Chapter 30: Little Starlight (3)
Chapter 30: Little Starlight (3)
The great actor, Park Sun-woong.
He had three films that surpassed the ten-million-viewer mark.
On top of that, he had starred in a daily soap opera that defined an era.
Having filmed two dramas that reached a 40% viewership rating, he was, so to speak, a magician of the box office.
He was a man who didn't know the meaning of failure, to the point where people said they could trust any project he was in.
It wasn't just about his acting skills.
He had an eye for projects.
More importantly, he had an exceptional eye for people.
Whenever he filmed a drama or a movie, he would personally recommend actors who fit the roles to the director.
‘So that child is Ju Seo-yeon.’
To Park Sun-woong, the Ju Seo-yeon he was looking at was a rather peculiar child.
She was seven years old.
Despite being at an age where she should still be in kindergarten, she was strangely quiet.
Usually, child actors tend to be more mature than their peers.
First of all, they have to handle lines and acting.
Moreover, they experience the adult world much earlier than others.
His son, Park Jung-woo, was the same way.
He was much more mature than his peers and possessed great talent.
‘That’s why I was secretly worried.’
Perhaps it was because he was approaching puberty.
His son seemed to be developing a sense that he was different from other children his age.
He was the perfect definition of arrogant.
It just wasn't obvious because he didn't talk much.
That attitude was evident even in the recently released making-of film for The Moon That Hides the Sun.
Sun-woong had tried to correct him several times, but he was so busy that it was hard to speak to him often.
His wife, on the other hand, adored their son so much that she rarely said anything harsh to him.
‘But then...’
To think a child would appear who could thoroughly crush that proud son’s ego.
That was why, despite his busy schedule, he had readily accepted the invitation Yoon Jong-hyuk had arranged today.
“Jung-woo seems quite frustrated.”
“Mhm.”
Sun-woong nodded at Yoon Jong-hyuk’s words.
Even now, Jung-woo was hovering around Seo-yeon, clearly bothered by her presence.
As for Seo-yeon, she looked incredibly uncomfortable.
Though it didn't quite show on her face.
“From Jung-woo’s perspective, it probably feels like she’s winning and then running away.”
In episodes 1 and 2, there were no scenes where Seo-yeon and Jung-woo faced off directly with their acting.
Aside from that one part in the audition where she played two roles.
And that was exactly the scene inserted into episode 3.
The scene where the young Lee Hye-wol says her final goodbye to Yoon Seo-il and leaves.
“I suppose so. Ah, let’s head in. It’s almost time.”
Yoon Jong-hyuk said as he headed toward where Sua and Seo-yeon were.
Today’s broadcast of episode 3 of The Moon That Hides the Sun.
It was a part that even Yoon Jong-hyuk was looking forward to.
*
“Starting now.”
At the KMB Drama Department.
Everyone’s faces grew tense at PD Ha Tae-oh’s words.
The Moon That Hides the Sun, Episode 3.
It was the episode he was most confident in.
Therefore, it was an episode that absolutely could not fail.
It was the episode that hinted at the growth of the young Lee Hye-wol.
If the reaction wasn't right here, there was a high probability that the viewership ratings would drop significantly in episode 4.
‘That’s also why the child actor portion is short.’
This was true for all media.
The part where the environment suddenly changes or the protagonist is replaced.
When the age is suddenly jumped up like this, there are inevitably viewers who drop off.
To hold onto them, episode 3 must properly give the viewers a sense of anticipation for episode 4.
If it failed, it would surely have a negative impact on episode 4’s performance.
“You all know, right? Just being ‘okay’ or ‘pretty good’ isn't enough here.”
This was a segment that absolutely had to be a hit.
Coincidentally, their rival, MDC’s Action King, was taking it a bit easy today.
So, from Taesumdal’s perspective, the ratings had to reach a certain level.
“Fortunately, the reaction seems good so far.”
The real-time viewership ratings were still stable.
No, they were actually quite excellent.
That was likely how much of an impact episode 2 had on the viewers.
Some of the staff were monitoring community reactions, not just the ratings.
Lately, internet reactions were also important.
It was a time when drama communities and SNS were starting to emerge.
A show had to go viral in these places for the reaction to be truly massive.
And just as the broadcasting staff expected, as soon as episode 3 began, posts started flooding SNS.
The reaction so far was good.
The reactions on the drama board set up by the station were also still favorable.
There were also mixed reactions.
Princess Yeonhwa was leaving the palace and crossing paths with the young Yoon Seo-il.
And Yoon Seo-il was shown constantly hesitating.
In the first place, there wasn't much a child like Yoon Seo-il could do.
The palace was already in the hands of Grand Prince Jo Young.
Even Yoon Seo-il’s father had urged him to stay quiet during this matter.
Don’t go outside.
Because of those words, Yoon Seo-il kept agonizing.
Should he see off the departing Princess Yeonhwa?
Or should he stay quiet and hide, just as his father said?
What moved Yoon Seo-il was the servant who always accompanied him.
‘Young Master, are you really going to let it end like this?’
The serious words from the servant who was always teased by Yoon Seo-il.
At those words, the young Yoon Seo-il disobeyed his father for the first time.
At the place where Princess Yeonhwa was leaving for exile.
He ran to find her as she left with her guards and the nanny who had cared for her since childhood.
The speed of posts on SNS began to accelerate.
As the young Yoon Seo-il moved, the drama began to enter its climax.
The music grew more urgent, and the camera zoomed in on Yoon Seo-il’s face as he ran.
Emotional acting that didn't seem possible for a child.
Park Jung-woo had always shown great skill, but he was even more incredible now than usual.
The sight of the young boy running without regard for his safety, tripping and rolling, naturally drew people in.
‘Wow, Seo-yeon is one thing, but...’
‘This is what a properly trained child actor looks like.’
Even the staff, who had seen this scene several times, watched with their mouths agape.
It wasn't just the emotional acting; it was the natural movements and the way he used his body.
It was so natural that it didn't even feel like acting.
It felt like watching adult actors.
As the young Yoon Seo-il ran desperately, the viewership ratings also began to respond.
Ha Tae-oh spoke urgently.
“What are the ratings right now?”
“It’s at 30%. It hasn't updated further yet.”
30% is by no means a small number.
In fact, it was enough to be considered a massive hit.
But considering the previous episode had climbed to 29%, it felt a bit ambiguous.
They needed to at least beat the peak rating of episode 2.
Ha Tae-oh prayed fervently.
Episode 3 was the final appearance of the young Lee Hye-wol.
Ha Tae-oh had already seen it several times.
He was confident.
However, he didn't know how the public would react.
As everyone watched with bated breath.
The climax of The Moon That Hides the Sun, episode 3, began.
*
「Your Highness.」
Yoon Seo-il said, gasping for breath.
They said Princess Yeonhwa had already left.
Everyone said it was already too late to catch up.
Yoon Seo-il regretted it.
If only he had made up his mind just a little, a tiny bit faster.
He lamented his own foolishness.
What had he been so afraid of?
What was he so afraid of that he had stayed hidden, holding his breath and covering his mouth?
「Princess!!」
He ran and ran again.
He didn't know where the already departed Princess Yeonhwa was.
But Yoon Seo-il ran blindly.
Vaguely.
Just maybe.
He ran with only that hope in his heart.
A high hill.
It was a place where the palace could be seen at a glance.
And there, Princess Yeonhwa stood.
She was looking down at the palace below the hill, standing there facing the sun.
In an instant, the viewers watching the scene marveled at Princess Yeonhwa’s appearance.
It was like a scene from a painting.
Even though only her back was visible, Princess Yeonhwa’s complex emotions seemed to be revealed.
And among those viewers was Han Seon-ah, watching with bated breath.
Already overwhelmed with emotion, she busily tapped on her phone.
As if representing Han Seon-ah’s heart, similar reactions were posted one after another on SNS.
And then.
“Young-bin, look, Seo-yeon is finally on.”
Ju Young-bin watched his daughter’s acting together with his friends.
Unlike Sua or Seo-yeon, who had already received the footage, this was the first time Young-bin was seeing the scene.
But Young-bin had seen that back before.
Just a short while ago, when they had talked about her future.
“Will you really be okay? You’re not just doing this because of your mom, are you?”
As The Moon That Hides the Sun became a hot topic, Seo-yeon had decided to make a quick decision.
She had already received many offers for CFs.
There were also those who proposed dramas through Gong Jeong-tae or PD Ha Tae-oh.
Even variety shows.
If Seo-yeon set her mind to it, she could ride this wave to even greater heights.
“No. This is my decision.”
Seo-yeon thought about it.
She agonized over it.
In truth, she did want to do more.
If she lacked anything, she could learn as she went. She had thought that, too.
“This is the right way.”
Seo-yeon looked at her hands.
The hands that had been injured during the last shoot had fortunately healed cleanly without a single scar.
However, those wounds had served as a wake-up call for Seo-yeon.
To her, emotions were strange and frightening unknowns.
The greatest strength Seo-yeon possessed was her emotional acting.
Specifically, method acting.
But in the end, method acting was just one branch of acting.
It couldn't be everything.
Seo-yeon was still lacking.
Technically and emotionally.
Surely, both her body and mind would grow more in the future.
These emotions might grow even larger as well.
To be honest, Seo-yeon wasn't confident she could properly hold the reins of those emotions.
Perhaps it was because of the dissonance left by the memories and body of her past life.
Seo-yeon needed time to fully embrace those traces.
“It’s okay.”
Seo-yeon said as she smiled at Young-bin and Sua.
“Really.”
There were many things she wanted to learn.
She wanted to learn acting.
She wanted to attend a voice acting academy and learn vocalization.
If she had time, singing too.
She wanted to do everything she couldn't do in her past life because she lacked emotions.
An actor.
And a VTuber, too.
“I’m going to come back anyway.”
Because in the end, it was her own greedy dream.
So Seo-yeon looked ahead.
Sandwiched between the actors, held in Sua’s arms.
She watched herself reflected on a giant TV screen, so different from the one at her house.
Princess Yeonhwa, with her back turned.
The one who had shattered the aquarium and plunged into the sea of emotions.
She watched herself, Ju Seo-yeon, drenched in emotion.
「……You’ve come.」
Along with the tear-choked voice of Seo-yeon, or rather, Princess Yeonhwa Lee Hye-wol.
「Seo-il.」
Princess Yeonhwa slowly turned around.
With a sorrowful smile on her face.