The Price of Power
“Oh, I have to see this.”
I leaned back against the sofa.
This is the proper way to watch TV.
The old box television I’d been seeing after so long was dazzling enough to make my eyes spin.
So this was why adults limited how much TV kids could watch.
Wow, this is fun even though it’s nothing special. And it’s a preview screening, too!
If I was lucky, maybe I’d even see a scene I was in.
The preview screening is a success.
I quietly checked the number of coins.
Total coins!
Total Coins: 4,722
Cities of the Dead was definitely a good film. Since the preview screening, the coins had been steadily rising.
Well, if I’m being honest, it feels a little lower than I expected.
I glanced at the subtitle.
I grinned.
Well, I was just a supporting bit on the side. I wasn’t the main attraction.
I’d only been there to help carry my mother’s story; to be honest, it was a scene the story could have lived without.
Still, I’m disappointed. But there’ll be more chances.
For now, it meant something that I’d put out the urgent fire called “Mother’s health.”
The TV screen changed. When the preview venue from that day came back on, I wriggled my fingers.
“The preview screening for Cities of the Dead. It’s been drawing glowing reviews even before release, so it’s starting off in spectacular fashion. Ah, there’s the lead actor, Kim Sang-hyun.”
The main actor, Kim Sang-hyun, spoke.
“Cities of the Dead is a story about ordinary people trying not to lose their humanity, even in a society that’s been zombified.”
Then the subtitles appeared.
-Was there an episode from filming that you’ll never forget?
“Ah, Ma Soo-jung nearly got hurt while filming a wire action scene.”
My mother’s face appeared on screen at once. Looking elegant in her pantsuit, she smiled and said,
“First, let me say I’m fine. If I’d landed properly, I’d have been okay, but I was holding Gongza at the time.”
The screen showed the moment she had been filming.
“I guess I protected the child without even thinking about it. It hurt at first, but I’m fine now. The hospital said everything was okay, too.”
On screen, Mom lightly touched her cheek.
“Gongza cried his eyes out when he saw I’d gotten hurt. I reflected on that a lot. His mother is only me, after all.”
Everyone around her nodded in agreement. Then the screen changed again and the narration came on.
-So, this preview screening had a surprise guest who came to congratulate them.
Wow.
Is this where I come in?
The entertainment news program had definitely satisfied my expectations. On screen, I could see myself toddling along.
Wow, they filmed that cleanly.
No, more importantly, they were filming me? I had no idea.
A baby in a white polar bear outfit walked forward carefully.
I gave a tiny nod.
Even I have to admit, I’m insanely cute.
As expected, this face was the best. A thrill rose from my toes. I started swaying my shoulders in a little dance, then realized what I was doing.
What am I, some kind of baby?
I’d felt it before, but maybe because I was so young, sometimes my emotions just wouldn’t stay under control.
The me on TV walked a few more steps, then promptly fell flat on my butt.
The narration said,
-Oh dear, baby!
But on screen, I wiggled my bottom, got back up, and then headed toward Mom again with a bright little smile.
Wow.
Even falling over is cute.
Apparently everyone else felt the same way, because the narration let out an admiring cry.
-Oh, he’s adorable.
Exactly. Yes. Please admire me more.
This should make the coins go up.
But the editing was ruthless.
-And with that, this delightful preview screening came to an end.
The screen shifted again and showed the cast one more time.
The lead actor, Kim Sang-hyun, bowed his head.
“Cities of the Dead will be coming to meet you all very soon.”
Everyone in the cast bowed, and the screen drifted farther and farther away.
No, they should’ve shown Mom crying too!
That was what would’ve really made the emotion spiral into a glorious tumble!
What a pity.
The reporter continued in a cheerful voice.
“The baby was so cute.”
“Yeah, the way he came carrying flowers—I seriously thought my heart was going to melt.”
“He’s cute even in the face, too. If I had a son like that, I’d probably carry him around all day.”
I nodded.
“I’m so excited to see what kind of person that baby grows up to be.”
Then another reporter nearby said flatly,
“A person’s face as a child and as an adult are different, you know.”
Hey, this guy.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the reporter.
Aha. That guy.
He was the comedian whose career would end after he caused a scandal later on.
Lee Hak-woo, was it? I know the name because he was all over the place. He got banned from broadcasting for abusing and assaulting his manager, right?
So the seeds of rot were already there.
Still, the reporter who had gone to the preview was different.
“Come on. A handsome child grows into a handsome boy, and then a handsome young man.”
The female MC chimed in.
“That’s right. Oh, I’m excited too. What’s our next story?”
The segment moved on. Watching the screen, I smiled broadly.
Lee Hak-woo. I’d better remember that name.
How dare he say something nasty to this face? To a baby who had only just started walking, no less.
There’s always some bastard like that wherever you go.
I slapped the floor with my tiny arm.
Just you wait.
I’d struck the floor about three times when the subtitles suddenly started racing upward like crazy.
The coins were climbing beautifully. I smiled wide and thought to myself,
Subtitle hiding!
In an instant, the world became clean again.
All I need to do is check the total coins.
I hit the floor again.
Tap—
All right, Ma Gongza. Let’s think this through again.
Now that the urgent fire called Mother’s health had been put out, the first thing on my mind was how to use the coins.
This is miraculous, but it isn’t all-purpose.
Even gathering them was trickier than it looked.
Watching a broadcast and feeling moved only increases it by one, after all.
Unless my film became world-famous, I wasn’t sure I’d ever become rich in coins.
In other words, I have to use them efficiently.
I looked down at my two hands. My head drooped all by itself.
They’re small.
There was no telling when I’d grow up.
But listen.
In fact, it was possible to squeeze efficiency out of being a baby, too.
Good looks are in demand at every age.
I looked back at the TV.
If I’d been famous, they would’ve shown Mom crying too.
I slapped the floor once more.
Tap—
The method was simple.
Let’s get more famous.
I had no idea how the situation would change. But I’d need the flexibility to respond as things came.
The chance will come.
And when it did, I’d bite down hard on it.
Even if my teeth don’t look fully grown yet!
So what mattered most?
Well, generally speaking, health is the most important thing.
But that was already taken care of through a wish.
From the fact that this baby hasn’t had so much as a sniffle, I’d say the health part is settled.
So then, what next?
I wiggled my feet, then rolled over onto my side. The padded floor was so soft that it didn’t hurt at all.
Stamina.
Sleep was one thing—I had my reasons for sleeping—but if I was going to be busy building connections from now on, it wouldn’t do to keep nodding off like this.
Still, stamina is useful everywhere.
I immediately checked the coins again.
Total coins!
Total Coins: 5,372
It was an annoyingly awkward number.
And this is with broadcast TV, too. Shouldn’t it have gone up more?
Were there really so few people moved by my adorable face?
Or does coin accumulation require another condition?
I shook my head and let the thought go.
For now, the important thing is raising something!
I made the command immediately.
Use coins!
How would you like to use the Love & Peace Coin?
Raise my stamina!
To raise Ma Gongza’s stamina, 5,000 coins are required. Proceed?
Not bad.
Actually, that feels cheap.
Come to think of it, what exactly was the standard for coin cost?
Something about this is a little strange too.
I thought of Noah, whose body was sturdy but whose mind had lagged far behind it.
When I tried to raise his intelligence, it cost a lot of coins, didn’t it?
I thought I understood a little now.
There’s some kind of connection.
Being healthy and strong from the start was cheap.
But making something bad become good required a lot of coins.
In other words, the fact that it wants 5,000 coins means I’m healthy enough that it’s still relatively cheap.
Well, good things were good things!
Proceed!
Proceeding.
Every action has a price.
As the price for using the coins, for one year, whenever music plays, you will dance uncontrollably.
Thud—
My foot slipped out of my grasp for a moment.
Excuse me. Subtitle-kun?
No. What kind of price was that?
When you made Mom healthy, it was just being tone-deaf!
And this time I had to dance?
Cold sweat poured down my back.
So until I’m two, whenever music comes on, I just have to dance no matter what?
Wh-what?
I blinked up at the ceiling.
I need to be careful.
How exactly was I supposed to dance? Was it some kind of reflex?
Just then, the entertainment news program ended and commercial music suddenly started playing on the TV.
Ah, no.
My shoulders started shaking instantly. Even lying on the floor, my body flailed. I could feel the rhythm in my short legs.
This is forced.
Terrifying.
I can’t underestimate the price.
Thankfully, it was a commercial, so it ended quickly. I hurriedly got up and switched the channel with the remote.
Okay, now it should be fine, right? No it isn’t! Dammit!
The lyrics drifted softly through the room.
-I want to seduce you!
Why did it have to be a music program! And why were the lyrics like that?
I made a tearful face and waved my arms.
I can’t control my body.
My hips were swaying too. I tried to change the channel again, but my arms were moving too clumsily because I was dancing.
I’m, I’m losing it.
Maybe it was because I was already a baby and had trouble keeping my balance, but my muscles wouldn’t obey me at all.
I’m, I’m losing it.
Some other self, not me, kept moving my body.
No, and why is this song so long?
-Tonight, the two of us……
And why were the lyrics like this!
Isn’t this kind of inappropriate for a baby to hear?
I was sadly still wiggling my hips when, at last, my savior arrived.
“Oh my, Gongza! Why are you dancing like that!”
Exactly.
I raised my stamina and now I’m dancing!
Ansan-daek came through the fence and picked me up. Even then, I kept kicking my legs.
“Aigoo, what on earth was that thing you were playing?”
Ansan-daek turned off the TV. Only then did I stop everything and gasp for breath.
“How did you even turn the TV on? And look at all this sweat!”
She wiped my sweat away with her hand. I kept panting.
If this keeps happening, I might die.
The price was no joke. Ansan-daek let out a sigh and soothed me.
“We’ll have to change your clothes. No, it might be better to give you a bath instead.”
I shook my head.
I’m thirsty first.
I grabbed my neck and said,
“Wa-ter, please!”
Huh.
I said it, and then I was the one who was surprised.
“Oh?”
Ansan-daek blinked.
I tried again.
“Wa-ter!”
To be honest, it was still closer to babbling than real speech.
I looked up at Ansan-daek with an earnest face.