The Flower That Won the Room
I stopped walking. I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing through the door.
Wow! Amazing.
Is that supposed to be an insult aimed at me?
Who was saying something like that?
I quietly pressed my ear against the door.
“Calling yourself a genius whenever you want? Ma Soo-jung really does have a thick face.”
What the hell was this bastard saying?
How dare he talk about my mom like that?
I folded my arms. Then a woman’s voice followed.
“Ms. Soo-jung isn’t that kind of person.”
“Oh, really? Sorry, I’ve never had the privilege of dealing with such a precious, high-and-mighty actress. Must be nice to have money. Me, I’m lucky if I can wear one decent pair of shoes!”
What does that have to do with anything? And he’s never even met my mom, but he’s already bad-mouthing her?
Wasn’t Mom’s reputation around her supposed to be pretty good to begin with?
If it had been bad, I would’ve known in my previous life.
I narrowed my eyes.
What kind of bastard is he?
It was one thing to disrespect me. But insulting my mom was something I couldn’t tolerate.
“Chungmuro is in trouble, really. With all these glittering, polished people coming in, how are people like me supposed to survive?”
“I told you, Ms. Soo-jung isn’t like that. She’s great at acting.”
“Acting is very~ important, sure. But there are plenty of actresses like Ma Soo-jung, aren’t there? They’re a dime a dozen. Same goes for her son, of course.”
Look at this asshole.
There was no one like my mom.
Do you have any idea how devastated Chungmuro was when actress Ma Soo-jung died?
I was part of that too, bastard.
Replaceable?
I never saw anyone like her.
Not until the day I died.
And even if someone could be replaced, did he really have to trash her so openly like that? A fellow actor, of all people? No—could he even be called human?
Wouldn’t he be just as replaceable himself, then?
If you put it that way, was there anything in the world that couldn’t be replaced?
I took a deep breath.
Ugh, I’m pissed.
What should I do about him?
Honestly, I’d love to screw him over by any means necessary.
But then my reputation would be the one taking the hit. I still didn’t have a foundation to stand on.
I leaned my ear against the door again.
“So, aren’t you angry? Jung Yu-jin?”
“Not really.”
“Come on, you must be. I don’t like him. The director who cast someone like that is weird too. What, did he bribe his way in? Money?”
Damn it.
I let out a slow breath and forced myself to calm down.
I’m not letting this go, you little shit.
I’d make him eat dirt, and not just once. I’d do it to him for generations.
This isn’t a one-time thing. I’m going to keep at it long-term.
I clenched and unclenched my fists. If you wanted to keep at something, you had to plan it right.
Know your enemy, know yourself, and the opening strike lands clean.
I thought it through coldly.
Why was that bastard saying things like that?
Was my mom really just that awful? Or was it because I, adorable and lovable as I was, irritated him?
No.
There were plenty of people in the world who insulted others over nothing, but that wasn’t the reason here.
From behind the door, the voices kept coming.
“Let’s just get along among decent people, Ms. Jung Yu-jin.”
Aha.
The clue was right there.
So that’s it.
He was insulting me and Mom because—
in group settings, the easiest way to make allies is to pick one person and trash them together.
I still didn’t know why that target had to be me and my mom, though.
That bastard’s trying to get close to Jung Yu-jin by acting like that on purpose.
But Jung Yu-jin didn’t seem interested.
I smiled.
I can screw him over effectively.
The method came to me at once.
I turned around and looked at Mr. Deok-su. The scary-looking teacher was trembling with rage.
“Who is that bastard—no, that person?”
Whoa, he was about to curse. That’s how angry he was.
“I’m not sure.”
“He’s talking about our Gongza...”
His voice wavered. Mr. Deok-su took a breath and said,
“When something like this happens, Your Mother said she’d take care of everything.”
My mom? Take care of what?
“She said she’d hire the best criminal defense lawyer in the country...”
That didn’t sound like she planned to sue someone for insulting people. Wait—hold on. Was he planning to commit a crime?
“Beat him up?”
“Violence can be mitigated if you turn it into mutual fault. Let’s start by ruining that bastard’s precious shoes.”
I was losing my mind.
He’s not even saying no, is he?
I hurriedly stopped him.
“Teacher! Don’t!”
“If it won’t work one way, make it work another.”
“No, really, don’t! You’ll go to prison!”
“If you have money, probation is possible.”
Well, yes. With money and connections, the courts really did become your own backyard.
But I should stop him, right?
Best not to commit crimes.
I smiled as calmly as I could.
“It’s okay!”
“I’m not okay.”
Mr. Deok-su still hadn’t cooled down.
“It’s really fine.”
I grabbed his sleeve tightly.
“I’ll get my revenge, so just wait for me!”
Mr. Deok-su blinked.
I’ll do it for you. Just please don’t use violence.
“Revenge without hitting him is more than possible.”
The teacher stayed silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he nodded.
“Well, there is such a good thing as intimidation in this world. Where did I put my weapon?”
No, that’s not what I meant...
No wonder he worked at a snack shop. Why does he think like this?
I shook my head.
“No. We just have to make him lose his purpose!”
“What?”
“So please do me a favor, Teacher. On the way here, there was a flower shop, right?”
Mr. Deok-su nodded.
“We still have plenty of time, don’t we?”
“W-well, yes?”
“Then go get it quickly!”
I stood up.
“R-really? That’s enough?”
I grinned.
“Yep!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Mr. Deok-su picked me up and ran.
“What kind of flowers? A flower shop doesn’t always have every flower in stock.”
“The kind they always have.”
I’d never seen a flower shop without roses.
And Jung Yu-jin’s nickname isn’t Rose Knife for nothing.
Just wait, you bastard. I’ll show you.
As Mr. Deok-su ran, my body bounced with each stride. I clung to his shoulder and ground my teeth. I wasn’t going to let this slide, bastard.
* * *
I walked into the room smiling.
Wow. All these eyes.
I could tell, plain as day, exactly what the topic had just been.
Well, it could also be because I’m carrying a bouquet.
The flowers Mr. Deok-su and I bought were huge. Honestly, they were a little heavy.
I looked around and smiled brightly. Then I said cheerfully, “Hello!”
Accept my greeting. If a little kid bows politely like this and you don’t respond, then you’re not even human.
Fortunately, everyone who met my eyes seemed to have a functioning sense of decency and greeted me back.
“Oh my, hello!”
“So you’re Gongza.”
“How cute.”
It was a perfectly normal reaction. I answered them with a little eye smile and looked for Jung Yu-jin.
Ah, there she is.
I carried the rose bouquet, bigger than my face, and trotted toward her.
Eyes turned toward me from every direction. I stopped in front of her, where she sat in a chair.
I should greet her again, just to be safe.
Jung Yu-jin stared at me. I smiled brightly and said, “Hello.”
“Yes, hello. Oh my. Did you buy these for me?”
I held the bouquet out toward her. Jung Yu-jin covered her mouth and laughed softly.
“Yep! I heard you like them!”
“Oh my. Did Ms. Soo-jung tell you that?”
“Yep!”
Not really, but let’s just say she did.
“Oh my. I do like roses, but I’m not the sort of person who accepts flowers from just anyone.”
What a demanding lady.
Well, I guess she’s joking.
In situations like this, you had to play along. I blinked.
“You won’t take them?”
“Hmm, what should I do?”
I let out a little laugh. Then I pulled one rose from the bouquet and tucked it behind my ear.
Holding the bouquet tight, I said, “Please accept them!”
“Oh? Ahahahahahaha!”
Jung Yu-jin laughed so hard she could barely sit up straight.
I scratched my cheek on purpose, pretending to be embarrassed.
Come to think of it, I really am embarrassed, but I’m an actor.
If it makes one person happy, what’s the big deal about something like this?
“Whew. Ms. Soo-jung kept praising you every day. Gongza, noona’s a little bit older than kids, you know?”
I nodded.
“But we’re closer now!”
Good.
That’s a good thing.
Thank you for accepting it.
I smiled brightly and held the bouquet out a little more.
I prepared this for Jung Yu-jin!
“Thank you. The flowers are pretty, and the kid is adorable. Wow. You’re really melting me.”
Jung Yu-jin set the large bouquet beside her seat. Then she stood up and lifted me into her arms.
“Ah! Gongza is heavy!”
“Not heavy at all. Heave-ho!”
Jung Yu-jin set me on the desk. Then she looked at me intently.
“Let me greet you again. Hello. I’m Jung Yu-jin.”
“Helloo! I’m Gongza!”
“I heard you’re playing my son. I was a little worried because children can be hard to deal with, but, um...”
Jung Yu-jin looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“I feel a little relieved now.”
There you go.
Our chemistry matters, after all.
She must have already been worried enough, and then some worm had been dancing a stupid dance beside her, so of course it would’ve been uncomfortable.
“Me too!”
I said brightly.
“I was a little worried too!”
“Were you? Hmm. How do I seem to you? We’re a mother and son team for a while, so are you okay with me?”
I touched the rose tucked behind my ear and said, “I’m so happy, I’m excited!”
Jung Yu-jin shook her head.
“Really? Then what do I do? I’m not your mom, though?”
Huh? You don’t like me? But the mood was great just now!
When I blinked in confusion, Jung Yu-jin took my hand.
“Gongza, noona likes flowers more than people.”
“Yep.”
Jung Yu-jin grinned.
“But today, this tiny flower is even better than that lush, gorgeous bouquet!”
Wow.
That’s quite a thing to say.
Is this just how she is? I blinked.
She means that I, with the rose tucked behind my ear, are better than the bouquet I bought, right?
I broke into a shy smile.
“I’m honored!”
“Oh my! Aww, you’re adorable. Hahahaha!”
Even I found this a little embarrassing. I lowered my head slightly, and Jung Yu-jin’s laughter only grew louder.
“Honestly. I’m not usually the type to laugh this much.”
Well, I’d heard she was a little sensitive.
“Gongza. Take good care of me.”
“Yep!”
Hmm, I guess this was going fine.
I thought maybe bringing flowers was too much...
Though it was also meant as a way to check the bastard who’d been insulting my mom.
Still, maybe because I did it with this face. Luckily, it seemed to have landed a solid hit.
Alright, then. Time to find the culprit.
I glanced around subtly.
The culprit’s obviously in here somewhere, right?
Actually, I didn’t even need to look. Beside Jung Yu-jin, one man was scowling so hard his face looked twisted out of shape.
So that’s who it was...
I narrowed my eyes.
Lee Gu-jun.
Wasn’t that the guy who later caused such a huge scandal he got permanently kicked out of the industry?
He wasn’t someone who could stay an actor for long...
What was the scandal again? There were so many of them.
We never crossed paths. By the time I came along, he was already in prison.
I didn’t know when exactly he started going off the rails, but rotten fruit always showed on the branch first.
So what role is Lee Gu-jun playing?
He was sitting right next to lead actress Jung Yu-jin, so maybe it was a fairly important role?
I tilted my head slightly when Jung Yu-jin asked, “Gongza, did you bring your script to practice?”
I nodded.
“Yep!”
“Oh, you sound confident.”
Of course. I’d already memorized everything. Besides, I didn’t even have that many lines.
“Yep!”
“My, my!”
I pulled the crumpled script out of my bag.
“I’ve had it with me while eating and sleeping!”
“Oh my, really? It’s only been two weeks since the script changed, and it’s already like this?”
“Yep! So Teacher had to take it away from me!”
That was also a hundred percent true, Jung Yu-jin.
Since I kept burying my face in the script, Mr. Deok-su kicked me out to make me exercise.
I had no choice but to go on a walk.
“Wow, our Gongza is amazing!”
I smiled shyly.
Then it happened.
The voice that had been insulting me came from right beside me.
“Tsk, what could a kid even do?”
---