Song Ji-eun was also troubled by the problem related to her NGs.
She had never imagined she would keep making mistakes like this.
Normally, Song Ji-eun rarely had NGs.
Unless the director was being particularly demanding, it was safe to say she almost never had any.
It wasn’t for nothing that she was a global star.
But this project was different.
She was having an unusually high number of NGs.
What was even more maddening was that the NGs only seemed to happen when she was filming with Taeha.
That was it.
When Song Ji-eun wasn’t acting opposite Taeha, she didn’t have any NGs.
On the contrary, she got the okay sign on almost every take.
It was only when filming with Taeha that she had a particularly high number of NGs.
And it wasn’t just one NG either.
Sometimes, she would have two, three, even four NGs in a row.
For Song Ji-eun, it was a situation that was driving her crazy.
It couldn’t be helped.
‘I wanted to show a more professional side of myself in front of Taeha…’
She had been holding onto that thought.
But now she felt like she was only causing accidents, completely opposite to her intention, so it was only natural she felt insane.
‘The problem is because of that, isn’t it?’
Since the same thing kept happening repeatedly, Song Ji-eun had a rough idea of the cause of her NGs.
The cause of the NGs, as Song Ji-eun saw it, was Taeha himself.
Taeha was too handsome, his voice was too captivating, his heart was too kind…
These aspects of Taeha kept pulling Song Ji-eun, who was immersed in her role as Han Seung-hye, back to reality.
If it were just pulling her back to reality, that would be one thing.
But it went as far as turning Song Ji-eun back into just a regular fan.
That was why Song Ji-eun would make blank expressions, moved expressions, and expressions as if falling in love again while filming with Taeha.
It would be better if she were lucky and it was a scene where Han Seung-hye could make such expressions towards Kim Seong-wol.
Unfortunately, Byeonghwa Parts 1 through 3 were filled with content where Han Seung-hye pushes Kim Seong-wol away.
Because of that, Song Ji-eun had to keep rejecting Taeha, even though it went against her true feelings.
As a result, Song Ji-eun started to feel pity for Taeha and even felt sorry towards him.
Realizing this, Song Ji-eun was deeply disappointed in herself.
‘Was I… only this much of an actress…?’
The problem was that there was nowhere to confide about this situation.
Even her manager didn’t know that Song Ji-eun was a fan.
Only Song Ji-eun herself knew that she was a fan.
So, she had to be the one to solve this problem.
But she couldn’t see a way out at all.
Whenever she looked at Taeha, her heart would melt all over again.
‘Ah, just the other day I was worried that seeing Taeha in person would shatter my fan illusions, but now I’m worried that my identity as a fan is only getting stronger.’
In fact, Song Ji-eun’s fan feelings were currently at their peak.
The proof was that she felt excited coming to the set every day, and her heart would race as if it would jump out of her chest just from Taeha breathing beside her.
Perhaps it was even more remarkable that she could hide these feelings and act at her current level.
The closer she saw him, the stronger her fan feelings grew.
That was the real charm that Taeha possessed.
The fact that Song Ji-eun couldn’t find a solution to the problem was largely because she couldn’t escape this charm.
‘In the end, is there no other way but to keep filming while having these NGs?’
The only saving grace was that Song Ji-eun wasn’t having so many NGs that filming was being delayed yet.
At this level, it could be considered a normal amount of NGs.
In fact, Jo Joong-hoon had never scolded Song Ji-eun once for her frequent NGs.
Actors playing sub-roles and sub-sub-roles had sometimes had even more NGs than Song Ji-eun.
Because of that, the atmosphere on set wasn’t bad at all.
On the contrary, it was very warm and friendly.
This was thanks to Taeha’s performance, who was acting flawlessly day after day without a single NG, unlike Song Ji-eun.
There was nothing better for an actor to improve the set atmosphere than giving a good performance.
Moreover, the easygoing Taeha would casually chat with actors in every corner of the set, exchange jokes with the staff, and actively liven up the atmosphere himself.
It was the best attitude an actor could show on set.
And witnessing this scene had another negative effect on Song Ji-eun.
‘How can our Taeha have such a good personality too?’
Because it made her think that.
And that, in turn, interfered with her immersion into Han Seung-hye.
Ultimately, the NG problem was connected to Song Ji-eun’s own confidence, unrelated to anyone else.
Repeated NGs were a major cause for an actor’s loss of confidence.
“Haah.”
Song Ji-eun let out a sigh without realizing it, and Taeha witnessed it from afar.
***
‘Is she gradually losing her confidence because of the frequent NGs after all?’
Taeha accurately saw through the difficulty Song Ji-eun was experiencing.
Of course, that didn’t mean he knew the cause was himself.
He only guessed that, for some reason, Song Ji-eun couldn’t focus on her role.
And he also knew to some extent that the reason was something difficult to solve, whether by him or with someone else’s help.
If it weren’t, then Song Ji-eun, famous in the industry for rarely having NGs, wouldn’t be showing this side of herself.
In fact, many people besides Taeha guessed that Song Ji-eun was having difficulties.
They just didn’t pry into the reason out of consideration for her.
Taeha was the same.
He didn’t ask Song Ji-eun why she was troubled.
Even if he knew the reason, he knew he wouldn’t be able to solve it for her.
So, Taeha looked for a solution elsewhere.
That’s when a method he had thought of recently came to his mind.
‘I should try that method today.’
While Taeha was lost in thought,
Jo Joong-hoon instructed the actors to stand by for the next shoot.
Currently, Byeonghwa had finished filming Parts 4 and 5 and was in the middle of filming Part 6.
Unlike Parts 1, 2, and 3, which mostly focused on the relationship between Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye, Parts 4, 5, and 6 conveyed the atmosphere of the calm before the storm right before the Imjin War.
With the possibility of Japan starting a war, the Easterners and Westerners were in conflict, and the Westerner Hwa Yu-gil and the Easterner Kim Seong-il—
The Westerners were in conflict, the Westerner Hwang Yun-gil and the Easterner Kim Seong-il gave conflicting statements about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and a scene appeared where Yu Seong-ryong asked Kim Seong-il what he intended to do if war broke out later.
It was a historical flow well-known to everyone.
But in Byeonghwa, this content heightened the tension by contrasting with the daily lives of people working hard and loving, almost unaware of the signs of war.
Meanwhile, the feelings between Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye also underwent many changes.
First, in Part 4, Han Seung-hye realizes that her feelings toward Kim Seong-wol are not as cold as before.
She keeps finding herself concerned about Kim Seong-wol.
But strangely, she frequently encounters Kim Seong-wol, whom she couldn’t meet before even if she wanted to.
Han Seung-hye pretends not to know Kim Seong-wol, and Kim Seong-wol, considerate of her, simply passes by.
But that doesn’t erase the fact that they met by chance.
Thus, the two keep lingering in each other’s sight.
At one point, a flustered Han Seung-hye even trips in front of Kim Seong-wol and falls into his arms.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes. I’m fine. I misstepped. So, would you please let go of that hand?”
“Ah. My apologies.”
Embarrassing situations keep unfolding, and then rumors related to Kim Seong-wol’s family begin to circulate.
Rumors that they are seeking a marriage partner for Kim Seong-wol.
Han Seung-hye hears these rumors too.
In Part 5, a scene unfolds where Kim Seong-wol is forced to meet various women.
His family, accommodating Kim Seong-wol’s wish for a love marriage, arranged meetings disguised as coincidences.
Naturally, Kim Seong-wol, who sensed these signs, finds these meetings uncomfortable.
Even Kim Seong-wol, who is usually kind to everyone, finds it hard to control his expression.
Because he believed feelings of affection couldn’t arise artificially.
But to a third party, it doesn’t seem that way.
Kim Seong-wol is still kind and gentle.
Crucially, Han Seung-hye witnesses this.
And without realizing it, she feels something akin to jealousy.
Amidst this, the two meet again by chance.
“So, you’ll be betrothed soon.”
“You heard?”
“Everyone in all eight provinces of Joseon seems to be talking about nothing but that rumor.”
“And how did you feel?”
“About what?”
“You really don’t care at all. I’m sorry. I had foolish expectations.”
“……”
“For now, my family is still trying to fulfill my wish. My wish to be betrothed to someone I have affection for. But, perhaps this won’t last long either. I will soon be betrothed to someone I do not love. And I will spend my life trying to love that person I do not love.”
“……”
“And I will try to forget the one I love. Even though I know I may never be able to forget them for my entire life.”
“!”
“I’m sorry. I added unnecessary words. I shall take my leave now.”
Han Seung-hye feels a pang of sorrow watching Kim Seong-wol’s retreating back after leaving words close to a confession.
But she cannot bring herself to stop him.
Because she hasn’t yet sorted out her own feelings.
For Kim Seong-wol, it is remembered as another rejection.
And now, the currently filming Part 6.
Here, things finally come to a head.
His family stops trying to accommodate Kim Seong-wol’s wish and begins pushing for a political marriage.
Kim Seong-wol’s mother tries to dissuade his father, who is being forceful, but it’s no use.
Instead, his father scolds his mother for even entertaining the idea of a love marriage.
Kim Seong-wol accidentally overhears his parents’ conversation but steps away, having already anticipated this.
As the son of a noble family, he knew that living as freely as he had until now was already a privilege.
And Han Seung-hye belatedly hears news about Kim Seong-wol.
Simultaneously, Han Seung-hye realizes a certain feeling and runs towards Kim Seong-wol.
She searches places where Kim Seong-wol might be but cannot find him.
Then, a thought strikes her, and she heads to the place where she heard those words close to a confession not long ago.
Finally, the two confront each other.
This was the scene where filming would now begin.
Confirming that preparations were complete, Jo Joong-hoon shouted.
“Ready! Action!”
Receiving Jo Joong-hoon’s signal, Taeha and Song Ji-eun became Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye, respectively.
***
And a little while later.
Having finished all the filming, Song Ji-eun couldn’t help but murmur to herself.
“Why… didn’t my immersion break this time?”
Amazingly, even though it was a scene directly facing Taeha,
there were no NGs.