The Moon Embracing the Sun.
Ten years ago, a work that broke through 40% viewership and brought about a massive wave of impact.
To the extent that every award that year was taken by the actors who participated in The Moon Embracing the Sun.
But that was strictly ten years ago.
Now, it had become 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', could not believe this situation at all.
"Wow, look at this. It's really crazy."
"Joo Seo-yeon? Did they just mention 'Eyes Closed'?"
"Is this for real?"
All the actors, and the staff as well, were buzzing.
But it didn't reach Kang Se-hyun's ears.
Because he was watching the variety show playing on his phone screen, completely spellbound.
"Seo-il, you've truly grown up beyond recognition."
"That is exactly what I wanted to say."
A youth who had grown up considerably.
And a girl who had beautifully grown up.
The nostalgia of the past, which had turned to ash, was now colored and blooming magnificently.
To the point where it was hard to believe the background was an amateurish set made of paper.
"Shall we take a walk, for old times' sake? Seo-il."
"Let us do so, Your Highness."
"Hmm, you may call me Hye-wol right now."
"Pardon? No, what are you saying right now."
"Seo-il, I'm offended if you say that. We're close, aren't we?"
Lee Hye-wol's smile, as she let out a soft chuckle and smiled gently, was so beautiful that it made one involuntarily sigh in admiration.
The glimpses of high school students in uniforms around them didn't bother one at all.
Probably everyone watching this broadcast felt the same.
Park Jung-woo.
An acting genius said to have inherited his father's talent since childhood.
His acting skills were renowned to the point that the NGs he caused himself during filming could be counted on one hand.
Aura.
He inherently possessed the sparkle one is born with to become a star.
So it made sense that he captivated people's attention like this.
But.
'Joo Seo-yeon.'
The one who captured Kang Se-hyun's eyes was none other than Joo Seo-yeon.
The child actress who made a dramatic return after 10 years.
Her narrative flew in and embedded itself in everyone's hearts, and what about her acting?
She didn't fall behind Park Jung-woo at all.
No, rather, it was even better here.
As if watching not a drama, but a play—yes, like watching a play.
In truth, Seo-yeon's movements were closer to a play than a drama.
That was why it was natural.
If it weren't someone on the level of Park Jung-woo, they wouldn't have been able to keep up with Seo-yeon's acting.
'To this extent?'
On the spot, she changed the drama scene into a play and unfolded it in the auditorium.
'Seeing the Past, Memories' failing was, in a way, due to the obsession with 'drama acting'.
Reenacting a famous drama scene at a school has no flavor.
The actors' skills as well.
The filming method as well.
It's a world of difference from a drama filming set.
Joo Seo-yeon knew that.
So, she changed it to a play.
'Plus, the surrounding students too.'
Yeonhwa High School's drama club is quite skilled.
To the point of hearing such evaluations.
But reenacting a drama and directing a play are different, so their skills didn't stand out.
However, as Seo-yeon naturally led the play, the students' movements naturally changed as well.
One actor leads the play.
Even with Park Jung-woo's support, it was to an unrealistic extent.
"This is crazy."
Everyone sympathized with the words of an actor watching the variety show.
The auditorium students who were initially watching with bored faces also immersed themselves in the play before they knew it.
As if possessed, until the moment the reenactment of episode 8 concluded.
"Se-hyun."
"……Yeah."
A fellow actor beside him said.
"Isn't this a bit of a big problem for us?"
"……."
Of course, since tickets are limited, the play won't fail.
It won't.
However.
'The ghost of the past...'
It was clear that 'Eyes Closed' was taking all the attention that 'Under Snitch' should have originally had.
For Kang Se-hyun, who was about to soar using this as a stepping stone, it was truly a terrible nightmare.
A strange anxiety tightened around his neck.
***
"……Seo-hee?"
Jo Seo-hee's manager, Shin Yu-kyung, saw Jo Seo-hee glaring at her smartphone with a stiff face.
If her gaze had power, her phone would have left not even a trace by now.
"Hah."
Jo Seo-hee, who would normally be sitting in the van with a languid face, was more vibrant than ever.
That was only natural.
The variety show playing on the smartphone.
She couldn't watch it in real-time, of course.
Because she had no interest either.
But, having heard the 'rumors', she checked the content belatedly.
"She's here."
Park Jung-woo, he didn't matter.
A man she had crossed paths with several times already.
In the past, she would have been overwhelmingly outmatched, but not now.
The herself who was called by such a title as the princess of daily dramas no longer existed.
Actor Jo Seo-hee.
She stood proudly with that name, and her position was as solid as Park Jung-woo's.
The desire to film with him and someday trample him was still there, but.
"Joo Seo-yeon."
The girl who brought him defeat.
That girl, truly magnificently.
Appeared like the protagonist of a drama.
Not satisfied with revealing her face for the first time in 10 years.
Reenacting the controversial episode 8 from the past together with Park Jung-woo.
She gathered everyone's attention and topics of conversation all to herself.
'Much, much better.'
Technically, in terms of acting.
The past Joo Seo-yeon was Yeonhwa Princess herself, but.
That was because of the acting characteristics she possessed.
Joo Seo-yeon's acting skills, which were not shown on screen, were clearly at a novice level.
But what about now?
"Play ticket reservation. You succeeded, right?"
"Huh? Yeah! O-Of course!"
Literally all the agency employees clung to it and managed to get tickets.
Because the buzz surrounding the play 'Eyes Closed' this time was simply out of this world.
It's not that she looked down on plays, but it's rare for one to be on people's lips to this extent.
There were even those who would be introduced to plays through this 'Eyes Closed'.
Because of that, there were even rumors that existing play fans couldn't get tickets and had to move to a different theater.
The ripple effect brought about by one actor.
To ride this wave, the current theater world was in a huge uproar.
A zeal could be felt to expand the theater market even a little with this opportunity.
"Unnie. How many scripts have come in for me?"
"W-well? There were a ton, but."
"I think I should take a look through them."
The reserved play 'Eyes Closed'.
Jo Seo-hee wanted to see Seo-yeon's acting clearly there.
The acting shown in the variety show.
It would surely be more than that.
Jo Seo-hee smiled sharply.
If she had appeared exactly as she was in the past, she would have been disappointed instead.
It's incredible.
I can't take my eyes off it.
Jo Seo-hee thought as she watched all of Seo-yeon's acting.
And after replaying the acting several times.
She slowly turned off her smartphone.
"I don't think I'll be able to rest from filming."
Of course, let's at least watch 'Eyes Closed' first.
Jo Seo-hee looked at the tall buildings reflected in the van's window.
A cosmetics advertisement with Jo Seo-hee's face on it.
Various other advertisements also caught her eye.
If it were that girl, she'd stick her face up there in no time.
Just thinking about it made Jo Seo-hee extremely delighted.
With her.
The reunion with Joo Seo-yeon.
***
"Alright, it's been decided that we're moving theaters!"
"No, really? Can that be done?"
"It's a decision by the higher-ups. They say the aftermath this time is truly extraordinary."
They say the number of people who will be introduced to playgoing for the first time through 'Eyes Closed' this time is enormous.
As if to prove those words, the reservations opened a week ago sold out in mere minutes.
It was announced as a total of 30 minutes, but in reality, it was much faster than that.
There is no case where play tickets sell out this quickly.
The main audience demographic was also overwhelmingly female.
But now it was different.
Gender was almost half and half.
The age range was also diverse.
Of course, most of them were audiences gathered by the buzz Seo-yeon brought, but capturing even a minority of them would be a huge gain.
Making them feel the joy of plays was enough just by itself.
"They say the second round of reservations will open soon. The theater will be the Jongno Grand Theater, which was supposed to be used by 'Under Snitch'."
"Excuse me?"
At Jo Do-yul's words, Sim Cheong-seok thought he had misheard for a moment.
"U-Under Snitch?"
"Yes, you know it, right? Ah, of course, they won't be pushed to a specially small theater. It'll probably be a bit smaller than the current one, though. It seems they judged that the theater Under Snitch was scheduled to use was better in terms of timing and location."
"How, how can that be?"
Jo Do-yul shrugged at Sim Cheong-seok's words.
Because it was a first for him as well.
A very exceptional case.
It's probably because Under Snitch opens a few weeks later than Eyes Closed.
"Wow, is this what a real star is? Now I can't even tease her."
"Ah, but. Where did Seo-yeon go? I heard she came out today?"
At Jo Do-yul's words, Sim Cheong-seok briefly directed his gaze somewhere.
"I don't know exactly, but they say a welcome guest came to see her."
"A welcome guest?"
Because of this incident, they had to pay maximum attention to Seo-yeon's safety.
The theater surroundings were already packed with reporters.
"Well, it should be fine. That kid is even stronger than me."
"Excuse me? What nonsense..."
"It's true, really."
Sim Cheong-seok recalled the arm wrestling match he had playfully done with Seo-yeon a while ago.
Thinking back to that time, his arm still throbs even now.
As if he arm-wrestled a gorilla.
"Anyway."
Sim Cheong-seok thought.
The audience-drawing power an actor possesses.
He thought he'd get to see it properly this time, but...
"She really always exceeds expectations."
Because even Sim Cheong-seok hadn't expected it to this extent.
***
"Is there a reason you decided to suddenly make a comeback this time?"
A woman with a neat bob haircut, wearing a tidy suit, looked at the girl across from her and asked.
Long black hair, brown eyes with a reddish tint.
Joo Seo-yeon, who gathered huge buzz this time.
She was sitting in a chair, conducting an interview with a woman.
Since Seo-yeon had refused all interviews so far, this was a very special case.
"I kept thinking about it. I just couldn't find a suitable role."
"A role for your comeback, right?"
"Yes."
"Then did you prepare for this variety show in advance as well?"
At the woman's words, Seo-yeon shook her head.
"A friend helped me with that. Originally, a friend was supposed to play the role of Yeonhwa Princess."
"Then she yielded her role to Actor Seo-yeon."
"Yes."
"It must not have been an easy choice, but it seems you have a really good friend. That actor surely..."
"Lee Ji-yeon. She's on cable lately..."
Internet reporters usually tend to write articles however they please.
However, Seo-yeon trusted the woman before her eyes.
Because she had a reason to.
"I think many fans must have waited for Actor Seo-yeon's comeback all this time. Please say a word to your fans on this occasion."
The woman said with a smile.
At the woman's smile, Seo-yeon smiled back.
"Yes."
Seo-yeon answered so, and unfolded the white cloth she held in her hand.
It was an object she had just received from the woman.
It was a slightly faded, white garment.
Old, but neatly maintained clothes.
"……All this time."
On the clothes, the name 'Joo Seo-yeon' was written, still clumsy.
It was familiar.
Seo-yeon's first autograph.
To think she'd see this again.
"Thank you for waiting."
Seo-yeon's first fan.
At those words, the woman with the bob wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
Han Sun-a.
She, who had now grown up to become a reporter, was facing Seo-yeon.
"I'll write a great article."
"Yes. I believe in you."
At the word 'believe', Han Sun-a nodded.
She had, of course, preciously kept the clothes Seo-yeon gave her.
Because these clothes were a treasure that supported her every time she had a hard time.
"Ah."
Then, as if something came to mind, Seo-yeon asked.
"By any chance, can I know the title of the article?"
"Of course."
Sun-a told Seo-yeon the article title she had been thinking of all along.
The title of the article she had thought of since a long time ago, waiting for Seo-yeon's comeback.
"Rising Star."
A word referring to a star that is currently rising, a star that will rise in the future.
A tribute to the star Sun-a had waited for since a long time ago.
Sun-a's article rose to the top of the entertainment article section.
With the most comments and opinions exchanging.
And so, two weeks later.
"Now, please line up, line up!"
"Scalped tickets are not allowed! You must verify your ID unconditionally!"
The play 'Eyes Closed'.
Amidst the attention of countless people, the curtain of the play rose.