A Peaceful Day (3)
A Peaceful Day (3)
When I lifted my heavy eyelids, Da-yeon's sleeping breath was stirring my bangs.
"Yaaawn..."
I checked the time on my phone, then rubbed my eyes and got up. Da-yeon must have woken because of me, because she stretched and yawned beside me.
When I looked over at her, she was rubbing her eyes and looking back at me.
"Si-yoon... what time is it?"
"3:50."
"Yaaawn... then I'm gonna sleep a little more..."
I grabbed Da-yeon's arm before she could lie back down.
"No, we have to game now."
"Mmn... but I wanna sleep..."
"Right now's the best time for it, hurry up."
"Okay..."
Together, Da-yeon and I crept quietly into the game room.
Because of the trauma Dad had given me before, I shone my phone's flashlight into the game room first to check whether he was in there.
Then I shut the door softly and declared boldly.
"The room is layered with soundproofing, so as long as we don't scream, we're fine."
"Yeah!"
I turned on the computer, picked the sleep from Da-yeon's eyes, and sat her down at my spot.
Then I booted up the Maple Leaf game.
(Yeonja No.1 Fan) — Oh! You're on early! hi hi
(Prince Da-yeon) — hi hi
(Yeonja No.1 Fan) — Yu-ja, hi to you too
(Prince Siyu) — yeah
Da-yeon and I tackled the daily quests in the Maple Leaf game while fighting a boss.
The damage numbers flooded the screen.
Leaving Da-yeon behind, who had sunk into the Maple Leaf game as if she'd never been tired at all, I cracked the door open just enough to slip my body out to grab drinks, then carefully closed it.
I crept outside, and in the dark kitchen, I saw a black silhouette...
Feeling goosebumps erupt all over my body, my neck creaking, I slowly...
Very slowly turned my head to look at that spot.
"....."
"....."
My eyes met Dad's, and I froze as if turned to stone.
Silence and stillness...
Dad was definitely a top-tier assassin.
How had he been sitting there without me even noticing...
How long did that silence last...
A familiar, yet uncharacteristically icy voice rang out.
"Sit."
"Yep."
Dad stared at me for a long time without a word.
Reading the room, I fidgeted with my nails.
"I know Da-yeon is playing too. Bring her."
"I was the one who dragged Da-yeon into it..."
"Uh-uh..."
Without another word, I went into the room and called Da-yeon.
"Da-yeon..."
"Huh? What is it?"
"...Dad's calling."
Da-yeon, who had been smiling brightly, instantly went dead serious.
"H-he... wasn't asleep?"
"...Yeah."
I brought Da-yeon out slowly, and she was eyeing the situation nervously.
"G-good morning..."
"Da-yeon, sit."
"Yep."
Da-yeon sat down demurely, but the motion visible through her boxy T-shirt—a rare sight in Korea—caught my eye.
When my eyes met Dad's, I flashed a grin, and the moment he brought out the switch, my expression snapped back to normal.
Da-yeon was flustered at the sight of the switch.
Da-yeon had always listened to Dad, but now, afraid he might actually hit her, she obeyed him even more carefully.
And we had to endure a lecture until the sun came up.
The older Dad got, the more excessively naggy he became.
Morning broke, and after washing up, Da-yeon and I were changing into our school uniforms.
"My dad's become a total geezer, right?"
"No way! You can't say that about your dad! He's so cool!"
"Anyone listening would think Da-yeon was Dad's daughter~"
"If Si-yoon didn't say that kind of stuff about your dad, there wouldn't be any misunderstandings!"
I stubbornly ignored Da-yeon, who was approaching this more logically than I expected, and changed the subject.
"Today, it's coffee-colored~ stockings~"
"Black really suits you, Si-yoon."
"I look good in anything."
"Thassright!"
After pulling on my stockings, I waggled both hands blatantly toward Da-yeon's chest, just to show her.
"Eek! What are you doing!"
"Let's see how much our Da-yeon has grown?!"
When I approached with a lecherous grin, Da-yeon bolted, looking for Dad.
"Si-yoon's being weird!!!!"
But since this was a regular occurrence, Dad probably just sighed and patted Da-yeon's head.
'Good grief... are you okay?' That's what he'd say.
"Good grief... are you okay?"
Today, everything was the same as always—except Da-yeon was growing way too much with every passing day.
Before I knew it, the sports festival had arrived.
For how much money they sucked out of us, the sports festival was pathetic, and the enthusiasm was dead.
Honestly, in terms of pure fun, the middle school sports festival was hands-down the best.
If I were student body president...
No, there was zero chance of me ever being president.
It was like this high school poured every last cent of its tuition solely into academics and food service.
The teachers' credentials and the meal quality were absolutely insane, after all.
So the result—well, it was only natural that when those upper-class bookworms who do nothing but study go up against our class, we crush them overwhelmingly.
Even the principal must've thought the sports festival was meaningless, because he rushed through everything, and it ended on the most anticlimactic note.
I was the idiot for expecting something amazing because of the tuition costs...
Jeong-yeon went to school overseas.
Now nineteen, having grown unrecognizably, Jeong-yeon exuded a sharp, capable air befitting an heir.
I wasn't reading faces for nothing.
Jeong-yeon showed every sign of becoming a business magnate who would surpass Lee Jin-seok.
Ga-yeon also followed Jeong-yeon abroad from a young age and attended school there.
Ga-yeon was nothing but adorable back then, but every time I visited, he'd grown so fast it threw me off.
There was a five-year age gap, but Ga-yeon had shot up to just slightly shorter than me.
These days, he'd been acting up, fitting his age,
but just a little... just a little more, and under the high, wide sky, his big sister would personally demonstrate who stood taller.
On top of that, I'd already secured Lee Jin-seok's permission.
To rein him in if he ever went down a bad path... hehehe...
Time passed, and before I knew it, exam season was approaching. While everyone else was deep into late-night studying, I was hanging out with the Dreaming members.
"Don't you guys have schedules lately?"
"We do, but we've got the experience to handle it~"
"Yua, you're only thirty and you're already a geezer..."
"Hey, I'm incredibly flexible, you know~ And you... stop with the 'thirty thirty' stuff, you'll be there soon yourself."
"...Sorry. But I'm still seventeen~ got thirteen whole years left~? You'll be forty-three by then~?"
"Hey!"
Ji-su still hadn't revealed that she was dating Actor Yoo Su-a.
I sat down beside Ji-su and watched her pretend to play a game after sensing my presence.
Her pupils were trembling—she probably hadn't told the other members yet either.
I whispered quietly.
"Are you going to keep hiding it?"
"Si... Si-yoon...?"
"Why'd you keep it a secret from everyone?"
"Uh... um... I'll tell you later."
When I smiled viciously, as if I'd spread the rumor any second, Ji-su spoke in a rush.
"It's still, we're not really seeing each other much yet, we mostly just text often."
"Why?"
"Well... we're both busy..."
The Dreaming members had already gathered around me.
Rije, the only member the same age as leader Ji-su, spoke up.
"Ji-su! Why didn't you tell me! This is total fraud!"
"Whoa, you had a boyfriend!? Betrayal... what the heck."
In the suddenly chaotic practice room, Ji-su had no choice but to confess to the members.
Suddenly, Yua grabbed my chest firmly from behind.
"Ack! You won't regret this...?"
She squeezed my full chest with a 'squish,' then, startled by how unexpectedly ample it felt, she looked at me and backpedaled.
"Haha... Si-yoon, that's insubordination, you know?"
"Oh yeah? Who's gonna recognize it as insubordination~ With my acting skills, I doubt anyone would?"
I slowly... blatantly waggled both hands as I approached the retreating Yua.
"Maybe for other people, but you can't run from me...?"
Yua, a former athlete trainee, started running away in a panic, and I caught her in an instant, flipped her down, and started tickling her.
"Aahahahaha! Stop iiit!!"
She was practically about to cry, so I let Yua go.
Ji-su, who had been watching us from the side, spoke up.
"Oh right, Si-yoon, you're filming Next-Door Hyungnim tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, since I'm not on break, they said they'd film it on Saturday."
"Guys, did you see Si-yoon's appearance fee? Woah... it's over ten times ours."
""What?!""
Even considering that variety show appearance fees are lower than movies or dramas, my fee is currently commanding the absolute highest price.
And in that context, under our existing contract, Next-Door Hyungnim calls me in at five times the rate, without fail.
Well, it figures. When I appear, the live viewership rating more than doubles, so they more than recoup their cost,
and they'd rather die than try to renegotiate because they resent paying five times the fee, ending up on the bad side of JSM and Kim Ji-ho.
So whenever they contact me, it's an instant free pass, and this shoot got its entire filming date changed just because of me, alone.
What could they do, I was a minor who went to school.
"This is... youth... this is, Suuuuper Staaaar~ Kim Si-yoon☆"
"You are seriously so obnoxious."
"Ahahah"
Dancing, it turned out, was more of a workout than you'd think.
You can enjoy extreme cardio.
And there was another, smaller reason... I liked beautiful women.
Being in dynamic motion among beautiful women was a feast for the eyes, so...
"What should we eat?"
Rije asked, but I kept silent.
The members hated receiving gifts from me to a pathological degree,
so I had secretly asked each of their managers in advance to pay with my money.
And on perfect cue, individual lunch boxes were delivered for each of them.
The manager had secretly tucked my card into my lunch box.
"Huh, what's this... lunch boxes...?"
Then Yua looked at the lunch boxes, gauging the situation.
"I kinda want to drink..."
I looked at Yua and sighed.
"Good grief... you guys go ahead and drink... I'll just stay here alone... totally lonely."
"...No! Lunch boxes are great~"
They were called lunch boxes, but they ranged from sashimi to fried chicken to lobster.
Since Dreaming stopped promoting as an idol group, a lot of the restrictions on them had loosened.
While Yua, who worked out as hard as I did, and I were chomping away, someone walked in.
It was Actor Yoo Su-a, a specialist in noir films.
Ji-su, whose relationship we'd discovered, had called him over.
As expected, you had to give him credit for decisiveness.
Compared with Kim Tae-oh, Actor Yoo Su-a was nowhere near as handsome.
He looked a bit like Park Ji-hoon, but with slightly gentler features.
"Hello..."
Actor Yoo Su-a looked cautious around us.
Unlike his sharp, delinquent-looking face, rumors said he was incredibly kind, and they seemed to be true.
At that moment, Yua spoke up.
"Hello! Don't feel pressured, come on in!"
"Yep."
Seeing Actor Yoo Su-a in a suit, I could understand how he'd charmed Ji-su.
Actor Yoo Su-a's eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
"It's an honor to meet you, senior."
"...Me?"
"I'm in my eighth year since debut... hahaha..."
"Oh... I'm one year your senior then. Heh, please, eat if you haven't had a meal yet."
"Ah, then if you'll excuse me."
Actor Yoo Su-a naturally sat beside Ji-su and picked up his chopsticks.
And then, the barrage of questions from the Dreaming members began.
The Dreaming members had been like this even when they were younger—they were massive chatterboxes.
Watching Actor Yoo Su-a, who looked completely drained despite how little time had passed, Ji-su smiled contentedly.
"Oh right, senior."
"Just call me comfortably."
"...Is that really... okay?"
"Yep."
"Anyway, I hear you're filming My Love Was a Gumiho this time."
"Yep."
"I got cast as a villain too, haha. Let's do well together."
"Oh? Didn't you only shoot movies?"
"Well, yes, but a drama invested in by Notflix... isn't really a drama, hahaha..."
For a drama that Notflix invests in, the per-episode appearance fee rivals that of a Korean feature film.
On top of that, the vlog I'd done with Dad had played a big part.
So the contract that came my way even included an incentive clause tied to the show's performance.
To put it bluntly, it meant the incentive wasn't for my acting, but for my face.
Filming starts this October.
"I'm jealous~ I want a drama~"
"Ji-su doesn't exactly have a face for dramas."
"There's no such face!"
When Ji-su saw Actor Yoo Su-a nodding beside her, she puffed out her cheeks.
Whoa... this was my first time ever seeing Ji-su act cute.
"I heard you got cast in a movie too."
"It's a disaster film... but they evaluated me purely on my looks... boo."
Actor Yoo Su-a looked at Ji-su and said with a grin.
"I told you I'd give you personal coaching, didn't I?"
""Gasp.""
As expected, the Dreaming members never missed a single slip of the tongue.
When Yoo Su-a looked at her quizzically, Yua smiled maliciously.
"What exactly are you planning to do alone with our leader?!"
"...Excuse me?"
I joined in with the others.
"Whoa... our innocent leader almost just got kidnapped..."
"...Huh? What do you..."
Ji-su caught on to the situation, then covered herself theatrically with a horrified expression and backed away.
"Gasp! Is that what it was?"
"No! Why are you doing it too, Ji-su..."
While we were teasing Actor Yoo Su-a, Dad came to pick me up.
The moment Actor Yoo Su-a spotted Dad, as if gazing upon some great historical figure, his pupils dilated and he bowed a full ninety degrees, shouting.
"Hello!"
"Oh! Actor Yoo Su-a, I'm a fan."
Like the world star he was, Dad naturally reached out first for a handshake.
"It's an honor! I am really, truly a fan. Wow... to meet you in person..."
Holding Dad's hand, he gazed at him with intense emotion.
Maybe because Actor Yoo Su-a specialized in noir, that expectant gleam in his eye looked like he was about to pull a knife from his pocket.
"Wow... seeing you in person, it's kinda scary... haha."
"Oh! Is it...?"
"You have a gaze with real charm."
Actor Yoo Su-a fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a CD and a marker.
It seemed like he'd come to JSM prepared, just in case he ran into Dad.
"Could I... trouble you for an autograph."
"Wow, this one is really old..."
"I truly am a die-hard fan."
Ji-su said with a laugh.
"Su-a says he's been a fan for twenty-two years."
"Wow..."
"Even when he went on dates with me, he kept asking about you~ It's ridiculous."
"That's not right, with Ji-su right there? I'll scold him for you."
"Don't you dare!"
Ji-su hugged me, restraining me so I couldn't move.
Dad looked at me and smiled.
"All done playing?"
"Playing never really ends. You done with work, Dad?"
"Yep."
Actor Yoo Su-a looked at me and urgently sent me a pleading look.
As if to say, please don't go, let me talk a little longer.
I smirked and said,
"Dad, do you have anything to do?"
"Nope?"
"Then I'm gonna hang out with them a little longer~ You can stay here and watch me."
"Gotcha~"
Actor Yoo Su-a showed me that it was possible to express gratitude with just his eyes.
Actor Yoo Su-a could convey every expression with his eyes.
So this was the ability of one of Korea's top-class actors, I thought.