The Little Prince and the Rose had been together for so long that neither could remember a time without the other.
The Rose, bound to remain still and fragile, and the Little Prince, slowly growing weary of the tiny asteroid they shared.
The ending to their story was predictably bittersweet, yet promised an unexpected twist.
This was the beginning of The Story of Stars and Moon, an adaptation of The Little Prince. However, the hugging scene wasn’t until the end, which is why they were rehearsing lines related to that part.
I didn’t expect her to be this shocked.
Maybe he should’ve signaled his intent? He quickly unscrewed a water bottle and handed it to Sujin.
"Sorry, did I startle you? This line is all about timing and breathing; I must have rushed it."
He added an apology.
Smack!
He received another playful slap.
Sujin drank some water, her eyes shooting daggers at him.
"Yeah! Who jumps into lines like that? This is live theater—you mess up the timing, and it’s all over!"
She seemed genuinely frustrated, her cheeks turning the color of a rose.
Sujin’s truly serious about acting.
He acknowledged his mistake.
"Just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll cue my lines in sync." "Wait, so when I respond with my line, you’re going to hug me right away?" "Well... hug as in embrace? Or maybe we could just gesture it?" "Th-that’s the same thing! Anyway, fine, so that’s what it is." "I thought you knew that already?" "N-no, I mean, the situation... I didn’t expect this to be how it would go."
Her flustered stammering made it clear how unprepared she was. Perhaps it was his sudden shift into character or maybe the rose he’d tucked behind her ear.
Since he couldn’t do much at the moment, he waited for her to regain her composure.
About thirty seconds later, her face began to return to its natural color.
"Whew... Okay, I’m calm now." "Shall we start again?" "Huh? Start what again?" "The hugging practice—that’s why you’re here, right?" "W-what? Are you saying I came here just to hug you?"
Scratch that. Her face was bright red again.
How can she blush so vividly?
It was almost like watching a character from a cartoon.
Was it like this back then, too?
Without realizing it, he reached out, a habit from their childhood in kindergarten.
Boop.
He gently tapped her cheek.
"W-what are you doing?"
It took him about five seconds to realize how strange this was.
"Huh?" "What?" "What is your hand doing?" "Oh... ah."
Why did I touch her cheek?
He couldn’t explain it, but he felt a strong need to justify himself.
"I was just thinking... maybe we could try hugging while I hold your cheek?"
He played it off as part of the scene.
Smack!
Another hit.
Why is she always hitting me in the same spot?
If not for his abs, he might’ve felt queasy by now.
Shouldn’t we start with our lines?
This explains the long lead-up.
Did I squeeze too hard?
I’m done! That was insane!
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