Chapter 14
I stared up at the ceiling. A rainbow-colored mobile swayed back and forth overhead.
Damn it.
Well, I supposed it had been made for babies to look at. But my body was already used to YouTube.
There’s no way this is entertaining.
Stimuli level: severely lacking.
I took a quiet breath.
Time is just slipping by.
It had been three days since I decided to go the celebrity route.
I thought making up my mind would send me barreling forward, but...
For some reason, nothing major was happening.
I let out a sigh. I needed to reorganize my thoughts. First, I checked the coins I had collected.
"Ppa-ppau!"
Total coins!
7,777
I had collected a lot.
Still not enough.
It was nowhere near enough to make Mom healthy again. Honestly, at this point, I wasn’t sure whether I should keep hoarding them or spend them.
Frustrating.
Seriously.
Normally, I’d just zone out and kill time.
But I was a veteran supporting actor. I knew exactly what to do in times like this.
When I’m frustrated, exercise is the answer.
Move. And the answer will come.
I pushed up my round little butt. Then, gripping the crib rail with my tiny hands, I braced my legs. Maybe it was because I’d been doing it for a few days, but it was getting easier than before.
So when does upright walking happen, exactly?
Maybe I should just use coins to strengthen my body.
No. Inefficient.
Just because I could move my body didn’t mean the camera would suddenly point at me dead center.
Let’s think this through. Lee Hanjo, no, Ma Gongza.
How did I make myself blow up as a celebrity?
In Korea, people usually use that Stargram thing.
Then they ride the buzz and end up on TV.
But there was no way Mom was going to use Stargram.
My mom is a top star, but she seems to hate public attention.
Or maybe it was because she’d suffered so much from the divorce.
Maybe she’s holding back because I’m adopted.
But, Mother. Hiding this face is wasteful. No, it’s practically criminal.
Being famous for being famous is good, you know.
I wanted attention.
Of course, fame at a young age could be poisonous. But I wasn’t really a child, was I?
It wasn’t like I could shout, "Mother, let’s get on Stargram!"
All that came out of my mouth now was a parade of baby babble.
Forget Stargram.
Someone who didn’t use social media in the first place was even less likely to start after adopting a child.
Wait. Come to think of it, does Stargram even exist right now?
Right, it was 2010. Then maybe people still weren’t using it much yet.
Damn it.
Then the way I get famous is probably...
I formed a rectangle with my fingers. Maybe because I’d been practicing, I managed a fairly neat shape.
It was still adorably tiny, though.
"Ppa-bbu! Ppa-bbu!"
Click, click.
Paparazzi.
A bit Hollywood-style, but that’s the only option I’ve got.
Oddly enough, it suited the image of Mom, Actress Ma Soo-jung, even more.
Hmm, this might have more potential than I thought.
There were paparazzi in Korea too, the so-called truth-patch people.
Those were the ones who made money off celebrities’ private lives, right?
A lot of celebrities had a hard time with them, but leaving that aside...
Mom is famous. The patch people would definitely photograph her.
I wiggled my butt. My thigh muscles were still weak, so I immediately toppled over on my rear.
All I’d need is one good shot.
Then I’d gather coins! Become a celebrity! Make Mom healthy again!
But for that to happen, wouldn’t people have to know I was adopted first?
Wasn’t that going to be hard?
Mom would probably want to hide it for my sake.
Mountains upon mountains.
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone just leaked the adoption?
I was lost in these thoughts when Ansan-daek came into the room holding a bottle of formula.
"Did you have fun, Gongza?"
"Bau!"
Yes.
Ansan-daek gave the mobile a little shake.
"Oh, how cute. Gongza, isn’t the mobile pretty?"
I heard the clear little tinkle of bells. I smiled awkwardly.
No, how is that supposed to be fun? The stimulus level is severely lacking.
I want to watch YouTube.
My favorite animals on the internet.
Wait, now that I think about it, if Stargram doesn’t exist yet, does YouTube even exist?
I was tilting my head when Ansan-daek handed me a bottle of formula at just the right temperature.
Thank you for today’s daily bread.
I took the bottle myself and drank the milk on my own. The result of all that hard exercise.
"Gongza, you’re such a good baby. You hardly need any help. You have no idea how adorable that is."
Well, thank you.
Honestly, getting praised just for eating.
How embarrassing.
Ansan-daek gently patted my head, then pulled a picture book from the shelf.
"I hear things like this are good for development."
Oh, a picture book?
If it’s all the same, I’d prefer Shakespeare.
I craned my neck to read the title and immediately frowned.
Ansan-daek! You’re giving me that while I’m eating?
The colorful picture book was titled Stray Dog.
Why are you talking about poop while I’m eating?
Ansan-daek smiled and opened the book.
Is she going to read it to me?
But instead, she pressed a button at the top of the book. At once, a voice came out.
Whoa.
So this is the new stuff. The world really has advanced.
Even if Stargram still hasn’t taken off.
Then the voice of the narrator flowed out.
"A long, long time ago, there was a stray dog in the countryside. The stray dog was wronged. I don’t eat poop, so why do you call me a stray dog?"
It was more philosophical than I expected. Just as I was starting to focus a little, the door suddenly opened.
"Gongza! Mom’s home!"
She’s home from work. Mom!
I grinned and babbled happily.
"Pbaapbaau!"
You worked hard.
"Go wash your hands, miss."
"I already washed and changed clothes. I couldn’t let my little angel catch a cold."
"That’s true."
Mom smiled brightly as she looked at me drinking my milk.
"Ah, just seeing my angel’s face makes me feel like I can live again. Gongza, did you have a good day?"
I tapped the bottle and smiled widely.
Normally, when a child smiles after work, parents say it makes them happy.
Now, melt already, Mom.
Mom scooped me up in a tight hug.
"Ah, this is just too good."
"Miss! Gongza needs to finish his milk."
"I know. Gongza, Mom had a hard day today!"
No way, why?
Who on earth messed with our mom?
Mom set me down in the crib. I kept drinking while listening.
"They found out I adopted our Gongza."
Whoa.
I stopped drinking for a moment.
I couldn’t believe it.
W-who did something so admirable?
Mom folded her arms and sank into thought.
"It’s strange. It was top secret. The lawyer is a pretty tight-lipped man. Did an employee talk?"
Mom lightly touched my cheek.
"I contacted him anyway, partly to ask about filing a lawsuit, and he said he’d never heard of it. If it wasn’t someone at the office, then who was it? The office wouldn’t have known either, so probably..."
Mom glanced over her shoulder.
"Someone in the Main House. There is one likely suspect."
Who is it? The one who did such an admirable thing.
"It feels like it was Lee Yu-kyeong."
"Oh, miss."
"Who else could it be?"
Ansan-daek nodded.
"That does make sense."
Aha.
Someone I already knew.
So that was the person who had spoken so rudely to Mom.
I swallowed more formula.
Well, I suppose I should give her a prize.
Ms. Lee Yu-kyeong, how does a three-year tongue blister sound this time?
In the end, this was good for me, but she definitely hadn’t done it out of kindness.
That was one thing, and this was another.
"So the fact that Gongza was adopted is already out there?"
"Yes. It’s a mess. CEO Seo is having a hard time too. I tried to keep it secret because I thought this would happen, but..."
Mom let out a long sigh.
"I’m fine."
"Miss."
"Really, I’m fine. Marriage and divorce were both a circus anyway. Being cursed at was part of my everyday life."
Oh, dear.
She may say that, but...
She probably wasn’t fine at all.
I’ve never seen a celebrity who said that and actually meant it.
Mom stroked my cheek again.
"They said I went shopping for a kid."
Wow. That was harsh.
"Ansan-daek. Do I really look like that?"
"Miss!"
"I don’t know why they’re spouting nonsense just because their mouths are open."
Mom quickly covered her mouth.
"Ah, sorry. I shouldn’t say things like that in front of Gongza."
She sighed again. I set the formula bottle on the floor.
She looks really worried.
I was happy just to be known!
Guilt pricked at me a little.
But, Mother, this is an opportunity!
What crime has Mom committed? Even real criminals sometimes never appear on screen!
Why should my mom be the one suffering?
Is adoption a crime? Huh?
Mom touched her forehead and said,
"Adoption isn’t a crime."
Huh, did it work?
"Then why is everyone making such a fuss!"
"What should we do, miss?"
"What do you mean, what should we do? I told them to sue."
Whoa.
"First, we catch the bastard who leaked the fact that Gongza was adopted, then we take them down one by one. The lawyer said he’d do everything he could to make it stick. You can’t just swallow this kind of thing; it’ll make you sick."
That was excellent. I quietly applauded.
Clap clap clap-
Mom looked at me and smiled broadly.
"Oh, Gongza. Don’t worry. Your mother is stronger than she looks."
I grinned back.
Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
Ms. Lee Yu-kyeong should get a three-month tongue blister.
But, Mother, don’t you have any plans to counterattack?
Let’s get photographed by the paparazzi just once!
We only need one shot that makes it look like Mom is truly sincere about me!
Preferably video would be even better!
Actor Ma Soo-jung’s image had definitely taken a beating.
Separate from her acting and box-office power, Mom had a lot of enemies.
Partly because of her personality, but also because she was a third-generation chaebol and unbelievably beautiful.
Of course, that had also made her popular. But that advantage cut both ways.
Anywhere you went, there were people who brought up her divorce the second Ma Soo-jung’s name came up.
In other words, they were looking for a flaw.
Mom reached out to me.
"Our Gongza mustn’t get hurt. Does that mean we won’t even be able to go out anymore?"
I shook my head immediately.
Hurt? What are you talking about! And no, that doesn’t mean we can’t go out! Did we commit a crime or something?
The formula bottle rolled onto the floor. Mom set it back in front of me, but I didn’t grab it.
Instead, I clenched my fist tight.
This is not the time to drink milk!
This is the perfect time to become a celebrity, Mother!
I steadied my breathing.
Use it.
It was time to spend one of those wish-level coins.
"Ppua, aau! Ppuapppu, appuappu!"
Use coins! Get photographed with Mom by the paparazzi!
To take paparazzi photos of Actress Ma Soo-jung and her son Ma Gongza, 200 coins are required.
That was doable. I shouted immediately.
"Ppyaau!"
Execute!
All things come at a price.
As the cost of using coins, for three minutes you will throw whatever you can grab with your hands.
Huh.
What is this?
The price was bizarre beyond belief. I looked down at my hands.
Does that mean I just have to not hold anything for three minutes?
Just then, Ansan-daek put the bottle of formula into my hands.
Thump!
Before I even realized it, my body reacted on reflex and I hurled the bottle away.
Ah! You’re not supposed to throw food around!
The formula bottle hit the picture book with a soft thud. At that moment, the narrator’s voice came on again.
"A long, long time ago, there was a stray dog in the countryside. The stray dog was wronged. I don’t eat poop, so why do you call me a stray dog?"
Did it hit the button?
Mom blinked. Then she pressed the button once more.
"A long, long time ago, there was a stray dog in the countryside. The stray dog was wronged. I don’t eat poop, so why do you call me a stray dog?"
Mom muttered,
"That’s right."
"Miss?"
"Why should I be the one getting cursed at just because I brought Gongza home?"
Mom swept her hair back.
For some reason, her eyes looked a little strange.