The Panda Curse
Black tears streamed down her face.
Oh, no. I’d really gone and done it now.
Things had completely gone sideways.
“Oh my!”
Mom wiped at her tears with her hand, and in doing so only smeared the beautiful makeup around her eyes even more.
“Momma! Nooo.”
“I-it smudged?”
“Yup!”
Mom hurriedly handed me over to Mr. Deok-soo and called for the staff. I let out a small sigh.
Hmm. This commercial feels cursed.
The panda curse, to be exact.
This is bad. Can they even fix this?
Mom shut her eyes tightly and rushed through a makeup touch-up. I clasped my hands together and prayed.
Please, end the curse. God, Buddha, Allah, and all the spirits of heaven and earth.
Whether my prayer worked or not, her makeup was fixed quickly enough.
And only then did I hear the sound I’d been waiting for.
“Rolling!”
The staff handed me a cheongsachorong, a traditional Korean lantern. I took it and walked to my mark. It was a group scene.
Ah, so the part where the president holds me and pats my head is being filmed separately.
In other words, this scene was just me holding the lantern.
Still, there are a lot of people here.
From sports stars to entertainers, every one of them was a big name.
Everyone’s busy, so what this scene needs most is speed.
I faced the camera and turned my back on them. Since I was the smallest, I had to stand in front.
That was when it happened. Someone suddenly lifted me up.
Huh?
When I looked up, it was the president-grandpa.
No, why?
The president held me effortlessly and said, “Let’s move quickly.”
The director shouted in a panic, “Yes! Yes, understood. Stand by!”
Wow.
Honestly, any ordinary kid would’ve panicked.
But it’s me, so I can handle it, Mr. President.
I beamed and held up the cheongsachorong. Luckily, the group shot ended fast.
“Cut! Perfect!”
I was just getting ready to climb down from the president’s arms.
But here’s the thing.
Why are you still holding me?
The president didn’t let me go. Instead, he stroked my cheek.
“You’re really cute.”
That’s right. I am pretty cute.
So please let go of me now.
I didn’t even need to look to know Mom was standing behind me with her arms crossed.
“You’re so bold. You’re going to be a great man someday.”
Oh. Had he noticed? Well, I guess I do have that kind of aura.
Still, that’s probably just a compliment.
I flashed a bright smile.
“Thank you!”
“Let’s see each other again someday, Gongza.”
Oh no.
Is this why they invite kids on Children’s Day?
But “someday”? What did he mean, someday?
We’re filming again, Mr. President?
But I obviously couldn’t ask that. Smooth social lives begin with wise answers, after all.
I replied simply, “Yup!”
The moment the president let me go, I ran to Mom. She hugged me tightly and turned her back on everyone.
“Why is he hugging our Gongza? How unpleasant.”
Now hold on, Mother.
“Gongza, what did he say?”
“He said he wants to see me again someday!”
“Oh my.”
Mom muttered under her breath.
“Should we just emigrate? How many times is this now?”
Wow.
I gave an awkward smile.
“Our Gongza is so popular that Mom’s worried.”
Is that so.
I don’t think this is the kind of thing you need to worry about.
If anything, wouldn’t it be worse if I weren’t popular? My dream is to be an actor, after all.
Maybe parents really do see things differently.
Mom hugged me tighter and sighed.
“Honestly. There are too many people after you.”
No, Mother.
I didn’t say anything like that in the first place.
We were still like that when a staff member told us to get ready. I slipped out of Mom’s arms and ran back to where the president was waiting.
Ah, damn it.
When I glanced back, Mom was standing with her arms folded, staring this way without blinking.
She really is worried, huh?
Mom, please don’t glare. He’s still the highest-ranking person in the country for another four years.
Nothing for it.
I looked up at the president and smiled brightly.
The only thing to do is finish this fast.
And so filming started again. Luckily, this take ended in one shot.
“Soo-jung, I’m going to be serious for a second.”
CEO Seo muttered as he drank coffee on the sofa.
“Sign him.”
Ma Soo-jung blinked. Well, it was about time he said that.
“What, a lot came in?”
“Can’t you tell?”
The CEO stacked the scripts neatly on the table. Ma Soo-jung’s eyes widened.
“There really are a lot.”
“More than you.”
“Wow, our Gongza has already surpassed me.”
Ma Soo-jung said with a radiant smile.
“I knew this day would come someday, but it’s still amazingly fast.”
“Soo-jung. Sorry to say this, but I thought this was a one-off.”
She nodded. Honestly, she had thought the same thing.
“But it keeps happening.”
“Gongza keeps getting more and more popular.”
“The movie was a hit, after all. Soo-jung, did you see Director Yoon Jung-hyun’s interview?”
Ma Soo-jung blinked.
“No.”
“Watch it. I nearly fell over when I saw it.”
CEO Seo held out his smartphone.
Ma Soo-jung focused quietly. It was a talk show interview, filmed in a relaxed café, with veteran actress Yoon Jung-hyun.
The senior actress smiled as she said, “I decided I didn’t want to become too difficult a person. You know the type who ruins the atmosphere on set for no reason? I hate that. It’s too arrogant.”
“Oh, no, Teacher, you’re not like that.”
“I’m relieved. But I guess that old-age habit is hard to avoid.”
Yoon Jung-hyun gave a light laugh.
“I kept forgetting that I was still supposed to keep learning.”
“Did something happen?”
There was a slight shift in Yoon Jung-hyun’s eyes.
“You know Gongza, right? Ma Gongza!”
“Of course I do!”
“When we were filming When the Wind Touches, that little kid was considerate of me.”
Yoon Jung-hyun’s eyes sparkled. CEO Seo and Ma Soo-jung both understood at once. That was deep affection.
“Oh? Really? Come to think of it, Gongza did seem sweet on variety shows too!”
“Can you believe it? That tiny child was kind to an old lady for no reason at all. It made me reflect on myself.”
Yoon Jung-hyun smiled a little.
“I’d only kept people close if they were useful to me. Putting up walls felt natural. It’s not like I was always that way, but I suppose living does that to you. Still, when I saw Gongza, I realized I’d been thinking about it all wrong.”
Ma Soo-jung blinked.
“Sometimes, things really aren’t what they seem.”
Yoon took a sip of tea and went on, “I’d been dealing with insomnia because of some hard times.”
“Ah, yes.”
“It felt like everything was ending. So I forced myself to keep working on a project. I’m the type who can focus once I’m on the job.”
Ma Soo-jung kept watching the video.
That isn’t a script.
People always say broadcasts are all scripts and editing, but sometimes the truth slipped through anyway.
“Still, I couldn’t forget it. Then Gongza came along, and after I learned one thing, I realized something. Learning means change, doesn’t it? Ah, I’m alive, so I’ll keep changing.”
Ma Soo-jung found herself nodding.
“I was able to let go of the parts that had changed. And then, as if by magic, I was able to sleep again.”
Yoon Jung-hyun covered her mouth and laughed.
“Funny, isn’t it? A grandmother finding comfort from such a little child.”
The interview ended there. Ma Soo-jung let out a soft sigh. She thought she understood the teacher’s feelings a little.
“That really sounds genuine, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. If it’s our Gongza, it is.”
“Still, Soo-jung. Gongza’s kind of unusual, isn’t he?”
Ma Soo-jung blinked.
“In what way?”
“No, if you think something’s strange, then everything about it is strange, one thing after another. For starters, Gongza never learned acting, did he?”
Ma Soo-jung nodded.
“And yet he does it so naturally. It’s weird, too. We never even thought, How can a kid act like that?”
Ma Soo-jung snorted softly. The CEO wasn’t wrong.
“Well, it’s Gongza.”
“Th-there is that, but…”
“Boss, do you know something? I don’t care what Gongza is.”
Ma Soo-jung looked at the wallpaper on her smartphone, where her son was smiling sweetly at her.
“Even if he’s an alien, he’s still my son.”
“W-well, I guess.”
“Maybe he’s just a genius.”
Ma Soo-jung said, looking over the scripts.
“You meet one genius or another in life, don’t you? That’s our Gongza.”
“Well, if you put it that way…”
CEO Seo sighed.
“Fine, I won’t say anything else. All right. Let’s call him a genius, then.”
“Sure. Honestly, whatever you say won’t change what I think.”
CEO Seo nodded.
“All right, then, getting back to the point—let’s sign the contract!”
Ma Soo-jung crossed her legs and said, “Fine. But it’s a one-plus-one deal with me.”
“Huh?”
“For as long as my contract runs. That’s how I want it. And when it renews, we do it together.”
CEO Seo tapped the table as if to say he understood.
“Sure, fine. Do it that way.”
“Oh, I thought you’d be disappointed.”
“Soo-jung. Your stake in this company is enormous, you know that? I mean, I’m basically a figurehead.”
Ma Soo-jung smiled brightly.
“That’s true.”
“I’m only the CEO on my business card. You know that, I know that, and my wife knows that too…”
“Actually, even the actors under us know pretty well.”
“Right. Exactly.”
CEO Seo sank into the sofa and said, “This is basically your company anyway.”
“It is. I just forget that sometimes.”
“So why would I argue? Still, we do need to sign. This is for Gongza.”
Ma Soo-jung nodded.
“I know.”
“Gongza’s riding a tiger. And behind that tiger are the Gomja fans. Honestly, I don’t think the Gomja are going to shrink. If anything, they’ll just keep growing.”
“He has that many fans?”
“A ton! Did you see this? Someone posted an article insulting Gongza online, and the fans tore them apart.”
So that’s how it was.
“But Gongza doesn’t have an agency, so there’s no bridge connecting him to those people. There has to be one. It’s already a hurricane.”
So that much.
Ma Soo-jung smiled faintly.
“That’s our Gongza for you. Well, he’s adorable, so it can’t be helped.”
“I’m telling you, it’s more than that.”
“Still, there’s never been a kid like Gongza before. It feels like he’s been inflated a little. He might deflate again pretty fast. I’m fine with that either way.”
CEO Seo shook his head.
“That ship has sailed. I’m not telling you to sign just for no reason.”
Ma Soo-jung blinked.
“Why? What happened?”
“That drama Gongza’s in. The male lead got injured, so the schedule got pushed back.”
“Yes. Our Gongza plays the son in it.”
“Right, and because of that the broadcast lineup changed, and you know what it’s up against? Seosan Ballad!”
Ma Soo-jung nodded.
“I know. That’s the one with huge investment behind it.”
“Yeah. They say it’s going head-to-head with that.”
Oh my.
Ma Soo-jung smiled a little. When she thought of Gongza nearly appearing in Seosan Ballad too, the whole thing felt like a cruel little twist of fate.
“Really?”
“You’d think this isn’t a big deal, right? But it is.”
“No, why?”
“Soo-jung. When you look at sports, if there’s a rival, popularity shoots up.”
He wasn’t wrong, though it came out a little out of nowhere.
“I know. That’s why people even manufacture rivalries.”
“Looks like the TV people knew that too.”
Two child stars collide in the same time slot!
Han Su-yoon of Seosan Ballad faces off against Ma Gongza of Inyeon.
Industry insiders are insisting that both of them are geniuses.