Chapter 21

“I’m bored.”

Perhaps it was because I had been so busy with drama filming and other things for a while.

After coming back from kindergarten, I mostly spent my time lazing around.

Acting too is prohibited for the time being.

To be precise, I am currently having various discussions with Mom about this matter.

“Why did I have to injure my hand…”

In the process of acting, I sustained various injuries, and during the main shoot, blood drops were dripping to the extent that they fell.

Mom must’ve been really upset seeing me like that.

So, Mom gave me this advice:

“For the time being, intense emotional acting is forbidden. You’re not allowed to practice either.”

Meaning when Seoyeon gets a bit older.

Since I’m a child actor, they wouldn’t push me that far anyway, and the acting I’ve done so far is already at a pretty amazing level.

“Hmmmm…”

Lying back lazily against the huge plush penguin I bought recently.

One advantage of being a kid is that even when I climb on a giant stuffed toy and shake around, it still looks cute.

If this were my past self, it would’ve been a horrifying and bizarre sight, but now, I’m fine.

Seven-year-old Sooyeon Joo is, after all, very adorable!

So, I didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed.

Anyway…

“I wonder if I should properly learn acting for a change.”

In truth, there were many things I wanted to do.

This recent drama filming made me realize that I’m still lacking in many ways.

Though everyone applauded and said I was incredible, I kept getting technical feedback that I was falling short.

The reason it didn’t show was because Lee Hye-wol’s character was a princess, so I didn’t need to do extremely diverse acting.

If I were in a daily drama that dealt with various situations, my flaws would’ve been immediately exposed.

“Also, vocalization…”

While contemplating this, I suddenly remembered Jiyeon.

Jiyeon belongs to Eunha Entertainment.

Though I don’t recall it clearly, it was controversial for various reasons.

Though it claims to be an entertainment agency, in reality, Eunha Entertainment is an agency.

Of course, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It has its conveniences too since the agency primarily connects actors with various dramas and advertisements and cares for them in that capacity.

“Typically, actors and child actors belong to specialized agencies…”

But there are also cases where child actors choose an agency instead of a specialized agency.

That’s because as they grow, their career plans might change, and if they suddenly stop their activities, it could lead to conflicts with their agencies.

Though the agency is convenient in a way, it’s not always easy since there are bound to be bad apples everywhere.

“Perhaps, it was embezzlement.”

My memory of Eunha Entertainment’s controversy was related to this: They didn’t pay the actors who had participated in advertisement or CF shoots their due fees and then vanished without a trace.

Although I’m not sure about the exact details.

The important thing is that Eunha Entertainment, which seems fine now, will eventually be exposed for embezzling actors’ income and absconding.

The reason I thought about “vocalization” and brought this up is because it became a problem when some child actors from Eunha Entertainment were cast as voice actors in an animated film.

Non-professional voice actors, child actors, causing controversy by participating in anime voice roles.

And on top of that, not paying them the fees they earned… This caused quite a stir online.

The debate over belittling voice actors.

The controversy over overworking child actors, and the issue of unpaid fees.

In the midst of such controversies, Eunha Entertainment completely disappeared.

“Ugh…”

But child actors as voice actors?

How many child actors are there in Eunha Entertainment besides Jiyeon?

Probably not many.

And there shouldn’t be anyone who takes on every job that comes their way.

“Could it be?”

Could you, Jiyeon, have been the one involved in that controversy?

***

“Our cute daughter! PD Ha called…”

Having just received a phone call, Sua opened Seoyeon’s door, where she was most likely lazily relaxing.

And there she was, lying atop the penguin plush toy, sprawled out like a sloth.

Her daughter, who was usually always doing something or other, rarely displayed such a lazy side.

Or, should I say, at seven years old, she’s not being lazy enough?

“Why, Mom?”

“Ah, yes. PD Ha called about something.”

Anyway, since this matter wasn’t directly related to acting, Sua was more than happy to pass along the news she had just received.

It was regarding…

“Is this about drama promotion?”

“Yes, that’s right. As you know, the Making Video garnered a lot of attention, didn’t it? It even doubled the ratings of the entertainment news show ‘Celebrity Live’!”

Thanks to that, Seoyeon had gained some recognition among child actors.

Of course, compared to actors like Seohui Jo, she was still not on the same level, but that was only a matter of time.

“As you might know, the highlights of episodes 2 and 3 really hit the mark, didn’t they?”

“Yes, even though I don’t know much about acting, I thought so too.”

“Exactly! Moreover, Seoyeon’s appearance is quite striking, so it would be perfect for promotion.”

So, they wanted to leave a small impression beforehand.

The drama itself was half-filmed, and it was scheduled to premiere in about three months.

Thus, they needed to set the promotional schedule early.

Ha Tae-oh shared this content with Sua.

“Yes, Seoyeon’s presence in this drama is quite significant, I think. Just from episode 3.”

Ha Tae-oh recalled a video he had seen a few days ago.

Two scenes.

Seoyeon had captured two opposite emotions with her acting.

Their vividness was still fresh in his mind.

“That child is more than just talented.”

Later, actress Jeong Eun-seon mentioned that it wasn’t simply talent. Seeing the hand injuries, it was clear that she had practiced extensively for those scenes.

“How amazing it is when a genius puts in effort.”

Although that was his thought, Ha Tae-oh only displayed a cheerful smile.

After all, how reassuring it was to have such a genius on their team.

“Ah, and by promotion, it’s not something overly grand. It’s more like a drama teaser event for the public.”

Of course, there was no intention to pressure her.

This was under the premise that Seoyeon wanted to participate.

Anyway, the event in question.

Sua softly pleaded to Ha Tae-oh on behalf of Seoyeon, and the result.

Sua was now relaying the message to Seoyeon.

“A pre-teaser event… right?”

“Yeah, apparently, actress Ha Ye-seo who will play the grown-up version of Lee Hye-wol will also be there!”

Ha Ye-seo, the true leading actress portraying the grown-up version of Lee Hye-wol.

She is undeniably beautiful and known for her pure and charming looks.

“Ha Ye-seo as the lead, and Kang Sung-chan, playing adult Yoon Seoil.”

And two supporting actors along with Seoyeon will participate in this event.

The place is in front of VegaBox at COEX.

“Why me?”

If they wanted a child actor for promotion, wouldn’t Park Jung-woo be a better choice than Seoyeon?

Though such doubts arose, there was probably some reasoning behind it.

And frankly…

“3 episodes so far, my acting is better.”

Sitting cross-armed, Seoyeon tilted her head with a “Hmm.”

Yes, it’s a simple fact.

In the second and third episodes of “The Moon That Hid the Sun,” Seoyeon’s acting had surpassed everyone else’s.

Hmm, that’s all there is to it.

“But, will I get an appearance fee or something if I participate in this event?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. I heard they want to make sure you’re taken care of properly.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

At her daughter’s casual acceptance based on the mention of money, Sua felt a strangely complicated emotion.

Was her daughter feeling like she didn’t have enough money, making her wonder if they had been living too frugally?

Or perhaps it was because everyone around her had flashy lives, and she was trying to keep up.

Anyway, it was a confusing mix of feelings for any rookie mother.

“Mom, one more thing…”

“Hmm?”

“Umm, Mom, do you think you could do me a favor?”

Seoyeon then began fidgeting.

Uncertain whether it was okay to ask.

Sua had never seen her daughter behave this way!

Since childhood, the mature Seoyeon had made very few requests to her mother.

In fact, most of those were for trivial matters.

Even in discussions related to acting, she hadn’t made any substantial requests.

Truthfully, most of the things Sua had done for Seoyeon involved merely observing.

“Yes, Seoyeon, Mom will help you!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

So, Sua happily agreed, her heart filled with enthusiasm, completely unaware of what her daughter was about to ask.

***

“Whew, take a look at the crowd.”

“Yes, it’s not surprising with actors like Kang Sung-chan and Ha Ye-seo here. This is not ordinary.”

The entertainment journalist Lee Byung-hun said this while adjusting his camera equipment, careful not to bump into the massive crowd and damage his equipment.

“Reporters are also pretty interested. Look, not only are there people swarming around, but the reporters are buzzing too.”

“It’ll be quite difficult to get an interview with actor Kang Sung-chan.”

Probably, the reporters gathered here today were seeking interviews with the main actors of the drama: Kang Sung-chan or Ha Ye-seo.

Since the actors had not actively participated in separate promotional activities since their Making Video made a grand debut, this is the first time.

Which made it all the more important for the journalists to secure interviews with these lead actors.

While chatting thus, the cries of excited fans reached their ears, and a pathway opened up.

“Ah, they’re coming. Wow, as expected, hanbok looks amazing with good styling…”

Actor Kang Sung-chan portraying Yoon Seoil.

With his vibrant features, a fresh smile, and intelligent eyes, his appearance fit the character Yoon Seoil perfectly.

And what about actress Ha Ye-seo, portraying Lee Hye-wol?

Her pure appearance was exactly what you would envision for a celestial princess.

Given the significance of her role, the success or failure of “The Moon That Hid the Sun” was largely dependent on her performance.

“Let’s see…”

With that thought, Lee Byung-hun glanced at the list of participating actors for today’s event.

If the main lead interviews didn’t work out, there were still supporting actors who were worth covering.

“But something seems a bit off…”

Is there anything interesting here?

While pondering, Lee Byung-hun noticed a small girl walking hand-in-hand with the actress who played Lee Hye-wol’s nanny in the show.

The very child actor from the Making video who had caused quite the stir: Jo Sooyeon, portraying young Lee Hye-wol.

“So, she’s here too?”

Lee Byung-hun raised his camera and clicked a shot of Jo Sooyeon, who he had been keeping an eye on for a while.

Then he realized something.

He had been the only one to capture Seoyeon’s image at that moment, while all the other journalists were busy photographing Kang Sung-chan and Ha Ye-seo.

Even though they frantically started taking pictures of Seoyeon later because of her recent fame, it still wasn’t nearly enough compared to the attention on Kang Sung-chan and Ha Ye-seo.

Naturally.

After all, Seoyeon wasn’t well-known, and she was only scheduled to appear in three episodes.

To most, she was just a slightly famous child actor.

Still, for now, that’s all she was known as.

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