Chapter 111: In a Different League
TL: Aniea
The final rehearsal concluded safely, and after another day had passed, it was finally the day of the performance.
Those who had managed to secure tickets entered the venue with excited expressions on their faces.
The age range was very diverse, from elderly people wearing fedoras to young children who had come with their parents. People of all ages and genders were mingled together.
“Wow, they remodeled this whole place?”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah. Our company commander was a very devout Christian. He used to gather the entire battalion here now and then for various events.”
“Really?”
“Man, back then the air conditioning barely worked, it felt like we were going to die from the heat. But now it’s super comfortable? They remodeled everything from the chairs onward. This is insane.”
A man who kept letting out exclamations of amazement, and a woman beside him nodding along eagerly as she listened.
Because their voices weren’t exactly quiet, people nearby also started looking around the theater in wonder.
“Oppa, was that screen there before?”
“No. That wasn’t there before.”
“...Don’t tell me they’re using it for the performance?”
“Probably, right?”
The man shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but the woman, who had swept through Daehangno as a theater enthusiast, had an entirely different impression. [TL: Daehangno is Seoul's famous theater district]
She knew very well how difficult it was for an actor to act while also being mindful of a screen projection.
Even just organizing stage movements alone requires an enormous amount of effort and time.
‘...It’s probably just a simple background, right? Or maybe it’s a screen to show a documentary video before or after the performance. Anything beyond that doesn’t make sense.’
Of course, it still didn’t make sense to install such expensive equipment just to play a simple video.
In South Korea, especially in a children's play that was closer to a school talent show, thinking of a 2.5D production was not an easy leap, even for a hardcore fan.
“Shall we sit down, too?”
“Let’s do that.”
Pushing aside the rising questions, the couple took their seats. Following behind them, others also began to find their spots one by one.
The seats were soon completely filled, and as if waiting for that moment, the lights dimmed to set the mood.
Noticing the imminent start of the performance, everyone fell silent, and a calm stillness settled over the room.
“Hello, everyone!”
Pop-!
Breaking the silence at that moment was Writer Jung Ha-rin. With a voice full of energy, she greeted the audience.
“Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence! I’m Jung Ha-rin, the writer of <Snow White and the Prince of the Forest>. Before we begin the play, there are a few things I’d like to mention....”
Jung Ha-rin, who insisted on being the host, confidently explained the viewing precautions and a brief summary of the play without hesitation.
She even threw in a few light jokes along the way, and the audience’s reactions were better than expected.
Wahaha-
Thanks to that, the audience, who had been stiff with nerves, relaxed a bit and could now watch the play in a more comfortable state.
“If I go on too long, I might be hated, right? Well then, thank you for waiting! We’ll now begin the play. Please welcome the actors with loud cheers and applause!”
“Waaaaah!!”
Clap clap clap clap-!
As cheers poured in, Jung Ha-rin exited the stage. At that moment, all the lights in the theater turned off.
Right after, a large screen at the front lit up, and a video with a cute, whimsical art style appeared.
– Once upon a time, long, long ago, a beautiful princess was born in the Kingdom of Mirae. The princess was...
A short animation, created with professional voice actors and a fairy tale writer, captivated everyone’s eyes and ears.
It certainly was a children’s play. At that moment, everyone silently nodded in agreement.
“Aaah~♩”
“The princess’s name is Luna~♪”
“Round eyes just like a full moon~♬”
Suddenly, a clear and beautiful voice rang out and struck their ears. People turned their heads in surprise toward the source of the voice.
‘...What the?’
‘...Is it a choir?’
‘...When did they get over there?’
In a space set up to the side of the stage, where there had clearly been nothing just moments ago, a choir was now raising their voices.
Regardless of when they had taken their positions, everyone was left speechless by the choir’s sophisticated, unified costumes and the beautiful harmony that filled the entire theater.
‘This is better than I expected?’
‘They really nailed the sound, too.’
‘Hmph. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.’
Among the audience were journalists Kim Eun-ha had discreetly invited, as well as experts from various fields.
Until just before the performance began, their expressions had been indifferent, but now their eyes sparkled in unison.
They had intended to just check in for attendance and post pre-written articles online for the sake of the newly built theater, Mirae Group, or Kim Eun-ha’s publicity.
‘...Should I watch a bit more?’
The opening alone was enough to make them think that way. Since it was already satisfying even to the experts, to the general public, it was simply astonishing.
It greatly eased the anxieties of those who had feared they’d just wasted money on tickets.
“Your Majesty! Thank you for your hard work!”
“She’s a beautiful princess!”
“I hear the excited songs of the fairies!”
Their attention on the choir lasted only briefly.
As the lights on stage turned on, the actors made their appearance. Children dressed as handmaidens chattered while holding small bundles in their arms.
Perhaps due to the fully packed audience, signs of nervousness were slightly visible, but it wasn’t enough to be distracting.
Rather, it was amazing that these kids, who had only recently been ordinary high school students, had managed to come this far.
‘Yeah, this is about what I expected.’
‘You can tell they practiced hard.’
‘It’s unreasonable to expect performances on par with professional actors.’
The experts didn’t think too deeply about it. They hadn’t hired professional actors to begin with, so this level was more than acceptable.
Thanks to the earlier choir performance that had already softened their mood, the children just looked adorably earnest. At least until the queen appeared.
“Come here, my baby.”
“......!!”
The moment Kang Han-na appeared, everyone’s eyes were filled with shock. Her presence, impossible to describe in words, completely dominated the stage.
It wasn’t even a particularly dramatic scene. It was just the scene announcing the birth of the princess.
Not only general audience members but even the experts couldn’t take their eyes off Kang Han-na’s face.
‘Is she a rookie actress?’
‘Her stage presence is incredible.’
‘I’ve never heard of an actress like her?’
As they stared at Kang Han-na as if hypnotized, they all came to the same thought almost simultaneously.
That girl was in a different league.
A new superstar had been born.
‘...Damn. I’ll have to rewrite my article.’
‘...Should I go out first and break the story?’
'...I should watch a bit longer to see if that's her real ability.'
While they were debating, Kang Han-na’s acting continued. At some point, the audience became fully immersed in the play.
All the complex cost-benefit calculations that had been running through their heads were pushed aside, and they began enjoying the performance as pure audience members.
Thanks to that, the play flowed smoothly up to the scene where the Evil Sorcerer crashes the banquet hall.
“Give me the princess.”
“How dare you-!!”
The enraged king personally drew his sword, but the sorcerer didn’t even bother to sneer. He merely flicked his hand lightly into the air as if swatting away a fly.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
Suddenly, the screen at the back of the stage flickered, and countless ice arrows formed in midair and rained down toward the king.
“......!!”
It was an effect so unexpected in a stage play that gasps echoed throughout the audience.
Ordinarily, such a break in immersion might have made people frown, but the audience, startled at heart, couldn’t even turn their heads.
“Grrraahh-!!”
The king collapsed to his knees.
Because Kim Cheol-su had poured his soul into this scene through special training with Kang Woo-ju, the result was far more realistic than expected.
Completely absorbed in the moment, the audience covered their mouths with both hands. Some children even screamed and pointed fingers at the sorcerer.
“Your Majesty-!!”
“Protect the princess!”
“Defeat the Evil Sorcerer!”
The knights nearby all drew their swords and rushed in, but they all fell to their knees before they could even get close to the sorcerer.
“Must you shed more blood?”
“.......”
Even as everyone trembled in fear and stepped back before the overwhelming power, the queen's eyes remained calm.
She handed the princess in her arms to a knight and ordered them to flee into the Forest of the Labyrinth. Then, she picked up the sword the king had dropped.
“You’re not as wise as the rumors claimed, are you?”
As if believing there was no escape from the palm of his hand, the Evil Sorcerer smiled leisurely.
In contrast, the queen maintained a cold expression. With a resolute voice, as if prepared for death, she spoke.
“What kind of mother would sell her own child, even when faced with evil?”
“No matter how much ants struggle, the result is the same. Then wouldn’t it be wiser for a leader to willingly swallow their pride and secure practical gains for the people?”
“Spare me your deceitful tongue. Even if I were to bow my head, would you leave the people alone? Only a life worse than slavery would await them.”
“Hmm. Perhaps the rumors weren’t so baseless after all? Indeed, compared to that puppet of a king, you are far more suited for the throne.”
"You wretch!"
Unable to endure it any longer, the queen lunged forward, and the sorcerer shook his head as if disappointed and said,
“I’ll take good care of the princess.”
“Don’t... talk... nonsense...”
Thud-!
As the queen collapsed too, a heavy silence fell over the banquet hall. Those who survived were trembling, thinking only of how to escape.
Smirk-
Looking down at them quietly, the Evil Sorcerer slowly curled his lips into a smile.
Snap-!
Then, he snapped his fingers into the air, and all the lights in the theater went out, plunging the room into darkness.
“.......”
“.......”
With the actors silent and the audience stunned, a deep stillness spread throughout the space.
Rustle-rustle-!
Meanwhile, someone began moving quickly in the dimness of the stage, and within a few seconds, the lights came back on.
"Oh my God."
“Wowww....”
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
As if denying the silence from just moments ago, exclamations burst from the audience all at once.
What they saw was a knight holding a small bundle in his arms, galloping on horseback.
The background behind the screen moved rapidly, giving the illusion that the knight was truly riding a horse.
"That's as far as your little trick goes."
Ahh-
Thanks to that, when the Evil Sorcerer blocked the knight’s path, everyone let out sighs.
“No-!!”
Ohhh-!
When the bundle containing the princess was sucked into the Forest of the Labyrinth (between two screens where a swirling pattern appeared), the audience clenched their fists tightly.
"...Did you think I would back down so easily?!"
With that realistic cry from Seo Jun-woo, who played the Evil Sorcerer, the stage lights went out once more.
Clap clap clap clap clap-
Even though they knew clapping during the performance was poor manners, the audience willingly applauded the magnificent prologue.
-Time passed. The princess, taken in by the seven fairies, had now grown into a young adult.
Just as the applause began to fade, the narration came in at just the right moment.
The lights slowly lifted, revealing a new character, and the choir began singing again.
However, the audience could no longer focus on the song. The sight of the princess on stage had completely captivated their senses.
“Phew, laundry’s done!”
Wiping sweat from her forehead with a bright smile, Kim Eun-ha looked so pure and beautiful, she wouldn’t seem out of place in a commercial.
“...Goddess?”
A murmur, likely from a member of Kim Eun-ha’s fan café, “Milky Way”. In response, the audience subconsciously nodded in agreement.
Even Kang Han-na, who had appeared earlier.
Even the 2.5D production using screens.
Even Seo Jun-woo, who had given a passionate performance.
All of them seemed like fireflies before the sun compared to the impact of Kim Eun-ha’s entrance scene.
*****
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