NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29
The great actor Park Sun-woong.
Three films that attracted ten million viewers each.
Plus, the lead role in daily dramas that swept through an era.
He shot two dramas that even reached 40% in viewer ratings, so you could say he’s a master of box office magic.
There’s a saying that he’s an actor you can trust to deliver, as he was a man who never knew failure.
Beyond just his acting skills.
He had a keen eye for works.
Especially, he was exceptional at seeing people.
When filming dramas or movies, he would personally recommend actors suited for the roles to the director.
“That kid is Joo Seo-yeon.”
For Park Sun-woong, Joo Seo-yeon was a slightly unusual child.
Seven years old.
At an age when she should be in kindergarten, yet she was mysteriously quiet.
Typically, child actors tend to be more mature compared to their peers.
After all, they have to perform lines and act.
They experience the adult world faster from a young age.
His son, Park Jung-woo, also had that aspect.
He was much more grown-up than his peers and had outstanding abilities.
“So I was a bit worried.”
Was it because he was nearing adolescence?
His son seemed to develop an awareness that he was different from kids his age.
He fit the description of being arrogantly self-important.
It was just that he didn’t talk much, so it didn’t stand out.
Just look at the making film of “The Moon That Hid the Sun,” and that attitude revealed itself.
So every time he spoke up, Park Sun-woong found it hard to talk often due to his busy schedule.
His wife liked their son so much that she seldom spoke harshly to him.
“But.”
Who would have thought that a kid would come along and properly knock his proud son off his pedestal?
So despite his busy schedule, he readily accepted the invitation to the gathering arranged by Yoon Jong-hyuk today.
“Jung-woo seems to be very upset.”
“Mm.”
Sun-woong nodded at Yoon Jong-hyuk’s words.
Just by looking at it now, isn’t Jung-woo hovering around Seo-yeon, worried about her?
As for Seo-yeon, she seemed quite uncomfortable.
Although it didn’t show much on her face.
“From Jung-woo’s perspective, it would feel like winning and running away.”
In Episodes 1 and 2, there wasn’t a scene where Seo-yeon directly faced Jung-woo with her acting skills.
It was that part shot during the audition where she played two roles.
Except for that one scene.
And that scene was inserted in Episode 3.
In that scene, the young Lee Hye-wol bids farewell to Yoon Seoil.
“That must be right. Oh, let’s go. It’s about time.”
With that, Yoon Jong-hyuk headed towards Suah and Seo-yeon’s location.
Today’s Episode 3 of “The Moon That Hid the Sun.”
That part was something Yoon Jong-hyuk was quite looking forward to as well.
*
“Let’s begin.”
At KMB’s Drama Department.
Everyone’s face tightened at PD Ha Tae-oh’s words.
“The Moon That Hid The Sun,” Episode 3.
It was the episode he felt most confident about.
Thus, it was an episode that couldn’t fail.
It hinted at the growth of young Lee Hye-wol.
If the reactions didn’t come out properly here, the likelihood of viewer ratings dropping significantly in Episode 4 was high.
“The reason the child actor part is short is precisely because of that.”
This holds true for all media.
When the environment suddenly changes or the main character is replaced.
If you suddenly increase the age like this, viewers will inevitably drop.
To captivate those viewers, this Episode 3 must give them a proper sense of anticipation for Episode 4.
If that doesn’t happen, it will certainly have a negative impact on Episode 4’s performance.
“You know this? We can’t settle for mediocre or just okay here.”
It has to be a huge hit.
Fortunately, today, their rival MDC was taking it a bit easier with “Action King.”
So for “The Moon That Hid the Sun,” they needed viewer ratings to meet a certain level.
“Currently, fortunately, the responses are not bad.”
The real-time ratings were still stable.
No, rather, they were quite excellent.
It seems the impact of Episode 2 resonated greatly with the viewers.
Some staff members were checking not only the viewer ratings but also the community reactions.
Recently, online responses have become important.
Given that drama communities and social media were starting to emerge.
For it to create buzz here, it needed to make a significant impact.
As the staff anticipated, once Episode 3 began, posts on social media started pouring in.
– Episode 3 has started
– In my opinion, Episode 2 is the peak
– Is today the last time we see the child actors??
– The vibe from last episode seems quite good.
– Jo Young-dae really saved it.
So far, the reactions were decent.
Responses on the drama board at the broadcasting station were still positive.
– Ugh, irritating
– What’s Yoon Seoil doing?
– What could a kid possibly do here?
– Wow, but the protector of Princess Yeonhwa is so cool, shouldn’t he be the male lead?
– What’s the age difference between him and Princess Yeonhwa…
– That’s what makes it delicious…
– I totally agree.
There were mixed reactions.
Princess Yeonhwa slipped out of the palace and crossed paths with young Yoon Seoil.
Yoon Seoil had shown a confused state through the episode.
After all, Yoon Seoil, being a child, had limited things he could do.
The palace was already Jo Young-dae’s territory.
Yoon Seoil’s father even advised him to stay quiet during this affair.
“Don’t go outside.”
Because of such advice, Yoon Seoil was constantly in turmoil.
Should he send off the departing Princess Yeonhwa?
Or should he quietly observe and hold his breath as his father suggested?
What moved Yoon Seoil was the ever-present attendant who had always been with him.
“Young master, are you really going to let it end like this?”
The attendant’s serious words that had always teased Yoon Seoil.
At those words, young Yoon Seoil for the first time disobeyed his father’s words.
At the time when Princess Yeonhwa was leaving for exile.
He ran to find her, who was departing with her guard and the nanny who had cared for her since childhood.
– Is she finally leaving?
– Gosh, am I dying from frustration?
– But the acting is really good.
– This episode shows more of Yoon Seoil’s perspective.
– Show us Princess Yeonhwa.
– Where is Princess Yeonhwa?
The speed of posts on social media began to increase rapidly.
Young Yoon Seoil was on the move, and the drama was heading toward its climax.
The music grew more urgent, closing in on Yoon Seoil’s running face.
Emotion so intense it couldn’t be perceived as child-like acting.
Park Jung-woo, who normally showcased excellent skill, was even more impressive now.
Running, falling, rolling—the image of the young boy fully committed had everyone hooked.
“Wow, Seo-yeon, you’re also quite remarkable.”
“Is this what it means to have a well-trained child actor?”
The staff who had seen this scene several times were left speechless.
Not just emotional acting, but the natural movements and physical skills were so seamless.
It felt like they were watching adult actors.
Desperately, young Yoon Seoil was running, and the viewer ratings began to respond as well.
Ha Tae-oh spoke urgently.
“What’s the current viewer rating?”
“30%. It hasn’t been updated further.”
30% is by no means a small figure.
In fact, it was significant enough to be considered a hit.
But considering the previous episode had reached 29%, it felt a bit ambiguous.
At the very least, it had to surpass the peak of Episode 2.
Ha Tae-oh earnestly hoped.
Episode 3 was the last appearance of young Lee Hye-wol.
He had already seen it many times.
He had confidence in it.
But how the public would react, he didn’t know.
With everyone focused keenly on it.
“The Moon That Hid the Sun,” Episode 3, reached its climax.
*
“Your Highness.”
Breathlessly, Yoon Seoil said.
The Princess had already departed, they said.
That it was too late to chase after her, everyone said the same.
Yoon Seoil felt regret.
If only he had made up his mind just a little faster.
He lamented his own foolishness.
What was it that he was so afraid of?
What had made him hold his breath, close his mouth, and hide away?
“Princess!!”
He ran, and then ran again.
He didn’t even know where Princess Yeonhwa had gone.
But Yoon Seoil ran without thinking.
Vaguely.
Perhaps.
He ran with only that feeling in his heart.
On a high hill.
A place where the palace could be seen in one glance.
And there, stood Princess Yeonhwa.
She was facing the sun, looking down at the palace visible from the hill.
“Wow.”
In that moment, viewers watching that scene marveled at the sight of Princess Yeonhwa.
It was like a picture-perfect scene.
Even just seeing her back, one could feel the complex emotions of the Princess.
Among those viewers was Han Sun-ah, who was breathlessly watching.
She was already overflowing with emotion, furiously tapping away on her cellphone.
– Princess Yeonhwa ㅠㅠㅠㅠ so pitiful ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Similar sentiments echoed on social media, mirroring Han Sun-ah’s feelings.
And then.
“Young-bin, finally Seo-yeon has appeared there.”
Gathered with friends, Joo Young-bin watched his daughter’s performance.
Unlike Suah or Seo-yeon, who had already seen the recordings, Young-bin was seeing those scenes for the first time.
Yet he recognized that back.
He had seen it not long ago when they discussed future matters.
“Are you really okay? This isn’t just because of your mom, right?”
“The Moon That Hid the Sun.”
As it garnered attention, Seo-yeon decided swiftly.
She had already been receiving a lot of offers for commercials.
Through Gong Jung-tae and PD Ha Tae-oh, there were even drama proposals coming in.
And variety shows too.
If Seo-yeon set her mind to it, she could rise even higher riding this wave.
“No, this is my decision.”
Seo-yeon thought.
She contemplated.
In truth, she wanted to do even more.
If there were areas where she was lacking, she could learn gradually.
Such thoughts crossed her mind.
“This is right.”
Seo-yeon looked at her hands.
The hands, wounded during the last shoot, thankfully healed without a scar.
However, that injury served as a wake-up call for Seo-yeon.
To her, emotions were strange and fearsome unknowns.
Yet, the greatest strength she had was her emotional acting.
Especially method acting.
But ultimately, method acting was merely one branch of acting.
That could not be all there was.
Seo-yeon knew she was still lacking.
Technically, emotionally.
Without a doubt, she would grow both physically and mentally in the future.
These emotions might even grow stronger.
Honestly, Seo-yeon didn’t have the confidence to fully rein in those emotions.
That was likely due to the dissonance left by the memories of her past life.
Seo-yeon needed time to fully accept those traces.
“It’s okay.”
Seo-yeon smiled at Young-bin and then at Suah.
“Really.”
There were many things she wanted to learn.
She wanted to learn acting.
She wanted to attend a voice acting academy and learn vocalization.
If time allowed, she also wanted to sing.
There were things she missed out on in her past life due to lacking emotions.
She wanted to try everything.
Being an actress.
And also being a Vtuber.
“Anyway, I’ll come back.”
Ultimately, it was her ambitious dream.
So, Seo-yeon looked ahead.
Blending in with the actors and snuggling into Suah’s embrace.
She saw herself on the enormous TV screen, completely different from her home.
Princess Yeonhwa with her back turned.
Smashing the aquarium and diving headfirst into the sea of emotions.
Drenched in feelings, Joo Seo-yeon met her own gaze.
“……You’ve come.”
Seo-yeon, along with the moist voice of Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hye-wol.
“Seo-il.”
Princess Yeonhwa slowly turned her body.
With a sad smile on her face.