The Boy Who Could Be Claimed at a Glance
Well then.
Serves him right, even if he gets hit.
Han Woo-jin twisted his body and wriggled around.
“No, that doesn’t even make sense!”
“The script was good too! Teacher, your hand is way too heavy. It hurts!”
“I’m hitting you so it hurts! You’re almost forty, and you still have no sense at all!”
I kicked my legs in Han Woo-jin’s arms. Yoon Jung-hyun-sunbae hit his back again, firmly and without hesitation.
“A handsome man is an eternal boy by nature, Teacher!”
“Why, you—!”
Yoon Jung-hyun-sunbae let go and sighed.
“I’m only stopping here because Gongza is present.”
“Hee-hee-hee.”
“Honestly, Woo-jin, what are you going to do? You need to act your age.”
“But, Teacher, I want to pin him down and keep him. The moment I saw him, I knew it. This kid Gongza was born to be famous.”
“So that’s why you’re trying to find adult roles for him?”
“If I can. Besides, with Gongza, it’s not like he’d just appear in any old project. Sung-jung-sunbae will filter them first anyway. She has a great eye for scripts.”
Wow, Han Woo-jin.
He really does read the room.
It wasn’t a difficult guess, but his execution was no joke.
“Well, this film does have a really good script.”
“I’m handsome, but I’ve got my flaws, you know. One of them is that I can’t judge scripts at all.”
“Yeah. You’re good with dramas, but not so much with films.”
“Right. So for now, I’m thinking of following along. But I’ve only been able to see him a few times. Maybe I should just come on as family instead of playing an adult role.”
Yoon Jung-hyun-sunbae sighed and patted my head.
“What am I going to do with you, really?”
“But is it really because he’s playing an adult role? There’s no time to see Gongza.”
“Well, of course not.”
“Ah, right, I forgot. Gongza, you wanted to see your hyung too, didn’t you?”
If I said no, he’d be hurt, wouldn’t he?
“Yee!”
“Oh, you’re adorable. I once told Sung-jung-sunbae I wanted to adopt Gongza as my son, and she told me she’d kill me.”
“She’d be well within her rights, kid.”
“Ah, Teacher.”
“Why would you say something like that? He’s already Sung-jung’s son. He’s practically asking to get smacked.”
Excuse me, Teacher.
Didn’t you just say something similar a moment ago?
That was when the assistant director came over and asked, “Ah, Teacher. We found it.”
“Why?”
“The script changed a little. Originally there was a scene where the Teacher walks alone along the beach, but we were wondering if it might be better to have Gongza appear too. The director said he’ll shoot both versions.”
Yoon Jung-hyun-sunbae nodded.
“Do it. But is Gongza okay with that?”
“I already asked that thug, no, the nanny. He says it’s fine as long as we keep his nap time.”
“Ah, I see.”
The teacher sniffed the top of my head and said,
“I’d like a nap too.”
“You should get some sleep.”
“I suppose I should.”
“Ah, Gongza. We need to film now.”
The assistant director took me from Han Woo-jin’s arms.
“All right, let’s go!”
“Yee!”
The assistant director carried me over to the camera.
Hm, I can walk.
Why did everyone keep carrying me around?
Maybe because we were by the sea, the ocean breeze was strong. I stood in front of the camera, feeling my hair sway in the wind.
Soon, I heard the sound I’d been waiting for.
“Ready, action!”
* * *
Deok-su really isn’t what he looks like.
The man in sunglasses laid me down comfortably and pulled the blanket up over me.
I blinked with my head on the pillow.
Honestly, maybe it’s because the van is so spacious.
Even though I was in a car, it was incredibly pleasant to nap in.
I stared at Deok-su.
Hm. The porridge and all the rest too. He’s prepared everything thoroughly.
It really did seem like he genuinely wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.
Well, the problem is that he keeps crying.
I let out a small sigh.
Yesterday, he cried when he saw me eating baby crackers.
At least he wasn’t crying outside. That was something.
I rolled over. Then Deok-su said,
“Is it hard to fall asleep?”
“A littlee!”
“I prepared for this situation.”
Deok-su attached a mobile to the van ceiling right then and there. Then, all of a sudden, he pulled out a picture book.
“I’ll read you your favorite, Bear and Me.”
I’m losing it.
I let out a long breath.
No, that’s not why I can’t sleep.
Deok-su pressed the mobile’s switch. The mobile hanging from the van ceiling began to turn slowly.
I’m telling you, that isn’t entertaining.
I would rather have watched a video on YouTube.
My online pet crew....
Then it happened. A knock came at the door. Deok-su opened it at once.
“Ah, hello.”
“Sorry. May I come in?”
I knew who it was the moment I heard her voice.
That’s Yoon Jung-hyun-sunbae.
Deok-su immediately held out an arm.
“Yes, please come up.”
Supported by him, the teacher climbed into the van. Then she looked at the turning mobile and smiled.
“Oh, are you the manager?”
“I’m not a manager. I’m the nanny.”
The teacher blinked.
I know, Teacher. You must be confused.
But yes, he really was a nanny.
“My, I see. I do have a favor to ask. If it’s difficult, you can refuse.”
“Yes.”
“May I take a nap next to Gongza? I have insomnia, but strangely enough, I’ve been sleeping a little these past few days. I think it’s because of the lavender scent that comes from Gongza.”
“I see. That must be hard.”
“Lavender scent is common enough, but Gongza’s scent is the best. Just smelling it makes me sleepy. So, may I try taking a nap?”
Deok-su stayed silent for a moment. Then he asked carefully,
“Would you be all right with me watching over you?”
“Oh?”
“I’ll keep watching while you sleep here. Would that be all right?”
Ah. Come to think of it, he’d stayed with me every time I napped.
At home, he does leave me alone in the room, though.
Still, you shouldn’t leave a child alone outside. Besides, Yoon Jung-hyun-sunbae was a stranger.
I know a lot about the teacher, but if he’s a nanny, it makes sense to be cautious.
He really is thorough, Deok-su.
The teacher gave a small laugh.
“Go ahead. It is a little strange to sleep in front of a strange man, though.”
“I’ll leave the van door open.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s just noisy. Leave it closed. Ah, this is odd. I wouldn’t usually do this.”
The teacher lay down beside me and said,
“Maybe it’s because I wanted to try sleeping next to Gongza at least once.”
“I’ll lower the seat for you.”
Deok-su pressed a button and handed over a blanket. The teacher shifted around and smiled.
“Thank you.”
“Sleep comfortably.”
Deok-su moved to the seat farthest away. Yoon Jung-hyun-sunbae closed her eyes and sniffed the top of my head.
“This is strange, Gongza. Just smelling this makes my eyes close. I don’t even believe in aromatherapy.”
The corner of her eye twitched.
“It smells like someone I miss.”
I reached out and patted the back of the teacher’s hand. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all, because she smiled a little and murmured,
“Yoon-hyuk...”
I blinked.
Oh no.
Yoon-hyuk was the name of the teacher’s son.
I heard he died in a car accident.
That was why she’d suffered from insomnia and struggled ever since.
I let out a long breath and closed my eyes. I wasn’t sleepy, but I had to at least pretend to nap because of Deok-su.
When I met the teacher in my previous life, it had already been a long time since her child had passed away.
So I hadn’t realized just how hard it had been for her.
She really did care about me.
When I’d lost some weight from being exhausted by filming, she had even made side dishes for me.
She looked after me like I was her own son.
I rolled over.
Ah, I never really thought about it.
Only now did it strike me anew.
After I died, did the teacher cry?
She probably did. She was strict, but she also had a soft heart and a lot of affection.
I’m sorry, Teacher.
I didn’t know I’d be gone that way either.
It leaves a bitter taste.
I drew in a small breath. There was no taking it back now.
Instead, I’ll do better in this life.
Still, Ma Gongza was a hundred times better than Lee Hanjo.
I fidgeted with my fingers.
Come to think of it, this life really is different.
Not just my face and health, but the people around me were different too.
My old agency really was terrible.
But this time, there was more than one person helping me.
And we had money to spare.
Maybe because Mom was a top star and a chaebol. The food and clothes alone were on a different level.
Yeah, definitely abundant.
I rolled over again.
All right, let me think carefully.
The biggest difference between my past life and this one was that I was the son of top star Ma Soo-jung.
Let’s be good to Mom!
Then how should I do that? What do parents usually like?
They probably like seeing their children grow up well.
Well, that much was obvious.
There’s no way I won’t grow up properly.
No, more fundamentally, what could I do for Mom?
I did give her health with the coins.
Hmm, but still.
That’s lacking, when you really think about it.
The world is rough. The entertainment industry is a jungle. And for my mother, who has to fight through it day after day on set, good health is only the bare minimum.
Not enough. It’s not enough!
I grinned.
So this is what I had coins for!
There are plenty of ways to use them.
And now I even know the price.
Mom! Please wait!
I’ll make you happy!
Happiness comes from strength, doesn’t it?
All right, what should I strengthen first?
Arms? Legs? Muscle? Speed?
Mom already did a lot of action acting as it was.
That would be incredibly useful.
I rolled over again. Maybe because I had reached a conclusion, sleep suddenly came softly over me.
I’ll repay your kindness, Mom.
So please wait.
My eyelids grew heavy. And just like that, I fell asleep.
* * *
“Hello. I’m reporter Yuk-gae-jeon from this week’s Entertainment Lounge. Today, we’ve invited the cast of Achilles, one of the most anticipated Chungmuro films of the first half of the year!”
Ma Soo-jung clapped. The familiar interview moved from one person to the next. The person beside her whispered,
“How many is this now?”
Ma Soo-jung smiled slightly. This was already the fourth entertainment program.
“Tired?”
The actor next to her whispered back.
“Yeah. It’s the same stuff for the fourth time already.”
“At least they came.”
She said that, but the other actor looked a little worn out too.
“That’s true. It’d be sad if they didn’t.”
Ma Soo-jung smiled and focused on the interview again. It was her turn next.
“Ma Soo-jung-ssi, you’ve been making headlines lately with your adorable son. How is Gongza doing?”
It was the third time she’d been asked this.
“Gongza is doing very well. I’ve monopolized that adorable smile.”
“Oh my, how enviable. And Ma Soo-jung-ssi, your beauty seems to shine brighter every day.”
Oh?
Ma Soo-jung smiled a little. She’d done enough interviews to know the drill. At times like this, she was supposed to act modest and brush it off.
But the actor beside her was different.
“That’s right! Soo-jung’s skin shines every single day.”
Once one person opened the door, compliments poured in from everywhere.
“I agree. Soo-jung, you always look so energetic.”
“You can even eat ramen and go to sleep, and your face still doesn’t puff up.”
“And your stamina is steel. We were all amazed.”
Seriously, what was with everyone?
At that point, she had no choice. Ma Soo-jung smiled sweetly and said,
“I guess I was born with it.”