Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Translator: Penny
Chapter 40
Without a doubt, the most talked-about drama right now is You Who Came From the Stars.
Premiering with viewership ratings exceeding 20% from the very first episode, the drama showed promising signs, and in just five episodes, it exploded, surpassing 35% in real-time viewership.
<‘Star-Crossed’ Mania, Even Among Child Actors, Continues Its Ratings Ascent With Unexpected Twists>
As expected, articles about You Who Came From the Stars flooded both online and offline platforms.
Seeing entertainment reporters, just like herself, scrambling to write about You Who Came From the Stars, Heo Ju-eun's first thought was:
‘…Good thing I made a good impression beforehand.’
She was glad she had exclusively interviewed Ha-eun, who no one had paid attention to, on the first day of filming You Who Came From the Stars.
In fact, strictly speaking, only the two leads, Ha Yoon-sung and Yoo Seong-ah, were permitted to be interviewed that day.
“Seriously, trying to get an interview with a 12-year-old is like reaching for the stars!”
Considering that the person currently receiving the most attention wasn't Yoo Seong-ah or Ha Yoon-sung, but Ha-eun,
Sneaking onto the set disguised as a drama staff member and finally meeting Ha-eun was truly a stroke of genius.
Strictly speaking, Heo Ju-eun's first interview article hadn't garnered much attention and was buried.
It was, after all, a rather ordinary article without any particularly noteworthy content.
However, now that Ha-eun was, quite literally, dominating the drama You Who Came From the Stars, the situation had completely reversed.
Ha-eun, who had always been reluctant to be exposed to the media, had only agreed to one interview.
Reporter Park next to her was astonished, Reporter Kim across from her was in shock, and Editor-in-chief over there was on his knees. Heo Ju-eun was probably the only one with any connection to the star Lee Ha-eun.
Of course, she still hadn't received a reply to her interview request from Luna Entertainment, Ha-eun's agency.
“Heo, Reporter Heo. Do you have any more sources on Lee Ha-eun?”
“I wonder?”
“Oh, please. Reporter Heo, you watched episode 5 of Star-Crossed, right? You know that even just posting recent photos of Lee Ha-eun without any content would be a huge hit.”
“Hmm…. Actually, I didn't bring my camera to Ha-eun's first interview, so I don't really have any recent photos.”
She was the most likely person to know something more about Ha-eun.
At the same time, Heo Ju-eun was the most likely to get an interview with Ha-eun, no matter what anyone said.
Her fellow reporters, who hadn't even met Ha-eun, kept probing Heo Ju-eun.
And, as if to prove that speaking of the devil brings him near,
The number on Heo Ju-eun's phone screen, which started ringing just seconds later,
Or rather, the name associated with that contact,
“…Huh?”
It was a name that was enough to startle not only Heo Ju-eun but also her fellow reporters standing beside her.
Heo Ju-eun grabbed her phone with almost lightning speed.
“He…hello?”
[ …Hello, Reporter. This is Lee Ha-eun. I want to keep the promise we made last time. I was wondering when would be a good time for you─ ]
She didn't remember much after that.
After all, Heo Ju-eun hadn't expected Ha-eun to actually try to keep the promise they made at that cafe back then.
Especially not so soon, less than a week after episode 5 had aired.
And so, she somehow ended up securing another exclusive interview with Ha-eun.
From her fellow reporter, who had been blankly blinking while eavesdropping on the conversation between Heo Ju-eun and Ha-eun,
“…Tell me the lottery numbers, Reporter Heo.”
She even heard words that treated her like a fortune teller.
Nevertheless, she didn't feel bad at all.
Of course, the Heo Ju-eun of the past hadn't imagined that Ha-eun would receive this much attention, but so what?
Unlike the other reporters who were struggling to find any source on Ha-eun, Heo Ju-eun was scheduled to meet Ha-eun in person tomorrow morning!
“They say bad things happen if you go around blabbing about the future. Sorry about that~.”
Therefore, she could just smile and brush off the envious and jealous voices of her fellow reporters.
After that, it was just a series of heart-fluttering moments.
Like the rose in The Little Prince, who happily waited for the little prince from 3 PM, even though he wasn't coming until 4 PM, she spent her time eagerly anticipating her meeting with Ha-eun.
She finally reunited with Ha-eun, whom she had been eagerly waiting for, 18 hours later.
Strictly speaking, she didn't look much different from their first interview a few months ago, but for some reason, it seemed like a halo was appearing behind Ha-eun's back this time.
“It's been a while, Reporter.”
Was it just a momentary illusion that even that brief greeting overlapped with the image of Han Yu-hwa?
Even after the second interview with Ha-eun finally began, Heo Ju-eun couldn't quite distinguish between Ha-eun and Han Yu-hwa.
In fact, it might have been a natural thing to happen.
There were many overlapping aspects between the young Han Yu-hwa in You Who Came From the Stars and the current Ha-eun.
No matter what anyone said, the current Ha-eun, like the young Han Yu-hwa of the modern era, was now being recognized as a rising star in the entertainment industry.
The subtle confidence that lingered in the air was the same kind that Heo Ju-eun had felt while watching You Who Came From the Stars.
During her time as an entertainment reporter, she had seen several actors become one with the characters they had to play.
But she had never seen an actor who even found themselves in the same situation as the character.
Perhaps Ha-eun playing the young Han Yu-hwa was truly a matter of fate.
“Then, just one last question to wrap things up. What is Ha-eun's dream?”
And so, the typical interview question about her future aspirations was directed at Ha-eun.
She had been expecting an answer about continuing to work hard and becoming a great actress like the adult Han Yu-hwa.
“A liar. I want to become the best liar in the world.”
But what she actually heard from Ha-eun was an answer that made Heo Ju-eun tilt her head without even realizing it.
Immediately after, she cautiously asked exactly what kind of liar she wanted to be.
“There's a dream I haven't achieved yet. It's a dream that requires me to be good at deceiving people, just like an actor.”
“Um, is it…is it possible for you to tell me what that dream is called?”
“Ah, no. It's a dream that's a little difficult to tell others about yet.”
She heard answers that made Heo Ju-eun even more puzzled than before.
For a moment, she looked at Ha-eun suspiciously, wondering if she was dreaming of something strange like becoming a cult leader or a con artist.
But after all, she was just a 12-year-old girl.
No matter what, it was difficult to conclude that she was already having such bad dreams. In many ways.
Well, one way or another.
The conversation with Ha-eun, which lasted a total of 1 hour and 10 minutes, was enough to be a scoop in itself.
“Thank you so, so much, Ha-eun. Thanks to you, I won't have to worry about articles for a while.”
She expressed her gratitude to Ha-eun with a more sincere voice than ever before.
It was very rare for an actor to offer an interview first after only having one exclusive interview together.
And so, she forced herself to move her reluctant feet and returned to the office.
Then, she began to look through the dozens of photos in the camera of the junior reporter who had accompanied her to the interview with Ha-eun, one by one, and began to select the best ones.
It was sure to be an article that would generate a lot of buzz in many ways.
If possible, she wanted Ha-eun to look her prettiest in the photos that would be published in the article.
\\
“? Me?”
“Yeah.”
Lee Gun-yeol's unwavering gaze, which didn't seem to have any playfulness in it.
In addition, the several sheets of paper with the broadcast script in front of her added credibility to the proposal that Ha-eun had just heard.
“Of course, we won't do name tag ripping like I do. You just have to do a few missions for the filming.”
Lee Gun-yeol continued to explain.
However, what ultimately captured Ha-eun's heart wasn't the general concept of the show or the missions that Ha-eun would have to complete, but the recording date of Don't Stop People.
‘…If I ask him to go with me after the recording, will he?’
Coincidentally, that day was also the day when a major incident that was etched in Ha-eun's memory would occur.
Strictly speaking, it was an incident that would have a significant impact on Lee Gun-yeol, who was currently in front of Ha-eun.
Of course, even if Ha-eun told Lee Gun-yeol the future she knew right now, she would be dismissed as crazy.
In the end, the best thing to do was to resolve the incident naturally, without making Lee Gun-yeol think Ha-eun was strange.
One way or another, being with Lee Gun-yeol would make it easier to resolve the incident than not being with him.
“So, Ha-eun, do you want to film Don't Stop People with me?”
“Yes.”
In the end, she decided to appear on Don't Stop People.
Even if it wasn't because of the incident, Don't Stop People was a program that she had wanted to appear on at least once, so she decided to think of it as a good thing.
At this point, she was definitely starting to think that it was too much of a story to use for a Virtual Youtuber broadcast.
One way or another, it was sure to be a good experience.
“Hmm, I want to drop Jeon Dong-guk's name tag on the ground, even if I don't drop anyone else's. Would you grant me that wish if I asked?”
“Dong-guk hyung usually grants kids' wishes well. Don't feel pressured.”
For now, she decided to be more excited than worried.
If she could resolve the Don't Stop People recording and the incident that would occur immediately afterward, she could rest assured that there would be nothing more to wish for.
“Would he give me an autograph if I asked?”
“Of course. But, Dong-guk hyung would probably want to get your autograph first, Ha-eun.”
“Oh? Really?”
“He enjoyed watching You Who Came From the Stars* so much. And as soon as I told him that you were the Little Match Girl in our music video a long time ago, his eyes widened.”
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny