Chapter: 32
The fourth episode of The Sun Hidden by the Moon aired, picking up right from the anticipation of episode three.
Thanks to the performances of the acting prodigies, Kang Seong-chan and Ha Ye-seo, the show managed to maintain its ratings.
However, Action King, that drama everyone thought was a goner at 13%, made a surprising comeback at 18%.
This left the crew of The Sun Hidden by the Moon in a nail-biting situation.
‘In my past life, maybe…’
Joo Seoyeon wasn’t overly worried. After all, Action King was slated to implode around episode eight.
Wasn’t it Sebin who starred in it?
With a school bullying scandal brewing about the idol actor, the last episode ended with a dismal 5% rating, a true humdinger.
Naturally, The Sun Hidden by the Moon absorbed all those viewers and grew even more popular.
By the end, the finale shattered records with an astonishing 42% viewership.
“With anticipation, the fourth episode of The Sun Hidden by the Moon. More mundane than expected?”
“Could the performances of the child actors be poison? Ratings drop from 31% to 26% for The Sun Hidden by the Moon.”
… Those were some articles I stumbled upon, but honestly, I couldn’t care less.
What mattered more was that my acting was getting good reviews, and that puffed me up with pride.
At least all the hard work was paying off.
“Doing proper acting.”
I hadn’t felt that sense of accomplishment before.
Not during the commercials, nor during the initial filming of The Sun Hidden by the Moon.
But now, it felt different.
I was in a good mood.
“Aigoo, Seoyeon, you must’ve had a hard time getting here?”
Now, I found myself arriving at the studio designated for KMB.
It was for the “Hot Stars” segment of the Celebrity Live Broadcast.
This was my first variety show appearance and also my last one.
“Hello.”
As I politely bowed my head, the PD of Celebrity Live Broadcast, Shin Jae-woon, flashed a beaming smile.
He looked at me like I was a treasure chest.
“I watched the latest episode of The Sun Hidden by the Moon. Is it true you’re really seven years old, Seoyeon? Your skills are just unbelievable!”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“Don’t mention it. And this here is…”
Shin Jae-woon’s gaze shifted to my mom next to me.
His expression turned to one of shock.
“Uh, what’s this?”
He was clearly a pro. His eyes flashed briefly with surprise but quickly steadied.
‘Impressive.’
I couldn’t help but admire him.
Most people’s eyes would usually fall just a bit when they first meet my mom.
But even if Shin Jae-woon was startled, his gaze remained fixed straight ahead.
“Your mom is really beautiful too. She could totally be an actress.”
“Ah, th-thank you. But that’s too much for me…”
“Still, it’s obvious who helped make you this cute.”
With a hearty laugh, Shin Jae-woon’s comment made my mom chuckle awkwardly.
Honestly, we both felt a bit awkward around each other—though our reasons differed.
“Ahem! We’ll start filming from 2 PM, so please take a moment to rest. I’ll call you as soon as we’re ready.”
I nodded to Shin Jae-woon’s cheerful remarks.
Since it was mainly an interview format, I didn’t need to prepare much.
“Seoyeon, I’ll wait outside…”
Mom hesitated as she glanced at me.
“You’re going to mention that, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
I nodded. After all, soon everyone would find out.
Honestly, announcing it here had way more impact than just releasing a generic internet article.
‘Plus, it’ll be rebroadcasted on variety shows.’
It’ll be kept in mind much longer than a basic news piece.
And thankfully, as the difficulty level wasn’t too high, it was suitable for a first-time variety gig.
‘I hope I can pick up some good interview skills.’
That’s another reason for accepting the show.
Whether you’re a streamer or a Vtuber, guests often come on board.
So I wanted to learn some natural questioning techniques.
A show revolved around food and interviews had to have plenty to absorb.
I was already looking forward to the interview—in more ways than one.
*
“This upcoming interview, you should be excited.”
Ha Tae-oh, the grateful PD who suggested me, told Shin Jae-woon.
‘The hottest child actor lately…’
The Sun Hidden by the Moon was nowhere near an ordinary drama.
Especially with the buzz surrounding the performances of the two young actors from episode three.
In fact, since they hadn’t shown their faces afterwards, viewer curiosity was at its peak.
‘What if she makes her debut appearance on our Celebrity Live Broadcast?’
Just thinking about it made my heart race.
For reference, Shin Jae-woon had just taken over Celebrity Live Broadcast recently.
The previous PD had been swamped with work since the auditions for The Sun Hidden by the Moon and had to move on.
“Thanks, and let’s make this interview outstanding.”
“Of course! It’s my bread and butter, after all!”
The interview corner, “Hot Stars,” is hosted by MC Song Young-jin.
He initially started as an announcer at KMB but is now thriving independently as a freelancer.
‘Joo Seoyeon…’
That name wasn’t foreign to Young-jin.
It wasn’t just because I was an interview subject.
It was also because his wife had been glued to The Sun Hidden by the Moon lately.
When he watched my performance in episode three, he was honestly shocked.
Could a kid around the same age as his son deliver such an acting performance?
Anyone would have to agree it was the kind of scene that screamed “genius.”
Even the previously acclaimed actor Park Jung-woo couldn’t hold a candle to the impact I had at that moment.
Here was an extraordinary child actor.
How many more dramas and commercials would I do in the future?
If this Celebrity Live Broadcast was the start, Young-jin wouldn’t ask for anything more.
“Okay, now for Celebrity Live Broadcast, ‘Hot Stars’!! Today’s featured star is…”
As filming began, Young-jin shouted enthusiastically from his seat.
“None other than Princess Yeonhwa from The Sun Hidden by the Moon, Joo Seoyeon!!”
With his words, I bowed my head and walked out.
I might be one of the youngest to ever appear on this segment.
And that did spark some worries.
Given that I was just seven years old, would I really be able to manage an interview?
Acting and interviewing are two entirely different ball games, aren’t they?
‘Should I have brought my mom along?’
That thought crossed Young-jin’s mind.
But seeing me—a child actor with such a robust performance—he couldn’t shake that sense of unease.
The calm in my eyes might have given off the impression that I was older than my years.
Or maybe, it was my expression that seemed void of nerves.
“For this The Sun Hidden by the Moon, you performed exceptionally as Princess Yeonhwa, right? Did you think you’d be cast for this role?”
“No,” I shook my head.
“I assumed I was just here to gain experience. With so many strong candidates, I thought it’d be a stretch.”
That was a natural response.
Young-jin was momentarily speechless, gazing at me.
‘Wait, did she just answer without stuttering once?’
Sure, there weren’t any audience distractions during the shoot, but many eyes were on me.
The staff of Celebrity Live Broadcast were observing intently, and so was he.
I couldn’t believe I was able to respond so flawlessly.
‘She’s seven, right?’
Thinking of his son, he found it hard to digest the level of my poise.
‘Are all child actors like this?
Park Jung-woo wasn’t exactly a slouch at seven, but he had his own awkwardness back then.
And that wasn’t even during an interview!
After that, Young-jin continued propelling questions at me, absorbing my responses.
The more we talked, the more dumbfounded Youngbin became.
It was like interviewing an adult and not a seven-year-old.
“You delivered tremendous performances in episodes two and three. Many speculate it’s method acting. In interviews with other actors, they noted your strength in emotional performances.”
That was the talk of the town.
The standout was my ability to convey emotion, even though I lacked experience and had to struggle with several movements.
Yet, by the time we were wrapping up the young actor segments, it was well past due.
“Um, yes. I can’t say that I’ve done much more than that.”
You can’t say you’ve done that much?
Method acting isn’t something everyone can just nail on the head.
It’s often more harmful than not, and could I really manage as a kid?
Frankly, Young-jin thought it was quite the stretch.
Until now.
“I still have many areas to improve, and the other actors have helped me out. The climax in episodes two and three, I might have pushed it a bit,” I calmly admitted.
That I had even shifted the shooting schedule for those two scenes left Young-jin baffled.
Surely, when this broadcast airs, viewers would share his bewilderment.
“But doesn’t performing that way make it difficult? After all, method acting is usually a territory reserved for veteran actors?”
“I… don’t really know. But once you do it once, you don’t need to for a while, right? So I just decided to go for it.”
“Interesting…”
As Young-jin absentmindedly nodded, a sudden memory of my previous statement tugged at him.
“Hold on, when you say, ‘there’s no need to for a while’—is that connected to emotional acting?”
It was an off-script question.
I spoke it without thinking but didn’t consider it a mistake.
Yet, oddly, it stuck with him.
“Oh, that…”
I answered in a matter-of-fact tone, as if it was no big deal.
“I’m thinking of stepping away from the entertainment industry for a while.”
Those words flowed out casually.
Young-jin nearly let slip a casual ‘Ah, I see’ when my remark took everyone by surprise.
……
“…What?”
They say when someone is too shocked, words escape them.
And that was exactly how Young-jin felt.
Inviting a rising star to the show only to hear retirement mentions in the same breath was jarring.
“What exactly did you just say, Seoyeon?”
“I mentioned I’d be leaving the entertainment industry for some time now.”
“That’s what I heard too…”
The studio began buzzing.
The crew members shooting were in a similar state of shock.
Even Shin Jae-woon, the PD onlookers, couldn’t shake off the surprise.
“So that’s why…”
It was at that moment Shin Jae-woon finally understood the far-reaching implications of Ha Tae-oh’s prior, cryptic comments.
That’s just why he’d said, “You should be excited for the interview.”
This was bound to send viewers into a frenzy.
*
True to expectations.
As the interview from the Hot Stars segment aired on Celebrity Live Broadcast, it sent waves across drama-related communities.
A child actor from the most-talked-about drama, unexpectedly announcing her departure from the industry.
– That girl playing Princess Yeonhwa, is she really retiring?
– Well, it seems she’s not retiring, just taking a break…
– What’s the real difference? Seems pretty much the same to me.
– Why is this even believable?
The shocking news sparked a torrent of speculation.
Maybe the filming for The Sun Hidden by the Moon was too harsh, or perhaps I made a boatload of cash and decided to quit.
Most of it was mere hearsay, but it kept circulating widely.
So much so that the content of episode five that aired that day was overshadowed.
Yet episode five managed to bounce back in viewership compared to four, so The Sun Hidden by the Moon was essentially set to thrive.
And.
Following that mind-boggling reveal, I, the gifted child actor causing all this buzz, had a new path ahead.
“Starting today, I’ll be learning acting at Huayang Acting Academy, I’m Joo Seoyeon.”
Recommended by Lee Ji-yeon, I was now enrolling at the acting academy.
As the cheers from Ji-yeon echoed, the teaching staff, along with other young participants, stared blankly at me.
‘…What is happening?’
They genuinely questioned why I was even there.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
