Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Yu-na Steals the Spotlight
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It's an important meeting with the guy who introduced himself as Team Leader Kim Sang-ho, but Yu-na keeps chiming in and ruining the atmosphere.
I could let it slide once.
But.
When it keeps happening, my patience starts to wear thin.
Look at her now.
Even as he's flipping to the next catalog page, Yu-na's mouth doesn't stop.
"So, the third outfit has a cool city guy vibe.... Doesn't it look good?"
"Good. Good. I love this one."
"Doesn't it look good on the princess too? What do you think, Jun-seo?"
"...Yeah, it looks fine."
No sooner had I finished answering than he flipped the catalog to show the next photo.
Is this really okay?
No, and.
Why do those two have such great chemistry?
"The fourth outfit is a campus look that gives off college freshman vibes. We'd strongly recommend this one for you too, Jun-seo...."
"This one's great too. Hehe. Good."
"Right? This campus look is slated for the banner on the home shopping homepage."
"Ah! I see."
"And next...."
This time, he skipped right over my input and flipped the page based on Yu-na's response alone. Just like that, the star of this meeting had switched from me to Yu-na.
"The next outfit is...."
"Good. Good. I like this one too."
In the cheerful atmosphere, I felt oddly left out and let out a sigh.
[I can't let this go on.]
With that thought, I quietly called out to Yu-na.
"Yu-na?"
"Yes?"
An innocent response from Yu-na.
Team Leader Kim Sang-ho, who had been explaining the outfit concepts, and CEO Do Bong-seok, who had been sipping his drink, both turned to look at me.
"Daddy, why'd you call me?"
Conscious of the eyes on us, I cleared my throat with a cough. Meanwhile, Yu-na just blinked.
As if she had no idea what she'd done wrong.
[Still, this isn't right....]
I fixed my gaze on Yu-na and gently pinched her chubby cheek.
"This is something Daddy has to pick. So go wait outside and play with Uncle In-cheol for a bit."
"Why? Yu-na wants to look too."
"No. So...."
That's when it happened.
Team Leader Kim Sang-ho suddenly burst into laughter and waved me off.
"Ahaha. It's fine. Your daughter has a great eye for this stuff."
A great eye? All she's done is say "good" over and over? I glanced at Yu-na, who was looking up at me pleadingly.
Then the CEO chimed in.
"Yeah, he said it's fine. Why are you trying to kick Yu-na out? A kid's advice can be surprisingly helpful sometimes. You said everything looked good too, just like her."
"That's right, sir. That's exactly what I was trying to say. Ahaha!"
"So I can stay with Daddy? I don't have to go?"
CEO Do Bong-seok and Team Leader Kim Sang-ho both flashed bright smiles only at Yu-na.
"Yeah, Yu-na. You can stay here."
"I agree."
"If Daddy tries to kick you out again, this uncle will protect you."
"Ahaha! I'll protect you too."
"......"
Not a single ally in sight.
Before we knew it, time had flown by, and the Marbo outfit concept presentation was over.
Team Leader Kim Sang-ho roughly gathered the scattered catalogs on the table and stuffed them into his bag. I worried if it was okay to handle them so roughly.
[What's this? One fell on the floor?]
I picked up the dropped catalog and handed it to Team Leader Kim Sang-ho.
"One fell."
"Ah, thank you. That wraps up the shooting concept explanation. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"Everything's so clean and stylish. As expected from a famous domestic brand."
This was sincere.
The outfits he'd shown had such high quality that I wanted to buy them with my own money right then.
The one that caught my eye the most was....
[The fall campus look.]
A thin-looking black turtleneck paired with a gray coat that screamed autumn vibes.
And black slim pants.
It looked ordinary yet incredibly refined, like even regular people could pull it off easily.
"Y-, Yu-na liked that one best too!"
Liar....
Her trust level plummeted with that stutter and awkward smile.
Plus the way she was glancing around.
[...What to do with this little troublemaker?]
I brushed the crumbs off Yu-na's face—stuck there like a mustache—and wiped it clean with a wet wipe.
But what can I do? She's my daughter, and everything she does just looks cute.
Lifting the corners of my mouth, I picked up Yu-na, who was still peeking nervously, and sat her on my lap.
"You liked that one too? Daddy liked it best. Looks like my girl and I think alike."
"R-Really? Hehehe."
Team Leader Kim Sang-ho, who had been watching us smile quietly, clapped his hands sharply to get our attention.
"...Ah! I almost forgot to tell you this, Jun-seo."
"What is it?"
He smiled at my question.
"Even if you have to, please don't overdo your workouts until the day of the shoot. It's very important, so don't forget."
"Huh?"
I tilted my head.
What did that mean?
Usually, you keep up steady workouts and diet control right up to the day before a shoot to build a sturdy, photogenic frame.
Whether model or actor....
It's pretty much the same.
That's why I'd gone back to chicken breast and eggs while exercising.
But now he was telling me not to....
"So no diet control either?"
He shrugged lightly and continued calmly.
"Models push their bodies so hard it's heartbreaking to see."
"Ah...."
"So we've set a few rules. First, no extreme dieting. Second, unlike the first, no binge eating."
In short, they prioritized the model's health.
What a kind place.
"Well, I'll be off then. See you next Sunday."
"Ah! Take care."
"Uncle! Bye-bye!"
As he turned to leave, he suddenly stiffened and knelt down.
Lowering his eye level, his hand reached for Yu-na's plump cheek.
Poke! Poke! He prodded her cheek.
"...Uncle?"
"It's so soft and squishy.... Ah! Sorry. I couldn't help myself...."
He bowed to us in apology and gave an embarrassed laugh, stammering excuses.
"It's just.... Your daughter's cheeks look like balloons.... And so plump, I couldn't resist...."
"Ahaha!"
I burst out laughing.
[I get it.]
Yu-na's cheeks look so soft and puffy that even I sometimes get the urge to poke them.
No need to apologize. It didn't bother me, and it wasn't malicious.
I stopped laughing and wiped the tears from my eyes.
"It's fine. Right, Yu-na?"
"Yesss. It's okay, Uncle."
"...Really? That's a relief."
He flashed a fresh smile, bowed again, and left.
Having finished the important meeting, I headed to the Chinese restaurant the CEO recommended.
He said it had few customers, cheap prices, and was good....
But it didn't quite suit my taste.
Still, Yu-na was eating like it was the best food in the world, smearing sauce all over her lips.
"Sigh.... Eat slower."
Gulp! "Yesss. Daddy, eat up too."
"I'm already eating. Don't worry about Daddy. Eat lots."
Just watching her eat fills me up. I gently wiped around her lips and smiled softly.
How much time passed like that?
Bzzzzt!
I'd been watching Yu-na eat heartily when my body jolted.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket. It was a call from Shin Dong-hyun.
What's up?
"Why'd you call?"
-Do I need a reason? Just curious what you've been up to lately....
Yu-na paused mid-bite of jjajangmyeon and stared blankly at me.
She opened her sauce-smeared mouth wide again.
"Daddy, who's that?"
I briefly pulled the phone away and answered kindly.
"It's Uncle Dong-hyun."
She used to call him "oppa"....
But now I'm planning to have her call him "uncle." Same for the other sunbaes.
"Oh, Uncle. Nom nom."
"Eat slower."
"Yesss."
Yu-na lost interest in Shin Dong-hyun and went back to her jjajangmyeon.
-Hey, you listening?
"Hey.... You're calling because you want to ask me for a favor, right? Be honest."
-Ahaha! Busted? Mind coming on my personal broadcast after so long?
Ah, that's what this is about.
Personal broadcast....
My schedule's been empty lately, and it'd been a while since we hung out. Sounded fun.
I wiped Yu-na's lips and responded to Dong-hyun late.
"So, what's the content?"
-Part 1 talk, Part 2 karaoke?
He was planning to milk a ton of content.
[No, wait a sec.]
My body twitched.
Karaoke....
If we go, not only my two-left-feet dancing, but my tone-deafness would be exposed to the world.
This guy's definitely planning to tease me....
But I'd already kind of agreed, so backing out now would be lame.
Best to casually decline. I spoke in the most nonchalant, lukewarm voice possible.
"...Karaoke's a bit much."
Gulp! "Yu-na likes karaoke!"
-Good. Bring Yu-na tonight for dinner, then karaoke after.
Yu-na's bold interjection killed my escape route.
[Guess I have no choice.]
If I catch a cold that day, I won't have to sing and can hide my tone-deafness.
"Haa...."
I sighed deeply, and Shin Dong-hyun replied in a voice full of laughter.
-So it's decided?
"...Yeah. Let's do it."
-Got it. I'll post the announcement right away, so don't bail. My fans are super sensitive about promises.
"I know."
-See you Monday then.
Click! The call ended, and just like that, I had a live broadcast scheduled for Monday.
I should tell the CEO about going on the live broadcast.
I quickly texted the CEO a summary of what I'd promised Dong-hyun.
Reply came in under a minute.
CEO: Do what you want.
Seeing the positive response, I set the phone down on the table with a clack! And sweet-and-sour pork was placed on our table.
I looked up and locked eyes with the gruff-looking owner.
"Eat this."
With that, he stared at Yu-na, who was slurping her jjajangmyeon heartily.
A small smile flickered on the owner's face.
He turned back to me and said gruffly.
"Service. Service. Giving it special because the kid eats so cutely. Got it?"
"Ah.... Thank you."
Looks like the owner had become a fan of Yu-na's adorable eating.