Chapter 56: Scandalous Whispers

The title Youngyoung rises over the ink splattered like blood. The intense opening had the online community buzzing in real-time. 

Wow, what is this? 

The screen, faded to black, brightens again to reveal a publishing company. Kim Sohyun (Ryubyul), an employee, busily sorts book inventory with her colleagues. Her eyes catch a book by author Lee Inna. 

“A prince who disappeared in the Joseon era…” 

“Oh, Sohyun-ssi, have you read it?” 

Kim Sohyun, skimming the book’s summary, looks up. Spotting a colleague waving at her, a warm smile spreads across her face. After exchanging light greetings, she glances at the book in her hand and speaks. 

“Was there really such a history?” 

“Come on, it’s all fiction. No way a person not in history actually existed.” 

“Of course, right?” 

At the colleague’s dismissive reaction, Kim Sohyun chuckles along. 

Continuing to organize books, she tilts her head as she picks up the last book from a box. Muttering that it feels light, she opens it and frowns. 

“The book’s torn.” 

Suddenly, the scene shifts as if Kim Sohyun is being pulled into the book. 

The screen transitions. Under a stormy night sky with flashing lightning, Yeonwoo (Im Bada) sits alone in a room, her face flickering uneasily in the lamplight. 

“…Is she dead?” 

Her first soliloquy emerges amidst the pouring rain. Her confused eyes wander aimlessly around the room. 

Then, as if reflecting her chaotic mind, a vision of young Yeonwoo appears before her. 

“Since we were kids, you were jealous of Kim Sohyun, liked her, but wished she’d die.” 

The child actor (Han Dayoung) delivering Yeonwoo’s inner thoughts made viewers swallow hard. The screen shakes slightly, mirroring Yeonwoo’s emotions, as she stands abruptly, speaking forcefully. 

“Yes, that’s right. I was jealous of Sohyun, liked her as a friend, envied what she had that I didn’t. But is that wrong? My friend is dead. Who would blame me for shedding tears or smiling for her today…” 

Her face, on the verge of tears, twitches slightly at the corners of her mouth. Yeonwoo’s relentless emotional acting pulls viewers into the screen. 

– Her eyes are acting too, insane… 

– A close-up with no dialogue went on for over 2 minutes, and I didn’t even notice. 

– Is this K-drama pride? 

└ ? lolololol 

└ lolol what K-drama pride 

└ Because it’s well-made? lol 

Panting heavily with emotion, Yeonwoo is interrupted as the door bursts open. Chaehee, pale-faced, shouts. 

“The daughter of Kim Jong-geon, Kim Sohyun, is alive!” 

Following Chaehee’s words, the scene shifts to a rainy mountain. As workers dig through the soil, thunder roars, and Kim Sohyun’s eyes snap open. 

…Wow, episode 1 is already fun 

– Now I get why it’s 12 episodes lol, the pacing is crazy fast 

– Felt like watching a movie 

– Honestly, I thought Im Hoon’s acting would suck, but it was pretty good? In Youth 2015 he was just okay lol 

But you can’t judge everything by episode 1. Dramas can start strong and fizzle out. 

– Episode 2, let’s go 

– Heading to episode 2 ㄱㄱ 

Those who finished episode 1 moved to episode 2, entranced. Kim Sohyun, who had crawled out of a grave and startled everyone, kneels before her father. 

“…Hello?” 

“Hello?” 

“No, I mean, hello. I’m Kim Sohyun?” 

Unlike the thriller-like episode 1, episode 2 leans more into romantic comedy vibes. Amidst the salty and funny back-and-forth, an eerie atmosphere persists. 

The Kim clan, displeased that Kim Sohyun, a concubine’s child and their ticket to revival, has returned alive. 

“Why did you come back alive!” 

Kim Jong-geon (Sohyun’s father) clicks his tongue in disgust. Overhearing this, Kim Sohyun crosses her arms, rolling her eyes. 

“…Hmm. Poor kid.” 

She quickly realizes her family is constantly plotting to kill her. 

“No one’s on her side.” 

One day, reaching for a jewelry box, Kim Sohyun finds a diary inside. 

“…A diary?” 

It’s the diary of the era’s Kim Sohyun, detailing her life. 

[A lifetime of living cautiously, a night I wished to die.] 

Reading it, she suddenly feels a gaze and turns. Through a hole in the window, she locks eyes with a pair of pitch-black eyes watching her. 

– OMG, crazy 

– Poor dead Sohyun 

– Who killed her then? 

The screen pans across suspects’ faces before episode 2 ends with rapid pacing. Hidden Easter eggs spark viewers’ theorizing. 

– They said dead Kim Sohyun was holding a cloth? 

└ That’s probably a clue, but it’s gone 

– Guys, who do you think killed Kim Sohyun? 

└ I think Yeonwoo’s mom 

└ I think Kim Sohyun’s family 

└ I’ll just watch, my brain’s too small 

Episode 3 centers on Kim Sohyun conspiring with Prince Lee young to catch the culprit. At night, while the Kim clan sleeps, she sneaks out to meet Lee young (Im Hoon) at a crossroads. He senses something. 

“Sohyun never sent me messages, and she was a kid who hid her feelings with a smile.” 

“…Is that so?” 

“She lived under Yeonwoo’s shadow. Even with her memory loss.” 

Lee young eyes Kim Sohyun suspiciously. 

“Your actions are different from before. Who are you?” 

“…What?” 

“You’re not the Sohyun I know.” 

Realizing this, he corners her against a wall, suspecting she’s not the real Kim Sohyun. 

“I’m Kim Sohyun…” 

“Same face, same actions. But not the Sohyun I knew.” 

“Oh, I didn’t come here to talk about that!” 

Facing a future king, the fear of being exposed as not the real Kim Sohyun drives her to desperately dodge. 

“Then why did you come to meet me?” 

“…This.” 

She pulls out a hidden cloth. 

“…This is the cloth I was holding before I died.” 

“Isn’t this only used in the palace?” 

“Yes. That I had it before I died… Could it be a dying message…” 

“Dye-ming? What?” 

“Dying message. The last words of the dead.” 

“…Words of the dead.” 

Suddenly, a rustle nearby. Lee young’s eyes sharpen, and he reflexively covers Kim Sohyun’s mouth, shielding her with his body as they vanish into the shadows. A strange voice emerges. 

“…Did you bring it?” 

“That thing!” 

Suspicious dialogue. Simultaneously, soft footsteps echo from the roof. 

Swish— 

A head falls to the ground. Startled, Kim Sohyun is steadied by Lee young’s firm grip. 

“…Let’s go.” 

The assassin leaves the body sprawled, deliberately leaving traces to signal the death. 

The scene zooms in on Lee young and Kim Sohyun exchanging meaningful glances, ending episode 3. 

– The story’s pacing is insane? 

– Lee young’s super perceptive; I wouldn’t have noticed 

└ Seriously, not noticing is weirder. They were childhood friends, and he didn’t know? Not a real friend 

– No K-drama pride trolls this time lol 

└ They showed up earlier lol 

Episode 4’s preview was already loud. Up until now, Tae Jin-hwa appeared only in profile, face covered, or from behind, but this episode revealed her elegant face. 

– lol Tae Jin-hwa’s acting hasn’t aged a bit. Five years of training in seclusion? 

└ Seclusion training lol 

└ Her aura alone… 

└ ㅠㅠ Tae Jin-hwa as a mom? The world’s changed so much ㅠㅠ 

Episode 4 begins quietly with Igeum Jin (Tae Jin-hwa) walking. The camera captures her hanbok rippling gently with each step, slowly panning to her face. Leaving the palace, she speaks to a guard. 

“The task.” 

“It’s handled.” 

“Is it?” 

Her calm tone, with a slight lift at the end, exudes nobility. Her composed yet complex expression as she walks out hints at the situation’s depth. 

Arriving home, she spots Chaehee (Seong Saebyeok) pacing in the courtyard and calls softly. 

“Chaehee-ya.” 

“Yes, my lady!” 

“Where’s Yeonwoo?” 

“She’s in her room. Still…” 

“Still like that, I see.” 

Igeum Jin lifts her skirt slightly and enters Yeonwoo’s room. 

“Daughter!” 

“Mother!” 

Yeonwoo, lying down, hurriedly sits up. Igeum Jin gazes at her pale, delicate daughter, untouched by sunlight, and smiles with pity. 

“There’s no time to lie around. Your wedding date will be set soon.” 

“…What? Wedding date?” 

Tears, still fresh, drip from Yeonwoo’s eyes. Igeum Jin sighs at her daughter’s tears. 

“That’s how it is.” 

“Wedding date? They say Kim Sohyun is alive. Then shouldn’t she be the one marrying?” 

Yeonwoo’s hand, embroidering, drops. Trembling with shock, her mother watches her. 

“Didn’t you want him too?” 

“…Who are you talking about, Mother?” 

A silent scene follows. Their gazes lock, and the mother slowly reaches out, gently rubbing her daughter’s cheek. 

“Prince Lee young.” 

“…..”

“Him.” 

– Wow 

– Am I the only one holding my breath? 

– Yeonwoo’s actress is great, but Tae Jin-hwa’s so good it’s synergistic… 

Yeonwoo’s trembling intensifies as she lowers her gaze. With a low sigh, her mother embraces her. 

– Insane 

– Whoa 

As the mother’s face is close-upped, tense BGM plays. 

“Our daughter has too many stray thoughts…” 

“…Stray thoughts?” 

“Do you think I killed her?” 

Her gaze slowly traces Yeonwoo’s face, from eyes to chin, like a caress. 

“I didn’t kill her, my daughter. So neither you nor I can miss this chance to enter the palace.” 

Her voice, like a lullaby, carries an eerie calm. The window rattles with a harsh wind, amplifying the chilling atmosphere. Yeonwoo, clenching her teeth, lies prostrate, her eyes bloodshot. 

“…I understand, Mother.” 

Stepping into the courtyard, Yeonwoo steadies her trembling body, standing tall like a crane. 

Praying to the moon, the scene shifts to Kim Sohyun, also gazing at the moon. 

‘…I’m sorry.’

Yeonwoo’s inner voice, shedding tears in secret, echoes as she murmurs to Chaehee. 

Answering her heart, Kim Sohyun mutters to herself. 

“I need to meet that girl, Yeonwoo.” 

– They’re both disgustingly pretty 

– Has Im Bada gotten prettier? Is she made for historical dramas? 

At the end of episode 4, someone is digging up a grave in the mountains. 

“Your Highness! There really is Kim Sohyun’s body here!” 

Lee young looks down at the grave. The clothes Kim Sohyun wore when she died and human bones remain. As episode 4 concludes, a post appears. 

[(Firecracker) Ryubyul and Im Hoon are dating ㅠㅠ] 

100% sure. 

They’re dating. 

They were hanging out alone. 

Whispering without Im Bada. 

Im Bada didn’t look happy lol 

(Youngyoung_Script_ProofShot_JPG) 

A post claiming Ryubyul and Im Hoon are dating surfaces on the community. 

– ? 

– What’s this all of a sudden 

– Huh 

Fans are baffled by the scandal rumor. The strange post is deleted within five minutes, with reactions saying it disrupts drama immersion. Instead: 

– If it’s trolling, I wanna kill them, but it’s juicy if it’s real? 

– Love triangle? That’s real tea. 

– It’s been a while since a post fueled drama immersion lol 

Something strange is brewing. 

*** 

The next morning at 6 a.m., on the way to Mungyeong, I rubbed my eyes, staring out the window. 

“To think a scandal would break like this…” 

My first scandal being unrequited love? That’s weird. Why am I the tragic sub-lead? 

‘Me?’ 

Even while looking out, my phone in my bag kept vibrating nonstop. 

“Sigh…” 

It was from waking up to the morning’s events, with sunbaes just now sending messages. 

The frustrating part… 

‘I missed my chance to tease those two.’

I was annoyed at losing the opportunity to mess with Ryubyul and Im Hoon. 

[Go Eun-hyuk: Bada-ya, you okay? (Crying emoticon) This kind of scandal isn’t good for an actor. I’m worried you got caught up in this ㅠㅠ] 

[Tae Jin-hwa sunbae-nim: Congrats on your first scandal, Bada-ya.] 

[Song Heo-jun: Congrats on being the tragic sub-lead lol ^^] 

[Yoon Hee-ae: Oh no, Bada-ya. You okay?] 

Except for Go Eun-hyuk, who’s genuinely worried, the messages reek of teasing. 

[Cheon Ian: lolololol] 

[Cheon Ian: (Rolling on the floor laughing emoticon)] 

Cheon Ian, especially, kept sending ‘lol’ like it was hilarious. I considered blocking him but didn’t. 

‘Enjoy it all you want.’