Chapter 47
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: If You Have a Lot of Money, You Can't Act
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If you have a lot of money, you cant act.
At my words, the three adults eyes lit up, as if asking what I meant.
I pondered how to explain it, then slowly opened my mouth.
Having a lot seems to make you less free instead. I like things the way they are now. Living with my loving daddy and mommy, and uncle. We just need enough money to keep living like this.
The reason I thought this way was because of the time Id lived as Noah Battenberg.
Nobility.
The Battenberg ducal family, one of the great noble houses, was said to wield even the shaky royal authority in those days, their status so exalted.
As a scion of the Battenbergs, with their long and storied history, I enjoyed overflowing wealth and honorbut in exchange, I had the duty to uphold their dignity and prestige.
And that duty stole my freedom.
The movements of the ducal family were extremely restricted, after all.
People often think having lots of money means you can do whatever you want, but reality was different.
When you have so much to lose, the fear is that much greater.
To protect that money and honor, you have to give up your freedom and cant even voice your desires.
As a prince of Battenberg, I had to give up acting.
And Oliver too.
Everyone in the Oscar Theater Troupe.
Now, 400 years later.
I knew Korea, where I was now, was different from that placebut theres that saying, just in case.
I didnt want to repeat the same mistake.
Siu
Moms voice caught, trailing off at my words.
Her wavering eyes held complex emotions.
Guilt, gratitudeit was clear she was moved by what Id said.
My goodness
Lee Ga-eun and Kim Sangcheol, whod heard my answer together, gaped in unison.
At such a young age, already wary of the complacency and sloth that money brings?
Thats going too far, Miss Lee.
Stunned, Lee Ga-eun flapped her mouth before whispering to Kim Sangcheol.
How else could he give an answer like that? Siu, youre really six, right?
Yeah. I check his family register sometimes.
While the two murmured, Mom turned to Lee Ga-eun.
Um, Miss Reporter. Could we ease up on the money talk now?
Oh, sorry. Sius answer was so amazing, I got carried away Lets move to the next question.
A cafe in downtown Seoul.
At the largest table in the corner sat women in their early-to-mid thirties, chatting away.
So, our Yongjun made it onto the second-round audition list this time.
Wow, really?
Yongjuns mom, could you share his first-round audition video later?
Of course. Ill send it over.
Han Sius mother, Jiyeonhwa, was at a gathering of moms from RUNs child actors.
Back when she worked at the broadcast station, shed heard rumors that child actors moms were so fierce you had to watch out for their skirt winds.
Meeting them in person now, Jiyeonhwa thought the rumors were half right, half wrong.
Sigh, it must be nice having a son. We had nowhere to submit Yeongs application this time.
Jiyeonhwa too? Same with our Sujin. Why are there so few auditions for girl child actors this quarter? No callbacks means she wont even practice every day. What if she forgets how to act?
Shed come to this gathering hoping it might help educate her son, who hated even kindergarten.
Networking with other moms her age could yield all sorts of info.
What Jiyeonhwa overlooked was that their top priority differed slightly from hers.
These were moms whod pushed hard to get their kids even bit parts in RUNs Broadway-caliber localized production.
Above all, they wanted their children to succeed.
We got a new camcorder for audition videos this time, and yeah, good gear really makes a difference.
Really? What model? Im torn between the Taesung new release and the Kodap flagship
Somehow, it feels a bit off.
And the moms desires, projected onto their childrens success.
To Jiyeonhwa, who just wanted her own son Siu to grow up well, it was a pretty foreign scene.
Oh, Sius mom. What academy does Siu go to these days?
Ours doesnt do any academies.
Come on, Sujins mom. Its not an academy for Siuits a theater troupe. They handle all the practice there.
Wow Joining a troupe could be a good path.
No, if theyre tied to a troupe, our kids might never get a shot at TV.
True, that makes sense.
Even here, the other moms subtly envied Han Sius talent.
No fancy academies, no special trainingyet this genius had caught Jessica Browns eye and snagged the lead role.
Jiyeonhwa fielded a ton of curiosity from the moms.
What does Siu do at home? What does he usually like to eat? Whos his favorite actor?
The child actor moms were curious down to the smallest details.
After diligently giving ordinary answers, Jiyeonhwa paused, then cautiously spoke up.
Um I have one thing Im curious about.
Yeah? What?
Well tell you whatever we know. Thats why we gather, to share info.
Seizing the moment, the moms eyes sparkled toward Jiyeonhwa.
Her expression darkened, as if deep in worry, and she shared her recent concern.
I sent Siu to kindergarten, but he comes home hating it, looking all down in the dumps. Do other kids hate kindergarten too?
The sudden topic had the moms tilting their heads, but they answered.
Kindergarten? No? He loves itlots of playtime, lots of friends.
Ours too. When I said half-day kindergarten then acting academy, he threw himself on the floor and made me suffer.
But the answers werent much help.
Some mentioned kids who were too shy might struggle with kindergarten.
Too shy
But her son bowed deeply to strangers and played great with Moon Heesung, who was much older.
But is Siu something to worry about? He speaks English fluently and hes so smartmaybe skip kindergarten altogether?
You think?
Jiyeonhwas ears perked at one moms opinion.
This was a new take.
Yeah, I wanted to just do acting academy originally, but after seeing Siu, I enrolled in an English kindergarten. Things are getting more global, so English seems necessary.
Oh, ours too.
Our neighborhoods English kindergarten has such a long waitlist, were still on it.
Ah, hmm.
Guess theyre not big on kindergarten, Jiyeonhwa thought, quietly sipping her coffee.
Then one mom lightly tapped her shoulder.
Sius mom. How about somewhere other than kindergarten?
Somewhere else?
Yeah, I know a place
Jiyeonhwa leaned in, listening intently to the kind explanation.
Wah.
It was the weekendno dreaded kindergarten today.
Since it was a weekend I could head to the troupe in the morning, I sprang out of bed and dashed to the bathroom.
After a good, thorough face wash, I emerged to find the dining table laden with food.
Hungry? Lets eat.
Ung!
What did she prepare so much of this early?
I meekly ate the tender boiled chicken Mom slathered for me.
Mmm, yummy.
With my mouth full of rice, I flashed Mom double thumbs-up.
Smiling, Mom blew on a spoonful of abalone porridge and held it out.
I took it eagerly, and savory sesame oil filled my mouth.
After such a hearty breakfast, Mom poured me steaming tea.
Its still chilly out. I boiled this with ginseng for energy and ginger for your throat. Might be a bit bittertry it. Ill add more honey if it is.
Ung.
I blew on the steaming tea and slurped it down.
Whew, the aroma was intense.
It seemed too bitter for a second, but as the hot liquid slid down my throat, my whole body warmed up.
This is good as is.
Really? Ill make it often then.
Mom beamed, pleased.
Rather than asking what all this was for, eating well seemed the way to make her happy.
Ugh, Im stuffed.
Good job eating. Off to the troupe now?
Ung! Im gonna practice twice as much today.
I said excitedly.
Clearing the dishes, Mom asked worriedly.
Even weekends Mom worries youre pushing your body too hard.
Thats why we had chicken and abalone. Im fine.
See? I demonstrated the push-ups from my recent morning broadcast.
To show her I was perfectly fine.
Alright, sigh. Ill clear this and drop you off. Dont get hurt.
Ung!
Thrilled at her words, I sat primly in my dining chair.
The dishes today were too big and heavy for me to help with.
Mom had said not to touch themthey were the ones that could hurt if dropped.
Siu, you really cant do kindergarten at all?
Mom asked casually while clearing.
Ung. Its hard.
A week into kindergarten.
Last night, Id come home and declared to Mom:
I wasnt going anymore.
Id endured a few days because she wanted it so much, but I couldnt anymore.
Instead of gaining anything like she said, it just piled on stress.
Hmm, Siu. How about this then?
Ung?
Mom nodded, saying she understood.
I mustve looked utterly drained.
I looked into ittheres a Reading Room at the library nearby.
Reading Room?
Yeah, kids your age or early elementary gather to read books together and talk about them. Just three hours in the morning. Not every day.
Hmm.
Not many kids either. Under ten, elite small group, and its a library, so they wont be noisy like you said. What do you think?
Books, huh.
I hadnt thought of that.
Mom mustve searched for alternatives since I hated kindergarten.
Seeing me head to the troupe daily mustve worried her a lot.
If it was just reading and sharing thoughts, it didnt sound bad.
Unlike RUN child actors, I needed to know how normal kids in this culture thought and lived.
The kids Id act as would be ordinary ones from here.
Above all, easing Moms worries came first.
Three hours in the morningshorter than kindergarten.
Not bad.
Ung. Sounds good.
As I nodded agreement, Moms face lit up.
Then, since were on the topic, how about we stop by for a quick look today?
Huh? Today?
Moms decisiveness was something else.