Ignition: We Are Flames – Flame Troupe Pre-Interview Fully Revealed!
The full interview spread like wildfire through the fan cafe the moment it dropped.
It started simple: questions about the work and the creative intent, brief role intros from the actors, light updates on their lives. Stuff any fan would be dying to know—it went viral fast.
And right alongside that, a hilariously contradictory situation popped up.
They'd hyped it up, but the target audience for that play—the kids—couldn't even see the promo.
How would little kids go digging for full interview transcripts on their own? Even the oldest were just middle schoolers, and finding info was a hassle for them.
Meanwhile, the diehard fans were all over it. Seeing their fave actors as untouchable fruit? It was pure agony.
But Choi Seokho had clocked it perfectly.
He stopped skimming the interview and pushed the meeting forward.
"Weekdays for kids' shows, weekends for the general public."
"Yeah, that sounds good. Kids have time on weekdays anyway."
"We gotta show the waiting kids first, so week one's locked for them."
"So week two: kids on Thu-Fri, general public on Sat-Sun?"
"Yep. Run that through week two, then from week three, mix it up freely."
"Got it."
By tweaking the schedule so the public could catch shows ASAP, they kept the Flame Troupe hype burning strong.
'No way word of mouth won't spread after one watch.'
He'd only seen one rehearsal thanks to his packed schedule, but Choi Seokho felt Star and Moon Story crushed anything else he'd ever seen.
Time flew, and next week arrived.
Flame Troupe's ignition day was here.
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Kids are pure.
They see the world without prejudice or preconceptions, so their answers are brutally honest and true.
But sometimes, that's exactly why they grow up fast.
If the world they see without lies won't cut them any slack.
Kids try to become adults faster than anyone, skipping candy and snacks to fit into reality, endlessly agonizing over their best option right now.
And their conclusions always boil down to...
"Better to pick up an extra shift than waste time watching this."
"The director said to watch, so shut your mouth and deal?"
"No, it's true though. Even if Jinu hyung's directing, what's this gonna do for us?"
Their heads were full of thoughts on scraping by in the real world.
These orphanage kids, like Bong Jinu, were riding the shuttle bus run by the Arts Center.
"Seriously, who even knows who's who? What's the point?"
"You know Kim Donghu at least, right?"
"Even if I do, no clue what he does. Just some hot actor, probably."
The little ones always hogged the orphanage TV, so the older kids watched whatever.
"This time's better spent watching Power Rangers or Kamen Rider then heading to my shift."
"Ugh, quit whining. Jinu oppa made this play!"
"I know, that's why I'm going. If not for Jinu hyung, I'd bail."
The orphanage kids chattered noisily but secretly brimmed with hype for the play.
Superstar actors in a play? Even if details were fuzzy, how could they not be curious?
It felt like indulging in a luxury they'd never have.
The middle schooler who'd griped about work first, Lee Jinseok, played it cool while fighting a twitching grin.
'How fun will it be?'
A few blinks later, with anticipation buzzing...
By the time Lee Jinseok snapped to, the stage loomed right in front of him.
'...It's huge.'
Opera theater, they called it. Jaw-dropping size.
Could easily seat 2,000, easy.
Jinu hyung directed this?
'Wanna yell it from the rooftops!'
Lee Jinseok barely held back from bragging to the crowd that our hyung directed this.
The opera theater buzzed with kid chaos—even the orphanage directors struggled to calm it.
Whoosh.
Lights dimmed slowly.
The signal to focus hit instinctively, and silence blanketed the hall like magic.
And right then.
"Why must we live gazing upon the stars and the moon?"
Narration rolled, curtains parted, and...
"Boring."
The Little Prince appeared.
Ornate crown, red cape, royal robe studded with flashy gems.
Outfit that could've screamed overkill, but no one batted an eye at it.
'How can a person be that handsome?'
Usually, when theater lights go down, scared kids might cry.
But even they just stared, speechless, at the Little Prince.
"Handsome" is the go-to for hot guys, usually with add-ons: this feature's great, that vibe's charming, etc.
But the kids' Little Prince needed none of that.
Just handsome.
No backlight or anything, yet his face seemed ringed in glowing light—an illusion.
"Whoa."
Pure awe burst from the kids.
He wasn't even doing much.
Just said he was bored, then stared out at the audience.
Only odd detail: sword at his waist.
Like a dream prince made real, right there.
'Were our kids ever this quiet?'
Even the directors were stunned.
First time realizing one handsome face could silence a hall like this.
"Staying on this tiny planet is too dull. Why am I stuck in such a narrow place?"
As the Little Prince spoke, a middle-aged man in a massive tree costume shuffled on.
Dopey expression, goofy moves—some kids giggled, and Jin Myeongtae's fool tree act kicked off.
"Narrow? Feels too big to me! Look! I'm growing like crazy!"
"That's 'cause you're eating everything around you."
"Huh? I dunno about that! I just love eating and sleeping! That's the most fun!"
Perfect projection.
Even whispers carried to the back.
The fool tree kept whining about wanting to grow—like a kid's tantrum.
Ignoring real problems, throwing fits for wants no matter the cost. The Little Prince sighed deeply.
"Fine, keep living like that. I'm leaving this place."
The Little Prince was sick of the endless routine.
Escape this, and a vast world awaited.
And then.
"Leaving? This place? You're abandoning me? Then what about me?"
A rose appeared, cheeks flushed red.