The play
It was likely the most talked-about play recently.
On its opening night, it was rare to find anyone walking through Daehak-ro who didn't mention
"Did you see the variety show? The one with Park Jung-woo and Princess Yeon-hwa."
"I did. That's why I booked the tickets."
A couple walked by having that conversation.
'The Moon that Hid the Sun' was a drama that became a massive hit 10 years ago.
"But who is Joo Seo-yeon?"
"She's really pretty. They say she's still a high school student."
"I heard she was the actress who played the young Princess Yeon-hwa?"
In truth, not many among the younger generation remembered that.
But as word of mouth always works, when the older generation makes a fuss, the younger ones naturally grow curious.
"Wow, so she just happened to meet Park Jung-woo on that variety show?"
"Originally, the child actress got so much hate for acting too well in episode 8. They reenacted that, and that's why it's so noisy now."
"Ah."
Narrative.
There was nothing better to make an actor's name known.
The 'genius child actress' returning after 10 years.
The reaction shown by the trending actor, Park Jung-woo, toward her.
All of those elements came together, sparking curiosity about the person named 'Joo Seo-yeon.'
And further, igniting curiosity about the play 'Closing Eyes.'
"It's still more 'Princess Yeon-hwa' than the name Joo Seo-yeon."
"Hmm, that's certainly true."
Two middle-aged men sitting at an outdoor cafe overheard the conversations of such young people.
There were still a little over two hours left until the performance, but a considerable number of people had already gathered.
"An actor's ripple effect... It's been a really long time since I've felt something like this."
"Whether it ends as simple curiosity or she uses this as a stepping stone to soar will depend on the person herself."
Originally a variety show boasting viewership ratings of around 6 percent.
But starting from the 'Yeon-hwa High School' episode, the ratings instantly surpassed 14 percent.
A dying variety show had suddenly sprung back to life.
It gathered that much buzz, and on YouTube, several videos covering the stories of 'Joo Seo-yeon,' 'The Moon that Hid the Sun,' and Park Jung-woo had already been uploaded.
Perhaps the reason this play became a hot topic was because of those people.
Among them, how many actually came to see the play, and Seo-yeon, was hard to tell.
"Director Bae Jin-hwan."
As he sat lost in thought, Producer Cha Dong-jin, who had come with him, spoke up.
"Thanks to you, Director, I get to see it too."
"In the first place, wouldn't it be meaningless if we didn't come together?"
Bae Jin-hwan, and Cha Dong-jin.
The two came to see this play to find an actor.
A movie being ambitiously prepared by the GH Group.
They were searching for one of the most important roles in it.
This 'Closing Eyes' was part of that effort.
"Thankfully, Producer Jo Do-yul gave us VIP tickets. Otherwise, we wouldn't have even been able to get in."
A small number of tickets given to actors or staff.
They were able to get two of them.
It was a stroke of immense luck for Bae Jin-hwan and Cha Dong-jin.
"What do you think, Director?"
"You mean Joo Seo-yeon?"
"Yes. Because she's the actress playing 'Hong Jung-hee.'"
Regardless of the current issue, the two had planned to see this 'Closing Eyes.'
The role of 'Hong Jung-hee' in Closing Eyes.
To see the acting of the actress who played that role.
That Seo-yeon ended up in that role was coincidental.
"Young, impactful villain acting. Actresses who do that well are rare."
"Right. We haven't found a suitable one yet either."
They had already seen several plays.
Mainly plays with significant villain roles.
Dramas, movies.
Because there was no actor who had shown impressive villain acting among the visual media they'd seen recently.
Should we hold auditions?
While having such thoughts, there was also the GH Group's request to cast a named actor.
"Certainly, the acting shown by actress Joo Seo-yeon on the variety show was good, but."
"That and villain acting are different things."
It's a famous saying that there's nothing to eat at a famous feast.
Princess Yeon-hwa and Hong Jung-hee were entirely different roles.
Whether she could pull off that role well was impossible to know.
"Let's head in slowly. It seems admission has started."
"Ah, yes."
Looking at the people lining up, the two also slowly stood up.
Without harboring great expectations.
***
"Is everyone ready?"
Sim Cheong-seok said as he looked at the actors, whose nervousness was clearly evident.
Things had gotten too big.
The attention had grown accordingly, and the expectations felt several times larger.
Naturally, it was far from being a 'masterpiece.'
"I-is it going to be okay?"
The one who said that was Lee Hye-jin, who played the role of Song Min-seo.
Originally, she was scheduled to handle the 3rd performance, but the order had changed.
The 1st performance, the opening show of Closing Eyes.
The reason was obvious.
"Well, what are you going to do if it's not okay?"
Sim Cheong-seok let out a hollow laugh.
He felt it wasn't something an actor should be saying here.
Normally, he would have comforted her appropriately, but Sim Cheong-seok didn't do that.
"You've been practicing continuously. You've worked hard to prepare, so have some confidence."
"Y-yes."
At Lee Hye-jin's slightly cowed response, Sim Cheong-seok's head throbbed.
'She was like that since practice.'
Should he not have changed the order for the Song Min-seo role?
It was enough to make him worry.
Meanwhile.
'I can't tell what she's thinking.'
Seo-yeon was seen sitting quietly with her eyes closed.
She was truly excellent during practice, but how she'd do in the actual performance was unknown.
Seo-yeon was still a high school student.
It was an age vulnerable to psychological pressure.
'But.'
He recalled
The number of students who looked at her back then was larger than this.
It even aired on TV and YouTube.
So it would be fine.
Sim Cheong-seok twisted his lips as he looked at Seo-yeon.
A scene partner who made acting worthwhile for the first time in a while.
To the point where he wondered what it would have been like if she had been the one playing Song Min-seo.
'Then it would have been a disaster.'
Not because of Seo-yeon, but because Lee Hye-jin would have had to play Hong Jung-hee.
She had no talent for villain acting.
Sim Cheong-seok could be certain of that.
"Let's go."
Amidst some anxiety, the curtain rose on the play.
***
"Excuse me!"
Bae Sung-hak's sharp shout rang out.
A voice thick with irritation.
He strode over and grabbed the arm of the woman who was ignoring his words.
"I called you several times, why didn't you answer! I said you dropped something!"
The woman looked at Bae Sung-hak's words with an innocent face.
"I can't hear."
At the woman's words, Bae Sung-hak's eyes showed great bewilderment.
An appearance of not expecting that she couldn't hear.
Thus, the first meeting between Bae Sung-hak and Song Min-seo begins.
A popular idol and a deaf woman.
The relationship of two who should never have crossed paths connects, and the story of the play flows.
Song Min-seo, who wants to hear the singing of the idol Bae Sung-hak.
And Bae Sung-hak's emotional line of wanting to let her hear his voice stimulates the audience.
'It's my first time seeing a play, but it's pretty good?'
'Who is that actor? He's really handsome.'
The audience's response was good.
But not everyone felt that way.
'Compared to the role of Bae Sung-hak, the female lead's presence is weak.'
'It's not just a role issue. This is... a miss.'
Anyone with some knowledge would think so.
Director Bae Jin-hwan was one of them.
First performances sometimes had such cases.
It was awkward, with mistakes frequent.
That's why quite a few audience members avoided the opening show.
'Hmmm.'
Just as Bae Jin-hwan was watching the play with an indifferent face.
"Ah! It's Miss Hong Jung-hee."
Bae Sung-hak's acting tone changed.
"It's nice to meet you. You come to every performance, right? You look familiar."
They were unremarkable words.
But the feel was completely different.
Bae Sung-hak's already good acting had become as sharp as a newly honed blade.
The emotions.
The movements and gestures.
"Ah, h-hello. I'm H-Hong Jung-hee."
The one who received that acting was a timid woman shrinking her body.
With her entrance, the atmosphere of the play reversed.
Hong Jung-hee.
The main villain of this
'Joo Seo-yeon.'
Bae Jin-hwan recognized her at a glance.
'Completely different from Princess Yeon-hwa.'
He met eyes with Cha Dong-jin sitting next to him.
Now it was the real deal.
Because this was a seat they came to solely to see her.
Whether she would live up to expectations.
Or fall short of them.
Amidst all that, Act 3 began.
The act where Hong Jung-hee's presence was the greatest.
***
"Affection? Ah, are you still worrying about that now?"
When the play's start was not far off, Seo-yeon asked Sim Cheong-seok.
"Yes, I felt like I shouldn't show any lacking acting now."
"Hmm, that's understandable."
He said that and chuckled.
"Affection. Certainly, Hong Jung-hee harbored affection for Bae Sung-hak. The fact that it doesn't show is a flaw. That's how you see it, right?"
"Yes."
This was quite a big problem.
Because it could change the emotional line of Hong Jung-hee that Seo-yeon had built so far.
It could interfere with immersing in the role, or she might not fully understand it.
"You're too greedy. You are."
"Pardon?"
"This is, a tip."
He said, raising his index finger.
"Sometimes, deception is necessary in acting."
"Deception?"
"Affection, well, it is needed. Hong Jung-hui's rampage is ultimately for Bae Sung-hak, after all."
However.
"But what is Hong Jung-hee's role in the play? She's the villain."
It would be good if the affection showed.
But it had to be distinguished.
Hong Jung-hee's role in the play.
Showing affection is fine, but it didn't matter at all if it wasn't shown.
At least, that was Sim Cheong-seok's thought.
"The writer's thoughts and the interpreter's thoughts don't always match."
"...."
"You know what I mean, right?"
She was just avoiding it.
"That perfection isn't always the right answer."
The conversation she had with Sim Cheong-seok.
Seo-yeon slowly opened her closed eyes.
The beginning of Act 3.
She felt the countless audience members looking at her.
'I am Hong Jung-hee.'
She exhaled.
She released the tension from her shrunk body, and made her back hunched.
Hong Jung-hee, interpreted by emulating Pyo Ji-woo's emotions.
At this very moment, Seo-yeon became one with Hong Jung-hee completely.
Villain.
Yes, why did she take this role this time?
'The inferiority complex Hong Jung-hee has. Her dampness. And her obsession.'
She emphasizes those.
Deception.
As Sim Cheong-seok said, if she brought that to its extreme, the audience would eventually search for the reason.
The reason Hong Jung-hee acts like that.
So that even without acting out the affection, they could mistakenly believe all her actions were because of it.
"Heh."
Laughter flowed from the mouth of Seo-yeon, of Hong Jung-hee.
At that moment, the audience froze.
Something was different.
Hong Jung-hee, letting out a low laugh with her shoulders shaking.
When she raised her head, a pale face was visible under the dim lighting.
Joo Seo-yeon.
Princess Yeon-hwa.
An eerie atmosphere to the extent that those names didn't even come to mind.
She didn't seem like the same person at all.
"Lies."
The moment Hong Jung-hee's monologue began.
Bae Jin-hwan almost jumped up from his seat.
'This is...'
The actor he had been searching for all this time.
The villain who would make his movie shine.
Perhaps he had just found that very person.