NOVEL NEXT Chapter 61
Challenge! After the announcement that participants for the Golden Bell were being accepted spread throughout the school.
As soon as I heard the news, I thought it had nothing to do with me.
“What’s with this sudden Golden Bell nonsense?”
It seemed like a good plan for middle school prodigies to gather and film a special Golden Bell, but applying for it was a completely different story.
But if you ask why I ended up participating…
“D-Dong-ho! Have you heard about the Red Mask?”
“What?”
“They say when the Red Mask appears, people die… like their mouths are split open!”
“…”
The reason behind my participation all started from Kang Sik’s fear—something really petty.
“No, but the Red Mask trend ended a while ago…”
“They say it came back! I heard there’s a prison under the Great Wall of China, and it broke out from there!”
Even with Min-hyuk’s skepticism, Kang Sik stubbornly kept going on with his ramblings.
“I heard someone even lost their arm trying to reach in there. Anyway, it’s super scary!”
As Min-hyuk pointed out, the urban legend of the Red Mask was supposed to be a thing of the past. Just when I was about to be perplexed, Kang Sik looked straight at me.
“B-But! They say the Red Mask is really afraid of the Golden Bell… It’s golden, right? Holding a golden bell…! That’s its weakness!”
What kind of school urban legend sealing method is that? No one dared to voice it.
Even Ye-rim, who looked utterly fed up, stayed quiet.
Because…
“I-It’s true…!”
Kang Sik’s expression was way too serious.
“So you’re saying the Red Mask broke out of the prison under the Great Wall and is coming to kill people, and the only way to seal it is the Golden Bell?”
“Yeah, that’s right! You got it, Min-hyuk!”
“…”
Min-hyuk stared at me without saying a word.
Those eyes seemed to be asking for a solution.
I shook my head at the unspoken signal to calm down Kang Sik.
‘Surely, smart kids have a screw loose somewhere.’
Is Kang Sik one of those kids?
As I thought that and glanced around, I realized—
“Hah.”
Not just Min-hyuk and Ye-rim, but my classmates were looking at me strangely.
“So they’re doing all this just to make me participate in the Golden Bell?”
Of course, that might not be the case, but the expectations in their eyes were crystal clear.
‘How cute, really.’
Even Min-hyuk and Ye-rim just sat there quietly as Kang Sik fervently talked about the Red Mask.
In a way, this situation could have been a well-scripted play.
“So, you have to go for sure! Because of the Red Mask!”
“Is that right?”
Anyway.
Instead of stating that the Red Mask didn’t exist, I chose the quicker path.
“Sure, but I’ll try to apply. But this might not work, you know?”
Considering it was a special feature for middle school prodigies, it was highly likely that I wouldn’t be accepted in the first place.
The stakes were high.
“Ordinary Challenge! The number of applicants for the Golden Bell is around 100.”
I thought my chances of being among the genius students participating from various middle schools were low.
But then…
“Hey, Donghu! You applied for the Golden Bell, right? They contacted you saying you made it! They even sent a problem set for you to memorize.”
The morning after I applied, I received the news that I was in the top 100.
Just as I was about to think “Why?”, I suddenly realized how obsessed the broadcast station was with the hype.
“Oh, I see.”
It was just about the time when the excitement for the Challenge! Golden Bell was beginning to cool off.
They must have thought they needed to boost the ratings again because of my existence.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Challenge! Golden Bell didn’t overlap with any of my schedules.
Of course, I applied partly for that reason.
“Honestly, I was curious myself.”
To say I had zero interest would be a lie.
Since I was the top student in the school, I was qualified,
and if luck was on my side, I might get to ring the Golden Bell and honor my parents. What an opportunity, right?
“If I participate now, it might be good, especially since I’ll be busier with the preview later.”
Although Kang Sik was the reason I got motivated, it turned out it’s good to take a shot when an opportunity arises.
So, with all these factors colliding, my appearance on Challenge! Golden Bell was confirmed.
“Donghu, are you really okay? You don’t have to overdo it, right?”
As soon as I shared the news, Seok-ho was immediately worried.
The only thing I could say was one thing.
“There’s no other way to seal the red mask.”
“Huh?”
Since a prisoner must be put back in jail,
this made sense from an ethical standpoint.
++++++
Tap, tap, tap.
In the quiet meeting room, the sound of a fist hitting the table was loud enough to break the silence.
A single long finger was the one to break that silence.
“Don’t stop thinking, don’t stop thinking.”
As [Swordmaster Baek Dong-su] was heading toward its conclusion, the highest viewership was still at 28%.
With just one powerful move, I thought it might work, but ironically, I couldn’t think of what that was.
The head of the SKS Drama Department, Choi Do-seon, brushed his hair back neatly and shifted his gaze.
“I guess the writer isn’t coming up with a brilliant idea either.”
In a daze, Kwon Jae-ho, the writer who couldn’t think of anything sharp, furrowed his brow, deep in thought.
Jeong Dosun’s mind turned deeper as he looked at him.
“There must be a way…”
The actors’ schedules had already been shared,
and since it had been confirmed that additional filming through the script wouldn’t be a problem now, the most important script had yet to appear.
What could be the one way to boost the viewership massively?
In fact, the answer was set in stone.
You just had to use the card that guaranteed viewership.
“Kim Donghu.”
You just needed to bring Kim Donghu back.
The question was ‘how.’
The answer sheet was clear, but they had to perfectly work out the process.
As everyone fell into thought…
While Du was deep in thought…
Bang!
Suddenly, Kwon Jaeho slammed his hands on the table and stood up.
“Overlap! The duel scene between Baek Dong-su and Jawan, mixed with flashbacks to their childhood fight! Naturally featuring Kim Donghu!!!”
Though it was an uninhibited jumble of sentences, astonishingly, everyone in the conference room understood what he was saying.
It was as if they were all connected by some alien race’s long antennae.
They looked at Kwon Jaeho with trusting eyes.
“Why didn’t we think of that! With the final episode approaching, that kind of direction works!”
“And when Jawan dies, we can meet the pure version from his childhood again and do some acting!”
“Yes, that’s it! That’ll do! Let’s get on it, Director!”
The atmosphere quickly leaned towards wrapping up the meeting.
Director Jeong Dosun nodded with a satisfied face.
“Right, that’ll work.”
It was so simple to just force Kim Donghu in that it made one wonder if there was really any need to think about it for so long.
“Contact the actors right away and ask about their schedules again; if they’re available, we’ll proceed with the additional filming schedule.”
The script…
As he said that, Director Jeong Dosun looked at Kwon Jaeho.
That look said, “When do you think the script will be ready?”
With a voice filled with firm determination, Kwon Jaeho responded.
“I’ll have the script ready by the day after tomorrow.”
+++++
The week after deciding to participate in the Challenge Golden Bell.
I was flipping through past exam question books when I opened the script for [Eclipse].
“I didn’t get to see it properly with all the romance and whatnot.”
Now that I’ve opened it, I thought I might as well read it all the way through.
And just like that, I dove into the script.
Seeing the world through the prince’s eyes, the first thing that caught my attention was a man bowing to me.
He was originally recruited to teach academia, projecting the image of a mentor while being beneath me and brazenly committing insolence in the prince’s room.
“They say that obsession is truly cruel and blinds a person’s eyes.”
I frowned at my mentor’s stern tone.
“I wished to learn about academia, not to have my life discussed.”
“I’ve heard that recently, the scholars have been tickling your highness’s heart.”
…
I didn’t like how my mentor continued to annoy me with such words.
Having risen in status after winning the top score, he should be glad with that.
“Just because he teaches one prince doesn’t mean he’s above me now.”
I felt like throwing him out on the spot, but I could no longer do that.
Because the arrogant speaker of those words was none other than the woman I loved.
“It’s quite laughable to think this is advice rather than just an attempt to teach.”
In moments like this, it makes me ponder how ridiculous the path of a wise king is.
Is a just king someone who allows scoundrels like that to live and speak freely?
Are you talking about doing it?
Not fulfilling one’s duty just to protect a younger sister, doesn’t he realize it himself?
I wanted to say that, but I didn’t want to drag out my words.
Either way, dawn comes whether the rooster crows or not.
Moreover.
‘This isn’t just my love.’
As the shabby autumn ends and the chilly winter approaches.
I can see the leaves outside the window losing their strength and slowly falling.
The harsh winter.
What’s the problem with finding a partner in advance to endure this cold day?
“Anyway, soon the prohibition of marriage will be enacted, and the selection will begin…”
I closed my mouth after saying that much.
What good would it do to say more?
How can a mere vassal stop my love?
I stopped talking and left the room first.
When you say not to do something, it makes you want to do it even more,
And when you say it can’t be achieved, that just makes you want to achieve it more.
It’s forbidden.
I remember the look in my father’s eyes when I said I liked a woman, telling me to erase her from my memory.
I don’t know what it’s all about, but it’s a pointless story.
And to prove that,
“…So it’s you after all.”
When I realized that the one chosen as the Crown Princess was the woman I loved.
I wanted to find her immediately.
I wanted to pour this overflowing love right away.
Into those eyes that looked like they held a star,
Pouring all my love, longing, and emotions so that no one could reach her.
‘No, not yet.’
However, the reason I could still endure it was that I thought there was plenty of time left.
But mocking that patience.
The last thing I saw was.
“…What the hell is going on?”
The slowly dying cold bride’s appearance.
WHAM!
With that moment, as if the script had ended, I suddenly returned to reality.
‘This was heavier than I thought.’
I never watched dramas in my previous life, so I didn’t know.
It was a much sadder story than expected.
Just as I was admiring the robustness of the script.
> Dong-hu, if you’re okay with your schedule next year, are you thinking about entering a boxing tournament?
> From what I see, you look really good lately, and they say it’s safe to wear headgear as an amateur.
> Let me know if you’re interested.
The usual message from Director Baek Sang-ha arrived.
But next year?
‘Isn’t that when I take a break?’
Really take advantage of Cheonmu’s body properly once?
Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.