NoveLight ™
Three hours before the reenactment of Episode 8 of The Moon That Hid the Sun was to begin.
Park Jung-woo had just arrived, and the staff were busy with the shoot.
"Joo Seoyeon."
Lee Ji-yeon handed Seoyeon a hanbok, the traditional Korean dress.
It was the "Princess Yeonhwa" hanbok that the staff had given to her earlier that morning.
"Put it on."
Seoyeon looked at the hanbok with a slightly troubled expression. The reasons were complicated.
There were memories from middle school, when she had been known as Princess Yeonhwa, and the close calls that had come with it.
Then there was the fact that this role was given to Lee Ji-yeon, not her. And there was the worry that something might go wrong during the performance.
All these reasons made Seoyeon hesitate.
"Lee Ji-yeon, I..."
"I know what you're thinking."
Ji-yeon interrupted. They had known each other for ten years now. In the past, it had been hard to read Seoyeon's expressionless face, but not anymore.
Though there were still times when she couldn't tell what Seoyeon was thinking, in situations like this, it was clear.
"You have your reasons. But above all, this is an amazing opportunity for me."
It was a chance to shoot with Park Jung-woo, a top-tier young actor. If you were a fellow actor of the same age, you'd be burning with determination to seize such an opportunity.
Low viewership?
Park Jung-woo’s presence would more than make up for that. Even if the show didn’t become a hit, the online articles alone would boost her recognition significantly.
She knew everything.
"I know you want to do something with the play."
Seoyeon surely had a plan. But Ji-yeon didn’t like the idea of Seoyeon’s first comeback performance being just a regular play.
A comeback performance. The first stage after her return. It felt like throwing away a once-in-a-lifetime premium opportunity.
"You said you wanted to become a top actor."
Ji-yeon thought that if Seoyeon didn’t like an ordinary stage, she could make it special. This variety show was a great opportunity for that.
"This is a chance. You know that, right?"
From the moment she was given the role of Princess Yeonhwa, Ji-yeon had imagined this scenario many times.
Princess Yeonhwa was Seoyeon’s role. From long ago, from the moment Ji-yeon had seen her on TV.
From the moment she witnessed that starlight, her heart hadn’t wavered.
"......"
Seoyeon quietly looked at Ji-yeon. Calmly, and silently.
After a moment passed, Seoyeon slowly nodded.
"Alright."
She made up her mind. Ji-yeon was right. Seoyeon’s participation in "Eyes Closed" was a stepping stone for her next move.
But there was nothing wrong with making that stepping stone more special. To hesitate now would be an insult to Ji-yeon, who was speaking while giving up her own opportunity.
"I’ll do it."
With Seoyeon’s resolute answer, the transformation began. Ji-yeon had brought a makeup artist and manager to assist.
Everything proceeded quickly. It was all prepared in advance by Ji-yeon.
The makeup artist. The manager who would help with the costume change.
With their help, Seoyeon began to get into character. To become Princess Yeonhwa Lee Hye-wol once again, after ten years.
"Please lift your arms."
She put on the multi-layered rainbow skirt and wore the jeogori, the short jacket.
"Seoyeon, lift your head, please."
They tied her long black hair. Looking in the mirror, the artist carefully applied makeup, decorating her face.
The reflection in the mirror was Princess Yeonhwa.
A grown-up version of the young Lee Hye-wol appeared in the mirror.
"Ji-yeon? What’s going on here…?"
Just then, the director Ji-yeon had called, PD Jeong Min-jae, arrived. The moment he saw her, he froze with a sour look on his face.
'Ji-yeon?'
He rubbed his eyes. He had looked at Ji-yeon’s photo several times before the shoot.
But the woman in front of him now… who was she?
Long black hair, slightly upturned eyes. A graceful figure with a calm demeanor.
She was the living embodiment of Princess Yeonhwa.
She looked exactly like what he imagined the grown-up version of the young Lee Hye-wol from ten years ago would look like.
"Huh?"
PD Jeong Min-jae quickly pulled out his phone and searched for the child actress who played Princess Yeonhwa ten years ago.
Joo Seoyeon.
Yes, that was definitely the name. And when the photo appeared…
"Wha… Wait a second. Ji-yeon? No, you're not Ji-yeon, are you?"
In his confusion, he didn’t even notice that Ji-yeon was standing right next to Princess Yeonhwa.
He knew someone else was there, but his eyes were fixed on Seoyeon’s face.
"Yes, PD."
Seoyeon smiled calmly.
"I’m Joo Seoyeon."
Thud.
At the sound of that name, PD Jeong Min-jae dropped his smartphone to the floor.
For a moment, the people in the auditorium didn’t understand what was happening. At first, they thought it was just part of the performance. Even Song Yong-ho, a high school streamer filming with his phone, thought so.
At first, it felt like a regular play. Yeah, it felt more like a play than a drama. But there was nothing particularly interesting about it.
Especially since the story started with the students, which made it even more boring.
The chat was filled with comments echoing Song Yong-ho's thoughts. Of course, this might also be because it was a live, unedited broadcast.
Then, the atmosphere changed after Park Jung-woo appeared. The moment he showed up in his hanbok, the auditorium was filled with screams.
As Park Jung-woo appeared, the chat quickly started to fill up, and the viewer count, which had been around 200, climbed to 500.
With a satisfied smile, Song Yong-ho turned his attention to the variety show they were filming.
'Actors really are different.'
That’s what he thought. The moment he appeared, the distinction between a 'student' and an 'actor' became clear.
Park Jung-woo’s acting was worth watching.
But that was all. After all, the point of a variety show wasn’t to watch an actor perform a solo act.
Just as the audience was starting to lose interest, a crowd of students burst onto the scene.
They were probably trying to portray a market, with each of them adding their own sales pitch.
In the midst of them all, Park Jung-woo walked quietly.
'It’s almost over.'
By now, about two-thirds of the shoot was done. As Song Yong-ho watched the viewer count gradually decrease, he felt a twinge of frustration.
"Huh?"
"What’s going on?"
Park Jung-woo suddenly picked up his pace. Was it acting? If so, it was very convincing.
Park Jung-woo walked as if he was being drawn to someone. And at the end of his gaze stood a woman cloaked in a long robe.
Princess Yeonhwa.
Everyone thought so.
But...
"Seoil."
When a clear voice echoed through the speakers, Song Yong-ho felt goosebumps.
Slowly, the woman removed the robe that covered her head and smiled softly.
Song Yong-ho couldn’t even bring himself to look at the chat full of hooks.
“Holy...”
He was so absorbed in the scene that he couldn’t even focus on the chat.
‘Isn’t she that girl from Class 4, Joo Seoyeon?’ ‘Was she in the drama club?’ ‘No, more importantly…’
The Moon That Hid the Sun was a very old drama for the students. It aired ten years ago when they were just seven years old.
No matter how famous a drama was, and no matter how much buzz the child actress generated, remembering her name was difficult.
“Was Seoyeon really that Joo Seoyeon?” “I mean, I thought she looked similar, but…” “Wait, we’re not sure yet.”
The teachers, however, remembered her clearly.
Even after ten years. But they never imagined that the pretty student could be the actress Joo Seoyeon.
'There was no mention of that in her records, was there?'
Seoyeon had stopped acting before entering elementary school. Naturally, nothing about it was written in her school records.
But what answered their questions was Park Jung-woo’s reaction.
His stunned expression proved that the girl in front of him was indeed the child actress Joo Seoyeon.
"......"
Park Jung-woo was frozen in place, his eyes wide. He slowly approached Seoyeon, as if he had forgotten how to breathe. His lips moved wordlessly, yet his reaction was genuine.
In Park Jung-woo’s memory, she was a small child.
But the girl standing before him was a beautifully grown woman.
Her playful red eyes and softly curved lips. That expression was warmer and more dazzling than in the past.
"Seoil?"
He couldn’t even act.
"You, you!!"
When he grabbed Seoyeon’s arm in panic, confusion flickered in her eyes.
"The line is wrong."
"Is this really the time to talk about that? You’re really Joo Seoyeon, right? Are you...?"
Why are you here? No, where is Lee Ji-yeon, and why is the real Princess Yeonhwa here?
Without realizing it, Park Jung-woo grabbed both of Seoyeon’s arms and was about to blurt it out.
"...Oh."
Only then did he realize that the auditorium had fallen silent. How did he look just now?
Park Jung-woo squeezed his eyes shut.
She was a bit surprised.
She never expected Park Jung-woo to suddenly grab her arms and shake her like that.
Was there such a scene?
She thought for a moment, but of course, there wasn’t.
"Let's take a short break!"
The filming paused briefly, and the camera captured Seoyeon and Park Jung-woo. It seemed they intended to keep this on film.
Seoyeon thought so as she spoke.
"I made an NG."
"You... seriously."
Park Jung-woo held his head in his hands. His head throbbed. It felt like all the exhaustion he had felt just moments ago had vanished.
"...Why are you here?"
"Of course, because this is the high school I attend."
"This... this can’t be real."
His heart was still pounding. He glanced at Seoyeon for a moment and then turned his head away. It was difficult to look at her properly.
It was awkward. In so many ways, it felt strange.
"...Are you making a comeback?"
Park Jung-woo’s quiet words were captured by the camera. Naturally, everyone in the auditorium—students filming, teachers watching—focused their attention on the two.
Seoyeon felt it.
Now was the time.
"Yes."
"Do you have a project lined up? If not, I could..."
"I already have one. A play."
"A play?"
That was an unexpected answer for Park Jung-woo. Why would Seoyeon choose a play as her comeback?
"What’s it called?"
"Well…"
Seoyeon’s lips moved. And those words echoed clearly in everyone’s ears. The title of the comeback project for Joo Seoyeon, who had made waves as Princess Yeonhwa ten years ago.
"But what’s important right now is this performance, isn’t it?"
All eyes in the auditorium were on her. Seoyeon glanced at them, then turned her gaze back to Jung-woo.
And then...
The atmosphere shifted.
The relatively calm aura around Seoyeon changed to the playful yet graceful demeanor of Lee Hye-wol.
Everyone watched, completely engrossed, forgetting that this was just a variety show.
"Seoil."
Princess Yeonhwa, Lee Hye-wol.
The scene of her reunion with the grown-up Yoon Seoil.
The iconic scene that fans of The Moon That Hid the Sun had been longing for.
"Have you been waiting long?"
At her words, Jung-woo chuckled.
"Yes, Your Highness."
And so, the reenactment of Episode 8, which began after ten years, brought about tremendous repercussions.
<The Child Star Returns After 10 Years: Joo Seoyeon’s Comeback> <A Dramatic Twist on ‘Looking at the Past, Reliving Memories’! Viewership Soars!> <What Is ‘Eyes Closed,’ the Play Chosen by the Child Star?> <‘Eyes Closed’ Sells Out in 30 Minutes: An Unprecedented Result>
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