Chapter 8
The Moon That Conceals the Sun.
It’s a virtual historical drama produced by KMB, one of the top three broadcasting companies in South Korea.
Simply put, a virtual historical drama fuses real history with fictional elements, typically crafted to captivate both the younger and middle-aged audiences alike.
“So it has to be really well-made.”
Hae Tae-oh, the producer of The Moon That Conceals the Sun, is a veteran in the industry, with extensive experience directing various historical dramas.
This is his second virtual historical drama, following his previous project, Fox Dew, which, while not a blockbuster, was decent enough.
“If it’s not done well, we risk losing both young and middle-aged viewers.”
Thus, the casting team was sharpening their skills to perfection.
They even had double the usual budget for a virtual historical drama!
From KMB’s perspective, this project was a must-succeed.
“Wow, the child actors are quite impressive!”
Casting director Kim Ki-woong remarked in awe towards Hae Tae-oh.
“It seems like nearly all of the kids with notable names from various agencies and academies showed up for this.”
“Everyone knows how much of a big deal KMB is making with this drama.”
Even if the child actors fell short, they wouldn’t go bankrupt.
Typically, child actors appear in the early episodes of a drama.
If it’s brief, they might only be in episode one; for longer roles, it might even stretch to five episodes.
So, are they not important?
Absolutely not!
They hugely influence the first impression of the drama.
Recent trends have even seen some productions entirely omit childhood flashbacks.
If an inexperienced child actor messes up, it can muddy the drama’s image.
“The child role of young Yoon-seo-il is almost a done deal.”
“Yes, he’s been quite famous since he was young, hasn’t he?”
Hae Tae-oh nodded, scanning through the male child actor profiles.
Starting at the tender age of five, he had already built a reputation for skills that had him in the industry for five years.
Park Jeong-woo, son of the great actor Park Seon-woong, was a perfect fit for the role of young Yoon-seo-il in The Moon That Conceals the Sun.
“But finding a child to play young Lee Hye-wol could be tricky…”
“Jeong-woo is such a strong actor that he might overshadow his co-star.”
He was the heir of the great actor Park Seon-woong’s talents.
Choosing a heroine to stand against someone like that meant they had to be meticulous.
“Oh, snap…”
At that moment, Kim Ki-woong gave a sigh of exasperation.
In his hands was a profile of a girl he had just seen.
“Is this girl really auditioning for a drama? She’s only done a couple of CFs?”
“Oh, that girl?”
Hae Tae-oh glanced at the profile in Ki-woong’s hand.
“I heard she was recommended by Director Jo Bang-woo. Apparently, she did a CF with his son.”
“Ah, so they nudged her into consideration because of the son? If it goes well, she might get noticed too.”
“Come on, really?”
They both clicked their tongues at the name ‘Ju Seo-yeon’ on the profile.
From the photo, her appearance seemed quite decent.
She was six years old.
A bit young, but considering the character of young Lee Hye-wol is eight, she shouldn’t struggle that much with acting.
‘Definitely has the looks.’
What was the CF? Right, it was the soy milk one.
“Well, she wasn’t bad in the soy milk CF, but…”
“That bubbly personality isn’t actual acting.”
Moreover, acting in a CF is completely different from acting in a drama.
First, the question was whether she could memorize the lines properly.
“There’s a limit to how far a parachute can go…”
Hae Tae-oh tossed Seo-yeon’s profile aside, concluding that a girl who’d only been in two CFs was unlikely to excel in this audition.
*
The Moon That Conceals the Sun.
The audition venue colloquially known as ‘Taesumdhal.’
“Wow, what is this?”
Seo-yeon was taken aback, questioning whether this was truly an audition space.
It felt more like a set for a photoshoot.
Upon entering, after a brief identity verification, the staff explained the audition details. Then, they pulled out a document.
“Please note that the audition footage may be broadcast as making films or advertisements, and please sign here if you consent.”
“Ah, okay.”
Sua calmly signed with trembling hands.
Since Seo-yeon was still a minor, she needed her guardian’s consent for these matters.
“This audition definitely feels different…”
As they moved inside, Sua muttered to herself.
Seo-yeon couldn’t help but agree.
As she observed, many of the surrounding children were accompanied by their managers or agency staff.
Unlike before, she couldn’t see any parents coming along with child actors, making her and Sua feel isolated, like they had washed up on a deserted island.
“Who’s that kid?”
“Did they enter the wrong place?”
Thanks to this, they were drawing extra attention.
Some kids were dressed for the audition or applying makeup.
“Seo-yeon, what should we do?”
“I—I’m not sure.”
What could she, a six-year-old who had only starred in two CFs, possibly advise?
Of course, if Seo-yeon were in Sua’s position, she would feel just as clueless.
“Seo-yeon’s mother, this way please!”
Just as the curious gazes intensified towards them, a savior appeared.
“Director Jo!”
Sua rushed over, grabbing Seo-yeon’s hand, her face full of relief as he smiled reassuringly.
“I recommended you, so I had to help out.”
“Ah, I’m really thankful.”
“And please just call me Jo Min-tae here.”
With a polite bow, Seo-yeon responded with a grin.
“I’m quite eager. I wanted to see how Seo-yeon would perform in a drama.”
He might say that, but Seo-yeon knew how special this opportunity was.
There was no reason for the CF director to assist someone else to this extent.
Just the fact that he arranged for her to be here made the rest of the child actors envious.
Seo-yeon quickly scanned the area, feeling the stares burning into her.
‘This feels like a parachute effect.’
With Jo Min-tae’s presence, some started to squint at her, perhaps assuming she was one of the privileged children brought in by an insider.
“By the way, is this how drama auditions typically go?”
Seo-yeon asked softly.
Min-tae shook his head.
“There are auditions where individuals might perform alone, but most times, directors or casting directors select their candidates. Doing it this way is quite rare. I think it’s probably for a promotional making film.”
“Ah, I see.”
Making film.
Seo-yeon suddenly recalled her past experiences.
Before it aired, The Moon That Conceals the Sun had released several different videos to generate interest.
Their child actor audition had certainly been a part of that.
“Ah, I think everyone’s here now, so we’ll begin soon.”
At that moment, a scruffy-looking man with a beard stated.
“I’m Hae Tae-oh, the planning producer. First, let me briefly outline the audition…”
As per Jo Min-tae, the producer of this audition stepped forward.
The planning producer is essentially the head of the drama’s conceptualization.
They lead the direction of the project, including pairing directors with actors.
They also work with the scriptwriters to ensure the storyline progresses correctly,
In other words, this person held significant power over the drama’s casting.
“The audition will be in pairs. Male and female child actors will perform together. I’ll distribute the script now… and we’ll give you about two hours for readings.”
Two hours wasn’t too long or too short.
However, since they hadn’t provided the script in advance, it felt quite daunting for the child actors.
“We’re not doing this alone? What does that mean?”
“If we’re in pairs, the outcome will depend on each other. This doesn’t seem fair at all.”
Whispers started to circulate among the surrounding kids.
It seemed auditioning this way wasn’t standard practice.
It was easy to see why The Moon That Conceals the Sun generated buzz right from the making film stage.
“Acting in pairs?”
It certainly would be different from a CF.
Also, the scripts were different.
Compared to the more visually-oriented CF scripts, the drama script felt almost novelistic.
“This type of acting, as others said, heavily relies on your partner.”
“S-so, does it become problematic if your partner isn’t good?”
Sua asked nervously, her voice shaking.
“Hmm, yes. To be specific, it’s a problem if your partner is too poor or too good.”
“Isn’t it better if they’re good?”
“Not in drama. If an actor is lacking… they can get overshadowed.”
That’s what an actor must avoid at all costs.
Especially for a ‘lead’ role, it’s even more critical.
If an actor loses their presence due to their partner’s performance, they don’t deserve to be a lead.
“First, Seo-yeon. Let’s get you changed. Given that reading time is two hours, we need to hurry. You can change over there at the costume room.”
“Oh! Okay!”
Grabbed by Sua’s hand, Seo-yeon rushed towards the prepared costume room.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Upon entering, she spotted a kid coming out, wearing a freshly changed outfit.
A delicate-eyed, lovely child.
Unlike the other kids, she exuded a unique presence.
‘Ah, it’s her.’
Seo-yeon recognized her instantly.
‘The young heroine, Lee Hye-wol.’
She remembered from the drama she had seen in her past life.
Despite her young age, this girl had showcased exceptional acting skills back then.
Her name was probably Jo Seo-hee.
‘Not quite as prominent as the young Yoon-seo-il.’
While she could easily have earned applause playing alone, her presence was oddly lacking when paired with the boy cast as Yoon-seo-il.
That’s likely why the younger character had appeared for only two episodes.
‘But still, she certainly made her mark.’
Seo-yeon was less familiar with her subsequent success.
“Aah, that’s her?”
At that moment, Jo Seo-hee seemed to have been told something by her female manager, which drew a chuckle from her.
“Parachute?”
She smiled, her expression reminiscent of a drama antagonist.
Seeing that, Seo-yeon couldn’t help but admire her.
‘This kid has quite the vocabulary.’
Indeed, it must be part of being an actor!
She looked only a year or two older, yet she knew the term ‘parachute.’
“Well, good luck out there!”
With those confident words, she strutted out.
In a way, she felt like a superior version of Lee Ji-yeon.
But mostly in a negative sense.
“Ugh. Seo-yeon, we absolutely cannot lose to her!”
Of course, Sua didn’t realize that the snobby kid who had just passed by was actually a contender for the lead role in The Moon That Conceals the Sun.
To her, she was just an obnoxious brat belittling her precious daughter.
“…I’ll try my best.”
Facing a child actor who had outshone countless others in this drama, it felt like scaling a daunting mountain for Seo-yeon.
Here she was, a total rookie with only two CFs under her tiny belt.
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