* * *
The awaited moment had come.
‘Wow, it’s the magazine.’
Huhuhu. Finally, I’m being introduced to the world.
‘I’ve been looking forward to this ever since mom mentioned it a few days ago!’
Was that why?
I couldn’t help but laugh.
I looked around.
No one explained to baby me, but I got the gist.
‘Is the concept of this shoot ‘The Daily Life of an Actress as a Mother’?’
And in that daily life, there was baby me.
‘So that’s why they’re shooting at our house.’
Mom wore a loose T-shirt and held me in one hand.
‘The lighting is strong.’
Most babies might have cried here, but not me.
‘I am the distinguished supporting actor, Lee Hanjoo.’
In my past life, I had done countless photoshoots.
Even with an unattractive face, I had style.
I should match the concept.
‘Let’s see, how should I do this?’
I calmly thought it through.
If the concept was ‘everyday life,’ I shouldn’t keep smiling.
‘Photos need variety too.’
Just like having only one side dish, photos with the same expression would be boring.
‘Let’s mix it up.’
Mom whispered softly.
“Sweetie, we’re going to take pictures now. Just hold on for a bit, okay?”
I could hold on longer.
They could take a thousand shots.
The photographer spoke.
He seemed overly immersed in his work, cheeks flushed.
‘Alright, let’s start.’
The flash went off.
I puckered my lips like a kiss.
Click-
I puffed my cheeks and reached out my hands.
The photoshoot continued.
Click-
How long did it go on?
After a few dozen minutes, the photographer said.
“Alright, that’s a wrap for this session. Wow…”
Mom patted me and went to the photographer.
“How was it?”
The photographer shook his head.
“I don’t know what I just photographed.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
Mom took me over to the monitor. There were dozens of freshly taken photos displayed.
“Oh my.”
There we were with a variety of expressions.
“Hmm, I quite like it.”
My perfectly proportioned features, slightly messed up, emitted irresistible cuteness.
‘So this was the answer.’
This face was too perfect.
‘Which is why I needed to mess it up.’
Initially, it was baffling. But the mirror was honest.
‘Maybe if I develop my facial muscles more.’
For now, this was the best. The photographer glanced at me and said.
“The baby is just too cute. Words don’t do it justice. I never imagined such photos would come out.”
Mom hugged me tightly.
“Really? I knew it. Ah, my angel!”
The photographer stared at the monitor.
“This baby shows expressions even through their mouth shape. Normally, this would throw off the proportions, but it’s too perfectly structured. It exudes incredible liveliness.”
Haha.
‘It’s the result of practice.’
Right now it’s the mouth, but soon I’ll practice with the eyes too. Using facial muscles freely is basic for an actor.
‘To perform properly!’
Mom gently stroked my cheek.
“Ms. Ma Soo-jung, this baby is a genius.”
“Really? I just feel happy seeing him, I’m not sure about the technicalities.”
“Most other babies can’t show such diverse expressions. Even with their mother’s encouragement, they only manage two or three. But look here, this baby has dozens of expressions. Every single photo is varied!”
Mom looked at the monitor and smiled brightly.
“They all look the same to me. My angel is just lovable in every way.”
Ah, mother.
I babbled with a wide smile.
“Ba! Mama!”
“Sweetie, you surprised me. You’re good at taking photos too. This photographer rarely gives compliments, but he called you a genius.”
Well, I’ve practiced.
‘I was never an ordinary baby to begin with.’
Would they think it’s strange?
But my worries vanished. Mom smiled like sunshine and said,
“My baby must be an angel, that’s why he takes such good pictures.”
Ah, mother.
‘That’s how you see it.’
Is this a mother’s love? My heart was deeply touched. My mom was truly amazing.
* * *
News broke out that Ma Soo-jung donated all the money she received from the magazine to charity.
Maybe that’s why. The magazine sold out, requiring an emergency reprint.
“Unbelievable.”
Lee Yoo-gyeong sneered while scrolling on her phone.
The magazine published the photos online. The screen showed a cute baby smiling brightly.
The comments went wild.
└ Wow, this is insanely cute.
└ Now I see why Ma Soo-jung adopted him.
└ I felt it from that patch photo too, this baby is incredible.
└ An angel. Look at that smile.
There were photos with various concepts. The ones where Ma Soo-jung wore loose, comfortable workout clothes received the most reactions.
└ Well, moms should wear comfortable clothes.
└ Ma Soo-jung looks great even in that.
└ She must live in her own world on screen.
└ But she seems really close with the baby.
└ There was an article too.
Lee Yoo-gyeong swiped the screen irritably. There was an interview with Ma Soo-jung.
“Meeting Kongja was destiny. People around me advised against it, but I couldn’t resist the pull. I’m an inexperienced mother, but I’ll do my best. I truly love our Kongja.”
It wasn’t written by Ma Soo-jung.
“The reporter must have written it.”
Lee Yoo-gyeong ground her teeth. She expected Ma Soo-jung’s image to suffer from the adoption, but she made a comeback instead.
└ She says it’s destiny.
└ Apologize to those who said harsh things.
└ With such a cute baby, I’d feel it’s destiny too.
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ22222
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ333333
└ She seems like she’ll raise him well.
└ You can tell just by looking at the way the baby looks at her mother. The baby looks happy too.
└ But is the baby’s name really Kongja? LOL
└ Oh come on, really? LOL
└ If you combine the surname, it’s Ma Kongja LOL
└ Seriously, what’s with this name LOL
└ But the baby is so cute that it somehow suits him LOL
└ The baby will have to use the name Ma Kongja even when he’s a grandfather LOL
└ “Hello, I’m the new employee, Ma Kongja” LOL
└ As long as he’s cute, that’s all that matters LOL
The comments were no joke. They all irritated Yoo-gyeong.
“They must have Photoshopped it.”
She was fuming. Nothing was going right.
Then, her phone rang. It was a text message.
[Yoo-gyeong, you are required to appear at the Seoul XX Police Station Cyber Investigation Unit 2 by 20XX.02.12. regarding a defamation case under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.]
“What is this?”
She looked at the text again.
“Defamation?”
‘Who did I defame?’
Yoo-gyeong stared at the message in disbelief. She hoped it was spam, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.
‘Should I contact a lawyer?’
Yoo-gyeong took a deep breath. This wasn’t just about a settlement for defamation.
‘Mother-in-law must not find out about this.’
She could already imagine how her mother-in-law, Noh Hwa-jin, would react.
Feeling anxious, Yoo-gyeong dialed her mother’s number.
In times like this, getting help from her own mother was the best option.
* * *
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