"If I fail again this time, my family will probably kill me..."
Han Sun-ah, a retaker preparing for admission to the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting at S University in Seoul, let out a deep sigh of depression.
Since she had barely missed the cutoff last time, she was confident she would definitely get in next.
However, the result that awaited her was only the label of a second-year retaker.
"Haa."
Depressed, Han Sun-ah turned on the TV in her cramped rented room.
Because of her gloomy mood and throbbing headache, she couldn't focus on studying.
'Hm?'
She usually liked entertainment gossip, so she was also an avid viewer of variety shows and entertainment broadcasts that frequently covered such topics.
The broadcast, which would normally have introduced recently rising popular actors or idols, was for some reason airing the making film of a drama.
"Haa, they even show making films on public broadcast these days?"
By the looks of it, it seemed to be a variety show with quite some budget invested.
The Moon That Hides the Sun.
Judging by the description, it was a fictional historical drama based on a fairly popular novel.
"Instead of this kind of thing, I wish they'd tell us about our Hoseok oppa's recent status."
She resisted the urge to change the channel, deciding to keep watching the broadcast to wait for the next segment.
Introduction to the drama.
And after discussions about the cast, the audition to select the child actors who would play the "childhood leads" began.
Naturally, Han Sun-ah was indifferent.
No matter how well a child actor acted, they were still just a child actor.
Her impression was simply, 'Ah, that girl is the one from the daily drama.'
"Wow, Park Sun-woong's son has already grown up that much?"
Park Jung-woo, the son of Park Sun-woong, who was once renowned as a handsome actor, caught Han Sun-ah's attention.
Gradually engrossed in the broadcast, she was inwardly surprised by the subsequent child actors' performances.
Since they were all young children, she thought they'd be at best slightly better than a school play level, but that wasn't the case at all.
Even though they were young, they were little sprouts who knew how to act properly.
And the performances that followed from Park Jung-woo and Jo Seo-hee were already bloomed flowers.
Beautiful flowers that captured people's attention.
'I didn't know when she was in the daily drama. She was that good.'
It was only natural.
The people appearing in daily dramas were all veteran actors with extensive experience.
In that environment, Jo Seo-hee's acting, which wasn't awkward but rather stood out, was insufficient to be described as simply "outstanding."
'She'll probably take first place.'
Han Sun-ah thought so while looking at Jo Seo-hee.
Judging from the child actors' performances shown so far, anyone would think the same.
As for Park Jung-woo, well, there was no need to even mention it.
Seeing the other boy child actors being intimidated, it was already a foregone conclusion.
That all the roles had been decided.
Han Sun-ah, watching this broadcast, thought so.
'Hm?'
But then.
A girl who had no screen time thus far stepped forward and revealed herself.
It was a cute child.
Dark black hair with faint brown, no, a reddish glint flickering in her eyes gave off a mysterious aura.
There was a tranquility present that couldn't be felt from such a young child.
The caption introducing the child stated she had half a year of acting experience, and her entire resume consisted of CF appearances.
However, Han Sun-ah immediately recognized who this child was.
"Ah, the soy milk commercial!"
The child from the recently popular soy milk commercial.
The appearance she showed in the commercial was certainly very impressive.
'But can she act well?'
Half a year of acting experience, and two CF shoots.
No matter how you looked at it, she was lacking compared to children who had properly learned acting or had acting experience.
Could she overcome this with her peculiar eye color and striking appearance? Such a question arose.
However, that thought changed completely once the acting began.
Princess Yeonhwa.
It was Princess Yeonhwa, who haughtily revealed herself at the audition venue.
A sorrowful girl standing with her back to the sunset.
Han Sun-ah blankly watched the soy milk girl's performance.
When she came to her senses, Part 1 had already ended.
"No! How can they end it like this!"
Han Sun-ah was outraged.
This was the producers' scheme, a despicable trick to raise viewership ratings.
Who ended up as Princess Yeonhwa anyway.
Was it Jo Seo-hee, or Joo Seo-yeon?
Han Sun-ah sat at her desk feeling fired up.
Somewhere along the way, her headache had stopped.
Her mind also felt somehow refreshed.
For the first time in a really long while.
"So, who do you think it'll be between Jo Seo-hee and that soy milk girl?"
One week later.
She had such a conversation with a friend who attended the same retaker academy.
Since she was applying to the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting, many of Sun-ah's friends were interested in the entertainment industry.
Therefore, talk about this audition for The Moon Embracing the Sun was bound to come up.
"It's tough, but I'm leaning a bit toward the soy milk girl?"
"But the judges said Jo Seo-hee was ahead in stability."
"Hey, you know it too. Acting is about brilliance, brilliance!"
Around the time such conversations had gone back and forth several times, the second making broadcast began.
The acting in Part 2 was even more fierce than Part 1.
Naturally, since it would be a spoiler, not all scenes were shown, but the various performances shown scene by scene made it difficult to determine superiority right away.
Jo Seo-hee's acting was stable. Despite being young, it felt professional.
Genius child actor, that modifier was definitely fitting for the girl.
In contrast, the subsequent soy milk girl. No, Joo Seo-yeon's acting was rough.
Seeing her act a few times, she could definitely understand what it meant to be technically inferior.
However, there was presence. There was intensity.
There was something that appealed to the emotions, something that made it impossible to take your eyes off.
Somewhere along the way, Han Sun-ah found herself cheering for Seo-yeon without realizing it.
A fan.
Yes, perhaps it was because she had become a fan.
Because Han Sun-ah felt affection for Seo-yeon's rough acting over Jo Seo-hee's polished acting.
Like that, the second broadcast ended completely.
Just when she thought they might postpone the announcement to a third broadcast.
The screen changed.
「The child actor who will play the young Yi Hye-wol in The Moon That Hides the Sun is...」
The location was a conference room.
The cinematographer, producer, and various staff members seated at the table exchanged votes.
And, the result.
「The role of Princess Yeonhwa, Yi Hye-wol, goes to Joo Seo-yeon.」
The result was Joo Seo-yeon's victory by two votes.
A sense of satisfaction, as if completing a long-running variety show, enveloped Han Sun-ah.
"...I definitely have to watch this drama."
Han Sun-ah inadvertently muttered such words.
There were many dramas she had put off recently due to studying.
But this one, she absolutely had to watch the live broadcast.
She made that resolution.
***
After the making film, the attention on Seo-yeon shot up at once.
Until now, she was just a cute-looking girl who shot a soy milk CF.
If that was the extent of Seo-yeon's evaluation, now it was multifaceted and complex.
Some people said:
The genius child actor who beat Jo Seo-hee, the princess of daily dramas!
While not a few people argued:
Jo Seo-hee acted better, this is just pushing a rookie! They picked her based solely on looks!
"Seo-yeon, you know right? Don't look at the internet?"
Soo-ah's eyes and voice trembled slightly.
The veins bulging on her forehead showed just how upset she was.
Moreover, the dark circles under her eyes suggested she had been on the internet all night.
'I think she was fighting intensely last night on Next's Makgora Square.'
It seemed there had been posts about this audition on the internet portal site Next.
Next's Makgora Square, where various petitions and discussions took place.
Having discovered slander against Seo-yeon there, Soo-ah rolled up her sleeves and fought against many people all night long.
Seo-yeon, who briefly came out at night to go to the bathroom, froze for a moment seeing her mother fighting bravely.
That appearance was comparable to Jang Bi of Jangpanpa.
"Hmm, what can you do."
In contrast, her father, Joo Young-bin, was extremely cool about it.
"You know, Seo-yeon? This is something you have to prove with your acting for real. Of course, Dad believes in our Seo-yeon."
"Yes."
"Kuk, these days Dad really feels alive thanks to Seo-yeon."
Joo Young-bin roughly ruffled Seo-yeon's hair, put on his tie, and went to work humming.
Recently, going to the company had been very enjoyable for him.
What do parents like the most, after all?
It's bragging about their children.
Moreover, as soon as he arrived at work, many people asked Young-bin about Seo-yeon.
Depending on the case, some even said they wanted to get her autograph in advance.
Since that person was Team Manager Kim, who had been picking fights with Young-bin over everything, Young-bin felt like he was walking on clouds.
'Dad is really happy.'
Of course, Seo-yeon shook her head watching Young-bin like that.
'So this is why they say audition, audition.'
Certainly, if you wanted to attract attention in the near term, there was nothing better than this.
If VTubers also entered through auditions, wouldn't they get this kind of instant promotion?
'At this level, aiming for corporate tax later might also be...'
Don't they also select VTubers through auditions?
And if she appeared there and did something like this time, it wouldn't be impossible to become a monster rookie in one go!
Perhaps taking Seo-yeon's resolution in her own way, Soo-ah said in a strong tone.
"Seo-yeon, still, you shouldn't take on too much pressure, okay? And, I've booked a hospital appointment next time, so you absolutely have to go?"
"Ah, yes."
Seo-yeon suddenly recalled that Soo-ah had previously booked a psychiatry appointment for Seo-yeon's stress management.
She thought it was probably someone's suggestion...
'Hmm.'
Seo-yeon crossed her arms and let out a sigh.
Honestly, it wasn't a place she particularly liked.
***
The promotion of The Moon That Hides the Sun was currently very successful.
Asking the Entertainment Relay PD to arrange a special broadcast seemed to have been the right answer.
However, apart from that, PD Ha Tae-oh was inwardly anxious.
'Will Joo Seo-yeon... be okay.'
The winner was decided by vote.
Judging solely by the acting skills shown at the audition, there was nothing more to say.
However, this acting wasn't about performing with peers of similar age.
Actors.
It was a gathering of veteran actors recognized for their acting skills among them.
Probably among the actors, there might be some who harbored dissatisfaction that Jo Seo-hee, who had properly learned acting and followed the elite procedure, was dropped.
'Frankly, that child... hmm, is close to the heterodox path (邪道).'
So to speak, a case of running on a shortcut rather than the standard path.
Naturally, the more properly an actor had learned and the stronger their pride, the more negatively they would view it.
That was why Ha Tae-oh had cast his vote for Jo Seo-hee in the audition vote.
Certainly, Joo Seo-yeon had shown a greater shock at the audition, but a filming set was different from an audition.
"PD Ha."
At that time, an actress with neat gray hair called Ha Tae-oh.
"Ah! Yes, Actress Jung Eun-sun."
"Today is that child's first drama shoot, right?"
"That's, right."
"Hmm."
PD Ha subtly observed Jung Eun-sun's expression.
As expected of an actress, her emotions didn't show on her face.
However, people have intentions.
Having observed many actors for a long time, Ha Tae-oh could roughly read it.
'She's got it out for her.'
Actress Jung Eun-sun was a veteran actress.
She was especially strict when it came to acting.
To someone like her, Seo-yeon's rough acting was nothing but disapproval itself.
'Moreover, she openly showed her fondness for Jo Seo-hee.'
She herself was also a case of achieving great success from child actress origins, so she especially doted on Jo Seo-hee, who had stood out since childhood.
When they appeared on a variety show together, she even said she was looking forward to filming a drama with Jo Seo-hee.
But that opportunity was suddenly.
A rock rolling in from somewhere had smashed it.
'I can only hope that child has a strong mentality.'
Of all things, really of all things.
The role Jung Eun-sun took on was Queen Mother Eun-hye.
In other words, the Queen Grandmother of Princess Yeonhwa, Yi Hye-wol.
In other words, her grandmother.