Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Yu-na's Playground Penalty
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After cleaning up Yu-na's messy face, I headed toward the small bonfire where the staff were gathered.
"Daddy! Hurry! Hurry!"
"You can go slow."
Yu-na kept tugging on my hand, urging me to speed up.
Did the staff win her over?
Or...
Was it just that she wanted more roasted sweet potatoes?
I strode along with Yu-na until we reached the bonfire. The staff were in the middle of lively chatter, laughing heartily.
"Hey, wasn't that hilarious earlier?"
"Totally hilarious. I've never seen such a cute child actor."
"Even just watching her eat was fun. Made me want a daughter of my own right then and there."
"Get married first, you idiot."
"Ahahaha! Yeah, go get married."
Not wanting to interrupt them, I let go of her hand and gently nudged Yu-na's back.
"Yu-na makes her entrance! Uncle! Uncle! Can I have more sweet potato?"
"Huh? You're here? There's plenty, so..."
"This time, Uncle..."
The group, who had been laughing and chatting away, suddenly started glancing at me awkwardly.
The atmosphere cooled off in an instant.
"...Feel free to relax. I won't bother you—I'll be out of here right away. Ahaha."
Even though I said it with a smile, they all hesitated before speaking up.
"No, it's fine. You can stay here."
"A-And... sorry for giving Yu-na sweet potatoes without your permission..."
Was I really that hard to deal with?
They'd been cracking jokes freely when Yu-na was around...
Their reaction made me feel like I was the one in the wrong for no reason.
"Is harassing the staff your hobby?"
A sharp, snappy voice cut through. As soon as I saw Yoo Si-ah striding over with the middle-aged actor, everyone started slinking away, eyes darting nervously.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The staff here hate celebrities who are famous and influential."
"...Is there a reason for that?"
She plopped down on one of the folding chairs the staff had left behind and shrugged.
"Some actor came before and nitpicked everything, framed people, and bullied them."
The middle-aged actor naturally took a seat in the empty spot beside her and chimed in.
"That experience must've left a mark, so they're being cautious. Oh! I haven't introduced myself. I'm Ko Seong-hwan. I'm not popular, so you probably don't know me."
I'd never heard of an actor named Ko Seong-hwan.
Was he a senior? A junior?
Yoo Si-ah snickered at my brief hesitation.
"He's a senior to you, Jun-seo."
"Oh... really?"
He had a very ordinary middle-aged look.
Yet there was something oddly approachable and charismatic about him.
"My introduction's late too, sir. I'm Lee Jun-seo."
"I know. Who hasn't heard of you these days? Ahaha!"
Conversation died down, and silence fell.
After a moment,
Yoo Si-ah broke the quiet.
"But... she just looks like my younger self. Personality's the total opposite. How does she have such a huge appetite? You'd think she hadn't eaten in days."
Unbeknownst to me, Yu-na was munching on a roasted sweet potato, holding a perfectly baked one in each hand.
The playground was ridiculously small.
Finally, the delayed shoot got underway.
Under Director Kim Sang-woo's instructions, Yu-na and Yoo Si-ah were focused on playing janggi on the playground ground, tossing stones.
Taking turns.
Still,
I let out a deep sigh.
'Can't they stop fighting for a bit?'
Yoo Si-ah, in the heat of the argument, yelled out.
"Hey! You just have to play normally, so why keep cheating? This is just a music video shoot. It's not a competition!"
"I-I didn't cheat!"
Yu-na raised her voice indignantly.
Seriously...
I'd seen it clearly with my own eyes.
"Don't lie. You stepped on the line. I never cheated when I was a kid!"
"Yu-na didn't either!"
Director Kim Sang-woo, who had been smiling, suddenly jumped up from his seat.
"Let's wrap up the janggi shoot here."
It was nothing major, but their fight halted filming again. Why on earth was the relationship between Yoo Si-ah and Yu-na so bad?
Feeling apologetic, I approached Director Kim Sang-woo.
"Um, Director."
"Oh! Jun-seo. Need something? If you're cold, I can get you some hot coffee..."
"No, I'm fine. More importantly... I'm really sorry about Yu-na."
I bowed deeply.
"Ahaha. It's okay. We got all the shots we need anyway. We can move on now."
"Really?"
Even after five interruptions, he didn't seem bothered at all.
"Shall we check the last take?"
"Yu-na really didn't cheat!"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's check. If you're lying, write your name with your butt. Got it?"
Yu-na and Yoo Si-ah, still bickering as they approached, faced the director.
"Excuse me, Director. Can we see the footage from that last take?"
"It's not hard, but... do you really need to? Can't we just move on?"
Even with Director Kim Sang-woo's dissuasion, their eyes burned with determination.
"No. If we check and Yu-na didn't cheat... I'll cover the wrap party afterward."
"......"
Yu-na's body trembled faintly.
She seemed to realize she'd cheated. Yoo Si-ah's lips curled up smugly.
"Yu-na? Shall we check?"
"...Daddyyy!"
Judging she couldn't lie anymore, she pretended to cry and clung to me.
"Daddy! Do I really have to write my name with my butt? I don't wanna... Yu-na lied, so I'm sorry."
I let out a huff through my nose.
"Hmm."
Honestly, I kind of wanted to see Yu-na write her name with her butt.
"Yu-na?"
"Yeah."
"A promise is a promise. You have to take the punishment for lying about not cheating."
Thud. Yu-na's eyes went wide.
Yoo Si-ah flashed a victor's grin and poked Yu-na's cheeks annoyingly.
"Heh heh. See? Daddy says a promise is a promise. Hurry up and do it like you promised your auntie—write your name with your butt."
"Hiiing... Okay."
In the end, Yu-na had to endure the punishment of writing her name with her butt in front of the entire staff.
Her face was red as a tomato.
She'd learned firsthand what happens to liars through this experience, right?
Clap! Clap! Clap!
As soon as the entertaining spectacle ended, Director Kim Sang-woo drew everyone's attention.
"Shall we move straight to the next shoot? Someone grab Actor Ko Seong-hwan."
The next scene was the daughter, who had been playing alone at the playground, reuniting with her dad who just got back from work.
They had to show joy at seeing each other...
Unlike before, where it was just playing, this required real emotional acting.
'Can Yu-na pull it off?'
It seemed tough for her, having to imagine a stranger as her dad.
Given her past intense attachment to me as her father... there was no guarantee she wouldn't act up now.
"Yu-na?"
"Yeees..."
Her face was still flushed from the butt-writing embarrassment.
But she'd improved a lot lately.
Yu-na could do it.
Believing that, I spoke again.
"When we shoot, think of that uncle from earlier as your daddy. You can do it, right?"
"...Don't wanna."
"Why?"
"That uncle... isn't cool like Daddy. He's really ugly..."
I quickly covered Yu-na's mouth.
If the senior heard her blunt words, it'd be a disaster.
Glance. Glance.
I scanned the surroundings.
"Oh..."
Too late.
Actor Ko Seong-hwan stood frozen, a hurt expression on his face, his drink spilled on the ground.
And beside him,
Yoo Si-ah, shaking violently as she stifled her laughter.
"Ah, what she meant was... she compared him to me. So..."
I was racking my brain to spin it positively when,
"Come on over. We're starting right away."
He hunched his shoulders, head down in dejection, and turned away.
The main culprit followed him with an innocent smile.
Left alone with Yoo Si-ah.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
We glanced at each other briefly, then watched the two walk off.
"Not going, Yoo Si-ah?"
"Must be tough for you, Jun-seo."
"Huh?"
"When your daughter causes trouble... you have to take responsibility for everything."
"...I'm fine. That's what being a dad is. Anyway, as long as she's healthy and not in pain like before, that's a relief."
"......"
After that, she fell silent.
Filming finally began.
But Yu-na kept failing to capture the emotion.
The joy of reuniting with Dad after he comes home from work. She just wasn't conveying that.
It felt more like casual happiness toward someone familiar.
"Let's do it again. You don't have to speak out loud... Yu-na? Act happy to see your daddy."
"Yes! Yeees!"
Scritch. Scritch.
Yu-na was drawing pictures in the dirt with a small twig.
"Yu-na, now. Look to the side."
The director voiced the cue himself for Yu-na. Unlike drama shoots, music video filming didn't mind recorded sound.
It'd be overlaid with Yoo Si-ah's song anyway.
'By the way.'
I still hadn't heard what song it was.
Kind of curious.
"Cut! Let's pause for a sec."
While I was lost in thought, filming stopped again.
"This might be... Jun-seo."
I flinched at the director's sudden call. Turning, I saw him smiling faintly.
"This is a huge ask, but could you stand in for Ko Seong-hwan, just this once?"
"Pardon? Stand-in?"
If the director was saying this,
It meant he couldn't rely on Yu-na for acting anymore.
Should I agree right away? Or ask him to give Yu-na a bit more time...
I didn't agonize long.
I shook my head.
Then politely asked,
"Could you trust Yu-na just a little longer? Let me talk to her and fix the issue."
"Hmm... If you say so, Jun-seo."
Bowing gratefully, I headed straight to Yu-na.
The two were bickering again.
But this time, it sounded less childish than before.
"You know, your emotional acting is amateur-level clumsy. You sure you're an actor?"
"Yu-na's an actor like Daddy!"
"Then act like your daddy. What's with that low-rent performance? You putting on a talent show?"
"Nuuuh... No!"
"No? Then do it like you practiced in front of the stationery store earlier."
Ko Seong-hwan, who had been quietly watching their spat, met my eyes.
He gave an awkward smile.
"Worried about Yu-na?"
Shrugging at his words,
"I came to give her some advice on how to put emotion into it."
"...Can I listen in too?"
"Huh? You've already acted it out, sir. Why..."
He scratched his nape.
"Truth is... at an audition a few days ago, they said my emotional acting wasn't deep enough compared to the others."
A senior wanting lessons from a kid? What a weird situation.
Explaining at Yu-na's level wouldn't help him anyway...
"It's basic stuff. That okay?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Alright then..."
His face brightened noticeably at my agreement.