Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: You Can Do Well
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'Water park...'
In response to Seon-hwa's unexpected suggestion, I found myself pondering for a moment.
It wasn't peak vacation season yet, but the weather had definitely gotten hotter lately, and talk of swimming pools was starting to pop up.
Plus, by next weekend, the first round of the preliminaries filming would be wrapping up.
There weren't any major timing issues like that...
But separately from that, I was honestly a bit worried about whether it was okay to go to a water park in my current situation.
I wasn't just some ordinary person anymore—I was a full-fledged actress.
One whose face was so well-known that even people on the street could spot me without much trouble.
If someone like me showed up at a water park in a swimsuit... I'd probably attract a ton of attention.
In my past life, I never had to worry about this sort of thing... but I knew plenty of people around me who struggled because of it...
The woes of being a public figure hit me late.
And it wasn't just me—if things went wrong, our daughter could get dragged into some weird mess too.
So, I couldn't help but hesitate about heading to the water park.
At that moment.
"You seem like you're having trouble deciding... Is there a problem?"
"Ah... well, you see."
Ha Yu-ra asked cautiously.
As someone in a similar position—a famous actress—I decided to be honest and share my concerns with her.
Then.
"If that's the issue, I can take care of it."
"Huh? Uh... how?"
"Like this."
With that, Ha Yu-ra casually pulled out her phone.
A thick smile spread across her lips as she spoke to someone on the other end.
"Yeah, it's me. Clear next weekend."
"?"
After that short exchange, she hung up.
Then, in a tone like she'd just bought some snacks, she said to me,
"Next weekend. I chartered the whole water park, so let's all go together."
"Ch... chartered... the whole thing?"
"Yep. Officially, it'll be listed as maintenance or cleaning, but anyway—no ants, not even a baby one, in the park that day."
"Ah..."
Hearing that, I suddenly remembered something I'd forgotten for a while:
That Ha Yu-ra, for all her looks, was actually the daughter of a chaebol family.
And.
"M... me too! Seon-hwa, can Unnie come along?"
"Sure! Han-sol Unnie, let's go together!"
Seo Han-sol jumped in with an urgent voice.
Seon-hwa readily agreed, but...
Ha Yu-ra, watching from the side with a serious expression, said,
"Anyone else is fine, but you? No free rides."
"Wh... what? What do you mean... you want me to pay admission?"
"That's a given. Someone like you can't just pay that and call it a day—it'd be embarrassing. If you wanna come, cough up 30% of the charter fee."
"N... no way. What is this, a mugging? Why me specifically?"
"Don't like it? Then don't come. Whining over a measly 30%? Guess SG isn't what it used to be."
"Ughhh! Fine, I'll pay! I'll pay!"
Han-sol ground her teeth but ultimately gave in.
A smug victor's smile played on Yu-ra's lips as she watched...
And I, observing from the side, let out a slight sigh without realizing it.
As expected... chaebols. Money's no object for them.
We weren't exactly broke, but their scale was on another level.
They made things I couldn't even dream of seem effortless.
Compared to that... I'm still so powerless. Even as a mom, there's nothing I can do for my daughter...
That thought left a slightly bitter taste.
Feeling apologetic as a mother to my daughter,
I renewed my resolve, which had grown a bit lax lately.
I have to succeed... for Seon-hwa's sake. No matter what...
-"Pool villa, pool villa, uh, uh huh uh huh. I love you, I love you—even watching you on my phone, I wanna meet you for real."
"Hmm..."
Seo Han-sol poured her all into belting out the song in the practice room.
For a 12-year-old, she sang impressively well,
but Seon-hwa, sitting beside her and listening, wore a subtly complicated expression.
A face far too serious for a child.
Once the song wrapped up, Han-sol asked tentatively, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Uh... how was it?"
"It's a shame!"
"A... a shame?"
"Yeah! It feels like you could do way better, but you're holding back!"
"N... no way... This is my best..."
"Nope! No way that's true!"
Though a head shorter than her, Seon-hwa exuded an odd authority.
The singer standing by, just nervously hemming and hawing, actually felt more like the student—while this kid seemed like the teacher.
"Sing it again! Pretend your favorite person's sitting here! Like the pool villa lyrics—sing it for that person!"
"Mm..."
Sharp yet oddly specific advice.
Han-sol felt a bit flustered but decided to give it a shot as instructed.
Conveniently, the perfect person was right there.
The person I like... Han-seo Oppa...
The woman sitting over there, watching proudly.
Gazing at her serene, comforting smile, Han-sol began some crude image training.
Image training of conveying her longing to the person before her.
-"Random game that Yunha loves! What game! Game start!"
The start was much like before.
Being aware of the person watching her made her a tad tense, but not a huge difference.
However,
-"Don't you love me too? Don't you wanna see me? Tonight I'll hold you all night long! Come meet me now!"
As she sang on, Han-sol gradually realized it.
At some point, her song was heading in a completely different direction from before.
'Huh?....'
It felt just like the horse she rode during horseback riding suddenly breaking into a gallop.
Unlike the slow pace, it was hard to control.
The precarious sensation that she'd fall off any second if she let go of the reins.
The feeling of being swept away by the current called emotion.
Clinging tight to it,
Suppressing the tears threatening to spill,
Han-sol somehow carried through to the end.
And.
"Hah!... Hah!... Hah..."
The moment the song ended, Han-sol gasped for breath.
It was brief, but getting so emotionally immersed in a song was a first for her.
An unfamiliar style of singing.
And a surprisingly massive stamina drain.
But.
"See? You can do well."
"Ah..."
Seon-hwa beamed brightly at her.
At the joyful praise from this little girl's mouth,
Han-sol felt a surge of delight and blushed without realizing.
"Th... thank... you..."
The more she saw, the more amazing the kid seemed.
Beyond her insane musical talent,
She could draw out others' talents too.
And with that gentle smile every time, shaking her heart like this.
Having met countless people so far...
This was the first like her.
I want her... the more I see...
A little sister that only existed in her imagination, one she'd secretly longed for.
Growing fonder the more she learned, Han-sol started to genuinely covet Seon-hwa.
Of course, only as her person... simply put, she wanted to be 'friends'.
I gotta do well... in the preliminaries... and at the water park after...
Since she was shelling out absurd money, she had to get her money's worth.
Steeling herself, she caught her breath and gripped the mic again.
"Alright, one more time with this feeling."
"Okay!"
Seon-hwa and Han-sol practicing their hearts out.
And Chae Soo-jeong watching with a warm mother's smile.
Meanwhile.
Separate from Chae Soo-jeong, who was so focused on her daughter that she paid little attention elsewhere,
the version of her on screen right now was delivering a heavy shock to countless viewers.
-"Despair, terror, madness. Praise the glory of the Black Star!"
She declared in a majestic voice as the jet-black star descended.
Queen Kaguya.
The sun lost its light,
and darkness began to blanket everything.
Kaguya proclaimed Earth's doom with overwhelming, untouchable majesty.
Even the Mask Heroes tasked with protecting the planet were gripped by despair before her.
And.
The [Mask Hero - Black Moon] climax was underway.
Viewers were in the bizarre phenomenon of cheering Earth's end amid Kaguya's explosive presence.
Of course, as per Mask Hero tradition, evil always loses in the end,
but the sincerity of the moment's vibe was real.
And among those passionately reacting to the latest episode
was a white woman who had just stepped off a plane.
The blonde beauty put down the phone she'd been glued to and strode forward.
As she adjusted her sunglasses, flanked by a entourage of bodyguards, a thick smile crept onto her lips.
Japan at last! Now I can meet Kaguya-nim!