Chapter 106
"I really should break every last one of their wrists! Those bastards!"
"I know a way to break them all at once. Want me to tell you?"
"Yes. No, you little brats! Just curse me out instead!"
Ma Soo-jung swept her hair back and caught her breath. If she had it her way, she would have grabbed every one of them and buried them alive.
"You know what? They don't go that hard on me."
That only made Ma Soo-jung want to scream all the more.
I'm the only one who actually has anything to do with Sungjin Group.
Gongza was just her son.
"I see."
"They don't touch me because I'm Sungjin Group. But they do touch Gongza, because he's the child I adopted."
She understood exactly what that meant. Ma Soo-jung gave a short laugh.
"If Gongza had really been born to me, they wouldn't have dared to lay a finger on him."
They probably knew he was adopted, and that was why they were doing this.
"So what you're saying is that they think you're easy to push around."
"That's right. Well, he's easy to bite into, isn't he? He's got buzz, and he gets a reaction. I know the real villain is the Sungjin Group second child who cooked the books. So why should our innocent Gongza be the one taking all this heat?"
It was deeply unfair.
"I know what you're going to ask next. Whether he's really unrelated to all this. But Gongza really has nothing to do with it. And they know that, which is exactly why they go after him."
"It's about power, then."
"Yes. Exactly. And the film doing so well hasn't helped either. Still, our Gongza is amazing. Eight million viewers already."
Ma Soo-jung smiled bitterly.
"He seems far too precious for me. An angel. I don't think someone like me should have been the one to take him in."
"That's not true! Not at all!"
"Still, even if that were so, I need Gongza more now than he needs me."
Ma Soo-jung took another deep breath. Even now, she still felt like her chest was collapsing in on itself. Why was it always her child who had to suffer?
The second child who cooked the books won't have to lose a thing.
If the law couldn't settle it, then she would have to break a few bones with her own hands to feel better.
But that's one thing. For now...
Ma Soo-jung lifted her head.
"Still, I should do what I can."
If she didn't, Gongza would get hurt. She straightened her back.
"I'm thinking of pushing ahead with the foundation."
"I see."
"It would be nice if the foundation's launch got as much attention as all the trouble Gongza's been put through. Well, if it comes to it, I can always pay for the articles and have the press release distributed."
Ma Soo-jung slipped her phone away and shook her head.
"I have no face to show after how I promised the nun I'd raise Gongza well when I took him in."
And yet this had happened.
"I don't know why I was so full of confidence. In the end, the one who probably hurts Gongza most is me."
Mr. Deoksu shook his head and blurted out, "No, ma'am!"
He meant it sincerely.
"You're a good mother."
"Well, I do have money."
"That's not why I'm saying it. You're truly a good mother!"
Ma Soo-jung smiled a little. He was clumsy and rough around the edges, but the words came from someone who couldn't tell a lie, and that made them trustworthy.
"Thank you. For comforting me."
She took a breath.
Enough complaining.
It wouldn't change anything.
She picked up her smartphone again. She had to get back to work.
"Ah, please tell Gongza that the reporters are going to be sharp."
"Yes. I will."
"Gongza, is he stressed out a lot?"
Mr. Deoksu blinked. Then he lowered his head.
"This may sound a little strange, but from where I'm standing..."
Ma Soo-jung blinked.
"It seems like he's enjoying it."
That was not what she had expected.
"Enjoying it?"
"Yes."
"Of course he is. My angel is brave, too."
She couldn't help laughing. Ma Soo-jung put her hands behind her back and shook with laughter. Honestly, her child was far too lovable.
"Is he doing that because he doesn't want me to feel guilty?"
"Maybe. But Gongza has always had a lot of nerve."
"Mm, that does sound like Gongza. Hahaha! He's even funny like that. That's our Gongza, all right!"
The mother was all shrunk up with worry, and yet her son wasn't the least bit intimidated.
"That's right. Be proud, Gongza. The sin is mine, not yours."
Ma Soo-jung smiled with a bitter edge. Why did her angel always know how to give her courage?
She squared her shoulders. He really was adorable.
"Please take care of him. Ah, then I should get back to work myself."
Leaving Mr. Deoksu behind, Ma Soo-jung walked slowly toward the display cabinet and stopped in front of it.
Behind the black glass, the things she had carefully gathered over time were lined up in neat rows.
She tapped the glass with her fingers.
"It's been a while, my treasures."
Ma Soo-jung smiled. The black glass reflected the beautiful actress as if it were a mirror.
"Your big sister neglected you for a while."
She pressed her forehead to the glass. The cool smoothness felt wonderful.
"I've been living properly all this time. But, kids. It's time to work with your big sister."
She lifted her head, typed in the password, and opened the cabinet.
The aluminum bat settled perfectly into her hand. Feeling its weight, she turned quietly away.
It was time to get to work.
* * *
Director Rhy-lac's film The Basement surged ahead at full speed. Sitting in my chair, I stretched out my legs so they dangled above the floor, then pulled them back in.
As expected, it's good.
When a film does well, that's a tremendous honor for an actor.
And I'm the lead, too.
For my first film to go this well. Reincarnation was worth it after all.
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. I quickly fixed my expression, but I couldn't really help feeling excited.
Honestly, I wanted to sing about eight million. No, I was already singing it inside.
Eight million, eight million~.
Ah, this feels great. I'm floating without a plan.
My arms and legs started twitching on their own from how happy I was.
Calm down, Ma Gongza.
I took a deep breath and unfolded the cue sheet I had already memorized. Maybe if I did some work, my heart would settle down.
But my hope went wrong immediately.
Q&A with the audience commemorating eight million viewers for "The Basement"
Oh.
I got up quietly and rolled my shoulders once in a circle.
This is fun!
I'm really fired up. Nice!
Let's get eight million and then go for ten!
Such results for my first lead role! I'm a little worried about what I should do from here, but for this moment, I'll enjoy it!
I was grinning to myself when a familiar voice came from behind me.
"Gongza, what are you doing?"
Ah, right. This guy was here too.
I flashed a bright smile and said, "I'm so excited I'm bouncing around."
"R-right?"
"Yep."
CEO Seo nodded obediently.
"Well, you really are doing insanely well. Ahh. Honestly, I'm happy too. Maybe because you're doing well, even Soo-jung has started to loosen up a little. Gongza, do you know this? Advertisers already preferred you, but these days they're downright blatant about it."
Well, that made sense, though it was a little surprising.
Still, wouldn't the accounting scandal make things awkward?
CEO Seo nodded as if he'd read my mind.
"I know. Everyone's thinking about that. But our Gongza has been charging ahead with popularity. Honestly, even I think you're incomparable. I've never seen a kid like you in the entertainment industry."
Ah.
That part is true enough.
It wasn't that there were no famous child actors. But it was hard to keep standing out.
I'm literally a kid, after all.
A child still has school to worry about, so it's awkward to keep delivering results all the time.
That said, expecting a child to carry an adult's sense of responsibility is just a thief's conscience.
Most child actors started because their parents pushed them into it in the first place.
In the end, this is probably just because I have a second life.
People keep calling me a genius, but that was true here as well.
"Our Gongza is really incredible. How did Soo-jung bring home a kid like this?"
Well, it's an honor for me. Thanks to my mom bringing me in, I'm enjoying the life of a conglomerate family's child, completely against all odds.
"That's why I'm worried. Gongza, you heard me, right? There are audiences and reporters out there, and they are sharpening their teeth."
Ah.
So that's why CEO Seo came in.
I looked at him and said, "I'm okay."
Really.
"Ah, huh? Gongza. Those grown men are generally nasty. They can destroy people with a pen. Some of them aren't like that, but..."
Well, fair enough.
Looks like they're really trying to pin the accounting scandal on someone.
No, they should spend that time digging into Lee Yu-kyeong's husband instead. Seriously.
Still, from the general public's point of view, maybe I'm no different from the person who cooked the books.
I asked casually, "Are there a lot of people who don't like me?"
"Huh? J-just a few?"
Ah.
So that's why Mom and the teacher kept warning me last night. There was something going on.
Judging by the way he was talking about reporters, it sounded like those people had gone and acted up again.
I shrugged.
"I'm okay."
"No, no, Gongza. It's good that you've got nerve, but there's no way this can be okay."
I grinned.
Not everyone can like me anyway.
And if the reason for their dislike was Sungjin Group, I had nothing to say about it.
It's a little unfair, but I can understand it.
When someone's doing well, there are always people who grab on to something and take a swing.
That doesn't mean you can erase the popularity that already exists.
When I was playing supporting roles in those prestige projects, I'd seen cases like this countless times.
It's only natural if you're a top star.
No matter how many good things I do, there will always be people who hate me. That's just how it is when you reach the top.
CEO Seo let out a long sigh.
"No, this kid really isn't bothered at all. Gongza. Let me ask you one thing."
"Yep."
Ask me two if you want.
"Are you really all right?"
"Yep."
"Wow, I'm losing my mind. Maybe because you're young and don't know any better."
Knowing better is exactly why I'm fine.
"Today's a Q&A with the audience, and apparently it's being live-streamed on Nootube. Isn't that unusual? I guess we're in that kind of era already."
I nodded.
Ah, Nootube.
It's unusual now, but later it'll be ordinary.
Time really does change fast.
Still, this is the Republic of Korea.
It's a country with real talent for changing quickly.
"But outside, there are hyenas crawling all over the place. Looks like a lot of reporters came today."
"It's a promotional event."
"Th-that may be true, but Gongza, you went through this before. You know what kind of questions they ask."
Yeah, they did scrape at me a bit.
"I told you, I'm okay."
"You're going to hear worse than that today."
"Let them try."
If that was the fate of a top star, it couldn't be helped.
I smiled brightly.
CEO Seo seemed to go weak at the knees and sighed again.
"No, this kid's way too composed. Gongza. They're going to give you a hard time. The adults are going to poke at you with pens in the pettiest way possible, I swear."
Even so, they were welcome to try.
Once I set up the charity foundation, there'll be backlash anyway.
They might as well get all their jabs in now.
"And yet the reason so many people are looking for you is because you're marketable. Damn it. What am I saying to a kid? Gongza. Anyway, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
What was that supposed to mean?
"I heard that Soo-jung threatened the second branch with a bat yesterday, so things will gradually get better."
Huh?
No, what is he talking about?
Wait, Mom did what?
"She took out a bat again?"