From Chapter 87 of "Superstar" to Chapter 4 of "The Royal Physician," we saw Prince Yangnyeong, who enjoyed hunting, and Heo Yuseon, who disapproved of him. Then, the much-anticipated preview appeared.
Heo Yuseon's back, lying prostrate, appeared on the screen.
[Look up.]
Dong-dong, the drum sounded.
[Next Wednesday, "The Royal Physician" Episode 5, Prince Seongnyeong appears!]
[Actor Lee Seojun, first drama appearance!]
[It's almost time!]
-'How many times have I heard "Look up"?'
-It's the first time I've wished Wednesday would come as soon as Friday arrives.
"Now it's starting! Seojun!"
"Okay."
Usually, Seojun goes to bed early and watches "The Royal Physician" through VOD or reruns, but today he decided to watch it with his parents.
The family sat on the sofa and turned on the KBC channel. A new smartphone commercial was playing, followed by car and refrigerator ads.
"Finally, Seojun is appearing in the drama."
"Mom, I thought he wasn't in it because you never showed us."
"Ahahaha."
Seo Eun-hye's joke made Lee Min-joon and Seojun burst into laughter. Such jokes were widely shared online.
-Is it just for publicity, using only his name?
-Did they even film it?
-How well did they film it if he doesn't appear at all?
"Ah, it's starting."
At Lee Min-joon's words, the family's attention turned to the TV.
Dong-dong, the drum sounded, and the OST played.
"Physician Heo, today you will go to Prince Seongnyeong's quarters."
"Yes."
Heo Yuseon, who had served Princes Chungnyeong, Hyoryeong, and Yangnyeong, was now assigned to Prince Seongnyeong's quarters. After staying there for three days, he would return to Prince Chungnyeong's quarters.
Heo Yuseon was contemplating ways to frame Minister Heo in a conspiracy when the princes entered his field of vision.
Perhaps it would be easier to manipulate this side than the king. With the king preoccupied with his children after Princess Gyeongan's death, this might be a more certain method.
Heo Yuseon took a step forward. The palaces were similar, but the atmosphere varied depending on the resident.
Prince Chungnyeong's quarters smelled of ink, Prince Hyoryeong's of incense, and Prince Yangnyeong's of freedom. Prince Seongnyeong's quarters were quaint.
An elderly eunuch and a senior lady-in-waiting, who cared for the young Prince Seongnyeong, greeted Heo Yuseon. They were responsible for the health of the person they served.
"Your Highness, the physician has arrived."
"Let him in."
Prince Seongnyeong's voice echoed outside.
-Different lines! But short!
The door opened. Heo Yuseon bowed his head and prostrated himself before Prince Seongnyeong. The camera focused on the prostrate Heo Yuseon.
-He's appearing! He's appearing!
-Is he really going to appear!?
"Look up."
A gentle child's voice was heard. Heo Yuseon's head moved. At that moment, the screen changed.
A yellow floor was shown. The screen darkened and then brightened, as if eyelids were closing and opening. The camera slowly moved.
Dong
The drumbeat struck the hearts of the viewers.
Dong
The camera slowly rose, showing the yellow floor and a wooden table.
Dong-dong
The drumbeat continued.
The camera moved according to Heo Yuseon's gaze, slowly, very slowly.
A wooden table and a covered book on it were visible. Small hands were neatly placed on the book.
Dong-dong! Dong-dong!
The drumbeat and the viewers' hearts began to race.
Dong-dong-dong! Dong-dong-dong!
No one could look away from the screen. Even though Lee Seojun's face hadn't appeared, everyone's hearts were pounding.
The atmosphere was different. The line between the TV and the outside world blurred. Everyone tightly closed their mouths and stared at the screen.
The viewers' gazes rose, like Heo Yuseon's, as he lifted his head. The short moment of lifting his head felt long to the viewers.
Suddenly, the rapid drumbeat stopped.
In the silent silence, Prince Seongnyeong's face appeared on the screen, looking up from below.
Boom!
A loud drumbeat echoed, as if the heart had dropped.
There, a well-mannered child was smiling kindly.
"Wow."
At that moment, Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon really felt as if light was shining behind Prince Seongnyeong.
It wasn't just them. Those affected by the ability of [The Young Lion King's Dignity] felt the dignity expressed as light.
-Halo? Did I see light behind Lee Seojun?
=?? I didn't see that.
=I think I did!
"I am the physician, Heo Yuseon."
For a moment, the screen showed Prince Seongnyeong and Heo Yuseon looking at each other.
Soon, the well-mannered Prince Seongnyeong smiled and stood up.
"Let's go horseback riding!"
"…What?"
"Father said we must always take the physician when we go horseback riding!"
The well-mannered demeanor of a moment ago was gone as Prince Seongnyeong excitedly left the room. Heo Yuseon, looking puzzled, quickly followed.
The eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting who cared for Prince Seongnyeong followed them, as if it were routine.
Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon, charmed by Prince Seongnyeong's cute appearance, asked Seojun.
"Seojun, did you ride a horse?"
"Yes! But it was different from the riding school, so I could only film the riding scenes."
"True. At the riding school, there are many teachers to help, but the filming was tough."
"Still, it was fun to ride after a long time. Everyone was surprised at how well I rode!"
It was obvious even without seeing.
He rode well. He rode well. Few had seen it firsthand, but everyone was surely surprised by Seojun's skillful riding. For safety, Seojun wasn't allowed to ride alone. Lee Min-joon asked,
"Shall we go horseback riding this week?"
"Sure!"
Prince Seongnyeong couldn't stay still for a moment. He was enthusiastic about everything. He rode horses, played, and studied diligently. He greeted passing officials brightly and visited other princes' quarters.
Heo Yuseon felt he had walked almost twice as much as when he was with the other three princes. He seemed to have met the king and queen frequently over the four days.
Laughing and chatting about what they did today, the scene was no different from an ordinary household.
For Heo Yuseon, who was not born into an ordinary family, it was a novel sight. After a long three-day shift, he returned home with a tired face. His teacher, Yang Hongdal, smiled and said,
"Good job."
"Prince Seongnyeong is very active."
"Back when he was younger, he couldn't do many things due to the king's concern for his health."
Yang Hongdal, who had been a royal physician for a long time, spoke about Prince Seongnyeong, but Heo Yuseon only half-listened. Wouldn't a precious child like this be more angry? Heo Yuseon's thoughts always ended with revenge against Minister Heo, no matter where they started.
[The Royal Physician Episode 5, 28% viewership!]
[Actor Lee Seojun, appearing! Creating a halo even without one!]
[But still, a young prince. Adorable appearance makes parents smile!]
-First appearance, "I am the prince of Joseon!" lol
-My brain could create a halo even without one lol
-So cute lol "Let's go horseback riding!" Heo Yuseon's expression = my expression
-He's definitely a kid.
-Heo Yuseon seems to be planning poisoning. Meeting the cute Prince Seongnyeong and thinking of poisoning.
KBC's fusion historical drama, "The Royal Physician," was always a topic of discussion.
There wasn't a single episode from the first to the current one that didn't spark conversation. In particular, everyone loved the warm and harmonious atmosphere of the Joseon royal family. And it was impossible not to like Prince Seongnyeong, who was at the center of it all.
He shot arrows and rode horses with Prince Chungnyeong, played in the market with Prince Yangnyeong, and visited temples with Prince Hyoryeong. The scenes of him chatting with King Taejong and the queen were also very endearing.
Heo Yuseon was always by his side.
Viewers were pleased with the gradual change in Heo Yuseon, who was gradually opening up.
When he occasionally met Minister Heo and his son in the palace, he would glare fiercely, and he would suffer through various accidents and incidents, but his face would soften when he met Prince Seongnyeong. Everyone smiled at this.
Heo Yuseon, who almost used Prince Seongnyeong as a means of revenge against Minister Heo, showed a clear change as he followed the active Prince Seongnyeong and took care of him.
-Heo Yuseon… like me, suffering at the hands of a superior. I wish I had someone like Prince Seongnyeong to heal me.
-The royals are so relaxed, but the people below are working hard. No difference here or there.
-Healing with Prince Seongnyeong. I'm going to bed with a smile. 😭
-Lucky Heo Yuseon's heart changed!
Today, they went on an outing to a mountain near the palace. Enjoying the mountain scenery, Prince Seongnyeong and Heo Yuseon climbed the mountain.
While Prince Seongnyeong and his guards were fine, Heo Yuseon was sweating profusely as he climbed.
"Huff. Huff. Your Highness, please go a bit slower."
"Ahahaha. I need to exercise more, Physician Heo."
"Your Highness will live a long life."
"Of course. I need to live long enough to see Physician Heo get married. When you have a child, I hope your child and mine will be good friends!"
Prince Seongnyeong, brightly talking about the future.
Dong-dong, the heavy drumbeat sounded.
Heo Yuseon, catching his breath, smiled faintly and spoke. At this moment, he forgot about Minister Heo, his wife, and his mother.
"Ha-ha. Then I will teach my child to be a physician."
Heo Yuseon imagined a future he had never dreamed of. The future, which made him happy just to think about, filled his heart. If he forgot about his anger towards Minister Heo and the revenge he had staked his life on, and devoted himself to this person, he could have a very happy life.
Prince Seongnyeong's small back, looking at the palace, seemed sturdy.
Heo Yuseon's gaze turned to the palace in front of Prince Seongnyeong. His eyes sharpened like a hawk's, eyeing its prey.
"Ugh. It's cold. Physician Heo, let's go down quickly."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The weather was getting colder, and winter was approaching.
[KBC Fusion Historical Drama, "The Royal Physician" Soaring Viewership!]
[Heo Yuseon giving up on revenge? What's next?]
[Prince Seongnyeong's Cold February Day!]
-😭 He talks so brightly, but he can't die? 😭
-It seems I've grown attached to the drama. 😭 At first, he was just cute, but now my heart aches every time Prince Seongnyeong appears with a smile. 😭 Please, let the physician cure him. 😭
-Heo Yuseon… finally happy.
-Ah… really… the last line about being cold is so touching.
-But, when Heo Yuseon looks at the palace at the end, it's not cheap, right?
=??? Is it?
* * *
Seojun spread out the books on the floor. He was carefully selecting abilities to act out Prince Seongnyeong's death.
"Death."
Seojun looked around the Library of Life. To put it nicely, it was the Library of Life, but it also meant there were this many deaths.
Monsters who had to die at a young age. Monsters who died because they were weak. And monsters who died peacefully after living their full lives.
The number of books here was unimaginable.
There were many open books in the library, but there were also many closed ones. Seojun had experienced this much death.
"The Library of Death is a bit eerie…"
Seojun, who had long resolved the philosophical questions of life and death, calmly chose his abilities.
"When a person dies, their breath stops, their body temperature drops, and their heart stops. I can stop the heart, but it might be a bit difficult to wake up. Let's go with this!"
[(Noble) Blue Slime Core - Low Tier]
This is the core of a blue slime.
The core of a slime that uses ice as an attack method is cold.
While possessing the core, resistance to ice (low temperature) is gained.
The intensity of the ice (temperature) can be controlled.
[(Noble) Blue Slime Core - Low Tier] chosen, Seojun shifted his gaze to the side. There was a pile of books emitting a dark aura.
"For death, it's definitely dark energy!"
To perfect his performance, Seojun read through the black books. The books in the Evil Library all had significant side effects, so he chose the lowest-tier ability from one of them.