Chapter 22

Actor Kang Sung-chan was a popular actor thanks to his solid acting skills and a handsome, refreshing face.

He was the top casting choice for this drama, *The Moon That Hid the Sun*, and as expected, he attracted a lot of attention, proving his star power.

What about actress Ha Ye-seo?

With her pure appearance, and having recently drawn 7 million viewers to her latest romance film, she was undoubtedly one of the most rising actresses.

That said, some comments suggested her acting skills were slightly lacking compared to her popularity.

But even so, compared to seasoned acting talents, while there was room for improvement, she was by no means at a level where her skills were an issue.

And then, two supporting actors.

Actors Han Tae-won and Shin Yeon-mi, were individuals who frequently appeared across various media, much like supporting ingredients that added flavor.

In particular, actress Shin Yeon-mi had a significant role as the nanny of Princess Yeon-hwa in the drama.

In that sense, the young actor sandwiched between them stood out a bit more in contrast.

To be honest, it was quite surprising from the perspective of the journalists.

“With a young actor, everyone expected Park Jung-woo, son of the renowned actor Park Sun-woong.”

“This kid has certainly been in the news recently with that making film.”

“That may be true but auditions and actual drama acting are different, right?”

“That’s true. Hmm, hard to say. Still, visually though…”

“Indeed, his face definitely draws attention. Honestly, among the young actors I’ve seen recently, in terms of looks alone, he is undoubtedly the best.”

Reporters specializing in entertainment were well-informed about the actors’ backgrounds. They could readily talk about the boy who had garnered attention through his recent making film.

“Memorizing lines, sure—besides, he’s appeared in only one commercial so far. I hear he recently shot another, so he’s done just two ads in total.”

“That’s right. But still, his performance in the audition wasn’t bad.”

“Are auditions the same as actual drama acting though?”

“Yeah, you’re right about that.”

Reporter Lee Byung-hoon nodded absentmindedly as he listened to such conversations among the journalists. Counting the number of cameras to gauge the focus of attention revealed the differences clearly.

“Or rather, now that I think about it, it’s actually quite a lot already?”

In the photo zone, the greetings exchanged between Lee Byung-hoon and actress Ha Ye-seo, the two main actors, were evident.

Somewhat further away, but standing near the supporting actors, was Jo Soo-yeon.

Still, given her role as the young Princess Yeon-hwa, she was positioned somewhere in between the main and supporting actors.

To be honest, looking at her fame level, it wasn’t strange that Soo-yeon wasn’t getting much attention.

But curiously, the audiences and journalists’ cameras did occasionally pan towards Soo-yeon.

Perhaps others shared the same thoughts as Lee Byung-hoon himself.

‘Director Gong Jung-tae isn’t stupid.’

Common sense would suggest that for a young actor, casting the son of a big-name actor like Park Sun-woong would have easily drawn more attention.

Yet, they chose this child instead, which meant there must be something about him.

‘Great.’

Thinking that, Lee Byung-hoon raised his camera toward Soo-yeon, following his journalistic instinct honed over ten years.

***

‘Thank goodness.’

Soo-yeon was relieved that the cameras weren’t pointed at her too much.

No, to be precise, it was rather fortunate that the journalists weren’t aggressively approaching her.

If there had been absolutely no response, that might have stirred some complicated feelings, but it wasn’t like that either.

Just… an odd response?

It was hard for Soo-yeon to tell if it was good or bad.

“Soo-yeon, it’d be nice if you smiled a bit toward the audience.”

“Okay,” Soo-yeon responded, nodding slightly in agreement with actress Shin Yeon-mi who played the nanny to Princess Yeon-hwa.

After all, in a photo zone, standing expressionlessly could also spoil the vibe.

‘Anyway, the focus is naturally on the main actors.’

Thinking this way, Soo-yeon gave a small smile and waved her hand lightly.

For her, this artificial smile was one of her most developed skills.

“Oh, she’s smiling.”

“The kid looked tense and frozen before… but this is a perfect match with her commercial image.”

As Soo-yeon smiled, more people took notice of her.

While her presence had been subdued when she was expressionless, something about her smile created a bright aura around her.

‘That child…’

Seeing that, the main actor from *The Moon That Hid the Sun*, Kang Sung-chan, smiled, lost in thought.

In reality, Kang Sung-chan hadn’t met Soo-yeon many times.

Since their shooting schedules didn’t really overlap, he’d only seen her a few times when they exchanged greetings. He figured any young actor playing such a minor role in just three episodes need only deliver decent acting.

Just two days ago, however…

if not for the video Director Gong Jung-tae showed, things might have been different.

“What do you think? Is it okay?”

“…Wow.”

“Adding music here would enhance the atmosphere further.”

“That’s true. But even without music, the impact is somewhat there… isn’t it? Through the eyes, perhaps.”

“There’s an impact alright… but it’s not the eyes. It’s surprising though.”

Not the eyes? Kang Sung-chan rewound the video.

What he was watching was a video edited and enhanced from the raw footage.

Most works except the music were complete, and he assumed natural-looking CGI had been added appropriately.

‘Even when I watched the first episode, I thought it was pretty good.’

When Kang Sung-chan first watched the first episode of *The Moon That Hid the Sun*, he thought, “It’s much better than expected.”

There certainly wouldn’t be many viewers who’d drop out after the first episode.

After watching the second episode, his feeling was one of astonishment.

‘Compared to the unedited footage, there’s definitely some room for improvement in acting…’

Apparently, she hasn’t been trained thoroughly in acting.

Even so, it’s safe to say that calling her a prodigy wouldn’t be far-fetched.

With editing hiding what little deficiencies there were, it was essentially an almost-perfect child performance.

‘Still, those eyes…’

If no CGI had been applied, it was even more impressive.

The light from the lantern made the eyes look almost glowing.

The emotions in Soo-yeon’s eyes were what stood out.

Even without deeply expressing emotions, it was her gaze that caused distinct changes in the atmosphere.

‘And the third episode as well…’

If the second episode left him astonished, the third brought a sense of pressure.

He might compare unfavourably to the young actor in the long run, and that would be quite embarrassing.

After all, even he was an acclaimed actor.

He never expected that his acting would one day be compared to a child actor’s.

“This gives me a bit of a challenge, haha!”

“Phew, I know actor Kang Sung-chan well. Naturally, you’ll do better.”

“Haha…”

Director Gong Jung-tae smiled faintly while saying so. His words weren’t just a compliment but also applied some subtle pressure, as if saying, “You need to create a scene of at least this quality in the main episode.”

In any case, this happened two days ago. Kang Sung-chan was confident this drama would be a hit.

Furthermore, to enhance its popularity, he believed focusing on the early episodes of the drama would be key.

This event was exactly such an occasion.

Typically, in dramas, the first three episodes receive the most mixed reviews. But the production team of *The Moon That Hid the Sun* believed that anyone who started watching would continue after the first three episodes.

‘Currently, it seems the attention is low, and it feels a bit dull…’

Kang Sung-chan glanced at Soo-yeon. With the journalists’ attention on him, Soo-yeon seemed somewhat bored.

‘This is something seniors need to help with.’

With that sense of responsibility, he casually winked at Soo-yeon.

‘Eh?’

Thanks to that, Soo-yeon was momentarily startled.

Why was he winking at her?

Even though she had a woman’s body now, she retained the memory of her past life. In fact, if he had done that to her past self, she might have thought, “Why is he doing that?” But now, it gave her an odd sensation.

Maybe it was less about her past life and more about her young age?

She didn’t quite know.

“Cough, we truly appreciate everyone’s great interest in this project.”

In the brief interview session, Kang Sung-chan and Ha Ye-seo received numerous questions.

As Kang Sung-chan looked at the reporters with their microphones and the gathered fans, he realized the moment had come.

“To share some exciting news, there will be a special screening of *The Moon That Hid the Sun* one month before the drama airs, featuring up to the second episode. We will also meet and greet with other cast members there.”

A screening?

Both journalists and attendees assumed this teaser event would be the end.

They didn’t expect there’d be another screening prepared.

Given that such continuous offline events before the drama airs are fairly rare, it was indeed surprising.

“By the way, I’ve seen the episodes in advance, and they were quite impressive. You can absolutely look forward to it.”

In the drama’s trailer, the first three episodes feature child actors.

Yet, even with this, Kang Sung-chan’s words drew the crowd’s attention.

Specifically, toward Soo-yeon.

‘Uh?’

Soo-yeon felt all the journalists’ gazes turning toward her at once.

Still unfamiliar with such intense attention, her smile remained frozen.

While she was confident in her expression management, she was unprepared for situations like this.

“In particular, Soo-yeon here today. I recommend you take as many photos as possible.”

As Kang Sung-chan continued to speak, sweat beaded Soo-yeon’s forehead.

“You might regret it later.”

The words of the seasoned actor, Kang Sung-chan, carried weight.

In his statement and accompanying thumbs-up aimed at Soo-yeon, she hesitantly reciprocated, trembling hand raised.

She tried her best to smile warmly, though she wasn’t sure if she succeeded.

In any case, not responding would have invited criticism, and Soo-yeon tried her hardest.

‘There wasn’t really a need for all this…’

People always need preparation for such moments, don’t they?

As soon as Kang Sung-chan finished speaking, Soo-yeon felt the eyes of journalists and the public on her.

Some glances seemed to question whether his words were genuine or a prank.

Among them, there were some journalists fervently clicking away.

In that moment, Soo-yeon vividly felt the emotion of “pressure.”

***

If there was anything to call fortunate, it was that after the drama teaser event, no one specifically called her out again.

According to producer Ha Tae-oh, this was already sufficient.

Serious coverage would happen after the screening, he said.

“Ugh, ughhh…”

Pressure, sure. It was something everyone would face eventually, but this was bigger than expected.

Once again, actors who could confidently present themselves before millions of viewers and vtubers seemed truly remarkable.

“Hmm, are vtubers and actors slightly different?”

Anyhow, such attention from people could be this overwhelming.

It was so foreign to her that she found herself rolling on the floor.

“What’re you doing, Soo-yeon?”

“You wouldn’t understand if I told you.”

“Don’t tell me you’re just trying to mirror the role of a mirror actor loosely?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good.”

Ji-yeon crossed her arms and spoke.

Currently, we were practicing in preparation for the kindergarten performance at Arongdarong Kindergarten.

Incidentally, the location wasn’t the actual kindergarten.

It was simply a place where Ji-yeon could comfortably rehearse.

Which meant I was currently at Ji-yeon’s house.

“Wow.”

To add to it, her mother, Hong Jin-hee, commented cheerfully while Soo-yeon awkwardly responded.

‘I knew this already, but…’

I looked at my mother with a sympathetic gaze.

Mom, Sua had a very low level of social communication.

Looking back, Sua didn’t maintain contact with many friends.

‘Mom, you can do it!’

Though I wanted to intervene, it wasn’t possible.

This required the help of an adult—my mom.

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