Chapter 183

The moment their eyes met was by no means long.

At most, it lasted only a few seconds.

Literally, it was the short time when she spun around once, making brief eye contact with the children sitting in the audience.

But Seoyeon’s eyesight was precise; she quickly spotted Gil Da-hyun sitting there.

Not only Gil Da-hyun—there were also about five or six other female students by her side.

To be specific, Seoyeon’s classmates were all clearly visible.

Completely unexpected, Seoyeon’s eyes momentarily wavered, but she quickly smiled.

‘Before, I was embarrassed because I didn’t prepare, but…’

Now, it’s fine!

Seoyeon struck a cute pose unique to Harara, encouraging a response from the children.

“Today, I heard that Zero-ro has cooked up another bad plan.”

“Harara, you don’t need to go yet since you already know the location. School awaits.”

When Harara spoke, the board near the penguin mascot, who was sitting on her shoulder and had a penguin illustration, moved, delivering the line with a surprisingly cool voice despite its adorable appearance.

Hearing that voice, Seoyeon felt her slightly heated body cool down.

Yes, it’s okay.

She may have been a little, really just a little, flustered, but it’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not like she was just an actor on the stage—this time, she was here as an actress.

Her heart may have been pounding, and she may have been sweating, but it was no problem!

‘No, it’s not fine!’

Seoyeon grimaced inwardly. Honestly, she was fine with other types of acting.

Rather, showing the role of the murderer to her friends would feel less awkward.

Harara, was… something else.

Even when she was making hearts with her hands and winking in a cute manner, her eyes almost trembled for a moment.

Because, when Seoyeon acted like that, Gil Da-hyun and the other female students wore indescribable expressions on their faces.

What would it feel like to watch someone from your own grade acting so cutely?

Seoyeon found it difficult to imagine that emotion.

Then the spotlight shone again on Zero-ro, delivering the next lines.

“Harara should be at school right about now. But knowing this, today I’ve already discussed taking leave with the teacher in advance.”

Zero-ro, dressed in a black dress, chuckled. Zero-ro, the diligent villain who had discussed taking leave with the teacher beforehand, was ready for today.

Which meant, Jo Seo-hee had witnessed Seoyeon’s performance with relief.

‘As expected, it’s different on stage.’

Compared to what she had initially thought, acting for children can sometimes be challenging if approached without much thought.

There are actors who think acting for children can be done casually, but that is not entirely accurate—it happens unconsciously at times.

However, in the case of children’s plays, exaggerated dialogues and performances are often required.

Sometimes, the expressions needed are too childish for adult actors, making it difficult to immerse themselves in the dialogue.

Of course, most of this can be overcome through practice, but Seoyeon had little time.

Even so, Seoyeon appeared to have adapted perfectly to the role of Harara within that short time.

‘As expected, those words I said to her were true.’

Previously, after watching the shorts video in which Seoyeon appeared, Jo Seo-hee had worried and said this:

“I’ve always been emotionally dull, so I’ve never really been nervous while acting.”

Seo-hee recalled Seoyeon’s previous performances when hearing her calm response. In her younger days as a child actor, when others were trembling, Seoyeon never showed a single change in expression.

Even during [Hyper Action Star], when others were feeling the weight of their roles, Seoyeon’s performances flowed without hesitation.

Compared to Seoyeon, Seo-hee had required some preparation, and yet, Seoyeon’s ability to deliver lines immediately with remarkable emotional control was impressive.

‘She excels at emotional acting.’

Those who had met Seoyeon all agreed that her emotional expression was among the best they’d come across.

In her youth, her method acting had been notable, but now it wasn’t really necessary.

Method acting, after all, is merely a tool to immerse oneself in the role.

There hadn’t been a role that required the deep emotional acting from Seoyeon since her ‘Cha Soo-ah’ period.

“But isn’t being embarrassed different from being tense?”

“An actor shouldn’t feel embarrassed while acting, right?”

Still speaking in her usual calm tone, Seoyeon seemed to find it entirely natural.

“Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that kind of shame—yet.”

She had nearly said “never,” but stopped herself upon recalling the blanket incident recently.

That reaction of Seoyeon’s made Jo Seo-hee nod.

‘Although I worried she might feel self-conscious after the short videos, it seems okay now…’

Judging by Seoyeon’s strong determination, everything should go smoothly. Indeed, Seoyeon had been professional even during the rehearsals.

“Today, I must stir up trouble earlier! If I’m late, I won’t have time to prepare!”

With those lines, Seo-hee, or Zero-ro, finished her speech. A scene of crafting something followed before switching to the next scene.

Now, it was Harara’s turn. Harara appeared walking the streets to stop Zero-ro’s plot.

Then, encountering the group of minions, there was a scene where Harara beat them without transforming, instead swinging the penguin on her shoulder.

“…Is Harara really a magical girl?”

Watching silently, Gil Da-hyun muttered to herself.

And why was she hitting with the penguin doll?

Wasn’t it just a friend sitting on her shoulder a moment ago?

“That’s because Uranos is Harara’s weapon,” a friend named Minji explained.

“Uranos?”

“It’s the penguin’s name. When Harara transforms, the penguin turns into a magic wand.”

What kind of grand name is that for a penguin?

Upon reflection, it had a cool voice too.

The fact that no one found it strange suggests the original also portrayed the penguin with a cool voice.

‘Isn’t it supposed to be a mascot?’

It looked completely adorable, yet its voice had such gravitas.

Come to think of it, if the penguin was fighting to save the world, maybe that kind of gravitas was necessary.

‘Something feels off.’

Originally, wasn’t Harara skipping school without permission?

Zero-ro had at least mentioned taking leave from school, but Harara didn’t even attend school.

Why were the kids laughing joyfully—was this right?

“It’s all fine except for Harara. Everyone else is diligent, so it’s alright. How educational this anime is.”

“…Is that true?”

Anyway, the play continued.

Zero-ro concocted a scheme, but when all the minions were thwarted, a giant doll emerged, Zero-ro standing majestically behind it.

A serious battle then ensued between Harara and Zero-ro.

“Hmph, Harara! This time will be different! You’ll truly see the power of Lord Zero-ro!”

On stage, something shimmered dramatically with special effects, capturing the audience’s attention as they clapped and cheered.

In the front row near Da-hyun, some Harara-loving fathers raised their arms in excitement.

“Harara transformation! Harara transformation!!”

“About time!”

“Go Harara!!!”

The loud cheers from the fathers startled Da-hyun and her female classmates sitting behind them.

“H-Harara must be very popular.”

“I feel annoyed.”

Was this Seoyeon’s first performance today?

Had she already gained fans? Or did they genuinely like Harara?

That part was genuinely curious to Da-hyun.

Anyway, with the fathers’ cheers, Harara’s transformation music began to play.

‘That’s it.’

At that music, Seoyeon tensed.

This was the part that had appeared in the million-view shorts video—Harara’s transformation scene!

Originally, Seoyeon was well-prepared mentally, so there was no problem.

She had handled it effortlessly during rehearsals.

However, performing it in front of her school friends made it less simple.

“Love, care. And respect, and affection. The magical girl of compassion!”

Along with the glittering effects, the spotlight that had been on Zero-ro now shone on Harara. Between the dazzling lights, Harara had changed into her magical outfit.

“Harara, Harara!!”

Seoyeon, wielding a pink wand, encouraged the children in the audience.

The children’s voices blending with the adult fans’ cheers dominated the scene, but the children’s reaction overshadowed it all, making it fine.

Hearing her classmates’ voices as well, Seoyeon began to feel her ears grow warm, experiencing a heat she had never felt while acting.

‘It shouldn’t feel awkward. I mustn’t feel embarrassed!’

Smiling continuously, Seoyeon waved her wand in response to the cheers. Known for her strong emotional delivery, if Seoyeon appeared embarrassed, the audience would sense it clearly.

That just couldn’t happen.

She couldn’t disappoint the children who had come to watch her performance.

But…

‘Ugh, ugh!’

Seoyeon could feel a wave of heat on her face, thankfully hidden under the bright pink lighting.

As she focused on the acting, she felt something she had never felt before.

“Alright, Harara. This time, even you will find it impossible against the super monster I’ve created!”

On stage, Jo Seo-hee could instinctively sense this reaction since they were both actors and relatively close to each other. She noticed Seoyeon’s ears growing embarrassingly red.

When Seoyeon turned abruptly with an unusual expression, biting her lower lip, it was something very rare—something almost too embarrassing.

‘Uh… why is she so adorable?’

She couldn’t help but think it, even though she knew she shouldn’t be. Hidden from the audience’s view, Seoyeon’s expression management wasn’t up to par.

Facing away from the audience, perhaps they didn’t notice, but Seo-hee, upon seeing that look, suddenly felt an intense thrill. She wanted to see more of that side of Seoyeon.

“Impossible, Harara Flash!”

On stage, Zero-ro was perched on a large bear doll. Harara delivered a powerful kick toward it.

“The Harara Flash hits the jaw momentarily, startling the opponent. That’s why it’s called Harara Flash—it’s her most frequently used technique.”

“Isn’t it a magic skill?”

“There’s a separate one.”

While Da-hyun and her friends were discussing, the staff members watching the scene below were startled.

“Wasn’t there supposed to be a wire in this action?”

“Huh? No, we removed that because it required a lot of practice. There’s no action scene this time.”

Using wires without adequate practice can result in major injuries.

“How did Harara Flash happen then? Without wires?”

“I don’t know. It looked almost like flying.”

“Maybe Actress Joo Seo-yeon has great jumping ability.”

Is this something that can be solved with jumping ability?

Regardless, since the audience responded enthusiastically, it seemed fine.

Anyway, despite Zero-ro’s desperate resistance, Harara’s techniques continuously struck the super monster!

“Harara Heartlight!”

“That’s when Harara delivers a light hook, strongly hitting the opponent’s chest…”

“Minji, you know a lot.”

“My younger brother watches it a lot.”

Anyway, amidst such dazzling action scenes, the audience’s excitement reached its peak. Meanwhile, Seoyeon eyed Seo-hee pointedly.

Seo-hee, who should have gracefully dismounted the doll and exited after the attack, remained seated, saying something like, “Still okay! I’m invincible! Keep it up!” silently to herself.

Apparently, Seoyeon’s shaky delivery of Harara’s techniques delighted her.

Of course, the audience liked the extended action scenes, and the staff enjoyed it too, but Seoyeon found it increasingly unbearable.

Thus, she decided to end it.

“Zero-ro, even with a super monster, that’s enough. I’ll send you flying in one go!”

“Huh?”

Seo-hee glanced down at Harara from atop the doll, which was about 3 meters tall.

Safe on the wire, she reacted to Seoyeon’s unexpected line with surprise.

That line was Harara’s climactic finish.

“Alright, children, let’s give Harara your strength.”

Harara brandished her wand in front of the audience.

“Harara, Harara Starlight Power!!”

With every word Seoyoen spoke, her ears grew redder. Struggling to hide the heat rising in her face, she smiled as naturally as possible.

Now her neck was red as well. With the audience’s cheers, she turned her body and gave a look filled with embarrassment to Seo-hee.

Locked in her intense gaze, Seo-hee involuntarily hiccupped.

“You’re overdoing it.”

At the same moment, Seoyeon leaped high onto the stage, soaring past the bear doll where Seo-hee was seated.

While trying to awkwardly crawl down from under the doll,

“Where are you going?”

Harara was faster.

Startled, Zero-ro looked up to see Harara.

Her face flushed bright red, with eyes glistening unusually—no, it was more than just Harara. It was Jo Seo-yeon.

The moment Seo-hee saw it, she couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

“T-t-trying to hit me?”

“Yeah.”

At that moment, a new technique was born.

“Harara Magical Drive!”

Holding Zero-ro, Harara jumped from the doll, then slammed Zero-ro’s head into the top of the doll.

Of course, given that it was a plushy doll, it only caved in halfway, and Zero-ro was left dangling by the wire, defeated.

“Wow, a new technique!!”

“Sister is amazing!!”

“Is that a magic skill?”

“It’s magical, so probably!”

Since the impact was significant, this technique appeared in the animation later, imported from the play.

Of course, Jo Seo-hee suffered afterward trying to cheer up Seoyeon, who was upset.

Regardless, Mirae Land actively used this play in their publicity.

And with great results:

[Mirae Land Harara Play Short Video, 5.82 million views]

The play’s promotional effect was astonishing, leading to its success. Even without Seoyeon’s presence, people seeking the theater continued to increase.

Following Seoyeon’s Harara short video part two, the related ads for Harara came in shortly after.

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