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<"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds"> is a drama consisting of two arcs, each with its own introduction, development, transition, and conclusion.

The filming for the conclusion of the first arc, ‘The Union of Lee Hyun and Yeongwol,’ has just been completed.

There is about a month left until the first broadcast.

The early episodes of <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds"> have already been edited, so there shouldn’t be any major issues with the broadcast.

“Hmm… I can’t stop thinking about the casting of <"Full Moon Lovers">.”

“Honestly, we’re at a disadvantage. They filled every role, even the minor ones, with seasoned actors.”

The issue arose when new articles related to the competing drama <"Full Moon Lovers"> on MBS started flooding the internet.

The two leads of <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds">, Yoo Sungjae and Ha Eun, were what you’d call ‘young blood.’

While both were undoubtedly talented actors, it was rare for either Yoo Sungjae or Ha Eun to have genuinely starred in a leading role.

On the other hand, <"Full Moon Lovers"> consisted mostly of ‘proven’ actors in its cast.

To exaggerate slightly, one might worry about the financial state of MBS’s drama department.

Just as the KBC drama department poured its heart into <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds">, MBS was sharpening its swords for battle too.

Given that KBC’s drama department had suffered nothing but failures for the past three years, it was natural for them to feel somewhat suppressed.

However, when it came to desperation for success, they would never fall behind MBS.

“MPN News just asked us for our promotional dance footage!”

“MPN? Isn’t that a cable network?”

“So what if it’s a cable network? They came to interview citizens and everything!”

“Okay, okay, calm down, Writer Kim. You’re too worked up.”

An active promotional campaign began, featuring special dance videos of the lead and supporting male actors.

After all, this <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds"> had to be a success.

The goal was to undoubtedly end the stagnation that’s lasted for three years.

Thus, for the success of <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds">, they were willing to use any means necessary.

The fact that a fairly large-scale production press conference was held less than a week after the special dance video’s release was due to this approach.

It was a strategy to complement the attention garnered by the special dance video with press conference articles.

“Alright, could you both show your signature poses for us?”

“Sure! This time, look to the right.”

And so, Ha Eun ended up facing a multitude of reporters.

Countless requests for poses.

And, countless camera flashes.

‘…I hope I don’t ruin my eyes with this.’

There was nothing easy or comfortable about it.

Though I didn’t show it on the outside.

The photo time continued for quite a while afterward.

Since photo time was indeed part of the press conference, there was no thought of slacking off.

‘How long do I have to keep my arms crossed?’

It wasn’t easy to strike romantic poses as Yeongwol, who is the counterpart of Crown Prince Lee Hyun in <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds">.

Perhaps it was because I had maintained a calm expression during filming, save for actual shoots.

Even though Yoo Sungjae and I were not that awkward with each other, it was tough to create the lovey-dovey atmosphere or the sweet gazes the reporters were hoping to see.

To put it nicely, it was a poker face.

To put it badly, it was dry as dust.

For Yoo Sungjae, who was standing right next to Ha Eun, it was hard not to be concerned about her appearance.

His cautious voice whispered to Ha Eun five minutes later.

“…Ha Eun, are you not feeling well today?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

“…If you’re really struggling, just say so.”

“…Talking like this is hard.”

“…Sorry.”

And so, Yoo Sungjae, who had tried to look out for Ha Eun, clamped his mouth shut again.

The event organizer concluded that continuing couple photos would yield no benefit and moved on to individual photos.

From the moment Ha Eun was left standing alone in front of the cameras, it was comparatively better.

While standing together with Yoo Sungjae, she had to match poses proper for a girlfriend of Lee Hyun, but standing solo allowed her to just display Yeongwol’s weighty demeanor.

‘For sure, being alone really allows one’s charm to shine.’

‘Wow, she’s still in high school, but that charisma….’

‘So fierce, so fierce.’

Thanks to this, Ha Eun’s burden began to ease little by little.

The blinding flashes from numerous cameras continued, but.

About three minutes later, Ha Eun’s solo photo time came to an end.

After this, she would only need to watch as Yoo Sungjae went through his individual photo time.

However, after Yoo Sungjae’s solo photos were finished, a Q&A session with numerous reporters was scheduled.

“Just in case, you should drink some water beforehand, Ha Eun.”

“Ah, thank you, unnie.”

Taking a few swigs from the bottled water offered by Joo Jeong-yun, she speculated on the kinds of questions she might face.

It was after that that she reunited with Jin Kyusaeng, who had briefly stepped away.

“Wow, dressed properly, you really look like a different person.”

“…Director, you look great too.”

“I’m fine. In situations like this, it’s the actors who should stand out.”

Jin Kyusaeng’s remark that directors should intentionally dress poorly to look like directors left Ha Eun unable to either agree or disagree, only giving a slightly awkward smile.

There was an element of doubt in distinguishing whether it was a joke or a serious comment.

As she stood silently in the slightly tense atmosphere with Jin Kyusaeng, Yoo Sungjae’s photo time soon ended.

Once the microphone and table were set up for the Q&A, she began to step onto the stage with Jin Kyusaeng to methodically respond to reporters’ questions.

During the roughly 30-minute Q&A, no particularly difficult questions arose.

Almost all of them were about her role as Yeongwol.

However, among the multitude of inquiries, when asked about her feelings on participating as a leading character, she answered.

“I performed as the protagonist… Thank you for your expectations.”

Her expression and voice became noticeably more serious.

It was better to appear confident as a lead, after all.

Because of this, Yoo Sungjae’s expression improved significantly, as he had been worried about Ha Eun’s condition until moments before.

Ha Eun needed to be in good condition for the <"Two Nights Three Days"> recording scheduled for two days later.

That’s why, even after the press conference ended, she had asked for a moment of his time regarding <"Two Nights Three Days">.

They needed to discuss the recording for <"Two Nights Three Days"> at least once.

Yoo Sungjae and Ha Eun were set to appear as guests on <"Two Nights Three Days">, primarily to promote <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds">.

So,

“It would be good to share some episodes that occurred during the drama filming in between recording.”

“Episodes? Like what?”

“Hmm… the time I almost hit you with a veil during the first episode filming?”

“…I didn’t actually mean to hit you! Really.”

Conversations about topics to share during the <"Two Nights Three Days"> recording,

“So if you end up sleeping outdoors, what will you do?”

“I’ll have to sleep outside. A penalty is a penalty.”

“There will probably be a ton of mosquitoes in the mountains, though?”

“…Well, that might be a problem.”

Conversations related to the unique penalties that could be expected on <"Two Nights Three Days">.

Or,

“I heard Seongho-hyung say that this time, we’ll be directly harvesting watermelons to make some punch.”

“Seongho-hyung? Do you know Jang Seongho?”

“Ah, yes. We’ve filmed together a few times.”

Sharing stories about Jang Seongho, the main MC of <"Two Nights Three Days">.

In the end, for Yoo Sungjae and Ha Eun, the shooting of <"Two Nights Three Days"> needed to go smoothly.

Moreover, it was also good for <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds">.

Leaving a good impression on the audience of <"Two Nights Three Days"> would pique their interest in <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds"> as well.

“Let’s do our best this time too.”

“Sure.”

After exchanging farewells with promises to meet again in two days’ time, Ha Eun parted ways with Yoo Sungjae.

Yet, the reason Ha Eun’s mind remained in a tangle was.

‘…The recording starts at 8 AM for sure.’

It was the relatively early start time for <"Two Nights Three Days">.

Coincidentally, the day before the recording was scheduled to be a collaboration with the members of Hwasanghyang.

Since this collaboration was the official first for Hwasanghyang, there wasn’t a thought of missing it.

But,

‘Should I take some energy drinks?’

She kept worrying about the exhaustion she felt after each of her VTuber broadcasts.

The filming for <"The Moonlight Cut by Clouds"> started at 3 PM, so she had been able to shoot after recovering the energy spent on the VTuber broadcast.

But this recording for <"Two Nights Three Days"> was going to start at 8 AM.

Thus, she had to somehow recover the energy spent from the Hwasanghyang collaboration by that early morning.

She wanted to avoid a scenario where the Hwasanghyang collaboration negatively impacted the <"Two Nights Three Days"> shoot.

Following a prolonged period of consideration.

However, Ha Eun’s issues were resolved on the day of the Hwasanghyang collaboration.

– Ding!

<"You are a ‘Murderer’! Kill all citizens, remaining undetected from everyone’s suspicion.”>

– Oh my gosh

– “Dia is the murderer, what is going on?”

– A one-year-old murderer, oh wow

– Does she even know what murder is?

– Dia’s going to get caught right away

– Killing 2-3 people is considered a lot in this case

This time, the Hwasanghyang collaboration set up the content of ‘Hide and Seek with the Murderer’ taking place within the game [Minecraft].

The scenario encompassed a confrontation between the murderer, who must kill all other members, and the citizens, who must unearth and capture the identity of said murderer.

There were a total of 9 participants in the content.

In addition to the five members of Hwasanghyang, four more members from the [Daramji Crew], including Ji Heemin, were joining.

The key point was that Ha Eun was currently the only one playing the role of the murderer.

In other words, it meant that Dia now had to act and speak as the ‘murderer.’

“Alright, everyone scatter! Let’s find clues about the murderer!”

Once the actual content began, Dia effectively cast away her naturally high tension and cheerful voice.

During the process of wandering to find other members to eliminate, she continued to speak in hushed tones.

“I need to find the sound of footsteps…☆.”

– She’s so cute whispering like that

– Look how immersed she is

– Our Dia player is a pro, totally pro

– The world’s first ASMR-style murderer, lol

Thanks to this, her stamina didn’t deplete too much.

The pressure on her throat was comparably lighter than usual.

Was that why?

“Ah, Dia!”

“…Hello, unnie….”

Dia maintained her low energy when she encountered Cream, one of the citizens she had to eliminate.

When Cream asked her why she was whispering, she replied.

“…What if the murderer is listening….”

“…Now that you mention it, that makes sense?”

Framing Dia’s sudden drop in energy as a fear of the murderer rationalized her quieter tone.

Regardless, the ‘citizens’ had to run away from the murderer, who could spring up anywhere.

Somehow, Cream also began speaking in a whisper, just like Dia.

Having met, they decided to stick together to look for clues about the murderer’s identity.

“Wow, Dia! Look, there’s a chest over there…!”

But just at that moment when Cream was about to find the first hint about the murderer.

-Swoosh.

At this point, Dia, who had not been holding anything until now, grasped a small, sharp object in her hand.

And, less than a few seconds later.

“…Goodbye☆”

-Swish—!!

“?!?!?!!?!”

With a clean motion, Cream’s avatar was completely eliminated.

– Ahhh!!

– What the heck was that just now?

– What was that voice?

– So creepy, wtf

– Cream, I’m freaked out

– Is that really Dia?

“Ah, no…. Wait, hold on a sec, I’m so surprised, um, I’ll just drink some water.”

After standing up from the broadcasting chair and heading towards the living room, Cream’s hand was slightly trembling.

Her heart was still racing.

‘Why did it have to be Ha Eun.’

The chilling voice she had just heard wouldn’t leave Cream’s mind.

Is this what a ‘moment of being in the zone’ feels like?

For an actress like Ha Eun to be seen through by a regular citizen like Cream was akin to picking stars from the sky.

In a blink, she was deceived.

Despite there being seven citizens left,

For some reason, she felt that those seven citizens would be unable to figure out Dia’s true identity.