“Good. Hearing what you’ve told me puts my mind much more at ease. When morning comes tomorrow, I should have my sister go pay her respects.”

“To the Choi Hundo household?”

“The sincerity of the tavern owner and the villagers is so admirable it strikes straight at the heart. To work purely for the honor of the Choi Hundo household, without any gain—such actions are something you couldn’t buy even with a fortune. They’re priceless.”

Seoryeong offered praise just flattering enough to make the owner’s shoulders lift. Sure enough, a bright smile spread across her face.

“If my sister is to recuperate in this village, she needs a place to settle her heart first. From what you’ve told me, the madam of the Choi Hundo household seems perfect.”

“My lord, have you truly decided on this place?”

“Yes. It so happens that some remote roads near this village are being newly opened as well.”

At Seoryeong’s ready answer, the owner was overjoyed. As they left the tavern, she bowed again and again until they became tiny dots in the distance.

Turning his head slightly to look at the owner, Myungdo asked in a low voice,

“It’s not human, is it?”

At the sharp question, Seoryeong nodded, impressed.

“Yeah. A claw ghost.”

The eldest son of the Choi Hundo household was not human.

A claw ghost—an entity that was never human to begin with, a specter that devours human fingernails and toenails to take on the form of that person.

That was what the current eldest son of the Choi Hundo household was.

He hadn’t become a new person.

It was simply a beast wearing human skin.

“What will you do?”

Having seen Seoryeong’s method of resolution during the virgin ghost incident before, Myungdo asked first before acting. As expected of someone sharp-minded, his learning curve was steep.

“What I said about visiting the Choi Hundo household is true. So run your feet off and bring back silk clothes. Something worthy of my aesthetic sense! The most expensive thing in this backwater. Oh, and of course ornaments—hair ribbons and rings too. You know the drill, right?”

Walking along lazily, Seoryeong suddenly stopped when Myungdo didn’t follow. She turned her head and looked at him with an expression that clearly asked what he was waiting for.

“...You intend to disguise yourself as a woman?”

Myungdo asked stiffly.

“A disguise?”

“No matter how skilled you are at deception, imitating a woman carries a high risk of being exposed—”

At that, Seoryeong smiled gently. Then she walked back toward Myungdo and—

“Ugh...!”

“Stop spouting nonsense and bring back expensive ones! If I don’t like them, I’ll send you back to the market until you find something I do. Got it?”

She kicked his shin hard. Leaving the writhing Myungdo behind, Seoryeong strode forward without hesitation.

“A claw ghost....”

A liquid sloshed inside the gourd tucked against Seoryeong’s chest.

It was a gourd filled with human blood.

* * *

After finishing all the tavern scenes and as the sun set, the <Strange Tales> team moved to the next location. This time, it was an indoor set equipped with a massive crane.

Once again, filming proceeded while skipping several scenes ahead. Because wire work was involved, every staff member was fully focused.

If anyone gets hurt...!

The action itself wasn’t particularly high-level, but even one misstep could spell disaster.

The timing was nearing when the teaser for <Top Class>, <Strange Tales>’s competing drama, would be released. With aggressive viral marketing already underway, an odd tension lingered among the <Strange Tales> crew.

“Director Kang! Please check the wires!”

Even Kang Hanseong, the martial arts director from the <Do It and It Works> Action Academy, was on set. Adjusting the wire around Yeoreum’s thigh, he reminded her once more,

“Just like we practiced, got it?”

“Yes, Master!”

Smiling at him, Yeoreum stamped her feet in place a few times and did a small jump.

I’ve seen plenty of actors do well in practice but freeze up on set.

Director Kang paid two or three times more attention to Yeoreum than usual. Tightening the strap around her waist, he asked,

“Nothing pinching?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t tell if it’s pinching or not....”

“Does it feel similar to what we did at the academy? I’m worried the hanbok might get caught.”

Beside Yeoreum, who tilted her head uncertainly, Kwon Junhyeok was adjusting his harness with practiced ease.

“Director, for me, could you widen this gap just a bit more....”

“You set it the same as last time, though?”

“It’s tight....”

After days of alternating diet control and action training, Junhyeok’s harness had grown snug. Having checked his adjusted harness, he took the opportunity to suggest a double-check for Yeoreum as well.

His posture practically said, at least when it comes to action, I’m your senior.

“If it’s too tight, it cuts off circulation.... If you’re not sure whether it’s pinching, check during rehearsal whether your breathing gets blocked under the chest.... The pressure feels different.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“No problem. Same—rookies, after all.”

Junhyeok emphasized the words “same rookies” with a proud curl of his lips.

That guy was crying every day clutching a wooden sword not long ago....

The martial arts director almost said, “Same rookies? Strictly speaking, you’re the only rookie here—you were just whining about wire bruises on your inner thighs until recently,” but held it in. He was, in his own way, preserving Junhyeok’s pride.

“Rigging check done! Calling the stunt coordinator—!”

After the wire team completed final checks on the wires connected to the crane and supports, they called in the stunt coordinator and ran rehearsals.

The movement was simple. Seoryeong and Myungdo climbed onto the roof, then snuck into the Choi Hundo household.

“Yeoreum, let’s do a light test before moving! Relax your feet and float up like you’re flying! Just like we did at the academy.”

Seoryeong had to appear far lighter in movement than Myungdo. Her completion wasn’t just hanging from wires—it was maintaining balance and controlling her center of gravity midair.

“Alright, one— two—!”

The martial arts director’s voice rang out across the set. On three, Yeoreum lifted into the air.

“Nice!”

Beaming, the director tilted his head up. Yeoreum hovered perfectly, without the slightest wobble. Relying on the harness lines attached to her arms and chest, she held her upper body straight.

“Okay! Director Jang! We’ll start rehearsing the wall-kick climb!”

The martial arts director knocked on the wall they would climb, checking its durability. If someone hanging from the wire flailed and lost balance, the set itself could break.

To really sell that cat-like feel, the rebound has to be clean.

Seoryeong not only had to run up the wall, but also lightly step on Myungdo’s head. That significantly increased the risk of injury to Junhyeok’s face.

It was a simple, playful scene, but the effort poured into capturing that single second was beyond imagination.

Still, they’re doing quite well.

Thanks to both Yeoreum and Junhyeok never neglecting practice, their timing matched perfectly.

“First test complete!”

Each test had to be clearly counted.

First test: kick off the wall and climb using the wire’s rebound.

Second test: adjust movement to the camera angle.

Third test: crawl lightly across the rooftop.

“Ready!”

At last, all preparations were complete. There would be no more rehearsals. It was time to film <Strange Tales>’s very first action scene.

“Ready—.”

As if receiving no help from wires at all, Seoryeong soared upward. It was an impossibly light, clean leap.

Before they knew it, thoughts of the <Top Class> teaser had vanished from the minds of the <Strange Tales> staff watching Yeoreum.

* * *

An elegant violin melody filled the air, and through the dim background, a hotel lobby came into view. A heavy male narration followed.

—Everyone loves money, money, money....

Clunk-.

The silhouette opening the conference hall doors looked massive. Golden marble reflected chandelier light brilliantly across the space. The sound of a man’s dress shoes echoed slowly as he entered.

The violin tempo quickened. A middle-aged man in a black suit, flanked by guards, appeared on screen.

Opposite him, an elderly gentleman in a black hanbok rose from his seat, as if to challenge him.

Tap-, tap-, tap-....

In time with his limping steps, the sound of his cane struck the floor like a command. As their gazes met, the violin fell abruptly silent. A sharp standoff began at the center of the vast conference hall.

—That damn money. Do you even know how it’s made?

The scene changed. From high above, a drone captured Macau’s skyline. The music resumed. Over the brief silence, the bow of the violin sliced dangerously across the melody.

—I’ll show you.

Inside a luxurious Macau casino. Enormous stacks of chips were placed among people dressed in gowns and tuxedos.

—Are you betting or sitting this one out?

A blond casino dealer asked politely. The man with a cigar in his mouth nodded toward his subordinate beside him, wearing a flashy printed shirt.

—Betting.

Joo Junseo, dressed like a third-rate thug, casually declared his bet. He swept all the chips in front of him forward. The dealer announced that betting was closed.

—No more bets!

Rrrr—. The sound of the roulette wheel spinning. Slowly, the dealer revealed the cards.

—Straight flush.

Ding—. One roulette wheel stopped. A woman in a dress sitting across from them grabbed her hair.

Ding—. Another roulette wheel stopped. An old man seated diagonally leapt up and hurled his cards.

Ding—. The final roulette wheel stopped.

The man Junseo served lifted his sunglasses and spoke.

—Royal straight flush.

The cards in his hand were the strongest possible.

—The right way to make money.

Jackpot. It was truly a jackpot. The stakes that had climbed endlessly now belonged entirely to the man. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Beside him, Junseo swept ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) up the chips with a vile grin. In the spacious casino, jackpots erupted, champagne burst open—

Boom-!

A bomb exploded.

Gangsters fleeing a burning building were filmed with stylish flair. The screen reeked of money. Every tiny element of the trailer screamed: this is a blockbuster.

The violin multiplied from one to many. The lavish melody spread without end. The elegant, refined music contrasted sharply with the vulgar men on screen.

Thud-!

With a heavy sound that closed the scene, text appeared.

<Top Class>

June 4. Education begins.

“Wow....”

Reporter Wi’s mouth fell open as she watched the released teaser. The junior reporter beside her exclaimed as well.

“They picked it way too well.... Right....”

“Uh....”