Rose's Blush and the Little Prince's Descent
In Star and Moon Story, Rose—Kim Sujin—couldn't even begin to imagine how beet-red her face must have been. How can anyone be born looking like that?
Honestly, she'd already gotten her preventive shot during rehearsal. Sure, there was no full styling, but she hadn't expected it to make that much of a difference.
I knew he was insanely handsome already, but I didn't think he could get even more handsome!
Where in the world was there a little prince this stunning? His god-given looks killed every bit of flashy ornamentation. It instantly erased any worries about kids crying or fussing right before the show started. No surprise there—even adults who prided themselves on experience stared blankly at Kim Donghu's face. Why would kids be any different?
Kim Donghu's blond hair is freaking insane, right?!
The little prince with golden hair straight out of the illustrations had descended before her eyes. Pale skin, blond locks, and those bored blue eyes. It was the gold-haired, blue-eyed prince from her imagination come to life.
Thank God I saw him when we were kids.
Kim Sujin felt truly grateful to be Kim Donghu's childhood friend. Otherwise, she'd have forgotten her lines just staring at him.
"You're leaving? This place? You're abandoning this place? Then what about me?"
As she delivered her line, Kim Sujin—no, Rose—slowly stepped onto the stage. The first thing she noticed was the thousands of eyes fixed on her.
That was when Kim Sujin truly felt in her bones why theater was so different from regular filming.
Whoa, what is this?
It was the sheer volume of gazes she'd never experienced before in her life. Starting from straight ahead, then left and right, even from above. The attention pouring in from all directions weighed her body down. For a fleeting moment, she thought she might slip up.
But seeing Kim Donghu perform flawlessly without a hitch melted her tension away.
You're more immersed in the role than anyone else.
His face was free of all stray thoughts. Kim Sujin gazed at Kim Donghu, who perfectly embodied the little prince—no, it felt wrong even calling him Kim Donghu now.
The little prince looked at Kim Sujin—no, Rose—and spoke his line.
"You? You have to stay here. No, you don't have a choice."
"What are you talking about! You're leaving me behind?"
"Yeah, I have to. Everything I said was sick of—including you."
Rose jumped in shock at the little prince's words. Her expression showed she hadn't expected to hear that. The kids in the audience echoed her sadness.
But none of them burst into tears. Because the little prince had casually swept his hair back.
Every new movement revealed a fresh wave of handsomeness, drawing smiles across the children's faces.
"I'm sick of the dopey tree and the volcano that just rages all the time."
The little prince continued.
"What?! That's about me?! You don't even want to look at me?!"
At those words, a woman in a red dress evoking a volcano popped onto the stage.
"Hey, you're getting mad again."
"Hah! You're the one making me mad! What did I do wrong? It was all for you!"
As Kim Yuryeon—no, the volcano—spoke, dark red powder sprinkled around her. A sign she might erupt at any moment. The dopey tree and Rose hurriedly fled to the corner.
"Right, like you'd have any fault. You can't leave here anyway."
"What?! What do you mean, leave? You planning to abandon this place?"
"Need to keep talking? I'm out."
The little prince turned his back with a fed-up look.
From the dopey tree to Rose and the volcano—all beings who had no choice but to stay on this tiny asteroid.
As he gazed at them, the little prince sensed it was time to break free.
As the little prince turned and walked, the stage slowly slid back, as if heading to another realm. The backdrop shifted naturally, the music changed, and everyone except the little prince exited.
The little prince who had left his asteroid.
What awaited him was...
"How insolent! Ignoring your king without a greeting!"
A king with an elongated crown boomed at the little prince. Jang Geonho's arrogant king bellowed.
"Kneel before me! Everything falls under my rule!"
"Everything? First time hearing that."
But the little prince looked puzzled. He'd never heard anyone's commands on his asteroid.
"Yes! Everything! Can't you see my vast lands?"
The little prince glanced over at the king's words. There was plenty of land, but no one lived there, and it was too small to even plant a single rose.
The king wanted to rule it all, and he could—but there was no one to rule. Because he was the sole king of an uninhabited place.
"I'll have it all! So you, who entered my land, must obey me!"
"You remind me of the dopey tree."
"Dopey tree? What's that? Insulting me?"
"No... On my planet, there's a tree with the exact same personality. We call it the dopey tree."
You're similar to that dopey tree, but somehow different. I don't know what it is, though.
"What's different?"
The little prince's question was directed not at the king, but at the audience—as if urging them to remember that crucial difference.
With that gesture, the little prince left the king's planet. The stage shifted again.
Smooth thanks to countless people's teamwork. The king retreated slowly, revealing...
"Ahh, I'm so cool, I have it all! I'm the best!"
A handsome man standing atop a mountain of gold and jewels. He claimed to be the greatest, but his face burned with anger. Han Taekon's fury made the kids flinch in fear.
"You think so too, right? That I'm the handsomest! Right?!"
"...Who are you?"
"Me? I'm the fop! The fop!"
"Do fops get this angry all the time?"
"What? When did I get angry?!"
"You're angry right now."
The little prince felt this fop was like the volcano. But...
"You look like the volcano on my star, but somehow different."
Like with the king, there was a subtle difference. The problem was he couldn't pinpoint it.
"Is that volcano cooler than me? Nah. I have to be the best! For myself! You think so too, right?"
"Huh?"
"You think I should be the best!"
"Not sure. I can't say who's best yet—I don't know the others."
The little prince spoke while looking at the audience again. The king and dopey tree, fop and volcano—why did they remind him of the ones he'd left on his star? Similar, yet different somehow.
He couldn't figure it out. The little prince couldn't.
But some kids caught on. The quick-witted ones from the orphanage, who understood the world early. Their sensitivity let them grasp that subtle gap.
But doubt crept in too. Is that really what I think?
Amid that uncertainty, the fop's rage ignited.
"What! Come here! You saying I'm not the best?! Get over here! I'm mad!"
"You're already mad."
Why was he so angry? The volcano too, and now this fop—it made no sense.
But somehow, I think I get why the volcano gets mad.
No conclusion came right then, so the little prince hurried away. No point sticking around to get burned by that scorching fury.
Thus, the little prince passed countless minor planets and finally arrived at the blue star.
A place teeming with life, where boredom seemed nonexistent. He set foot there.
And with that, the curtain slowly fell on the stage.
A long play naturally had a short intermission.
Lights came up in the theater, and the kids who'd journeyed with the little prince returned to reality.
"Anyone need the bathroom? Go now, quick!"
"Me!"
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
Back in reality, it was their guardians—not the little prince—who wrangled the kids.
++++++
Backstage, I let out a deep breath as I heard the kids' laughter.
"Phew..."
Good thing I'd kept up my workouts. Pulling the whole play solo for an hour and a half wasn't easy.
On stage, not a single mistake was allowed. Performing under thousands of eyes was an incredible experience.
"That was amazing, truly! It's like the little prince from my dreams came to life!"
"Donghu, drink some water first. How's your throat? Want something warm around it?"
"We've got 30 minutes—wanna take off the costume and lie down? Styling won't take long."
The moment I stepped out, praises poured in.
"Thanks. But I'm good—this outfit's super comfy, so I can just head back in like this."
We were exactly halfway. All that remained was showing why this play was called Star and Moon Story.
"Jinu hyung."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for letting me star in a story like this."
"W-what? Why say something so embarrassing out of nowhere."
Bong Jinu sunbae hurriedly covered his face like he'd heard something unexpected. His pure reaction made me chuckle.
I can do this.
A quick resolve. The little prince had to move forward, clumsy but upright.
We were flames.
Flames that ignite kids' dreams and hopes.
Lost in thoughts, time flew by. I vaguely saw the kids settling back in as the theater darkened.
Narration and the pilot's lines began.
Just like how I grew up without giving up, thanks to my parents in my childhood.
To engrave memories that let you rise again, no matter how tough things get.
"Actor Kim Donghu, time to prepare!"
I'll become the little prince again and again.
I tensed my trembling legs, and my body rose on its own. Gripping my shaky fingertips shut the quiver, filling me with strength.
"Got it."
Alright, let's go.
To the finale—for the story of stars and moons, for the kids' sparkle.