Chapter 63
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Surging Popularity
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Me!
The term referring to me, which had climbed all the way to number two on the real-time search rankings, got me a little excited without even realizing it.
Of course, I wasnt the only one.
Mom, Dad, and Uncle all shouted at once without anyone leading the way.
It was a good thing the neighbors downstairs and next door hadnt come running.
After screaming for a good while, we finally calmed down and checked the reactions again.
This is insane!
Uncle was the first to speak up.
The three of us, who hadnt quite grasped what 21.6 meant, all lit up with bright expressions.
My team at the cactus troupe had anticipated the drama would be a hit to some extent.
Moon Heesung making such a quick comeback after his last drama appearance was a rare occurrence.
It had been a while since hed shown his face on the small screen two years in a row, and not in a movie either.
The fact that it was a work by a rookie writer played a part too.
Plus, it aired in the golden weekend evening slot.
A 21 rating for the first episode wasnt bad at all.
Look at thisthe reviews are great too?
Uncle turned the screen to show peoples comments on The Cactus Flower Bloomed.
-Every day its just endless dating dramas, but this feels fresh.
-This wont turn into some trashy soap, right? Like it turns out the son is the neighbors kid or something. Cut that crap out.
-The babys so cute lol what is that kid
-Looks like itll be a heartwarming drama. Rooting for it.
-Watched ep 1 and its definitely different from other dramas. Planning to keep watching.
All good reviews!
Siu must be thrilled.
Ung!
Cha Il-nam and Han Yoo-joos predictions had hit the nail on the head.
I used to love the shocking twists in those makjang dramas when I first started watching TV in Korea, but Id grown tired of them lately.
Cha Il-nam and Han Yoo-joo had spat while insisting every day that this story would stand out sharply from the rest, and it looked like theyd precisely targeted the viewers.
Uncle kept reading the real-time comments pouring in.
Theres a ton saying Kang Soo-jung is pretty too. Like, what kind of mom is that Well, she doesnt look like a mom, thats true.
I grabbed Uncles arm and shook it as he excitedly relayed peoples reactions.
Uncle.
Yeah? Why? Want me to show the earlier ones again?
No, any articles mentioning my name?
I smacked his arm, urging him to check the news tab right away, my face dead serious.
Kang Soo-jungs son wasnt enough for me.
Uncle stared at me with a blank look for a while after hearing that.
Youre really who do you take after?
Muttering that, Uncle obediently typed The Cactus Flower Bloomed Han Siu into the search bar.
Thats right! I knew it.
News mentioning my name came flooding out.
Kang Soo-jungs seven-year-old son Actually six-year-old actor Han Siu
Han Siu, who captivated Rainbow Pictures Jessica Brown, takes on first drama! A success?
The kid who conquered living rooms with overwhelming visualslets learn about Han Siu
There were quite a few articles focusing more on me, the new face, than on Kang Soo-jung, who already had some recognition.
Some even mentioned my acting debut at Emergency Iron 777 and Kim Sangcheol.
I should remember that and tell Kim Sangcheol later.
Of course, the vast majority were about the drama The Cactus Flower Bloomed itself.
Wow, Siu. Youre super popular.
Arent there more articles than when you performed at RUN?
Nah, bro-in-law. Theater and drama are different beasts. Now Sius gotta wear a hat when he goes out.
That much?
Dad, unable to wrap his head around his sudden popularity, just gazed at the articles with my name and photo in curious wonder.
Whew as your manager, Ive got mountains to do.
Uncle felt a sense of responsibility at Dads cluelessness about the industry and steeled himself.
Though I couldnt figure out why one corner of his mouth was twitching upward.
Phew.
Siu, why are you sighing?
Being popular is tiring, you know.
What am I gonna do about walks around the neighborhood now.
Id enjoyed strolling with Mom in the park nearby sometimes, but I might have to hold back.
Hearing the aunties call me cute while wandering around had been one of my joyssuch a shame.
But oh well.
You gain some, you lose some.
Drama premiere.
Not a bad start.
A cafe in Sokcho with a full view of the sea.
Shooting was scheduled here today, with its killer view.
Whew.
I sat by the spot with the best sea view, slurping up the yogurt smoothie Uncle ordered for me and soaking in the scenery.
About ten days had passed since the premiere of The Cactus Flower Bloomed.
The drama was up to episode 4 now.
The episode 4 ratings came in at 28.
Viewership was steadily climbing with each airing.
Thanks to that, hyped-up Cha Il-nam made sure to boost the whole crews morale by talking ratings before every shoot lately.
Weekends when the drama aired, the popular searches were plastered with drama-related terms.
Outfits worn by Kang Soo-jung and Choi Tae-woo sold out in droves, and the kids clothes from the brand Nam Yeon-soo and I wore kept selling out too.
Even Sokcho, todays shoot location, was already seeing more tourists.
Aww, Siu. Youre devouring that. What is it? Tasty?
Cha Il-nam approached me, grinning ear to ear, as I happily sucked down my drink.
Yeah. Yogurt smoothie.
Dont drink too much cold stuff or youll get a tummy achebe careful. Saw the new articles yesterday, right?
He peeked at my drink, already more than half gone, and grinned mischievously.
Articles?
Of course I checked articles every day.
These days, they popped up every time I refreshed, so Mom was seriously considering buying a printer.
Printing at the PC bang one by one was a hassle.
Yeah. I check my articles every single day. Too many popping upits a problem.
It was the grand finale of my daily routine.
Searching my name with Uncle.
There were so many to check now that I was thinking of doing it even during shoot waits.
Cha Il-nams eyes went wide in surprise, like he hadnt expected that, then he burst out laughing loudly.
Huh? Really? Haha! Youre a full-on star now. Wait, actually, youre the biggest star in our drama right now. Hows it feel? People recognizing you lately?
With the dramas success, it was natural that Moon Heesung, Choi Tae-woo, Kang Soo-jung, and Nam Yeon-soo were hot topics.
Theyd had recognition to begin with.
But the biggest buzz lately was none other than Han Siu.
Me.
Starting from episode 2, Kang Woo-joos screen time exploded, drawing all the viewers attention.
Cute looks, flawless acting.
Even with his prickly personality, the narrative made you pity and love the character, topped with masterful control of pacing that captivated audiences.
Viewers were leaving comments after every episode begging for more screen time for me.
Below those were endless wishes for Kang Woo-joos happiness.
At Cha Il-nams question, I draped my arms over the table and shook my head wearily.
Phew, I cant even walk around the neighborhood anymore.
Haha, cant be helped. Thats star life.
Yeah. Gotta endure it.
Itd been over a week since I last heard the neighborhood aunties coo over me.
I wasnt even going to the troupe to meet fans, so itd been ages since I heard cheers like that.
On a non-shoot day, I should beg Uncle to sneak out to the park at least.
Man, youre hilarious, Siu. Youre the best. The best.
Directors the best too.
I chugged my yogurt smoothie and flashed Cha Il-nam a thumbs-up.
Cha Il-nam kept chuckling at my every witty remark until the assistant director called him away.
Our leads right here, but somehow youre more popular, Siu?
Oh come on, sunbae. Were both popular.
As soon as Cha Il-nam left, Kang Soo-jung appeared out of nowhere and chimed in.
Phew, even on set these days, things were hectic.
I slurped the last of my smoothie with a slurp-slurp.
Hmm, tastytoo bad they wont get me another one.
Smacking my lips in regret, I heard Kang Soo-jungs cautious voice.
But, you know.
Yeah?
Why do you call Tae-woo Daddy, Yeon-soo hyung, follow Moon Heesung around calling him ajusshi, but with me its sunbae-nim?
Her nagging tone left me gaping blankly.
She crossed her arms and looked away pretending nothing was wrong, but that was pure sulking.
This was the Kang Soo-jung whod been aloof on set, just greeting and burying herself in her script.
The Kang Soo-jung Id been scared to even talk to was showing her feelings like this!
No, more than that, her words left me so flabbergasted I couldnt speak.
She told me to call her sunbae-nim!
Shed said it herself, so why blame me?
Sunbae-nim you said to.
Did I?
You did!
But were pretty close now, right? Sunbae-nim sounds so formal.
Huh.
Mind-blowing and nose-stuffing.
Id wondered what that idiom meant when I first heard it, but now I got it perfectly.
This was blowing my mind and clogging my nose.
I barely held back from jumping up and looked up at Kang Soo-jung.
Her innocent whats-wrong face.
It was absurd, but I couldnt help chuckling.
Shed opened up to me quite a bit.
Grinning slyly, I spoke.
Then Mommy?
Well, Im your mom in the drama, so thats fine. But not thatI mean the other one. The one you called me last time.
Ah, thats what she meant.
Jeez. Just say you want it straight out.
Soo-jung noona?
I tilted my head cheekily and used the title she wanted.
Can I call you noona now? Huh? Noona?
Kang Soo-jung froze at my noona assault, then cleared her throat and looked away.
Fine, if you wanna call me that, go ahead.
Yeah, noona!
Ugh, whys it so hot today! Guess I need another coffee.
Her ears were beet red as she blamed the weather and turned away.
I giggled and sucked on the straw.
Ah, I finished it
Chewing the straw in regret, I spotted Nam Yeon-soo at a table a bit away.
As always, script open on his lap, eyes burning like hed get sucked into it.
His lips were moving, so he was probably memorizing lines out loud.
Yeon-soo, Siu. Lets get on standby.
Yeah, got it.
Nam Yeon-soo smiled brightly at the assistant directors words but just answered and glued his eyes back to the script.
I hopped up and headed to him.
Not going?
Mm, you go first. Siu.
He smiled and answered but didnt budge, so I headed to the camera first.
Only after the assistant director called a few more times did he finally put down the script and come over.
He was textbook normally, but today was extreme.
Whats up with him.
Something feels off.