[SH♡SH Let’s keep this relationship going.
Even though it’s early in the weekend and no one’s aroundㅠㅠ, I still want to talkㅠㅠㅠ.
I looked up some info on the kids online and saw that Seohan-oppa appeared in N section for the first time in ages.
I was all set to watch the recording, and then, what is this ㅠㅠㅠ?
Even though I’ve heard Suhyeon is cute… (omitted)… but I realized I had to apologize for not knowing what cuteness really was.
It was like a set of adorableness, sparklingㅋㅋㅋㅋ. Seriously, even Seohan oppa’s eyes were dripping with honey when he looked at Suhyeonㅋㅋㅋ. And Suhyeon was just bursting with sweetnessㅋㅋ ㅠㅠㅠ.
Please, I hope the next project is also an SH-coupleㅠㅠ This relationship is so amazingㅠㅠ I hope they live happily ever after. ㅠㅠㅠ
└I’m not the only one awake and browsing the boardsㅋㅋㅋ It was just an interview, but Suhyeon was really cute.
└Come to think of it, Seohan and Suhyeon are both SHㅋㅋㅋ So creepyㅋㅋㅋ
└I usually hate male-male couples, but I support Seohan and Suhyeonㅠ They’re like father and son, so heartwarmingㅠ I wish I were their wifeㅠㅠ They should shoot a variety show with that father-son conceptㅠ.
└Suhyeon is really smart. I heard he’s six, but he speaks clearly and matches the atmosphere well.
└I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed that. I thought the interview would be just a typical one because of Seohan’s calm and gentle vibe. But Suhyeon stole the show.
└It looked too staged for me, kind of creepy;;
└ㅋㅋㅋ? You got nothing better to say about a six-year-oldㅋ Jealous much? And staged? Look at you nitpicking. Are your eyes just for decorationㅋㅋㅋ?]
After the movie theater promise was successfully fulfilled, many entertainment articles began to highlight Praise.
The bold yet successful move was a good scoop for reporters.
Thanks to that, the 8th episode that aired the next day rode the momentum and smoothly recorded a 6% viewership rating.
…And today, they even covered Praise on the terrestrial channels.
Suhyeon hid under the blanket, staring at the bright screen.
Even though it was time for bed, he couldn’t sleep due to his many thoughts.
It wasn’t the excitement of the drama’s success that kept him awake.
Instead, he was engulfed in an unusual anxiety.
Smart, huh….
Suhyeon let out a small sigh as he read the most commented post on the board.
People who didn’t know him personally could sense it, so how could Jiyeon and Hochan not feel it?
It felt like the efforts he had made were breaking into pieces.
I checked the screen even during the interview. I even calculated the angles. The problem was… I didn’t realize my own perspective was getting mixed in.
It didn’t matter when shooting a project.
What was captured was the character, and any subtle experience that slipped through was just seen as good acting.
But interviews under his own name were different.
Just as one could wear a character, his on-camera persona could differ from reality, but people equated the two because they shared the same name.
Especially since he was just six years old, a time when he was expected to be genuine.
I knew it. That’s why I should have been more careful…
The Suhyeon shown in the interview was cute but also had a skillful side not typical of a child.
While he was perfect as “Actor Kang Suhyeon,” it was also a failed result because of that.
Suhyeon curled up under the blanket.
Seeing his own image in the interview overlap with “Kang Suhyeon, a four-year veteran idol familiar with showbiz,” made him feel strangely cold.
…Even though it’s frustrating, I like it now.
It was true that being six years old limited his range of activities and prevented him from doing many things.
However, apart from the technological advancements, Suhyeon no longer missed the future.
Always being kissed on the cheek with a smile by his mother and being lifted high by his father were now just faint memories.
I just…
Suhyeon always wrapped himself up as “a slightly smart and cute six-year-old Kang Suhyeon.”
The behaviors he learned during his idol days naturally aligned with his desire to act like a child to his parents, so it wasn’t difficult.
While he insisted on a path that matched his talent, he couldn’t give up the affection a six-year-old deserved.
That’s why he hated phrases like “not like a child” or “different from other kids.”
…I just want to appear normal to my parents.
A few months ago, he wouldn’t have cared about their feelings.
He didn’t have any expectations from his parents to the point where he decided he would abandon them if they got greedy about his earnings.
Although the family relationship had somewhat improved just before his regression, it didn’t mean the wounds from the indifference during his teenage years had healed.
The neglect from his father after the divorce, the cold treatment from his maternal family, and the resulting enlistment and dorm life left scars in Suhyeon’s heart.
To be precise, they used to be there.
The past has changed.
Receiving the affection that was only in his faint memories, Suhyeon gradually became greedy.
His parents’ affection and the family support system were too sweet to lose just because of a scammer.
And with that greed, his fear of being seen as strange by his parents grew.
He just wanted to appear as a cute and lovable son to them.
It’s not completely exposed yet. From now on, let’s be more perfect. Slowly… over the next four or five years, I can show them bit by bit.
As he grew older, there would be no need to package himself as a child, so it was only for a short while.
Suhyeon acted like a child hiding a piece of candy in his mouth.
Though it was sweet, it was uncomfortable, but he believed that someday it would leave only the sweetness behind and vanish.
Believing that even the self he packaged would become his true self, he closed the screen.
“Kyaa!”
“Hey…! Look!”
While Suhyeon was curled up in the dark, he heard noise from outside his room.
Screams, crashing sounds, and even excited voices.
Trying to calm his sinking mood, he suddenly felt scared and came out from under the blanket.
Recalling their previous lack of affection, Suhyeon was worried that something might have happened between Jiyeon and Hochan.
“Shh, shh. You’ll wake Suhyeon.”
“No, I was really surprised…! Oh my! Suhyeon, did you wake up because of mom? I’m sorry. Go back to sleep. Mom’s sorry.”
“…Is something wrong?”
Despite Jiyeon’s voice being raised, Suhyeon felt relieved to see her smiling.
And then curiosity slowly crept in.
“Huh? Oh. What happened?”
“Noona, you can tell him tomorrow. Let’s put him back to bed.”
“But he’s already awake! And things like this need to be seen right away to feel the excitement! Suhyeon, come over here.”
Despite Hochan’s attempt to dissuade her, Jiyeon called Suhyeon, who was standing at the doorway.
Seeing Hochan sigh with a smile and shake his head, unable to win over Jiyeon, Suhyeon cautiously approached them.
“Ta-da! Suhyeon, look at this!”
“What…?”
“Here, here!”
Jiyeon picked Suhyeon up and sat her on her lap, pointing to a part of her monitor.
In one corner of the green screen, next to a string of numbers, were the four words spelling out “Child Actor Kang Suhyeon.”[1]
“This is…”
“Our son made it to the real-time search rankings!”
“Congratulations, Suhyeon.”
“Ah.”
Suhyeon blinked and stared at Jiyeon’s fingertip.
In the past, his name had appeared in real-time searches alongside Seora’s.
However, the ranking was at the bottom, and it quickly disappeared as soon as it was updated.
But this time, it was as high as third place.
There were so many related articles that Suhyeon’s name, rather than his role, was being talked about among the public.
This is weird…
He took his eyes off the monitor and looked at Jiyeon and Hochan.
Although he was pleased that his name was in the top ranks of real-time searches, it felt odd they were simply happy after watching the earlier interview.
He knew they were usually sensitive to his changes.
“…I didn’t expect Mom and Dad to be this happy.”
“Our son did well, so of course we’re happy.”
“I always thought Suhyeon would do well. Isn’t it strange for someone as angelic as him not to be popular?”
The reason they were happy wasn’t because of Suhyeon’s rising popularity or the appearance fees.
Since creating a children’s bank account, they hadn’t shown much interest in Suhyeon’s finances.
Moreover, Hochan, as a public servant, and Jiyeon, a successful freelancer, earned much more than Child Actor Suhyeon.
Even if they might fight and separate over money in the future, for now, they were surprisingly indifferent to financial matters.
Although he didn’t suspect them on the financial front, his mental age, which far surpassed his actual age, was another issue.
“…Aren’t you going to ask about the interview earlier?”
Unable to bear the lingering hope, Suhyeon brought up the topic.
He mentioned his mature behavior during the interview, which must have seemed unfamiliar to them.
They don’t seem to find it creepy. But still…
Like an anonymous comment had said, behavior that doesn’t match one’s age can cause discomfort.
Especially when someone displays a completely different side than what people are accustomed to, it creates a sense of dissonance.
One might think it’s better to be mature than immature. But what I showed wasn’t just being mature.
The manner Suhyeon displayed in the interview wasn’t a mature attitude.
He showed calculated cuteness and acted naturally, as if flowing like water.
It was closer to an adult’s social skills than a child’s cunning…
“Actually, Mom was reluctant about Suhyeon being in the entertainment industry.”
As if understanding his question, Jiyeon looked Suhyeon in the eyes and smiled softly.
Her hand, which was tidying his disheveled hair, was very gentle.
“It was clear that Suhyeon was more mature and smarter than other kids.”
No matter how much he acted cute, his loveliness couldn’t hide the savvy he had developed over time.
Although they didn’t know Suhyeon had reincarnated, they knew their child was different from other kids.
That’s why they weren’t happy about him staying long in an industry with as much darkness as light.
Even without pinpointing the exact reason, they knew he would adapt quickly.
They wanted him to live a mentally healthy and stable life more than earning a lot of money.
But that thought changed as Suhyeon continued his acting career.
“Even when you appeared on TV, I worried a lot… but since our son genuinely enjoys this work, I decided not to oppose it.”
The decisive change of heart came when they met a fan while dining out with Suhyeon.
To Jiyeon’s eyes, her son, cheerfully interacting with a fan who recognized him, seemed very happy.
Although it was unfortunate that he was exposed to society’s hardships at an early age, Jiyeon thought it was a parent’s role to support their child if they truly enjoyed their work.
“So, if you’re having a hard time, tell us anytime, and you don’t have to act like other kids on purpose.”
“Yeah. Dad and Mom will always support our Suhyeon.”
Suhyeon was at a loss for words at their warm attitude.
Hearing Jiyeon and Hochan’s words of support and love tightened his chest.
Their encouragement hit him harder because he had just resolved to be cautious not to be discovered.
Of course, it’s not because they know I reincarnated…
No matter how imaginative they were, they would never think that Suhyeon had experienced broken relationships in the future and had the mind of a twenty-five-year-old.
Nevertheless, feeling lighter at heart, he couldn’t help but smile
Just knowing that his parents’ love was unwavering lifted his spirits.
[1] 아역 배우 강수현
