The Kind of Child You Can’t Ignore
“What?”
“Don’t swear! Bad lady!”
The old woman’s eyes twitched violently. I grinned.
Grandma, did you know? I’m surprisingly good at a war of words.
As the saying goes, this is the kind of situation where the logical person loses.
“Mean mouth, no good!”
“…….”
“Bad mouth gets hurt!”
“…….”
“Nuna might get hurt!”
Believe it or not, that’s a three-step syllogism.
It’s just a softened version of “keep living like that and something bad will happen to you.”
The old woman was so dumbfounded she couldn’t even speak. I blinked on purpose and said,
“If Nuna gets hurt, Gongza’s chest hurts too!”
I pressed both hands against my chest.
“What?”
“Gongza likes Nuna! I don’t want her hurt!”
I trusted my very hardworking good looks and beamed at her. The old woman took two steps back.
Even Grandma can’t talk trash to a baby that says he likes her.
Honestly, why are you being like this? You even brought me a doljabi ring.
I know you actually kind of like me.
So try using your heart a little more gently. Seriously.
No wonder you don’t get along with Mom.
The old woman opened and closed her mouth, then clenched her fist tight. At last she let out a sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead.
“I can’t even argue with a kid.”
Can’t you?
“Aigoo. Maybe it’s because we’re living together. Why does he take after Soo-jung like that?”
How are you even asking that?
“Because I’m her son!”
The old woman’s pupils trembled.
No matter what you say, I’m my mother’s son.
She drew in a long breath and turned away. I called after her back,
“See you tomorrow!”
She paused for a moment, then kept walking.
I smiled brightly and savored my victory.
Well, she might not come back after this, but...
Addiction wasn’t something you could break that easily.
I do hope she resisted a little, though.
I shook my head and swept the thought away. The aunt who had fled earlier slowly approached us.
“A-Are you okay, Gongza?”
Was she worried?
I smiled brightly. “I’m okay!”
“The madam’s a scary woman. Whew. My heart’s still pounding.”
Was that so?
“But, Gongza. I have something to ask you.”
I tilted my head. “About calling the madam Nuna?”
Ah.
I had just started to make an excuse when the aunt smiled and said, “You called me Nuna earlier, didn’t you? Gongza, what does Nuna mean to you?”
Oh no.
Emergency situation.
Cold sweat broke out along my back. I smiled awkwardly and looked somewhere else.
“Gongza! Explain yourself.”
Ahhh. I had never lost a war of words before.
Adjusting my win rate.
This is not good.
It’s too late to pretend you didn’t understand, isn’t it?
The aunt’s eyes were terrifying.
I quietly lowered my head.
* * *
“Soo-jung! Your son is a gem.”
Ma Soo-jung tilted her head.
That came out of nowhere.
CEO Seo had suddenly climbed into the van beside her, and that was the first thing out of his mouth.
“He might be a genius. I’m serious—I was amazed. Soo-jung, I think you brought home an incredible son.”
Ma Soo-jung folded her arms.
“You’re talking about Gongza, right?”
“Of course I am! Do you have another son?”
Ma Soo-jung snorted. It was ridiculous for him to burst into the van like that and say something so random, but as a mother, it still felt good.
“Well, it’s a broken record, but it’s pleasant to hear.”
Why was it that every time CEO Seo saw her, he only talked about Gongza?
“Soo-jung, you know I’m not the type to throw praise around lightly.”
Ma Soo-jung tapped her crossed arms, and that, too, was true.
She had heard compliments like that from all directions, but honestly, it was hard to grasp what any of it meant.
What on earth did Gongza do to make everyone lose their minds like this?
That fool Han Woo-jin had called after five years and demanded the kid. CEO Seo had been acting like this every time he saw her for a month now.
The most absurd reaction of all was the PD’s.
Lee Je-min was soft-spoken, but he was a person of ruthless precision. He always knew exactly what he wanted from the cast and crew.
And that kind of PD called to say he’d captured a scene he’d never expected to get.
At that point, Gongza must have done something incredible.
Ma Soo-jung remembered what Lee Je-min had said.
-Soo-jung, if that episode airs, the whole country will be in tears.
Lee Je-min had been full of confidence.
-Want to know why? Because I cried too! Soo-jung, lend me your son again for your next project!
Ma Soo-jung let out a long breath. Seeing that, CEO Seo nodded.
“When a child is exceptional, the parent is bound to worry.”
“You worry like this too, CEO? That’s funny. Mari was extraordinary too, but back then I don’t think I worried like this.”
Mari had always been a bit unusual, but she was her biological daughter, so that made sense.
But Gongza really is different.
He was so unusual it was hard to put into words.
“Well, I do worry, but in a different way. My daughters are like little tigers—they see something cute and want to drag it home, so what can you do?”
Ma Soo-jung chuckled under her breath. The daughters she’d seen at the dol ceremony really were no ordinary children.
“They were whining yesterday that they wanted to bring Gongza home.”
“I should’ve told them I got him first, so they can’t.”
“I did, but they said they couldn’t accept that and wanted to settle it with a contest.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“How?”
“Rock, paper, scissors?”
“Ahahahaha!”
Ma Soo-jung burst out laughing and clutched her stomach. Sure enough, CEO Seo’s daughters were beyond ordinary.
“They were dead serious about it.”
“Really?”
“Sometimes I wonder who they take after.”
“You, obviously.”
“No way. I wasn’t like that.”
CEO Seo lifted his chin and said, “If there was a good actor, I’d win them over with persistence and patience.”
Ma Soo-jung smiled and nodded. That part was true enough.
“Still, Actress Ma. No, I mean, I’ve got a good eye for people. Your son is really something else. My whole being tells me that kid needs to act.”
One of Ma Soo-jung’s brows twitched slightly. She was still thinking it over, but a conclusion had already formed.
“I know. That’s the direction I’ve decided on too.”
“Huh? Seriously?”
“Yes. He’s my son, after all. You can tell by looking what a child likes.”
“Really? Then why aren’t you taking on more schedules? You’ve got tons of CF offers coming in.”
“Because we don’t need the money. The ads are enough. And I’m donating everything that comes in, too. You know that.”
CEO Seo nodded.
“Soo-jung, the child actor market is broad and deep. You know there are plenty of parents trying to push their kids just to get a director’s favor, right?”
“I know. That’s why I want to be even more careful. Gongza is barely turning two.”
She had thought seriously about that point.
“I’ll only let him do good projects. And I’m the one choosing them. If the project, the shoot, and the atmosphere on set aren’t right, then it’s off the table.”
CEO Seo nodded. “You’re not the kind of person who normally cares about those things.”
“I don’t care for myself, but Gongza should.”
“Fair enough. Then. Does he need a manager?”
“More than a manager...”
Ma Soo-jung sighed.
“I need a nanny to look after Gongza.”
“Huh?”
“Our Ansan-daek has been hospitalized.”
“Oh dear. Is it serious? What kind of illness?”
“Her heart. She was saying she couldn’t afford surgery, so I had her admitted to the hospital.”
“If it’s her heart, she should qualify for catastrophic illness coverage, though?”
“Ansan-daek only just finished paying off her debts last month.”
Her husband’s business debts had piled up to a staggering amount. Even with state support, the hospital bills would still have been brutal.
“I told her not to worry about the money, and she’ll probably pay it back later anyway. She doesn’t need to.”
“Hmm... How bad is it? Is she in serious condition?”
“She’ll get better if she has the surgery. The success rate is high, too. Of course, she’ll have to rest a lot afterward. But, CEO, you know this too, right? I can’t do without Ansan-daek.”
Ma Soo-jung let out a long sigh. Ansan-daek had been with them for years, but more than anything, she was reliable.
The landlord would have treated this like something trivial,
but Ma Soo-jung was different. Experience had taught her how important that kind of trust was.
“Well... I wish her a speedy recovery.”
“I’ll pass it on.”
“I’ve thought this for a while, Actress Ma. You really do cherish people.”
Ma Soo-jung smiled faintly. “Of course I do.”
“You’ve been with your current manager, Mi-jin, for years too, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“People think you’re all fire and thunder, but they don’t know how loyal you are.”
“What loyalty? It’s just the right thing to do. If you do good, you’re rewarded.”
Ma Soo-jung propped her chin on her hand and looked out the window.
“I got rewarded, and that’s how I met Gongza.”
The actress gazing out beyond the car window was a lovely sight. CEO Seo scratched his chin and nodded.
“Hey. Soo-jung.”
“Yes. Speak.”
“About Gongza. Doesn’t it feel a little... overwhelming? He’s so unusually gifted.”
Ma Soo-jung smiled a little.
“No. Does it seem that way?”
“Geez, I think I just misspoke.”
“It’s fine.”
Ma Soo-jung’s smile widened.
“Meeting Gongza was fate. I’m okay, as long as he grows up healthy.”
The CEO lowered his head slightly.
“Our Actress Ma really has grown up while I wasn’t looking.”
“Of course I have. I’m a mother.”
“I admire you, Soo-jung. You heading to the set?”
“Yes. Overnight shoot.”
“Then let’s watch Emergency Room first. It’s the final episode today. The one Gongza appears in.”
“Ah, I know. Our Gongza’s making his drama debut.”
She had planned to go home and watch the monitor slowly anyway.
CEO Seo immediately held up his smartphone.
“The real fun is watching it live. I got in the van with you just for this.”
Ma Soo-jung snorted. “That was the reason?”
“Yeah. Stuff like this is more fun when you watch it together. Don’t make me watch alone. If I’m here, I can watch it with you and Mi-jin too.”
What now?
Ma Soo-jung sighed. “You could just watch it at home.”
“There’s no TV in the living room.”
CEO Seo hung his head.
“The kids read books there.”
“Oh my.”
“There’s only a bookshelf in the living room. And our lady of the house doesn’t watch TV in the first place.”
“Th-the kids?”
CEO Seo said tragically, “They just read books. Isn’t that too much? I’m their father, and I’m the head of an agency, for heaven’s sake! How can they just read books instead of watching TV?”
What even was this?
A dad getting sad because his kids read books is a first for me.
CEO Seo looked like he might start crying any second. Ma Soo-jung shook her head. Even now, he was strange too.
“Ah, it’s about to start. Almost the last scene. I’m so excited. How will he come out?”
Ma Soo-jung was just as curious about how Gongza would appear. She looked at the smartphone. The CEO grinned and said, “I guarantee it. If you see Gongza act, even you’ll be shocked, Soo-jung.”
“That good?”
“I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out on set.”
The drama was racing toward its climax. And then the scene they had both been waiting for finally appeared.
The door opened. The white-washed screen slowly came into focus.
Oh?
Gongza was lying in the cradle, turned to one side. As his mother, Ma Soo-jung knew at once that this was just his ordinary everyday expression.
Gongza slowly turned his head. Then, with his eyes crinkling, he smiled.
-Ba-ba!
A tiny, adorable voice rang out.
In that instant, Ma Soo-jung clapped a hand over her mouth and screamed.
“He’s insane!”
“Exactly, he’s insane, right?”
“He’s so cute! My son’s cuteness is insane! Ah! It’s a crime! I see this face all the time when I go home!”
CEO Seo blinked at the sight of the overexcited Ma Soo-jung.
“What a waste! I could’ve had this all to myself!”