The World Is Not Equal
Ah.
I lowered my head slightly.
Mom wanted to show me this.
Come to think of it, Mom had asked me before we left for the Middle East.
Did I want to go beyond the wall?
I looked back out the window. The white tents shivered in the wind.
“I think Gongza’s going to become a fine actor.”
Mom’s voice was very gentle.
“Go higher, and look farther. Take in the whole view. Never look only at the things you want to see, Gongza.”
Ah, Mother.
I respect you!
To teach something like this to such a young actor.
Mom really does love me.
This life is truly worth living.
Then in that case.
I should repay her.
I wasn’t entirely sure whether this counted as repayment, but still.
I closed my eyes and took Mom’s hand. A warm heat spread through me.
“Mama.”
“Yes?”
“Gongza wants to become a great actor.”
“I see.”
“And Gongza wants to help those people too.”
I opened my eyes and looked at Mom.
“Will Mama help them too? Gongza wants to do it!”
“Huh? Gongza, why?”
I smiled brightly.
“Because Gongza is Mama’s son.”
Mom blinked.
“G-Gongza. You don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”
I shook my head.
“No. Gongza wants those older brothers and sisters to go to school.”
I didn’t think I could help in some grand, sweeping way. Even if I tried, it didn’t seem like I could change all that much.
“And I want them to eat delicious food. Like Gongza does.”
That kind of reason should be enough, shouldn’t it?
And besides, Mother.
I’d been thinking about this for a long time.
Normally, people say to keep good deeds hidden.
But I think the opposite.
What the right hand does, the whole body should know.
This is tied to my acting life too.
As far as I knew, Sungjin Group was going to make a lot of trouble down the line.
Not because they’re successful, but because they keep screwing up and getting hit for it.
Life had taught me that much. Looking at the atmosphere in that family, they were absolutely the type to do it.
This definitely won’t help my acting career.
Every time someone in that family caused a scandal, there was a real chance my role would get blown away.
I need a no-criticism shield.
I was planning to build one up starting now.
If I keep donating and volunteering from here on out, maybe people will cut me some slack.
I took a deep breath.
Using good deeds as a shield. Am I just a selfish bastard after all?
Still, this was the best I could do.
Mom held my shoulders and asked, “Do you really want to?”
“Yes, Mama. And... ”
Clenching my fist, I said,
“Gongza wants to act now, Mama.”
Please.
How long am I supposed to keep playing around?
I want to work hard before I go to school, so why won’t they give me the chance?
Mom smiled and stroked my cheek.
“You know, then I guess it’s time to put you to work. If Gongza wants to help those older brothers and sisters.”
I nodded hard.
“Yes! Gongza wants to help!”
“Honestly... ”
Mom pulled me close in a tight hug.
“All right. Gongza. Let’s do that.”
Wow.
Finally, it’s broken loose.
I can work now!
I was pumping my fist with excitement when something damp suddenly landed on the back of my hand.
Huh? What is this?
I quietly turned my head, then jolted.
W-What is that?
The soldier who had taken a selfie with me a little while ago was streaming tears down his face.
Huh?
Because he was from the Middle East, his eyes were very large. Maybe that was why, but with tears in them, they sparkled intensely.
N-Nerve-racking. No, why are you crying!
“That was moving.”
What the hell! He was crying for that reason?
For a second I thought he was Deok-su!
Was this sort of person surprisingly common in the world?
The soldier patted my head with tear-wet eyes.
“Gongza is a good child.”
“Th-thank you.”
“I will cheer you on.”
Ahahaha.
I gave an awkward laugh and turned away. Mom let out a long breath and said to the soldiers, “Let’s go back.”
The car started moving again. In the jolting vehicle, I looked back out the window.
The tent entrance fluttered as the wind blew. Through the narrow opening, I could still see a television.
They said this country’s drama, Inyeon, has a 75 percent viewership rating.
Maybe they’d watched it too.
For some reason, my shoulders felt heavier. I smiled bitterly.
I want to appear in a great work and move a lot of people.
And make money so I can donate a lot too.
If I ever do it, I want to build them a field with artificial turf.
So the kids can play soccer as much as they want.
Ah, I want to work on a project.
Muttering that to myself, I closed my eyes. We had already left the refugee camp, but its image lingered at the back of my mind.
* * *
CEO Seo stared at the screen in admiration. Since it was an international exchange event and reporters had come along, articles were pouring in fast.
Ma Gongza, adorable dance at cultural exchange event
Dance to the whale family.
Photo: Ma Gongza waving hello
International exchange event concludes to great acclaim.
Official: “Gongza is a clever and kind child.”
Photo: Ma Gongza entering while holding the president’s hand
International exchange event opens amid great festivities.
CEO Seo scrolled down and muttered, “Honestly, what did our Gongza do now?”
In the photo, Gongza was doing an energetic little dance.
He’s adorable.
CEO Seo leaned back in his chair and looked at Gongza on the screen.
He has a refined air.
And every director who wanted Gongza said the same thing.
The kid looks so delicate that the story just appears on its own.
He’d thought that was a bit much, but these days he could understand it all too well.
Well, that isn’t the only reason either.
CEO Seo glanced at the stack of scripts he’d collected.
Maybe rumors spread that When the Wind Touches got investment so easily because of Gongza...
After that, money-hungry films came rushing in with scripts like mad.
Then again, it could simply be because Inyeon was such a hit.
CEO Seo moved the mouse again. As he went back a page, another article appeared.
Ma Gongza and Han Su-yoon face off, with Ma Gongza taking the win.
-Seosan Byulgok drew viewers’ ire with its hollow ending
-Inyeon also wins in the child actor showdown.
He had seen that article before.
Not only in ratings, but in overseas sales too, Inyeon wins.
In the end, the domestic ratings carried over overseas just the same.
“Our Gongza wins, of course.”
Han Su-yoon might be good at acting. But he wasn’t a genius like Gongza.
Our lucky treasure is an acting genius, and on top of that, he’s unbelievably cute.
Honestly, just filming him move was enough to make your heart melt. His visuals were in a league of their own.
“Usually, even if a kid is gorgeous when they’re little, that isn’t always the case when they grow up.”
CEO Seo shook his head. Gongza’s face stayed ridiculously cute no matter how much the child grew.
“Ah, how long are they planning to keep hiding a kid like this?”
CEO Seo pulled out the script stacked on his right and said, “Soo-jung. The world is looking for Gongza.”
CEO Seo stroked the title with his hand. The red letters stood out starkly.
The Basement
It was the script CEO Seo most wanted Gongza to take.
* * *
Deok-su looked at the TV. An entertainment news program was on the screen.
A middle-aged woman sat on the sofa holding fruit.
“Oh, they’re talking about Gongza again.”
“Exactly. I guess even the broadcasters know how pretty our Gongza is. Deok-su, have some apple.”
“Thank you.”
The woman speared a slice of apple with a fork and handed it over. Deok-su took it straight to his mouth.
“Deok-su, when is Gongza coming?”
“I plan to go meet him this evening.”
The woman grinned broadly. “Goodness, he’s coming now. Our puppy.”
“Why is Gongza your puppy?”
“I decided to adopt him as mine. No, our Gongza is adorable even when he goes far away.”
Deok-su nodded. Gongza dancing in front of the audience in hijabs had been even cuter than usual.
“But why did our puppy go all the way to another country to dance like that? I didn’t hear anything about that from the lady.”
“Oh my, Ansan-daek. What are you talking about?”
“I thought I’d heard that the lady and Gongza only had to greet people. Am I forgetting things because of the cancer surgery?”
“Oh, Ansan-daek!”
The women slapped each other’s shoulders and laughed heartily.
“That’s not it.”
Deok-su ate another piece of apple and said, “That’s what I heard too.”
“Right? You knew that too, Deok-su?”
“Yes.”
“Then what is it?”
Deok-su said seriously, “Wasn’t there an unexpected situation? It does happen, very rarely, at events like that.”
“There’s usually a script, isn’t there?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Deok-su thought about it seriously.
Gongza isn’t the kind of child who would just act on a whim...
Something must have happened.
The MC on TV said, “Everyone seems to be smiling at Gongza’s dance.”
“How could they not smile? I’ve had my cheeks aching since earlier.”
“I hear the people from the UAE liked it very much as well.”
“Gongza’s really winning hearts through cuteness and patriotism.”
“Oh, that’s admirable. So, what’s the next story?”
Crunch, crunch.
There was only the sound of apples being chewed in the staff lounge as everyone focused on the screen.
“Oh dear.”
“Our Gongza is doing patriotism now.”
“No, that’s an exaggeration.”
“What do you mean, exaggeration! It’s absolutely patriotism. He lightened the mood by showing off in a place like that.”
“He really is my puppy.”
“No, Ansan-daek! Why is Gongza your puppy?”
The women laughed again, slapping each other on the shoulder. Deok-su speared another apple slice from the plate and thought, That seems about right.
If it was the Gongza he knew, he wouldn’t be the sort of child to just do something not in the script.
He probably did it because of the atmosphere.
Still, he was terribly curious. Why had he done it?
Deok-su silently chewed and swallowed his apple. Even though he would be seeing Gongza soon, he wanted to ask as quickly as possible.
Then it happened. Suddenly, breaking news flashed across the TV screen.
“Breaking news? Oh?”
“Oh my goodness?”
Deok-su read the caption at once.
Breaking news: Sungjin World Fashion suspected of accounting fraud, prosecutors launch raid
“Good heavens.”
“It’ll be chaos for a while.”
“Dear me. World Fashion is the second son’s side, isn’t it?”
“Oh dear, the young madam will lose her temper.”
“What will happen now? They’ll go to trial, won’t they?”
The women were in an uproar.
Deok-su exhaled quietly. To be honest, it had nothing to do with Gongza.
But he might get dragged into it.
If something like this happened, there was a good chance Ma Soo-jung would get dragged in too.
Deok-su frowned. The breaking news felt ominous to the core.
* * *
Damn it.
A sigh escaped me on its own. I thrashed about as hard as I could on the bed. Truly, I was so angry I could hardly stand it.
I went to all that trouble trying to get a no-criticism shield for this exact reason!
Why start something the moment I’d finally made up my mind?
Come to think of it, there was something going on with Sungjin Group around this time.
It had been a noisy mess, but it ended after they hired a good lawyer and got probation.
Ah, shit!
If they were going to bury it as accounting fraud, then bury it properly! People were even more annoyed because nobody went to prison!
And now I’m the one who pays for it!
I bit my lip hard. I’d finally gotten Mom’s permission, and now an ice age had come crashing down out of nowhere.