Episode 34
“Huh? What do you mean, ‘punish’?”
Kim Jin-hyung tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled.
“A person like that deserves to be punished!”
Right. I’d put it more politely, but yes—he deserved a beating.
They’re trying so hard to move forward, and he’s just pouring cold water on it.
At the very least, he wasn’t helping.
It reminded me of my old life. Honestly, had there been even one or two people who hadn’t told me to my face that I’d never be able to put that kind of face on screen?
But I did it anyway.
It was hard, yes. But even if I’d just stayed where I was and crumpled in place, time would have passed all the same.
If time is going to pass no matter what I do, then I might as well throw myself at it and do my best.
I stared straight at Kim Jin-hyung.
“You’re doing great!”
So just ignore people like that, kids.
That was when it happened. All of a sudden, Kim Jin-hyung’s waist folded in half with a jerk, which dropped my eye level along with it.
“Hyung?”
“Puhahahahahaha! Ahahahahahaha! I’m losing it!”
No, seriously, I was trying to comfort you—why are you laughing?
Kim Jin-hyung set me down on the floor and rolled over once in laughter. Maybe because he was laughing so hard, another member cautiously came over.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Gongja comforted me!”
“Huh?”
Kim Jin-hyung wiped at his eyes, laughing so hard he was tearing up.
“And then I got comforted! Really, really comforted!”
You have comforted a member of Halo: Kim Jin-hyung is delighted.
Love & Peace Coin increases by 200.
So, he really had been comforted.
And the coins went up very honestly.
The next member asked cautiously, “Uh, again? I mean, is it good?”
“Yeah. It’s good!”
“R-right. If you’re happy, that’s what matters.”
Kim Jin-hyung pulled me into a tight hug.
“Gongja, thank you! Thanks for comforting hyung!”
“Mm!”
“But, Gongja. How old are you?”
Well. At most, I’d be, what, two?
I tilted my head. “Gongja don’t know age!”
“Huh? Why not? You’d know that, wouldn’t you?”
“Don’t know everything!”
Just as Kim Jin-hyung was about to ask again, another member immediately caught on and covered his mouth.
“Hey, hey!”
“Why?”
“Hey!”
Only then, realizing what kind of situation this was, Kim Jin-hyung blinked.
“Ah....”
“Oh, sorry. Sorry, Gongja.”
Now you get it?
I grinned brightly. “It’s okay!”
Even after saying that, Kim Jin-hyung couldn’t quite bring himself to meet my eyes.
That’ll get edited out, right?
Everyone already knew I was adopted, but this still wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you aired on a cheerful parenting variety show.
Still, he does seem sorry.
I patted his head again.
“It’s okay!”
Kim Jin-hyung lowered his head and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
I said it was fine, didn’t I?
Just then, the members who had finished making all the baby food came trooping over one by one.
“Gongja! Time to eat!”
The mood had been off, but the timing was good. I smiled brightly and started walking toward the kitchen. The members of Halo followed behind me.
They’re really kind kids.
I toddled along, face bright, tripping once for every ten steps.
* * *
My room was pretty far from the living room.
Feels like I’ve been face-planting on my butt four or five times already.
Maybe it was because the house was so big. Or because baby steps made my stride so tiny.
Well, in a few months it’ll be fine.
If the compensation was due in January, like he’d said, then that was that.
I kept walking with determination. As I made my way down the hallway, Ansan-daek watched me with an affectionate smile.
“Oh, is it today? The program Gongja’s on!”
Yes, today.
I’ve been waiting for this so hard.
At last, I was going to appear on terrestrial TV.
I didn’t think it would take this long to air.
Who would’ve thought they’d make me wait three whole months?
I was so bored the entire time I almost went insane....
Sigh.
A groan slipped out before I could stop it.
I climbed onto the sofa, hooking my leg over the side. Once I braced my shoulders, I could get up there smoothly now.
It was the result of my earnest efforts over the three months since the variety show ended.
And all I’ve done in that time is one variety show?
A wave of self-loathing hit me. I rested my cheek on my hand and sighed again.
“Oh my, Gongja. Why the long face?”
“I hate growing up!”
Ansan-daek went very quiet.
“W-well.”
“Nothing’s moving fast enough. It’s like a snail!”
No, I mean, I’d have the whole celebrity machine behind me, Mom included. I should’ve been riding a bullet train!
Instead, it was all crawl, crawl, crawl.
I’m going to lose my mind.
Why wasn’t anyone finding me?
I propped my chin on my hand, disgruntled, and Ansan-daek gave an awkward laugh.
“What are you saying, Gongja? No, really, when did you even learn a difficult word like ‘pace’?”
Huh. Was that a hard word for a baby to use?
Well, there’s always the all-purpose excuse for situations like this.
As I crawled over the sofa, I said, “I read it in a book!”
That should cover it.
“Oh, right. Our Gongja likes books. Oh! It’s starting!”
“Auntie! It’s not on yet! It’s still something else!”
“Oh, it is. These days, the commercials are just too much!”
Exactly. Too slow.
I looked at the TV with a sulky expression.
Still, the fact that they’re running ads means it must be doing well.
Was this parenting show actually getting some attention?
Well, the casting was good.
Me, for one. And Halo, for another.
I thought of those frantic idol boys.
They were kind.
I wanted to see them again.
It was almost a shame the whole thing was a one-off.
The production staff knew it too, probably.
When we parted, the PD and writers had been practically shouting that they’d struck gold.
Unless the editing botched it completely, this parenting show was obviously going to be a hit.
Then bring them back one more time!
Why were they just leaving me alone like this?
Hey, PD-nim, writer-nim. Am I not tempting enough?
Whoosh.
Another sigh escaped me.
“No, Gongja! Why do you keep sighing?”
“Because I’m frustrated!”
Ansan-daek stared at me for a moment.
Ah, is she worried?
“It’s okay. I’ll grow out of it.”
Ansan-daek turned her head away and muttered to herself, “Is reading too much to a child not a good thing?”
Oh dear.
Then, at last, Baby and Me began.
The first scene showed Halo entering the office.
“Faintly!”
“Shining!”
“For you!”
They bowed their heads at the same time.
“Hello, we’re Halo!”
They were doing that greeting again.
So that’s what they’d prepared.
No wonder the process was chaotic, but at least it was edible.
These hyungs really were kind.
At that moment, a shot of me smiling overlapped the screen.
Then my smiling face appeared again as I answered.
I’m really good on camera, huh?
Maybe because I was still a baby. My cheeks were plump enough to make me look even softer.
When I grow up, will the baby fat go away too?
Talent was important, sure, but management mattered even more. I’d have to think about that too.
Soon, the narration came in.
Now, shall we go to Gongja’s house?
The office scene with the members of Halo vanished. In its place, the image cut straight to me and my mom.
On a huge bed, Mom and I were sleeping. Even then, I was wriggling around all over the place.
Wow, look at me squirm.
I looked down at my own hands.
I thought I’d stopped growing, but I guess I really am.
I was definitely different from three months ago.
Ansan-daek, watching her smartphone, said, “The board says Gongja’s cute.”
Is that so?
I want to see the replies too.
There was no way Mom would buy me a smartphone, no matter how much I wanted one.
“Oh dear, look at me! Gongja, Auntie’s going to be in the kitchen!”
“Yes!”
“Watch carefully!”
“Yes!”
Ansan-daek set her phone down on the sofa arm and hurried away.
What luck!
I immediately grabbed the smartphone and swiped the screen downward. There were quite a few posts on the broadcaster’s bulletin board.
Sure. Everyone, marvel away.
But this is live.
Were they all writing while watching the broadcast?
On the TV, I lay back down so I wouldn’t wake Mom. I absentmindedly refreshed the board, and suddenly a flood of new posts appeared.
Angel.
I did intend that, but I didn’t think they’d come out and say it right away.
It was unexpectedly a good harvest. I smirked and looked back at the TV.
Mom was carrying me into the living room.
They put in a lot more everyday life than I expected.
I went back to the board on the smartphone.
The argument was getting pretty heated. I sighed, bored, and smacked the sofa once.
Thwack—
The sound of my hand hitting the leather was satisfyingly crisp.
Why are they bringing this up so late?
Wasn’t the adoption already old news?
Well, it’ll calm down soon enough.
I looked back at the TV. While I’d been glancing away, one of the Halo members was suddenly in a different setting.
Ah, is this the interview segment?
That was common on variety shows. When an event happened, they always cut to a separate reaction interview too.
A Halo member sat in a chair and spoke.
“We were thinking about it the wrong way, weren’t we?”
“Yeah. We went there to take care of Gongja.”
“But, honestly, Gongja wasn’t the kind of kid you take care of!”
So they knew it too.
“I thought about it even more once we got back to the dorm!”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
With three or four of them bowing their heads, the members said,
“Gongja took care of us.”
“He’s not even two yet!”
“I kicked off my blanket. I was so embarrassed.”
But Kim Jin-hyung was different. He smiled faintly and said,
“I’m not embarrassed.”
Then he looked up at the ceiling.
“Because it went beyond embarrassment.”
Went beyond what, now?
These kids are pretty sensitive.
Maybe that’s what puberty did.
The screen changed again. Halo and I were playing ball.
I already know this one, so no need to watch closely.
I checked the replies instead.
Is it my imagination?
The number of posts on the board is suddenly shooting up.
Even the reply count had jumped by a lot.