Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Peaceful Daily Life…. No.
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A peaceful daily life…. No.
I'd been spending my days playing endlessly with the little prankster, trapped in a repetitive cycle.
We'd play at the playground right in front of our apartment until the sun went down, then come home and dive into role-playing games.
This went on for a week.
And that week felt like pure hell.
"Play hell…."
I shuddered at the thought.
Yu-na's whiny, pleading voice begging me to play still echoed in my ears.
If only she knew how I felt.
Yu-na, who had dressed herself neatly all on her own, came dashing over to me.
"Daddy! Yu-na got dressed by myself again. Did I do good?"
"Yeah, you did great. Now you can even put on your suspenders all by yourself?"
"Hee hee hee."
"Now let's put on your jacket."
"Hee hee hee. Daddy. What are we playing at the playground? Ball? Tag?"
I shook my head.
"We're not going to play. We're going to meet the CEO to talk business."
That's right.
Today, I had to visit Lunatic's agency to discuss my next project.
Staying there late into the evening and heading home afterward wouldn't be so bad.
I bundled Yu-na up in a warm jacket and zipped it all the way up to her neck.
"Alright, all set! Ready to go?"
"Yesss. Huh? It's Mommy's picture!"
Dash!
Yu-na bolted to the TV and grinned wide at the small picture frame.
I'd left it out for a while now….
I was admiring her sharp eyes for finally noticing it today when suddenly Yu-na glanced around sneakily, whistled innocently, and covered the frame with her hand on the floor.
'You don't have to do that.'
I put the frame back in its place and slipped my hands under her armpits.
I lifted her up with a whoosh and hugged her tightly against my chest.
"You don't have to sneak around Daddy anymore."
"…Really?"
"Of course. It's not like Mommy would be embarrassed. I kept it in a box for a while because it hurt my heart…. But now it's okay."
Just as I said.
Memories of my wife no longer stabbed at my chest or made me ache.
Seeing her picture was the same.
Come to think of it, we don't have many photos of just the two of us together.
I gently stroked Yu-na's hair.
"How about we get one of our daddy-daughter photos framed and put it right next to it?"
Yu-na's face bloomed into a huge smile at my suggestion.
"Yesss! Yu-na loves that!"
"Then after we're done today, we'll go to the photo shop. Got it?"
Nod nod.
"Yesss."
"Alright, time to head out? Uncle In-cheol's probably waiting."
"Hee hee hee. Yesss. Ah! Wait a sec."
Yu-na wriggled out of my arms, hopped to the floor, and dashed into the bedroom.
She came back moments later, holding something in her hand.
"Now we can go."
In Yu-na's hand was the little camera Uncle In-cheol had given her as a gift.
If I'd known she'd love it that much…. I should've been the one to give her the camera instead of In-cheol.
I felt oddly indebted to him.
***
In front of Lunatic's agency.
Countless reporters were stomping their feet against the biting cold wind.
The reason they were braving the harsh winter in front of the agency was obvious without asking.
They were surely there to turn my interview from the 2022 KY Acting Awards into articles.
'But what's that?'
Beyond the reporters, a poster caught my eye.
It featured me holding up my trophy with a beaming smile.
That looked like the one taken when Yu-na brought out the camera….
"In-cheol? Who hung up that poster?"
"The CEO ordered it. We're planning auditions at our agency soon…."
"…What does that have to do with it?"
"With you winning the grand prize, we'll get tons of applicants, right? Probably banking on that."
"Ah…."
"There's a misconception, though. Actors have trainees too, just like idols."
I knew that.
Actors train under agency experts, honing their skills before focusing solely on audition prep for roles.
Jumping straight into auditions like I did and succeeding…. It's like throwing an egg at a rock.
"Hey, I know that."
"I figured someone who won acting's top prize on their own might not."
"It wasn't just my own power."
"Yes, yes, of course."
"……."
In-cheol responded indifferently to my words and adjusted his grip on the steering wheel.
"Ah, looks like the road's finally clearing."
Grip! Grip!
Suddenly, Yu-na tugged at my clothes and pointed out the window.
"Daddy! Those uncles all have cameras just like Yu-na's. They're all gathered to take pictures of Daddy and Yu-na, right?"
"Probably."
Click!
Yu-na suddenly rolled down the window.
"Hello, uncles!"
The reporters waiting in front of Lunatic's agency spotted Yu-na and whipped out their cameras like they'd been waiting.
Flash! Flash!
"Eek! My eyes!"
Blasted by flashes, Yu-na adorably covered her eyes with her tiny hands.
"Daddy! Close the window, please."
"……."
I closed the window Yu-na had flung wide open. Even as I did, she kept mumbling with her eyes still covered.
"I-Is it closed?"
"…Yeah."
***
CEO Do Bong-seok's private office.
I sat with Yu-na in the seat he directed us to and placed a bound script on the table.
The CEO, who had been leisurely sipping coffee, twitched an eyebrow.
"…What's that?"
"There's something I want to do next. That's it."
No sooner had I finished than a deep sigh escaped his lips.
"Haa…. You really don't take a break before picking your next project?"
"Ahaha. Pretty much. Take a look. The setup's solid, and the flow's super smooth. I like it."
"…Yeah?"
The CEO picked up the script I'd set down and flipped it open.
His brow furrowed deeply.
His eyebrows twitched repeatedly.
After reading for a while, he closed the bound script and stared at me.
"Jun-seo…."
"Doesn't look good to you?"
"You trying to snag the grand prize from another network next? Where the hell did you find a blockbuster like this?"
Whew.
Relief washed over me.
It looked like the CEO approved of the project I wanted too.
"Good to hear."
"Sheesh! Good? Even if I said no, you'd do it anyway, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Fine, fine. I'll handle contacting them. You know that."
"Thank you."
I bowed politely, and Yu-na, who had been munching on snacks, suddenly jumped up.
Then she bowed deeply.
"Thank you, CEO!"
I couldn't help but chuckle.
Crumbs littered the floor under her seat, and her mouth was smeared like she had a mustache.
I pulled out a handkerchief.
"Sigh, you sure keep me busy."
"Hee hee hee."
As I wiped around her lips, I felt a sticky gaze.
I glanced over to see the CEO watching me intently.
"…Something you want to say to me?"
"Ah, Jun-seo. You free today?"
"Yeah, I am…."
"Then come with me to check on our actor trainees."
"Why the trainees?"
"Five of them are prepping for supporting role auditions. Thought you could give them some advice."
Actor trainees….
Wonder what their skills are like?
I got curious.
I had plenty of time today anyway.
If we got home late, I wouldn't have time to play with Yu-na.
I nodded.
"Sure, why not?"
***
The basement we followed the CEO to.
I gripped Yu-na's hand tight so she wouldn't wander off, glancing around.
Clean tiles.
Cloud-white wallpaper.
But what really drew the eye were the posters of Lunatic's family members.
Look at the wall right next to us.
"Daddy! Yu-na's here too! Huh? Daddy's here!"
"Y-Yeah…."
I let out a deep sigh.
Who knew the agency had a place like this.
I was learning for the first time today that our agency had a practice room like this.
'No, wait a minute.'
Then….
What was that dusty practice room I borrowed last time for acting practice?
As I stared at the CEO's back with questions swirling, he stopped abruptly and turned around.
"What do you think? Pretty nice, huh?"
"…You made this recently?"
"Last year? You said you needed a practice room back then. We started building it then, and now the paint smell's finally gone, so it's usable."
Ah, so everything looked brand new. As my chest warmed at his thoughtfulness for me….
"Well, that's part of it."
He continued.
"But the biggest reason is for our budding actors. The old setup was too shabby because I didn't manage it properly."
"…Ah. I see."
Where'd my space go?
I let out a small sigh.
"It's just the trainees using it now, but feel free to use it whenever you need."
"Yes, I'll make good use of it. Thank you."
The CEO nodded slightly and placed his hand on the doorknob next to us.
Click-!
He cracked the door open, and faint voices drifted from inside.
They sounded like they were arguing.
"Wanna go in now? Sounds like the trainees are in the middle of practice."
Gulp-!
'Trainees….'
My heart raced at the thought of meeting our agency's actor trainees for the first time.
"Sure."
"Let's go in."
The CEO flung the door open wide, and three pairs of eyes turned to us.
One face looked familiar.
The other two had idol-like attractive features.
"Ahem! Are the kids behaving?"
Clatter clatter!
The one who came rushing over in a fluster was a familiar middle-aged man I'd seen somewhere before.
"What brings you here, CEO…."
"Just checking if the young ones are learning properly. Any issues?"
"Ahaha. Issues? Three went to auditions for roles today, and the rest are prepping for tomorrow's. But who's this…."
The middle-aged man's gaze turned to me.
I met his eyes and bowed politely.
"Hello. I'm actor Lee Jun-seo."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Nam Jeong-wuk, a former actor. Now I train them after hanging up my acting shoes."
My eyes widened.
A family member from Y&H Entertainment, the agency I was with in my past life, stood before me.
His face had changed a lot, sure.
But traces remained of the junior who used to treat me with such respect.
I wondered why someone so passionate about acting had quit.
Did the agency go under?
Grip! Grip!
"Daddy, Yu-na wants to say hi too. Can you let go?"
I snapped out of my thoughts and slowly released her hand.
Yu-na cleared her throat with a little cough and bowed deeply.
"Hello. I'm Yu-na, the daughter of a handsome daddy. Nice to meet you."
Nam Jeong-wuk's face broke into a wide grin at Yu-na's greeting.
"Ahaha. Child actress. Nice to meet you too, missy."