby match, and didn’t you originally say there was no test for the criminal mock trial?”

“The professor repeatedly told me during the first week of class that only the final exam will be replaced by a mock trial and that the midterm exam will proceed as is. Where on earth did you get that? It’s so fascinating. How on earth did you receive a scholarship for excellent grades when you entered school?”

“I studied hard in high school, so I tried to take it easy in college. Anyway, as long as you pass the bar exam, they will accept you even if your GPA is mediocre. By the way, Jaehee, no, president of the society! Is there any genealogy…?”

“Didn’t you hear from your seniors that there is no genealogy class in criminal trials? Professor, you give different questions every year. Hey, the bar exam isn’t like a driver’s license test, so what are you going to do if you can’t pass it?”

“At that time, Jaehee, if you open a lawyer, you can go there. Or, you should just go to the countryside and learn about livestock farming with your father.”

No matter how you look at it, this person does not seem to belong to a law department at a Korean university. Shin Jae-hee shakes his head and hands me the note book he summarized.

“These are preliminary questions that only appear on the test. Please read them before the test starts. I’m already sick of them.”

“Thank you, Jaehee!”

When Kim Dong-jin tries to hug Shin Jae-hee, Shin Jae-hee pushes him away with his eyes wide open. Anyway, Kim Dong-jin’s face looks happy as if he won the lottery. Just then, England enters the classroom.

“England!”

Compared to the other students who brought their books packed with books, their clothes were practically bare-handed. Kim Dong-jin asks with a puzzled expression.

“England, are you sure you gave up like me?”

“yes?”

“Oh, man. If you had a hard time studying because of your schedule, you should tell your senior! I already have something I’ve already taken, so let’s take a look at it together. There’s still time before the exam starts. For your information, Professor Shin Jeong-gil’s lectures don’t often accept retakes.”

“Hey Kim Dong-jin! Did someone who knew that come to the stage like that?”

“Hmm.”

England sits down in silence. Shin Jae-hee occasionally looks at England, who appears to be meditating, with a puzzled look on his face. Wasn’t he a person who was more passionate about learning than anyone else when he was listening to the lecture?

However, it seems like they don’t prepare at all before the exam. The criminal mock trial midterm exam is notoriously difficult even within the law department.

“England, are you sure you don’t have to show me?”

“It’s okay, senior.”

Kim Dong-jin asked again, but England only smiled faintly. It remains to be seen whether that courage came from giving up on the exam or from completing all preparations. Jaehee Shin shakes her head as if to shake off her thoughts and accelerates her preparations for the upcoming exam.

* * *

Shin Jae-hee always studied until late at night because it was exam period. Normally, I would have studied in the library or the reading room provided in the department building, but today was different. Shin Jae-hee flinches several times without realizing it when he hears the sound coming from the living room beyond the door.

‘Oh, let’s take a look.’

The reason she was so unable to move was simple. This was because it was none other than the day ‘King Yeonsan’s Secret’ aired. Her mother, a huge fan of actor Jang Young-guk, is already sitting in the living room watching a drama.

He had turned down the TV volume for the sake of his daughter studying, but it actually made Jaehee Shin even more interested.

‘Okay, let’s see for a moment. ‘Nothing will change if you don’t study for an hour.’

Shin Jae-hee, who closed her major book, jumped up from her seat. And then, as if possessed, he went straight to the living room. Her mother, who saw her sneaking out of the room, slapped the seat next to her with her palm as if she knew she would do so.

“I knew our daughter would come out. It hasn’t been long since it started.”

Wasn’t he the type of kid who usually watched dramas like cows and chickens? But suddenly, watching dramas with me became more frequent. That’s because the historical drama ‘The Secret of King Yeonsan’ was so attractive that you couldn’t take your eyes off it for even a moment.

Starting from the main character who plays two roles, to the characters who are all alive and full of life, to the story that makes you laugh heartily and the tension that sometimes makes your heart tighten.

Shin Jae-hee could not take her eyes off the image of actor Jang Young-guk being projected on the TV. In the scene where he held the young Saengsangsi’s hand and shook off the mud, didn’t I smile happily without realizing it? It made me wonder if such a kind-hearted man really existed in the world.

‘No matter how you look at it, it’s different from a classroom.’

He was kinder than anyone else on the TV screen, but not in the classroom. He doesn’t talk much, and the number of times he converses with other classmates can be counted on one hand. Of course, even that was taken up by Kim Dong-jin, a talkative classmate. It was even worse when I took the test today.

‘You won the gold medal.’

As a joke, isn’t it said that the three people who leave the exam room first are gold, silver, and bronze? However, since it is a law department, it does not mean that well. Usually, being the first to wake up on a test is a sign that you didn’t study enough. Actor Jang Young-guk did just that.

Has thirty minutes passed since the test started? Even though there was still half of the scheduled test time left, I suddenly got up from my seat.

‘Have you given up?’

The thought occurred to me. However, looking at his academic performance, it was hard to understand. At that moment, her father enters the front door. This is none other than Shin Jeong-gil, who was the professor for today’s criminal mock trial exam. Eventually, when the drama ends, Shin Jae-hee stands up and secretly goes to her father.

“Dad, who came first on the test today?”

Professor Shin Jeong-gil, with his gray hair, takes off his coat and speaks.

“Don’t you know it would be cheating if I told you something like that?”

“No, I wasn’t asking you to teach me the content of the test. I was just asking who came in first. Isn’t that okay? You came late today because you had to grade the test.”

“Jaehee, you are not. You were so bad at interpreting it from a law perspective. Work hard. Comparing it with the answer sheet that gave you first place, I realized that I was disappointed. No matter how you look at it, that friend is very much my friend. In my heart, it would be good if he continued to progress as a law student. ”

Shin Jae-hee’s face turns red at the sudden words. And then I became curious. Who on earth came out on top in such a strict lecture by my father?

* * *

Filming is nearing its end. The atmosphere at the filming site, which has entered the latter half of the film, is more tense than ever. This is because we are about to face a scene in which the appearance of Yeonsangun that has been shown so far will change dramatically.

“England, did you do well on the test?”

“I think it turned out pretty well.”

“If the UK is at a level where you think it’s okay, then all back or something?”

The famous PD cracks a joke to ease the tension in England. He glances at the script England is holding in his hand. It’s a script so worn that it’s hard to tell how many times it’s been unfolded.

“Today is the day you die as Yeonsangun Lee Yung. How do you feel?”

“It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t bitter. It’s not easy to wrap up a role in an instant.”

Actors sometimes become deeply immersed in their roles. For example, it is said that some actors who perform method acting suffer from aftereffects because they cannot escape from their roles even after the work is over.

“But I think I can understand a little bit.”

“uh?”

“To die for someone.”

England was able to fully understand the mind of Yeonsangun Lee Yong in the script. Didn’t he also regret his past life, thinking that he would have given up his life so many times if he could have saved his mother? Eventually, a call is heard saying that standby is complete.

In the quiet Gyeolsangol valley, only the owl’s cry occasionally rings out. Under a full moon night, a man lies collapsed in a barn in Geolsangol. The identity of the man wearing fine silk clothes and a hat is none other than Yeonsangun Lee Yung. He is moaning with his hand covering the blood flowing from his abdomen.

“Aww, why are you looking at me with such sad eyes?”

Butcher Lee Gyeol shakes his head at the fact that his older brother ended up like this because of him. The beginning of the incident was simple. Isn’t it possible that the ministers, who felt threatened by the royal authority that was rapidly strengthening after the Muosahwa (戊午士禍) that was triggered by inducing Yu Ja-gwang, plotted a treason?

As usual, Lee Yung, who came to Geolsangol only in casual clothes, received a deep stab wound from the assassins who chased him. That’s not all. Gwak San, who was wearing casual attire, was also covered in blood.

“Your Highness, I will call the royal doctor here right now!”

Kwak San, dressed as a civilian, bows down and shouts in a trembling voice. All of the assassins were killed, but the king’s condition was very serious. However, Yeonsangun Lee Yong appears to be shaking his head.

“It’s okay, don’t do anything nonsense.”

Lee Yong’s face is gradually turning pale. His younger brother Lee Gyeol says he will try his best to save his brother, but he has no talent in medicine and there is nothing he can do. At that time, the older brother’s pale hand covers the back of the younger’s hand.

“My brother, the court has always been a dangerous place, like walking on thin ice. It is still like that now. There must be more than one group of traitors. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they know your identity. They may have tried to dethrone me and present you as a scarecrow. “It’s work. That’s why I can’t survive here.”

Baekjeong Lee Gyeol cries out and hugs his older brother. Nevertheless, Yeonsangun Lee Yong appears to be shaking his head. I just thought that this day would come someday. Haven’t you been eating well and living well while betraying your only brother?

He is the older brother who has not done anything for his younger brother who lives as a butcher. As a king, as an older brother speaking to his beloved younger brother, Lee Yung makes a request.

“For you to be free, it would be impossible if those who plotted treason were still alive. Moreover, how difficult would it be to live as a butcher here in Joseon? With Gwak San’s help, escape to another place. Far, far away from here….”

Fading away. Like a lamp, Lee Yong’s pupils, who uttered words like his last words, are fading.

“Aww, from now on I will live for you.”