Chapter 31: Little Starlight (4)
Chapter 31: Little Starlight (4)
What was Princess Yeonhwa thinking as she stood with her back to the sun?
Seo-yeon had to agonize over that question for days.
An actor must be able to grasp their character. Method acting, where one immerses themselves deeply into emotions, ultimately stems from that understanding.
"Usually, in cases like that, it’s easiest to think from the character’s perspective, right?"
When she asked Yoon Jong-hyuk, who was resting in his costume as Grand Prince Jo Young, he gave her that answer.
"Well, it sounds cliché, but it’s the simplest way. Or you could project your own past experiences... though that might be difficult for someone as young as you, Seo-yeon."
In truth, there is no right answer in acting.
Yoon Jong-hyuk said this as he patted Seo-yeon’s head. He seemed to find it admirable that a young child actor was trying to interpret the role in her own way.
"It’s not good to inject too much of your own thoughts into a role."
And when she quietly asked the actress Jung Eun-seon, that was the response she received.
"Stick to what’s written in the script. The descriptions and settings for the character are detailed enough. Trying to do more than that is usually just greed. Besides, The Moon That Hides the Sun is based on an original work."
When a project is an adaptation, the fans of the original work are bound to be more critical of the character's interpretation. If the actor’s or director’s subjectivity is too strong, the character becomes someone else entirely. That certainly wasn't the result the fans wanted.
However, the majority of the drama's audience would be people who hadn't read the original. While the original work is usually the "correct" answer, one couldn't be certain it was never wrong. The reactions of novel readers and drama viewers could differ.
‘Of course, there are a truckload of dramas that got trashed for straying too far from the source material.’
Seo-yeon nodded at the thought. Even though Jung Eun-seon was an actress known for her method acting, she had spoken those words. Perhaps she meant that for Seo-yeon, a child actor, doing anything more would be overreaching.
‘I don’t know.’
To begin with, Seo-yeon had never properly learned how to act. She had no choice but to ask around and figure it out through trial and error.
As Yoon Jong-hyuk suggested, she tried thinking from the character’s perspective. She tried to recall similar experiences to put herself in Princess Yeonhwa’s shoes.
But, ironically, there were none.
Even projecting her past life didn't help; a past where she didn't properly understand emotions was useless. And Ju Seo-yeon was too young to have anything that could truly be called "experience."
So, Seo-yeon turned to the original novel. She wanted to know what Princess Yeonhwa was feeling.
She read the script over and over.
She expressed the emotions in various ways.
Practice.
And more practice.
She had no choice but to act it out herself to find the right answer.
It was incredibly exhausting.
For the young Seo-yeon—for a child who had never known emotion—it might have been a cruel task.
But.
"Seo-il."
Standing with her back to the sun, Princess Yeonhwa was the moon.
"I believed you would come here."
Princess Yeonhwa—Lee Hye-wol—spoke those words. Unlike the anger she had shown Grand Prince Jo Young, she wore a sorrowful smile.
It was an emotion far too difficult for the young Yoon Seo-il to grasp. Perhaps even Lee Hye-wol herself didn't fully understand it.
Anger.
Resentment.
Those feelings were directed not just at Grand Prince Jo Young, but at herself as well.
"Why?"
Yoon Seo-il spoke to Lee Hye-wol.
"Why must Your Highness be the one to leave? This... this isn't right."
Yoon Seo-il’s lips trembled after he spoke. There was so much he wanted to say.
"Just why?!"
But the young Yoon Seo-il could not spit out those emotions and thoughts. Because he was still just a child. Despite being the son of the Head of Sungkyunkwan, Seo-il’s thoughts and feelings could not find the words to match.
"Please do not leave, Your Highness. You mustn't go. Please... do not leave me behind."
In the end, unable to find the right words, all that spilled from Seo-il’s mouth was a child’s desperate plea. He knew, of course, that it was impossible. Yet, the young Yoon Seo-il said it anyway.
Don't leave.
Just like that.
"Seo-yeon, are you sure you'll be okay?"
That image overlapped with Sua’s voice. Sua, who had asked her several times if she was really okay. And Young-bin’s face, looking at her with worried eyes, came to mind.
Yoon Jong-hyuk had said that if you want to know a character’s heart, one way is to find it within your own experiences.
Fortunately.
Seo-yeon happened to be in a situation very similar to Princess Yeonhwa’s.
"You can continue learning while working as a child actor. An opportunity like this has finally come, hasn't it?"
PD Ha Tae-oh had tried to persuade Seo-yeon. He asked her to try a little longer. He admitted that the career of a child actor is often short and difficult, but insisted it wasn't like that for everyone. He asked if it wasn't a waste. He pressed her, asking if she was really going to let go of the dream others would die for.
Just one project.
A single drama.
That was all Seo-yeon had done. With that one project, she had gained more fame than she deserved. She might not be this lucky next time. That was likely why PD Ha Tae-oh spoke to her that way.
Of course, Seo-yeon knew this too.
"Seo-il."
Princess Yeonhwa let out a breath.
Lee Hye-wol closed her eyes.
Ju Seo-yeon closed her eyes.
To Seo-yeon, emotions were like a beautiful aquarium. A small fishbowl that yearned to be the sea.
"We are still young."
To Seo-yeon, emotions were the sun reflected on the surface of the water. Something that shone brilliantly but remained incomprehensible.
"There is much we do not know."
The sun reflected on the water looks exactly like the real thing, yet it is infinitely different. It isn't warm, and it scatters easily if the surface is disturbed.
"And surely, there are many things we cannot do."
Now, Seo-yeon could walk upon that surface. She could look up at the real sun, not just its reflection.
There were many things she wanted to do. Unfortunately, she wasn't a person of great talent, so she couldn't grasp many things at once.
She remembered her past life. She could feel the gap between her mind and body growing wider. It would surely become even more severe once she hit puberty.
"But."
Lee Hye-wol smiled.
Seo-yeon and Princess Yeonhwa might be different. A princess being driven out by the will of others and Seo-yeon leaving by her own choice could not be the same.
"Because we are still young, we have time to learn many things."
Through reading the book, Seo-yeon had come to understand Princess Yeonhwa’s heart, if only a little. Anger, resentment—she buried them deep in her heart the moment she left. The young Lee Hye-wol possessed a strong spirit. Certainly stronger than Seo-yeon’s.
"And we will have the opportunity to do many things."
So, even if the situations were different, she would say this:
"Because we are still young."
She wasn't giving up. She was saying this because she was determined that she could, and would, return.
Just like Seo-yeon herself.
So now, at this very moment.
Seo-yeon could act. She could become the young Lee Hye-wol. She could soak her body in the ocean and gaze into its depths.
Not at the false emotions reflected on the surface.
But at the deep emotions submerged beneath.
True acting.
"So, I promise you."
Lee Hye-wol’s voice trembled. With her back to the sun. Becoming the moon that hides the sun.
"I will..."
To Yoon Seo-il, and to herself, Lee Hye-wol spoke.
"I will definitely return."
Princess Yeonhwa’s lips curled into a smile, trembling slightly. A tear rolled down her cheek. Lee Hye-wol clutched her chest and let out a ragged breath.
"No matter what happens, I will come back."
And then, she smiled at Yoon Seo-il, who was staring at her blankly.
"Please do not forget me. Wait for me."
One step, then another.
Under a sky turned crimson by the sunset, Lee Hye-wol reached out her hand toward the speechless Yoon Seo-il.
"Will you... promise me?"
A hand offered for a promise.
"That you won't forget."
The young Yoon Seo-il—and the young Park Jung-woo—finally snapped out of it.
‘This is... completely different from the audition.’
It was the first time. The first time he had been lost in the acting of another child actor. The first time he had forgotten his lines and stared stupidly at his partner’s face.
So, the only thing Park Jung-woo—the young Yoon Seo-il—could say was one thing.
"Yes, I promise."
Saying only that, he hooked his pinky with Princess Yeonhwa’s. A promise that was profoundly childlike.
And then.
The camera pulled back sharply, capturing the two of them.
The palace visible below the hill.
The grief-stricken face of Queen Dowager Eunhye.
And finally, the image of Grand Prince Jo Young sitting upon the throne.
With that.
Episode 3 of The Moon That Hides the Sun came to an end.
*
"PD Ha..."
At the KMB Drama Department.
A heavy silence hung in the air after Episode 3 of The Moon That Hides the Sun finished. No one dared to ask what the results were. They were even avoiding the online communities for a moment, afraid of what they might see.
"...It’s a hit."
Only then did everyone’s eyes move. An employee was struggling to suppress a smile. The freshly tallied viewership ratings were right in front of him.
It was only Episode 3. They had certainly hoped for a hit, but...
"My god."
Ha Tae-oh rubbed his eyes. Displayed there was a viewership rating that simply shouldn't be possible for a third episode.
*
"Wow..."
Yoon Jong-hyuk, who had already seen the footage once, marveled anew. He remembered how Seo-yeon had been gloomy for a while after filming this. It was a performance so deeply immersed in emotion. It was the only kind of acting Seo-yeon could do right now, and she had pushed it to its absolute limit.
Watching it, Sua sniffled and wiped away her tears.
"My daughter, you worked so hard."
Her final performance as a child actor. Thinking of it that way made Sua tear up for no reason. Seo-yeon looked at Sua and gave her a bright smile.
"I'm okay."
She really was okay. She had already thought about what she was going to do next.
‘First, I need to attend a voice acting academy, and I should find an acting academy too.’
Of course, Seo-yeon didn't know. The voice acting academy was one thing, but she had no idea how an acting academy would receive her. She felt a lingering regret, but she was far more excited for what was to come.
"Senior."
Yoon Jong-hyuk, who was watching Seo-yeon from a short distance away, spoke up.
"Which side are you on, Senior? The side that thinks it’s a waste? Or the side that thinks she’s doing the right thing?"
"I wonder."
Park Sun-woong looked back and forth between Seo-yeon and her mother, Sua, before murmuring.
Originally, popularity is like a spark. You never know when it might go out, and if you don't constantly tend to it, it fades in an instant. That’s why most people run with all their might when the spark is lit. Until even the embers are burnt out and only black ash remains.
"To be honest, I’d be lying if I said it wasn't a waste."
It was an opportunity everyone prayed to grasp. How many people could let go of it so easily? Of course, the two of them knew Seo-yeon had her own reasons. A child as sharp as her wouldn't have made this choice blindly. She likely made this decision because she truly had no other choice.
But humans cannot easily let go of what they have gained.
So, Park Sun-woong said:
"But occasionally, there are those whom even time cannot fade."
Not a spark, but starlight. Someone who doesn't go out, but always shines in their place.
"I believe that child is one of those."
And the world calls such people...
Stars.