The Director Came Calling
Ansan-daek really did keep a close eye on Kim Deok-su. But it didn’t last all that long.
Maybe three days at most.
It was hard not to be suspicious just looking at his face, but once you saw this, there was no denying it.
“It’s time for your meal.”
“Yes!”
I worked my spoon with all my might.
I’m finally eating on my own!
Of course, I was still such a mess that I couldn’t really control myself yet.
It’s also because I’m not used to it.
I let out a long breath and looked at the person in front of me.
Maybe Deok-su has something to do with it too.
Deok-su had made the baby food instead of Ansan-daek. Watching him measure out the nutritional content and everything, I couldn’t help thinking that professionals really were different.
Honestly, it even tastes good.
But still.
“Hngh. Gongza is always such a delight to watch eat.”
That right there was the problem.
It’s too much pressure!
A man with a gangster’s face was dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief right in front of me.
Why is he always crying?
Anyone watching would think I had some terrible illness or something.
A woman passing by asked, “Oh my, are you crying again, Deok-su?”
“Yes, hngh.”
“What’s got you so emotional this time?”
“Gongza is just… so, so adorable.”
Damn it.
Stop crying for that reason!
It’s too much pressure!
“Gongza really is cute.”
“And he eats so well, too. He’s adorable, and he doesn’t even fuss over his food. It’s moving.”
Kim Deok-su kept blotting his tears away with a tiny handkerchief covered in chick patterns.
Honestly, it’s terrifying.
But maybe because I saw him at least twice a day, I’d had no choice but to get used to it.
“Gongza eats well, doesn’t he? Is it tasty?”
Honestly, it was tasty. Even better than Ansan-daek’s cooking.
“Yes!”
“Oh, you’re precious. Deok-su, you can calm down now.”
“Yes. I’m sorry. But the tears won’t stop.”
What the hell.
I couldn’t exactly tell someone crying from sheer emotion to go away.
I pretended not to notice and brought the spoon to my mouth. A little of the baby food dribbled out, and Deok-su wiped it away at once.
Well, since he does that every time, I guess I’m getting used to it.
Maybe it would be okay once a little more time passed.
“Gongza eats well, so he’s healthy.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yes. I think he’s also quite sharp. Just thinking about how Gongza will grow up makes me…”
Kim Deok-su wiped at his tears again.
“He’ll grow into a very proper and healthy child.”
Seriously, why was he crying when he was saying something nice?
The housekeeper glanced at him and laughed a little.
Well, I suppose that’s why she dropped all her doubts.
There wasn’t much reason to be suspicious of someone who burst into tears every time I did anything.
And he’s thorough, too.
He hadn’t studied early-childhood education for nothing.
“Deok-su, stop crying already. You’ve been watching Gongza eat this whole time.”
“I still haven’t gotten used to it.”
“Aigoo, what are we supposed to do with a perfectly fine young man acting like this? You said you were expecting a guest today, didn’t you?”
Huh? A guest?
Mom never said anything about that... no, wait.
Mom had been away filming for the past three days.
I miss her, but she has to work.
Besides, the movie she was filming now had already drawn eight million viewers.
I’ve always known all of Mom’s movies up until now, but... maybe things will change a little from here on out.
I kept scooping the food into my mouth. That was when Deok-su said something unexpected.
“I was told a film associate would be coming. I spoke with Gongza’s mother yesterday.”
Huh?
That was important!
No, why are you telling me now?
“Looks like Gongza’s going to be on TV again.”
“Yes. But I was told this time it’s for a movie.”
“Oh my!”
“I’ll be reviewing everything carefully. Our Gongza is still just a child, after all.”
Wow.
He didn’t have to go that far.
Still, the environment around child actors really was important.
So they did choose someone trustworthy.
They said CEO Seo had a good eye, and it turned out to be true.
Well, only a few weeks have passed.
I finished the last of my baby food. Deok-su checked my empty bowl, wiped my mouth again, and lifted me down from the high chair.
“Now let’s brush those teeth.”
“Yes!”
“Good boy. Truly.”
The housekeeper shook her head as she watched us head off to brush our teeth.
Yeah, it probably was a bit of a strange sight.
Who would have thought someone who looked like he belonged in the underworld would be like this?
I gave an awkward little smile. Still, for better or worse, I was getting used to it.
The door opened, and the one I’d been waiting for stepped inside.
Yes!
I cheered inwardly. I’d seen him once before. I smiled brightly.
Jackpot!
The moment I recognized him, I couldn’t stop grinning.
Director Lee Jin-hwan!
He was the one I’d met at the first-birthday party.
Welcome.
I’d been waiting for you, in my own way.
So this is When the Wind Touches, huh?
Looks like the cast still wasn’t finalized yet.
It was a good film.
Just a failure.
The script was solid, but the actors’ performances were a mess.
I’d heard the reason later.
Funding.
I could sort of guess.
It was Director Lee Jin-hwan’s first project, and it was also a fantasy film.
Maybe it was a little too unusual.
I smiled broadly.
I’d been gently dangling the bait since the first-birthday party, and now here you are.
Nice to meet you. Let’s do well together.
The director and another man came into the living room. I greeted them politely first.
“Hii!”
“Oh, Gongza. Do you remember me?”
Like I could forget.
But I can’t exactly say that, can I?
That wouldn’t be normal.
In situations like this, it was best to play dumb.
“Nice to meet you!”
“Oh, right. Gongza, it’s good to see you too. Wow, your looks are still the same. You’ve grown a lot since then.”
Of course I had. It had been months already.
A child this age grows visibly from one day to the next.
Well, since it was my own body, I couldn’t really tell all that well.
“Thank you!”
The director leaned closer and said, “My, you still talk so prettily. But who’s this?”
“My name is Kim Deok-su.”
Deok-su pushed his stern face, sunglasses and all, a little farther forward.
“I’m his representative.”
Huh?
Since when did I have a representative?
Director Lee Jin-hwan asked carefully, “Y-yes?”
“I’ve been granted full authority by Ma Soo-jung.”
No, hey.
Anyone listening would think he was a lawyer.
Whatever I thought, Deok-su kept going.
“I understand you contacted us in advance.”
“Ah, right, yes. That’s right. I believe I did.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
Deok-su held out his hand. And I saw it clearly.
Director Lee Jin-hwan had sweat beading on his forehead.
Well, sure. Anyone who looked that much like a gangster would be scary if he acted like this.
Director Lee Jin-hwan reluctantly shook his hand. His eyes were trembling.
Oh dear.
I tugged on the director’s sleeve.
“It’s oka’y.”
“Huh? O-okay?”
“Deok-su is a nice person!”
For all he looked like that, he was someone who had been crying over my meal just a few hours ago.
“Oh, r-right?”
“Yes!”
Director Lee Jin-hwan caught the eye of the person who’d come with him. Then he took a deep breath and said, “I want Gongza to appear in the film.”
Kim Deok-su nodded.
“Yes.”
“This movie is a project I’ve been preparing for a long time.”
“I see.”
“It’s my official debut.”
“Ah, so you’re making your debut.”
Deok-su didn’t say much. But Director Lee Jin-hwan clutched at his chest.
“I wanted to start sooner, but things just... worked out this way.”
“I see. I understand.”
Deok-su’s mouth curved ever so slightly.
Is that a smile?
But because it was Deok-su, it looked kind of ominous.
As expected, Director Lee Jin-hwan swallowed hard.
“Life isn’t about speed. It’s about direction.”
Wow.
That was actually a very good line. But the flustered director blurted, “Right! There’s no order to getting where you’re going!”
Wow.
That’s not what he meant.
Deok-su said calmly again, “That’s not what I meant.”
“Yes! Anyway, Gongza is necessary!”
The replies became more and more incoherent.
“Why is that?”
“Huh?”
“We already know our Gongza is cute, adorable, well-behaved, and eats well. We also know he’s healthy. But why does it have to be Gongza?”
I didn’t know why, but somehow the pressure in his voice was overwhelming.
Maybe because of that, Director Lee Jin-hwan’s eyes shook violently. He panicked and shouted at once, “If Gongza appears, Han Woo-jin will appear too!”
Huh?
That one surprised even me.
Why was Han Woo-jin coming into this?
“Director! Why would you say that here?”
“But it’s true! He said if Gongza joins, Han Woo-jin would okay it!”
“It could’ve been a joke!”
“Even if it was a joke, I still have to grab it! If Han Woo-jin comes in, we won’t have to worry about funding!”
Ah. So that’s how it was.
It’s like some kind of domino effect.
If I appeared, Han Woo-jin would appear, and if Han Woo-jin appeared, getting investment would become a whole lot easier.
From the director’s perspective, that would be desperately important.
But was it true?
“I need to cling to any straw I can! If Gongza doesn’t do it, we’re doomed! At this rate, we might have to cast that kid from before, and even the Lion CEO’s son!”
Ah, the sorrow of low-budget films.
So that’s why the movie failed back then.
Well, the casting really had been a disaster.
“I see.”
Deok-su’s low voice rumbled deeply through the room. Honestly, I was fine, but the other two weren’t.
Did they get goosebumps?
I grabbed the director’s sleeve again and said, “It’s oka’y!”
“Huh? O-okay?”
“Deok-su won’t hit you!”
For all appearances, that man was about as far from violence as you could get.
“R-really? Gongza?”
“Yes!”
Please trust me, Director.
Just then, when Director Lee Jin-hwan reached out as though he wanted to hold my hand tightly, Deok-su’s hand shot in to block him.
“You can’t!”
“Huh? Why not?”
“You haven’t washed your hands.”
Deok-su pulled a pack of wet wipes from his suit pocket.
There’s a big label on it saying it contains alcohol.
Calmly, Deok-su handed out one wipe after another. Director Lee Jin-hwan and the man with him stared blankly as they wiped their hands.
After confirming that both men had thoroughly cleaned their hands, Deok-su said, “Now it’s fine to touch him.”
“Ah, yes.”
Honestly, I thought Director Lee Jin-hwan wouldn’t try to grab my hand anymore. But maybe fear was stronger than embarrassment. The instant Deok-su finished speaking, he seized my hand.
“I’m counting on you! Gongza!”
I appreciate the sentiment, but don’t pin your hopes on a two-year-old!
“I understand your situation.”
“Thank you for understanding! But that’s not all. The moment I first saw Gongza, I knew I wanted him in this project.”
I see.
Honestly, I’m curious too.
This director’s debut work had crashed and burned horribly, but later on he’d become a box-office hitmaker.
He even won a lot of awards.
What would happen if I joined a film that had originally failed because of the casting?
Besides, this was the kind of movie that was too good to waste.
The script had really been solid.
I even got hold of the script separately later.
I’d read it and clicked my tongue in disappointment.
I wondered what it would’ve been like if I had been in it.
Though, with the face I had in my past life, that would’ve been difficult.
Deok-su said, “I read the script yesterday as well. There doesn’t seem to be anything violent in it.”
What? He checked that too?
“There isn’t anything like that in our project.”
“There are some scenes a small child might find frightening.”
“Ah, those scenes! If Gongza agrees to appear, I’ll also make sure he gets emotional support.”
“I see. Thank you, though I think that should be a given.”
He wasn’t wrong.