Become a Star

“I wrote Red Enemy based on the letters that Prince Myeong-Hwan exchanged with his friends, as well as the opinions of the people around him and the materials I obtained by combing through records and visiting historians. I didn’t write the script randomly.” Director Yoon Seon explained.

The director gave Woo-Jin a detailed explanation about the amount of effort and process he had went through in order to gather materials about Prince Myeong-Hwan. His face was filled with passion as he recounted his story and it was obvious that he genuinely adored and admired Prince Myeong-Hwan.

“Some say that Prince Myeong-Hwan enjoyed the arts and found pleasure in spending time with courtesans, but he actually had a mild case of mysophobia, so I’m suspicious about if he really embraced the courtesans,” he said.

Woo-Jin stopped eating and asked, “How do you know that?” He couldn’t help but be surprised because Director Yoon Seon pointed out a specific detail that wasn’t mentioned anywhere.

“Ha, that’s nothing! Seol Ha was a courtesan who was close to Prince Myeong-Hwan and there were records that stated that she taught the other courtesans. Since the prince didn’t like drinking from wine glasses that others had used, they had to prepare a separate wine glass, and they would throw away the cloth that he used to wipe himself. Since Prince Myeong-Hwan didn’t allow a single stain on his clothes, the courtesans were also warned to be extra careful while serving him,” the director explained.

Woo-Jin recalled the past while listening to his explanation. Thinking back, the courtesans whom Seol Ha had trained pleased him and were quick on their feet, making him feel comfortable.

“Everyone said that it was only natural since he was the prince, but it was then when I realized that he had a case of mysophobia. Prince Myeong-Hwan enjoyed the courtesans’ artistic skills and didn’t hesitate to support those with skills, but I’m certain that he didn’t embrace any of them because our prince is definitely not that type of person. I also found out that Prince Myeong-Hwan became angry when people asked him why didn’t he take Seol Ha, who was his close friend, as his concubine,” added Director Yoon Seon.

Prince Myeong-Hwan had adored the courtesan Seol Ha the most and people had been suspicious of the love triangle between him, Seol Ha, and Queen Yoon. However, Yoon Seon couldn’t find any evidence that Prince Myeong-Hwan and Seol Ha were in a romantic relationship.

“It’s not just me, but other historians also believed that Seol Ha was Prince Myeong-Hwan’s soulmate. We also believe that when she died at a young age, Prince Myeong-Hwan murmured to himself, ‘Now I don’t have any friends under this sky who’ll genuinely understand me,’ but it wasn’t the sadness that one felt when sending away their lover,” he told Woo-Jin.

Woo-Jin nodded unknowingly after hearing Director Yoon Seon’s explanation and continued the conversation.

“Seol Ha was the best dancer at the time and supposedly, she expressed her tough and strong spirit through her dance despite being a woman. Honestly, her advice played a big part when Prince Myeong-Hwan sublimated his swordsmanship into a sword dance. No, I think that’s what happened.”

When Woo-Jin unintentionally revealed the truth of what happened, he quickly changed the subject because the story about how Prince Myeong-Hwan took Seol Ha’s advice when practicing the sword dance wasn’t recorded anywhere.

Woo-Jin suddenly recalled Seol Ha who was a friend from his past life. If he had to make a comparison, then she was like Hyun-Min, his current friend. Their friendship was a pure and honest relationship that went beyond gender and status. There was even a time when they had talked throughout the night and it had become dawn without them realizing it; they continued to exchange poems as the morning sunlight shone through the window.

Even though the poem now appeared in Korean textbooks and gave students a headache, Prince Myeong-Hwan had been able to express all of his worries and sorrow when he was with Seol Ha. He had once offered to get her out of the brothel, but Seol Ha declined because no matter where she went, it didn’t change the fact that she was Seol Ha, the courtesan. She smiled sadly while saying that the brothel was the only place where she was able to dance freely as a woman.

“I’m certain Prince Myeong-Hwan was very shocked by Seol Ha’s death and thoughts of death and the fear of not being able to be with her again influenced him a lot,” Woo-Jin said.

“You’re right, and that’s probably why he made that decision in the end,” the director said.

“To Prince Myeong-Hwan, Queen Yoon was an important person, but I’m sure Seol Ha was the one who exerted the greatest influence on him throughout his life,” Woo-Jin added.

“We share the same thoughts,” Director Yoon Seon commented.

After hearing what Woo-Jin said, the director didn’t find his words to be absurd. In fact, he deeply sympathized with Woo-Jin and was moved. When he imagined how Prince Myeong-Hwan’s sword dance came to be, Director Yoon Seon could only conclude that it was because of Seol Ha. However, people ignored him saying that it wasn’t possible for a prince of a nation to learn a ferocious and energetic sword dance from a courtesan.

Truthfully, there really wasn’t a big gap between Prince Myeong-Hwan and Seol Ha. In Director Yoon Seon’s point of view, she was the only person with whom the prince kept close to him and exchanged many conversations with.

“We may have a lot more in common than you think,” the director said.

As if he found an accomplice, Director Yoon Seon looked at Woo-Jin with sparkling eyes. It seemed as if Director Yoon Seon was saying, ‘Just like me, you’re a fan of Prince Myeong-Hwan.’ The director looked like he came to the conclusion that Woo-Jin hasn’t declined the role not because he disliked the prince, but because he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to properly interpret the great Prince Myeong-Hwan.

“H-Hold on. Honestly, I’m…not that kind of person,” Woo-Jin said.

However, Director Yoon Seon was already looking at Woo-Jin as if he was that kind of person.

“Give it some thought,” the director suggested.

He spread his arms wide and spoke as if he was dreaming.

“I’m sure Prince Myeong-Hwan was lonely throughout his entire life and the only person he could open up to was a courtesan. To Prince Myeong-Hwan, despite having parents, brothers, a friend, and a lover, it was basically the same as having no one. The people that were the closest to him used him as a tool for political disputes. But, did he ever feel subservient or lose his will?”

Already halfway inside his own fantasy, Director Yoon Seon wasn't asking the question because he expected an answer.

“I admire the prince’s spirit and will. He genuinely loved art and wasn’t pretending to love it in order to prevent himself from getting involved with politics. He wasn’t indecisive because he couldn’t go against Queen Moon-Jin. No matter what happened, it just didn’t matter to him. As long as his will wasn’t broken, he always remained a generous person,” Director Yoon Seon explained.

When the director spoke, all Woo-Jin could do was drink water because even though what he said was the truth, the facts were a bit twisted. Prince Myeong-Hwan hadn’t been generous or liberal about anything, he was just indifferent to it and believed that nitpicking about everything made him look undignified. Director Yoon Seon probably didn’t know the amount of effort that Prince Myeong-Hwan had put in in order to live a dignified life.

“Wasn’t he a man of confidence when he met with not only the king of his country, but the ministers and even the envoy from the Ming Dynasty? Actually, don't you think it’s amazing how he used his ability and arrogance to make them bow and apologize to him?” the director asked.

Truthfully, back then, the prince only took action because he found it ridiculous how the foreigners from the Ming Dynasty looked down on Joseon’s poetry when he was standing right in front of them. Not only was the prince the best writer in Joseon, but there wasn’t another writer like him in the Ming Dynasty, so what gave them the right to look down on him when he claimed to be a calligrapher.

During that time, Prince Myeong-Hwan hadn’t been interested in increasing Joseon’s spirit and honor; he had just wanted to show off his talent.

“He even cherished his people. He once saved a person who was being harassed by a high-ranking official. If I were to describe him using modern words, he’s an indifferent but caring person,” the director said.

At that time, Prince Myeong-Hwan had only done what he did because the high-ranking official was the vice minister and mud got on his clothes because of all the fuss they were making. Prince Myeong-Hwan had lost his mind and used a horsewhip on them, only to find out that the vice minister was hitting on a civilian’s young daughter to make her his concubine. Somehow, Prince Myeong-Hwan got involved so he had no choice but to save the daughter.

“You know, when I think about how he took his last breath while recalling his lonely life, it makes me really sad because right now, there are so many people that look up to him and love him,” Director Yoon Seon said.

Woo-Jin, who was the former Prince Myeong-Hwan, wasn’t interested in Director Yoon Seon’s sad words.

“What’s the point? Will his spirit be happy just because he received the things he didn’t receive while he was alive?” Woo-Jin asked.

Woo-Jin acknowledged that Prince Myeong-Hwan was one of his past lives, but his feelings didn’t waver. The moment the prince had closed his eyes, that life was over and Woo-Jin didn’t want to become swayed by the situation and emotions which he felt back then while living a new life. That was the reason why Woo-Jin rejected Prince Myeong-Hwan’s role. He was also afraid that the boundaries he had been maintaining between his past lives might collapse the moment he acted as Prince Myeong-Hwan. While reading the Red Enemy, he felt nervous because it showed the parts he was embarrassed about.

“I’m not sure about that, but this is just a consolation for the living,” the director said.

“The living?”

“A consolation for the many Prince Myeong-Hwans’ who are currently living in this world,” he answered.

Woo-Jin didn’t quite understand what Director Yoon Seon was saying.

“Even if Prince Myeong-Hwan wasn’t loved by his parents and siblings, he didn’t let them manipulate him when they tried to use him as a tool for political disputes. He loved himself the most, so for those who are in a similar situation as the prince, I want to show them the true Prince Myeong-Hwan. The way he loved and lived his life,” explained Director Yoon Seon.

Woo-Jin remained quiet for a moment because he never imagined someone would look at Prince Myeong-Hwan in that manner. After blinking a few times, Woo-Jin spoke.

“But in the end, Prince Myeong-Hwan chose suicide, so how can that comfort those people?”

“Despite the fact that Queen Moon-Jin started a rebellion in order to place herself on the throne, the prince proudly raised his sword and aimed it at her and her followers. Can that be considered as suicide? Or was it a choice to protect himself until the very end? If the prince ended up ascending the throne, then he would’ve been nothing more than their puppet. It would have been like Yoon Jong, who ascended the throne in Prince Myeong-Hwan’s place after causing a rebellion,” said Director Yoon Seon.

Woo-jin swore that Prince Myeong-Hwan didn’t harbor such thoughts back then. Even though it ended exactly as how Director Yoon Soon described, the dead prince and Woo-Jin were the only ones that knew the truth and it was a dark history that would remain buried forever.

That’s why Woo-Jin felt bad for the Prince Myeong-Hwan that appeared in Red Enemy. Because the truth was buried in history, any actor would want this role since he was interpreted as a much cooler and three-dimensional character. If Woo-Jin didn’t have any memories of his past, he too would’ve immediately agreed to work with Director Yoon Seon.

“Even though it’s spring outside, the prince lamented that the frost beneath his feet still hasn’t melted and it’s my small wish to present the season of spring to him,” the director told him.

“Spring?” Woo-Jin asked.

“That’s right. Spring may have arrived, but it was the season which he wasn’t able to experience. Even though he felt lonely, there were many that loved and cherished him. I want to tell him that the spring he never knew of had been beside him. And thanks to the work which he had left behind, our spring has arrived! I want to give a gift to Prince Myeong-Hwan by properly focusing on him.” he answered.

When Woo-Jin heard Director Yoon Seon’s reply, he felt the director’s innocent passion and affection stabbing him in his heart, causing his mind to turn faint and his heart starting to burn.

“And I want to tell this to the other Prince Myeong-Hwans’ that are living in this world. To enjoy the spring that comes into their lives and that it’s not their fault for not being loved. But rather, the fault lies on the people who don't love them,” the director added.

After hearing that, Woo-Jin was deduced that Director Yoon Seon's past was similar to Prince Myeong-Hwan at one point and that it was Prince Myeong-Hwan that helped him welcome a new spring.

“How can a movie bring spring to the people?” Woo-Jin asked.

Director Yoon Seon smiled brightly like a kid in response to Woo-Jin’s curiosity.

“You’ll find out once you start filming the movie,” he answered.

The director tempted Woo-Jin by asking if he wasn’t curious about what kind of spring they were going to create.

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