* * *
“The Korean film industry has been ignorant for quite a while.”
They had child actors perform in cruel scenes without providing the necessary care afterward.
“Honestly, there are probably many child actors with trauma.”
Things have slowly started to change, though.
“Honestly, I don’t need any care.”
But shouldn’t I strongly advocate for this, even for the sake of other child actors?
“This kind of precedent needs to be set. If it’s known that a famous actor like me received psychological care, others will follow suit.”
Kim Deok-soo spoke seriously again.
“Understood. There’s one more thing I would like to request.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“If the shooting goes on for too long, please ensure there is time for a nap.”
Director Lee Jinhwan nodded.
“Yes, yes. Of course, we should.”
“Thank you. I will relay this to Ms. Ma Soo-jung.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Oh, but I also think the child’s opinion is important. Kongja, do you want to be in the movie?”
Huh? Why does his tone sound like that?
And what’s the point of speaking nicely and smiling if he looks at me with those fierce eyes…
“Phew, I’ll let it slide since I know he’s a good person. If it were someone else… pfft.”
I smiled brightly.
“Yes!”
“I see. Got it. Oh, I haven’t even offered you tea.”
Kim Deok-soo stood up.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Yes? Yes!”
Even after Kim Deok-soo got up and went to the kitchen, the two of them were still restless.
“There’s nothing strange in the tea, right?”
“No, but a nanny?”
“Who hires a nanny that looks like a gangster?”
Oh dear.
I whispered again.
“Don’t worry, Director!”
Really. Try to get rid of your prejudices.
Just because a big dog looks fierce doesn’t mean it’s always violent.
“He is a good person!”
“Really, Kongja?”
“Yes! He doesn’t bite!”
Oops. I was thinking about the dog and slipped up.
“He bites?”
“Does he bite when he’s angry?”
Oh dear.
Before I could calm the situation, Kim Deok-soo returned with coffee.
I sighed deeply as I watched the two of them trembling while drinking their coffee.
We still had a long way to go.
* * *
Kim Deok-soo put me in the car seat.
“If you feel uncomfortable, let me know. We have a long way to go.”
Honestly, I wasn’t uncomfortable.
“I’m fine!”
“Okay. Let’s get going then.”
Vroom vroom.
“It’s not a big deal, but when Kim Deok-soo says it, it sounds different.”
Well, if you think about it, there are a lot of strange things.
I looked around.
Honestly, it was my first time in a car like this.
“It’s a van, not a sedan.”
And the interior was quite clean.
“Is this a new car?”
As I tilted my head, Kim Deok-soo spoke.
“Ms. Ma Soo-jung got it ready for our Kongja.”
Wow, Mom.
“A new car.”
It must have been expensive.
“Well, she does make a lot of money.”
Still, my mom is amazing.
Kim Deok-soo started the engine.
The car moved smoothly.
“Do you know where we’re going today?”
I nodded.
“There’s a camera!”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s a filming set. It’s very crowded and there are a lot of people. You seem strong, but still, please be careful.”
I blinked. Kim Deok-soo continued calmly.
“There are many dangers, so be careful.”
He really was worried.
“Yes!”
“Good. Let’s go. It’s also good to sleep.”
He was really attentive. I shook my legs and took a deep breath.
“Oh, I’m excited.”
A movie shoot.
“Well, it’s my second time since I did ‘City of the Dead’.”
Back then, I was just an unnamed baby, but today, I was playing the protagonist’s child role.
“By the way, is Han Woojin really going to appear?”
I wanted to ask, but I was still a baby.
“Babies don’t ask such things, do they?”
Because I was young, my access to information was limited.
I tossed and turned and closed my eyes. Kim Deok-soo was right.
“It’s better to sleep now.”
To stay energetic during the shoot.
“I wish I could grow up quickly.”
The car moved smoothly. I closed my eyes.
Maybe because I was young, I fell asleep quickly.
* * *
Kim Deok-soo carried a pink bag and pushed a stroller.
“A black suit with a stroller.”
It looked really strange, but if you think about it, there’s no end to the weirdness.
I sat in the stroller and looked around.
“Oh, it’s the filming set.”
It was clear it was a low-budget film.
“Oh, Kongja!”
“Director, Kongja is here!”
People gathered around. I smiled and responded brightly.
“Hello!”
“Eek! So cute!”
No, why does the staff sound like a crow?
The director came out and smiled brightly.
“Oh, our savior is here!”
Huh. What does that mean?
“Kongja is our savior.”
“Because Han Woojin is appearing.”
“Phew. We’re saved!”
“Thanks to him, we got additional funding!”
“Even if it’s still low-budget!”
Wow, Han Woojin.
“Did he really agree?”
Why though?
“It’s quite a different level.”
Han Woojin is a tremendous actor.
“He adjusted his appearance fee.”
The director clenched his fist.
“I still remember that moment. I really put my heart and soul into persuading him.”
“It’s a relief he agreed willingly.”
“It’s also lucky that he had free time.”
“He even postponed his overseas tour for our project.”
Wow, Han Woojin. So that’s how it is.
‘Oh, right, overseas tour?’
I remembered.
“Han Woojin got sick around this time in my past life, didn’t he?”
I heard he got bitten by some new species of mite.
It wasn’t life-threatening, but I remember he suffered a lot.
“Starring in this movie is much better.”
If his schedule changed, he might avoid that bite.
“Besides, it has Han Woo-jin in it.”
A smile spread across my face.
“Well, it won’t fail now.”
Han Woo-jin was an actor with strong ticket power.
“It will probably be easy to export too.”
He was popular not only in Korea but also overseas.
“No matter how good I am, if the adult role is strange, it’ll be tough.”
I was relieved that Han Woo-jin was part of the project.
I clapped my hands in excitement.
“Yay!”
“Hey, Kongja is smiling.”
“Why are you smiling, Kongja?”
“Because I’m happy!”
“Oh, what makes you happy?”
Because I think the movie will be a success.
“But I can’t say that.”
I looked around and said,
“There are so many cameras!”
Everyone murmured.
“Looks like the kid likes cameras.”
“Good thing he’s not scared of them.”
* * *
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Great read, thanks!
But I must point at quote marks issue. Do they represent inner thoughts AND direct speech? It’s hard to discern sometimes.
‘ the single quote is usually used by the author when the MC is thinking, aside from his own point of view. Sometimes it is used by other characters when the pov is in 3rd.
While ” is used when a character is talking. There are cases when the mc talk to himself, especially when he is alone. Though he usually does that when talking to the subtitles.