* * *
At that moment, President Seo quietly interjected.
“Yes. Soo-jung boasts about it every day.”
“Really? I’m so jealous!”
“Every day, she says she gets welcomed home with this smile.”
“Oh my, really! It must be worth going home. When I go home, only laundry is waiting!”
The staff laughed.
Then suddenly, President Seo looked in the mirror and started combing his hair.
“What is this?”
Are you going somewhere?
Even adjusting his tie, something seemed off.
President Seo muttered to himself.
“Should I put on makeup? That might be too much, so I didn’t. Should’ve used more cucumber last night.”
What?
Excuse me?
What’s going on?
“I need to impress my princess at home.”
What for?
He patted his clothes and made eye contact with me.
“Uncle, what are you doing?”
“Oh? Preparing? Ah, I regret it. Remember this, Kongja. Always be prepared. I should’ve gone to the dermatologist yesterday.”
Why are you acting like this?
Is something up?
“There’s no choice. I have to trust in my good looks.”
It was getting more suspicious.
As I tilted my head, President Seo shot a finger gun at the mirror.
“Wow…”
For a moment, I felt an intense urge to be far away from him.
‘But as a baby, I can’t run away far.’
I quietly turned around.
That was the best I could do.
* * *
The shooting continued.
The director kept marveling at me in the rabbit hoodie and even gave me acting directions.
“Kongja, do you see that bush? No, you might not understand ‘bush.’ Do you see that plant?”
Wouldn’t ‘plant’ be just as confusing, director?
“I understand.”
I nodded.
“Yes!”
“Peek your head out from there!”
Aha.
“Like you’re playing hide-and-seek with a friend! You’ve played that, right?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t have friends yet.”
“What?”
“Director, he probably hasn’t gone to daycare yet.”
“Oh, that makes sense!”
Yes, that’s right. By the way, I probably won’t go to daycare.
“My mom is likely to hire a nanny…”
Thinking about it, since it’s Mom, that’s possible.
“So you might not know hide-and-seek.”
Excuse me, director.
“I play that with my aunt!”
“Oh! I see! Then, Kongja, can you do it from there?”
I nodded.
The staff immediately moved me to the bush.
First, I checked the camera direction.
“Another front shot.”
The director looked at the monitor.
I popped out of the bush with a surprised expression.
The director was instantly impressed.
“Wow.”
“Wow.”
“Assistant director, I’m serious, could he be a genius?”
“Right? Even with vague instructions, he gets it perfectly.”
“Genius, genius. Let’s go while the Kongja still has the knack!”
The camera director rushed over.
I wiggled back into the bush.
“They do realize their explanations weren’t clear.”
They must often work with child actors, they should improve a bit.
Soon, I heard the awaited cue.
“Standby! Action!”
I popped out of the bush as before, but this time I blinked slightly.
“Cut! Wow, this is even better.”
“Maybe because his eyes are big, the blinking really stands out.”
“He already seems to know how to use his facial muscles well, like he knows what expression he’s making.”
Of course.
“Do you think I spent so much time in front of a mirror for nothing?”
Honestly, it was hard to get used to.
“Blinking is relatively easy, but precise expressions are still tough.”
I’m not yet fully adapted to my bone structure and muscles.
“Well, only steady practice will help with that.”
Just then, there was a bit of noise.
The director looked at the monitor, then glanced back.
“Oh, they must be here.”
“Yes. It’s a showbiz interview. They said they were going to film us.”
The cameraman entered immediately.
The director nodded and said,
“Let’s move on to the next scene.”
“Yes! Kongja, move to the side a bit. Yes, there! Just do it exactly like before!”
The filming continued.
I stood in front of the camera again.
“Standby, cue!”
I rose up from the bushes again.
‘This is really fun.’
Maybe it’s because it’s been a while. It was even more fun.
* * *
The boss adjusted his clothes and hugged me.
‘I was wondering why he did that earlier…’
So, this was the reason.
The boss hugged me and sat down on a chair.
There was a reporter next to him.
‘Well, usually kids sit on adults’ laps.’
Though I could sit by myself.
The reporter seemed ready, looking at the camera.
The cue sign came immediately.
“Hello, viewers of ‘Celebrity Walk’ Today, I’m at the filming site of a very famous baby, Kongja, for a clothing commercial!”
I see. Welcome.
I clapped my hands and shook my legs.
The reporter smiled and said,
“Oh my, Kongja seems excited. Kongja, are you happy?”
“Yes!”
“Oh my, so cute! Kongja, can you say hello to the viewers of ‘Celebrity Walk’?”
“Yes!”
It’s not a big deal.
I bowed to the camera and then looked up.
“Hello! I’m Kongja!”
“Oh, so cute.”
The reporter clenched and unclenched her fist, at a loss for words.
I laughed and clapped again.
“Okay, the writers worked hard to prepare some questions for you, Kongja. First question. What’s the best thing in the world? Dinosaurs? Robots?”
Oh dear.
‘Well, that would be the answer for an average kid.’
But for me, it’s different.
“Mom!”
“Oh, Mom? Ms. Ma Soo-jung?”
“Yes! I love Mom the most!”
The reporter suddenly fell silent.
Then, she stood up and sighed.
“Oh, sorry. I had to calm down because you’re so cute. How can a kid be like this? My nephews aren’t like this. They just run after snacks.”
Well, that’s probably normal.
“Let’s get back to the questions. Kongja, do you remember HALO?”
Hmm. Reporter, I do remember them, but…
‘Do ordinary kids remember them too?’
Or will they think it’s strange? Well, it’s too late to avoid that anyway.
“Yes!”
“Among the HALO brothers, who do you like the most?”
Oh no.
‘Writers, don’t ask kids this kind of thing.’
This was a question that required a very careful answer.
I blinked at the camera.
‘Please understand that I’m thinking hard.’
Hopefully, they’ll get it.
I paused for a moment before answering.
“Everyone!”
“Everyone? All the HALO members?”
“Yes!”
“Just tell me one person! Many people are curious about that!”
“Um, but…”
I lowered my head slightly.
“That would hurt their feelings! Kongja loves all of them!”
Even I thought it was an excellent answer.
Though it was very embarrassing.
‘This is my fate.’
How did I end up giving such an embarrassing answer?
* * *
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