Why a Rabbit?
"Is it because the concept is a fairy tale?"
Still. A rabbit?
"I guess it’s the kind of concept that’s hard to pull off unless you’re young."
No, wait. With this face, maybe it did suit me.
“Honestly, when I looked at the storyboard, I thought it might be a little hard to work with, but I think this kid can pull it off.”
“You thought so too, Director?”
“Yeah. Our Gongza can’t get sleepy, so let’s hurry. Set up the backdrop, now.”
“Yes, sir!”
The staff moved quickly. CEO Seo carried me to the makeup room.
“Gongza delivery’s here.”
CEO Seo was hamming it up again, and the costume team burst out laughing.
“Thanks for the delivery. Gongza, let’s get you dressed. Heave-ho! Up with the arms!”
I shot both arms straight into the air. The princely outfit came off, and in its place they slipped on a simpler-looking hoodie.
"Ah, I thought ‘rabbit’ meant some kind of furry rabbit costume..."
It was just a hoodie with rabbit ears attached.
"I don’t really know much about this kind of thing, but..."
It was actually insanely cute. More than anything, it was comfortable to wear.
"It really feels like everyday clothes."
The costume team adjusted my rabbit ears and let out little gasps.
“Oh my God.”
“I’m taking a picture. What on earth? How does it suit him so perfectly?”
Smartphone flashes went off. As fan service, I grinned brightly at them.
“Oh, my! He’s adorable!”
And then subtitles floated up above me.
You moved Staff 23 to tears with your cuteness.
Love & Peace Coin increased by 100.
So they really were moved. Thanks for the coins.
"If the coins go up, what can’t I do?"
I lowered my head slightly and said, “Thank you!”
The costume staff let out little shrieks.
“Ah, I’m seriously going to pass out.”
“No, senior. We still have work to do.”
“I’m holding on because I have to work. Gotta earn like a dog so I can spend like a dog! But seriously, what will he grow up to be? Ma Soo-jung is so lucky. She gets to see something this cute every day.”
At that, CEO Seo slipped in smoothly.
“Yeah. Soo-jung’s been bragging about it every day lately.”
“Really? Oh, I’m so jealous!”
“She says he greets her like that every day when she gets home.”
“Seriously! I’d go home for that too. All I get when I get home is laundry waiting for me!”
The staff laughed. Then, all of a sudden, CEO Seo started looking at himself in the mirror and combing his hair.
"What is he doing?"
Are you going somewhere?
He even adjusted his tie. That felt suspicious. CEO Seo muttered to himself.
“Should I put on makeup too? I thought that might be too much, so I just came as I was. Maybe I should’ve applied a bit more cucumber mask last night.”
Huh? Excuse me? Why are you acting like this?
“I need something to brag about to my princesses.”
What?
The CEO brushed at his clothes and then met my eyes in the mirror.
“Uncle, whatcha doin’?”
“Huh? Getting ready? Ah, but now I regret it. Gongza, remember this well. A stitch in time saves nine. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve gone to the dermatologist.”
No, seriously, what is wrong with you? Did something happen?
“Well, I can’t help it. I’ll just have to trust in how handsome I am.”
He was getting more and more suspicious by the second. I tilted my head, and CEO Seo started firing off love bullets at his own reflection.
Wow...
In that instant, I desperately wanted to be very, very far away from this man.
"But since I’m a baby, I can’t exactly run away."
I quietly turned around. That was the best I could do.
* * *
The shoot continued. The director kept marveling at me in my rabbit hoodie, then started giving acting directions too.
“Gongza, you see that bush over there? No, wait. If I say bush, you won’t understand. You see that patch of grass over there?”
Would I understand patch of grass, Director?
"I do understand."
I nodded.
“Yesss!”
“Pop your head out from there!”
Aha.
“Like you’re playing hide-and-seek with a friend! Gongza, you’ve done that before, right?”
I shook my head.
“Gongza doesn’t have any friends yet.”
“Huh?”
“Director. He probably hasn’t started daycare yet.”
“Ah, that could be it!”
Yes. Exactly. For the record, I don’t think I’ll be going to daycare at all.
"My mom looks like she’s going to hire a nanny outright..."
Come to think of it, since she’s my mom, that actually seemed possible.
“Then maybe he doesn’t know hide-and-seek.”
Excuse me, Director.
“He does that with Auntie!”
“Ah! I see! Then, Gongza, shall we try it there?”
I nodded. The staff immediately moved me over to the bushes. First, I checked the camera angle.
"This one’s front-facing too."
The director looked at the monitor. I popped out from the bushes with a look as if I’d just been caught doing something wrong.
The director was instantly impressed.
“Wow.”
“Whoa.”
“Hey, assistant director. I’m serious—doesn’t he seem like a genius?”
“Yeah. We gave him a weird explanation, but he understood it perfectly.”
“A genius, seriously. Let’s go before Gongza loses the feel for it!”
The camera director rushed right over. I wriggled back into the bushes.
"So they do realize their explanation was bad."
They were probably used to filming child actors, too, so they should really work on that.
Then, at last, I heard the sound I’d been waiting for.
“Stand by! Cue!”
Just like before, I popped out from the bushes. But this time, I blinked once, just a little.
“Cut! Ha. That’s even better.”
“Maybe because his eyes are so big, blinking really stands out.”
“Doesn’t he already seem to know how to use his facial muscles really well? Like he knows what expression he’s making.”
Of course.
"Do you think I’ve been living with a mirror for nothing?"
Honestly, it was still hard to get used to.
"Blinking is relatively easy, but nuanced expressions are still another matter."
I still hadn’t fully adapted to my bones and muscles.
"Well, steady practice is the only way forward."
That was when I heard a bit of commotion. The director was watching the monitor, then glanced over his shoulder.
“Ah, looks like they’re here.”
“Yes. It’s Entertainment Walk. They said they’d film our shoot.”
The cameraman came in immediately. The director nodded and said, “Let’s move straight to the next scene.”
“Yes! Gongza, move over a little. Yeah. There! Just do exactly what you did before!”
The shoot continued. I stood in front of the camera again.
“Stand by, cue!”
I rose out of the bushes again.
"Yeah, this is fun."
Maybe because it had been a while since I’d filmed. It was even more fun than I remembered.
* * *
The CEO straightened my clothes and held me in his arms.
"I wondered why he was doing something so weird just now..."
So this was it.
The CEO carried me over and sat down in a chair. A reporter was sitting in the seat beside him.
"Well, normally it would be an adult holding the child."
Though I could’ve sat on my own.
The reporter seemed to have finished getting ready and looked straight into the camera. A cue sign went up at once.
“Hello, Entertainment Walk viewers. Today, I’m at the filming site for the clothing commercial of a very famous baby—Gongza!”
Well then. Welcome.
I clapped my hands and kicked my legs. The reporter smiled and said, “Oh, Gongza seems excited. Gongza, do you like it?”
“Yess!”
“Aww, how cute! Gongza, can you greet the Entertainment Walk viewers for us?”
“Yess!”
As if it was anything special.
I looked at the camera, bowed my head a little, then lifted it again.
“Hello! Gongza here!”
“Ohhh. Oh, he’s adorable.”
The reporter clenched and unclenched her fists, at a complete loss. I smiled and clapped again.
“Um, since we said we were coming to meet Gongza, the writer ladies picked out the questions really carefully. Gongza, this is the first question. What’s the best thing in the world? Dinosaurs? Robots?”
Oh, dear.
"Well, I guess that’s what a normal kid would say."
But me? Not at all.
“Mama!”
“Oh, your mom? Ma Soo-jung?”
“Yess! Mama is the bestest!”
The reporter suddenly fell silent. Then she stood up and let out a long breath.
“Ah, sorry. I had to calm down because you were too cute. How is this child like this? My nieces and nephews aren’t like this. They just run after snacks.”
No, that sounds pretty normal, actually.
“I’ll ask the next question. Then, Gongza, you remember the Halo members, right?”
Hmm. Reporter lady, I remember them all right.
"Would a normal kid remember them too?"
Or would that make me seem a little strange? Well, it was probably too late for anyone to say that anyway.
“Yess!”
“Which Halo brother do you like best?”
Oh no.
"Writers. Seriously, don’t ask a kid this."
This was the kind of question that required extremely careful answers. I looked at the camera and blinked.
"I’m making the face of someone who’s thinking, so please take it that way."
That was roughly the impression I wanted to give.
I paused for a moment before answering.
“All of them!”
“Hmm, all? All the Halo members?”
“Yess!”
“Name just one person! So many people are curious about that!”
“Um, buh-den...”
I lowered my head a little.
“Then, they’ll get hurt feewings! Gongza likes all the big brothers!”
Even I thought it was an excellent answer. Of course, it was also terribly cringey.
"What a life I lead."
How had I ended up giving such a nauseatingly sweet answer?
At my reply, the reporter stood up from her seat, patted her chest twice, and sat back down. Then she wiped her face with both hands.
“Ah, seriously!”
“Noona?”
“You’re adorable. I can’t take it! Oh, sorry. I just can’t calm down. I mean, this kid’s face is already this cute, and he only says things that melt people’s hearts.”
That was quite the review. If I thanked her now, that would probably be weird, so I rubbed my head against the CEO’s chest as if I knew nothing.
“Okay, Gongza. Noona’s got one last question for you. Gongza, could you leave a video message for the viewers of Entertainment Walk?”
Excuse me, reporter lady.
Isn’t that a bit too difficult for a child?
"I can do it because I’m me."
I looked at the camera and smiled brightly.
“Big brothers, big sisters! Sleep well today! Sleep well tomorrow too! Sleep well the day after tomorrow too!”
The reporter stood up again. Then she suddenly covered her mouth and twisted her body. After a while of that, she took a deep breath and sat back down.
"Her face is red."
She must be excited.
“Ah, sorry, viewers. As you know, I’m not exactly the type to get flustered easily, but...”
R-Really?
“I can’t help it. I think I’m losing it. Where did this kid even come from?”
Calm down, reporter lady.
“Fifth year as a reporter, viewers, and today my cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much. Hey there, Gongza.”
“Yess!”
“Noona has a wish. Can I press your cheek just once?”
No, that hardly counts as a wish.
"Of course, if Ansan-daek were here, she’d make her wash her hands first before touching me."
I smiled brightly and answered, “Yess!”
“Oh wow. Hold on a second. Noona needs to wipe her hands.”
The reporter carefully cleaned her fingers with wet tissues.
"No, that seems a little excessive."
She slowly reached out her hand. I stared at her finger.
"My cheek isn’t a missile bomb or anything."
She seemed to be trembling a little?
At last, her fingertip touched my cheek. The reporter gently pressed it a few times, then collapsed right there.
“Ahhh!”
“Noona?”
The reporter took a deep breath and looked at the camera. Then she began talking at machine-gun speed.
“Viewers! I did it!”
That’s... not exactly something to celebrate like that.
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