Chapter 52
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52
After a successful reshoot, Han-byeol was ready for his next scene. Arriving at the filming location with his agency’s chief after school, he ran so fast he looked like he might tumble, bursting straight into Eun-seong’s waiting room.
His round, expectant eyes darted around the room. Huh? He’s not here.
Realizing Eun-seong was absent, disappointment clouded Han-byeol’s eyes. His lower lip pushed out, and his shoulders slumped in dejection.
“Oh, the baby is here!”
The head of makeup welcomed Han-byeol, who had frozen in place. Han-byeol mumbled a quiet, “Hello.”
The makeup chief waved him in. Clutching the straps of his backpack—a force of habit—with both hands, Han-byeol trudged over to the sofa. He wanted to ask if the “Filial Piety is Money” mister wasn’t here today, but a strange stubbornness kept his mouth shut.
“Han-byeol, would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I’m okay.”
His gloomy mood showed no signs of lifting. When Han-byeol shook his head, the makeup chief raised an eyebrow before a smile broke across her face.
“Ah, is there someone you’re waiting for, Han-byeol?”
Startled, Han-byeol could only fidget with his fingers.
“Your mom is probably busy with the other actors right now. It’ll be a little while before she can make it to the waiting room. Is that okay?”
Assuming he was waiting for his mother, the makeup chief gave him a heads-up. Han-byeol nodded with a sullen expression. Of course, he was happy to see his mom, but there was someone else he wanted to see even more.
“Yo, One Star.”
The moment he heard that familiar nickname and voice, Han-byeol sprang from his seat like a coiled spring. The shoulders that had been slumped just moments ago instantly squared up as he lifted his head, looking perfectly proper.
Eun-seong wore a mischievous grin that was instantly contagious. Han-byeol looked up at him, his eyes shining as brightly as plump, round dewdrops.
“Hello!”
“Hey there. When did you get here?”
“Just a moment ago!”
His voice grew louder, matching his soaring spirits. The makeup chief chuckled at the sudden shift in atmosphere and turned away, giving them space as Eun-seong sat down on the sofa next to Han-byeol.
Out of reflex, Eun-seong patted Han-byeol’s head. The child, who used to scowl and warn him not to touch, had, at some point, become surprisingly docile. Eun-seong crossed his legs and offered Han-byeol a warm smile.
The boy immediately rummaged through his pockets, pulled out a chocolate, and offered it to Eun-seong on his open palm. Eun-seong looked down at the offering and smiled.
“Did you just get back from school?”
“Yes. As you can see.”
When the boy shrugged his backpack-clad shoulders, Eun-seong helped him take it off. Setting it down beside them, he tilted his head and studied the child again. As Han-byeol pretended to look away, conscious of the attention, glimpses of Yeon-ju’s profile flickered across his features.
“Looking at you like this, you really resemble your mom.”
“Yes. Everyone says that. They say I especially look like her around the mouth and eyes. But not so much the nose.”
Han-byeol crossed his eyes to look down at his own nose, fiddling with the bridge. His high, sharp nose bridge was so perfect it almost looked like an implant. Did he inherit it from his father? Eun-seong stared intently before letting out a quiet breath.
There was one fact he hadn’t realized, as all his attention had been focused on Go Yeon-ju, who had no husband.
The child had no father.
“One Star. Didn’t you miss me?”
“I don’t know. I’m not telling.”
“When are you going to tell me?”
“I don’t know that either. Ah, I don’t know!”
That reality felt particularly poignant today. Looking into the child’s bright, clear eyes, which held no trace of worry or shadow, Eun-seong felt a surge of adult responsibility—a desire to protect him, to ensure no darkness would ever taint that innocence.
When Eun-seong lowered his hand from patting his head, Han-byeol seemed to think for a moment before touching the back of his own head.
“My grandmother said the back of my head is pretty, too.”
“Really?”
It was a clear signal to keep stroking it. Though not fully conscious of the prompt, Eun-seong obliged, gently caressing the back of Han-byeol’s head.
“Oh, it is pretty.”
“Grandmother said it’s pretty because she carried me on her back all the time when I was a baby. She said I cried so much whenever she laid me down that she had to carry me around, so the back of my head never had time to get flat.”
Eun-seong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“The back of my head is pretty, too, you know. Want to feel it?”
When Eun-seong lowered his head, Han-byeol stared for a moment before reaching out. He ran his fingers through the neatly styled hair, feeling the smooth, rounded shape that felt quite similar to his own.
“Yours is pretty, too, mister. I guess you didn’t have time to get flat either.”
“It’s hard to find a million-dollar head shape like this, but you’ve got one, One Star.”
Delighted to find something in common with the “Filial Piety is Money” mister, Han-byeol beamed. Eun-seong watched the child closely, his gaze eventually settling on his fingers.
He looked at the boy’s straight thumb, then down at his own. His thumb, slightly clubbed and longer than average, was an exact match for Han-byeol’s.
“You know what? My birthday is coming up soon.”
“……Huh? What? Your birthday?”
Eun-seong, who had been lost in thought, blinked. It must have been a difficult topic to bring up, as Han-byeol only nodded, swinging his legs back and forth.
“One Star’s birthday? When is it?”
“Three weeks from now.”
“Ah, three weeks. That really isn’t far off.”
A faint smile played on his lips at the adorable sight of the boy already planning for a birthday three weeks away.
“Tell me if there’s anything you want. I’ll buy it for you as a present.”
At the offer of a gift, Han-byeol’s head shot up.
“There’s nothing I want, though.”
“Well, if you think about it slowly, you’ll remember something. Something expensive that your mom would absolutely, positively never buy you.”
How about some real estate?
“Or maybe a computer, a laptop, a game console, or a phone.”
“Whoa…”
The temptation of brand-new gadgets was clearly immense; Han-byeol’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. However, since that was far from the plan he had already concocted, Han-byeol composed himself and spoke.
“I don’t need any of those. Will you come over to our house on my birthday?”
At the unexpected invitation, Eun-seong’s lips parted slightly. Worried he might be rejected, Han-byeol’s words began to tumble out in a rush.
“No, it’s not for any other reason. Usually, I just have a birthday party with my grandmother and mom, but, you know, it’s better when there are more people. My grandmother is a really, really good cook, and her japchae and bulgogi are especially delicious.”
“…”
“If you try it, mister, you’ll think it’s super, super delicious, too. My mom is good at making pizza. Sometimes she even makes chicken, and if I tell her you’re coming, she’ll probably fry some chicken and make pizza for us.”
“…”
“But it’s okay if you don’t come. I was just asking. To be honest, I actually like having my birthday party with just my grandmother and mom the most—”
“I’ll go.”
The child, whose neck had flushed red with anxiety, looked up. Eun-seong slowly closed and opened his eyes, repeating himself.
“I’ll go. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Are you really coming?”
“The japchae sounds delicious, I want to eat the bulgogi, and if there’s chicken and pizza, too, there’s no reason for me not to go.”
With a look of pure surprise, Han-byeol nodded. Even if he had to nag his grandmother and mom for days, he was absolutely going to secure those dishes for the party.
“You’ll be so surprised when you taste it! You’ll want to come to our house again!”
“But I’d go even if there wasn’t any food. Because it’s your birthday.”
Eun-seong leaned in close to Han-byeol’s face and whispered.
“Just wait. I’m going to bring a computer, a laptop, a game console, and a phone—every single one of them.”
“Yay! Awesome! Yay!”
Unable to contain his excitement, Han-byeol hopped down from the sofa and started jumping up and down. Eun-seong burst into laughter.
* * *
“Ugh, the traffic is terrible. I should have left earlier.”
Gripping the steering wheel, Hae-young sighed at the snail’s pace. Dusk was falling over Seoul. The sky, dyed in shades of orange, deepened to a dark crimson before melting into night. It was the evening rush hour, and long lines of cars flashed red taillights, barely squeezing through short green lights only to get stuck at the next signal.
“The days have gotten so short. Not long ago, it still felt like daytime at this hour.”
“I know. It’s already pitch black.”
“We’re off the clock, so drop the formalities, Yeon-ju. It’s killing me to hear you talk like that.”
Hae-young grumbled that she felt like she had gained a smart, capable employee but lost a close younger sister. Han-byeol, having finished his few scenes, had already gone home with the chief. Tonight, Hae-young and Yeon-ju had decided to have dinner together.
“Seeing you on set, Unni, it’s hard for me to just call you ‘Unni’ anymore.”
“Why?”
“You’re such a big deal. I knew it, of course, but seeing it in person makes it sink in every single day.”
The charisma that came with being a director at a major entertainment agency was palpable. Even without actively exerting her influence, she possessed a power that made everyone around her tense up. The atmosphere on set shifted depending on whether Hae-young smiled or kept her words brief.
There was a massive gulf between the Hae-young who drank soju all night with roughly chopped kimchi before passing out on the living room floor, and the woman she was at work.
It wasn’t a matter of which side was better or worse; Yeon-ju simply liked the Hae-young who was brimming with charm in both settings. She respected her, too.
“Yeon-ju, I want to work with you for a long time. Let’s do the next project together, too. Not as the youngest staff member, but as my second-in-command.”
Catching the signal, Hae-young turned the steering wheel. Although Yeon-ju had drifted as a freelancer for a long time, she had considerable experience and a great sense of style. If social skills were as precious as talent, she had both in spades.
“Okay. I’ll think about it.”
“Yeah. You have to play hard to get to raise your value. Do that wherever you go. That way, cheapskates trying to rip you off won’t even dare approach you.”
Yeon-ju burst into laughter at Hae-young’s candid advice. No sooner had they made a left turn than they were caught by another red light. Hae-young slowly brought the car to a stop.
Ahead, a pictorial of Eun-seong hung on a high-rise outdoor billboard. It was a watch advertisement. Hae-young stared at the photo, her fingers slowly tapping the steering wheel.
Spotting the billboard a moment later, Yeon-ju held her breath, taking a slow, deep inhale. Sensing Yeon-ju’s gaze land on the photo, Hae-young spoke.
“He’s been an exclusive model for that brand for a long time. Eun-seong, I mean.”
“Ah, yeah. I wouldn’t know.”
“He signed with them when he was still a rookie. I think he was their first East Asian male model back then.”
As Hae-young, who knew the history inside and out, explained, Yeon-ju simply nodded. In truth, she already knew all of this, but there was no need to let on.
The light at the intersection was long. After staring at Eun-seong’s photo for a while, Hae-young shook her head and spoke.
“Hey, Yeon-ju.”
“Yeah?”
“I was planning to eat dinner with you first and find a good time to ask this slowly, but I just can’t hold it in.”
“Pardon?”
At Hae-young’s cryptic words, Yeon-ju’s eyes widened.
“Yeon-ju, let me ask you just one thing. Please understand, even if it sounds absurd. I know how ridiculous it is for me to even ask.”
“What is it?”
Not wanting to indulge her ridiculous imagination any longer, Hae-young figured it was better to just ask and get an answer. She desperately hoped it was a misunderstanding, praying that Yeon-ju would laugh it off and ask what kind of nonsense she was talking about.
“Han-byeol’s dad.”
They were on their way to eat lamb skewers.
“Is it, by any chance, Im Eun-seong?”