Blushing Embrace and the Flame's First Spark
The Flame Troupe's Little Prince and Rose had been together for so long that no one could remember when it started. The Rose, who could do nothing but sit there motionless, and the Little Prince, growing bored with his tiny asteroid. Their ending was clichéd and predictable, yet it promised a fresh twist. That was the opening of Star and Moon Story, our adaptation of The Little Prince.
But the hug practice was in the finale, not the intro. That's why I tied it to the relevant lines when suggesting we rehearse. I never expected her to be this shocked.
Should I have signaled first, like, 'Whoa, didn't expect that reaction'?
I quickly unscrewed the water bottle cap and handed it to Sujin.
"Sorry, did I scare you that bad? Makes sense—timing and breathing are key in those lines. I rushed in too fast."
I added an apology. But then—
Thwack! I got hit.
Gulp, gulp. Sujin chugged the water while glaring at me with resentful eyes.
"Y-Yeah! Who told you to rush like that?! Theater's live—mess up the sync, and it's over! Don't you get it?!"
She was seriously pissed; her face flushed rose-pink in seconds.
She's dead serious about acting, huh.
I acknowledged my mistake.
"Okay, tell me when you're ready. I'll time my cue perfectly and jump right into the line."
"Wait! So if I hit my line, you'll hug me right away?"
"Hug... more like embrace? Could just be a mime of it."
"Th-that...! Same difference! Fine, got it."
"You knew what you were signing up for, right?"
"No, I didn't expect... the situation, it... I-I didn't see this coming!"
She'd been stumbling over her words since earlier—total panic mode. Maybe I jumped the line too quick.
Or was it the rose behind her ear without warning?
Nothing else to do, so I waited for her to calm down. About 30 seconds later.
Her color returned to normal.
"Whew... okay, good. I'm calm now."
"Wanna try again?"
"Huh? Try what?"
"The hug practice. Isn't that why you came?"
"Wh-what?! So you're saying I came here to hug you?!"
No, scratch that—her face went rose-pink again.
How does she blush that hard? Like a cartoon character. Wild.Was she like this back then?
My hand moved on instinct. A habit from kindergarten days.
Poke. Touched her cheek.
"Wh-what're you doing?!"
I realized five seconds after she spoke.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah?"
"What's with this hand?"
"Oh, uh."
Why'd I touch her cheek? No clue. But I felt this strong urge to explain.
Brainstormed and landed on:
"Thought maybe touching your cheek like this during the hug could work."
Acting focus, obviously.
Then—thwack! Another hit.
Why's she hitting the same spot over and over?
Instinct? Programmed to target the abs? Good thing I trained 'em—no puking.
Anyway. "Can't drag this out forever. Let's nail a few solid runs."
No more wasting time on chit-chat. I suggested jumping straight to the finale scene before full rehearsal.
"Y-yeah!" Sujin flung her arms wide while saying it.
Hug-me signal. I blinked at the gesture.
Shouldn't we start with lines first?
Thought we were doing the ending, but...
Did she come just to practice the hug itself?
That explained the long intro. Sure, possible. Totally.
Kids need that love to hit hard at the end.
Dreams and hope for children—had to end happy.
I pondered how I'd do it on a real stage.
Yeah, like this.
Gently embraced Sujin. Then pulled her in deep, like I'd never let go again.
She yelped. "W-wait! Cut! Cut!"
"Huh?" I released her fast.
What? Didn't squeeze too hard.
Unconscious strength? As I worried—
"...Th-that's it for practice today!" Sujin bolted from the waiting room, hands clamped over her face.
"Uh... what?"
Emergency?
Kim Sujin, technically 18 due to her early birthday but really 17. She was sprinting wildly toward the van.
Insane! Insane! Am I losing it?!
First hug, she was crying—didn't feel the full force. Just some devilish charm, wanna stay forever, that level.
But now?!
Sober embrace from Kim Donghu packed unimaginable power.
Someone might say, 'It's just a hug—why freak?' But you had to experience it.
If Donghu does a free-hug event for ratings later, it'll cause chaos, right?
Heart pounding so loud she'd get caught—had to flee.
Anyway, leaving Sujin reeling from one hug.
Time flew. Renting the Arts Center stage meant a massive setup taking shape. Actors dove deep via script reads and analysis. Costumes by top designers nailed the Little Prince look.
As Flame Troupe soared.
One group hated it.
"Why's this punk still slinking around?"
Choi Seokho's old boss, Cybers QA CEO Kyung Minsoo.
At first, he saw Seokho as a weed that wouldn't die.
But the weed bulked up daily. Donghu's grand slams grew BeRitas. Then Flame Troupe's sole investor revealed as BeRitas—entertainment scoops flowed their way.
Minsoo didn't sit idle. Tried digging dirt.
But.
"Gil, you broke the BeRitas contract—why no dirt on them now?"
"CEO, I got plans. That was just a contract end leak. Even us 'fake news' hacks won't trash Donghu. How much I owe him? Gotta have a conscience, right? Pretend you didn't hear. Click."
Efforts died before starting. How many times now?
If Flame succeeds big, won't it explode?
Seokho revives, drags up the past.
Horrifying.
Cybers QA heads to ruin. So Minsoo summoned Seo Jinu.
"Yes, CEO?"
"Jinu, you really doing Flame Troupe?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean..."
Excuses easy, dust shakes off. Minsoo listed every Flame flaw and no-go.
Jinu, silent till end: "Thought our contract meant no meddling in my gigs. This differs big time."
"No, not meddling, just—"
"CEO, I'm being polite here."
Monsters like Jinu don't need agencies—agencies need them. Six months left on contract. Renewal time soon.
Poke the pilot now?
Always disliked him, but this crosses lines.
Knew Minsoo was thug-like. Stayed for contract. But interfering in fixed roles?
Didn't even get this as a rookie.
Absurd—Jinu smiled faintly.
"Pretend I didn't hear. No contact till six months—see you then."
He stood, no regrets.
"N-no, Jinu! Jinu!"
Minsoo just yelled—too scared to move. Rash action? More barbs.
Damn, damn!
Cybers QA crumbled slowly.
Time accelerates when immersed. Flame Troupe proved it. All chasing one goal—one blink, a week gone. How many blinks?
Bong Jinu snapped to: first sight,
"...Whoa, time flies."
Flame Troupe's premiere day. Blooming dreams and hope for kids.
Flames about to ignite.
Swift promo on top.