Chapter 171: A Young Dream (4)
Chapter 171: A Young Dream (4)
It was entirely unexpected.
And for good reason—in her past life, that child had lived in Daejeon.
Furthermore, in Seo-yeon’s memory, she herself had still been living in Daejeon during this period; her parents had no reason to come up to Seoul.
"Unnie?"
"Ah, yes?"
"Why are you just standing there?"
Su-yeon asked, looking at her curiously.
It seemed she had been frozen in place for quite a while.
Seo-yeon quickly shook her head and approached the child, who was also standing stiffly.
"Hello."
"Ah, hello! Wow, it’s the actress unnie. You’re the actress unnie, right?"
"That’s right."
"Whoa, Su-yeon’s unnie really is the actress unnie."
At those words, Su-yeon’s shoulders puffed up with pride.
Watching her, Seo-yeon thought she was adorable, but she also felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if looking at a younger version of herself.
Well, it made sense they’d be similar; the girl had grown up watching her, after all.
"By the way, what’s your name?"
"I’m Yu-na. Han Yu-na."
A name remarkably similar to her own name from her past life.
Seo-yeon felt a strange, complicated sensation. It was as if even the name served as a bridge to her previous existence.
"By any chance, you don’t have an older brother, do you?"
"Huh? No, I don’t."
"I see."
That meant Yu-na was the firstborn.
In that case, the timeline was slightly different. In her past life, she would have been the same age as 'Ju Seo-yeon' is now.
To put it simply, this Yu-na was just born later.
"But when did you and Su-yeon become friends?"
"Oh, I didn't have any friends at the kindergarten when I first moved here..."
It seemed she had moved recently.
The timing roughly coincided with the period when Dream Future was holding fan meetings.
Since they were in Seoul anyway, her parents had supposedly taken their daughter to the fan meeting because she liked the show.
'...Do kids these days even watch dramas?'
The question crossed her mind.
Or perhaps Dream Future was just that accessible to children. Either way, it felt surreal.
"Anyway, let's head back. Where do you live?"
"I live..."
Since she couldn't just leave the child there, they decided to walk back together.
Su-yeon gave her a double thumbs up, praising her sister.
Our Su-yeon... isn't her way of expressing herself a bit... dated?
The thought occurred to her, but she brushed it off—Su-yeon was cute, so it didn't matter.
In truth, Seo-yeon didn't ask many more questions.
There was a lot she wanted to know, but it would be rude, and she didn't want to interfere with her sister's playtime.
Besides, she felt there was no need to be overly tethered to the past, even if several things weighed on her mind.
'So, the move was just a coincidence.'
The circumstances of Yu-na coming to Seoul weren't anything special.
It seemed that because Yu-na was born later, her parents had worked that much harder. As a result, they were promoted faster and transferred to the headquarters in Seoul.
That was likely how they ended up moving.
There was nothing extraordinary about it.
And yet, several things still bothered her. Not about Yu-na, but about herself.
"Unnie, Unnie."
"Yes?"
"Look at that!!"
Su-yeon said, tugging frantically at Seo-yeon’s sleeve.
Curious, Seo-yeon turned her head to see a small event taking place on the street. It appeared to be a promotional event for a children's animation.
"It's Harara! Harara!"
"Harara?"
It was a name that was hard to describe, yet the pronunciation was simple enough to be memorable.
"Yeah, Magical Girl Harara. It's the cartoon Su-yeon’s been watching lately."
Seo-yeon stared at a bizarrely large penguin and a blue-haired magical girl standing beside it.
'...Why a penguin?'
She thought the name was strange, but the lineup was even stranger. A penguin and a magical girl.
Whoever came up with it certainly had an eye for the conspicuous.
Regardless, it seemed to be incredibly popular with children these days. It wasn't just Su-yeon; the event space was packed with various children and their parents.
'They really put a lot of effort into this event.'
There was even a stage.
The setup was simple: participants would go up on stage and reenact a scene from the animation with their child.
Finally, they would strike a game machine with a provided rubber mallet, and the score would determine their prize.
Naturally, the adults weren't the ones swinging the mallet. If they were, only the fathers would have shown up. Since there’s little difference in physical strength between boys and girls at that age, it was a fair competition.
"Unnie, Unnie."
"?"
As she was watching, Su-yeon tugged on her sleeve again.
She looked up at Seo-yeon with wide, pleading eyes. It was the intense gaze of a child asking for a favor.
Seo-yeon immediately understood the meaning behind that look.
'Don't tell me she wants to do that?'
Seo-yeon wanted to turn around and walk away right then and there.
After all, it involved reenacting a scene from a toddler's cartoon. One person plays the villain, the other plays the magical girl. The parent and child split the roles and perform.
'I... I can't do it.'
If she were a child, she would have jumped at the chance.
In her youth, Seo-yeon had been a thick-skinned girl who knew neither nerves nor shame. It was an invincible shamelessness made possible by her lack of familiarity with emotions.
But things were different now.
Despite appearances, she was quite susceptible to embarrassment. Truly!
'More importantly, if I do something like this...'
She was certain of it.
With so many people around, if Seo-yeon went up and acted with her sister, footage would inevitably end up on the internet.
She had come out heavily disguised with sunglasses and a mask, but she’d have to take them all off to perform.
Following The Chaser, the explosive interest in her, combined with the lineup of Dream Future and Sky Garden, meant Seo-yeon’s public recognition was currently sky-high.
In particular, the main viewership for dramas consisted of young women. The young mothers gathered here were the exact target demographic.
"...Are you not going to do it?"
"..."
"The magical girl toy they're giving as a prize... Yu-na really likes that one."
Apparently, Harara’s transformations weren't limited to just one.
The protagonist, Harara, had fifteen different transformation forms alone. If you included the other magical girls, there were dozens.
'Wait, that means she transforms into something different in almost every episode.'
In a way, it was just like the Ppiniping series Seo-yeon had seen in her past life.
Looking at the Harara transformation encyclopedia, it seemed the other magical girls also had multiple forms. It was a literal army of magical girls designed to drain parents' wallets.
Among them, the prize for this event was the transformation form of 'Inana,' the magical girl Yu-na liked.
"..."
Seo-yeon saw Yu-na looking at her with a faint, hopeful glint in her eyes.
Even her own sister was trying to win a gift for Yu-na instead of herself!
"F-Fine. I'll do it."
Seo-yeon squeezed her eyes shut.
No matter how she looked at it, Yu-na was her fan. Combined with Su-yeon’s request, it was a battle she was destined to lose from the start.
*
Jin Young-yeon, the host for today’s children’s event, smiled warmly as he watched the energetic children and the flustered parents.
The pay for hosting such events wasn't much.
But he didn't mind. He wasn't a professional host to begin with; he was actually a YouTuber who reviewed children's toys.
Because his channel targeted children, he had been invited to host the event. Thus, he wasn't particularly concerned about the money. Just seeing the happy parents and children was enough to make him feel good.
'The promotion seems to be working perfectly.'
True to his background as a toy reviewer, his pitch for the latest Harara magic wands and magical girl sets was flawless.
Naturally, his near-perfect review had the children begging their parents to participate, and the parents eventually gave in.
After all, children's toys were expensive these days, and if they could get one for free just by meeting the event requirements, there was no reason not to try.
Two hours into the event.
There was only one hour left before today’s festivities would conclude.
"Alright, next person!!"
As Jin Young-yeon shouted, a woman in the very front caught his eye as she raised her hand high.
The reason she stood out was her attire.
She was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and even a hat.
If it weren't for the two little girls beside her also raising their hands enthusiastically—and if this weren't a public event—she would have looked incredibly suspicious.
She stood out, and her appearance piqued his curiosity.
"Then, the lady in the sunglasses, please come forward!"
At Young-yeon’s call, the woman flinched slightly before leading the two children onto the stage.
It was a strange sight indeed.
It wasn't just Young-yeon; the moment the three of them stepped onto the stage, all eyes were on them. They were a striking trio in many ways.
"What is our young friend's name?"
"It's Su-yeon! Ju Su-yeon!!"
As the girl introduced herself with her shoulders squared confidently, a stir broke out among the parents watching the stage.
Young-yeon was a bit puzzled by the reaction. The moment the child named Su-yeon introduced herself, the parents began whispering.
Just then, one of the event staff rushed over and whispered into Young-yeon’s ear.
"Golden Duckling! She’s the kid who was on Golden Duckling recently!"
"What?"
"The younger sister from actress Ju Seo-yeon’s segment!"
Young-yeon didn't watch much TV variety. If he watched video media, it was usually just YouTube. He rarely had a reason to watch TV.
Of course, he knew of the show Golden Duckling. It was a variety show that revealed the daily lives of young or child celebrities.
If this was the child who appeared there...
'That means she’s a celebrity’s family member, right?'
Young-yeon gulped.
Then, who was this woman in the strange outfit?
He was beginning to guess her identity.
The gaze of the murmuring crowd also shifted toward the woman on stage.
"F-First, you've seen the event explanation, right? We’re going to reenact a scene from Harara! You can choose from these options."
"I'll take number 3!"
As soon as the examples were shown, Su-yeon chose number 3 without hesitation.
There was nothing special about it; number 3 was simply the easiest among the examples.
It was a scene where Harara fights a villain. You just had to deliver a few lines and "hit" the villain with a magical girl's finishing move. It was a very simple and straightforward setup.
"Great! Then, here is the magic wand..."
As Young-yeon held out the prepared Harara magic wand, Su-yeon blocked it with her palm.
"Huh?"
"Su-yeon is going to be the villain."
"...?"
"I like the villain, Zeroro!"
Wait, she’s choosing the villain?
Young-yeon was taken aback. Children usually chose the magical girl. Because they’re the protagonist. And because they’re pretty.
Of course, Zeroro from Harara was a fairly cute villain. She had sharp eyes, black hair, and red eyes—a girl with a certain cat-like charm.
Because of that, there was plenty of merchandise for her despite being a villain, but he never expected someone to choose Zeroro in a setting like this!
'Wait, then...'
Young-yeon looked at the other person on stage.
He could clearly see the body of the woman hiding her face behind sunglasses go stiff. It seemed she had belatedly realized the fate that had befallen her.
"Um, since you have to perform, could you perhaps take off your mask and sunglasses?"
"..."
The woman seemed to hesitate for a moment.
But only for a moment. As she slowly removed her sunglasses and mask...
The murmuring crowd fell silent for a heartbeat.
And then.
"Is that really Ju Seo-yeon?"
"It is, it’s her. It’s the Ju Seo-yeon from Golden Duckling."
"Mom, who is that unnie?"
"She’s an actress, an actress."
The place instantly erupted into a roar.
Who would have thought an actress would appear at a children's event? Usually, they might buy the products, but they rarely participated in events like this.
Naturally, the event manager’s face lit up.
'Today’s promotional event is a massive hit.'
It was as if a star had walked in of her own accord without them spending a dime.
Of course, the crowd wondered if she had been paid to appear as part of the event.
'Doesn't matter anyway.'
'It's not like they're giving prizes based on ranking.'
Prizes were distributed fairly to everyone, provided they met the event requirements.
"Now, you're the older sister, right?"
"...Yes."
"Please take the magic wand. Um, have you seen Magical Girl Harara?"
"Just now..."
Right before stepping onto the stage, she had checked the scene on YouTube.
Because of that, Seo-yeon couldn't help but feel her hand trembling as she gripped the magic wand.
This was likely the moment in Seo-yeon’s life when her face was at its absolute reddest.
She had never once felt ashamed of her acting, but right now, it was hard to remain dignified.
Humility! Shame!
It was an emotion she knew to some extent without needing to study it, but she had never felt it this intensely.
"Wow!! Magical girl unnie!!"
Unaware of Seo-yeon’s inner turmoil, Su-yeon, now draped in the villain Zeroro’s cape, threw her arms up and beamed.
Beside her, Yu-na was also watching with sparkling eyes, clapping continuously.
'Unnie always plays bad roles, so she should play a good one for once.'
In her own way, this was a thoughtful gesture from her cute younger sister. Though it was also true that Su-yeon just liked Zeroro more.
"Now, then. Chant the lines with me. Harara, Harara~."
"H-Harara, Harara..."
"Your voice is too small! Harara~ Harara-ra~!"
"H-Harara, Harara!!"
Furthermore, because an actress had appeared, the host Young-yeon’s enthusiasm had surged to 200 percent.
He was perfectly executing the choreography and Harara’s transformation lines with his whole body!
Seo-yeon felt she should show off her skills as an actress, but...
In this moment, she honestly couldn't think of anything.
She simply squeezed her eyes shut.
"M-Magical Girl Harara~!!"
And swung the glowing magic wand with all her might.
Perhaps thanks to that passionate performance, Su-yeon’s mallet strike didn't just meet the target score—it exceeded it.
Yu-na was able to take home the magical girl toy she had wanted.
It was a truly fortunate outcome.
*
"Actress unnie!! Thank you!!"
"U-Uh, sure."
Yu-na, clutching the Inana merchandise, replied with a wide grin.
'...I guess this is okay.'
Surely no one filmed it, right?
Since things had been awkwardly tense with Yu-na, she figured this was a better outcome.
"Yu-na’s birthday was not long ago, so can we count this as a birthday present?"
"Oh? When is your birthday, Yu-na?"
"June 8th!"
It was Su-yeon who answered on Yu-na’s behalf.
June 8th.
The moment she heard that date, Seo-yeon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
After all, it was the same as her birthday from her past life.
"Since this is a gift from the actress unnie, I'll treasure it forever! I'll wave this all the time while thinking of you!"
"U-Uh, yeah. Ah, right."
While she secretly hoped the girl wouldn't wave it too much, Seo-yeon quickly brought up something she had almost forgotten.
"Meeting me today is a secret from your mom, okay?"
"Why?"
"Uh, well... because the fact that I'm a magical girl is a secret."
She couldn't bring herself to say it was because she was embarrassed, so she went with that.
Yu-na’s eyes widened for a moment before she gave a bright smile.
"Okay!"
Even if she had been filmed, Yu-na had been standing behind her, so she likely wouldn't be in the shot. As long as Yu-na didn't say anything, her parents wouldn't find out.
Seo-yeon decided to believe that for now.
At least until the Shorts video capturing every second of her performance hit 3 million views.
Fortunately, Yu-na wasn't in the video.
Regardless, Seo-yeon found herself needing to replace yet another blanket from all the cringing.