Chapter 143: Peerless Joseon (3)
At Shim Ji-young’s suggestion, Kim Si-woo took out an expensive bottle of Western liquor from the cabinet and filled two glasses with ice from the fridge.
“Alright. It’s been a while.”
Kim Si-woo opened the bottle and poured the liquor over the ice before sitting down.
“…”
After a brief silence, Shim Ji-young spoke first.
“So… why did you two break up?”
“Hmm… I guess she didn’t want to be a burden to me.”
“A burden? What kind of burden?”
“That’s… kind of personal, so it’s a bit hard to talk about.”
Shim Ji-young scratched her head at his answer and took a sip of the liquor.
“Kyaah… tastes good. Do you know how Hae-soo’s doing these days?”
“No. We broke up, so why would I need to know?”
“She looked like she was struggling a lot too. Of course, I’m not going to help her. You already know, right? We never confessed, but there are people who like you right now—including me… If I’d known things would turn out like this, I should’ve confessed that day I almost drowned.”
Shim Ji-young spoke with deep regret in her voice.
Hearing her words, Kim Si-woo gave the classic polite rejection line.
“Ah… for the time being, I’m not really thinking about dating anyone.”
“I’m past the age for dating too. It’s time to get married. Speaking of which—how about marriage?”
Shim Ji-young threw out a joke to lighten the awkward atmosphere, but Kim Si-woo’s expression only darkened further.
“Sigh… yeah. I do need to get married eventually…”
Perhaps because of the recent failed relationship, his confidence in marriage had taken a serious hit.
“Huh…?”
Surprised by a reaction completely different from what she’d expected, Shim Ji-young hesitated, unsure what to say next—when suddenly loud voices came from the first and second floors.
“Oppa!!!”
“Hyung!!!”
The two elementary school kids had finished showering and were calling for Kim Si-woo.
“Dry our hair, please!”
“Me too!”
The two children gathered in front of Kim Si-woo, asking him to dry their hair.
“Noona, I’ll go dry their hair real quick and come back.”
“Ah, no, it’s fine. I’ll help. Da-on-ah, come here—unnie will dry your hair.”
“…”
Kim Da-on pouted, clearly wanting Kim Si-woo to do it instead.
“Ohhh, look at this little duck. I’m not just anyone who dries hair, you know? Why’s your mouth sticking out so far? So cute.”
“Da-on-ah. I’ll dry your hair tomorrow morning, okay? Today, let unnie do it. Alright?”
“Yes!”
Only after Kim Si-woo spoke did Kim Da-on reluctantly follow Shim Ji-young to the vanity.
After drying the children’s hair and sending them off to bed, Kim Si-woo returned to the dining table.
But this time, it was Shim Ji-young whose lips were pouting dramatically.
“Noona, are you a duck too?”
At Kim Si-woo’s teasing, Shim Ji-young answered with an aggrieved expression.
“Why me? Why does she hate me?”
“Well… kids might find you a little intimidating. Your features are very sharp and defined.”
“I’m such a kind person…”
“Hmm…”
Kim Si-woo thought about it seriously for a moment.
Was Shim Ji-young really kind…?
“She is kind…”
At least toward people she was close to. To others, she probably came across as picky and difficult.
Still, since she treated the people close to her well, he didn’t feel the need to point it out.
“Right?”
After that, Kim Si-woo and Shim Ji-young chatted about various things while drinking, passing the time.
The next morning.
Shim Ji-young left the house early.
Having drunk alcohol after a long time, Kim Si-woo woke up tired to the sound of his alarm and went to wake the children.
“Hey, kids. Time to get up.”
After waking them, Kim Si-woo prepared breakfast for the children, showered, and came out.
When Kim Si-woo came out, the children—who had already finished breakfast—naturally headed off to shower, and morning preparations wrapped up quickly.
Kim Si-woo took the kids and headed to the filming set.
The atmosphere on set was a direct continuation of yesterday.
The actors were all serious, studying their scripts and working hard to match each other’s timing.
“At this rate, we’re not going to need reshoots, right? The budget isn’t pocket change…”
Kim Si-woo muttered a needless worry to himself as he greeted people, and both actors and staff welcomed him warmly.
The two elementary school kids also said hello before running off to play with their friend, Park So-yul.
As the day went on, filming was just as intense as yesterday.
When it finally ended, Kim Si-woo returned home—this time accompanied by Kim Ji-hyun.
“Wow…”
Kim Ji-hyun’s reaction upon seeing Kim Si-woo’s new house was pure astonishment.
“So that’s why Writer-nim never bought luxury stuff all this time…”
Thinking back on how plainly Kim Si-woo had always dressed, Kim Ji-hyun mistakenly assumed he’d been saving every penny to buy this house.
“No, it’s not really like that…”
“This place is seriously huge.”
Her words went in one ear and out the other as Kim Ji-hyun busily toured the house.
“Sigh… Kids, hurry up and shower and get ready for bed.”
“Yes!”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, the children headed off to shower, and the same situation from yesterday repeated itself.
“Writer-nim. Want to have a drink?”
“Uh… sure.”
Kim Si-woo was a little tired from drinking the night before, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He knew that if he did, Shim Ji-young would probably tease Kim Ji-hyun about it—and then the two would definitely start fighting.
After that, the conversation with Kim Ji-hyun while drinking was not much different from the one he’d had with Shim Ji-young.
She asked why he broke up with Lee Hae-soo, whether he’d been struggling a lot, what he’d been doing lately, and so on.
And just like Shim Ji-young, Kim Ji-hyun disappeared early the next morning.
“Is it some kind of tribal hatred?”
Kim Si-woo couldn’t help but wonder if the two were clashing because they were so similar.
***
A month had passed since Jung Pil-gyu had been absent from filming due to his wife’s delivery.
Director Park Se-yong debated for a long time whether to text him to come back, then finally asked Choi Seung-yong, who was close with Jung Pil-gyu.
“Actor Choi Seung-yong.”
“Yes, Director-nim. Did you call?”
“How’s Jung Pil-gyu doing these days?”
“Ah… I’ll give him a call.”
Choi Seung-yong quickly dialed Jung Pil-gyu.
“Hello?”
—Yes, hyung-nim.
“Hey… how’s your wife doing?”
—Yes, she’s doing well. She’s already out of the postpartum care center and resting at home. Well… resting isn’t really resting, though.
“Yeah, that’s how it is at first.”
Jung Pil-gyu spoke about how hard childcare was, yet how happy it made him. After listening, Choi Seung-yong brought up the main topic.
“By the way… do you think you’ll be able to come back soon?”
—I can come today if you call me.
“No need. Start coming back the day after tomorrow. I’ll talk to the director for you.”
—Thank you, sunbae-nim.
“Yeah. Take care of yourself and say hi to your wife for me.”
After ending the call, Choi Seung-yong told Park Se-yong that Jung Pil-gyu would return the day after tomorrow. Park Se-yong nodded.
Two days later.
When Jung Pil-gyu arrived back on set, he was startled by how much the atmosphere had changed. He hurried over to the director and apologized.
“Director-nim. I’m really sorry.”
“So… boy or girl?”
“Ah… it’s a girl.”
“I see. You’ve been through a lot. Let’s finish the remaining shoot strong.”
“Yes, Director-nim.”
Afterward, Jung Pil-gyu went around apologizing and thanking the actors and staff one by one.
“Writer-nim!”
Finally, he approached Kim Si-woo and grabbed both of his hands tightly.
“Uh… hello.”
“Thank you so much. Oh—and my wife said that if it’s you, Writer-nim, you’re welcome to visit anytime. Please come by our house when you have time.”
“Ah… haha… sure. Is it a girl or a boy?”
“A daughter.”
“Congratulations. Call me when you have the celebration party.”
After Kim Si-woo’s congratulations ended, Jung Pil-gyu asked out of curiosity.
“By the way… the atmosphere on set seems to have changed a lot. Did something happen?”
“Ah… well, everyone just caught fire, that’s all. One person in particular got ignited.”
“I see…”
Jung Pil-gyu misunderstood Kim Si-woo’s words and assumed that “one person” was himself.
He thought the other actors must have been inspired and motivated by seeing him give his all.
Because of that misunderstanding, Jung Pil-gyu’s motivation burned even brighter.
Kim Si-woo simply assumed Jung Pil-gyu was just trying to match the others’ high energy.
But that motivation didn’t last long.
“Cut! NG, Pil-gyu-ssi. Let’s take a short break.”
“I’m sorry.”
Despite his overflowing enthusiasm, the results on set were disastrous.
The reason was the acting monster right in front of him.
Overwhelmed by Shim Ji-young’s aura, Jung Pil-gyu kept losing focus and his body stiffened.
On top of that, the looks from Choi Seung-yong and the other actors were on a completely different level from what he’d seen before.
Once the acting began, it genuinely felt like they had stepped into the Joseon era.
“Sigh…”
Frustrated by his performance not going as planned, Jung Pil-gyu let out a heavy breath.
“It’s tough, isn’t it? I get it.”
Seeming to understand exactly how he felt, Choi Seung-yong patted him on the shoulder.
“She’s incredible…”
“And the crazy part is—this is just her going at half-speed. When she’s really in the zone, even I sometimes freeze up and forget my lines.”
“My confidence just vanished. I honestly thought I wouldn’t fall behind anyone in terms of skill.”
“That’s how it is the higher you climb. Honestly, back when I was young, I was just doing bit parts and supporting roles too.”
The two men talked about the overwhelming impact Shim Ji-young’s acting had before the conversation naturally turned to their own experiences.
“But hey, even she has things she’s not good at. Surprisingly, sunbae isn’t great at comedy. There’s a certain human feel to it. So don’t get too discouraged. You’ll find your own style of acting too.”
“My own style of acting…”
Encouraged by Choi Seung-yong’s words, Jung Pil-gyu clenched his fist lightly and stood up.
“Alright… I’m going to do it my way. Back to basics.”
For a brief moment, he had let arrogance creep in—but now he dragged himself back down to earth.
Meanwhile, as filming dragged on longer and longer, Shim Ji-young’s stress level was steadily climbing.
“Alright, no more mistakes from now on.”
At Park Se-yong’s words, the actors and staff tensed up and began preparing for the next take.
“Ready… Action.”
At Park Se-yong’s cue, Shim Ji-young opened her mouth. Jung Pil-gyu looked at her and immediately tensed up again.
‘Don’t worry. If this role were in this situation, anyone would be nervous. You can do this. Just face it head-on.’
This scene was Shim Ji-young threatening Jung Pil-gyu, the blacksmith who had rejected Choi Seung-yong’s proposal to make guns.
“Hey, blacksmith. Aren’t you getting a little too full of yourself? Do you really think there’s no one else in Joseon who can match your skill?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Deviating from the original line, Jung Pil-gyu improvised—and Shim Ji-young responded to his ad-lib without even the slightest flinch.
The scripted scene was supposed to show a principled blacksmith refusing boldly and without fear.
But the blacksmith before her looked frightened—yet still refused to bend on his beliefs.
“If you’re sorry, then put more effort into it. Show the Daegun what your so-called talent is worth.”
“I cannot do that. Though I may be a lowly blacksmith, I will not craft weapons that take human lives.”
Jung Pil-gyu inwardly marveled at how effortlessly Shim Ji-young matched his improvisation and continued with his lines.
Then Choi Seung-yong appeared and began trying to persuade him.
“That’s right… weapons do take lives. But they can also protect them. Without guns like these, Joseon will soon become a sea of fire… thanks to the Japanese invasion.”
At Choi Seung-yong’s words, Jung Pil-gyu was visibly shocked, but he tried not to show it and answered calmly.
“Then… could you give me some time to think it over…?”
“You insolent fool!”
“Wait. Fine. How long do you need?”
“One day will be enough.”
“Alright. We’ll come back at this time tomorrow.”
“Daegun!”
“Let’s go…”
“Sigh…”
As Choi Seung-yong turned to leave, Shim Ji-young let out a sigh and followed after him.
And just like that, in the world of the film, Joseon stood only one step away from becoming the strongest nation in Asia.
**************
TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176
If you’d like to continue right away, the remaining chapters are available on My Patreon Premium tier and Plus Tier, but if you want to read my other 5 translated novels, join the Premium Tier
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Genius Writer”
**************