“It’d be great if Ha-eun could join too.”
Just a few days ago, that was the extent of the 2nd-year, Class 2's interest in casting Ha-eun.
Strictly speaking, everyone in Class 2, including class president Gong Hye-yeon, knew well that Ha-eun was an exceptional actress.
She was also the first to be recommended for the lead female role in the fall festival performance, Shall We Fall Together.
However, the tone of Shall We Fall Together leaned heavily into a somber atmosphere.
This meant that if Ha-eun were to play the female lead, Empress Aria, there would be a problem.
“Honestly, wouldn’t Ha-eun completely overshadow everyone else?”
“Hmm...”
If Ha-eun took on the role of Empress Aria, the other characters might become dull and lifeless in comparison.
Gong Hye-yeon herself, along with the rest of the class, felt that Ha-eun’s performance could overwhelm everyone else.
Given that the teamwork and harmony section carried a significant portion of the evaluation score, this presented a clear issue.
Additionally, the final scene required Empress Aria to perform a kiss scene with the male lead, Knight Kyle.
"Asking someone with a boyfriend to do that feels... awkward, right?”
It was already difficult to ask Ha-eun, who was rumored to be in a fresh new relationship, to play Empress Aria.
If she did participate in Shall We Fall Together, they had intended to cast her in a role other than the female lead.
But then.
“My dearest, Moonlight.”
The highlight of Episode 9 of The Moonlight That Parts the Clouds was the kiss scene between Lee Hyun and Yeong-wol.
More precisely, it wasn’t just the kiss itself but the single tear streaming down Yeong-wol’s left cheek as the kiss began.
“Let’s just ask Ha-eun.”
“What if the other kids’ acting ends up looking like bad performances in comparison?”
“We’ll just have to practice more. It’d be such a waste to give up on Ha-eun for something like that.”
“That’s... true.”
In the end, they decided to cast Ha-eun as Empress Aria.
They judged that the bonus points her impactful performance would bring would outweigh the deductions for any acting disparity.
Ultimately, the most important thing was leaving a strong impression with Shall We Fall Together.
Creating a performance that was, without question, the best.
With that, on Monday morning, they approached Ha-eun, pleading more desperately than ever.
They whispered about the festival’s hidden secrets, trying their hardest to persuade her.
“Directors and casting agents sneak in to watch the performances. Don’t you think it’d be great to leave a strong impression on them?”
“Hmm...”
“If you play Empress Aria, we’ll definitely win first place. Please, just this once!”
Ha-eun, who seemed to waver slightly at Gong Hye-yeon’s persuasion, stayed silent for a while, deeply considering the matter.
Finally, she broke her silence.
“If we win first place at the festival, we get to go to Japan for the school trip?”
She started asking about the first-place prize: a trip to Japan.
“I confirmed it with the vice principal. The winning class definitely gets a trip to Japan.”
“Did you ask where in Japan?”
“Tokyo. They said we’d decide the tourist spots through a survey later.”
Another pause.
About ten seconds later, Ha-eun finally spoke again.
“I want to visit Disneyland. What do you think the others would say about that?”
Her one condition for playing Empress Aria was for Disneyland to be included in the itinerary.
With Gong Hye-yeon confidently assuring her that everyone else would want to visit Disneyland as well, Ha-eun finally agreed to the role.
Moments later, she was added to the Shall We Fall Together group chat, and her name was officially added to the cast list.
A Glimpse at the Script
Shortly afterward, Gong Hye-yeon sprinted toward the teacher’s office with the updated cast list in hand.
Watching her dash off, Ha-eun thought for a moment, “She’ll hurt herself if she falls like that...”
However, she soon returned to reading the script for Shall We Fall Together, which she had set aside earlier.
Performing in a musical with her classmates wasn’t entirely a bad thing for Ha-eun.
With her schedule becoming busier, the time she could spend at school had been dwindling recently.
Even though the kiss scene in the finale lingered in her mind,
She knew that delivering a realistic performance would earn high marks.
After all, it wasn’t like they would be kissing for real.
However, this was her first time performing a musical that required both acting and singing.
She realized she would need to prepare thoroughly for her first musical debut.
For the next several days, Ha-eun immersed herself in watching videos related to Shall We Fall Together.
"Raise my head high with your sword. Become the hero of all. This is... the only way for you to survive.”
“It feels... a bit different from a drama.”
The character of Empress Aria was a puppet tyrant.
Manipulated by corrupt nobles, she became a symbol of hatred for her people.
Only her knight, Kyle, knew the truth: that she was merely a puppet.
Even Empress Aria clung to Kyle, trying to maintain her sanity as her world fell apart.
“It’s been a while since I had to channel such heavy emotions. Will I be okay?”
The emotions she would need to portray were overwhelmingly negative.
Even the lyrics of Empress Aria’s songs were far from uplifting.
Though confident, Ha-eun felt slightly apprehensive about playing such a dark character after so long.
“I should probably hold back a bit during practice.”
If she gave her all during rehearsals, it might make things harder later.
She also needed to match the emotional intensity of her classmates’ performances.
Just as she was memorizing Empress Aria’s lines for rehearsal one day,
“The Sears commercial schedule is finalized. It’s tomorrow at 4 PM.”
Ju Jung-yoon, as usual, delivered the news while driving Ha-eun in her van.
***
A suburban advertising studio.
In just 30 minutes, filming for Sears' new bed commercial was set to begin.
"It’s been a while since I worked with a kid."
"She’s 18. That’s not a kid anymore; she’s practically an adult."
"Personality-wise, she’s probably still a kid. I just hope she doesn’t throw a tantrum..."
The staff was busy speculating about Ha-eun, who had recently been chosen as Sears' new advertising model.
This would be the team’s first time meeting Ha-eun in person.
Perhaps because of that, they had preconceived notions about her personality. With her skyrocketing popularity, some assumed she might be arrogant.
Strictly speaking, Ha-eun’s public appearances so far had shown her to be anything but arrogant.
"It’s probably just image management. We’ve been fooled before."
Many had dealt with models who acted differently off-camera. After several bad experiences, they had mentally prepared themselves for the worst.
It didn’t help that young celebrities like Ha-eun often developed less-than-ideal attitudes, thanks to their early success.
Exactly 10 minutes later, Ha-eun emerged from the dressing room, her makeup finished.
"Hello, I’m Lee Ha-eun."
Elegant features.
A composed voice.
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Casual autumn-inspired attire exuding warmth.
But most striking of all—
Her presence carried an air far more “regal” than anyone had anticipated.
"...Is she really 18?"
All predictions about her being a typical high schooler were shattered.
If anything, it felt as though a queen had entered the room.
The combination of her sharp gaze and commanding aura created an atmosphere of extreme caution.
No one dared disturb the delicate balance.
Even as the shoot began, the studio remained eerily quiet, everyone too intimidated to disrupt the mood.
Ten minutes into filming, the first take was finally completed.
Director Bae Ho-yeon leaned over to review the footage on the monitor.
"Huh..."
Unintentionally, a soft gasp escaped his lips.
On the screen, Ha-eun smiled languidly—a smile so poised, so noble, it seemed to exude an unspoken authority.
With her slightly tilted head and mesmerizing eyes, she managed to create the illusion of a profound status difference—
A kind of elegance that made it hard to believe she was just a teenage actress.