The blanket suddenly springs up. The face of Shin Jaehee, the president of the student council, covered up to her forehead with the blanket, is red like a ripe persimmon.
It’s not because of drunkenness. The alcohol she drank at the orientation after-party has long since metabolized. The reason her face is still so red is simple.
-You have chili flakes stuck in your front teeth.
“Ugh, aah!”
What on earth is that guy? In such a serious atmosphere, he showed not even a shred of manners.
Come to think of it, it was like that from the start of the orientation. Not only was he late, but despite being quite a rude fellow, he even made fun of his senior. Of course, that was somewhat satisfying, though.
Anyway, even when walking with the freshmen, he stayed a step behind, looking at them as if they were children.
Did he look at my front teeth with that same gaze?
So embarrassing.
“Jaehee! Why are you suddenly screaming? Is something wrong?”
A worried voice from her mother comes from beyond the door. Understandably so, since her studious daughter came home with a flushed face, locked herself in her room without even washing up.
“Why is your face so red? Are you catching a cold?”
“I drank alcohol. We had orientation today.”
“You can’t handle alcohol well, yet you drank too much just because you became the student council president.”
Her mother doesn’t know that her daughter is actually quite a drinker. Worried, her mother adds from beyond the door.
“By the way, Jaehee, did you get Jang Youngguk’s autograph…?”
Shin Jaehee kicks off the blanket and jumps up from the bed. She suddenly opens the door, startling her mother. Shaking her head firmly, Jaehee says,
“Mom! Jang Youngguk is not that great, really not. So, don’t ever ask me to get his autograph again.”
“Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?”
“I’m going to bed, so don’t wake me up anymore.”
Just then, the front door opens, and Shin Jaehee’s father enters the house. Her mother approaches him as he removes his shoes with a shoehorn.
“Honey, why are you so late today?”
“A seminar popped up out of nowhere. I attended that, then had to have a drink since the new semester is starting soon. I forgot to call you.”
“Oh, I know. The other professors are lifting you up since you became the head of the department, and you just love it. I know you forgot to call. And when will you dye your hair? Are you going to keep looking like an old grandpa forever?”
“Why, isn’t it fine?”
The white-haired old professor and head of the department, Shin Jeonggil. Few people at Korea University’s law department know that Shin Jeonggil and Shin Jaehee are father and daughter.
Of course, some well-informed professors know, but that never gave Jaehee any advantage in her exams. Shin Jeonggil’s motto since becoming head of the department has always been fairness and justice.
“Now that you are the head of the department, you should be more tidy. By the way, I don’t understand my luck. My husband is the head of the law department at Korea University, and my daughter is the student council president. Ho ho.”
“You’re just rotating roles, what’s so great about that?”
“By the way, did you see that actor Jang Youngguk?”
“Yes, he’s quite an impressive student. I was pleased to meet such a fine law student after a long time. Frankly, he could walk the path of a legal professional instead of an actor. If he has such upright fairness, for sure.”
At that moment, the door bursts open again, and Jaehee comes out.
“Dad, what fairness. And not just anyone can become a legal professional! You have to pass the bar exam first to even take a step, would he do that?”
“My, my, there she goes again. By the way, she’s not a kid anymore, and yet she still has sleep in her eyes.”
“Ah, Mom!”
Perhaps because of the alcohol from last night, my head throbs. Water flows down my shoulders. After finishing my shower and going down to the first floor, the unique aroma of hangover soup whets my appetite. The housemaid greets me warmly.
“Youngguk, you drank last night, didn’t you? I made dried pollack soup knowing this would happen. Come quickly and have a spoonful. You have filming today, right?”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. You woke up by yourself, so I’m thankful that I don’t have to set the table twice.”
As I enter the kitchen where the dining table is, my grandfather and uncle are already sitting.
I feel somewhat awkward. It’s the first time I’ve lost this much sleep in my repetitive life.
How much soju did I drink with that flat-nosed senior at the pub last night? In my past life, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but since my body has become younger, I feel the intoxication rises more easily. My guess is that the senior is probably bedridden with a hangover by now. Anyway.
-You have chili flakes stuck in your front teeth.
Was I too harsh?
Looking back, I wonder if it was okay to say such a thing to a woman. While I pride myself on getting better at socializing with people through repetitive lives, conversations with women are still not easy. Just like my clumsiness in dancing never gets fixed.
At that moment, my uncle squints his eyes and speaks to my grandfather.
“Look, brother. Youngguk had something happen last night. He’s got ‘I have worries’ written all over his forehead. Youngguk, is there a girl you like?”
“To me, it just looks like he drank too much.”
As I take a spoonful of the milky dried pollack soup, the hangover that was gripping my body seems to vanish instantly.
Though my uncle keeps prying, there’s nothing I can answer. I don’t even have time to make friends, let alone find a girl I like.
I greeted the freshmen, but many of them find me intimidating. It’s not just because I’m an actor. No wonder, considering the strong impression I left on the first day of orientation.
“By the way, Youngguk, are you starting your role as the king today? I heard the crown prince’s role ended last time.”
His source of information is fast. Is there anyone who knows the content of the pre-produced drama better than him?
I shake my head. My uncle, as well as my grandfather, look at me with puzzled expressions.
If it were Crown Prince Lee Yung, my uncle would be right. It’s time to inherit the throne. But there’s still one more role left.
I elaborate on the role I am playing today.
“A butcher.”
“Scene number 37, Butcher Lee Gyeol and Im Sahong!”
There are not only shabby straw-roofed houses but also grandiose mansions in the Yongin Folk Village.
The marketplace, as if transplanted from the Joseon era, is bustling with numerous extras walking around in groups.
Normally, the marketplace should be bustling with merchants and hoodlums, but today it is deathly quiet. Shadows fall over the faces of the people walking around.
The sky has fallen.
Some people keep saying such words. The court officials, dressed in white clothes and socks, fast for three days.
The brothels, which used to be filled with music all year round, have locked their doors, and the courtesans are banned from going outside.
People in mourning clothes lie flat on the ground, wailing as they pass by the funeral procession.
“Oh no, oh no!”
Among the numerous commoners is the butcher Lee Gyeol. His eyes show no change as he watches the procession carrying the body of King Seongjong.
Normally, butchers are not allowed to come out, as they are considered impure. That’s why the gates of Gyeolsan Village are tightly shut more than ever.
But Lee Gyeol doesn’t care about such things.
‘Is my father in there?’
He had changed into commoner clothes, not wearing the traditional hat. The butcher Lee Gyeol glances up at the coffin made of pinewood.
Soldiers with fierce eyes are guarding it, and the ministers and the crown prince, dressed in mourning clothes, lead the procession.
If the ministers had seen the face of the butcher Lee Gyeol lying flat on the ground, they would have been shocked. He looked exactly like the crown prince in mourning clothes.
After watching the procession to the royal tomb, the butcher Lee Gyeol stands up.
“Madam, one bowl of soup, please.”
Normally, a butcher wouldn’t dare to ask. But who would know he is a butcher?
It was the same even before he knew he had royal blood. Whether noble or commoner, everyone has their feet on the ground, so what difference does it make?
“We don’t sell. Leave. How can a commoner eat on the day the king died?”
“Nonsense, I can see the nobleman over there eating his meal. Just because the king died, should there be a difference in eating? Why can the noble eat and I can’t? What’s the reason?”
The madam’s eyes widen like lanterns. Such words could get one in trouble. That’s why the nobleman eating soup in the main hall is glancing at them.
At that moment, a nobleman in white silk clothes stands up and strides over.
He is Im Sahong, who was impeached by Seongjong and exiled to Uiju and later served as an envoy to Ming China.
Normally, he should be leading the procession with the other ministers, but he couldn’t be reinstated due to their fierce opposition.
“How dare a commoner like you run your mouth? Do you think you can say anything just because the sky has fallen?”
“What does it matter? Even if I get beaten here, it’s fine. And who would punish a commoner who guarded the king’s funeral and wants to fill his hungry stomach? Are you the late king’s father?”
“What! You rascal!”
Im Sahong is furious. He wants to cut his throat immediately, but he left his sword because of the state funeral procession.
The madam has already hidden in the storage room, fearing trouble. The nobleman glares at the commoner, but the commoner doesn’t budge.
“Fine, I’ll see your face. Even if you run away, the constables will find you. Let’s see if you can still talk so arrogantly then!”
Im Sahong grabs the commoner’s hair and turns his head toward him. The commoner’s face becomes visible, and Im Sahong’s pupils tremble violently.
Under the fierce gaze, the straight nose, and the spots on the skin—there was no doubt it was someone Im Sahong knew.
He hurriedly bows his head to the ground.
“Crown, Crown Prince…!”
