“Could I have possibly won the tickets to the premiere?”
A young woman named Han Sun-ah, studying in the Broadcasting Department of S University in Seoul, received her ticket at the entrance of VegaBox, where the premiere of the drama was being held, her heart pounding with excitement.
It was her first time applying for a premiere, and her first time getting lucky enough to win the tickets.
It wasn’t until she held the ticket in her hand that it started to feel real.
“Is it always this crowded for a premiere?”
Having never attended a drama premiere, she had no way of knowing. She noticed a few people who looked like journalists, but most of the attendees seemed to be regular audience members.
“The teaser trailer was really good, wasn’t it…”
With her heart still racing, Han Sun-ah entered Theater 1, where the premiere was taking place. She heard whispers that the competition rate for getting tickets to this drama premiere was quite high.
This meant it was a highly anticipated work, and the teaser’s impact had been impressive.
“Didn’t they say that only the child actors would appear in the first two episodes?”
“Really? Is Kang Sung-chan not in it?”
In front of her, two people, who apparently had won tickets together, were chatting excitedly. They seemed to be fans of actor Kang Sung-chan.
“You don’t know anything!”
Though Han Sun-ah wanted to shout this out loud, her timid nature kept her silent. In her heart, she thought that Sooyeon’s acting was the best, even just from the teaser.
At that moment, a lively male voice echoed from the speakers.
“Good evening, everyone!”
Glancing up, Sun-ah saw a man in a suit holding a microphone, scanning the audience.
“Wow! So many people showed up today for this premiere. It seems that a lot of you are eagerly anticipating The Moon That Hid the Sun. I couldn’t be more thrilled!”
The host briefly explained what would happen during the event. First, the cinematographer and actors would greet everyone on stage. There’d also be a gift giveaway, and fans would have the chance to take photos with the cast.
After all these activities, the drama would be screened.
“Alright, let’s invite our main characters of the drama onto the stage!”
As the host spoke, the excited cheers of the audience roared. The door opened, revealing director Gong Jung-tae and the actors.
There were seven of them in total, two more than those who participated in the previous teaser event.
“Wow, they all look so handsome.”
“They really cast the actors well. Ha Ye-seo as the female lead is perfect.”
“The kids are cute too, right?”
The audience buzzed with comments. Flashbulbs popped as people hurriedly took photos. Most were focused on the main cast, Kang Sung-chan and Ha Ye-seo. Few paid attention to the supporting actors or child actors like Park Jung-woo and Sooyeon Joo.
“This is the first drama for the cast… right?”
“The teaser was fine, wasn’t it?”
“In a teaser, wouldn’t they only show the best parts?”
Among the chatter, director Gong Jung-tae shared his vision for The Moon That Hid the Sun, followed by Kang Sung-chan taking the microphone.
“Like I said earlier, this drama was an invaluable learning experience. Especially the young actors—they were truly remarkable, so I worked extra hard to keep up with them.”
The audience laughed, assuming it was a joke.
The microphone then moved to Ha Ye-seo and the supporting cast. As the turn approached, Park Jung-woo looked at Sooyeon with surprise at how calm she appeared amidst so much attention.
It must be quite daunting to speak with so many eyes on you.
But Sooyeon was calm and composed as always.
“You don’t seem nervous at all. Is this really your first time?”
“Yes.”
With a brief answer, Sooyeon glanced at the audience.
If she hadn’t experienced the kindergarten school play, she might have felt some tension. But compared to the large audience at the school play, this felt more manageable. She wondered if Jung-woo realized how intense parents were during such events when their kids were on stage.
“Did you ever go to kindergarten?”
Caught off guard by Sooyeon’s sudden question, Jung-woo hesitated. He hadn’t, having been busy with acting gigs since childhood.
“……No?”
But what was the importance of that? Jung-woo looked at her with confusion, only to see Sooyeon smiling confidently before turning away.
She hadn’t answered properly, irritating Jung-woo slightly. He was about to say something when the microphone landed in his hand instead.
The children’s interview was fairly ordinary. They simply introduced themselves—”I’m Park Jung-woo, playing Young Yoon Seoil and Young Princess Yeonhwa.” Not many in the audience took interest in the child actors.
The event afterward was similar. The majority wanted to get photos with Kang Sung-chan and Ha Ye-seo, while the supporting actors and children received far less attention.
In Sooyeon’s case, the sole person interested was a woman who introduced herself as Han Sun-ah.
“Excuse me, I’d like to take a picture with Sooyeon.”
“I’m a fan. Could Sooyeon sign this for me?”
The word “fan” made Sooyeon freeze with a name pen in hand. Though she’d encountered online fans and seen women stopping actors on the street for autographs, being approached at a premiere felt different. She’d only been in The Moon That Hid the Sun.
Audience members looked oddly at Han Sun-ah, who wanted a photo and an autograph, especially since Jung-woo had previous fans from his past works but Sooyeon didn’t have much of a fan base yet.
“Um, older sister…”
“Yes?”
Sooyeon carefully signed Han Sun-ah’s white shirt with a name pen. To be honest, Sooyeon had never made or practiced her autograph—she hadn’t expected to.
If she had known, she might have practiced more. So she carefully wrote out “Sooyeon Joo.”
“Could you wait for me until my next work?”
Sooyeon impulsively asked, surprising both herself and Han Sun-ah. The woman immediately nodded vigorously.
“Of course!”
“Good.”
For the first time, Sooyeon found herself smiling. The interaction didn’t seem so bad after all.
Once everything was done, the screening began. It was Sooyeon’s first time watching a fully edited version of the drama.
“Will it be okay?”
She worried. While she’d acted in commercials, this was her first appearance in a drama. Was everything truly good enough?
The first episode began.
“Will the parts featuring only the children be engaging enough?”
“Three episodes of young characters? Honestly, that’s…”
Often, the younger characters would only appear briefly in the first episode. It was unusual for a drama to take three episodes to cover childhood. Many had their doubts, and positive expectations were scarce—until the image of young Hye-wol appeared.
“Aba Mama~!”
Young Hye-wol on screen was lively and adorable, clearly portraying a princess from a young age.
“Is this really the same person?”
“This kid is completely different.”
Seated at the front, the actors watched the drama screening. The audience glanced at Sooyeon sitting nearby.
While her acting in the teaser had impressed, many were skeptical about how her performance in the full first episode would compare.
Both the regular audience and journalists were astonished.
“I understand why Sung-chan mentioned taking photos of the children during the teaser event.”
“The children’s acting is so natural—look at how well they enunciate!”
Typically, child actors could come across as awkward due to their unique speech patterns. If emotions don’t translate properly through dialogue, it can feel odd.
But Sooyeon didn’t have these issues even at the tender age of seven.
“Too cute!”
For Han Sun-ah, it was pure heartwarming joy. She wiped her tears discretely as she watched young Princess Yeonhwa’s charming performance.
The first episode concluded with a cheerful meeting between young Hye-wol and Seoil, leaving many assuming the second would follow similarly.
However, the atmosphere took a shift in the second episode. When Young Lord Jo Young-dae appeared, a sense of impending tension filled the room.
As Yeonhwa ran to the Queen Mother’s quarters for help, the dramatic tension built.
“I’ve abandoned all. The laws of humanity, the royal family’s blessings.”
Young Princess Yeonhwa could do nothing but remain humble.
“How shall we proceed? Will you go yourself? Or shall I personally bring you?”
The background music added tension. Jo Young-dae’s face was close-up, his gleaming eyes hinting at his feelings toward Yeonhwa.
The scene shifted to Yeonhwa as well. She stood in a dimly lit area illuminated only by lantern light, symbolizing her inner turmoil.
After a moment of silence, she raised her head.
“… !!”
The audience gasped. The enlarged, close-up image of Yeonhwa revealed her intense eyes glowing unnaturally red in the lantern’s light.
It was as if her anger burst out vividly against the darkness.
Alone, Yeonhwa stood defiant, exiting with a smirk from Jo Young-dae. With a loud slam, the door closed.
The second episode ended, concluding the premiere.
“Wow…”
A watch was checked. Each drama episode lasted a full hour, making two episodes equal to two hours—about the length of a regular movie. Yet it felt like the time had flown by.
“Jo Young-dae’s performance was amazing, though it’s a shame actor Yoon Jong-hyuk wasn’t here.”
“Probably to avoid spoilers.”
“Are all child actors like this these days?”
“Check out my arm—goosebumps!”
“I should’ve taken a picture earlier!”
The audience buzzed with chatter, while journalists were in deep thought.
“There’s no photo material for the article.”
“Shall we try to catch them after?”
“You can’t—child actors aren’t allowed. We’d be in trouble.”
Reactions varied greatly. Some looked at Han Sun-ah, who had managed to take a photo with Sooyeon, wondering how she’d known this would happen.
“…Big hit.”
Han Sun-ah, however, was lost in the emotional impact of the drama.
In this way, the premiere finished to positive reviews, the buzz spreading online.
– I just came back from the premiere of The Moon That Hid the Sun; I’m blown away.
– If you’re going to viral, try to use your brain.
– Isn’t it hilarious? I actually found it really enjoyable though…
– Someone I know saw it, and it seems pretty good.
– Only children actors? How could that be enjoyable…
Reactions began trickling onto the internet. The standout mention in many responses was Princess Yeonhwa’s performance. All who attended the premiere praised the child actors, especially the last scene of the second episode, with high acclaim.
“What exactly is everyone talking about?”
“Isn’t everyone just overreacting?”
Months later, amidst everyone’s anticipation, the broadcast premiere of The Moon That Hid the Sun began.
Its result was surprising even to Sooyeon, who knew the original ratings of The Moon That Hid the Sun.
The first episode’s viewership rating reached 25%. This was a full 8% higher than the previous record set by The Moon That Hid the Sun*.
