Suhyeon’s break was very long.
He went to an amusement park with his family, watched penguins at the aquarium one day, and on another day, held Jiyeon’s hand and went to meet Hochan.
It was a break that felt short only because there were so many things he wanted to do.
Still, it’s time to get back to work.
After nearly a month focused on rest, Suhyeon climbed onto his bed and stretched his body out.
He could feel the abundant energy in his lively body.
Nice, I think I’m fully recovered now!
Since his regression, this was the first time Suhyeon had rested without any schedule or worries.
There were always auditions, commercials, or the next shoot lined up, so even while resting, he had to pay some attention.
In that sense, this time I deliberately didn’t even listen to any commercial offers and just rested.
He knew himself well.
Like a racehorse with blinders on, he planned his filmography to help his career and adjusted commercials and other schedules around it.
But since he had a past without popularity, he was greedy for work.
If he had heard about any commercial or program offers in advance, he would have obsessed over them throughout his break.
Even though I know that as a child actor, what I need to build isn’t money, but connections and a decent work history.
While working on the movie’s dubbing, Suhyeon realized that his body wasn’t just young, but also weak.
He absorbed things well like a sponge, but at the same time, he was as fragile as a sponge.
If he kept overworking himself, trusting in his young age, he might end up as a short-statured actor from stress when he became an adult, the most important time.
That can’t happen. I may have gotten younger, but I can’t get any taller if I don’t take care… This time, I’m definitely going to surpass 180.
With a small but big dream in his heart, he stared at the mirror.
Today, too, his bright and cute face greeted him.
Look at how smooth and shiny I am from sleeping well. Is this the power of youth?
Before his regression, Suhyeon was considered young, being only twenty-five.
But under excessive stress and a merciless schedule, it took a lot of effort to maintain his stamina and skin.
For a celebrity whose body and face were assets, it was a depressing story.
That’s why you have to take care of yourself and manage yourself well from a young age. Do exercises that don’t overbuild muscle, and, just in case, study speaking too.
While Suhyeon was planning for the future, the doorbell rang from the entrance.
He hopped off the bed and quickly left his room.
Sangil, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, waved at Suhyeon.
“Long time no see. Have you been well?”
“Yeees!”
“Sangil, come on in.”
“Thank you.”
Holding a document envelope, Sangil naturally took off his shoes, stepped onto the floor, and headed to Suhyeon’s room.
A tidy room, neatly organized.
Unlike the room, the bed had a dented blanket from just having run around.
And the folding table and chairs Jiyeon had brought greeted them.
“This table is really unique.”
“It’s a set with the dining chairs.”
“It looks like it.”
Sangil looked at the folding standing table, not a floor table, with curious eyes.
It was a set with the dining table.
Usually folded away, but when needed, you could easily pull over the dining chairs and use it.
Since it was good for entertaining guests, Jiyeon often used it.
Suhyeon climbed onto the chair and swung his legs.
His dangling legs felt more stable than before.
“…You’ve grown a lot in just two weeks?”
“You can tell? I’ve grown a lot, right!”
“Kids, really…”
When Sangil noticed he’d gotten taller, Suhyeon openly beamed.
Just as his manager said, Suhyeon had grown.
In just a month, he’d grown a whole 1.4 centimeters.
This is the result of enough rest and a stress-free life!
Eating all the foods kids usually avoid probably helped, too.
He was only a little taller than the average for his age, but Suhyeon’s mood was sky-high.
Usually, kids this age grow 3 centimeters in six months, so I grew twice as fast. ㅋ, my growth plates are working hard. If I keep this up, even 180 isn’t a dream.
After briefly picturing a hopeful future, he soon came to his senses and turned his gaze to the envelope Sangil had brought.
Just then, Jiyeon came into the room with drinks.
“Have these while you talk. Suhyeon, I’ll be working in my room, so let me know when you’re done.”
“Okay, Mom!”
“Alright, Sangil, please take good care of our Suhyeon.”
“Yes, thank you for the drinks.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Having handed over what she brought, she left the room without hesitation.
Left alone, Sangil took documents out of the envelope he’d brought.
Neatly filed papers were laid out in order.
“These are printouts of the materials I sent yesterday. There aren’t any changes… and this is a proposal that came in this morning.”
Instead of the materials he’d already read, Suhyeon reached for the new document first.
He hadn’t found any interesting offers in the previous materials, so his hand moved without hesitation.
Three dramas… one variety show, and five commercials, was it? It’s hard enough that none of these many options appeal to me.
Scanning the title of the new proposal, Suhyeon recalled the email he’d checked before bed last night.
Offers that overlapped with his break had been cut off by Sangil, and what remained were only projects scheduled to air and light work he could do before the movie’s release.
Among them, the dramas mostly had a dark tone, as the image of “Yeonwoo” from Praise was still strong.
Two SBN projects. One NBC. The roles and atmosphere are all the same: pitiful main character’s son or a supporting role with weight on a major network. but I’m turning them down because of the mood. I guess I’ve gotten pretty used to this situation.
If you remember that many child actors get frustrated because they can’t break out of their cute image, it was a luxury to complain.
But regardless of what happened to other kids, Suhyeon wasn’t satisfied.
Whether it was a mature or pitiful image, once you got typecast, it made things hard later on.
Especially for child actors, people assumed you took those roles because your personality was similar, so if you were seen as only good at one type of role, you could lose other opportunities for a long time.
In that sense, Shadow Road was the right choice.
The bright and resilient “Jiseok” was, unlike his previous roles, a typical shonen manga protagonist.
The fact that he was raised abandoned could be seen as a gloomy common thread with his past roles, but in the movie, the orphanage was depicted more like a rural school for kids.
It was enough to flip his image.
So until the movie is released, it’s better to turn everything down.
Suhyeon trusted Eulhong’s skills.
She had a trashy personality and looked and acted rough, but he trusted her talent.
He also believed that Shadow Road and the protagonist “Jiseok,” completed by her hands, would catch the audience’s eye.
After all the shit I went through at a young age. If I went that far, of course she should make me shine.
It was a trust that partly included the thought, “Let’s see how well you do after making me suffer like this.”
But anyway, Suhyeon trusted her, and so his worries about the project were much lighter.
The commercials and variety shows are iffy too.
He flipped the cover and, confirming the new proposal was a commercial, recalled the other proposals he’d seen yesterday.
They were all so-so, obviously trying to cash in on the buzz for a season, so he didn’t hate them, but they weren’t attractive either.
Is this the same?
The new offer was to model for a calendar with a single concept.
The fee was lower than other commercials or variety shows, but the fact that Seohan was participating caught his eye.
If his new movie is a hit, there should be plenty of better offers, so why this?
After finishing Praise, Seohan had worked on a movie.
It was a crime film with action, but focused more on action and comedy than crime.
And it was also a film Suhyeon remembered from his past.
It was a huge hit back then. I couldn’t get a piece of it because there was no role for a child actor.
Since it was a good role with a good image, there must had been many places calling for Seohan.
It was suspicious that he would turned down all those offers and taken a mere calendar model job.
No matter how you look at it, it’s just a calendar. And since all the profits are being donated, there’s no way they paid a high fee for the model.
Suhyeon flipped the page and looked at the back.
There was a well-written report from Sangil’s perspective about what this offer was, what benefits it would bring, and the producer’s background.
Yu Jihoon… impressive resume, but I have no idea who he is.
Seeing the three-character name that felt common but unfamiliar, Suhyeon put the document down for a moment and grabbed his juice glass.
The condensation beading on the cup was slippery, but his little hands never dropped it.
At any rate, the fact that I don’t know him means he’s not famous in this field. Maybe he caused a big scandal and disappeared early on.
Yu Jihoon was an advisor to the domestic photographers’ association and had won many international art awards.
He’d even received a medal for his achievements, and his other credentials were impressive as well.
Yet the fact that Suhyeon, who’d lived through the future, didn’t know him meant he either rarely worked in the entertainment industry or had gotten caught up in a scandal and vanished quietly.
Given that he mainly shot art photos rather than commercial ones, the former seemed more likely.
Well, either way, it’s still kind of ambiguous.
Whichever it was, it wouldn’t really affect the image of “Actor Kang Suhyeon.”
It just meant it wasn’t enough to add to his resume.
Still, since Seohan-hyung is participating…
Suhyeon tapped the paper with his fingertip.
Even if the contract fee was small, working with a close actor after a long time and experiencing the skills of a talented photographer…
Regardless of his filmography, it was definitely a good experience.
Yeah, I didn’t become a child actor for the money anyway.
His mind gradually tilted in one direction.
From the start, Suhyeon had planned his activities with adulthood in mind, so he valued intangible things over tangible ones.
It was still a time to build up various experiences, connections, and skills to prepare for the future.
It was only natural to be drawn to an offer that would give him a good experience, even if it paid less.
Alright. Let’s work with hyung again after a long time.
Having made up his mind, Suhyeon gulped down the rest of his juice.
The cold, sweet juice went down refreshingly.
* * *
“Hello, hyung!”
“Oh, hey. Are you shooting today too?”
“Yes!”
“I thought of you when I heard there’d be a child actor… Please take care of me today.”
It was the day of the photoshoot.
Seohan, surprised by Suhyeon’s appearance, soon smiled warmly.
His calm and gentle demeanor was the same as usual, but there was a hint of fatigue on his face.
“Hyung, have you been well? I’ve been well!”
“Yeah. I’ve been okay, except for being a bit busy.”
“Why? Aren’t you resting right now, hyung?”
Noticing the tired look, Suhyeon dragged out his words and opened his eyes wide.
As if he couldn’t stand not knowing the rest of the story.
It was calculated aegyo, but that sly act always worked well.
Whenever cute Suhyeon acted as cute and innocent as his looks, adults would let down their guard and spill what was on their minds.
“I just switched agencies.”
In that sense, Seohan was no different.
