Eom So Yeon’s mother and Jessica were in the bathroom washing Hyun Woo, who had gotten covered in dirt from playing in the mud.

Meanwhile, So Yeon, who had quickly and skillfully prepared her son’s favorite snack in the kitchen, took the freshly bathed Hyun Woo from his mother and went into the child’s room. She was going to put him down for a nap.

And soon it became evening.

“I’m heading out, Mom. I might be a little late at the company.”

Having hurriedly finished preparing to go out as they were all going to watch the drama’s first broadcast together at the company today, So Yeon received her mother’s send-off at the entrance.

“Alright. Don’t worry about the child and have a good time. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’m going to Jeju Island tomorrow. Sorin kept insisting that I must visit her house before returning to Canada.”

“I wish I could go too. I want to see my older sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.”

“Nonsense. You have work. Hyun Woo and I will go alone.”

Yeon Hee, who had followed her to the elevator, filled her smiling lips with sincere advice.

“Aren’t there any decent people at the company? There’s no particular good time for dating, but you shouldn’t be alone too much when you’re at your prettiest age, like a flower in bloom.”

“Oh Mom, why am I alone? I’m living with Hyun Woo now.”

“Silly girl! I’m talking about a man, not the child. I’ll be staying in Korea for at least another month, so you do whatever you want during that time. Like dating, going on dates, blind dates, things like that.”

“Pfft… It’s all the same thing. Anyway, I guess I should make an effort, if only for your sake, Mom.”

Reassuring Yeon Hee with words she didn’t really mean, So Yeon got on the elevator.

A moment later, So Yeon, driving her car out of the apartment complex, gently turned the steering wheel towards Samseong-dong.

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

The car behind her had rear-ended So Yeon’s car.

She had been driving slowly near the apartment and naturally was even more careful while making a right turn. Yet an unbelievable fender-bender had occurred. The car behind was clearly an uncommon luxury sedan. A man got out of that car and approached So Yeon, tapping on her window.

Knock, knock.

“Ms. Eom So Yeon.”

“!”

The man knew So Yeon’s name.

Meanwhile, So Yeon also recognized who this man was at a glance.

[This is the timeline separator]

In the dark night, a luxury car smoothly entered the garage of Chairman Gu’s residence in Seongbuk-dong.

It was that sedan that had hit So Yeon’s car from behind earlier.

“I’m back, madam.”

The attendant who had entered the glass greenhouse through the spacious garden bowed his head.

“……”

Yeo Jeong’s hand, which was staring intently at the Vanda orchid, was holding scissors. As if lost in thought about something, she had been silent for a while before slowly raising her gaze.

“So, did you give her a stern warning as I said?”

As her heavily moving lips exhaled a cold air, the man bowed his head once more.

“Yes. I conveyed your intentions as you instructed, madam.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“……”

If it went that far, she should have understood. Human emotions are like flowers that bloom and wither in a season, quickly fading away. Be it people or anything else.

Yeo Jeong, who had picked up the purple rose she had been arranging in a vase, asked while cutting off the thorns on the stem one by one.

“What did that young lady say? Did she flatly deny it this time too?”

“She said you had misunderstood again. She looked quite bewildered.”

“Hmm……”

After letting out a long sigh, her lips closed in a straight line before moving again shortly after.

“The envelope? I put in plenty, adding more on top of the car repair costs.”

“She didn’t accept it. Of course, she said she would take care of the car repair herself. Whether it’s her personality or not, even while getting angry, she spoke calmly, choosing only words that made sense, so I had nothing to say. Should I go back and hand it over again?”

As the attendant asked, taking out a white envelope from his inside pocket, Yeo Jeong, who had been gently stroking her elegantly styled hair for a moment, silently waved her hand.

“No. There’s no need for that. If she doesn’t want it, what can we do? She should have understood after going that far.”

It’s clear that I should just keep it, but it was too much money to accept readily.

“Then what should I do with this…?”

“Consider that your reward for your trouble.”

Yeo Jeong, showing a slight smile, spoke in a kind tone.

“Use it for a secretarial office dinner or something.”

“If the chairman finds out…”

“That’s why I’m giving it to you, isn’t it?”

It meant that today’s events should not reach anyone’s ears, especially Chairman Gu’s.

“Ah, yes……”

So, you’re using this to buy my silence? It seems you know you’ve asked me to do something not quite aboveboard.

After the attendant put the envelope back and withdrew from the glass greenhouse, Yeo Jeong leaned her elbow on the armrest of the chair and looked at the orchid as before.

A few days ago, articles about Tae Seo Jun were spread to the world. Like a sack bursting open, unable to bear its heavy weight.

Along with that, the revelation that Yoo Jung Hwa was Tae Seo Jun’s former lover appeared on all sorts of portal sites, but those scandal articles were cleanly erased and buried in less than two days.

In fact, Chairman Tae had taken care of it, but perhaps because the past cannot overcome the bright light of the present, not many people seemed to care much about the matter of Tae Seo Jun and Yoo Jung Hwa.

Instead, the fact that Eom So Yeon had a child and the shocking background of Tae Seo Jun as a member of a royal family played a big role in focusing attention on the drama in which the two appeared.

Anyway, that was someone else’s business.

What annoyed Yeo Jeong the most was the journalists’ unfair comparisons between Tae Seo Jun and Gu Won Hoo’s cousin relationship, and between her sister’s family and her own family.

While it’s true that Chairman Tae’s family is unrivaled as the number one in the business world, it’s inevitably frustrating to have her family and son overshadowed by someone else’s brilliant light because of it.

Is this the sorrow of being second-best?

While stroking the Vanda orchid leaves, Yeo Jeong recalled the moment she first encountered Eom So Yeon at the Elstella Hotel a few months ago. Even after a season had passed, Yeo Jeong couldn’t shake off that uncomfortable feeling.

Won Hoo had looked at Eom So Yeon, who was in Seo Jun’s room, with an unsettling gaze. That young lady had only looked at Seo Jun. What was shocking at that moment was the strange gazes of the three people biting at each other like a love triangle.

How dare you ignore my son, being just an entertainer?

Even if it might not be so, Yeo Jeong felt very displeased as she closely observed Eom So Yeon’s gaze, which seemed to have no regard for her son.

Worried about this in her heart, she had been closely watching her son’s movements. Then, a few days ago, she received a report that the initials engraved on the ring Gu Won Hoo had ordered at a jewelry shop were the initials of that girl’s name.

How could she just sit still?

Moreover, Yeo Jeong, who was truly displeased that her son was interested in that girl who had suddenly given birth to a child without even the father knowing, had staged today’s event as if to administer preventive medicine.

“Ha! Of all the women, why that girl with a child!”

Unable to control her temper, Yeo Jeong snipped off the flower bud of the Vanda orchid that had just started to bloom. Although it was the orchid flower she had been waiting for, Yeo Jeong’s expression remained calm even as she looked at it scattered on the floor.

Because no matter how beautiful and pretty a flower is, this is what happens if it doesn’t please her.

[This is the timeline separator]

The more So Yeon thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Gu Won Hoo, who had to be hospitalized due to an unfortunate incident with Jo In Ha.

The reason So Yeon had been summoned twice by Cha Yeo Jin recently was because she had been frequenting his hospital room for a while. It was the same car and driver that had forcibly taken her to a quiet place then.

So Yeon had clearly stated that it wasn’t true when she heard harsh words from Yeo Jin, but Yeo Jin seemed determined to push her.

She said that if there really was nothing between her and her son, rather than flatly denying it, she should leave the company to avoid any misunderstandings.

And the second time she was summoned, there was no conversation at all. Yeo Jin just stared at So Yeon’s face, and So Yeon, having nothing more to say, remained silent.

But today, there was an intentional accident and even an envelope of money offered. So Yeon, who easily saw through Cha Yeo Jin’s intention to humiliate her, felt thoroughly uncomfortable.

But this much is nothing.

You seem to be doing this because you’re Chairman Gu’s mother, but don’t be ridiculous!

Just try it one more time, I won’t just sit back and take it!

As she made up her mind strongly, her mood improved considerably.

So Yeon, who had been staring at her car with its broken bumper in the CN building parking lot for a while, turned her eyes away and left the place. Her steps towards the audiovisual room gradually quickened. Her heart was pounding too.

Now she’s about to make her drama debut. Me, Eom So Yeon.

That’s why So Yeon’s lips, which had been gloomy, could now hold a slight smile.

[This is the timeline separator]

10 PM.

The audiovisual room was very crowded, filled not only with CN-affiliated actors but also other actors.

In the absence of Tae Seo Jun, Oh Min Jung monopolized their congratulations. Of course, there were people looking for Eom So Yeon, but So Yeon, who arrived a little later than others due to the accident, quietly sat in a corner seat behind the screen 1 minute before the drama started.

“It’s starting!”

As soon as someone shouted, along with the majestic opening song of the drama, scenes full of cinematic tension that well captured the mysterious atmosphere with high-quality CG quickly passed by.

The scenes were so complete and realistic that it was hard to believe they were the product of just 100 days of work, seeming to jump out of the screen.

“……!”

So Yeon’s eyes suddenly widened in surprise because she hadn’t expected to appear from the start, not being the main character. Moreover, was this the greatness of editing? What had been shot on just a bare field was now nothing short of art, with fantasy-like effects overlaid like real footage.

So Yeo Hwa standing precariously on a rock jutting out from a mountainside. She was looking down at the crisis-stricken territory with a calm gaze.

Her face, half-hidden by the red veil symbolizing a female warrior, was nothing short of a mysterious goddess herself. The tears welling up in her large eyes and falling drop by drop were beautiful enough to keep everyone’s mouths agape.

“Amazing!”

“How dare they captivate us from the very start!”

“As expected, Director Yoon Ji Wan’s skills are something to be acknowledged.”

The people, their attention captured by the screen, couldn’t hide their goosebumps and thrilling excitement.

However, only Oh Min Jung, sitting in the front row, remained silent with her arms crossed. Her crumpled eyes with an unchanging expression clearly showed her displeasure.

She was very displeased that she, the main character, didn’t appear in the first scene. Also, she couldn’t shake off the feeling of being pushed aside and overshadowed by Eom So Yeon’s presence from the start of the drama.

The scale of the visuals in the first episode, starting and ending with Eom So Yeon, was incomparably more enormous than Oh Min Jung had imagined.

Whooosh―.

The bright red clothes fluttered like a river of blood in a gust of wind from somewhere. A large flock of white birds surrounding So Yeo Hwa was just the beginning. Soon, a huge form rose up from below the rock, causing a great wind.

So Yeo Hwa, who unhesitatingly jumped onto the back of that flying dragon and soared high into the sky, flying to the town square, was a female warrior who handled the legendary dragon as if it were her own body.

As if by magic, when the huge dragon appeared in the sky, people who had stopped what they were doing began to run after it, gathering in front of the royal palace in an instant, forming a sea of people.

The flying dragon circling the sky landed on the ground, and she shouted loudly from the high back of the dragon.

“I am So Yeo Hwa, daughter of King So Myeong!”

It was the return of the ill-fated princess of Hanok.

“I have come for you! People of Hanok, cry no more! We will rise again!”

Overwhelmed by So Yeo Hwa’s beautiful appearance. By her clear and ringing voice. Above all, by the brave and intense image of the female warrior, the crowd shed tears of emotion.

Looking at her fellow countrymen who had lost their king and fallen into slavery, So Yeo Hwa, feeling a lump in her throat, shouted in an even firmer voice.

“I will surely reclaim the freedom of this country and its people! I, So Yeo Hwa, will definitely do it!”

Waaaaaah…….

As the cheers of the crowd echoed even inside the palace, suddenly the royal doors swung open wide.

And the man who came out of that door, wearing black armor and riding a black horse, was Gi Cheon Yul, the demon king who had plunged Hanok into darkness and the powerful ruler who had the world at his feet.

“Then you’ll have to defeat me first. Welcome, Princess So Yeo Hwa.”

His strong eyes, smiling coldly, seemed to cut Princess So Yeo Hwa in one stroke.

The image of Eom So Yeon and Tae Seo Jun facing each other was zoomed in, and the drama’s background music played heavily.

Soon after, the screen froze on the scene where Tae Seo Jun and Oh Min Jung first meet on a rooftop overlooking the night view of a modern city.

This was the ending of the first episode of .

The atmosphere was such that no one could close their mouths, but So Yeon, sitting at the back of the audiovisual room, was quiet. The pounding in her chest that had persisted throughout the drama had disappeared. Instead, what filled that chest was an uncontrollable sense of emptiness. An unbearable longing.

It seemed even more so as she had been staring only at Tae Seo Jun on the screen for an entire hour.

And at some point.

“……!”

So Yeon’s gaze, which had been fixed downward blankly, suddenly lifted. The movement of her eyes, quickly scanning her surroundings, also became busy.

Although it couldn’t be, she felt as if he might be here somewhere. Even though she knew it wasn’t true, she felt strongly as if he was watching her from somewhere. So Yeon strangely had such a strong feeling.

But as expected.

A feeling was just a feeling.

Eyes turned back to the screen. The thin hope that had momentarily crossed her large eyes had turned into bitter regret.

I should have held his hand tightly as he moved away from the exhibition hall. I should have at least said I missed him when the phone call came, that’s the belated regret. While my head thought it was completely over with Tae Seo Jun, my heart still couldn’t let him go.

So Yeon’s feelings were indescribably sad.

Until the subtitles completely disappeared, the people in the audiovisual room couldn’t take their eyes off the screen.

“Is this a drama or a movie?”

“Wow, it’s insane!”

“Absolutely killed it!”

Because the grand story and excellent graphic visuals completely overwhelmed everyone’s sight and hearing.

“So, what happens now? Does that evil Gi Cheon Yul kill So Yeo Hwa or save her?”

“I know. How are we supposed to wait until tomorrow if they cut it off here?”

“Seriously. I think I’ll be watching just the first episode on repeat until tomorrow.”

While everyone was talking in unison, a message arrived on So Yeon’s phone, who had been staying quiet.

[Let’s meet. Come outside. Now.]