GalaxyTL
The Little Prince and the Rose had been together for so long that neither could remember a time without the other.
The Rose, bound to remain still and fragile, and the Little Prince, slowly growing weary of the tiny asteroid they shared.
The ending to their story was predictably bittersweet, yet promised an unexpected twist.
This was the beginning of The Story of Stars and Moon, an adaptation of The Little Prince. However, the hugging scene wasn’t until the end, which is why they were rehearsing lines related to that part.
I didn’t expect her to be this shocked.
Maybe he should’ve signaled his intent? He quickly unscrewed a water bottle and handed it to Sujin.
"Sorry, did I startle you? This line is all about timing and breathing; I must have rushed it."
He added an apology.
Smack!
He received another playful slap.
Sujin drank some water, her eyes shooting daggers at him.
"Yeah! Who jumps into lines like that? This is live theater—you mess up the timing, and it’s all over!"
She seemed genuinely frustrated, her cheeks turning the color of a rose.
Sujin’s truly serious about acting.
He acknowledged his mistake.
"Just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll cue my lines in sync." "Wait, so when I respond with my line, you’re going to hug me right away?" "Well… hug as in embrace? Or maybe we could just gesture it?" "Th-that’s the same thing! Anyway, fine, so that’s what it is." "I thought you knew that already?" "N-no, I mean, the situation… I didn’t expect this to be how it would go."
Her flustered stammering made it clear how unprepared she was. Perhaps it was his sudden shift into character or maybe the rose he’d tucked behind her ear.
Since he couldn’t do much at the moment, he waited for her to regain her composure.
About thirty seconds later, her face began to return to its natural color.
"Whew… Okay, I’m calm now." "Shall we start again?" "Huh? Start what again?" "The hugging practice—that’s why you’re here, right?" "W-what? Are you saying I came here just to hug you?"
Scratch that. Her face was bright red again.
How can she blush so vividly?
It was almost like watching a character from a cartoon.
Was it like this back then, too?
Without realizing it, he reached out, a habit from their childhood in kindergarten.
Boop.
He gently tapped her cheek.
"W-what are you doing?"
It took him about five seconds to realize how strange this was.
"Huh?" "What?" "What is your hand doing?" "Oh… ah."
Why did I touch her cheek?
He couldn’t explain it, but he felt a strong need to justify himself.
"I was just thinking… maybe we could try hugging while I hold your cheek?"
He played it off as part of the scene.
Smack!
Another hit.
Why is she always hitting me in the same spot?
If not for his abs, he might’ve felt queasy by now.
"Let’s not waste any more time and just practice a few rounds."
Determined to avoid any more of this strange dialogue, he proposed they rehearse the final scene.
"Y-yeah!"
Sujin spread her arms wide, signaling him to hug her.
He blinked at the gesture.
Shouldn’t we start with our lines?
Was she just here to practice the hug itself?
This explains the long lead-up.
In a story for children, the ending had to radiate warmth and love. Imagining how he’d handle the scene on stage, he decided to embrace her carefully, as though he never wanted to let her go.
"Wait! Stop! Stop!"
He immediately loosened his hold.
Did I squeeze too hard?
But as he considered this…
"T-that’s it for today’s practice!"
Covering her face with her hands, Sujin hurried out of the dressing room.
"Hm… what’s going on?"
Maybe she had an urgent matter?
+++++
Kim Sujin, technically 18 due to being an early-born, though in reality, still 17, sprinted toward the van.
I’m done! That was insane!
During their first hug, she’d been crying, so she hadn’t really processed the full impact of Donghu’s embrace. It was comforting yet spellbinding, making her want to stay close to him.
But now…
This is no joke!
Experiencing his embrace while fully conscious had a surprisingly intense effect.
People might wonder why a simple hug was such a big deal. But this was something only those who had experienced it firsthand could understand.
If Donghu ever did a free hug event as a publicity stunt, there’d be chaos.
With her heart pounding, she had no choice but to get away before her feelings were exposed.
As Sujin sprinted away from that single hug with Donghu, time continued to pass quickly.
+++++
With the Seoul Arts Center as their venue, the scale of the production grew more elaborate. The actors delved deeper into rehearsals and script analysis, immersing themselves in their roles, while the top designers worked tirelessly to recreate the essence of the Little Prince.
While Troupe Spark was thriving, one group found its success hard to swallow.
"Why is this guy still hovering around in front of me?"
It was none other than Kyung Minsu, the CEO of CyberQ&A, who had once ousted Seokho Choi.
At first, he’d viewed Choi as a weed that kept resurfacing no matter how many times he tried to cut him down. Yet now, that “weed” was growing so robustly that its presence was impossible to ignore.
With Kim Donghu’s consecutive hits and Veritas’s rising influence as Troupe Spark’s sole investor, entertainment industry news was beginning to gravitate toward Veritas.
It wasn’t as though Kyung Minsu hadn’t tried to find dirt on them.
"Reporter Gil, why are you refusing to write anything negative on Veritas after the contract scandal?"
"As much as people call me a hack, I can’t write negatively about Donghu. I’ve benefited too much from him to ignore my conscience. Let’s forget we had this conversation."
Click.
The call ended before he could make any headway. It was the same story every time.
If Troupe Spark becomes a massive success, this will blow up in our faces.
Should Choi make a comeback and dig up old matters…
The thought alone is horrifying.
Only the worst scenarios for CyberQ&A came to mind. Determined to stop this, Kyung Minsu summoned Seo Jinwoo to his office.
"Yes, sir." "Jinwoo, do you really have to join Troupe Spark?" "Pardon?" "I mean…"
Kyung Minsu listed all the supposed downsides of participating in Troupe Spark. Jinwoo listened quietly, then responded with a single statement.
"I was under the impression our contract included non-interference with my activities. This feels different."
"I-it’s not interference. I’m just…" "Sir, I’m being polite here."
A star of Jinwoo’s caliber didn’t need his agency; it was the agency that needed him.
With about six months left on his contract, this was the time to start discussing a renewal.
And he’d approached Jinwoo on the day he landed his dream role as a pilot?
I was never fond of this agency, but this crosses a line.
Jinwoo had tolerated the CEO’s underhandedness due to his contract.
But to meddle in a confirmed role and make demands about a production he was committed to?
Even as a rookie, I never dealt with this kind of interference.
Annoyed, Jinwoo let out a slight chuckle.
"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this. And please don’t contact me until our contract is up."
With that, Jinwoo left without looking back.
"W-wait, Jinwoo! Jinwoo!"
All the CEO could do was call out in vain, unwilling to move, afraid of what else might be said.
Damn it, damn it!
CyberQ&A was slowly crumbling from within.
+++++
Time flies by faster when you’re absorbed in something, and for Troupe Spark, this was especially true.
Everyone was pushing toward a common goal, and every blink of the eye felt like another week had passed.
After a few more blinks…
The first thing Bong Jinwoo saw was:
"Troupe Spark to Debut Their First Performance Next Week!"
"...Wow, time really flies."
The date for Troupe Spark’s first performance had arrived.
To inspire dreams and hope for the children.
The spark was about to ignite.
"We Are the Flame: Pre-Performance Interview with Troupe Spark!"
Swift promotional coverage came as a bonus.
Nice