'The Moon Embracing the Sun' that I saw in my previous life was a bona fide hit.
A solid story based on a novel.
A fictional historical drama featuring a large cast of method actors, directed by a young and capable director.
That was why, when I participated in this drama in place of Jo Seo-hee, the pressure was no joke.
'Please, just let it be on par with my previous life!'
I even prayed to that extent.
A hit drama with peak ratings exceeding 40% must not be ruined because of me.
That was the reason I worked especially hard for this drama.
'Let's just do as well as Jo Seo-hee.'
That was my initial mindset.
But even Jo Seo-hee had her screen time drastically reduced in my previous life, with the child actor part cut down to just 2 episodes.
There was no guarantee the same wouldn't happen to me.
So, I worked hard.
I poured in everything I could.
To the limit, every last bit.
"Seoyeon!"
The first episode of The Moon Embracing the Sun had finally aired.
I had seen it once at the preview screening, but watching it on TV was a different feeling entirely.
But did it turn out well?
What if the public's reaction differed from the preview screening?
Just as I was harboring such worries, Mom smiled brightly and spoke.
"Director Gong Jung-tae called! The ratings came out to over 25%!!"
25%? Really?
As I looked at Mom in shock, her large chest enveloped my head.
'A-Air...'
Fortunately, Mom didn't hug me for too long.
"Honey, the child is dying, dying."
It was because Dad, who had been watching, pulled Mom off me.
From my perspective, he was practically my savior.
"But~~!"
After that, Mom grabbed my shoulders and shook me vigorously, showing she was even more excited than I was.
Seeing Mom this excited was rare even for Seoyeon.
"What do we do. I heard it has the highest first-episode ratings among all the dramas aired this year! Has our Seoyeon already become a big star?"
"N-n-n-no way."
Being shaken back and forth, my pronunciation was a mess.
Please stop.
Even Dad couldn't bring himself to stop Mom any further and just shrugged his shoulders.
I wish he wouldn't give up and would please stop her.
'But 25%.'
I remembered the ratings of The Moon Embracing the Sun from my previous life since it had made the news.
Memories I tried to recall came back with uncanny clarity, so finding the first-episode ratings of The Moon Embracing the Sun wasn't difficult.
The first-episode ratings of The Moon Embracing the Sun starring Jo Seo-hee was originally 17%.
However, the ratings when I starred in it were 25%, a full 8% higher.
When I realized that.
The emotion welling up in my chest was the pounding thrill of 'I did it.'
The feeling of achieving something with my own hands for the first time in my life.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Mom examined my face and smiled cheerfully.
"Looks like our daughter is feeling good too. You're smiling like that."
Smiling?
Seoyeon pressed her plump cheeks firmly with her small hands.
Right, I am smiling.
'Then again, I suppose this is normal.'
Being able to smile naturally without conscious effort is the norm.
Seoyeon closed her eyes.
It felt like I was floating on air.
'It feels good.'
It was the first time.
An achievement earned through my own effort.
An emotion I could never feel even once in my previous life.
That exhilaration made my heart pound fiercely.
'I'm glad I became an actor.'
With just that thought, I buried myself in Mom's embrace.
***
The ripple effect of a drama was incomparable to that of a commercial.
Even though only the first episode had aired, I could clearly feel the number of people recognizing me had increased.
Not only that, but the most important thing was that 'articles' started appearing in earnest.
The articles scrolling up were too numerous to check.
Among them, articles about me caught my eye here and there.
Some said the stable acting shown in the first episode was impressive.
Many articles also expressed curiosity about the circumstances of moving straight from filming a commercial to a drama.
Because of that, interest in me had grown to an unprecedented level.
"Seoyeon, I'm looking forward to episode 2 too!"
"Did you film all the way up to episode 3? What happens next?"
Even at kindergarten, stories about me could be heard everywhere.
Teachers who used to watch from a distance were now showing interest and approaching me.
"Joo Seoyeon, just you wait. I'll be acting in a drama soon too."
At kindergarten, Lee Ji-yeon said that and showed strong enthusiasm.
"It's fine to do it, but let's change agencies first, okay?"
"I'll do that even without you telling me."
I heard this from Mom later, but it seems Hong Jin-hee, Ji-yeon's mother, looked into 'Galaxy Entertainment' in every way.
And after barely seeing its true colors, she took Ji-yeon and left the agency.
'She should go to the agency I recommended.'
Unfortunately, it seemed she didn't find that place trustworthy either and was looking into other options.
It couldn't be helped.
There were several management companies with good prospects even if it wasn't that one, so I decided to recommend those instead.
"Joo Seoyeon."
At that time, Ji-yeon examined my face for a moment.
Then, she rarely hesitated before opening her mouth.
"I heard from my mom that you..."
Hesitating and wavering.
It was something the normal Ji-yeon would never do.
From Lee Ji-yeon's attitude, I guessed what she was trying to say.
Because there was only one thing the always-confident Lee Ji-yeon would hesitate and ask about.
"That's right."
"...Huh?"
"What you're thinking right now."
At my words, Lee Ji-yeon's eyes widened before she scrunched up her face.
It seemed Ji-yeon, still a child, clearly didn't like my choice.
"Hmph, whatever."
At Ji-yeon's grumbling reaction, I let out a small laugh.
I figured this much was a favorable response.
"Hey, Lee Ji-yeon."
"Huh?"
"Do you want to go to a voice acting academy together?"
"...What?"
At my words, Lee Ji-yeon looked at me with bewildered eyes.
It was a face saying 'I'm an actor, why would I go to a voice acting academy?'
You don't know.
Entertainers are professionals who need to have as many skills as possible.
Actors are no different in that regard.
Especially for parts requiring vocalization, it would likely help a lot.
Later on, there were quite a few cases where actors did dubbing too.
'Most of them got criticized, though.'
Displaying impressive skills in that state?
It would be an opportunity to plant a good image in the public's mind.
...Of course, the voice acting academy also served my own selfish motives.
"Hmph, fine. Whatever."
Lee Ji-yeon had a displeased expression, but she didn't reject my proposal.
Originally, Lee Ji-yeon appeared as a child voice actor in a certain children's animation and received harsh criticism.
And probably retired from the shock of it.
Otherwise, there was no reason for Lee Ji-yeon not to debut as an actress later.
'I'm curious about what she did after that.'
Lee Ji-yeon was a kid with presence.
Though I couldn't call her a born actress, she had presence and lots of talent.
Her acting was decent, and her pronunciation and vocalization were good enough.
'I think she'd do well as a voice actor.'
I stared at Lee Ji-yeon and nodded my head.
And.
What Lee Ji-yeon did in my previous life, I would learn in a very unexpected place.
But that was a story for a little later.
***
Several days passed since the first episode aired.
Interest in The Moon Embracing the Sun had grown stronger than ever.
In particular, today was the day episode 2 aired, which had left a strong impression at the teaser and preview screening.
"It's not time to be complacent yet. MDC's 'Action King' is also performing remarkably well."
Hae Tae-o emphasized this fact to the staff several times, telling them it wasn't time to celebrate yet.
Since the broadcast timeslot and episode counts overlapped, it was a drama that currently had a rival dynamic in many ways.
In fact, when broadcast times overlapped like this, the impact appeared in real time.
"We won at first, but it seems 'Action King' is quite confident today."
Tension flowed through KMB's drama department.
The first-episode rating of Action King was 16%.
Though there was a big gap with The Moon Embracing the Sun, it was a rating that absolutely couldn't be underestimated.
"But we're confident about episode 2 too, right?"
"That's right, that's right."
"It's actually fortunate we're facing them head-on. Those guys have no luck."
That's what they said, but the truth was they were nervous.
No matter how confident you are, there's always that one-in-a-million chance.
"...The Moon Embracing the Sun episode 2. Broadcast starting soon."
Along with Hae Tae-o's subdued words, someone swallowed dryly.
Episode 2 began like that.
"The current ratings are around 15% for us."
Action King was probably at a similar level.
No, it actually seemed slightly higher.
'The early part of episode 2 of The Moon Embracing the Sun isn't much different from episode 1.'
It's the story of the young Princess Yeonhwa and the young Yun Seo-il getting entangled.
In that light atmosphere, 'Grand Prince Jo Young-dae' makes his move and the atmosphere changes completely.
"Ah! They took it off!"
"...Yes?"
"They put in such bold exposure from episode 2. Good grief."
At that moment, the Action King side featured an actress in daring exposure, showcasing a provocative performance.
Not just exposure but also the direction and acting.
It was outstanding enough to make everyone's eyes widen.
'You could say they're confident.'
Hae Tae-o gritted his teeth.
Even without checking, he could feel the ratings fluctuating.
'I can only trust Actor Yun Jong-hyuk and Seoyeon.'
While Action King was showing off its flashy action.
Grand Prince Jo Young-dae, who would overturn the atmosphere of The Moon Embracing the Sun, began to move.
Unhindered footsteps walking through the palace.
In the rebellious faction covered in madness, Grand Prince Jo Young-dae and Princess Yeonhwa finally met.
The scene that received rave reviews from everyone at the teaser and the preview screening.
The scene where Seoyeon raised her head and glared at Grand Prince Jo Young-dae appeared, and the drama progressed like a raging torrent.
Even though I had seen it several times while filming and editing, I couldn't take my eyes off the footage.
The moment the drama reached its conclusion.
"PD-nim!"
The staff member checking the ratings shouted.
It seemed the ratings for episode 2 had been confirmed.
Did we win?
Or did we possibly lose?
"It's 23%."
"Yes?"
23% was lower than the first episode.
The moment Hae Tae-o looked at him in confusion, the staff member grinned.
"Action King, you see."
No, is he joking right now?
Hae Tae-o's eyes narrowed fiercely.
No matter how he wasn't the type to throw his weight around, this crossed the line.
Just as he made up his mind to call him over and give him a piece of his mind.
"It's 29%."
"Yes?"
"Episode 2 ratings were recorded at 29%. And the peak rating went up to 34%."
The soaring anger melted away like a sandcastle.
A general rating of 29% and a peak rating of 34%.
There was no need to say when the peak rating had surged.
Grand Prince Jo Young-dae and Princess Yeonhwa.
The moment the acting of Yun Jong-hyuk and Seoyeon clashed.
'Peak rating of 34%?'
This was a figure usually pulled in the latter half of a drama.
No matter how much The Moon Embracing the Sun was a drama honed to a fine edge, this was excessively high.
Achieving a peak rating of 34% in just the second episode was almost unheard of.
Even searching through all the dramas of the three broadcasting networks over the past few years, you could count them on one hand.
It was then.
Bzzt, bzzzt!!
Hae Tae-o's phone rang, and the caller ID appeared on the screen.
KMB Drama Department Director Hwang Jung-soo.
He was calling Hae Tae-o anxiously.