Next aired was episode 4 of The Moon Embracing the Sun.
Following the anticipation built by episode 3, The Moon Embracing the Sun succeeded in maintaining its viewership ratings thanks to the performances of the child actors, Kang Sung-chan and Ha Ye-seo.
However, Action King, which had dropped to 13% in episode 3 and was thought to be dead, resurrected to 18%.
For The Moon Embracing the Sun, this became a situation where they couldn't let their guard down.
'In the previous life, probably......'
Seo Yeon wasn't particularly worried.
After all, Action King was scheduled to self-destruct around episode 8 anyway.
Was the name Sebin, perhaps?
A school bullying controversy involving an idol actor currently appearing in the drama would erupt, and it would end with a miserable 5% viewership rating in the final episode.
Naturally, The Moon Embracing the Sun would absorb all those viewers and grow.
Ultimately, it would achieve a staggering 42% viewership rating for its final episode, finishing beautifully.
......I saw such articles too, but I didn't pay much attention to them.
Rather, I felt unnecessarily proud that my acting was evaluated positively.
Still, the hardship I went through was worth it.
'What it means to act properly.'
Previously, I hadn't really felt such a sense of achievement.
Not when filming CFs, and not even when first filming The Moon Embracing the Sun.
But now, it was different.
I felt good.
"Oh my, Seo Yeon. It must have been tiring coming here?"
And right now, I had arrived at the studio prepared at KMB.
'Talk of the Town Star', one of the corners of Entertainment Live.
It was the first and last variety show I would appear on.
"Hello."
When I bowed my head, the PD of Entertainment Live.
Shin Jae-woon smiled broadly.
Eyes that looked as if they were seeing a treasure chest.
"I watched The Moon Embracing the Sun recently. Seo Yeon, are you really seven years old? Your skills were unbelievable."
"Thank you for looking kindly upon it."
"Not at all. And this is......"
Shin Jae-woon's gaze turned to my mom beside me.
When he first saw my mom, Soo-ah, his face became one of surprise.
"Uh, well."
A pro was definitely a pro.
His momentarily flustered eyes wavered as he quickly adjusted his gaze.
'Impressive.'
Seo Yeon also admired inwardly.
Those who saw Mom for the first time would mostly move their eyes downward for a moment.
Even if Shin Jae-woon was flustered, his eyes remained fixed straight ahead.
"Ma'am, you're really beautiful too. You could be an actress."
"Ah, th-thank you. But that would be too much for me......"
"Still, I can see who Seo Yeon got her cuteness from."
At Shin Jae-woon's words as he chuckled, Soo-ah smiled awkwardly.
Actually, from Seo Yeon's perspective, it was an awkward situation for both of them.
Though the reasons were different for each.
"A-ahem! Filming will begin from 2 PM, so please rest a bit. I'll call you right away once preparations are complete."
I nodded at Shin Jae-woon's words as he spoke with a smile.
Since it was a variety show centered around interviews anyway, I had nothing special to prepare.
"Seo Yeon, then Mom will wait outside......"
Mom looked at me and trailed off at the end of her sentence.
"As expected, you're going to talk about that?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
Anyway, it was something everyone would find out soon.
Rather, announcing it in a place like this would clearly have a greater impact.
'Plus, if it's a variety show, there will also be reruns.'
There will also be replays, so it will remain in memory longer than an ordinary internet article.
Since the difficulty wasn't high either, it was appropriate as a first variety show.
'I should watch the interview carefully.'
And, there was another reason for accepting this variety show.
It was the interview skills.
Whether as a streamer or a VTuber, there were quite a few cases where guests participated in broadcasts.
Natural questioning methods that could be used in such situations.
I planned to subtly learn gaze handling and interview skills.
A pro who only eats and does interviews.
There would definitely be much to learn.
The interview was already starting to be anticipated.
In many ways.
***
"This interview, you can look forward to it."
The drama PD who had recommended Seo Yeon, the very grateful Ha Tae-oh.
He left those words to Shin Jae-woon.
'The hottest child actor recently.'
The Moon Embracing the Sun wasn't just any ordinary drama.
In particular, the acting of the two child actors shown in episode 3 continued to be talked about.
Moreover, since they hadn't appeared on any broadcasts afterward, the viewers' curiosity had reached its peak.
'If they make their first appearance here on our Entertainment Live!'
Just thinking about it made his heart race already.
For reference, Shin Jae-woon had recently taken over Entertainment Live.
This was because the original PD in charge of Entertainment Live had too much work after The Moon Embracing the Sun auditions and moved elsewhere.
"Please do a good job with the interview."
"Of course. It's my livelihood, so shouldn't I do it well?"
Basically, the interview corner of this Entertainment Live, 'Talk of the Town Star', was conducted through MC Song Young-jin.
Song Young-jin was originally an announcer belonging to KMB, but was on a winning streak after switching to freelance.
'Joo Seo Yeon, huh.'
Song Young-jin also knew the name well.
Not simply because she was an interview subject, but because the drama his wife had been watching most enthusiastically lately was The Moon Embracing the Sun.
When he watched episode 3 where Seo Yeon acted, Song Young-jin was internally shocked.
A child around the same age as his son could perform such acting?
Probably, no one could deny the word 'genius' at that sight.
Even Park Jung-woo, who had been called an acting genius from before, was completely overshadowed by Seo Yeon in that moment.
A child actor with that level of presence.
How many dramas would she film in the future, and how many CFs would she appear in?
If the starting point was this Entertainment Live, Song Young-jin couldn't ask for more.
"Now then, Entertainment Live, 'Talk of the Town Star'!! The star we'll meet today is......"
As filming began, Song Young-jin, who sat down first, shouted loudly.
"It's the Princess Yeonhwa of The Moon Embracing the Sun, Joo Seo Yeon!!"
With his words, Seo Yeon walked out with a bow of greeting.
Probably the youngest among those who appeared on this 'Talk of the Town Star.'
That's why there were parts he was inwardly worried about.
Seo Yeon's age was seven, so he was worried whether she could properly do an interview.
Acting and interviewing are different things, aren't they?
'She should have come with her mother after all.'
Song Young-jin thought so inwardly.
But still, a child actor who showed such acting.
Moreover, Seo Yeon, now sitting across from him, strangely didn't give off the feeling of a 'child.'
Perhaps because of those tranquil eyes.
Or perhaps because of that expressionless face that showed no signs of tension.
"You participated in The Moon Embracing the Sun this time and excellently fulfilled the role of Princess Yeonhwa, right? Seo Yeon, did you think you would get the role of Princess Yeonhwa?"
"No."
Seo Yeon shook her head at Song Young-jin's question.
"It was a place I went to build experience. There were many strong candidates, so I naturally thought it would be impossible."
A natural answer.
Song Young-jin momentarily lost his words and looked at Seo Yeon.
'She doesn't stutter at all?'
Even though it was filming without a separate audience, there were quite many eyes watching.
The staff of this Entertainment Live.
And with even himself watching, to answer so perfectly.
'Seven years old...... right?'
It was a level he couldn't comprehend at all when thinking of his own son.
Are all child actors like this?
Even Park Jung-woo was more halting when he was seven.
Even then, it wasn't even an interview.
After that, Song Young-jin continued to ask Seo Yeon questions and heard her answers.
The more they conversed, the more Song Young-jin was bewildered.
It felt like interviewing an adult, not a seven-year-old child.
"Your acting in episodes 2 and 3 was amazing. There were speculations that it might be method acting. When I interviewed other actors, they said Seo Yeon's strength was emotional acting."
A rumor that had spread in the world.
That Seo Yeon's forte was emotional acting.
Instead, since she had little acting experience, there were shortcomings that would immediately show when she had to perform multiple actions together.
However, before that fact could be discovered, the child actor part of The Moon Embracing the Sun had already ended long ago.
"Um, yes. To be exact, I can only do that much yet."
Can only do that much?
Method acting isn't something anyone can do.
It wasn't necessarily the answer either, and method acting was often more of a poison.
Could a child like Seo Yeon do method acting and be fine?
Honestly, Song Young-jin thought it was impossible.
Until now.
"I had many shortcomings, so other actors accommodated me. I also insisted a bit on the climax of episodes 2 and 3."
Seo Yeon calmly revealed what happened then.
The fact that they even changed the filming schedule to shoot those two scenes.
The more he heard it, the more absurd Song Young-jin found it.
Probably, when this broadcast aired, the viewers would think the same as Song Young-jin.
"But doesn't such acting take a toll on you? Usually, method acting and such is attempted by veteran actors, right?"
"About that part...... I'm not sure. But since once I do it, I don't need to do it for a while, I made the decision boldly."
"I see......"
Song Young-jin, who had inadvertently nodded, suddenly recalled something grating in Seo Yeon's words just now.
"But what do you mean by not needing to do it for a while? This seems to be related to emotional acting."
This was a question not in the script.
Though it was a carelessly uttered remark, Song Young-jin didn't think it was a mistake.
But strangely.
Really strangely, it was a remark that bothered him.
"Ah, that is."
At his words, Seo Yeon answered with a truly unconcerned face.
"I'm planning to leave the entertainment industry for a while."
Seo Yeon's words, spoken as if it were truly nothing.
Because of that, Song Young-jin almost casually responded 'Ah, I see' and moved on.
......
...
"......Yes?"
They say when a person is too surprised, words don't come out.
That was exactly how Young-jin felt right now.
He had invited an actor who was enjoying rising popularity.
It was like hearing her announce her retirement right in that very seat.
"What did Seo Yeon just say?"
"I think I heard her say she's leaving the entertainment industry for a while, is that right?"
"I heard that too......"
The filming set was in an uproar.
The staff who were filming.
And even PD Shin Jae-woon who was watching, all couldn't escape the emotion of bewilderment.
"So this is what......"
PD Shin Jae-woon only then realized what PD Ha Tae-oh's meaningful words had been about.
So this is why he said 'you can look forward to the interview.'
Certainly, just as PD Ha Tae-oh had said.
If this was broadcast, the viewers would surely be in an uproar.
***
As expected.
Just as PD Shin Jae-woon had predicted, when the interview from the 'Talk of the Town Star' corner filmed on Entertainment Live spread, communities related to the drama were all in a huge uproar.
The child actor of the most talked-about drama recently.
Moreover, a child actor who had nothing but smooth sailing ahead suddenly declared she was leaving the entertainment industry.
- That kid who played Princess Yeonhwa. Is she really retiring?
- It's not retirement, it seems like she's just putting broadcasting on hold for now?
- How is that different from retiring? Really don't get it
- No, how is this real?
Since it was a retirement with no clear reason, all sorts of speculations flowed out.
That the filming of The Moon Embracing the Sun was too harsh, or that she had made an enormous amount of money and retired.
Most were just rumors so the talk didn't last long, but it continued to come up.
It was to the extent that even the content of episode 5 of The Moon Embracing the Sun, which aired that day, was buried.
Still, episode 5 recovered its viewership ratings compared to episode 4, so The Moon Embracing the Sun's success was virtually guaranteed.
And.
The genius child actor who stirred South Korea like this.
"I'm Joo Seo Yeon, who will be learning acting at Hwayang Acting Academy for a while starting today."
The acting academy she entered through Lee Ji-yeon's recommendation.
Hwayang Acting Academy.
Amidst the sound of Lee Ji-yeon's welcoming applause, the instructors and young students looked at Seo Yeon with blank expressions.
'......What is this?'
They genuinely wanted to ask.
Why are you here?