Chapter 9

The fairy tale “The Little Match Girl” does not feature a prince on a white horse or a kind fairy.

The familiar phrase “And they lived happily ever after” is also not present.

Instead, it is a bitter story that captures the last day of a girl who, in her struggle to survive, tries to smile at those around her who do not even give her a glance.

It is a story that offers no lesson or catharsis stemming from the triumph of good over evil. Though there are people who belatedly repent their indifference, it ultimately means nothing, as the girl’s life has already reached its full stop.

Only the image of the girl, who kept smiling until the end, remains in people’s memories, evoking a sense of guilt. In Daulby’s new song “Match,” the most prominent emotion is this guilt.

Thus, this music video for “Match” had to embody the feeling of guilt. Unlike Ha Eun’s outfit, which is almost identical to that of the match girl in the fairy tale, the extras’ costumes were set to be those of ordinary modern people for that very reason.

The match girl appears just as she did in the storybooks read in childhood. The people who turn their backs on her take on the guise of modern individuals.

It was a direction that emphasized even more the difference between those conveying emotions and those receiving them compared to the fairy tale. At the same time, it was a portrayal that urged viewers of the “Match” music video to identify themselves with those who turned their backs on the match girl.

However, this was constructed on the assumption that the image of the match girl invokes guilt. If her appearance fails to elicit sympathy, the immersion will inevitably decline.

This is precisely what Lee Jun and Lee Geon-yeol agonized over. The match girl in the music video smiles from beginning to end, yet the misery stemming from her challenging circumstances must also be clearly expressed.

In other words, the match girl portrayed by Daulby must express sorrow through laughter and helplessness through smile.

“Aren’t we asking too much from a child actor? Even adult actors struggle with that.”

“…Is that so?”

There were surely moments when their minds wavered due to the concerns and advice of those around them.

The image of the match girl in the script was closer to an ideal than reality.

Nevertheless, by pulling in Lee Jun’s connections, they brought in a child who gave a slightly different impression from the other candidate child actors they had considered. The result can be summed up in one word.

“…I wanted to see you…”

Ideal.

The image they had envisioned in their minds was now captured on camera.

Eyes that coexisted with joy and emptiness. A gaze slowly losing its strength. A voice hazy as dryness and moisture mixed unfavorably.

Most importantly, a small, insignificant hand stretching slowly into the void, as if to grasp something, only to ultimately collapse helplessly without catching anything—the form of the girl.

-Thud.

At that moment, when her cold face touched the icy ground, a single tear slipped from her faded eyes, creating a silence throughout the filming location. Everyone was overwhelmed by the lonely silhouette, devoid of anyone watching, and couldn’t even breathe easily.

“I definitely said she had never learned acting… and yet.”

The murmur escaped Lee Jun’s lips as he stared blankly at the distance. Lee Geon-yeol could only be a bit flustered, thinking they might have a few NGs (no-goods).

Technically, it wasn’t the first time they had seen Ha-eun portray the match girl. They had spent the past few days together, so they had an idea of what would be captured on camera.

However, the knowledge made Ha-eun’s previously unseen tearful acting and compelling gestures hit even harder.

“Cut!”

With the shout from director Cha Seon-jae, the tension of the set began to ease. Yet, Lee Geon-yeol’s gaze remained locked on the small shadow in the distance.

What he saw was no longer the previous loneliness, but a calm yet slightly tense figure. Holding tightly to a hot pack brought by one of the staff, he looked like an average child of that age.

Still, the expressions and gestures he had captured with his own eyes did not erase the guilt he had felt about the match girl who had been ignored by the people.

“…Beef would be a cheap meal, Jun-a.”

“Right. Beef would be a cheap meal…”

He realized once again that Lee Jun’s effort to obtain Ha-eun’s contact information wasn’t a mistake. Simultaneously, his head was filled with the certainty that “This will work.”

No matter what anyone said, Daulby was at the top tier of the music industry.

The so-called hit songs had long entered the double digits.

With their fifth album, led by the new track “Match,” they felt a positive vibe from the lyrics and composition stages.

However, with the added power of a profound music video…

“Hey, was that okay…?”

“If I said it wasn’t, I’d be completely lacking in conscience. You were perfect, Ha Eun.”

There was no doubt the impact on the music industry would be tremendous.

Ha Eun, the protagonist of the music video, would obviously be in the spotlight.

However, there were also some less beneficial forms of interest directed at her. Hence, there arose a need to take measures for the temporary protection of Ha Eun, who was not yet associated with any agency.

Of course, this could be seen as Lee Geon-yeol worrying too much. Nonetheless, he made sure to set up another meeting with Ha Eun, asking her father to come along this time.

“We won’t require Ha Eun to do anything just because she joins our agency. We’ll handle any interview requests and trivial matters ourselves.”

It was because they had no doubt that Ha Eun would become a celebrity in any way possible.

Of course, they had no intentions of pushing her to become famous right away, so they clarified that it was simply to protect her until the impact of the music video subsided.

“As you know, this entertainment industry isn’t the cleanest place. There are definitely a considerable number of people obsessed with their own benefits.”

Regardless of anything else, casting Ha Eun was Daulby’s own choice.

They had no intention of leaving Ha Eun in the middle of a power struggle to capitalize on her newfound popularity.

Above all, a child like Ha Eun, who was extraordinary in various ways, held substantial investment value from the agency’s perspective.

Knowing how to manage Ha Eun since several child actors were already affiliated with their agency, they proceeded accordingly.

“Um, but… why are you taking such care of Ha Eun?”

“Probably, her father will find out in a few days. You see, Ha Eun was terrifyingly impressive in front of the camera.”

Seeing such a strange situation where a celebrity like Lee Geon-yeol praised his daughter, Lee Sung-Yoon wore a bewildered expression.

To Sung-Yoon, Ha Eun appeared just as he knew her.

He had already heard from Na-yeon that Ha Eun’s acting was fantastic, but he assumed it was still at a child’s level.

He definitely felt the worry was unnecessary.

Still, since they meant to protect Ha Eun, there was no real reason to refuse.

“What does Ha Eun think?”

“Hmm, I think it would be better to follow what the uncles say… both of you are experts after all.”

“Well, that’s true. When in doubt, you should listen to the experts.”

As always, they didn’t oppose Ha Eun’s wishes and let her do as she wanted.

A few days later, Daulby’s music video “Match” was finally released, and as expected, the reactions were explosive.

Views for the music video skyrocketed daily, and articles covering its content poured in relentlessly.

Among them, the most attention was undoubtedly on Ha Eun.

Her eye-catching appearance, combined with a portrayal that seemed to directly bring the fairy tale match girl to life, and her emotional delivery far exceeded the average level of child actors, began to draw focus on Lee Ha-eun herself.

Some even began searching for Ha Eun’s past works, and her childhood nutritional supplement CF was finally revisited.

The sales of Handong Pharmaceutical’s children’s nutritional supplements, which had already recorded high sales, began to skyrocket again around this time.

Up to this point, it had been somewhat expected.

The process of sifting through acceptable and unnecessary interview requests proceeded smoothly without issues, and they ensured that various proposals coming in allowed Ha Eun to make choices without feeling burdened.

However, a situation occurred that even the veteran Daulby, with over ten years in the industry, had never experienced.

“Well, let’s just say auditions happen that way. Ha Eun’s acting skills are very exceptional.”

“Why are the ones aware of this opposing?”

“If it had been just a regular audition, we would have at least mentioned it to Ha Eun. But come on, even a film rated for adults is a bit much, don’t you think, Hyung-nim?”

Daulby’s objections were dismissed as the agency representative recklessly pushed for Ha Eun’s audition. It seemed they were outraged that all the child actors affiliated with their agency had been rejected.

“The film’s name is weird. <Next Door Uncle>? Who names a movie like that?”

No one could have predicted that this strange-named movie would later become a groundbreaking work in the Korean action film industry.

Only one person knew—Ha Eun.

Of course, Ha Eun didn’t know anything about the audition yet.

As usual, she fulfilled the role of the judge in the Dalnim class and then, upon being picked up by Na-yeon in time for class, headed towards an empty lot near their home.

-Whip, whip!

With a children’s skipping rope, she took a step towards building a stronger, healthier body.

“Hmm, now I can skip without any trouble…. Should I have her become a national representative for skipping?”

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