The Price of Strength
Everyone burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.
“I’m joking. Maybe it’s because there’s an angel at home. Just looking at our Gongza gives me energy.”
“Come on, you sound serious.”
“I guess she’s at least a little born with it?”
People laughed again.
Part of the lead’s job is making the atmosphere feel good, too.
Ma Soo-jung smiled at the camera again.
But the people around her weren’t done confessing yet.
“It’s not just her looks.”
“She’s incredibly strong, too.”
“We filmed one action scene. You know this one?”
One of the lead actors held out an arm and said,
“It was a scene where Ma Soo-jung grabbed me and pulled me toward her. But the leather jacket just tore right down the middle!”
Ah, right.
My hands were sticking like glue that day.
The lead actor went on, still brimming with excitement.
“I said, ‘Isn’t this a little too much strength?’ and Soo-jung said leather was just weak!”
Did she really?
“Human skin is weak too, Soo-jung!”
Ma Soo-jung gave an awkward laugh.
“I have no idea how someone with that body ended up with such insane destructive power.”
“Ms. Ma Soo-jung must have been a general in her past life.”
“There were probably heads from enemy commanders hanging all over the gate.”
Was it really that bad?
Ma Soo-jung looked down at her own body in silence.
I wasn’t this extreme, but at some point… I guess I’ve become like this.
Come to think of it, even the gym master had seriously asked whether she wanted to go pro.
Another actor beside her spoke up.
“I saw Ms. Soo-jung squeeze orange juice, too.”
Oh, no.
“Right! When we said we didn’t have any juice, she just squeezed the oranges with her bare hands.”
“When I heard that, I got curious. Could you split an apple in half too?”
Ma Soo-jung shook her head.
“No way.”
The interview atmosphere was heating up fast. The reporter suddenly shot to his feet and shouted,
“I have an apple!”
Why the hell are you carrying an apple around?
The manager took the apple from the reporter and handed it to Ma Soo-jung.
“I brought it to eat later. Ms. Soo-jung! It’s a perfectly ripe apple! It’s from my family’s farm!”
Ah, so your family farms apples. Not that that was the important part.
“You want me to split this?”
“Yes. If possible, please stand up while you do it.”
Ma Soo-jung wasn’t the kind of actress who minded interviews. She got up willingly.
“I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Then today is the day.”
“Sure. Seems like the right time.”
Everyone was dying to see it. Ma Soo-jung tilted her head and, first of all, tried splitting the apple once.
Riiip—
Ma Soo-jung blinked. Honestly, even she was shocked.
I barely even used any strength.
Were apples just softer these days?
“Wow!”
“She really split it!”
“General!”
Ma Soo-jung tilted her head.
Huh. Could this work too?
She quietly grabbed the apple.
I think I’ve seen this kind of thing happen in movies.
Ma Soo-jung put a little force into her fingers. Then the apple burst apart, dripping juice like mud running through her hands.
“Gasp!”
“She crushed it!”
“She really was a general!”
Ma Soo-jung blinked.
“It actually works?”
No, when had she gotten this strong?
The people around her were in an uproar.
“See, Ms. Soo-jung! Human skin is weak!”
“So that’s why she still looked so fresh even after staying up for days!”
“Remember when she kicked me during that action scene? I went flying!”
Confessions of pain poured out from every direction. With a solemn expression, the reporter asked,
“Ms. Soo-jung, how do you feel?”
Ma Soo-jung blinked. When in doubt, honesty was best, right?
“I’m glad that even if I stop acting, I’ve got one more way to make a living with Gongza.”
“Pardon?”
“I miss Gongza.”
It was pure sincerity from beginning to end.
The interview passed to the next person like that. Nobody else might know it, but Ma Soo-jung had been thoroughly satisfied with it.
Mom…
I smiled at the TV. Once the interview ended, the entertainment news program moved right on to the next segment.
No reason to watch anything else.
I pressed the power button. When the TV went dark, the black screen reflected me and Mom back at me.
I glanced over my shoulder. Mom was stretched out on the sofa, sleeping soundly.
Three months had passed since then.
When the Wind Touches still hadn’t been released, and Mom had been working like a beast the whole time.
The movie opens the day after tomorrow...
I let out a sigh. Time really did fly.
Well, I did use a lot of coins in the meantime.
Still, wow. This really works.
I didn’t expect it to be this effective.
Honestly, I had wanted to make Mom stronger.
Then I should be able to make my own body stronger too.
But here’s the thing.
I muttered to myself.
Coin Activation! Make my arm strength stronger.
Celebrity: 7,950,777 coins are required to strengthen Ma Gongza's arm muscles.
Wow, subtitle guy. No, subtitle sir. I haven’t even seen the price yet, but do you have any conscience?
The inflation is no joke!
No, do you really hate me becoming stronger that much?
It only costs one-hundredth of that to strengthen Mom’s muscles!
I put both hands to my cheeks and took a deep breath. My breathing came out in little puffs.
There’s definitely some kind of restriction on it.
I’d thought maybe it was just in my head, but maybe that really was it.
It doesn’t want me getting too strong.
Well, it wasn’t as if there was no way at all.
Move the public with emotion, huh?
Yes, yes, got it.
I stared at Mom, asleep on the sofa. Thanks to the coins, she looked even healthier now.
I’d like to get healthier too, though.
At this rate, I’d have to go right back to the basics.
So all I can do is work for it!
I slid off the sofa.
Should I go run around the garden?
I looked around. Just then, Mr. Deoksu appeared.
“Teacher! I’m going to run and come back!”
“This is the time for that, then. Ah...”
Oh, no.
I sighed and said,
“No more tears. Stop crying.”
“It can’t be helped. It’s just so moving. Gongza finally isn’t falling over anymore.”
Mr. Deoksu rubbed at his eyes again with a handkerchief. Watching him, I shook my head.
A few days after that, he finally stopped falling.
Probably because the toll had run out.
Thanks to that, I can run now too.
I quietly loosened my legs. I was at an age where I had tons of energy, after all. I knew warm-ups weren’t really necessary, but maybe it was just habit.
“Sob.”
“Teacher! Don’t cry!”
“I’m sorry. Our Gongza is even doing warm-ups properly.”
I shook my head. Then Mom, who had been taking a nap on the sofa, rubbed her eyes.
“Ah, that was a good sleep.”
“Mama!”
“Ah, my Gongza. Come let me see your face.”
I trotted over. The moment Mom saw me, her face lit up.
“My angel. You’re adorable no matter how many times I see you!”
“I’m sorry I woke you up!”
“It’s fine. I was going to get up anyway. My Gongza, Mom’s sorry she’s always so busy.”
I shook my head.
“Nooo!”
“Our Gongza is so good. Mom finally has a little free time now.”
No, Mom. You can keep working.
But if I say that, it just backfires again.
Every time I did, Mom would end up crying because she felt guilty.
Mom stretched and said,
“Oh, right. Why is Mr. Deoksu crying?”
“Sniff. Because Gongza is walking so well.”
“...Is that so?”
Mr. Deoksu wiped his eyes with the handkerchief and said,
“It’s not just that.”
What else could there possibly be?
“I think Gongza’s growth is really good. He looks like a four-year-old.”
Oh, I see... wait, no, that’s not the point!
Of course it’s good!
I’d been eating well and resting well in a good environment.
If I weren’t growing like crazy, that’d be the weird part.
Mom nodded.
“That’s right. I kept thinking Gongza was growing better than Mari.”
“His bone growth is going smoothly, too. I think it’s because he eats without being picky.”
“I’m glad our Gongza does so well even when Mom isn’t around to take care of him.”
I let out a long sigh.
“You did everything!”
“Huh?”
“The teacher made sure Gongza ate all his meals, so Gongza got healthy! And the reason you can do that is because Mama works so hard!”
My being healthy and growing well was simply the result of all that.
With this much care, it’d be stranger if I grew slowly.
Of course, lately I had been craving hangover soup.
Well, I’ll get to eat it someday.
Blessings favor those who wait.
Just as I was thinking that, I heard sniffling.
Oh, no...
Again?
Mr. Deoksu and Mom were both crying at the same time.
No, Mom, why are you crying now?
Mom hugged me tightly.
“My angel! You’re just too good!”
“Snf. I agree.”
No, don’t agree.
No, I’m telling you it’s fine, so why are you crying?
Maybe I should really watch my wording here.
“Gongza. Mom’s sorry she’s been so busy.”
I said it was fine!
No, wait. Change the subject.
If this kept up, she’d start crying again.
“Mama! The teacher says there’s a guest coming!”
“Ah, right.”
Mom hurriedly wiped away her tears.
“Gongza, the director’s coming today.”
I smiled brightly.
“Again?”
“Yeah. A few people already came and went, right? The directors all said they really liked Gongza, but I turned them down. The projects just weren’t right at all.”
Thank you, Mother.
They were completely off-base projects.
It wasn’t just that they hadn’t succeeded at the box office. The scripts were all going wildly off the rails.
They probably came because they heard When the Wind Touches got investment because of me.
Their ulterior motive was plain as day.
I bet Mr. Deoksu told Mom that too.
Mom stood up and stretched. Bathed in the bright sunlight, she was as beautiful as ever.
“I should get ready to greet our guest too. This one’s a pretty important person.”
Wow.
Sounds like she’s a big deal.
I grabbed the hem of Mom’s clothes and asked,
“Who is it?”
“Hmm, a producer? He’s pretty famous.”
Who was it?
“He’s really good at making dramas.”
I clenched my fist.
The small screen, huh. Nice.
Hold on a second. What was hot right now?
Wasn’t there a period-drama boom starting?
As sageuk dramas gained popularity on the major networks, the other broadcasters had started preparing their own historicals too.
They were all pretty solid projects.
And they were doing well overseas, too.
It’d be nice if one of them stuck.
Ah, so which director was coming?
My heart started thumping. Mom smiled and said,
“Gongza, you look excited.”
Damn, caught me.
“Are you looking forward to it?”
“Yeees!”
“How cute.”
Mom smiled sweetly. I looked back at her.
Honestly, if a kid acted like this, it would be suspicious.
Isn’t it a little strange?
Actually, I can’t help feeling like Mom knows everything.
I grinned.
I’m glad I can use coins on Mom.
I’ll be filial, Mother. I’ll do my absolute best.
Since it’s come to this, should I make her even stronger?
I’d focused on stamina and strength so far, but maybe I should raise flexibility too.
Well, the more good things, the better.
Just as I was thinking that, I heard the elevator.
He’s already here?
I turned my head slightly. Then I heard a voice.
“Are you Gongza?”
Oh, no.
I blinked.
“I can tell at a glance. Hello, Gongza. I’m Producer Kim Je-deuk.”
I know.
Wow, Producer Kim. So this is how we meet.
And, in a strange way, it’s been a while.
In my previous life, thanks to you, my ankles used to ache every time it rained.