Chapter 101
I’m translating the chapter now and preserving the special formatted interview/Q&A material as styled HTML, while keeping the prose natural and continuous.CHAPTER_TITLE: Chapter 101
In the middle of that chaos, Han Woo-jin apologized without resistance.
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right."
"I know how that feels, because I lost a dog too."
"Pet-loss syndrome isn't something to take lightly."
Han Woo-jin closed his eyes while the makeup artist worked on him and said, "Should I go to the hospital with Gongza's advice?"
"That wouldn't be a bad idea. More people than you'd think get counseling for pet loss."
"I'm a public figure, so there are a lot of eyes on me."
"Oh, dear. That must be hard on you."
The staff were kind.
They even made room for us and took care of things.
I quietly looked around the studio.
Of course I was going to do my best, but still.
Maybe because the staff were all good people, it made me want to work even harder.
Hmm. How do I make sure I get filmed well?
I would try my best too, but honestly, the result still depended on the photographer's skill.
Come to think of it, they said he was a pretty famous photographer.
Han Woo-jin's voice drifted over the bustle of the staff.
"Sorry. You can see my dark circles, right?"
"It's fine. We covered them with foundation."
"Hah. Sorry. I haven't been sleeping. I'm not usually like this."
Ah.
Well, the photos will be retouched anyway.
If they were going to do it, a bright, healthy look was better than a worn-out one.
I shouted inwardly at once, Use coin activation! Tell me how many coins it will cost to improve Han Woo-jin's skin, and what the price is.
10 coins will be consumed to determine the price.
The skin of Top Star: Han Woo-jin requires 3,272 coins to improve.
The price is: kiss the person you see when you open your eyes after 5 seconds.
What, what?
No, the coin count is manageable, but why is the price like that?!
No, that was ridiculous. It meant I had to kiss whoever I saw the moment I opened my eyes. This.
I’m going to lose it.
I was torn apart by violent indecision.
No, well. I’m still a kid, so I could do it. But still.
I really didn't want to.
Then Han Woo-jin's voice came again.
"Besides, Gongza's a sweet kid, right? It's not just his face that's cute."
"He really does seem sweet."
"He's such a good actor too. Did you see When the Wind Touches?"
Damn it.
That guy likes me way too much.
My heart was softening, honestly.
I took a deep breath. Still, a kiss was too much. It felt like something precious was disappearing.
But Han Woo-jin kept praising me.
"He was extraordinary from the Emergency Room days. But that was when he was a baby. I mean, he's still a baby to me now, but When the Wind Touches was different. There was a scene with Yoon Jung-hyun, and the emotional line on screen just flowed like water. That's a huge thing."
Stop praising me.
I'm not that kind of guy...
I hung my head low. Then, with a crushed heart, I muttered inwardly, Execute it!
All things come with a price.
The stated price will now be carried out.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Then I slowly drew in a breath.
I’m still a kid. It'll be fine.
Let's just think of it as acting.
I can do this.
I clenched my fist and made up my mind.
For this kind of thing, I need to be shameless.
Lee Hanjo, no, Ma Gongza! You can do it! You're shameless enough for this!
I turned my head toward the direction of Han Woo-jin's voice. Then I opened my eyes at once.
Han Woo-jin kept smiling warmly as he continued praising me.
"Gongza's going to be a treasure for sure. You can tell at a glance, you know."
"You and Gongza seem really close."
"Hahahaha! I decided he was my son on my own. I got scolded by Director Soo-jung because of it. She told me, 'Who do you think you are, taking someone else's son away?'"
"Well, that was worth scolding. But Gongza seems to like you too, Mr. Woo-jin."
"Hahahahahaha! Well, maybe? Maybe he does?"
My legs moved on their own. I walked slowly toward him. I tried to stop halfway, but it was impossible.
As it turned out once again, there was no resisting the price.
Let's give up.
I stood in front of Han Woo-jin. Maybe because I had spent coins, his skin suddenly had a glow to it.
"Hm? Gongza? What's wrong?"
He bent his knees to meet my eyes.
Damn it, don't be so kind.
Blood tears were pouring from inside me. I hurriedly brought my lips to his cheek.
Despair settled heavily on my shoulders. I wanted to find a mouse hole and crawl inside it.
I think I'm going to cry.
But don't cry, Ma Gongza. You're an actor. Let's just think of it as shooting a romance. Not that I've ever shot one.
Be shameless. Right, slap some iron on my face!
Han Woo-jin looked bewildered, as if he hadn't expected me to do that.
I forced a bright smile.
"Cheer up, hyung."
"Huh, huh?"
"Fighting!"
I quietly turned around and looked around the studio. There was, of course, no mouse hole in that vast space.
Damn it.
Han Woo-jin's laughter rang out behind me.
"Ahahaha! Did you see that? Gongza really likes me!"
"I was startled. Wow, was it because of the costume? I thought an angel was walking up to me."
"I've been thinking this since earlier, but Gongza, that outfit suits you. With the flower crown too, you looked like a spirit of blossoms."
"I think that's the concept."
"Oh, really? I didn't know that. No, that's not the important part. Gongza just kissed me! I'm a man who got a kiss from Gongza!"
Don't shout that so loudly.
I crouched down quietly and covered my face with both hands.
"Gongza, thank you. No, but why are you all curled up like that?"
"Oh my, he looks embarrassed."
"What?"
At that moment, laughter burst out all over the studio.
"Puhahahahahaha!"
"Khk! Khk!"
"Kheup, puhah. Khat."
"Ahahahaha!"
Damn it.
"Kheup. Oh, that's adorable."
"Oh, seriously. It's not just his face that's cute. His behavior is even cuter."
"Why is he embarrassed after doing it himself?"
"That's the charm point. Oof, my stomach hurts. Gongza, don't be shy."
"Oh no. His hands have gone red too."
I was humiliated. But there was nowhere to hide.
I can't lift my head.
Just then, my waist was suddenly scooped up. Honestly, I didn't even need to look to know.
It's Han Woo-jin.
The man, reborn from sorrow, hugged me and said, "Bwahahaha! Gongza, do you really not want to be my son?"
No.
"Come to my house for real! I'll give you the address. No, I'll give you the password too. Come play. No, you can even live there!"
Don't tell me. I'm not going. Why would I go?
His laughter never stopped. I couldn't even bring myself to lift my head.
The situation was finally brought under control five minutes later. Maybe because the mood was good, the shoot ended smoothly.
* * *
"Looking at it again, it came out really well."
Ma Soo-jung folded her arms and looked at the poster. The moment she saw it, she couldn't stop smiling.
"It does."
Mr. Deok-su nodded. He agreed completely.
"The photo composition is good. They framed him nicely from below."
"The way Gongza reaches out with his hand looks like he's rescuing someone who fell."
"That was probably the intention. Our Gongza came out so elegant."
Mr. Deok-su agreed with that too.
"The atmosphere is excellent."
"There are plenty of pretty children in this world. But I don't think anyone else could pull off this kind of atmosphere besides Gongza."
Ma Soo-jung couldn't take her eyes off the poster.
"I heard this is wildly popular."
"Yes. I heard the store response was strong. Apparently they're even being stolen a lot, so it's turned into a whole mess."
"It makes sense. The background is probably composited. Our Gongza would do well in fantasy too."
"Directors often say that a face is what makes a role believable, and I agree."
"He's got incredible talent. Actually, fantasy films are supposed to feel slightly unreal, and that's part of their strength, but it's also a weakness."
Ma Soo-jung leaned back a little and looked at the poster from another angle.
"That's why fantasy has to pay close attention to CG. But our Gongza? Even if the makeup is sloppy, I think he'd still get away with it."
"Our Gongza is often praised for his perfect appearance."
"Of course. If I were the director, I'd just be amazed too."
"The people around him praise him like that a lot."
"Anyone with eyes would. But..."
Ma Soo-jung ground her teeth.
"That Han Woo-jin jerk keeps saying he wants to make Gongza his son?"
"Yes. During the whole shoot, he kept carrying Gongza around."
"Why is he pawing at another family's precious child?"
Ma Soo-jung clenched her fist hard. Mr. Deok-su confessed everything without missing a thing.
"He made a whole scene over one kiss."
"Our Gongza's heart is soft. He was just being kind to the poor fool, and that idiot doesn't know his place."
"I don't know if it was just my impression, but he seemed to recover from his pet-loss gloom immediately."
"My baby is sweet, so of course he's good at comforting people."
"Still, I was annoyed that he kept bragging about it."
"Ah, sir. You should have hit him once and come back."
"If my feelings had their way, I would have."
Mr. Deok-su admitted it calmly.
"But Gongza wouldn't want me to."
"Right. My son hates violence. I'm being careful too."
"Yes. Gongza is naturally such a good child, but it seems Han Woo-jin misunderstood him."
Ma Soo-jung took a deep breath.
"Exactly. He probably thinks Gongza only treats him well. Ugh, I'm furious. I want to work on a project with that guy, though."
Ma Soo-jung smiled brightly. It was a beautiful smile, but veins were standing out on her forehead.
"Of course, just so I can give him a hard time."
"Didn't it work out?"
"Our projects don't overlap. I wish he'd end up on something with lots of action."
"That's unfortunate."
"I can't tell whether the kid is avoiding me or just not coming my way, but whichever it is, let me catch him once."
Ma Soo-jung muttered under her breath.
"He should try having his joints ache on rainy days for about three years before he goes around after other people's sons."
"He also gave an interview later."
Ma Soo-jung ground her teeth.
"What, was that Han Woo-jin guy possessed by some ghost that starved to death because it couldn't act friendly?"
"I agree."
Q. This fragrance ad was shot with the celebrity of the moment, Gongza, right?
A. I met Gongza again after quite a while. He'd grown so much that I was really surprised. The distance between us had grown too, so I felt oddly unfamiliar with him for a second, but Gongza was still the same.
Q. Sounds like there was an episode involving Gongza?
A. Yes. I told him I was having a hard time because of pet-loss grief, and he kissed me. He was so cute I kept carrying him around. He's really an angelic child.
I think that side of Gongza really comes through in this promotional shoot.
Q. You're talking about D Company's fragrance, right? I heard it's hugely popular. The photos with you and Woo-jin also became a hot topic.
A. Yes. It's a composition similar to the creation of the world, isn't it? Though instead of a finger, I’m handing over the fragrance. Actually, that was improvised. The original concept art wasn't like that, but the photographer suggested we try it once. And then it seems they approved it right away. Seeing the reaction, I'm pleased. I think the promo photos also do a good job showing how well we get along.
Ma Soo-jung nearly smashed her smartphone on the spot.
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