Chapter 23
The galaxy entertainment company where Lee Ji-yeon was affiliated felt like a ticking time bomb, and Seo-yeon had no intentions of leaving Ji-yeon there unattended.
After all, she was the only one at the kindergarten who made an effort to engage with Seo-yeon…
‘Wait, don’t I have any friends?’
Suddenly, a striking realization hit Seo-yeon.
Thinking it over carefully, while she had brushed shoulders with kids at the kindergarten, hardly anyone had ever approached her.
‘Why is that?’
Even Ji-yeon had other friends to hang out with.
Seo-yeon felt the sting of this truth, but deep down, she knew it was just how things were.
When she showed up at kindergarten, who would easily strike up a conversation with someone who stood there dazed and silent?
From the kids’ perspective, they’d probably find Ji-yeon, who was bouncing off the walls, much more approachable.
‘Anyway.’
She shook her head vigorously.
What was important wasn’t that.
‘I need to get Ji-yeon out of Galaxy Ent.’
Breaking the contract with an agency wasn’t that hard.
However, it wouldn’t be easy for Ji-yeon, or her mother, Hong Sun-hee, to let go of the connection they had worked hard to build.
‘If I tell the kid, she probably won’t believe me.’
In the end, this was a matter for adults.
If it were about Su-a, who had recently been tagging along on set with Seo-yeon, persuading Hong Sun-hee wouldn’t be a stretch.
…That was Seo-yeon’s strategy.
‘S-Seo-yeon.’
Of course, this was a heavy burden for Su-a.
After all, the woman in front of her, Hong Jin-hee, was someone Su-a remembered well.
‘That’s the woman Seo-yeon was staring down during her first audition.’
Although Hong Jin-hee was casually chatting, today was Su-a’s first meeting with her.
This was Seo-yeon’s first friend’s house visit.
Given that Su-a was in the same industry, she understood the need to greet this mother.
But…
‘Convincing her to transfer to another agency? No way!’
Su-a intended to do her best to fulfill Seo-yeon’s request.
However, this was wildly unexpected.
Hong Jin-hee’s gaze was fierce, reminiscent of the older girls she used to hang out with in high school.
If it weren’t for her awkward smile, she might have instinctively squinted her eyes shut.
‘…An entertainment family?’
On the other hand, Ji-yeon’s mother, Hong Jin-hee, was experiencing her own cultural shock.
At that moment, she was focused on Seo-yeon and hadn’t paid much attention to Su-a.
But now, she had an inkling of where that striking appearance came from.
Most importantly, the bust.
No, really, the bust.
‘That’s seriously impressive.’
gulp. Hong Jin-hee inadvertently swallowed hard.
Incredible. So this size is possible for Koreans too.
And not to mention, Su-a’s looks were top-notch.
Is this really what a mother who has given birth looks like?
“Excuse me, how old did you say Seo-yeon’s mom is?”
“Uh, I’m twenty-nine…”
Young!
No, she definitely looked youthful without a doubt…
‘Did she get pregnant too early?’
Hong Jin-hee’s mind, for once, began to whirl with thoughts.
Twenty-nine, while my daughter is seven… Seo-yeon is the same age, meaning she must have had her at 21 or 22…
‘Yep, an early pregnancy.’
Now, Hong Jin-hee was genuinely curious about her husband’s appearance.
“Wow, you’re really young.”
“Th-thank you. You… you look remarkably youthful for your age too, Ji-yeon’s mom.”
“……”
Is this just awkwardness?
For a moment, Hong Jin-hee contemplated asking, but the sight of Su-a squeezing her eyes shut left her speechless.
“Seo-yeon’s mom?”
“Ah, I-I’m sorry. I just accidentally yawned.”
Su-a gathered her thoughts firmly.
Then, she stole a glance at her beloved daughter.
“……”
Seeing Seo-yeon staring at her, Su-a quickly turned her gaze back to Hong Jin-hee.
Let’s wrap this up swiftly. Su-a steeled herself and spoke.
“Um, it might be awkward coming from a stranger, but… I heard something on set recently…”
Su-a began cautiously, discussing the rumors around Galaxy Entertainment.
These words could potentially come off as offensive, but luckily, Su-a was in a position to provide ample advice.
Seo-yeon had already appeared in a drama as a child actor, and it wasn’t far-fetched for Su-a to have heard something.
“Is it really true?”
“Yes.”
Of course, Su-a was passing on what Seo-yeon had shared.
Just to be sure, when she asked Director Jo, he echoed similar sentiments.
“I heard about Galaxy Entertainment too… The rumors aren’t pleasant.”
As a CF director, Jo Min-tae had a good grasp of agencies.
Galaxy Entertainment was one of them.
“Such rumors…”
Hong Jin-hee’s face clouded with worry.
While she found it troubling, if it were true, she needed to make a decision for her daughter’s future.
“…Thank you for telling me. I’ll look into it myself.”
“Sure, no problem.”
It was a tough agency to land, and letting go of it wouldn’t be easy…
However… She didn’t want to put her daughter through hardship.
Seeing Hong Jin-hee’s face, Su-a finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
She then glanced at her daughter, who was watching from the side.
‘See, Seo-yeon? Mom did good, right?’
‘Yeah!’
When their eyes met, Seo-yeon nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
…Sometimes, wasn’t her daughter’s expression oddly boyish?
‘Oh, right.’
While looking at Seo-yeon, Su-a nearly forgot the most crucial point and quickly opened her mouth.
“Oh! Also, I have a recommendation for an agency that I think would be suitable.”
As if she had completely forgotten, Su-a turned to Hong Jin-hee, suggesting a different agency to replace Galaxy Entertainment.
This was the agency that would be associated with the actor who had filmed a CF alongside Seo-yeon.
It was none other than where actress Kim Jeong-ha would eventually go.
*
The Moon Hidden by the Sun.
A highly anticipated work being prepared at KMB.
After the making video, there hadn’t been much footage released, making the buzz start to dwindle.
– I went to the Taesoomdal Goex event yesterday
Posts started popping up on some drama forums.
More precisely, this was news about the teaser event held in front of the Goex Vega Box.
– What’s it about?
– They said the teaser got released, but there’s been no news.
– Obvious, right? If they had made a good drama, they would’ve plastered teasers and ads everywhere by now. LOL
– The timing clashed with the drama MDC is making this time.
– It’s bound to get ripped apart by MDC. Just from the setting, it looks childish.
Online, there was plenty of mockery as well.
Speculation and rumors swirled about how they had drawn viewers in with the making film and how the actual drama was being delayed due to ambiguity.
– The teaser was amazing; after all, they’re doing a preview in two weeks, so we’ll see reviews for episodes 1 and 2 then.
– And anyway, aren’t episodes 1 and 2 the ones with the kids? Might as well say they’re already doomed.
– There was a cute girl in it.
<— Pedo Alert... – But that kid, Kang Seong-chan, stated we would be amazed. The teaser looked slick. <— Do you believe that???? <— Must’ve been nice for the parents—seems the kid’s innocent and kind... <— Some people really still get fooled by teasers these days. Just as discussions flared up between those who had seen the teaser and those who hadn’t, someone chimed in. – Let’s judge after seeing the teaser! Then the teaser site opened. Accompanied by a one-minute teaser video. So far, "The Moon Hidden by the Sun" had filmed content up to episode 5. The one-minute video contained snippets from the story leading up to the fifth episode. [The ill-fated Princess Yeonhwa, ousted from the palace by her uncle's treachery.] The video first introduced the drama's protagonist, Princess Yeonhwa. A lively girl’s demeanor. Her first encounter with Yoon Seo-il. And then... “Let go!”
With a powerful shout, the atmosphere shifted completely.
The girl who had shown such a vibrant face just moments before transformed into Princess Yeonhwa.
Following her departure from the palace, the grown-up Princess Yeonhwa was then featured.
Next came young Yoon Seo-il, played by Park Jung-woo, who moved the story along, showcasing a variety of supporting characters and the dramatic atmosphere.
One minute.
Not particularly long, but that short video was enough to shift the opinions of drama communities.
– More than I expected?? Pretty decent????
– Seems alright.
– The kids act well!
<— Park Jung-woo’s always been good; he’s in a different class compared to others. – For a moment, I thought it was a different kid. – The girl from the Do-you CF is totally different... Bring back cute Seo-yeon! <— How do you know that kid’s name??? You little creep. <— It’s in the teaser, you fool. Just one day after the teaser for "The Moon Hidden by the Sun" dropped, it had racked up an impressive 400,000 views. That was the second-highest record among drama teasers produced by KMB in nearly three years. *
“Director Ha, the main office called for you!”
“Oh, yes, yes! Hand it over!”
Ha Tae-o picked up the phone, sporting a bright smile.
The response to the drama teaser had exceeded expectations.
On its first day, 400,000 views indicated they could shoot for 1 million, or even 1.5 million views.
If they reached 1.5 million, it would set the record for the highest teaser views ever for a KMB drama.
“Yes, of course. Everything is smoothly progressing for the screening. I’ll ensure that the actors can attend.”
Momentarily, Ha Tae-o wondered if Seo-yeon would show up.
But at that moment, thoughts of “Seo-yeon has to come” crossed his mind; I mean, they were showing episodes 1 and 2, and what would they do without the leading actress?
“…Phew.”
After finally hanging up, he sighed, feeling a hint of anxiety.
Will Seo-yeon show up at the screening?
Typically, when a producer requests an actor, they’d typically scramble to attend. But Seo-yeon, as a child actor…
Often times, child actors stop acting as they grow, making the producer’s influence a bit lackluster.
‘She seemed a bit uncertain.’
After the teaser event, Seo-yeon had worn a face that screamed “I’m still here… I’ll come back stronger…”
Almost as if she was swearing never to show her face at offline events again.
“By the way, has there been any contact from Seo-yeon? She should be quite the talk right now.”
“Huh? Ah, no, not yet. I think that’s probably…”
What could he do to win Seo-yeon’s favor? As he pondered, a colleague PD’s words brought Seo-yeon’s sentiment to mind. Surely by today…
“Is she doing a school festival?”
“Really? Of all days?”
“Yeah, same here.”
The day following the drama’s teaser becoming a hot topic, predictions about the state of the school festival were as clear as day.
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