* * *
The set was quieter than before.
“Why’s the atmosphere like this?”
I blinked absentmindedly as the floor director approached.
“Woojin, we cut.”
“Ah…”
Han Woojin took a breath and said,
“Yeah. Wow. I know it’s over. Wow.”
Why does he keep saying “wow”?
“The aftereffects won’t go away.”
Han Woojin looked down at me and said,
“I want to keep holding Kongja.”
“What?”
“You can hear my heart monitor flatline right after this.”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Wow. Jeez.”
“Leaving behind a son like this? I couldn’t die even if I wanted to.”
Didn’t he say something like this before?
Han Woojin hugged me tightly.
“Oh man, this is crazy.”
I looked up. Han Woojin was rubbing his eyes.
“He’s holding back tears.”
He was more sensitive than I thought.
Oh dear.
I reached out and patted Han Woojin.
“Hyung, don’t cry.”
Han Woojin blinked.
“You shouldn’t cry!”
For a moment, there was silence. Then, laughter erupted from all around.
“Hahaha!”
“Ahahaha!”
“Hehehe!”
Looking back, the staff were all holding their sides laughing. I frowned.
“Hyung is sad!”
So stop laughing. He’s having a hard time.
“If they were focused on acting, this could happen!”
But this made the staff laugh even harder, some rolling on the floor.
“The kid is comforting Woojin!”
“Getting comforted by a baby, almost forty-year-old Woojin.”
Several staff members were rolling on the floor.
“Well, at least the floor is getting cleaned.”
Han Woojin sniffled and bit his lip.
“Hey, a guy can be emotional!”
I patted Han Woojin.
“Cheer up. It’s okay to cry.”
“Gah!”
“Argh!”
The staff couldn’t breathe from laughing.
Han Woojin covered his face with one hand.
“Kongja.”
“Yes!”
“You know, since I turned thirty, I haven’t felt embarrassed much.”
I see.
“Telling a baby to call me ‘hyung’… wasn’t I embarrassing?”
I nodded.
“But now, I’m embarrassed. I wish there was a hole I could crawl into.”
Oh dear. Poor guy.
I patted Han Woojin’s shoulder.
“It’s not shameful to be sad!”
“Ugh!”
Han Woojin let out a strange groan and hugged me tightly.
“It’s even more embarrassing but cute!”
Huh. What kind of reaction is this?
“Okay, I get it. Let go. I’m suffocating.”
I squirmed and sighed softly.
Thinking about it, this was quite the ordeal.
“What kind of sin did I commit in my past life to be held by a man again?”
And I even had to comfort him.
Han Woojin mumbled,
“Kongja, let’s go to my place! I’ll treat you well.”
What’s he saying?
I wiggled my legs, waiting for Han Woojin to calm down.
Thankfully, there was another scene to shoot, so it didn’t last long.
* * *
The filming was successful.
“Judging by the atmosphere, it must be.”
When PD Lee Jaemin bid farewell, he looked me up and down like I was a treasure.
“It would be nice if he introduced me to others.”
Or cast me in his next project.
Sigh.
I rubbed my eyes and clenched my fists.
“I’m sleepy.”
Maybe it was because I was fighting off sleep, my mind was foggy.
“Come to think of it, sleeping is a baby’s job.”
I wriggled, trying to stay awake. I couldn’t fall asleep here.
Auntie An, sitting with me on the sofa, said,
“Kongja, if you’re sleepy, sleep.”
I shook my head and stretched out.
Was it because I was a baby?
I couldn’t tell if I was stretching or just wriggling around.
“Oh dear. It’s nap time, but he won’t sleep.”
“I want to see Mom!”
“Even though the young lady is coming, aren’t you tired? You had a shoot.”
“I’m fine!”
I don’t remember how we got back, but I woke up in the stroller at home.
“I thought I was okay because I took a nap!”
I moved my body, fighting off instinct. Then, the person I was waiting for finally arrived.
“Mom!”
“Kongja!”
As soon as Mom rubbed hand sanitizer, she hugged me tightly.
“I heard you did well today?”
“Yes!”
Of course, I did.
“Mr. Seo said our Kongja is a genius. And then…”
Mom patted me and suddenly gritted her teeth.
“Han Woojin, that brat!”
Huh?
“How dare he ask for our Kongja? I’ll have to break his legs!”
“Miss! Not in front of Kongja!”
“Oh, my mistake. I’ll just lightly crush his legs.”
Mom, excuse me.
“That’s even more brutal.”
Mom kept mumbling.
“How could our little Kongja say such rude things in front of me, no matter how cute he is!”
It seems Han Woojin might have been a bit reckless.
“Did Han Woojin really do that?”
“Yes. I was wondering what our little Kongja did at the shoot to make him act like that. The boss just kept saying that our little Kongja became the star of the shoot and acted really well, but that’s it.”
“I’ll explain. You see, even though strangers were approaching him, our little Kongja didn’t cry at all…”
Their conversation dragged on. I yawned and wiped my tears.
‘Ah, I feel like I could fall asleep.’
Shaking my head, I clenched my fists again. This was why I had stayed awake until now.
‘I’m at my limit. I feel like I’ll fall asleep in a minute.’
I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, but I had no choice. I called out to my mom.
“Mom!”
“Huh? What’s wrong, little Kongja?”
Summoning my strength, I said with sleepy eyes, “Auntie is sick!”
“What?”
“She’s really sick! Just a moment ago, she was like ‘ouch’!”
I clutched my chest and pretended I couldn’t straighten my back.
My convincing act prompted my mom to ask right away.
“Auntie Auntie An, are you in pain?”
“My, my stomach is a bit upset.”
“No, it’s really bad! Really, really bad!”
My mom looked at me intently.
She locked eyes with me for a moment.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
It wasn’t a long time. Mom turned back to Auntie An immediately.
“That doesn’t seem to be the case, Auntie An.”
“Miss, it’s just that—”
“Tell me the truth. What kind of illness is it? Is it serious?”
Done.
‘Thank you for believing me, Mom.’
Now Auntie An would go to the hospital.
‘And get some help from modern medicine…’
I should get some help from my coins, too. I yawned again. Despite Mom shouting loudly, my eyes stayed closed.
‘This is my limit.’
I hugged the cushion and closed my eyes. The sleep I’d been holding back rushed over me.
‘When I wake up, Auntie An will have gone to the hospital, right?’
I smiled and rubbed my cheek against the cushion. From the shoot to the tip-off, it had been a productive few days.
* * *
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I hope the aunt an is well
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