Children inherently strive to meet their parents' expectations. This held true for events like school plays, especially for those children who had significant roles.

Seoyeon's role as the 'Magic Mirror' was not lengthy. The queen would consult the mirror three times as Snow White grew older.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

Initially, the mirror would respond, "The fairest of all is the beautiful queen." However, as Snow White grew up, the mirror’s answer changed to Snow White. Hearing this answer for the third time, the queen would smash the mirror.

Seoyeon's debut as a virtual YouTuber was supposed to end there.

"How dare you!!"

As soon as the queen heard "The fairest of all is Snow White," she passionately threw a punch at the foil-covered mirror. This scene was a special request from Teacher Min-a, who wanted to add some flair to the traditional Snow White story.

Regardless, the queen's energetic punch was so powerful that it tore through the foil.

"…."

It was a simple paper board with a hole covered in foil. Even a seven-year-old's punch could easily pierce the foil. If Seoyeon hadn’t instinctively dodged, she would have been hit squarely.

‘What to do?’

Seoyeon quickly decided. The mirror was supposed to break with a cry of agony and meet its end. Although it wasn't clear if the original magic mirror shattered this way, in the Sun Class play, the mirror did. Accepting the queen's passionate performance without reciprocating would be rude.

So, Seoyeon matched the emotion and elevated her performance slightly.

"Ahhh!!"

With a dramatic scream, Seoyeon collapsed. The grand death scene brought the noisy hall to a sudden hush. Now, all eyes were on the queen and her.

This would set the stage for the queen to deliver her lines, creating a sinister atmosphere. The voice of a child’s scream could easily evoke fear. In the eerie background music, the queen's lines would sound powerful.

… …

‘…Huh?’

But there was no follow-up from the queen. Peeking through her closed eyes, Seoyeon saw the queen frozen in her pose.

"Seoyeon?"

Teacher Min-a, creeping up from the side of the stage, asked in a whisper.

"Are you alive?" "Yes." "This wasn't how we practiced, was it?"

Seoyeon struggled for an excuse. Blaming the queen's passionate performance felt unfair.

"I'm a natural on stage…." "That’s true, but…."

Min-a was evidently startled by how realistic Seoyeon's death seemed and came up to check. Seoyeon realized she had overdone it.

The first major blunder in Seoyeon's acting career.

"You scared me." "It looked so real, I thought something had happened."

Thankfully, the audience's reaction was positive. The background music and the absence of lines made it seem like the queen's silence was part of her performance.

"Phew!"

Realizing this, Teacher Min-a dragged Seoyeon and the paper board off the stage.

The queen, after a brief moment of shock, continued with her performance.

"You scared me."

The play proceeded without further issues. The queen exiled Snow White, and the dwarves played their parts well.

‘There's a noticeable difference between kids who have acted before and those who haven't.’

Ji-yeon, who had only done commercials, stood out among the other children. Usually a tomboy, she now perfectly portrayed Snow White, delivering her lines confidently. Watching her made it understandable why Ji-yeon later left the industry quietly. The scars left by her agency must have been significant.

"Teacher."

While watching the play, Seoyeon noticed a boy in a soldier costume approaching Teacher Min-a with a worried expression.

‘Did something happen?’

Curious, Seoyeon turned her attention from the stage to the boy.

"The prince's pants… they’re wet…."

A dreadful answer.

Ji-yeon's first stage performance. Having only done commercials, Ji-yeon gave her all even for a school play. Her mother must be watching, albeit not clearly visible.

‘Why can’t everyone act properly?’

She felt frustrated, but it was expected. Not many kids at this age had proper acting lessons.

Still, the performance was better than expected. Despite feeling disappointed, Ji-yeon wanted to show something impressive.

As Snow White bit the poisoned apple and collapsed, she lay in the transparent plastic coffin. Peeking through her closed eyes, she saw the stage.

‘He better not mess up.’

The prince, chosen reluctantly by drawing lots, had no enthusiasm for acting and couldn’t remember his lines, which frustrated Ji-yeon. He only appeared briefly before disappearing until the end.

As the dwarves wept, and solemn music played, footsteps were heard. The audience murmured.

‘What’s happening?’

Ji-yeon tried to see what was going on but couldn't. What had the prince done to cause this?

As the footsteps grew louder,

"Why are you crying so sadly?"

The prince spoke to the weeping dwarves. It was a clear boyish voice.

‘Huh?’

Ji-yeon almost opened her eyes wide. A familiar voice, lower than the mirror's, a boy’s voice.

Ji-yeon knew only one person who could produce such a voice: Joo Seoyeon, who always boasted about her vocal practice.

"Honey, isn’t that Seoyeon?" "Yes, but she was supposed to play the mirror, wasn’t she?"

Young-bin squinted at the stage. What had happened backstage?

‘This is my first time seeing her act live.’

Having only seen her act in a commercial, this was his first time witnessing a ‘play.’ His impression was:

Impressive.

Even if parents naturally wanted their child to be the best, the child actor drawing all the attention was intriguing.

The drama teaser released yesterday had already garnered interest, and now it seemed to draw more eyes.

"Snow White?"

He couldn't look away. Simply captivated.

"For such an innocent and beautiful princess to suffer such misfortune."

Hearing the dwarves’ explanation, the prince’s face contorted in sorrow. With long black hair tied back, wearing black pants and a plain top, the prince’s attire didn’t suit royalty.

Only the crown on his head indicated he was a prince. Yet, his every movement displayed nobility. Despite the prince being a girl, her walk and demeanor were convincingly masculine.

The prince then lifted Snow White in his arms.

"What are you doing, Seoyeon?"

Ji-yeon whispered. Glancing sideways, she saw Seoyeon in the prince’s guise with neatly combed black hair.

"It’s hard to get the right pose if I just bow my head."

Min-a's play included a grand kiss scene. Of course, it wasn't a real kiss, just a gesture. The small size of the glass coffin made it difficult to get a good posture.

"You really…." "What?"

Seoyeon, smiling like a true prince, replied. Of course, she was the prince now.

"You wanted a proper performance, didn’t you?"

Before Ji-yeon could protest, the prince turned with Snow White in his arms.

"Especially."

Positioned so their heads were hidden from view, the prince’s head tilted.

"We must finish grandly."

Though they didn’t actually kiss, it might have looked that way to the audience. That was the intention.

Amid the audience's exclamations, Seoyeon looked into Ji-yeon’s wide eyes.

"It’s your first acting debut, isn’t it?"

Well, this was quite a grand finale.

Ji-yeon's first grand debut ended successfully. All the children were satisfied. Teacher Min-a shed tears of joy, having secured her vacation.

Except for the prince, who had an accident due to nerves. This led to Seoyeon being urgently cast in his place. All her lines were improvised.

‘But I did reappear as a tree.’

Snow White was revived by the prince’s kiss. After a final showdown with the queen, the play ended happily.

Despite being swamped by people afterward, it was a good memory.

"But, mom." "Yes?"

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Seoyeon sighed deeply.

"Do I really have to participate?"

"You're the main focus of the premiere with Jung-woo, aren’t you?"

The upcoming premiere. Having found the previous event burdensome, Seoyeon had hoped to avoid it. But, as in life, you can’t always do what you want.

‘If I want to continue acting, it’s best not to upset the PD.’

The drama director had taken note. It wouldn’t look good to back out now. Plus,

‘Mom is looking forward to it.’

Seeing her mother’s smiling face, Seoyeon thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. This would be the last event for a while.