The Bet and the Music Video
Jung Yu-jin spread her fingers wide.
"Five million."
"Good. Then I’ll do seven million. Let’s make a bet."
"How much?"
"Go big or go home—ten thousand won!"
What a tiny little scale.
"So the person who comes closest takes the whole pot?"
"Of course. Let’s make this a proper event. Should we even make a piggy bank for it?"
"I’m in!"
Oh. So the stakes were getting a little bigger after all.
In that case, I’m interested.
I quietly raised my hand. Director Rhy-lac blinked at me and asked,
"Gongza, why? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
"No. Gongza wants in too."
"Huh?"
"That thing."
For a moment, Director Rhy-lac’s eye twitched.
"A b-bet? No, Gongza. You’re a kid."
Huh. So there was an age limit?
Jung Yu-jin lowered her voice.
"Isn’t that gambling?"
"W-well, yes?"
"Director. Did we just teach Gongza how to gamble?"
"I think we might have?"
Both of them went pale.
Well, educationally, that’s not great.
But still.
I want in too.
I grinned brightly.
"Gongza will bet ten million!"
"Hah! Our Gongza sure is generous."
Well, some people were talking about going to the Academy, so this was hardly a big deal.
"I’ll bet ten thousand too!"
That money would probably be mine anyway.
The director blinked and whispered to Jung Yu-jin.
"What kind of disaster did we just cause?"
"I know."
"Our Gongza has joined in on gambling."
Jung Yu-jin said gravely,
"This is why they say not to even drink cold water in front of a child."
"Right. Oh no, what do we do? Should we report ourselves?"
"Us reporting us?"
"Come on, maybe confession leads to enlightenment?"
They both turned to me.
"Director, I think before the police, we should probably confess to Ms. Su-jeong first."
"Ah…."
"We’re doomed. She’s going to chew us out."
"We should avoid Su-jeong’s call."
"Ah, Director, at least you have somewhere to run. I don’t…."
Jung Yu-jin muttered while staring up at the ceiling.
"Ms. Su-jeong is scary…."
Good grief. They were more afraid of my mother than the police.
Neither of them said another word. I smiled sweetly and looked for Mr. Deok-su.
"Sir! Do you happen to have ten thousand won?"
"I do. Is it for the bet?"
"Yup!"
Mr. Deok-su blinked three times and opened his wallet.
"N-no, bodyguard! Don’t give it to him!"
"Bodyguard? I’m sorry! We taught the kid something weird!"
"I am not a bodyguard."
"Huh?"
Mr. Deok-su held out the ten-thousand-won bill and said with dignity,
"I am a nanny, and an aspiring manager."
Oh?
I get the first part, but what’s the second?
He was a manager, not an aspiring manager. And why was he suddenly an aspiring manager?
"I’ve been learning the work little by little."
Mr. Deok-su narrowed his eyes and looked away a little.
No, when did that start? And before that, more importantly—
Why does he look embarrassed?
To other people, he probably looked like he was plotting something, but I had been with him long enough to know. That was definitely embarrassment.
The director and Jung Yu-jin looked helpless.
"Uh, th-thank you?"
"Right. Gongza bets ten million."
"Hahaha."
Well, he did look a little scary.
But he doesn’t hurt people.
Probably.
I smiled brightly at Mr. Deok-su.
"Gongza will take it home and give it to you later!"
I had some New Year money saved up.
"Good. Be sure to get your mother’s permission."
"Yup! Oh, sir. When this is over, do I get to go home?"
Mr. Deok-su nodded.
"That’s all for today. Since tomorrow is the music video shoot, you need to get to bed early."
Right, that was true.
"Oh my, Gongza is filming a music video?"
"Who? An idol?"
Mr. Deok-su said,
"He’s an idol. The article is already out."
"Oh, really? Wow. Halo?"
"Gongza will appear in the music video for Kim Jin-hyung’s solo album title track, as a member of the group Halo."
That was a mouthful.
"Halo’s huge these days. I heard they’re massive overseas. Come to think of it, Gongza was on a parenting show with them, wasn’t he?"
Mr. Deok-su answered calmly.
"Yes. I’m told Kim Jin-hyung specifically wanted to film with Gongza."
Ah, I see.
I only looked at the storyboard, though.
Still, Halo had really taken off.
I knew they’d be that kind of group, but still—yep, there it is.
Jung Yu-jin seemed to be very interested in idols, because she asked all sorts of questions. Mr. Deok-su answered only what had already been made public, but answered it all diligently.
I smiled to myself. Today’s movie schedule had been good, and tomorrow was looking exciting too.
This is how life should be.
I’d been too idle for too long. I wouldn’t even mind being busier than this.
I leaned back comfortably in my chair and closed my eyes. What a pleasant afternoon.
* * *
"Gongza! Long time no see!"
Kim Jin-hyung scooped me up in one go. I smiled brightly.
"Hiiii!"
"Our Gongza’s grown a lot. Nice to see you."
"I missed you too!"
"Hey, you don’t call me hyung anymore? Did you forget because you saw me when you were too little?"
Kim Jin-hyung’s eyes went moist.
No, why would that make you sad?
Was he like Mr. Deok-su too? If I said I didn’t remember, he’d probably lose it.
"I remember!"
"Really? Then you’ve got to call me hyung! I really missed you, Gongza. Congratulations on the film. And on the drama too. Oh, and the perfume ad was pretty."
He was all over the place.
Well, that just means he’s really happy to see me.
I knew Halo was huge now, but he was still the same.
Honestly, it’s nice to see.
I’d thought he might have changed, but apparently not.
I answered with a small smile.
"I watched hyung on TV too!"
"Oh, yeah? What did you see?"
"You danced and sang. It was cool!"
"What song?"
Cold sweat broke out across my back.
I don’t know that far!
They barely ever showed music programs in the first place.
Ugh, no choice.
I flapped my arms and legs vaguely.
"It was this kind of dance!"
I looked up at Kim Jin-hyung desperately.
Please let that slide.
Kim Jin-hyung blinked, then grinned.
"Wow, our Gongza. I thought you were good at dancing because of the whale-family routine! Gongza, that’s not the dance."
He set me down and danced on the floor as smoothly as flowing water. He only showed simple movements on purpose, but even then, the difference was on another level.
Wow, the human joints are no joke.
So that’s what it looked like when someone could really dance. I clapped.
"Wow! Hyung is cool!"
I meant it. Kim Jin-hyung seemed pleased by the praise and laughed loudly.
"Wahaha! Really? Hmm, I feel a little embarrassed, like I’m praising myself."
Kim Jin-hyung grabbed my hand tightly.
"Gongza acts really well too. I was shocked watching the drama. That little Gongza moving around and talking."
Well, I probably moved and talked around you too.
"Ah, I’m proud of you. I wanted to film something with Gongza once things went well, and now it’s happened!"
Wow, Halo.
Still the same, really.
They’d get even bigger later, too.
"I missed you too, hyung!"
"Wahaha. You’re so good at talking now, our Gongza!"
That was when a camera came up beside us.
Hm, what’s this?
When I tilted my head, Kim Jin-hyung said,
"Ah, Gongza. This is your first time seeing one, right? It’s a making-of camera."
Ah, so they were filming behind the scenes.
"These days there’s something called YouTube, so we’re putting all kinds of videos up. Hello, Hailies! I’m at the studio today for the music video shoot."
Ah, I see.
I waved at the camera.
"Hiiii! Gongza!"
"Aw, so cute. Gongza, it’s been way too long. I thought you’d forgotten me, but thankfully you remember. Thanks for remembering me, Gongza!"
What’s the big deal?
"Gongza remembers too!"
Kim Jin-hyung laughed and scooped me up again.
"Our Gongza’s gotten heavier. You’ve grown so much taller too."
"I’ve grown a lot lately."
"You’re probably the tallest among kids your age, huh?"
I wasn’t sure since I hadn’t exactly been checking on other kids, but maybe he was right. I had grown by four inches recently thanks to a coin.
"Yup!"
"You’re growing like a weed, Gongza. You might even be taller than me someday."
Isn’t that a bit far in the future?
At that moment, the cameraman, who had been watching us with obvious fondness, asked,
"Jin-hyung, could you explain what the music video is about?"
"Ah, right. This music video is about a brother who was happy with his little sibling, only to realize that it was all a delusion. It’s very sad, and it matches the lyrics really well."
Nice explanation. Then again, this was Halo, so of course he could do that.
So that’s how making-of videos work.
They ended up filming those for dramas later too.
Seems like you need decent presentation skills.
Maybe I should practice in front of a mirror sometime.
Kim Jin-hyung stroked my cheek and said,
"Gongza. Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Because you’re cool."
It was true. You’re good.
If something’s good, you should learn from it.
This was still the early days, but the age of YouTube was coming.
Broadcast TV is going to weaken.
The shift in the broadcasting structure was definitely on the way. And sooner than people thought.
"Uh, huh?"
Kim Jin-hyung rubbed his face.
"Hyung’s a little embarrassed."
"Why?"
"No, I didn’t expect to get praised by Gongza."
Well, that was surprisingly modest.
If you were in Halo, fans all over the world would praise you in their own languages.
Then I should make him even more embarrassed.
I smiled brightly.
"I mean it! You were cool!"
"Uh… no, Gongza. I’m fine with this stuff now. But because it’s you, my face keeps turning red."
What’s the big deal?
Hm, I want to tease him more.
This would all be over before long anyway.
I mean, him getting embarrassed over my tiny compliments.
Well then, I should keep going.
I said to the camera,
"I really mean it. Hyung even danced earlier, and he looked super cool."
"No, that’s because Gongza didn’t remember our dance. I was just showing you."
"Your arms and legs move like this, all at once."
"Ah, Gongza. Not like that. Like this."
Kim Jin-hyung corrected the position of my limbs and matched the beat for me.
"One, two, and a half. Ta-da."
I copied him diligently. But I still looked pretty awkward.
"Ahahaha! Wow, Gongza, why are you so stiff? You were great at the whale-family routine!"
Excuse me. That was a routine, not a dance.
If you knew how much practice that took, you’d be shocked.
I still got muscle aches just thinking about the whale family.
"Aw, the awkwardness makes you even cuter. Anyway, I’m so happy I got to film with Gongza today. See you in a bit!"
Kim Jin-hyung smiled at the camera. The cameraman said,
"Looks good."
"We got Gongza dancing on camera too, right?"
"Of course. It looks great. I think this will get a good reaction."
"That’s great then."
Kim Jin-hyung let out a sigh.
"I just hope my acting is good enough."
Huh. Why was he worried about that?
"Ah, maybe I should take some anxiety medicine. You know, Gongza—this is my first time acting?"
Huh?
No way.
When I tilted my head, Kim Jin-hyung bowed his own head.
"Seriously. I’ve done a few variety shows, but this is my first real dramatic role."
Hm. Maybe because Halo was still early in its run.
"I tried it a few times at the dorm last night, and the other members laughed."
Oh dear.
"Ugh, I’m nervous. I’ve got camera anxiety!"
No way, and he’d still made it this far with that?
I, I’m impressed.
I let out a long breath. I’d seen a few people like this in my past life too.
Hm, I think the trick is just to relax naturally.
The problem was the nerves, wasn’t it?
If he could just set the pressure down, it would get a lot easier.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.