Face Genius, 0 Years Old, Top Star
I looked myself over in the mirror from one angle to the next.
'What a pretty back of the head.'
It was perfectly rounded, not a single crooked line on it. An astonishing bone structure. Only then did I understand why I always photographed so well.
'So the shape itself was good.'
Good looks didn’t just happen.
'I thought I was just naturally handsome...'
The face genius really was different. I smiled a little. When I had hair, I’d looked only cute, but now the atmosphere was somehow different.
'Sublime.'
I was admiring my face when Ansan-daek quietly came up behind me. Then, all of a sudden, she pressed her palms together and bowed her head.
“They say if you let go, you gain things. Namu Amita Buddha.”
Uh, Ansan-daek. What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean.
“Just looking at your face makes my heart feel clean, Gongza. I think I understand why even Ananda had such a hard time reaching enlightenment because of beauty.”
W-who exactly is that person?
“If Gongza were a monk, that temple would be overflowing with offerings. Amitabha.”
With that, Ansan-daek walked past me, hands still pressed together. She was so natural about it that I didn’t even know what to say.
'Do I look like a novice monk?'
I stared at the mirror and made a decision.
'Hmm. I shouldn’t wear clothes like hanbok for a while.'
And I’d better stay away from gray clothes, too.
I looked at the mirror and smiled again. Without hair, I really did look oddly holy.
Just then, Mr. Deok-su suddenly slid over to my side.
“Excuse me.”
What was he planning to do?
When I glanced up a little, Mr. Deok-su brought his palm to the back of my head.
“Teacher?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to hold back since earlier, but I can’t control the impulse.”
No, I mean, what impulse?
Mr. Deok-su said that, then kept stroking the back of my head.
“It’s very round and very cute.”
W-well, yes, I suppose it is.
Just when I was blinking in dumbfounded silence, Mom slowly opened the door and came in.
'Ah, she’s going to get sad again.'
I should comfort her properly. Don’t make Mom sad, Ma Gongza! Be filial!
Mom drew a deep breath. Then she forced a smile.
“Our Gongza, let me see. Oh? ”
She rushed over at once and looked me over from every angle.
“This is a victory of the face.”
“Indeed.”
I tilted my head and asked,
“Is it weird?”
“No, Gongza. My little angel has become a bodhisattva.”
“That lady over there already came by and put her hands together just now.”
“Well, I can see why. Honestly, the religious world is incredibly picky about looks.”
Uh, Mother. I think you just dissed an entire field in one sentence.
Mr. Deok-su’s hand quietly fell away. But immediately afterward, Mom’s hand rose in its place.
She fiddled with my head.
“Mama?”
“It feels like a chestnut. Maybe because it’s so round and shiny, but I’m having a hard time resisting the urge.”
I had no idea what to say.
'I guess I do understand that it has some kind of irresistible roundness...'
Mr. Deok-su nodded.
“I agree.”
“This is becoming a serious problem. Anyone who sees this back of the head is going to want to touch it.”
“Dangerous.”
Uh, hello?
“Teacher, the crown of Gongza’s head... I think he’s going to have to keep it covered.”
“I’ll do that. Even I was having trouble restraining myself. I’ll take measures.”
“Exactly. If something is alive and breathing, you feel like you have to touch the crown at least once. Isn’t that how it is?”
The conversation was extremely strange. I looked around in case anyone else could hear us. If someone recorded this and reported it, wouldn’t the police rush over thinking it was drugs?
I looked at Mom, who was touching my bare head. Honestly, I was relieved.
'At least Mom isn’t crying.'
I hugged her leg.
“Mama! Gongza will live strong!”
“Huh?”
“So don’t cry.”
Mom’s eyes trembled. I clenched my fist tightly.
“Gongza can do it! Believe in Gongza!”
Right. What did it matter if I didn’t have hair for a little while? The important thing was that I was a face genius, wasn’t it?
'Once filming is over, I can grow it back.'
Mom looked at me, then suddenly sank down to the floor. Her shoulders started shaking again.
“Mama?”
“Kuh. Hk. Ngh.”
Huh.
'She’s crying again.'
What on earth was a child, that it could make a mother cry like this?
Mom stayed crouched like that for a long time. I quietly stared up at the ceiling. It was still high, but now it didn’t make me cry anymore.
* * *
“Wow.”
“Whoa.”
“This is no joke.”
The three exclamations were all top-notch. I narrowed my eyes. Director Won Jong-sa was the first to speak.
“Ah, I didn’t expect this.”
“Expect what?”
“No, I’d only thought about Gongza being pretty as the girl role. But... hmm, maybe I need to rewrite the script a bit? What do you think, Su-yoon?”
“Hm. I think the boy’s emotional line will change.”
Huh? That much?
'It’s nothing much...'
I’d just shaved my head and put on a patient gown.
'Ah, well, the gown is yellow.'
I looked down at the loose sleeves. Maybe because it wasn’t a real hospital gown but a costume, the color actually looked kind of pretty.
Han Woo-jin looked at me and said,
“You look like a sick little chick. But...”
His hand rose toward my forehead. Watching the shadow of his palm fall over my crown, I simply gave up.
'Han Woo-jin’s doing it, too.'
His big hand smoothed over my head. Then he confessed matter-of-factly,
“I’ve wanted to touch it since earlier.”
Is that so?
“Ah, you too, Woo-jin?”
Another hand came to my head. This time it was Director Won Jong-sa.
“Yes. It’s so round that I feel like I have to touch it.”
I let out a sigh. That was when my eyes met Han Su-yoon’s.
“Do you want to touch it too, hyung?”
“Well... I do, but Gongza.”
“Yeah. What is it?”
Han Su-yoon spoke seriously.
“In the script... it says the boy falls in love at first sight with the girl’s appearance.”
I nodded. Thanks to that, two hands were wobbling on my head.
“I was wondering if I’d have to do method acting for this. No matter how cute you are, Gongza, this is still the part where he falls in love.”
Well, it was a difficult role.
But then Han Su-yoon smiled brightly and said,
“But I think I can do it.”
I lost my balance for a second and swayed. Because of that, the two hands on my crown moved all at once.
“Hyung, what do you mean by that?”
“You really aren’t just cute in any ordinary way.”
Well, of course not. If I were only ordinarily cute, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
“Your face is really carrying the work. At this level, falling for him is only natural.”
Director Won Jong-sa said from behind me,
“Wow, Su-yoon’s sharp. I was thinking of changing the script too. The setup is supposed to be that the girl is cute, but Gongza has this pure, innocent look.”
Han Woo-jin kept fiddling with my crown as he said,
“It’s strange. Maybe because he takes after me. Without hair, he looks delicate.”
Han Woo-jin, are you still insisting on that? No, and does a bald head really sound delicate to you?
“Right? Rhy-lac that bastard said Gongza’s looks needed to shine. Turns out this is what he meant.”
Director Won Jong-sa winked as he spoke.
“Good. I’m changing it. We need to hit the lighting harder. I’ll make the color palette into art. Hey, director! Come here a second! Let’s talk camera angles!”
Director Won Jong-sa ran off toward the camera. His back looked thrilled, so I let out a long breath.
'Why does this keep happening every time I join a project?'
Well, it wasn’t a bad thing.
'Looks have their own persuasive power.'
If the result is good, then maybe that’s enough. No need to overthink it.
I looked at Han Su-yoon.
'So he’s already finished analyzing his role.'
He really was a remarkably diligent kid.
I glanced around, looking for Han Su-yoon’s mother. Luckily, she wasn’t in sight.
I slipped over and whispered,
“Hyung, did you eat well today?”
Han Su-yoon smiled and said,
“I came by and ate a protein bar and the lunchbox your manager gave me.”
In the end, that meant he hadn’t gotten any real food at home.
“She still doesn’t feed you?”
“She gave me konjac jelly.”
That was cruel. Really.
“Throw it out.”
“She does make sure I get vitamins and collagen and stuff. Says my skin has to look good.”
I let out a long sigh.
“Hyung, you’ve had it rough.”
“Yeah. I really have.”
It was honestly hard to process.
'Is that even something a kid should be saying?'
What kind of child had to suffer like that to give up so easily?
I held Han Su-yoon’s hand tightly.
“Hang in there, hyung. But hyung, let me ask you one thing.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“If heaven were to send your parents punishment, what kind of suffering would you want them to go through?”
Han Su-yoon blinked. I realized my mistake at once.
'Does he not even want to think about punishing them?'
Maybe he still had too much lingering affection.
Han Su-yoon smiled.
“Ah, that startled me. I didn’t expect you to ask something like that.”
“Sorry, hyung. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”
“No. No one has ever asked me a question I actually wanted to answer before.”
Oh. Han Su-yoon must have had it really hard.
“Gongza. There are all kinds of pains in this world that are incredibly hard to endure.”
That much was true.
“Toothaches, gout, kidney stones.”
Wow. Just thinking about them made my face contort. Those all sounded truly agonizing.
'No, but how does he know those three are so painful?'
Toothaches, sure, but Su-yoon was still young. He wouldn’t know about gout or kidney stones.
Han Su-yoon smiled sweetly and said,
“I’ve heard a lot.”
Oh. Right.
“They said those three are really terrible. Gongza, I’d like it if my father felt gout pain every time he gambled.”
How heartbreaking.
“And every time my mother starved me, I’d like her to feel a toothache.”
They were words heavy with resentment. I quietly hugged Han Su-yoon.
“You’ve had it rough, hyung.”
“Yeah. I really have.”
Come to think of it, there were probably even greater pains out there.
'And yet he stopped at that level, which just means Han Su-yoon is that delicate.'
That kind of tender heart would be fine to have even as a middle-aged adult.
'Still, that gave me a clue.'
Honestly, I had no idea how to stop Han Su-yoon’s abuse.
'If I report something like that, it just gets brushed off as a family matter.'
Wouldn’t it be nice if parents and children were separated immediately, like in other countries?
'Is it the budget, or do they just not care?'
I patted Han Su-yoon’s back and asked,
“Hyung, do you believe in miracles?”
“Huh?”
“I do. Because miracles exist, I think I met my mom.”
“Ah, Actress Ma Soo-jung?”
“Yeah. My mom. No matter how hard life gets, good things can still happen. So if a miracle comes along, don’t be surprised. That’s just how life is.”
I quietly let go of the child’s body. Not knowing what I meant, Han Su-yoon only blinked.
I earnestly reminded him,
“Hyung, remember this. Good is good.”
“Huh? Uh. Okay.”
“Sometimes good things happen for no reason at all.”
Though, of course, coins would be involved.
Han Su-yoon still didn’t seem to get it at all. I hugged and released him once more.
“You’ll remember what Gongza said, right?”
“I-I will.”
“Hyung. If something good happens and you suddenly want to be grateful for the whole world, do one good deed. Even picking up trash is fine.”
A staff member called from behind us. I gave them a smile and turned away.
'Well, he probably doesn’t understand a word I just said.'
Of course he wouldn’t.
'But I caught his eye, didn’t I?'
That was the problem, hyung.
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