“Siwoo! Say ‘Papa!’ Look at that man and say ‘Papa~!'”
Soojin pointed to the manager.
Siwoo puckered his tiny lips and shouted strongly.
“Papa~!”
“Ahh! Cute! Wow, it’s not fair how cute you are. But hey, Siwoo’s mom?”
Soojin called Hyunjoo.
“Yes?”
“Why doesn’t he cry? Does he never cry?”
“…He usually doesn’t cry much. He used to cry sometimes before he was 100 days old, but since then, unless he’s hungry or needs a diaper change, he doesn’t cry much.”
“Doesn’t he scream and cry at night to be put to bed?”
“If he’s sleepy, he fusses a bit asking to be put in his crib, and once he’s there, he sleeps by himself.”
Listening to their conversation, the manager recalled his niece’s bedtime tantrums and couldn’t help but be amazed.
“You are blessed. Putting my niece to sleep was a nightmare. She’d scream and arch her back.”
At that moment, the director appeared behind Hyunjoo and Heejoo.
“The atmosphere is better than I thought? Okay, if you’ve gotten acquainted, let’s get ready to shoot. Let’s finish quickly and wrap up.”
“Yes.”
Answering the director, Soojin also spoke to Siwoo.
“See you in a bit. Mom will be back after getting ready. Stay warm in the blanket.”
“Wow, I’ve never seen Soojin speak so kindly in my life,” the manager said.
Soojin checked her appearance and outfit with the stylists.
She read the script a few more times to prepare emotionally for the shoot.
It was time to transform from actress Lee Soojin into Yoonsoo, the character she had lived with for several months. It was also time to say goodbye to Yoonsoo.
The final scene was always special, even for Soojin, a ten-year veteran actress.
It was bittersweet.
She would miss Yoonsoo and suffer for a while, but it was part of the job. She was an actress.
***
From a distance, Siwoo closely observed Soojin’s changing expressions and eyes.
‘It’s amazing. The whole atmosphere changed.’
Siwoo had acted in a traveling theater group in the past.
It wasn’t as serious as this, more of an amateur group touring the kingdom’s villages, earning small sums and having fun with audiences.
‘It was quite fun.’
The preparations were complete.
Soojin, now dressed much lighter due to the fall setting of the drama, approached Siwoo.
It was November, but the drama’s timeline required her to wear thin clothes.
“Siwoo, let’s go.”
Shivering in the cold wind, Soojin held Siwoo as Hyunjoo had taught her.
“…Hang in there.”
Hyunjoo, despite her initial dislike for Soojin, felt a flicker of her fan admiration return, seeing Soojin seriously holding the baby in this weather.
Soojin was stunningly beautiful and impressive.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Soojin answered briefly, holding Siwoo and turning away.
“Siwoo, just stay comfortably in mom’s arms. Don’t cry, okay? Even if mom starts crying, don’t get scared.”
Soojin was worried that Siwoo might cry if she did.
It was a concern shared by the director and staff.
How terrifying would it be for a baby if a stranger suddenly held them and started sobbing?
“Siwoo, if you want to cry, cry quietly. Mom can handle that. But if you scream, mom will get a headache and her ears will ring. Please, okay? Though you probably don’t understand me… Who am I even talking to?”
“Boo boo boo…”
“Did you understand? Really? I’ll see if you did later. If you finish without crying, Mommy will buy you lots of presents. Please, don’t scream.”
“Boo boo boo…”
Soojin stood in front of the empty playground, holding Siwoo.
The scene itself was simple.
They would walk to the bench, exchange a few lines, sit down, and she would cry her heart out while looking at the child.
That was all.
But she had to draw out her emotions well.
She couldn’t cry her eyes out indiscriminately, nor could she suppress her tears.
She had to find that delicate balance.
That emotion would be the highlight of a drama with a 40% viewership rating.
She had to make everyone cry along with her.
Except for Siwoo.
“Ready, action!”
The director’s shout rang out.
Holding Siwoo tightly, Soojin slowly made her way to the playground bench.
Suddenly, everything went quiet, and only the sound of the wind could be heard.
The microphone followed Soojin from above.
She spoke a few lines, comforting the child in a familiar motherly tone.
Finally, she sat down on the bench.
The camera zoomed in, capturing both Soojin and Siwoo’s faces.
Soojin, who had tapped into her emotions, started shedding tears while looking at Siwoo.
It wasn’t sorrowful yet.
There was still room for a faint smile.
“It’s okay… It’s okay… My baby…”
As she gently stroked Siwoo and smiled, the sadness in Soojin’s eyes deepened.
Siwoo was surprised.
He was slightly shocked.
It was amazing that someone could transform so completely of their own will.
The Soojin who had been giggling in front of him just moments ago was nowhere to be found.
Now, there was a ‘mother’ caressing him with a resolute look in her eyes, shedding heartbreaking tears, promising to protect him no matter what.
‘Is this acting? Acting is incredible.’
Seeing Soojin’s intense performance up close, Siwoo suddenly felt a desire to do something himself.
He couldn’t explain why, but he didn’t want to just lie there and watch this woman, who had become his mother, cry so painfully.
‘What should I do?’
Soojin was fully expressing her emotions, tears streaming down her cheeks in sorrow.
Everyone held their breath, watching her performance.
It was an overwhelming pull.
What had placed Soojin at the top was nothing but her unparalleled acting skills, overshadowing her peers.
Perhaps because it was the final scene, everyone on set sensed that Soojin’s performance this time was extraordinary.
The staff, captivated by the aura emanating from her acting, really hoped the baby wouldn’t suddenly start crying.
Even Hyunjoo, who knew nothing about acting, clasped her hands together, praying that Soojin’s excellent performance wouldn’t be interrupted by Siwoo.
At that moment, when everyone was hoping Siwoo would do nothing, he broke their expectations by making a sound.
“Mama….”
“…Yes. I’m your mom.”
The staff worried the flow might be disrupted, but Soojin naturally ad-libbed and continued sobbing.
It was then.
“Mama….”
Calling out more clearly, Siwoo raised his small, pretty hands to touch the tears on Soojin’s cheeks.
When Siwoo’s warm hands touched her face, Soojin was suddenly overwhelmed, and more emotions surged up.
And thus began the performance of Soojin’s life, one that would turn homes across the country into tearful havens.
* * *
“Sniff.”
The director took off his glasses and wiped his tears.
To think he would cry while shooting a drama at his age.
After taking a deep breath, the director let out an awkward laugh and said,
“If Soojin doesn’t win an acting award at the end of the year, I’ll flip the table. I didn’t expect the first shoot to go this well. The baby played a huge part! Wow, amazing. Not only did he not cry, but he also matched her performance. Where did you find such a baby? Double his fee.”
As the director joked, the staff wiped their tears and agreed.
“Call Soojin over to monitor the footage, and if there are no problems with the video… let’s wrap it up. Early wrap! Everyone, thank the baby actor for his brilliant performance!”
The director’s satisfaction was evident in his voice.
The staff showered the baby actor with praise for pulling off a perfect take in one go.
Meanwhile, there was someone who couldn’t join in the celebration.
“How could this happen? How could this happen? How could he say ‘mom’ for the first time to the mom in the drama? This isn’t right!”
Her older sister, Heejoo, placed a hand on Hyunjoo’s shoulder and said,
“Hyunjoo, you didn’t give birth to a baby.”
“…Then?”
“You gave birth to an actor.”
“Oh, come on! Rewind the time quickly! I want to hear him say ‘mom’! I shouldn’t have come to the shoot! What is this!”
* * *
– It’s been a while since I’ve seen a legend. The script, direction, and acting were all amazing!
– I’ve seen many dramas start strong and end weak, but this is the first time I’ve seen one start weak and end strong. After the older generation exited and Soojin appeared, it suddenly skyrocketed, right?
– When Soojin cried holding the baby at the end, my whole family cried too ㅠ.ㅠ
– An irreplaceable drama. But at this point, shouldn’t they have renamed it to Miss Moonlight… amazing.
– Who is Soojin? She’s still young, but her acting details… wow, and when the baby called her ‘mom’ and touched her face at the end, it was so sad I couldn’t breathe ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– The baby was so cute, he was acting with lines ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– The baby calling her ‘mom’ really ㅠㅠㅠㅠ and he’s so cute! And Soojin showed the other young actresses what class is. You guys are just extras.
– ㅠㅠ Thank you for everything~ Live happily with Yoonsoo and the baby… In the end, everyone except Soojin and the baby died ㅠㅠ It was a life-changing drama.
After the final episode of “Mr. Moonlight” aired, viewers’ reactions exploded.
The peak viewership rate per minute for the final ending scene was an impressive 50.6%.
