A Spin-Off for the Childhood Friend
Five years later, Senior Bom brought up a terrifying idea.
“TikTok…? Isn’t that that thing where SNS-addicted normies take over the streets without caring about the stares and just start dancing? No way. I don’t want to. Please don’t make me!”
“Somehow this feels like déjà vu…”
The tables had turned from when I first introduced her to streaming. Who would’ve thought Senior Bom would ever touch TikTok?
More importantly, TikTok already exists at this point in time? I thought it hadn’t come out yet…
I remembered how, after I entered middle school, the girls in my class would occupy the back of the classroom and the hallways during every break, insisting they had to film TikTok videos. Even a year before that, TikTok had already been around. I just hadn’t known.
“More than that, why TikTok all of a sudden? Did you always like this kind of thing, Senior?”
“No, but I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube lately and the ads kept popping up. Plus, I heard from my juniors that you can get some recognition with it?”
It was true that, in an era before YouTube Shorts existed, TikTok was the only short-form video platform. If done well, it could definitely bring some fame. Even so, I still didn’t want to do it.
“If you want to do it, I won’t stop you, but why drag me into it?”
“Because it’s embarrassing to do alone.”
“Then do it with the junior who told you about it.”
“I have an image to maintain. How could I film with some brand-new junior?”
“Then what about me?”
“What worse image could I possibly get from being with you?”
“That’s… true, I guess.”
“So we’re doing it?”
“No.”
As I kept refusing, Senior Bom’s cheeks puffed up dramatically. She even stuck out her lips in a perfect “I’m sulking” expression. Anyone else might have fallen for it, but my eyes weren’t so easily fooled. I’d seen far too much of her acting by now.
“Don’t overact. It won’t work on me.”
“Tch.”
“Anyway, I’m not doing it.”
I had no intention of exposing myself to the media. I was awkward in front of cameras, and the stage simply wasn’t my place. Still, Senior Bom didn’t push any further.
“Well, I wasn’t seriously asking you to do it together anyway. You seem like you really don’t like being on camera.”
“Then why did you call me?”
“A TikTok video is still a video. I was going to ask you to help me film it.”
“You said it was embarrassing to do alone.”
“If I can’t even do something like this when I do solo acting scenes, I should quit acting altogether.”
In other words, she had lied just to try and tempt me. The lie was so natural that I was dumbfounded, but strangely, I wasn’t angry.
“So you’re leaving the directing to me?”
“If you put it that way, yeah.”
“Haa… Fine. What do you want me to do?”
“I want to film something like this.”
She showed me a video. It was a one-person situational comedy skit filmed inside someone’s house. The script was simple, mixed with a bit of comedy—just the kind of thing you could chuckle at and move on from.
“There are a lot of videos like this where people act and film themselves. If I do something like this, I thought more people might get to know my acting…”
“…Well, there are people who became famous from this and ended up on TV, so.”
“Huh? Really? There are people like that?”
“I was just guessing it might happen.”
“So you’re saying there’s that much potential?”
“Something like that.”
I gave a vague answer while watching Senior Bom’s sparkling eyes.
“So you want to film exactly like this? Honestly, it doesn’t really suit you, Senior.”
“That’s why you’re directing. Weren’t you following PD Lee Seongbeom around to experience the job because you wanted to become a PD?”
“…I suppose I was.”
“So please do your best, PD-nim?”
I never expected to end up directing something like this. Maybe making up that excuse about job experience wasn’t such a good idea after all. Though, to be fair, I was the one who said it.
I let out a deep sigh and immediately started thinking about how to shoot it. I’d done video editing to create storylines plenty of times before. Figuring out the direction wasn’t too difficult.
But it has to match Senior Bom’s image and the promotional concept…
Plus, it was a one-person situational skit only about fifteen seconds long. A one-person performance that could showcase Senior Bom’s acting in a short amount of time…
As I mulled it over, a certain scene suddenly flashed through my mind.
“Senior, do you remember that first-person monologue acting scene you filmed a long time ago? What was it called again… Slide Friend?”
“It’s Playground Childhood Friend… I told you not to bring up old works.”
Senior Bom’s face flushed slightly. I continued without caring.
“Right, Playground Childhood Friend. How about we film an homage to that? Or should I say a spin-off?”
“A spin-off?”
“Yes. The female lead is a rich, sickly girl who moves away for treatment, right? We could show what she looks like a few years after she left. Since the drama starts when she’s eight, we can set it a few years later. The drama jumps straight to adulthood, so this would show what happened in between. That way we wouldn’t damage the original story while still showing how the female lead was doing in the middle.”
Playground Childhood Friend hadn’t been a massive box office hit, but it was the drama that etched “child actress Choi Bom” into the public consciousness. Its groundbreaking first-person technique had highlighted Senior Bom’s excellent acting, and thanks to that work, she went on to take many child roles that showcased her emotional range.
If the same Senior Bom who had given that performance were to show what happened to the female lead a few years after parting with the male lead, people would definitely want to watch the video.
Senior Bom nodded as if she understood my explanation, but she didn’t readily agree.
“B-but… does it have to be that work…? I have plenty of other projects I’ve appeared in…”
“When people search for you, it’s the first thing that comes up and the most famous scene. It’s all over YouTube—there’s no one who doesn’t know it.”
“That’s true, but… it was kind of an embarrassing performance…”
Her face, which had only been slightly red before, was now bright crimson. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to act properly. So I took drastic measures.
“Ah, so that’s what it was?”
“…Huh?”
“You’re saying that compared to your past self from five years ago, your acting hasn’t improved and has actually regressed, so you can’t match the performance from back then? I understand. I should’ve been more considerate. I’m sorry.”
“W-what did you say?”
“Scared?”
“You little—! Of course I’m better now! Camera, rolling! We’re filming right now!”
That worked nicely.
「The surroundings are dark. All that can be seen is a small bed and a girl curled up under a blanket on top of it. Cough, cough—she lets out a dry cough, her face twisted in pain. Her fingertips tremble, her brows furrowed. A cold sweat trickles down her forehead, making it clear she’s in considerable distress.
She manages to grasp a cup of water with her shaking hand, but it looks like she might drop it if she lifts it. Using both hands, she carefully raises the cup and wets her dry throat. Even that simple action seems to take all her strength. She lies back down and curls up under the blanket once more.
Inside the blanket, where only faint light filters in, the girl clutches a single photograph tightly and murmurs.
“…I miss you.”
It’s a photo taken with a certain boy five years ago. A precious picture captured with a cheap camera at the playground where they’d gone to play despite her mother’s scolding. A photo with her one and only childhood friend.
Whenever the pain becomes too much to bear, just like today, the girl looks at the photo and recalls that warmth.
“I have surgery tomorrow… The adults didn’t tell me the details, but I think this one might be dangerous… I might not even be able to miss you anymore… I’m sorry…”
Contrary to the expectation that she would recover quickly with treatment at a good hospital, her condition gradually worsened until she eventually had to undergo surgery. Several surgeries followed. And the girl could sense that this surgery would be her last.
Tears roll down the girl’s cheeks. They are tears of fear.
Tears roll down. They are tears of longing.
Tears roll down. They are tears of apology.
The fallen tears soak into the pillowcase.
Overcome by the effects of the medication, the girl’s eyes close.
…
The girl’s eyes open.
A warm light like sunlight shines on her face.
The surgery is over. The illness that had been eating away at her is now completely gone.
The girl sheds tears. Still unable to move, she stares at the ceiling and weeps.
“I miss you…”
She struggles to pull out the photo from under the pillow and smiles faintly.
The last photo with the boy she loved.
Tears flow. They are tears of love.」
“It turned out pretty well, don’t you think?”
“Well… it’s not bad.”
“Should we upload it then?”
“Ughhh… Fine.”
Even though the result was satisfying, Senior Bom agonized for a long while before finally deciding to upload.
“Even I can tell it’s better acting than in Playground Childhood Friend. Why are you so nervous?”
“I don’t know. It’s like… my insides are tickling, or maybe I’m just embarrassed…”
“You were satisfied with it too. Now that it’s out of your hands, don’t worry about it.”
Senior Bom’s acting had been truly incredible. It was the kind of performance that made you wonder if any other child actress could match that level. She only had three lines. The rest was pure emotional acting. She looked like someone who was genuinely, seriously ill. Every tear she shed carried a different emotion, and all of it had been perfectly captured on video.
“TikTok still doesn’t have that much recognition in Korea yet, so don’t worry too much about the initial views. As time passes, word will spread and more people will come to watch.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it from the drama industry. There are plenty of dramas without famous actors that get word-of-mouth and see their reruns blow up in ratings. If anything, Playground Childhood Friend was one of those cases too.”
The moment right after uploading is when first-time video creators are most likely to have their spirits crushed. They’ve made something they know is incredibly entertaining, yet no one even clicks on it. I gave her that advice, but it seemed it had been unnecessary meddling.
“So that’s it, right? This was my first time doing something like this too. It was fun.”
“The favor I asked is done, but… want to do just one more?”
“What is it?”
“I want to try filming a dance video.”
“No.”
“I’m not going to upload it. I just want it for my own collection~”
“I refuse.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d refuse.”
“I’m not giving you Oh Serin’s autograph either.”
“Are you talking about this thing I’m holding right now?”
“When did you—!”
In Senior Bom’s hand was Oh Serin’s autograph, fluttering as she waved it around. I was sure I’d put it in my bag!
“I found it while you were editing, hehe.”
“…Well, I was going to give it to you anyway, Senior. But I still won’t do it.”
Even though my insurance had lost its effect, I stood my ground. I’d already used my wish ticket.
Hearing my firm refusal, Senior Bom smiled as if she found it amusing.
“Hehe, fine. Then just film me dancing. The song’s pretty addictive, so I did want to try it.”
“…If that’s all, then okay.”
“Then I’ll start, so film me well, okay?”
With that, she stood in front of the camera she’d set up and performed a simple dance to the music. It wasn’t an idol-style dance, but more like a simple upper-body movement. The addictive music and easy choreography made it feel like something you’d naturally want to dance along to.
However…
“…Senior, you’re getting some of the moves wrong.”
“Huh? Where?”
“No, you took ballet lessons. Why are you so bad at using your body?”
“Ehh? I don’t get it. Can you show me?”
“I’m not that good either, but… isn’t it like this?”
“It’s hard to tell when we’re facing each other. Come stand next to me and show me.”
“Oh come on, so basically—”
I left the camera and went to stand beside Senior Bom, demonstrating the choreography. On her face was a sly, scheming smile.