Peninsula: Starting with Hijacking Yoona

71. The crew read aloud together.

The noise gradually subsided in the private meeting room of the MBC drama building.

The media reporters who had been waiting in a crowd were leaving in an orderly fashion after taking their entrance photos. The noisy shutter sounds and whispers gradually faded away, replaced by the quiet atmosphere unique to the film crew's reading session.

The spacious and well-organized room featured a long, rectangular solid wood conference table in the center, its surface clean and tidy. Soft, even lighting illuminated the room, where the entire cast of "The Moon Embracing the Sun" held their first script reading as adults.

It will officially begin soon.

Among the main creators, director Kim Do-hoon and screenwriter Jin Soo-wan stepped forward first and calmly took their seats on either side of the main seats at the conference table.

As the core leaders of the entire series, both of them have fixed positions.

Following closely behind, the actors and staff also found their respective seats, quietly taking their places and waiting for the reading to officially begin.

Lee Kyung-sung followed at the back of the crowd and slowly walked into the conference room. Luo Yong-ho and Lim Yoon-ah had actually mentioned some of the reading process to him beforehand, so it didn't feel unfamiliar to him now.

As soon as Chen Xiuwan settled into his seat, his gaze swept across the entire room, precisely locking onto Li Jingcheng standing in the crowd. He immediately raised his hand and gently gestured for him to sit in the designated empty seat.

As the female lead in the drama, Han Jiaren was naturally aware of her position. She turned her head, looked at him with a slight smile, a gentle and appropriate smile that conveyed the kindness and tolerance of a senior towards a junior, and also indicated his position with her eyes.

This mutual and thoughtful care warmed Li Jingcheng's heart. Who says there are no good people in the entertainment industry?

He felt embarrassed to take his time, so he quickened his pace, stepped forward, and sat down. He cast clear, sincere glances at Chen Xiuwan and Han Jiaren, but his gaze towards Han Jiaren was more intense.

After everyone took their seats, they instinctively took out their scripts, ready to begin a group reading, and the atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became more serious and professional.

Li Jingcheng also raised his hand and took out his own script, but when his gaze swept over the scripts of everyone around him, a subtle feeling instantly arose in his heart.

The script in Han Jiaren's hand beside her was thinner than her own, but more importantly, every page was densely covered with notes.

In contrast, Li Jingcheng's own script was brand new and pristine, with clean pages and no trace of writing. He had only glanced at it briefly on the way here, but he was already familiar with the plot and the basic dialogue.

However, in comparison, he immediately appears out of place, even subtly revealing a lack of professionalism and a somewhat unprofessional attitude.

My gaze swept over the other actors on either side of the conference table. The scripts in their hands were noticeably thinner and the annotations on the pages were much sparser, but there were still some.

Even more subtly, everyone present seemed to glance at the brand-new, blank script in Li Jingcheng's hand, a hint of surprise and doubt flashing in their eyes.

Sitting in the main seat, screenwriter Chen Xiuwan's gaze fell on his clean and spotless script, his eyes filled with obvious doubt, and a hint of surprise as if to say, "What's wrong with you, bro? Why didn't you do any homework?"

In the atmosphere of South Korean film and television production teams, actors' annotations on the script are almost equivalent to their attitude towards the role. If a new actor gets a major role but doesn't even have basic notes, it's bound to raise suspicions immediately.

Unfortunately, Lee Kyung-sung didn't know that neither Im Yoon-ah nor Na Yong-ho had mentioned it to him.

Subtle glances and veiled scrutiny came from all around, but Li Jingcheng remained unmoved, for he had already memorized all of Li Xuan's lines and emotional rhythms.

It doesn't matter. When it's his turn to make a move, he'll prove himself with his skills.

Director Kim Do-hoon, seated in the main seat, took in every subtle change in the atmosphere throughout the entire event.

He silently labeled Li Jingcheng as "a royal who is not diligent enough" in his heart, but recalling the effect of Li Jingcheng's audition, he temporarily suppressed his doubts and planned to redefine his strength based on the real state of the on-site reading.

In his view, insufficient written work is a matter of attitude; if the subsequent reading session is also poor, it might just be a flash in the pan.

After a brief silence, Kim Do-hoon broke the silence and began the script reading.

His voice was deep and resonant as he briefly outlined the entire filming process, shooting rhythm, and key points for teamwork, ensuring that all the actors present were clear about their upcoming work arrangements, including the overall scheduling.

After the process was explained, screenwriter Chen Xiuwan gave a supplementary speech.

Screenwriter Chen Xiuwan then added her comments, her expression serious and focused, meticulously explaining the historical background, main storyline, character relationships, and core themes.

She specifically pointed out his understanding of the adult Li Xuan character, and directly shared all of his understanding with Li Jingcheng.

To fit the tight filming schedule, the crew skipped all formal procedures, skipped self-introductions, and went straight into reading their lines.

Following the actual reading order of the adult version of "The Moon Embracing the Sun,"

The opening scene begins with Kim Do-hoon personally reading the opening narration.

In ancient times, there were two suns and two moons in the sky. A hero shot down one of them, and peace returned to the land. Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye, and their past love has been separated by life and death.

Yeon-woo faked her death and disappeared without a trace. Lee Hwon ascended the throne, leaving Yeon-woo alone to guard the entire palace. Their destinies were already intertwined; love, hate, and longing would continue endlessly from that moment on.

As the narration ended, the first to appear and speak was the adult king, Li Xuan, who was deeply obsessed with his beliefs.

After reading the last line of narration, Kim Do-hoon looked up, his gaze falling directly on Lee Kyung-sung, the scrutiny gone, replaced by anticipation.

He wanted to see how this newcomer, who was being heavily promoted by CJ, would perform.

Meeting the director's expectant gaze, Li Jingcheng simply recalled Li Xuan's storyline and then tried to recreate it with empathy. Even if it was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, it wouldn't be surprising.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the entire room suddenly tightened. All the actors and staff focused their attention on him, waiting to see if this newcomer with a blank script truly had the talent, or was just all talk and no action.

Lee Kyung-sung's attention remained fixed on Han Ga-in beside him the entire time.

His script remained pristine and clean, lying quietly on the table, never once glanced down at.

The boy's clean and relaxed features suddenly turned cold, and the vibrant youthful energy around him vanished instantly, replaced by aloofness and melancholy.

He looked up, his gaze precisely locking onto Han Jiaren's eyes beside him.

The instant their eyes met, an intense chemical reaction erupted, a silent tug-of-war spreading across the entire conference table.

Han Jiaren instantly received all the emotional signals in his eyes, and her eyes trembled slightly. At this moment, she didn't know why, but she simply met his gaze.

She felt a little dazed, and the next moment, she thought that she was Xu Yanyu and he was Li Xuan.

She slightly raised her eyes, her gaze timidly meeting his deep gaze. Instantly, she entered the role, without needing to deliberately recall the script; a subtle panic and evasiveness naturally surfaced in Han Jiaren's eyes.

It perfectly captures Heo Yeon-woo's cautiousness, the constraints of fate, and the hidden feelings of the past when facing the emperor.

One strong, one gentle; one cold, one warm.

Without any physical actions or dialogue, the entire drama's tone of love and hate—the separation and reunion—is established solely through the exchange of glances.

Immediately afterwards, Li Jingcheng spoke.

His voice completely lost its usual clear and warm tone, becoming deep and magnetic, carrying the oppressive chill of the deep palace, yet concealing a burning passion that dared not be revealed.

There was no deliberate shouting or outburst; every word was imbued with emotion.

"Who...are you?"

He uttered a simple line that conveyed a mix of testing, suspicion, attraction, and fear.

"A lowly person... merely a shrine maiden in the palace, named Tsuki."

Across from her, Han Jiaren lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows that concealed the melancholy and longing within. She paused slightly before replying softly, yet with a hint of humility and timidity.

What left the stunned Kim Do-hoon most amazed was their eye contact.

With the overwhelming possessiveness of an emperor, Lee Kyung-sung seemed determined to devour Han Ga-in—no, to devour Heo Yeon-woo!

Moreover, Han Ga-in always kept up with his rhythm, which was even more effective than when they were acting together.

All the whispers and doubts were silenced by his gaze.

Chen Xiuwan's gaze remained fixed on the two of them. At that moment, Han Jiaren's face seemed to have unknowingly become her own.

Although she didn't know how a simple script reading had suddenly turned into Li Jingcheng's solo performance, she didn't find it strange. On the contrary, she was even more looking forward to his performance in the upcoming filming.

Han Ga-in was simply acting out of habit, but the moment her eyes met Lee Kyung-sung's, that gaze, filled with deep affection, was like an invisible torrent that instantly engulfed and swallowed her whole.

Without even preparing her emotions, a strong sense of empathy inexplicably arose in her heart, and she naturally sympathized with Xu Yanyu's helplessness.

The feeling was incredibly real—the person before her was truly Li Xuan, the one who had been obsessed with love for half her life and suffered for it. And she herself…

That's Xu Yanyu, the one who dared not acknowledge him and whose heart was filled with longing...