After successfully completing the OST recording, Taeha began filming episodes 19 to 22 of Byeonghwa.
Episodes 19 to 22 unfolded the story of Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye, centered around the Battle of Haengju.
Finally reunited in episode 18, the two of them hesitated briefly at the beginning of episode 19.
Should they continue participating in the war like this,
or should they withdraw now and head to a safe place?
But their time for hesitation was short.
Han Seung-hye, who made up her mind first, spoke.
“I will see the end of this war. So, you should withdraw to safety.”
“Do you think my heart will be at ease if I withdraw?”
“You can’t mean…”
“I too will see the end of this war. Truly, to put your mind at ease.”
Having decided to continue their participation, Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye headed for Haengju Fortress.
This was because the Joseon allied forces had suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Byeokjegwan, causing the momentum of the Japanese forces to rise again and placing Haengju Fortress under threat.
Considering the larger picture of the war,
the battle to take place at Haengju Fortress was a crucial fight that would determine which side would gain dominance in Gyeonggi Province.
It could also be seen as a critical juncture for the recapture of Hanyang.
When the actual war ended, there was a debate over who was responsible for the Japanese defeat, and the generals who lost at the Battle of Haengju were singled out as the main culprits, showing how significant this battle was in determining the course of the Imjin War.
However, not everyone read the situation this way.
Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye also headed to Haengju Fortress because they had received a separate request for aid from Kwon Yul, with whom they had formed a connection earlier.
Thus, the two finally arrived at Haengju Fortress.
What awaited them was a Japanese force ten times the size of the Joseon army.
In episode 20, Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye prepared for the great battle to take place at Haengju Fortress.
They helped erect palisades and arrange various cannons and fire carts.
They also went around personally encouraging the Joseon soldiers, whose morale had fallen upon seeing the scale of the Japanese army.
And finally, the battle began.
The Joseon army defeated the Japanese 1st, 2nd, and 3rd armies more easily than expected.
This was thanks to the pre-positioned cannons and fire carts blocking the enemy’s approach.
In particular, Kuroda Nagamasa, commander of the 3rd Army, employed a traditional siege tactic of building a watchtower and placing gunners and archers on it to attack, in preparation for Joseon’s cannons and fire carts.
Kim Seong-wol, who had been observing this, used his wits to counter it.
He suggested using the cheonja chongtong cannons, typically used by the Joseon navy in naval battles, against the enemy’s watchtower.
As a result, the watchtower was easily destroyed along with the infantry inside, and the Joseon army safely repelled even the 3rd Army.
Thus, the morale of the Joseon army soared.
But now, the true prelude to the Battle of Haengju was about to begin.
Because the commander-in-chief of the Japanese forces, Ukita Hideie, personally led the charge with the 4th Army.
In episode 21, the strong offensive of the 4th Army finally breached the Joseon army’s outer palisade.
If they continued to be pushed back like this, even the inner fortification would be in danger.
At that moment, Han Seung-hye, who was commanding, spotted Ukita Hideie’s splendid banner.
Simultaneously, Han Seung-hye gave an order.
“All cannons and fire carts, bombard that banner!”
In response, all firepower concentrated on the banner,
and eventually, Ukita Hideie was injured and the 4th Army also withdrew.
Ukita Hideie seemed to have suffered a serious injury at this time,
as he was carried off the battlefield by Japanese soldiers, barely clinging to life.
However, the Japanese forces did not slow their offensive,
and the 5th Army, led by Kikkawa Hiroie, launched an attack.
Kikkawa Hiroie’s strategy was a fire attack, setting the inner fortification ablaze to collapse it.
But the Joseon army had already prepared water in anticipation of a fire attack.
In the end, the fire attack was easily thwarted,
and Kikkawa Hiroie was even injured during the retreat.
As the Japanese forces repeatedly met frustration before Haengju Fortress,
the Japanese 6th Army boldly sortied, targeting the relatively gentle slope on the western side.
However, the 6th Army’s attack was thwarted by the monk soldiers, who were part of the volunteer militia guarding that position.
The monk soldiers, without delay, burst bags of lime,
causing temporary blindness and breathing difficulties for the 6th Army.
Finally, the Joseon army fought until the next morning,
succeeding in defeating all the Japanese forces.
But the crisis did not end here.
The Joseon army, which was numerically inferior, was completely exhausted
before the fight with the 7th Army.
Episode 22 depicts the scene of a melee breaking out
as the 7th Army, led by the veteran Kobayakawa Takakage,
broke through the western side guarded by the monk soldiers.
The Joseon army was utterly exhausted, and even the ammunition for the cannons and fire carts was running low.
In such a situation, with the Japanese army, experts in melee combat, pushing forward using their numerical advantage, it seemed hopeless.
But,
“Hold the line! I will be with you!”
Kwon Yul personally put on a copper cauldron as a helmet and commanded the melee, barely holding the line from being pushed back.
Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye also hurriedly brought troops to assist in the melee.
During this process, the women who had been supporting the war from the rear stepped forward, saying they would fight too.
Han Seung-hye had a good idea and spoke to the women.
“Let’s carry stones. At a time like now when arrows are becoming scarce,
if we help our troops have even stones to use,
we can defeat the Japanese enemies who use long spears as their main weapon.”
Meanwhile, Kim Seong-wol, who was fighting at the forefront of the melee, witnessed an unusual scene.
Kwon Yul, who had been fighting well, looked as if he might collapse at any moment from exhaustion.
Because of this, the morale of the nearby Joseon soldiers noticeably plummeted.
If this continued, the atmosphere of low morale could spread like an epidemic,
potentially leading to the loss of Haengju Fortress.
At that moment, Kwon Seon, who resembled Kwon Yul, came into view, and Kim Seong-wol used his wits.
“Change into General Kwon Yul’s clothes and put the copper cauldron on your head.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m asking you to imitate General Kwon Yul so our troops do not waver.”
“…Ah. I understand.”
Thanks to Kwon Seon pretending to be Kwon Yul, the Joseon army’s morale did not drop until the end,
and they bravely faced the Japanese forces.
However, they gradually became unable to overcome the numerical disadvantage, and the signs of defeat grew thick.
Finally, when the situation had reached a point where surrender would not have been surprising,
a miraculous rescue arrived.
Chungcheong Naval Commander Jeong Geol arrived, sailing two ships loaded with tens of thousands of arrows
up the Han River.
Not stopping there, dozens of Jeolla Province grain transport ships began moving toward Yangcheon.
The Japanese forces who discovered this mistook them for Yi Sun-sin’s Joseon navy.
Since Yi Sun-sin was like a god of death to the Japanese forces,
they instantly fell into confusion and ultimately decided to retreat.
Seizing this moment, Kim Seong-wol and Han Seung-hye pursued the retreating Japanese forces.
With this scene, the battle that unfolded at Haengju Fortress came to a close.
***
Just as the filming of Byeonghwa concluded up to episode 22,
Taeha received a second invitation to the Baek-am Art Awards, whose hosting had been delayed by about half a year due to the organizer’s circumstances.
It wasn’t a simple invitation.
With the schedule delayed, both Your Brilliant Sparkle and Fight School had been included in the judging pool.
This meant that Taeha would have the achievements of both works evaluated at the Baek-am Art Awards.
And as a result, Taeha was nominated in more categories than he had been for Virus and Killer x Killer.
This was a natural outcome, as he had not only played the lead in both works but also participated as the main writer for one.
Thus, Taeha was nominated for the Grand Prize (TV), Best Drama, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Actor (Male).
And among these, Best Actor (Male) was highly likely to go to Taeha.
In fact, the media, along with various SNS platforms and communities, heavily predicted Taeha’s win.
It was a natural result, given his excellent performances in both Your Brilliant Sparkle and Fight School.
However, it was difficult to be confident about winning the Grand Prize (TV), Best Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Art Direction.
This was because there were many other good works that had received viewers’ love throughout the year besides Taeha’s works.
But the general consensus was that one or two of these four categories would likely go to Your Brilliant Sparkle and Fight School.
And so, on the day of the awards ceremony.
Taeha once again chose an Ilario suit as his outfit for this ceremony.
He could have chosen a suit from a brand with higher value, but he deliberately did not.
Taeha was already a top-tier actor who could shine brightly enough without the help of such suits.
As if to prove this fact, click, click!
As Taeha revealed himself on the red carpet, an incredible flashbulb storm poured down.
The expressions of the photojournalists capturing Taeha were so serious that he didn’t even need to use his Immersion Ability.
Of course, despite that, Taeha used his Immersion Ability to grasp the atmosphere around him.
And thanks to that, a post titled [The beauty of K.T.H., who renews his ‘leez’ every awards ceremony.jpg] topped the popular board on the community.
Thus, with a dazzling entrance, Taeha found his seat and sat down.
Fortunately, Taeha’s assigned seat was different from previous years; it was next to Shin So-hee and Han Seul-gi.
Compared to the times when Lee Seok-hyun and Han Yun-seong were in the next seats, this was a very reassuring seat. ‘I’ll be a bit more comfortable at this ceremony.’
Of course, this was Taeha’s misconception.
Because the moment Taeha sat down,
“Tell me. That you didn’t cast me as the female lead in Byeonghwa. Is it because you don’t like me?”
Shin So-hee threw out this question.
Because of that, Taeha had to break out in a cold sweat and explain why he hadn’t cast Shin So-hee.
Fortunately, his excuse—that it was difficult to put her on the casting shortlist because their images might overlap too much—seemed to work.
“Okay. Well, Jieun unni is more famous and has a bigger name value than me, so what can I do. That’s why I’ve been upset lately and working hard to become famous. So please definitely consider me for the female lead in your next project.”
“…Yes. I will do that.”
And so, as Taeha finished his conversation with Shin So-hee,
this time, as if she had been waiting, Han Seul-gi asked a question.
“What if, you know. If I win Best Actress today, will my chances of being cast in your next project increase?”
Although she didn’t say it directly, Han Seul-gi also seemed upset that she hadn’t received a casting offer for Byeonghwa.
So, Taeha had to explain once again why he couldn’t cast Han Seul-gi.
His excuse was that it wouldn’t be good for the male and female leads to be the same for two consecutive projects, so it couldn’t be helped.
Then, Han Seul-gi asked back with a pleased expression.
“Then, the possibility of you doing a project with Jieun next time is low, right? Since you worked together in Byeonghwa. Right?”
“Yes… Probably so?”
“Wow! That means there might be a chance for me too.”
Han Seul-gi added brightly, and Taeha nodded.
It was a moment where he realized anew just how much Shin So-hee and Han Seul-gi wanted to appear in his works.
While Taeha was flustered by the unexpected situation,
the awards ceremony finally began.
And a short while later.
Taeha’s name was called.
And not just once.
It was four times in total.
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