The Sun Hidden by the Moon Episode 4

The following episode of "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" was able to maintain its ratings thanks to the stellar performances of seasoned actors Kang Seong-chan and Haye-seo.

However, "Action King," which had dropped to a 13% rating in Episode 3, made a comeback with 18%. This meant that "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" could not afford to relax.

'In my past life...'

Seoyeon wasn’t particularly worried. "Action King" was destined to self-destruct around Episode 8 anyway.

The idol actor, whose name might have been Sebin, would face a school bullying scandal, leading to the show ending with a dismal 5% rating.

Naturally, "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" would absorb all those viewers, culminating in an astonishing 42% rating for the final episode.

• "Episode 4 of 'The Sun Hidden by the Moon' Begins Amid High Expectations, But Falls Short?"
• "Did the Stellar Performances of Child Actors Backfire? Ratings Drop from 31% to 26%"

Despite such articles, Seoyeon didn’t care much. She was simply proud of the positive reviews her acting received.

It made all her hard work worthwhile.

'Understanding True Acting.'

Previously, she hadn't felt such a sense of accomplishment. Not when filming commercials, and not even when she first started filming "The Sun Hidden by the Moon."

But now, things were different. She felt good.

"Aigoo, Seoyeon, it must have been tough coming here, right?"

Currently, she had arrived at the KMB studio. For the "Entertainment Relay" segment, "Star of the Moment."

This was her first and last variety show appearance.

"Hello."

She bowed, and the PD of "Entertainment Relay," Shin Jae-woon, smiled broadly.

He looked at her like she was a treasure chest.

"I watched 'The Sun Hidden by the Moon.' Seoyeon, are you really seven? Your skills are unbelievable." "Thank you for the compliment." "Oh, and this here is..."

Shin Jae-woon’s gaze turned to her mother, Soo-ah. His face showed surprise upon seeing her.

"Oh. Well."

He quickly composed himself, his eyes never leaving Soo-ah’s face.

'Impressive.'

Seoyeon was inwardly impressed. Most people’s eyes would briefly flicker downwards when they first saw her mother. But Shin Jae-woon’s eyes stayed fixed straight ahead, even if he was momentarily surprised.

"Your mother is very beautiful. She could be an actress herself." "Oh, th-thank you. But that’s not for me..." "Still, now we know who Seoyeon got her cuteness from."

Soo-ah laughed awkwardly at Shin Jae-woon’s compliment. It was clear both of them felt a bit awkward, but for different reasons.

"Ah, right! We’ll start filming at 2 PM, so please take a break until then. We’ll call you when we’re ready."

Shin Jae-woon’s words were met with a nod from Seoyeon. Since the show was mainly interview-based, she didn’t have much to prepare.

"Seoyeon, I’ll be waiting outside... Are you going to say it?" "Yes."

Seoyeon nodded. Everyone would find out soon anyway.

It would be more impactful to announce it on a show like this.

'Besides, variety shows have reruns.'

With reruns, it would be remembered longer than just an online article. And it was a good choice for her first variety show because it wasn’t too difficult.

'I should watch closely how they do the interview.'

There was another reason Seoyeon accepted the variety show. She wanted to learn interview skills.

Streamers and VTubers often participate in broadcasts. Learning natural questioning techniques, handling gazes, and interview skills would be useful.

A show that mostly involved eating and interviewing. It would surely be educational.

Seoyeon was already looking forward to the interview for various reasons.

"You can look forward to this interview."

Ha Tae-oh, the grateful drama PD who recommended Seoyeon, told Shin Jae-woon.

'The hottest child actor right now.'

What kind of drama was "The Sun Hidden by the Moon"? Especially the performances of the two child actors in Episode 3, which continued to be a hot topic.

Since they hadn’t appeared on any other shows, viewers’ curiosity was at its peak.

'If we introduce them first on our "Entertainment Relay"!'

Just thinking about it made his heart race. For the record, Shin Jae-woon had recently taken over "Entertainment Relay."

The previous PD had moved on to other projects after the "Sun Hidden by the Moon" auditions due to increased work.

"Please take good care of the interview." "Of course. This is my livelihood, so I’ll make sure to do it well."

The "Star of the Moment" interview segment of "Entertainment Relay" was conducted by MC Song Young-jin. Song Young-jin, originally an announcer for KMB, had become a successful freelancer.

'Joo Seoyeon.'

Song Young-jin was familiar with the name. Not just because she was an interview subject, but because his wife was an avid watcher of "The Sun Hidden by the Moon."

When he watched Seoyeon’s performance in Episode 3, Song Young-jin was inwardly shocked. A child around his son’s age could deliver such a performance?

It was a sight that anyone would agree was the work of a genius. Even Park Jung-woo, known as a prodigy, was overshadowed by Seoyeon in that moment.

A child actor with that level of presence. He couldn’t wait to see how many more dramas and commercials she would star in.

And if the beginning of that journey was on "Entertainment Relay," Song Young-jin couldn’t ask for more.

"So, our 'Star of the Moment' on 'Entertainment Relay' today is..."

As the recording began, Song Young-jin, already seated, shouted loudly.

"The Princess Yeonhwa from 'The Sun Hidden by the Moon,' Joo Seoyeon!"

With his words, Seoyeon bowed and walked out. She was probably the youngest guest to appear on "Star of the Moment."

Naturally, there were concerns. Seoyeon was only seven; could she handle an interview properly?

Interviews were different from acting, after all.

'I should have brought her mother along.'

Song Young-jin thought. But then, the child actor who had given such a remarkable performance.

Moreover, sitting across from him now, Seoyeon somehow didn’t seem like a child. Perhaps it was her calm eyes. Or maybe her expressionless face that showed no signs of nervousness.

"You played Princess Yeonhwa wonderfully in 'The Sun Hidden by the Moon.' Did you expect to get the role?" "No."

Seoyeon shook her head at Song Young-jin’s question.

"I came to gain experience. There were many strong candidates, so I thought it was beyond my reach."

A natural response. Song Young-jin was momentarily speechless.

'She didn’t stutter even once.'

Even though it was a recording without an audience, many eyes were watching. The "Entertainment Relay" staff. Including himself, watching her answer so perfectly.

'She’s seven years old... right?'

Comparing her to his son, it was an unbelievable level. Were all child actors like this?

Even Park Jung-woo had been more awkward at seven. And that wasn’t even during an interview.

Throughout the interview, Song Young-jin continued to ask Seoyeon questions and get answers. The more they talked, the more bewildered Song Young-jin became.

It felt like he was interviewing an adult, not a seven-year-old.

"Your performance in Episodes 2 and 3 was remarkable. There’s speculation that it might be method acting. Other actors have mentioned that your strength lies in emotional acting."

This was a rumor circulating. That Seoyeon’s strength was emotional acting. But she lacked experience, so combining actions would reveal her shortcomings immediately.

However, the child actor parts in "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" had long since ended before anyone could notice.

"Well, yes. Precisely because that’s all I can do right now."

All she can do? Method acting isn’t something just anyone can pull off.

It’s not necessarily the best method, and it often backfires. Could a child like Seoyeon handle method acting and remain unscathed?

Frankly, Song Young-jin thought it was impossible. Until now.

"I have many shortcomings, so other actors accommodated me. For the climaxes in Episodes 2 and 3, I even insisted on changing the shooting schedule."

Seoyeon calmly recounted the events. How they had altered the shooting schedule to film the two scenes.

The more he heard, the more astonished Song Young-jin became. When this broadcast airs, viewers will likely share his reaction.

"But isn’t it exhausting to perform such intense emotional acting? Usually, method acting is something veteran actors attempt." "I don’t really know. But once I do it, I don’t have to do it again for a while, so I decided to go for it." "I see..."

As Song Young-jin nodded absently, he suddenly remembered something in Seoyeon’s previous statement.

"But what do you mean by 'not for a while'? Does it relate to emotional acting?"

This wasn’t a scripted question. It was a spontaneous remark, but Song Young-jin didn’t think it was a mistake.

However, it felt strangely significant. Really significant.

"Oh, that."

Seoyeon answered with a truly nonchalant expression.

"I plan to leave the entertainment industry for a while."

She spoke as if it was no big deal. This made Song Young-jin almost casually respond with, "Oh, I see," and move on.

... ...

"Wait, what?"

They say people are too shocked to speak. That was exactly how Song Young-jin felt.

Inviting a popular actor to hear them announce their retirement on the spot was the last thing he expected.

"Did I hear that right? Is Seoyeon really leaving the industry for a while?" "I think I heard the same thing." "So did I..."

The set buzzed with murmurs.

The filming staff. And even PD Shin Jae-woon couldn’t escape his feelings of confusion.

"So that's what... "

Only then did PD Shin Jae-woon understand the meaning behind PD Ha Tae-oh’s enigmatic words. This was why he had said, "You can look forward to the interview."

Indeed, as PD Ha Tae-oh had said, When this airs, it would certainly stir up the audience.

Sure enough. Just as PD Shin Jae-woon expected, the "Star of the Moment" segment with Seoyeon spread like wildfire.

Communities related to the drama were all abuzz.

The most talked-about child actor of a recent drama. A child actor on the brink of an extraordinary career suddenly declared she was leaving the entertainment industry.

**- "The girl who played Princess Yeonhwa, is she really retiring?"

• "Not retiring, just taking a break from broadcasting, it seems?"
• "How is that different from retiring? Does anyone really know?"
• "Why is this happening for real?"**

Since the reason for her departure was unclear, various speculations emerged. That the filming of "The Sun Hidden by the Moon" had been too harsh, or that she made a lot of money and decided to retire.

Most were just rumors, and the stories didn’t last long, but the chatter persisted. So much so that the content of Episode 5, which aired that day, was overshadowed.

Still, Episode 5 saw a ratings recovery from Episode 4, securing the drama's continued success.

And the child prodigy who stirred up South Korea so much.

"Starting today, I’ll be learning acting at Hwayang Acting Academy. My name is Joo Seoyeon."

She entered an acting academy recommended by Lee Ji-yeon.

Hwayang Acting Academy. The applause from Lee Ji-yeon filled the room as the instructors and young students stared at Seoyeon in a daze.

'...What is this?'

They genuinely wanted to ask. Why are you here?