Actor Kang Seong-chan was highly popular due to his excellent acting skills and handsome, refreshing looks. He was the top casting choice for The Sun Hidden by the Moon, and as expected, he garnered much attention.

What about actress Ha Ye-seo? With her pure appearance and a recent romance movie that attracted 7 million viewers, she was one of the hottest rising actresses.

However, there were some comments that her acting skills might be slightly lacking compared to her popularity. Even so, she wasn't bad enough to be an issue; she was just not on par with more seasoned actors.

Then there were the two supporting actors. Actors Han Tae-won and Shin Yeon-mi frequently appeared in various media, adding flavor to the productions they were in. Especially Shin Yeon-mi, who played the caretaker of Princess Yeonhwa, had a significant role in the drama.

So, the inclusion of a child actor among them stood out. From the journalists' perspective, it was a rather curious selection.

"If a child actor were to be included, I thought it would be Park Jung-woo, the son of actor Park Sun-woong."

"That kid was the talk of the making film, though."

"True, but auditions and actual dramas are different, aren't they?"

"That’s right. Hmm, I don't know. But she certainly has the looks..."

"Definitely has the looks. Honestly, among the recent child actors, purely in terms of appearance, she’s the best."

As entertainment reporters, they were well-versed in the actors' backgrounds. They could talk extensively about the child actor who became a hot topic recently.

"We don’t need to memorize much. She’s only appeared in one CF so far, right? I heard she shot another CF recently, so her entire activity consists of two commercials."

"That's true. But her acting in the audition was pretty good."

"Auditions and actual dramas are different, aren’t they?"

"Yeah, that’s true too."

Reporter Lee Byung-hoon nodded absentmindedly as he listened to the other journalists' conversations. Even counting the cameras aimed at the actors, the difference in attention was evident.

"No, if you think about it, it’s actually quite a lot."

In the photo zone, Lee Byung-hoon and Ha Ye-seo, the lead pair. Standing a bit further away, supporting actors with child actor Joo Seoyeon.

Despite playing young Princess Yeonhwa, she stood somewhere between the main and supporting roles.

Honestly, considering her recognition level, it wasn’t surprising she didn’t attract much attention. Yet, surprisingly, some cameras occasionally focused on Seoyeon. Perhaps others had similar thoughts as Lee Byung-hoon.

"Director Gong Jung-tae isn’t an idiot."

Common sense dictated that if a child actor was involved, it would be easier to gather attention with Park Jung-woo, the son of a famous actor. Yet, they chose to feature Seoyeon, which must mean something.

"Alright."

With that in mind, Lee Byung-hoon aimed his camera at Seoyeon, following his instincts developed over ten years as a reporter.

"Thank goodness."

Seoyeon inwardly sighed in relief at the lack of excessive attention from the cameras. Or rather, it was fortunate that the reporters weren't actively approaching her.

Had there been no reaction at all, she would have felt a peculiar emotion, but it wasn’t like that. Just an ambiguous reaction?

It was hard for Seoyeon to discern if it was good or bad.

"Seoyeon, it would be nice if you could smile at the people."

"Okay."

At the advice of Shin Yeon-mi, who played the caretaker of Princess Yeonhwa, Seoyeon nodded slightly. After all, it was a photo zone, so standing there expressionlessly would not be good.

"Anyway, the focus is on the leads."

With that thought, Seoyeon smiled brightly and waved her hand. Smiling artificially was one of Seoyeon's strengths.

"Oh, she smiled."

"She looked frozen with nerves, but... she really matches the image from the commercials."

As Seoyeon smiled, more people started showing interest. While her presence had been minimal with a neutral expression, her smile brightened up the atmosphere.

"That child..."

Watching this, Kang Seong-chan, the lead actor of The Sun Hidden by the Moon, thought deeply with a smile on his face. In fact, he hadn’t met Seoyeon often.

Their shooting schedules didn’t overlap much, so he had only greeted her a few times. He had thought it would be fine if the child actor performed adequately for the three episodes.

That was until two days ago. Director Gong Jung-tae showed him the footage.

"What do you think? Isn’t it great?"

"Wow."

"Adding music will enhance the atmosphere even more."

"True. But even without music, some effects were used, right? Like the eyes."

"Some effects were added, but not on the eyes. Isn’t it interesting?"

The eyes weren’t enhanced?

Kang Seong-chan replayed the footage. He was watching an edited video with most of the post-production work done except for the music.

When he first saw the first episode of The Sun Hidden by the Moon, his impression was "much better than expected." It felt like there wouldn’t be many viewers dropping off after the first episode.

Watching the second episode left him amazed.

"Compared to the raw footage, there are definitely areas where the acting falls short."

It was said she hadn’t formally learned acting. Even so, her performance was genuinely impressive, worthy of being called a prodigy.

The areas where she fell short were masked by editing, resulting in an almost perfect performance for a child actor.

"Especially the eyes."

If no CGI was used, it was even more remarkable. Was it the reflection of the lantern? It looked like they were glowing.

Seoyeon’s emotions were vividly displayed through her eyes. Even without deeply imbued emotions, the change in atmosphere was noticeable due to her eyes.

"And the third episode too."

The amazement felt after the second episode turned into pressure with the third. It would be embarrassing if his acting was compared to that of a child actor.

Isn’t he supposed to be a seasoned actor? He never imagined a day would come when his acting would be compared to a child actor’s.

"This is a bit burdensome, haha!"

"I trust in actor Kang Seong-chan’s skills. You’ll definitely do better."

"Haha..."

Director Gong Jung-tae smiled faintly as he said this. His words weren’t just a compliment but also a subtle pressure to ensure the scenes in the actual drama matched the high standards set.

That was two days ago. Kang Seong-chan was confident that the drama would do well.

And to ensure it performed better, it was important to focus on someone who would draw initial interest. This event was meant for that. In most dramas, the first three episodes are critical for viewer retention. The production team of The Sun Hidden by the Moon was confident they could retain all viewers who tuned in for the first three episodes.

"Seems like there’s little interest, must be boring..."

Kang Seong-chan glanced at Seoyeon. With the reporters’ focus on him, Seoyeon seemed a bit bored.

"This is where a senior should help."

With this thought, he lightly winked at Seoyeon.

"Ugh..."

Seoyeon flinched in surprise. Why is he winking at me?

Even though she was now in a girl's body, she had the memories of her previous life. If he had done that in her past life, she would have just thought, "Why is he doing that?" But now, it felt even more awkward. Maybe it’s not about the past life but because of the age difference. Anyway, she wasn’t sure.

"Ahem, thank you all for showing such interest."

At a simple interview spot, many questions were directed at Kang Seong-chan and Ha Ye-seo. Holding the microphone and looking at the reporters and gathered fans, Kang Seong-chan realized it was time.

"To give you some surprising news today, there will be a preview screening a month before the drama airs. We will showcase the first two episodes and greet you with the other cast members there."

A preview screening? Both the reporters and the audience had thought this teaser event was the end. But they didn’t expect another separate screening event.

It was rare for a drama to hold consecutive offline events before its airing.

"I’ve already seen it, and I was truly amazed. You can look forward to it."

Judging by the preview, the first three episodes feature child actors. Despite this, the excitement in Kang Seong-chan’s voice drew attention.

Especially towards Seoyeon.

"Oh."

Seoyeon felt the reporters' gazes all at once. Not yet accustomed to such attention, she froze with a smile.

While she was good at maintaining a smiling expression, she wasn’t prepared for unexpected situations.

"Especially, take lots of pictures of Joo Seoyeon today. You might regret it later if you don't."

With Kang Seong-chan’s confident statement, Seoyeon's forehead began to sweat.

"You might regret it."

With these words and a thumbs-up from actor Kang Seong-chan, Seoyeon awkwardly raised her thumb in response. She tried to smile, but she wasn't sure if she was doing it right.

Nevertheless, ignoring a senior’s words would obviously lead to criticism, so she did her best.

"This wasn't necessary..."

Isn’t preparation key for everything? As soon as Kang Seong-chan finished speaking, Seoyeon felt the gaze of the reporters and the public.

Their eyes seemed to question if his words were true or false. Some reporters were already busily taking pictures.

At this moment, Seoyeon could clearly feel the weight of the "burden."

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, after the drama teaser event ended, no one called for her. Producer Ha Tae-oh said this was enough. The major articles would come out after the preview screening.

"Ugh..."

The burden, something everyone must face at some point, was heavier than expected. Actors confidently facing countless viewers. And VTubers too seemed impressive.

"Wait, is VTubing a bit different?"

Regardless, the burden of public attention could be overwhelming. It was a very unfamiliar feeling for Seoyeon, making her want to roll around on the floor.

"What are you doing, Joo Seoyeon?"

"...Can't you see?"

"Just saying, you’re not planning to half-ass the mirror role, are you?"

"I’ll do my best."

"You better."

Lee Ji-yeon crossed her arms and spoke. Currently, we were practicing for the kindergarten’s play at Arongdarong Kindergarten.

"Oh my."

By the way, we weren’t practicing at the kindergarten. Rather, it was a place where Lee Ji-yeon could practice comfortably.

So, I was at Lee Ji-yeon’s house.

"Our Ji-yeon really likes Seoyeon. I never thought it would turn out like this~."

"Ah, haha. Yes, that’s right."

With a bright smile, Hong Jin-hee spoke, and my mom awkwardly replied.

"I knew it."

I looked at my mom with a sympathetic gaze. Mom, Su-a, had poor communication skills.

Looking back, she didn't have many friends she kept in touch with.

"Mom, fighting!"

I wanted to do something, but there was nothing I could do. This was something only my mom could handle as an adult.