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“We Are the Flame, Exclusive Pre-Interview with Theater Company Flame!”

■ Broadcast: SKS Radio <Bae Minhyung’s Culture Train>

■ Host: Bae Minhyung

■ Interview: Theater Company Flame

Q. Hello.

A. (Theater Company Flame) Hello.

Q. With the recent surge of interest in Theater Company Flame, how much do you feel this enthusiasm?

A. (Jang Geonho) People preparing for the stage don’t really know much about outside news. But I think our youngest member has some idea.

Q. By youngest, you mean actor Kim Donghu? How is it that only Kim Donghu knows?

A. (Kim Donghu) Ah, I think it’s because of our agency. Veritas handles a lot of the non-stage elements.

Q. Then may I ask again if you feel the enthusiasm?

A. The phone keeps ringing non-stop. Our CEO could jump rope with his dark circles at this point.

Q. Haha, I see. Next question. How exactly did Theater Company Flame come to be?

A. (Bong Jinwoo, belatedly noticing everyone looking at him) Ah, well… I honestly didn’t expect it to grow this big. Everyone here is so amazing, and I just briefly gathered my courage, so…

Q. Courage?

A. (Kim Donghu) On the day of the entrance ceremony, he suddenly grabbed me and asked me to look at a script. He was so confident, doing all these (makes elaborate hand gestures)

A. (Everyone bursts into laughter)

Q. So all of this started with recruiting just one person?

A. (Bong Jinwoo) Yes, yes… I suppose you could say that.

Q. When did you first think about creating theater for children?

A. From the initial planning stage, I wanted to create something for children.

Q. From the beginning? So you had this idea even before Flame was born?

A. That’s right.

Q. Wow, that’s amazing. Theater for children! I’m really looking forward to it.

A. We appreciate your anticipation. We hope to see you at the theater next week!

Q. Haha, shall we continue? Next question! First…”

The full interview spread quickly through fan cafes as soon as it was released.

It started with simple questions about the work and planning intentions, followed by brief introductions of the actors’ roles and casual updates on their recent activities.

For fans, it was a flood of information they had been curious about.

And simultaneously, a contradictory situation arose.

ㄴWhen can we book tickets? I want to see the performance too!

ㄴThey said the first performance is for children? I want to be a child too, this is driving me crazy;;;

ㄴThe intention is so good I can’t even complain;

ㄴI have money but can’t book tickets, what kind of nonsense is this

While they promoted it, the actual target audience for the play couldn’t see the promotion.

How would young children separately look for full interview transcripts?

Even the oldest would be middle school students,

so there was difficulty in finding information.

Meanwhile, hardcore fans were already well-versed in these details.

When the actors they wanted to see seemed like unattainable dreams, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.

But Choi Seokho had precisely caught this issue.

After glancing at the interview content, Choi Seokho continued the meeting.

“Let’s do performances for children on weekdays, and for the general public on weekends.”

“Yes, I think that would be good. Children can make time on weekdays after all.”

“Since we need to show it to the waiting children first, the first week will definitely be fixed for children.”

“So for the second week, Wednesday through Friday for children, and Saturday and Sunday for the general public?”

“Yes, that’s right. We’ll continue like that through the second week, and from the third week, we’ll mix audiences without distinction.”

“Hmm, understood.”

By adjusting the performance schedule so the general public could see it as quickly as possible,

he employed a strategy to maintain the enthusiasm and interest in Theater Company Flame.

‘Once people see a performance, word of mouth is inevitable.’

Although he had only seen one rehearsal due to his schedule,

Choi Seokho felt that “Story of the Moon and the Stars” was more overwhelming than any play he had ever seen.

And so time passed until the following week.

The ignition day of Theater Company Flame approached.

+++++

Children are pure.

Looking at the world without prejudice or preconceptions,

they offer only the most honest and truthful answers.

But sometimes, because of this, they grow up quickly.

If the world they see without deception doesn’t allow childishness,

children try to become adults faster than anyone else.

They don’t look for candy or sweets,

they only adjust themselves to reality,

and endlessly worry about what the best judgment they can make right now is.

And their conclusion is always:

“It would be better to do another part-time job than waste time watching this.”

“But since the director told us to watch it, shouldn’t we just keep quiet?”

“Honestly, you’re right. Even if Jinwoo hyung is the director, how is this going to help us?”

Their thoughts were filled only with solving the poverty of reality.

Children from the same orphanage as Bong Jinwoo.

They were traveling on a shuttle bus operated by the Seoul Arts Center.

“Why bother watching when we don’t even know who’s who?”

“But you at least know Kim Donghu, right?”

“Even if I know him, I don’t know what he does. He’s probably just some good-looking actor.”

The TV at the orphanage was always dominated by the younger children,

so even the relatively older children tended to watch what was on.

“Instead of wasting time like this, I’d definitely be better off watching Power Rangers or Kamen Rider and then going to my part-time job.”

“Oh stop complaining, Jinwoo oppa made this play!”

“I know, that’s why I’m going. If it weren’t for Jinwoo hyung, I would have skipped it.”

While the orphanage children were chattering noisily, they also held tremendous expectations for the play.

Though they didn’t know the details, they were told it was a play with luxury actors, so naturally they couldn’t help but be curious.

The feeling of enjoying a luxury they thought they would never have.

The middle school student who had initially complained about part-time jobs,

Lee Jinseok, tried to act cool while suppressing the corners of his mouth that kept twitching upward.

‘I wonder how fun it will be.’

With such expectations, he blinked a few times.

When Jinseok came to his senses, the stage was already before his eyes.

‘…It’s huge.’

The Opera Theater, was it?

It was a jaw-dropping size.

They said it could easily seat at least 2,000 people.

To think Jinwoo hyung directed a play on such a stage.

‘I want to shout and brag about it!’

Jinseok desperately held back the urge to boast to the surrounding audience

that the director of this play was his hyung.

Inside the Opera Theater, bustling with children.

Even the orphanage directors who were managing them found it difficult to calm the noise.

Swish.

Slowly, the lights began to dim.

At this signal that instinctively indicated it was time to focus, silence fell over the theater as if it had never been noisy.

And right then.

“Why must we live looking at the stars and the moon?”

As the narration played,

the curtain of the stage lifted, and…

“How boring.”

A little prince appeared.

A brilliant crown, a red cape, and a royal robe studded with obviously luxurious jewels.

It was an outfit that could easily seem excessive if done wrong,

but no one was actually paying attention to the costume.

‘How can a person be so handsome?’

Usually when a play begins and the lights go out,

children who are easily frightened might burst into tears.

But even such children couldn’t think of crying and just stared at the little prince.

‘Handsome’ was a word commonly used when seeing a good-looking man.

And there were always additional expressions attached to it.

How this part is good,

how that aspect is attractive, and so on.

But for the little prince the children were seeing, such additional expressions were unnecessary.

He was just handsome.

There couldn’t possibly be lighting behind his face,

yet it created an illusion as if a bright light was rising around the little prince’s face.

“Wow.”

The children’s pure admiration burst forth.

He wasn’t even doing anything special.

He just said he was bored and then quietly looked at the audience.

The only unusual thing they noticed belatedly was the sword at his waist.

It was no different than having the prince of their dreams appear before their eyes.

‘Were our kids always this well-behaved?’

Even all the orphanage directors were surprised.

They learned for the first time that one person’s handsomeness could cause such silence.

“It’s too boring to stay on this tiny asteroid. Why am I in such a confined place?”

As soon as the little prince spoke, a middle-aged man wearing a large tree costume appeared.

Some children burst into laughter at his foolish expression and silly gestures,

and Jin Myeongtae’s silly tree performance began.

“You think this is confined? I think it’s too spacious! Look at this! I’m growing taller and taller!”

“That’s because you’re growing by eating everything else.”

“Huh? I don’t know about that! I just love eating and sleeping! That’s the most fun!”

Perfect vocalization.

Even when speaking in a whisper, his voice carried to the end of the auditorium.

The silly tree kept saying he wanted to grow.

It was like a child’s tantrum.

Not caring about real problems,

throwing a fit to get what he wanted regardless of what happened around him,

seeing this, the little prince let out a deep sigh.

“Fine, keep living like that. I’m leaving this place.”

The little prince feels fed up with the daily routine repeated over long years.

It felt like a wider world was waiting for him if he could just escape from here.

And then.

“Leaving? Here? You’re leaving here? Then what about me?”

A rose with a flushed face appeared.