The Moon That Hid the Sun.

Ten years ago, this drama surpassed 40% viewership ratings, leaving a significant impact on its audience. That year, all the awards went to the actors involved in the show.

But that was ten years ago.

Now, it's a drama remembered only by those chasing the nostalgia of the past.

However...

"......"

Kang Se-hyun, who played the role of "Alex" in the play Under Snitch, couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"Wow, look at this. This is insane." "Joo Seoyeon? Did she just mention Eyes Closed?" "Is this for real?"

All the actors and staff were talking, but Kang Se-hyun couldn't hear them. He was too absorbed in the variety show playing on his phone.

"Seoil, you've grown so much." "That's what I wanted to say to you."

A young man who had grown up significantly. And a girl who had matured into a beautiful woman.

The faded nostalgia of the past was now blooming vividly before his eyes. It was hard to believe that the backdrop was a set made of paper.

"Shall we take a walk, Seoil? It's been a while." "Let's, Your Highness." "Actually, you can call me Hye-wol now." "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" "Seoil, it would hurt my feelings if you said that. We're close, aren’t we?"

Lee Hye-wol's smile was so beautiful that it made one involuntarily sigh.

The sight of the high school students in their uniforms, visible in the background, didn’t distract from the scene at all. Everyone watching the show must have felt the same.

Park Jung-woo.

He was known as a genius actor who had inherited his father’s talent from a young age. His acting skills were so well-regarded that the number of times he made a mistake on set could be counted on one hand.

An aura.

He was born with a sparkle destined for stardom, so it was no surprise that he was captivating. But...

Joo Seoyeon.

Kang Se-hyun's attention was entirely focused on Joo Seoyeon. The child actress who had made a dramatic comeback after ten years. Her story struck a chord with everyone, and her acting? It wasn’t overshadowed by Park Jung-woo at all. In fact, in this setting, she shone even brighter.

It was like watching a play, not a drama.

Seoyeon's movements were more theatrical than cinematic, making them feel natural. If it weren’t for someone as talented as Park Jung-woo, no one could have kept up with her performance.

Is she really this good?

She had spontaneously turned the drama scene into a theatrical performance right there in the auditorium. Looking at the Past, Reliving Memories had flopped because it was too focused on “drama acting.”

Reenacting famous scenes from a drama in a school setting lacked flavor. The actors’ skills and the shooting methods were entirely different from those on a drama set.

But Joo Seoyeon knew that, so she transformed it into a play.

And the students around her...

The drama club at Yeonhwa High School was fairly talented, enough to earn some recognition.

But since this was a drama reenactment, their skills didn’t stand out. However, when Seoyeon naturally led the play, the students' movements also changed naturally.

One actor led the entire play.

Even with Park Jung-woo's support, the realism was almost overwhelming.

"This is crazy."

Everyone agreed with the actor who said this while watching the show. Even the students in the auditorium, who had been bored at first, were now completely immersed in the performance.

They were spellbound until the reenactment of Episode 8 concluded.

"Se-hyun." "...Yeah."

A fellow actor next to him spoke.

"This... doesn't it feel like we're in trouble?" "..."

The tickets were limited, so the play wouldn’t flop. That was certain. But...

The ghost of the past...

It was clear that all the attention that Under Snitch was supposed to receive had been stolen by Eyes Closed. For Kang Se-hyun, who had been poised to soar with this as his stepping stone, it was a nightmare.

A strange sense of unease gripped his throat.

"Seohui?"

Jo Seohui’s manager, Shin Yu-kyung, looked at her with a tense expression as she glared at her smartphone. If looks could kill, her phone would have been reduced to ashes by now.

"Ha."

Jo Seohui, who usually sat in the van with a languid expression, was now more lively than ever. And that was only natural.

The variety show was playing on her smartphone. Normally, she wouldn’t have watched it in real time.

She wasn’t interested.

But after hearing the rumors, she checked out the content herself.

"So, you’ve returned."

Park Jung-woo didn’t matter. He was just a man she had crossed paths with several times.

In the past, she would have been overwhelmed by him, but not anymore. The title "princess of the daily drama" no longer applied to her.

Now, she stood proudly as the actress Jo Seohui, and her position was as solid as Park Jung-woo’s. While she still harbored a desire to surpass him someday...

"Joo Seoyeon."

The girl who had once defeated him.

That girl had made a dazzling return, like the lead character in a drama.

Not only did she make her first appearance in ten years, but she also reenacted the controversial Episode 8 with Park Jung-woo.

She drew all the attention and became the center of the conversation.

She’s become so much better.

Technically, in terms of acting.

In the past, Joo Seoyeon was Princess Yeonhwa herself. But that was because she had a natural talent for acting.

Outside of that, her acting skills were clearly at a beginner’s level.

But now?

"You managed to get tickets for the play, right?"

"Huh? Y-yes! Of course!"

Her agency’s staff had all scrambled to get tickets. The buzz around this play, Eyes Closed, was simply unreal.

Not that she underestimated theater, but it was rare for a play to be talked about this much. Some people were even planning to make Eyes Closed their introduction to theater.

Because of this, there were even rumors that existing theater fans were struggling to get tickets, leading to discussions about moving the play to a larger venue.

The influence of one actor.

The theater world was in a frenzy, trying to capitalize on this moment to expand the scene, if only a little.

"How many scripts have I received recently?"

"Well... quite a lot."

"I should go through them."

Jo Seohui was determined to see Seoyeon's performance in Eyes Closed.

The acting she saw in the variety show was likely just the beginning.

Jo Seohui smiled sharply.

If Seoyeon had reappeared as her old self, she would have been disappointed. But no—she was impressive, captivating.

As Jo Seohui watched Seoyeon’s performance repeatedly and reviewed the footage, she slowly turned off her phone.

"I guess I won’t be taking a break from filming."

Of course, she would at least see Eyes Closed first.

Jo Seohui looked out at the tall buildings reflected in the van's window.

There were advertisements with her face on them, as well as other various ads.

If that girl keeps it up, she’ll soon have her face plastered on these billboards too.

The thought of it made Jo Seohui feel a surge of excitement.

Their reunion.

Her reunion with Joo Seoyeon.

"We’ve decided to change the venue!"

"What? Really? Is that even possible?"

"It’s been decided by the higher-ups. The impact of this is beyond ordinary."

The number of people planning to attend a play for the first time with Eyes Closed was enormous. Just a week ago, when ticket sales opened, they sold out in just a few minutes. Although it was officially announced that the tickets sold out in 30 minutes, in reality, it was much faster.

It’s rare for theater tickets to sell out this quickly. The primary audience was usually women.

But now, things were different.

The gender ratio was nearly equal, and the age range was diverse.

While most of the audience was drawn by the buzz around Seoyeon, even if only a fraction of them were retained, it would be a huge win.

Making them enjoy the play would be enough.

"They're going to open the second round of ticket sales soon. The venue will be the Jongno Grand Theater, which was supposed to host Under Snitch."

"What?"

Sim Cheong-seok thought he misheard when Jo Do-yul mentioned it.

"The Under Snitch venue?"

"Yeah, you know? Oh, of course, it’s not that they’re giving up a smaller theater. It’s just that, given the timing and location, they decided the theater booked for Under Snitch would be the best choice."

"Can they really do that?"

Jo Do-yul shrugged at Sim Cheong-seok's question. It was an unprecedented situation.

An extremely unusual case.

It was likely because Under Snitch was set to open a few weeks after Eyes Closed.

"Wow, is this what it means to be a real star? I can’t even joke about this anymore."

"But where’s Seoyeon? I heard she was here today."

At Jo Do-yul’s question, Sim Cheong-seok glanced around.

"I’m not sure, but I heard a familiar guest came to see her."

"A familiar guest?"

Given the circumstances, they had to pay close attention to Seoyeon’s safety. The theater was already swarming with reporters.

"Well, she’ll be fine. She’s stronger than me, you know."

"What? That’s ridiculous..."

"I’m serious. Seriously."

Sim Cheong-seok recalled the arm-wrestling match he had with Seoyeon as a joke not long ago. His arm still ached when he thought about it, as if he had wrestled with a gorilla.

"Anyway."

Sim Cheong-seok thought about it.

The power of an actor to draw an audience.

He expected to see it this time, but...

"She always exceeds expectations."

Even Sim Cheong-seok hadn’t anticipated this level of impact.

"Why did you suddenly decide to make a comeback?"

The woman with short hair, neatly dressed in a suit, looked across at the girl she was interviewing. The girl had long black hair and reddish-brown eyes.

Joo Seoyeon, who had recently become a major topic of conversation, was sitting in a chair, conducting an interview with the woman.

Seoyeon had declined all interviews until now, making this a particularly special occasion.

"I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I just hadn’t found the right role."

"A role for your comeback?"

"Yes."

"So, was this variety show something you had planned?"

Seoyeon shook her head at the woman’s question.

"That was a friend’s idea. Originally, Princess Yeonhwa was meant to be played by my friend."

"So, your friend gave up her role for you."

"Yes."

"It must have been a difficult decision. You seem to have a really good friend. That actress is...?"

"Lee Ji-yeon. She’s been appearing on cable TV recently..."

Internet journalists usually tend to write their articles in whatever way they see fit. But Seoyeon trusted the woman in front of her.

She had her reasons.

"I imagine many fans have been eagerly awaiting your return. Could you say a few words to them?"

The woman smiled as she asked. Seoyeon smiled back.

"Sure."

As Seoyeon answered, she unfolded a white cloth she had in her hand. It was something the woman had just handed her.

It was an old, white piece of clothing, worn but carefully preserved.

"...Thank you."

The name "Joo Seoyeon," written in clumsy handwriting, was still on the cloth. It felt familiar. It was Seoyeon's first autograph.

She never thought she’d see it again.

"Thank you for waiting."

Her first fan.

At those words, the woman with short hair dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Han Seon-ah.

Now a grown woman, she had become a journalist and was sitting across from Seoyeon.

"I’ll write a great article."

"Yes. I trust you."

At the word "trust," Seon-ah nodded. Of course, she carefully kept the clothes she had given Seoyeon.

This outfit was her treasure, something that had supported her during tough times.

"Oh."

At that moment, Seoyeon seemed to remember something and asked.

"Could you tell me the title of the article?"

"Of course."

Seon-ah shared the article title she had in mind with Seoyeon. It was a title she had been thinking of for a long time, ever since she had been waiting for Seoyeon’s comeback.

"Rising Star."

The word that refers to the current and future stars.

A tribute to the star Seon-ah had been waiting for all these years.

<Rising Star: Joo Seoyeon Returns>

Two weeks later, this article by Seon-ah topped the entertainment news section.

It received the most comments and sparked the most discussion.

And then, two weeks later...

"Alright, everyone, line up, line up!" "No scalping! You must show your ID!"

The curtain rose on the play Eyes Closed, attracting immense attention from many people.