Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Translator: Penny
Chapter 13
“Happy 7th birthday, Ha-eun!”
“Congratulations, my daughter.”
“Happy birthday.”
It was a few days after my first audition.
A cake with one more candle than last year was placed right in front of me.
Coincidentally, there was also one more person celebrating my birthday.
“Um, Ha-eun, you might burn your mouth, so it’s better to blow out the candles from a little further away.The name of the person who was overprotecting me even from the tiny candlelight and naturally intervening between my parents was Ju Jeong-yun.
He was the manager that former CEO Jeong Do-cheol had promised to assign to me.
According to what I heard from CEO Jeong Do-cheol and Ju Jeong-yun himself, this was his first time working as a manager.
I don’t know if that’s the reason, but there were some clumsy parts.
Well, it would be strange to assign a veteran manager to me, who barely had any proper schedules.
Still, he was an elite who graduated from a prestigious university, and Ju Jeong-yun himself was proud of his driving skills….
“I’ll cut the cake for you. Ha-eun’s fingers shouldn’t get cut.”
‘…It’s a plastic knife though.’
It was like, every moment was a bit too much.
There were often times when I was speechless at the sight of him treating me like a precious jewel and not allowing even a small scratch.
But it wasn’t enough to replace the manager altogether.
For some reason, my mother and father seemed to like Ju Jeong-yun.
Above all, Ju Jeong-yun was, after all, a favor that CEO Jeong Do-cheol was doing for me.
It wasn’t easy for a mere 7-year-old to deny the truth that a favor is up to the giver.
My 7th birthday party ended early about 10 minutes later.
“Um, Mother and Father. I think we should start getting ready.”
“Ah, yes. Let’s get up now.Unlike last year, when there were no plans, it just so happened that the neighbor uncle's Kim Jia role screen test was scheduled for today.
I got a unique experience of going to a movie set on my birthday.
So, I got into the black van that was showing off its presence among the small cars in the parking lot.
I headed to the makeup shop that had been booked in advance to become a face suitable for Kim Jia.
“Oh, Ha-eun! Long time no see!”
“…Hello.”
I reunited with the plump-looking makeup artist I had met during the last music video shoot.
-Rustle, rustle.
-Tap, tap.
The makeup brushes were ticklish as always.
To be honest, I wondered why I needed makeup to go to the Kim Jia role screen test.
In my memory, Kim Jia looked haggard and shabby.
Therefore, I thought I could just go straight to the screen test without having to put on makeup.
“You can’t go without it, you’ll shine too much.”
“…I’m not bald though.”
“It means your face shines, Ha-eun. A girl has to be pretty to some extent.”
According to the makeup artist, who had just put a black hairpin in my hair, I needed makeup to look like Kim Jia.
Instead of making my appearance stand out, I received makeup that made me look plain for a whole hour.
However, even the noticeably plain appearance seemed to bring another kind of cuteness to my mother.
It was obvious when she held up her camera like a professional photographer and asked me to take various poses in front of the full-length mirror.
Her eyes were completely blinded by love.
“You look like a squirrel who went back to the countryside to farm, Ha-eun. Let’s go to a farm experience center later.”
‘…The description is too specific.After that, I reluctantly took poses that matched my mother’s various settings as the exclusive model of Song Na-yeon Co., Ltd. for a while.
I finally got away from the full-length mirror at Ju Jeong-yun’s cautious voice that it was time to leave for the set.
So, I got back into the black van.
As I read the neighbor's script, which I had been holding onto for the past few days, I arrived at the building where the set was located.
“This is Lee Ha-eun from Luna Entertainment.”
“Yes, confirmed. Please wait a moment.”
I finally realized where I was now at the sight of Ju Jeong-yun, who had started working as my manager in his own way.
It felt different from when I was filming commercials or music videos.
A little later, I was guided to the set by another staff member who came out from inside the set.
However, there was still some time left before the screen test started.
“Um, Mother. Should I buy some drinks for you and Ha-eun?”
“Ah, I’d appreciate that, Jeong-yun.”
I sat quietly on a makeshift chair in the corner and scanned the set with my eyes.
However, there were surprisingly more familiar things than things I was seeing for the first time.
‘It’s exactly like the movie.’
The tablecloth with no pattern.
The slightly cracked glass on the table.
Even the neatly arranged wooden chairs were all exactly as I remembered.
And soon, I would have to act out the same scene in the same background as in my memory.
I didn’t feel nervous because I had already memorized the lines.
“I’m really okay. So…. …Hoo, this isn’t the feeling.”
“Geez, Da-yeon. I think it was fine just now.”
“What’s fine? There’s no emotion in it, no emotion.”
‘Oh, that kid….Because I caught sight of the girl who was practicing a scene from the neighbor's movie with a thick script in her hand in the distance.
It wasn’t difficult to realize that the girl was the child actor, Min Da-yeon, who played Kim Jia in my memory.
“That kid is working hard too, Ha-eun.”
“…I guess so.”
Before I knew it, I became a little conscious of Min Da-yeon.
There were a few other child actors, but Min Da-yeon was the most likely to play the role of Kim Jia in this space.
One way or another, she was the child who would have been selected for the role of Kim Jia.
A talented actor who had already appeared as the main character in a movie called "Travel" before the neighbor's movie.
That didn’t mean I was going to give up the screen test and run away.
I just knew that she wasn’t an opponent I could easily beat.
A desire to win.
Or, a competitive spirit.
Now that I had the opportunity to challenge for the role of Kim Jia, I didn’t want to waste this unusual opportunity in vain.
The key was how I could overcome Min Da-yeon’s acting, which was like a ‘model answer.’
‘…If I clumsily imitate her, I’ll end up being neither here nor there.’
Strictly speaking, the image of Min Da-yeon that remains in my memory is the image that was evaluated as the most ideal after several shoots.
It was an acting that went beyond director Kwon Jong-hyuk’s pass mark, so the okay sign was given, and it was finally captured on the movie screen.
Imitating the image of Min Da-yeon that remains in my memory could be one way.
The problem is that Min Da-yeon herself is right in front of me.
No matter how perfectly I imitate her, I can’t be more like Min Da-yeon than Min Da-yeon herself.
Then, let’s change the course a little.
‘Oh well, it’s not like this is happening for the first time. I’m really okay, so do whatever you want, Chairman.’
‘…If that’s what you really want.In the memories of my past life that still remain vivid, I decided to briefly show things that were similar to the situation that Kim Jia in the neighbor's movie was in.
I thought it was polite to Min Da-yeon to do my best.
I had to compete with Min Da-yeon with all the means I had, so that I wouldn’t feel uneasy no matter what the outcome was.
｢I’m really okay. So, don’t look at me like that.Finally, Min Da-yeon's acting ended by slowly raising her head and making eye contact with Kang Seon-woo, who played the character 'Jin Gang-sik'.
And, almost at the same time.
“Cut!”
Director Kwon Jong-hyuk’s okay sign was heard in Min Da-yeon’s ear.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a perfect performance that she didn’t regret at all, not even a shred of regret.
‘It’s going to be difficult to do better than this.’
Min Da-yeon’s acting was good enough for veteran actor Kang Seon-woo to evaluate that it was good enough.
A plausible performance that showed why Min Da-yeon’s fame was spread throughout the industry.
So, the set was reorganized for a while.
A girl was caught in Min Da-yeon’s gaze as she looked back on her performance over the past few minutes.
‘…Is she nervous?’
To exaggerate a little, her expression was so blank that she could be said to be closer to a robot than a person.
Nevertheless, the reason why Min Da-yeon’s gaze was still drawn to her was because her appearance was so beautiful, and she was the child who would have to play Kim Jia next.
That child was also Min Da-yeon’s competitor.
She probably wouldn’t be able to give a better performance than herself, but she must have some skills since she was able to get a screen test.
It wouldn’t be bad to see how good that child, Lee Ha-eun, was.
Min Da-yeon’s father had repeatedly told her that she could learn something from her, whether she was better or worse than herself.
Not long after that, the set was finally reorganized.
After Kang Seon-woo, who had left his seat for a while, returned to the set.
“Okay, let’s start. Ready…. Action!”
The last screen test began with Kwon Jong-hyuk’s shout.
｢…Jia?｣
It was Jin Gang-sik’s mellow voice that announced the start of the acting.
He was just an uncle who lived next door to Kim Jia, but for some reason, he felt something strange about Kim Jia, who was quiet today, and began to scan Kim Jia’s body with his eyes.
Small scars and scratches came into Jin Gang-sik’s eyes in just a few seconds.
Dark bruises were swollen all over Kim Jia’s thin legs.
｢What is this…. Who did this!｣
Anger and embarrassment slowly began to appear on Jin Gang-sik’s firm face.
In response, Kim Jia trembled and feared him for a moment.
Finally, Jin Gang-sik, who somehow calmed himself down, asked Kim Jia if she was okay in a slightly softened voice.
Kim Jia slowly raised her head and made eye contact with Jin Gang-sik, her only friend.
In that way, Kim Jia’s eyes, which were mixed with various emotions such as resentment, hatred, sadness, and resignation, finally met Jin Gang-sik’s eyes.
｢……Are you okay?｣
That was it.
Kang Seon-woo was able to realize that it was only during acting right now.
｢Yes, I’m okay. Even though I was born from my mother’s womb, she wouldn’t have thought of killing me.｣
The noticeably cracking voice that was heard soon after.
The head that was slightly tilted towards Kang Seon-woo.
The faint smile that flowed out from the scarred small mouth.
It made Jin Gang-sik’s.
No, it made Kang Seon-woo speechless for a moment and trapped the next line in his mouth.
｢…What’s so new about it now. Didn’t you know it too, uncle?｣
In a way, it was a natural thing.
Because it was the kind of emotion that a child shouldn’t know.
｢Well, it’s not broken, so I’ll be able to go to school.｣
Even though he was facing Kang Seon-woo’s two eyes, which had slowly started to shake, he was calm from beginning to end.
As if the wounds on his two legs were a daily routine that the girl Kim Jia would have to live with for the rest of her life.
｢I’m really okay. So, don’t look at me like that… uncle. If you do that, it makes me feel like I’m really pathetic.｣**
He sternly warned Kang Seon-woo not to pity Kim Jia’s obviousness.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny