If You Have Money and Time, Rush to the Seoul Arts Center Right Now
Lee Jinseok, an orphanage alum like Bong Jinu. Unlike his initially apathetic tone, the moment intermission hit, he bolted to the bathroom faster than anyone else.
'Phew, made it!'
With only about twenty minutes for the break, he didn't want to risk a line holding him up and missing the show.
Rustle, rustle.
The theater buzzed with excitement. From behind the drawn curtain on stage, something stirred—probably setting up the scenery. What kind of spectacle awaited? And vaguely, he started grasping the differences between the king and the fool tree, the dandy and the volcano.
Once this is all over, I'll explain it to the kids if they don't get it.
Lee Jinseok's thrilled gaze darkened again as all the children settled into their seats, signaling the next act.
The curtain parted slowly.
First to catch the eye: a desert backdrop.
"What if he just collapses right here?"
And a pilot in ragged clothes.
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The pilot stared blankly at the swirling sandstorm. There was nothing else he could do. His body too weak to move, he could only lean against the half-wrecked plane. Food and water gone—he had no strength left at all.
"If I'd known I'd die like this... if I'd seen this coming, I'd have done better back then."
Regrets from the past flooded in.
"Why didn't I apologize then? I didn't have to say it like that."
He could have softened his words, said them kindly. But because they were close, because it was familiar, he'd been harsh. Now it haunted him.
"If someone gave me just one more chance..."
But such convenient miracles didn't exist. Everything had an end, and most ends weren't up to him.
The pilot slowly closed his eyes.
Or tried to.
"Why are you lying down?"
The innocent question snapped his eyes open. The pilot surrendered instantly to his desperation.
"Water... please, water... if there's any water..."
"Why do you need water?"
His cracked throat rasped like metal, but he wouldn't stop. No time for questioning why she asked.
Ready to give her anything she wanted, he reached out pleadingly.
"Ah, I haven't drunk or eaten anything... three days like this... please, water..."
"If I give you water, what can you give me?"
He had no answer. Not even the strength to speak remained.
The Little Prince, seeing this, dumped water straight over the pilot's head.
Splash, splash, splash.
How much did he pour? Color returned to the pilot's parched face.
Cough, cough.
Rehydrated, his coughs rang with renewed vigor.
"...Whatever my lifesaver wants, I'll do anything."
As soon as he came to, the pilot pledged repayment.
"You live on such a beautiful star, so why dwell on regrets?"
The Little Prince finally voiced the question he'd held back.
"Regrets? What regrets?"
"You said it earlier—'If only I'd done better then.' Isn't that regret?"
"Yeah, that's regret."
"I'm curious why."
"That's it?"
"Huh?"
"...Is that all for the water I gave you?"
"Yes, that's right."
The pilot looked up at the Little Prince with bewildered eyes. Come to think of it, his outfit didn't suit the middle of a desert. His looks, his clothes—he seemed straight from another star.
A dream?
The pilot slapped his cheeks. No, couldn't be.
"I got way too much love as a kid—more than I deserved. But I took it for granted."
Dream or not didn't matter. He'd received a favor; he owed repayment.
So the pilot began his tale.
"I just left home. I figured I'd always be that special somewhere, that everyone would be kind to me."
"But they weren't?"
"Nope. Look around—me, alone and crashed in this wasteland."
The pilot sensed this might be his final moment. He spilled his life story: childhood, growing up, becoming a pilot.
Each moment played out on stage through the supporting actors' performances. And with each, he voiced his regrets.
"Then why'd you say it like that?"
The Little Prince prodded at the uncomfortable bits.
For instance, when he mentioned regretting just staring as his girlfriend burst into tears mid-fight, the Prince asked why he hadn't comforted her.
"Back then, it felt right. If I could go back, I wouldn't have said it."
"Hearing you... it reminds me of what I left behind."
"Left behind?"
"But I don't know why."
The pilot shrugged at the Little Prince's words.
"You've got regrets too, huh."
"Me? What regrets?"
"Figure that out yourself. But sorry—got any food?"
"I do. Fruit that suits my taste perfectly, but not sure about others."
"Water, food, even a knife—you're so prepared."
"Yeah, saw it when I was leaving."
"Someone packed for you. People who really care."
"..."
Those words tickled something in the Little Prince. Why?
He handed over the food and hurried away from the pilot.
Suddenly, he yearned to leave this strange blue star.
But not yet. First, one last glimpse of its wonders: a garden bursting with roses.
With Jang Geonho's narration, the scene shifted seamlessly amid cascading rose petals. The pilot vanished, replaced by a fox and veiled roses.
The fox spotted the Little Prince and snarled in threat—her kits nearby.
"Get lost! Come closer and I'll bite!"
Instinctively, the Little Prince drew his sword, emblazoned with a volcano.
"Why so angry? I haven't done anything yet."
"Better to rage before you do! This is your warning!"
That clicked: why the volcano always fumed. Why he had food—the fool tree's doing.
And then, the roses' chatter:
"Look at me, I'm the prettiest!"
"No, me! Come tend to me quick, don't leave me lonely."
Identical words to his own rose... but different.
"...You're not beautiful at all."
Why had his rose seemed so lovely? Why travel so far, abandoning that beauty?
Belatedly, the Little Prince understood his regrets—what the pilot meant by no turning back time.
"Why don't we notice what's precious when it's right there?"
The king and fool tree differed starkly: the king valued himself; the fool tree grew solely for the Prince.
Dandy and volcano too: self-centered anger versus protective fury.
Like the fox raging for her kits.
Always on edge to avert disaster.
"I have to go."
The Little Prince looked skyward. From Earth, his tiny star and glowing moon. He realized his story belonged there.
A world seeming small, yet vast, distant, filled with treasures.
Treasures known only by straying far.
His star, his moon—he missed everyone suddenly.
Sheathing his sword, he passed the fox slowly, then the rose field.
He knew what mattered now.
In a blink, he was back on his planet. The stage rotated with his steps, transforming scenery.
Back to the start: fool tree, fuming volcano, his rose.
"Look! The Little Prince! You're back! How was the trip?"
Despite harsh words, the fool tree still cherished him.
"Hurt? Anywhere hurt? You dash off like that and worry me! Speak up—where's it hurt?"
The volcano fretted over him first.
And...
"You're back. Thank you for returning. I was beside myself without you."
Despite the nagging, his rose still gazed warmly.
Even after his coldness, she treated him kindly.
With a tender smile, the Little Prince hugged his rose tight.
Suppressing tears, letting them flow anyway.
"My rose, my beloved, my one and only rose."
The most beautiful amid the clamor, the one that came to mind.
He held her close, apologizing softly.
"I'm sorry... I was so cruel to you all."
The fool tree and volcano approached, enveloping him in a crushing embrace—back, waist—rose tucked inside. They stayed like that awhile.
No outward similarities, but united in heart—a family.
With the narration's end, stage lights faded. Darkness fell as the curtain dropped slowly.
And right then—
Clap, clap, clap!
Thunderous applause erupted.
During curtain call, the actors stepped forward beaming—only to freeze.
The kids' eyes red-rimmed, on the verge of tears... yet...
"...They're smiling so brightly."
Clear, joyful smiles as they clapped.
"This is just the beginning."
"Huh?"
"We nailed the first show, so now the real fun starts."
Kim Donghu's words snapped Bong Jinu alert.
Right, yeah.
He'd gotten swept up in curtain call without realizing. But this wasn't for the general public yet.
If kids loved it this much, how about adults?
With that curiosity, the premiere of Star and Moon Story wrapped triumphantly.
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Week two kicked off general admission.
Korea was swept up in Star and Moon Story fever.