Hochan clicked on the link his friend had sent him.
A recently trending SNS page called “Face Book” posted a photo of his son.
It was unmistakable. He was wearing the same clothes from the photo album he just saw.
└ So freaking cute.
└ Kids these days have crazy good looksㅋ.
└ But is that outfit from sazi? Do they make children’s clothes now? It turned out well.
└ I saw on their site that they’re preparing some event with D-1, maybe it’s thisㅋ.
└ So was this supposed to be a surprise children’s clothing launch event? Is the account holder okayㅋㅋㅋ?
While delighted by the comments about his son being cute, Hochan was worried that his son’s face was being promoted excessively.
He was prepared for it since his son was going to appear in a drama, but this was still too sudden.
“Dad, this is me!”
Suhyeon thought of the staff member holding a phone during the last shoot and secretly took a photo of him.
At that time, the only lenses pointed at him were the photographer’s camera and that man’s phone, so he must be the culprit.
However, Suhyeon played dumb and enjoyed looking at his own photo.
As long as it wasn’t a scandal, any issue in the entertainment industry was good.
“Ah, um. That’s right. Suhyeon’s mom, didn’t Hanna tell you not to take pictures?”
“Yeah. She said it’s easy for people to dig up information these days, so even when I wanted to take pictures, I held back…”
While the couple was engrossed in their conversation, Suhyeon moved the mouse to read the comments.
Many of the comments were compliments about him being cute. There were quite a few questions about Suhyeon’s personal life in the photo, and a small number were about the account holder…
Spread some more. The internet can’t be stopped, after all.
The account holder had quite a few friends.
Since it was a public account, Suhyeon’s photo must have also been prominently displayed on his friends’ timelines.
This SNS account and the person posting my photos are quite unexpected. It’s not only easy to attract attention but also comes with little risk.’
Suhyeon understood why the staff member had uploaded the photo today instead of the day of the shoot.
It wouldn’t lead to a big problem even if it was leaked before it went public since the sale campaign was scheduled to start in a few hours.
Yet, it would still be easy to gain attention by revealing information that others don’t know in advance.
If it doesn’t spread, only those who know about it will know, so there’s less risk of getting caught. If it does spread, it’s easy to wrap it up as a sentimental package.
Either way, the damage wasn’t significant, so it was optimal timing.
“Ah, Suhyeon. Dad will turn on Pororo for you.”
“Okay.”
Suhyeon leaned against Hochan as if he hadn’t been reading the comment and quietly watched the screen.
He was like a child wholly absorbed in Pororo’s movements.
But his attention was focused on his parents’ conversation.
Ah, they’re pushing up the open date after all. It became a bigger issue than I thought. Well, my face is something else.
After listening for a while, he looked at his face faintly reflected on the screen.
Even when judged against the standard of beauty in the entertainment industry, his childhood face showcased an inhuman beauty.
Even with his non-assertive and antisocial personality before his regression, thanks to his looks, he didn’t suffer much from bullying.
Middle and high school was just gloomy.
He brushed away the dark days that flashed through his mind and focused on Pororo.
It was another pleasure to feel new emotions he hadn’t felt as a child.
* * *
“We’ve arrived. Let’s get off, Suhyeon.”
“Yes!”
“Filming sets these days are amazing.”
Jiyeon, after checking the building in front of her, uttered a small exclamation and led Suhyeon toward the building.
No one stopped them, thanks to the access pass hanging around her neck.
“Hello!”
“Hi.”
“Oh my, you’re cute today… No, you’re cool.”
As Suhyeon entered the set and bowed his head, the staff members who had been busy preparing greeted him.
Although no one was attached to him due to their busy schedule, they all glanced at Suhyeon with gentle eyes.
A well-behaved child doesn’t bother adults.
Instead of bothering them, Suhyeon headed toward the PD.
He planned to exchange greetings and go straight to the waiting room.
“Isn’t that Suhyeon? It’s been a week.”
The moment Suhyeon and Jiyeon were about to approach the PD, a man blocked Suhyeon’s way.
It was Kwak Chaemin, the drama’s lead actor.
“Hello, Kwak Chaemin-sunbae.”
“Hey, just call me hyung. You said you’d call me hyung next time we meet. Anyway, you’re cute today as well.”
Chaemin pinched Suhyeon’s squishy cheeks with a melted expression.
Since this had already happened once before, Suhyeon just let him be with a detached attitude.
He was a bit annoying, but not a bad person.
He looks so arrogant, and yet…
Suhyeon recalled the script reading event that took place a week ago.
It had ended smoothly without a hitch.
However, the encounter that followed was anything but ordinary.
“Can I hug you?”
“Keuhee! So cute. So squishy.”
“Do you want hyung to give you a piggyback?”
Actor Kwak Chaemin had fallen entirely for Suhyeon’s cuteness at the script reading.
The delicate and arrogant actor, Kwak Chaemin, exuded a neutral charm rather than a masculine one.
Contrary to his appearance, which fitted the recent trend in the entertainment industry, he had a soft spot for children.
Specifically, he was weak for “cute and lovable” kids.
And I’m one of those cute ones.
Suhyeon didn’t dislike that side of Chaemin.
It was always right to have a harmless affection.
On top of that, the childish but aggressive games he played were surprisingly enjoyable.
Of course, it’s a bit much for him to come and do this when there’s no shooting…
“Hmm? Our Suhyeon, it seems like you’re looking at me with a rude expression?”
“…Aren’t you busy?”
When Suhyeon changed the subject with a pouty expression, as if his inner thoughts had been discovered, Chaemin raised his chin and twisted the corner of his lips.
It was a very arrogant and obnoxious-looking smile.
“I am busy. But even when I’m busy, I need healing time. Ugh, you smell like a baby.”
After briefly looking at Suhyeon with a crooked eye, Chaemin once again melted and tightly hugged Suhyeon.
His serious expression couldn’t even last a minute, which was quite pathetic.
“I’ll take you to the waiting room.”
“I can walk on my own, you know.”
“Didn’t you say you haven’t been filming all day? You have to conserve your energy when you have it.”
When Suhyeon was embraced by Chaemin, more people began to look at him.
Staff who would simply pass by without starting a conversation now briefly stopped to greet the two of them, and their expressionless faces turned into smiles.
The power of a lead actor is certainly different.
Kwak Chaemin was an actor who was not in Suhyeon’s memories but was raising his stock in line with the current trend.
As such, many people wanted to befriend him, and Suhyeon watched those movements as a third party from such a close distance.
I want to quickly become popular too.
Not that he had any childlike sentiments, but still.
I must do it step by step.
Feeling somewhat impatient, Suhyeon shook his feet and stared at his still-small hands.
Looking at those who succeeded made him want to jump ahead, but he was still only five years old.
There was a career that could only be built by a five-year-old.
“Hello, Actor Kwak Chaemin. Wow, Suhyeon is here too.”
As they entered the waiting room, the staff greeted them with a hug for Chaemin.
The staff’s hands didn’t rest even as they were exchanging greetings, probably because they were busy preparing for the shoot.
“Suhyeon, you can wear this outfit. Let me know immediately if the buttons are hard to fasten!”
“Yes.”
“Oh, you’re so good. Oh, right! The shooting order has changed a little… Did you memorize the script for episode 4?”
“Yes… for now.”
“Thank goodness! It’s only one scene, so just 5 minutes… Great! Now, go change and come back out. Noona will do your makeup.”
“Okay.”
Suhyeon swallowed a small sigh as he watched the flushed staff member. He then made his way to the changing room.
Nothing had changed since day one on this damned set.
I mean, suddenly doing episode 4? If I hadn’t prepared, then we would have been in trouble… Does the PD not think?
He grumbled as he changed his clothes, thinking that there would have been a great disaster if it weren’t for him.
The shirt was a bit loose but wasn’t noticeable once he put on the outer garment.
“Wow, you look cool. Right, Chaemin?”
Chaemin, who had been sitting on the sofa just now, immediately got up, whistled, and shoved the lens of his feature phone in Suhyeon’s face as he came out.
Jiyeon, standing next to him, also opened her phone.
“You don’t seem to need much makeup… Suhyeon, I’ll just dry your hair a bit.”
“Okay.”
While the two men and women made a fuss, the staff displayed their professional mindset by tidying Suhyeon’s hair and clothes.
Suhyeon shone brightly even though he had only been spruced up a bit.
“I should have brought a digital camera instead of a phone.”
“But hyung, if we judge by cuteness, isn’t Seora also cute?”
After finishing his preparations, Suhyeon began to make his way to where the PD was. He asked Chaemin a question along the way.
That was because Yoon Seora, the child actress who played the female lead’s childhood role, was also quite cute.
Of course, not as much as me.
While he was subtly praising himself, Chaemin furrowed his brow slightly and patted Suhyeon’s head.
“Well, regardless of age, things can get complicated if you treat a girl too well.”
Seeing Chaemin skirt the issue, Suhyeon guessed the situation to some extent.
Although he couldn’t understand why, some fans occasionally perceived young children as enemies.
They felt that the affection that should come to them was taken away by the celebrity of the opposite sex.
Age didn’t matter to those who were already immersed in their delusion.
It doesn’t make sense… but they wouldn’t do that to a child if they think about it.
Chaemin keeping his distance from Seora, who was just a child actress, seemed to be for that reason.
Suhyeon was convinced of his reasonings and wondered about the difference between malicious and extreme fans. The next thing he knew, he was already at this destination.
The PD looked quite relaxed since the set was already organized.
“Hello.”
“Oh, you’re here. Did you hear about the scene we’re filming now?”
“Yes.”
“Did you memorize all your lines?”
“Yes!”
“You’re smart.”
With a satisfied face, the PD praised Suhyeon.
In this busy industry, quick-witted kids who didn’t need handholding were the ones who got loved.
It was easy for the balance to tip towards simple neglect, but Suhyeon never had to worry about that.
It’s strangely sad because I’m used to it.
Suhyeon reminisced about the days leading up to his death with a wistful expression.
As a weak idol, he used to cater to the whims of PDs and event hosts with his manager by his side.
Walking the tightrope of being too noticeable or not noticeable enough always led to problems, but he always managed it brilliantly.
Being an idol is too hard.
Swallowing the tears that wouldn’t fall, he followed the staff’s instructions and entered the set.
Yoon Seora, his partner in today’s filming, waved her hand energetically.
“Hello!”
“Hello.”
“I’ve never seen a water spray truck before. I’m looking forward to today’s filming, right?”
“Yes…”
As he gave a perfunctory answer to Seora, Suhyeon thought about the scene they were about to shoot.
It was a scene where the “young Gaeun” and the “young Jiwu” would become true friends under a rain-soaked eave.
Do we really need to shoot this scene with the water spray truck right now?
While he pondered this, the water spray truck began spraying water.
The lights and reflectors were readjusted to their positions, and soon the sharp slate sound filled the set.
…Finally.
Suhyeon stopped his train of thought and savored the screen that appeared from multiple angles before his eyes.
It took him a month and a half to return to the set.
It felt like a long time had passed, even though it was just that.
Let’s do our best.
With a determined heart, Suhyeon followed the floor’s wood grain with a stiff expression.
Soon after, rushing footsteps followed, and someone grabbed his wrist.
“…”
He turned his head and stared at the person who had grabbed him.
Seora…or rather, “young Gaeun” looked at him with a tearful expression.
“Where are you going?”
“It’s none of your business. Go get some attention from the adults.”
Suhyeon folded the corners of his eyes delicately and spat out mean words.
It was because the “young Jiwu” he played had that kind of personality.
Despite his young age, he brought out the persona of a person with a lively smile on the outside while speaking harsh words.
His expressions and words didn’t match, making this portrayal difficult. Yet the overall effect was making the character more charming.
The difficulty level is way higher.
Unclear pronunciation and insufficient breathing didn’t suit the “young Jiwu.”
It was a role that required much thought while acting and was difficult for a child not even ten years old to take on.
Except for Suhyeon, that is.
“I’m sorry…sob, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m, sob, nervous…sob.”
As a few harsh words were exchanged and the climax was reached, Seora squeezed out tears.
It was a scene where the “young Gaeun” cried on behalf of the “young Jiwu,” who himself was actually just clumsy with his feelings despite his harsh words.
“Young Jiwu” realized that his actions stemmed from his loneliness and jealousy, so he accepted the “young Gaeun” as his friend.
“…”
Suhyeon stared at Seora, who was looking down with a blank face.
Young Jiwu’s face always had a pretentious smile or an indifferent expression.
However, at the moment, Suhyeon, acting as the “young Jiwu,” brought out emotions that didn’t fit his character’s personality.
Bewilderment, sadness, fear…and happiness.
His trembling eyes wonderfully expressed those complex emotions.
“…You’re really weird.”
Suhyeon laughed as he said his lines.
It wasn’t the cheerful smile he always wore but rather an awkward yet strangely refreshing laugh.
“Don’t cry…”
He reached out his hand towards her.
A single tear streamed down Suhyeon’s laughing face.
The dramatic tear, coming without warning, perfectly represented the feelings of the “young Jiwu.”
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