A Peaceful Day (3)
A Peaceful Day (3)
I was messing around dancing with the Dreaming members, and over in the corner, Dad was talking with Actor Yoo Su-a.
He looked as if even breathing the same air was an honor. When Dad started to look uncomfortable, Actor Yoo Su-a quickly noticed and composed himself.
Whether I danced or stood still, whatever I did, if I was in the same space, Dad had his eyes on me like he was trying to capture every single moment.
So no matter what he tried, Yoo Su-a wouldn't be able to steal Dad's attention.
And Yoo Su-a seemed to have caught on to that too.
Some time passed, and I walked up to Dad.
His eyes locked onto me as I approached.
"Ah... could I get your number..."
"Yes, of course."
When Dad focuses on me, he turns into the yes-man.
To the point that if someone wanted to borrow money from him, all they'd have to do is time it for when he was focused on me.
But as if to show that wasn't the only reason, Dad looked at Yoo Su-a and smiled.
"Are you free next week? Want to grab a drink?"
"What?! It would be an honor!!!"
"Ahaha, don't be like that, haha..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Haha..."
Off to the side, only Ji-su was embarrassed, watching her boyfriend.
The day of the Next-Door Hyungnim shoot.
I was getting full makeup done for the first time in a while.
Everyone marveled at me, saying that if I just took off the school uniform, I looked like a twenty-year-old college freshman.
"Wow..."
Even Dad, who sees me every single day, had his mouth hanging open at how I looked.
"What, am I prettier than Mom? I know it~"
"No, you're crossing the line, daughter."
"What're you saying, that's my mom."
"She's my wife?"
"I'm literally half Mom's blood. You're not even blood-related to Mom."
"Ever heard the saying 'closer than blood'?"
"Isn't 'blood is thicker than water' the more famous saying?"
Dad, as if refusing to lose, fired back one more.
"You've never even actually seen your mom..."
He realized his mistake instantly, and I did not let this opening slip.
"Right... just like you said, Dad... I've never seen Mom's face... I miss her... my mom..."
"I am sorry, but... Dad knows Mom way better."
"Wow, refusing to lose to the bitter end... against your one and only daughter."
Just then, the makeup artist spoke.
"Si-yoon, stop smiling for a moment."
"Yep."
"Okay... I win..."
'Ugh... if only I didn't have makeup on right now...'
After a long session, my face was practically glowing.
"Whoa, there it is."
"You like it?"
"Of course!"
"Si-yoon's hair is in such good condition... We'll just use extensions as an accent, and since your ears are pretty, how about pinning it so only one ear shows?"
"Yep."
"Also, your skin is so pale that a choker would look amazing on you. Just a moment."
The artist fastened a black band, like a dog collar, around my neck.
The black band and a pendant hanging from a slightly longer necklace formed a triangle, adorning my neck.
"Wow~"
Looking in the mirror, it was a level of glamour that could easily have been too much, but it melded naturally into my face.
"Oh..."
"Since you're a student, let's be content with the earrings you're already wearing."
"Yep."
Following the artist's touch, I got all decked out here and there and then started messing around with Dad.
"Si-yoon, look here."
"Just take the picture."
Dad wandered around, snapping photos of my face.
And then, out of nowhere, he started a live stream.
"Hello~ I turned it on to do a short stream~"
Seeing Dad in his school uniform, the viewers guessed that it was the Next-Door Hyungnim shoot.
Dad was filming me for the vlog.
"Get that out of my face."
"Whyyy~? Huh? Everyone suddenly went quiet."
Right now, with the white hair extensions and even lenses in, I was giving off an intensely mystical vibe.
Enough that looking in the mirror, the word 'wow...' was all that came out, and words failed me...
When I glanced over at Dad's phone, the chat suddenly exploded with such firepower that Dad panicked.
"Huh...? The stream crashed... the screen's not turning on..."
"Heh... as expected of my beauty, even the machines can't handle it..."
Dad turned off his phone and sat down next to me.
"What do you want to eat after this?"
"Hmm... I am kind of craving something a little greasy. Want to get chicken?"
"Chicken? Sounds good. Want to go out for it, since it's been a while?"
"Sure."
The Next-Door Hyungnim broadcast started, and Dad went into the classroom set first.
"Oh! It's Ji-ho!"
A young man said upon seeing Dad.
"Long time no see~"
""Why'd you come alone~ Bring Si-yoon!""
Dad looked at the Next-Door Hyungnim members and sighed.
"Hmph... but I'm a guest too..."
"You've been on plenty of times."
The members kept asking for me, and I made my entrance right on the PD's cue.
I felt like every light in the place was trained on me, and with the perfect makeup, every single person—celebrities, staff, director—had their mouths open.
"Haaah... hey~"
In the quiet space where only sighs lingered, the debt-ridden man sitting in the back spoke.
"You really are... beautiful..."
If before the makeup I was flaunting visuals that made me hard to approach, now I was flaunting visuals that exuded mystique.
In the silence-filled space, I tilted my head, and another wave of sighs rippled out.
'This reaction was a bit much, wasn't it?'
I seriously felt like I had turned into a nine-tailed fox.
I snapped my fingers with a sharp click!
"Nice to meet you. I'm Dad's daughter. Search me up if you're curious. You know?"
It was a self-introduction where I didn't even say my name, but that alone was enough for them to know who I was.
Kang In-seong, deploying his professional spirit to break the silence, opened his mouth.
"Wow~ you've gotten so pretty. They say Si-yoon is super hot on the internet lately."
"Right, I dunno who came up with it, but they're calling her Korea's Princess?"
Thanks to Kang In-seong's help, everyone seemed to find their voices again.
"So which one of us is the prince, then."
"You guys being the princes is... a bit much, no?"
"Still, the one who comes closest to Si-yoon's ideal type."
"She's a minor. Asking that kind of thing is a crime~ Do I have to tell you this every time you come on?"
"".....""
"Ahaha."
I was leaning against the teacher's desk, bouncing my legs restlessly.
Dad placed his hand on my head, then realizing it had been sprayed with product, pulled his hand away and laughed as he spoke.
"Si-yoon is a real fan of In-seong."
"Si-yoon~ really~ you're my fan?"
I stared at Kang In-seong, who was acting as cute as he possibly could.
"Don't... ask with that look on your face. I feel like I'm gonna stop being a fan."
"...Got it..."
"As everyone knows, I'm really bad at expressing affection, so you have to watch me for a long time if you want me to do it."
A tall man spoke up from the back.
"Si-yoon, there's that famous meme, right? Is that real?"
"Which one?"
The tall man and the handsome man said at the same time.
""Wallet.""
"Wallet? Oh~ my wallet?"
"Yeah, it got super famous, didn't it."
"People keep assuming Dad's the one who fills it for me..."
"So it's not?"
I looked at the handsome man and said,
"Honestly, it is true that I'm a second-generation chaebol, but cash-wise, I only get 100,000 won a month from Dad?"
"Then what is that."
"A hundred thousand won a month over ten years is 12 million won... honestly, where would I even spend cash. It just piles up in my wallet as is."
"Ah~ so what was in the vlog was just part of it?"
"Yep. And honestly, even if Dad went broke, I could easily make as much on my own as the two of us are spending now."
To change the mood, I looked at a photo behind us.
The drawing I'd done on the chalkboard, and a photo of all of us together, posed exactly like the drawing.
"Did you erase that drawing the second I left?"
"...Huh?"
"I was kinda... disappointed. I drew it with a lot of focus..."
Just then, the young man pointed a finger behind me and said,
"No, it's over there."
Dad and I turned around as the green panel of the chalkboard lifted, revealing my earlier drawing sealed behind an acrylic panel.
"Oh?"
"Whoa~"
It was so fascinating that I started to head out of the studio to see the back, but Dad grabbed my arm.
"Calm down."
"Ahaha."
Just then, the handsome man spoke.
"Oh right, when Yua and Rije were on before, they said they learned a dance from Si-yoon?"
I was wearing sweatpants under my skirt, and I smiled with my chin resting in my hand.
"Want me to show you?"
At the crowd's cheering, I came out in front of the teacher's desk, and Dad averted his gaze.
Using my trademark looks, I rode the beat acting haughty and demure,
then launched into a silly, wide-legged dance on beat, lifting one leg at a time and shaking my hips like I was flicking them.
With both hands clasped behind my back, my figure was emphasized, and if you only looked at my upper body, I looked haughty,
but above all, my lower body fluttering to the beat stole the show.
""Ahahaha!""
I had no idea.
That this dance, which I did laughing and joking around up until this point, would become so famous it would be called the 'SIYUN Bounce'...
Dad faced forward, made eye contact with Kang In-seong, and nodded.
"As expected, since Si-yoon is the main event, I'll go first."
Following Dad's gesture, I sat down on the desk at the very front.
"Hey, hey~"
Every time I see Kang In-seong up close, I'm struck by how naturally massive his build is.
Kang In-seong took my small hand and shook it.
Just then, as if to say 'pay attention to me,' Dad slammed the teacher's desk with a toy hammer.
"Focus!! I'm going to ask questions. Since Si-yoon got older, I've been doing this one or two times a week lately. I think I do it too much, so it's a problem."
"Me, me! I know this one."
I raised my hand urgently, and Dad pointed the toy hammer at me.
"Not you."
But I didn't give up, and I said an answer completely different from what Dad was expecting.
"I respect it, but don't do it too much, your bones will decay."
"Hey!!!"
Dad came over to me and smacked me with the toy hammer.
People were giggling.
Then the tall man said,
"Working out!"
"He does that every day."
"Hmm... so if you do this, is there a physical change?"
"Yeah, sometimes my body turns red. When I do it too much, there are times I can't even pull myself together."
Everyone was smirking sleazily; they must all be thinking the same thing as me.
"Whoa... still, Mom has to get permission from me. Got it?"
"You! Don't say stuff like that!"
Dad smacked my head with the toy hammer.
"Huh? You don't mean... Dad's becoming a second one... right...?"
I felt a flash of killing intent rise in Dad's eyes, and the power behind the toy hammer intensified.
"Ah! Hit me more~"
"You crazy—hold the cameras for a second. You, follow me."
"Ahaha, what's wrong! It's just a show—don't take it so seriously~"
Dad, seemingly unable to handle my teasing anymore, quickly gave a hint.
"It's eating!"
"Whoa... e-eating it?"
Dad suddenly went red in the face and rushed over to cover my mouth.
"Ahaha... the answer is alcohol. I've been drinking lately. Let's move on to the next question."
Everyone burst out laughing and gave me high-fives.
Dad narrowed his eyes and glared at me, then pointed with the toy hammer.
"Kim Si-yoon, stay quiet."
"Wow, I have to get my screen time too, you know?"
At my words, the short man behind me nodded.
"She's got a point~!"
Dad hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"No... it's because I was afraid you'd guess too easily."
"Okay, Kim Ji-ho, let's hear it."
"You... just wait until we get home."
"Wow... to your grown daughter."
Dad chuckled and read from the prepared script.
"When Si-yoon turned 17, we fought once because of this."
I immediately recalled the fight I'd had with Dad and spoke to him.
"Whoa! I have plenty to say about that too. Let's talk it out here and let everyone decide who's right."
"Yeah, that's why I brought it. Why else?"
Since no one here had raised a daughter, they all started struggling quite a bit, unable to guess the right answer.
Then the tall man said,
"Where is she going?"
"Hmm... something that becomes a problem depending on where you go."
"Ah! I think it's something you wear? Like, maybe skirt length?"
"Oh! Correct."
I smoothly stood right up and went to stand next to Dad.
"Look, look. Even this one, Dad said it was super short and gave me flak, so I made it as long as possible."
"Dad was trying to dress me in a jeogori or something. Below the knee makes no sense, right?"
Even though I expressed my innermost feelings as earnestly as I could, no one here was on my side.
The short man spoke as the representative.
"Come on, of course a student's skirt should go below the knees."
"Right?!"
"Back in my day, it went down to the ankles."
Dad started laughing brightly, and I muttered quietly.
"Okay then, raise your hand if you think wearing it long is right."
People glanced around and started raising their hands one by one.
"You. And you. I've seen you look at plenty of short skirts on your girlfriends. Put them down."
"".....""
"Who said I'm showing my whole legs? Two-thirds of the thigh—even this is considered really long these days."
Dad shot back as if refuting me.
"Si-yoon's school skirt isn't tight. It kind of flares out. Seriously, when you go up the stairs, your whole ass is visible."
If there was one thing I'd overlooked, it was that the average age of these men was mid-forties.
"Come on, Si-yoon, that's too much."
"...Ha, okay. Starting next time, I'll show up in a skirt that goes down to my ankles."
I looked at the PD and said,
"From now on, all female guests must wear skirts down to their ankles. Understood?"
"".....""
Dad and I smoothly swapped places, and it became my turn,
but the slate was clapped immediately.
My last line brought us to a break.
Next-Door Hyungnim's filming style is mostly free-form, but there are fixed transition points.
"Wow, Si-yoon, that was really great."
"There wasn't a gap to get a word in."
"Thank you~"
After taking photos with everyone, I went to the restroom.
Because Next-Door Hyungnim shoots eat up a lot of time.
When I got back, everyone was chatting in a warm, friendly atmosphere.
The shoot started again, and it proceeded with me asking questions and bantering and joking around.
At the end, as usual, we introduced Dad's new song, played a game, and the shoot wrapped up.
The shoot ended, and late at night, Dad and I arrived at a nearly empty chicken place.
"Daughter, you seem more and more like a natural for broadcasting as the days go by."
"Yeah? It was fun, as expected."
"Hahaha."
Since my makeup was still on, with my glamorous face, Dad was busy taking pictures of me.
I idly touched the black band fastened around my neck.
Dad had thought it would look good on me and had spoken directly to Uncle Jang Seong-man to get it.
Dad ordered half a chicken each of four different kinds.
He kept looking at beer pictures as if showing off.
"Dad, just drink a beer."
"Should I?"
"Just the look on your face totally gives away that you're dying for one?"
"Haha... was it that obvious?"
"Yeah, super. A lot."
Dad nodded and ordered a beer.
"Sigh... I wish I could drink even half what you can, Dad..."
"I think Dad would be way more shocked if you drank like that...?"
"Honestly, passing out somewhere is more dangerous."
"Come on, not being able to drink at all is actually less dangerous than being able to drink a little. You won't even touch a drop of alcohol?"
"...That's true."
I drank my cider and looked outside.
In the heart of Seoul, the people moving around felt incredibly busy.
"Should I try working at a company when I'm older?"
"You're too... famous for that now."
"Right...? Too bad~"
Unlike the busy people outside, we wrapped up the day leisurely eating chicken.