A Face Too Sweet to Resist

“Gongja’s cheeks are soft. Incredibly soft! I know, I know—there are plenty of people out there who want to touch Gongja’s cheeks, right? Ahaha! Viewers, aren’t you jealous? I got to touch them!”

No, seriously, what kind of line is that?

I looked up at the CEO with worried eyes.

Huh?

Why is he acting like this too?

The CEO was looking straight into the camera, laughing so hard his cheeks were practically twitching.

Don’t tell me he’s been like this the whole time?

Why, exactly?

Wait. Could it be he thought he’d be filmed too?

No way.

I gave an awkward smile. The reporter was already babbling nonstop at a different camera.

Honestly, the set was a complete mess.

Mm. This is what you’d normally call total chaos.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I kicked my legs idly.

Well, I’m a baby.

Someone would come and sort it out.

Fortunately, the confusion died down quickly.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“So, you got filmed again?”

Ah, you’re here again.

I beamed at Grandma. Honestly, I’d thought she wouldn’t come back for a while after that. But Grandma kept visiting me.

Addiction really is a scary thing.

“Yesss!”

“You little rascal! Hah, now people are talking about it again because of that!”

Huh?

Whenever she said that kind of thing before, her eyes had always been sharp and fierce. This time, though, something was different.

It’s kind of warm.

Why?

Aha!

A grin spread across my face.

That must mean something good was said.

Come to think of it, I remembered Showbiz Stroll, the program that had come to the commercial shoot.

Judging from the interview vibe, I guess my image is pretty good.

So this is a victory for cuteness.

“Honestly, what am I supposed to do about this?”

She said that, but the corners of her mouth were lifting ever so slightly.

“Still, I mean. That mixed-blood face really is flawless.”

Ah, so they did call me cute after all.

“You really don’t see kids who look like this very often.”

Very often? That’s putting it mildly.

“If even Madam Sim had to say something about it, well....”

Grandma’s cheek twitched.

Nice, Grandma.

So please, open your heart a little. And stop calling me a mixed-blood already.

When I blinked at her, Grandma cleared her throat.

“Ahem, ahem. But don’t get the idea that I’m accepting you or anything. You’re just my daughter’s little....”

I tilted my head.

Just her what?

It sounded like she was about to say something insulting again. What was she going to call me this time?

But what came out instead was rather unexpected.

“Goldfish poop. No, wait. More like a goldfish tail!”

Huh?

That was her softened version, right?

And just like that, I laughed. As they say, sincerity can move heaven.

It’s working.

After all this time, the effort I’d put in was finally paying off.

I knew it. The time had come.

Now I need to push one more time.

I sat up in the cradle, then bent and straightened my legs while wriggling my hips.

“Is this the tail?”

I smiled brightly and squirmed around.

“Tail is nice!”

Now, how about that? Normally, this is what you’d call a little show.

Grandma said nothing. I kept wriggling my hips and went on,

“I want Mommy’s tail!”

She didn’t say anything, but I could read it on her face. Grandma’s cheeks twitched like an earthquake had hit them.

“Ahem, ahem. What on earth are you doing?”

“Tail!”

Grandma kept clearing her throat and then said,

“I, well. Fine, do whatever you want. Honestly, I’m busy, so I should be going.”

She slowly got up and turned away. I waved at her back.

“Bye-bye!”

For a second, it looked as though her steps might falter, but Grandma still walked out without looking back. Once she was completely gone, I lay back down in the cradle.

It’s getting better and better.

I looked up at the mobile. Maybe a window had been left open, because the dolls were swaying gently.

It’s been a few weeks since then.

Time really did fly.

Yesterday was the day Showbiz Stroll aired.

Did my interview make it on too?

What kind of reaction did it get? Ah, I wish I’d seen it!

Because I don’t have a smartphone!

To tell someone already addicted to a smartphone to live without one—wasn’t that a little cruel?

Maybe I should just use coins.

Ah, coins!

If I don’t want to check the viewer board, the coin system’s the easiest way to find out.

I muttered softly.

Looks like the response was pretty good.

It hadn’t even been long since I’d spent a hundred thousand coins, and already I’d gathered this many.

Well, it’s nice when they pile up, but still.

I used to think it was good just to save them, but maybe because of the price?

It’s all shine and no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠substance.

Maybe because I’d suffered so much at the time.

Even if I can use them all, this is a problem.

The price I paid when I healed Ansan-daek had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been anything but light.

Honestly, we were lucky she didn’t have to go to the hospital.

Just thinking about it made me dizzy.

If the sleep had lasted forty-eight hours instead of twenty-four....

My mom would’ve cried. They would’ve canceled the shoot and everything.

I let out a sigh.

What am I supposed to do about this?

There were a few possible answers.

Only using them when I really need to, or waiting until I’ve got time and then trying it....

I hung my head. So I had to be this careful?

If only I could at least know the price in advance.

Then I’d be able to control it somehow.

Huh? Wait.

I sprang upright in the cradle.

Hold on. Could I maybe do that?

I tried the first thing that came to mind.

Tell me what price I’ll have to pay if I get a smartphone.

I stared at the subtitles with growing impatience.

Will this actually work?

I really hoped it would.

Then the subtitles shifted.

Whoa, so it did work!

A hundred was a little expensive. But if I could know the price in advance, it was worth it.

Let’s do it. Proceed!

The subtitles shifted again.

Wow. I knew it.

That could’ve been a disaster.

No, Mom. Why would me getting a smartphone cost you three films?

Just looking at the price, I can picture the situation.

Because she might think the smartphone would make me lonely or something, she’d give up three films!

I shook my head.

That kind of thing can’t happen!

It would interfere with actress Ma Soo-jung’s career!

If it helps, fine, but it can’t be hurting her.

Besides, by the time I’m a little older, she’ll probably buy me one anyway.

I took a deep breath and rolled over in the cradle.

So using coins lets me know the price I’ll pay.

At that moment, I got absurdly annoyed remembering all the trouble I’d gone through for not knowing that until now.

If your brain isn’t up to it, your hands and feet suffer for it.

I flailed my whole body.

Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?

The world isn’t made only of straight fastballs. There are curveballs too!

I took a deep breath and calmed the storm inside me.

Still, better late than never.

Now I wouldn’t suddenly fall asleep out of nowhere.

Damn it!

It was utterly miserable. I kept wriggling around and finally closed my eyes. Maybe because I’d gotten heated, sleepiness came over me.

Well, it was naptime anyway.

Baby bodies really were fragile.

When am I going to grow up?

With that mutter, I turned over and settled in.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“I wish our Gongja wouldn’t grow up.”

Ma Soo-jung smiled as she watched the interview clip from Showbiz Stroll. He really was adorable enough to make anyone lose their mind—whose son was he, anyway?

“Really?”

“Yeah. That’s how I feel right now. But honestly, I do want to see him grown up too. It’s just....”

Inside the screen, the child had said,

“Yesss! I like Mommy the best!”

Ma Soo-jung pressed a hand to her chest. Truly, her son was so cute she could hardly breathe.

“You mean you want him to stay like this a little longer?” CEO Seo asked.

“CEO, Gongja says he likes me best! More than his toys!”

“The reaction to that was great. Mothers all over the country are jealous of you.”

“Aigoo, what on earth is he eating to be this good?”

“Probably the formula you bought him.”

Ma Soo-jung lowered her eyes slightly. His tone was strangely sharp.

“Why are you sulking?”

“I hate that interview! Isn’t that too much?”

CEO Seo let out a long sigh.

“I even put that cucumber gag in there yesterday, you know! Why didn’t I get a single shot? They even blurred my face!”

Ma Soo-jung gave an awkward laugh.

“Well, that’s because you’re just a regular person, CEO.”

“I should’ve asked them in advance to make sure I got on camera!”

“Well, if you get another chance, try again.”

“Agh, I wanted to brag about it!”

Oh dear. Ma Soo-jung looked at him with pity.

“To whom?”

“Who else? My little princesses, of course. I even wanted to use this excuse to move the TV back into the living room!”

Ma Soo-jung shook her head.

“No, you said everyone liked it. Just leave it in the room.”

“Sniff, sniff. Everyone likes it except me. Honestly, why do all our little princesses like books so much?”

Wasn’t that better?

Ma Soo-jung smiled brightly and said,

“I hope our Gongja likes books more too.”

“Soo-jung, don’t pour oil on a fire.”

“Books are better. That’s why I’m a little worried.”

“About what?”

“Gongja can’t seem to take his eyes off TV and smartphones.”

Ma Soo-jung sighed.

“I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to stay with him for long.”

“Come on, no way. Kids naturally love TV and smartphones.”

“Even so.”

CEO Seo folded his arms and grinned.

“Wow. You, being weak like this, is a rare sight.”

“Well, I’m his mom.”

“Fair enough. Of course you’d worry. In more ways than one.”

Ma Soo-jung nodded.

“Our Gongja’s popular, isn’t he?”

“Very.”

CEO Seo checked the comments.

CEO Seo snorted with laughter.

“Soo-jung, there’s a Gongja cult now?”

“Really? Then I guess I should ask for a seat too.”

“If you asked, I bet they’d give you one. Hey, just this alone is insane.”

“Teacher Jeong Ri-ri called.”

“What’d she say?”

Ma Soo-jung immediately imitated designer Teacher Jeong Ri-ri’s voice.

“Oh my, honey. What am I supposed to do with this? I had no idea it would blow up like this! Thanks to your son, the clothes are selling like crazy!”

CEO Seo nodded.

“As expected of an actress. You imitate her perfectly.”

“Teacher Jeong Ri-ri has a pretty distinctive way of speaking. Well, it sounds like they’re selling well.”

“Well isn’t the half of it. It even trended in the search rankings.”

Ma Soo-jung, being an actress herself, knew exactly what that meant.

“Then paparazzi are going to be clinging to our Gongja like crazy.”

“Exactly.”

“A reporter called me too. Asked how much I made. So I told him the whole amount was going to be donated as clothing.”

“And?”

“He probably wasn’t expecting that, but it seems to have become a story anyway. An article just went up.”

Ma Soo-jung smiled faintly.

“Then he’ll hear some nice things.”

“People are going wild. It’s not for nothing that a religion gets born.”

“That’s just a figure of speech. It’s not like an actual one was born.”

“No, seriously. Because of the talk about donations and sponsorships, the commercial Gongja filmed got even more famous.”

Ma Soo-jung folded her arms and tilted her head.

“I really didn’t see that coming.”

“Admit it, Soo-jung. Your son is famous now. He’s a perfect celebrity.”