The Kids' Resolve.

Winter break flew by while I was filming the drama titled My Love Was a Gumiho.

During that time, thanks to the zombie movie, I attended a ton of film festivals.

Maybe because this film pulled in so much investment from overseas, it ended up way more famous abroad than I ever expected.

After I wrapped up my hectic schedule, plenty happened in the middle of shooting My Love Was a Gumiho.

The most memorable incident of all...

was the actress Lee Ho-yeon.

Actress Lee Ho-yeon.

She was playing the former girlfriend of the male lead who gets bewitched by the gumiho. A supporting role that was practically a lead, and an actress with a bright future ahead of her who was getting plenty of love.

'If only she hadn't pulled that crap with me, that is...'

On the first day of shooting, after I finished my makeup, I was taking pictures with Dad and waiting for my turn.

But Lee Ho-yeon, whose scene was supposed to be filmed before mine, still hadn't appeared as time passed.

Everyone was worried at first, but eventually, the atmosphere went completely south because of Lee Ho-yeon, who was off the grid with no word.

The reason, apparently, was the simple fact that the actors shooting that day were low on the totem pole.

Since even the male lead was an idol from Dad's company.

In short, she was coming late on purpose to put the other actors in their place.

Thanks to that, Dad's face started to sour by the second.

I put on a stark-white wig, drew on pink eyeliner, fitted pointed fangs and fox ears, and finished my gumiho makeup. Then I smiled, told Dad it was fine, and stroked his hair.

Dad looked at me in full makeup, seemed to cheer up, gave an awkward smile, and touched my soft cheek.

And so I was messing around filming videos with Dad.

Time passed, and when we were forced to wait another thirty minutes, I finally walked up to the director.

"Si-yoon... I'm so sorry. They keep saying she'll be here soon, so why isn't she coming?"

"You heard I didn't want to do this project at first, right...? Or didn't you?"

"......"

"Did you see what Director Yoo Dae-yeon mentioned? And the photo I sent you?"

That photo was of a document, kind of like a contract, that I'd given to Director Yoo Dae-yeon.

I leaned in and whispered into the flustered director's ear.

"Tell her if she's not here in five minutes, I'm out~ Say we can just find another child actress and start over..."

When I smiled brightly—wearing the white wig, the ears, the full gumiho getup—the director flinched and immediately called Lee Ho-yeon.

But Lee Ho-yeon, whose pride was wounded from hearing that kind of talk from a little kid, still hadn't shown up five minutes later.

"Dad~ let's go~"

"Huh?"

"I said let's go. I gave them a heads-up."

Seeing that I was upset, Dad couldn't hide his rage any longer.

"Okay..."

The instant exactly five minutes had passed, we got up and walked out without a single second of hesitation.

The director, panicked by that sight, started frantically dialing everyone from Lee Ho-yeon's agency to the people around her.

But the ship had already sailed.

The people on that "island" of a filming set didn't yet know that a much bigger disaster was about to hit.

Jang Seong-man, having learned why I had left, announced the start of the disaster.

The male lead, an idol-turned-actor, was under JSM, and Jang Seong-man decided to pull the male lead from the project without a trace of hesitation.

With the lead actor's departure, everyone there started to understand, with perfect clarity, exactly whose daughter they had messed with in the Republic of Korea's entertainment industry.

I'll admit it.

People naturally want to do to others what's been done to them.

I know that feeling well—wanting to be respected, wanting to reign over others.

But I had zero lingering attachment, and I just quit because I didn't feel like being walked on.

Even if I had known the fallout beforehand, this was a choice she made herself.

The only thing was, Kim Ji-ho's influence in the Korean entertainment industry turned out to be a lot more overwhelming than I'd thought.

I realized Dad hadn't been running around making appearances on every variety show under the sun for nothing.

Lee Ho-yeon and her company scrambled all over trying to apologize, but all they heard in return, over and over, was to apologize to me directly. So eventually, they tracked me down in person.

I don't know how she found out, but Lee Ho-yeon came to apologize when Dad wasn't around.

Only her so-called apology sounded like, "I was so busy that I was late," as though she had done nothing wrong...

What did she mean, "big sister"...? She looked at least twenty years older than me, but I couldn't exactly let that show on my face.

"Ah... okay."

"Still, I was in the wrong, so you understand, right, Si-yoon?"

"I never cared in the first place, so whatever."

Lee Ho-yeon must have thought the apology was wrapped up, because she turned and left looking satisfied. I just stared at her, dumbfounded.

If what had happened up to now was the mild squall called JSM...

the "storm" brought on by Hanseong now started up all over again.

After that, the Hanseong Group, which had invested in this drama, also decided to pull out.

The sudden, completely out-of-nowhere contract termination by the Hanseong Group was more than enough to make every involved party's head spin.

And that wasn't the end of it.

Kim Seon-hwa personally told the company and the people connected to Lee Ho-yeon, "You never know how contracts will turn out, do you? Anyway, I feel so sorry for our Si-yoon..."

Because of this, Lee Ho-yeon and her company suddenly had a fire to put out right at their feet.

I was curious about how long Lee Ho-yeon would keep up that attitude...

But with the situation getting only more serious, Lee Ho-yeon, for once showing some wisdom, didn't make things any worse.

I actually wanted Lee Ho-yeon to come back with that whole song and dance again about "isn't this a bit much over a little tardiness,"

but Lee Ho-yeon offered an apology, and it all ended. What a crushing disappointment.

Everyone who'd been wondering why Hanseong had suddenly moved found out the reason.

That Dad and the heir to the Hanseong Group were like brothers...

In the end, they promised me every last bit of compensation.

Since things had already blown up this far, I decided I might as well bleed them dry down to the flea's liver and demanded compensation accordingly.

Lee Ho-yeon's company accepted every single one of my demands before the situation could get any bigger.

It was only then that I got another apology from Lee Ho-yeon, this time actually sounding sincere...

And as if nothing had ever happened, once the situation returned to normal, every single person on set spent the entire drama shoot walking on eggshells around an eight-year-old girl.

Oh, and while it goes without saying, Lee Ho-yeon was replaced with a different actress.

Anyway, that was the little incident we had.

'This... feels like I've actually turned into a princess...'

As I was lying on the sofa, momentarily reminiscing about the past and watching TV, Dad touched my stomach.

"Your hand's cold. I'm at a sensitive age; you'll give me diarrhea."

"Ah?! Sorry, my hand was cold."

Dad stared at my slightly bulging white belly.

"Dad, snack."

"Huh? You've got to eat dinner in an hour."

I rolled around on the sofa, farted in Dad's direction,

then kicked off from the sofa, sprang up, and stretched.

"Time for some games~"

"You've got school tomorrow. You ready for everything?"

"What's there to get ready for a place where little brats just go to play? Wonder what Ji-hoon's up to."

I fiddled with my phone and went into the gaming room Dad had set up for me.

Alpha and Beta followed me around, and when Dad tried to follow too, I shut him down.

"Don't come in."

"Why~ let's play together~"

"Can't cuss when I'm playing with you."

At my answer, Dad gave an awkward sad-puppy smile.

"Si-yoon... aren't you being a little... too honest?"

That was how "Si-yoon's Dad" got kicked out of the room in the Maple Leaf Game.

A new school year began when I turned nine.

Seeing Park Ji-hoon again after so long made revulsion well up inside me.

What was I supposed to make of those eyes, gazing at me so soulfully from that fugly face of his?

I wanted to lift my hand and lightly press down on both of his eyes,

but my fingers probably wouldn't even fit anyway because of those tiny little eyes of his.

While I was thinking all this, Ji-hoon was still staring at me, and the disgust got to be too much, so I spoke up.

"What're you looking at?"

"You get prettier every day."

A cold chill ran from my tailbone all the way up to the back of my head, like spikes sprouting, and I felt goosebumps break out all over.

I grabbed my pen, thinking I'd put a hole through Ji-hoon's face,

but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, not with the image of Ji-hoon's mother, who kept sending me side dishes, flashing through my mind. The pen never made it to Ji-hoon's face.

However, Ji-hoon, whose reflexes had gotten faster, sensed my killing intent and tried to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dodge, only to topple backward on his own.

With the new school year starting, class kicked off right away with a new teacher.

Seeing the passion for studying here, I thought, Ah, so this is why people go on about private schools, private schools.

I was spinning my pen, thinking about the past.

Back then, I could count on one hand the people around me who had even finished elementary school.

There were plenty of people who couldn't even read, even after graduating elementary school.

Of course, I was a middle-school dropout myself.

So just as I was feeling rather proud of how smart I'd been back then,

Ji-hoon, sitting next ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to me, wasn't focusing on his studies. He tried to spin his pen like me and failed.

"Dumbass."

I said it without thinking, but it was more than loud enough to ring out in the quiet classroom.

Startled by all the eyes on me, I clapped a hand over my mouth without realizing it.

"".....""

But that teacher, the one teaching social studies—why were her eyes sparkling at the moment she should've been chewing me out?

Probably because she'd watched Ga-in from the zombie movie and been deeply impressed.

Clearing her throat with an "ahem," the teacher finally grasped the situation and sent me to stand at the back.

I was fully aware that I was the one who created this situation, and that it all happened because of me...

But watching Ji-hoon keep glancing back at me, snickering to himself...

I felt something surging and churning up from my chest.

That little bastard, back in the past, when he'd found out I was a middle-school dropout, he'd sneered at me, saying he was a high-school dropout himself.

You'd think a pair of dumbasses would have nothing to measure against each other, but...

Back then, I beat him within an inch of his life to teach that young Jae-hyeong a thing or two about taking responsibility for his words.

I stood there for about ten minutes before I came back and sat down, and Ji-hoon kept his face perfectly blank, probably afraid of getting hit.

I waited a decent amount of time so as not to arouse suspicion, and while the teacher was reading from the book,

I faced forward, mentally calculated the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠direction of Ji-hoon's jaw, then just let it fly and smashed Park Ji-hoon's jaw while he had his guard down.

Thwock.

My fist landed cleanly and precisely, without hesitation.

A very faint sound was heard, but the result was anything but. As if he'd been hit with a tranquilizer dart, Ji-hoon blacked out for a second and slowly toppled sideways.

Flop.

I looked at Ji-hoon and shouted with a horrified expression.

"H-Huhk! Ji-hoon! What's wrong?!"

I gave Ji-hoon a live demonstration that I hadn't earned the title of the nation's top child actress for nothing.

The social studies teacher panicked at the sight of Ji-hoon suddenly collapsing and my horrified expression, then carried him to the nurse's office.

Feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over me, like I'd just chased down a bowl of soup with a shot of soju, I opened my social studies textbook.

Time passed, and before I knew it, it was time for swimming. We were all in our swimsuits, doing warm-up stretches.

Park Ji-hoon was happily chatting with a kid he'd been close to, apparently pleased that they were in the same class.

And right then, another little kid who wanted to mess with Ji-hoon came up behind him.

Curious about what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he was going to do, I glanced over, and the kid behind him suddenly yanked Park Ji-hoon's swim trunks down.

Startled, Ji-hoon pulled his trunks up and cussed the kid out.

The swimming teacher warned them to get back to their spots over the commotion, but...

I saw it...

Why Park Ji-hoon was always so secretive about his junk. Why he was hiding it, unlike in the past.

On Ji-hoon's body, I saw a tiny shrimp, small enough to go on a McDonald's Shrimp Burger.

"Pfft—bastard, it's fucking tiny."

"..."

At my low voice, Ji-hoon went stiff as a board, his expression freezing solid.

"No wonder you covered it up in kindergarten, you little sh—ahahaha!"

"Shut up..."

I collapsed onto the floor, cackling and losing it, when the teacher came over.

"Kim Si-yoon!"

The swimming teacher came over, but I was clutching my stomach and gasping so hard I could barely breathe, so she tried to calm me down.

"Si-yoon, what's wrong?"

"He... ahaha. Ji-hoon—ahaha!"

Ji-hoon, who'd been standing nearby, rushed over and covered my mouth.

When the swimming teacher looked at Ji-hoon, he laughed awkwardly.

"I farted and Si-yoon just started..."

"Ah... really?"

"Yes... embarrassing, really..."

The swimming teacher looked at Ji-hoon, whose face had gone bright red, then nodded and returned to her spot.

As I was wiping away tears and laughing, Park Ji-hoon's face turned dead serious.

"This fucker's got an ugly-ass face and even his dick— pfft-fuck... keu-heup."

Park Ji-hoon, genuinely angry now, was trembling all over.

Suddenly, Ji-hoon kicked me in the leg.

The teacher spotted this and came running over, stopping Ji-hoon before he could jump me.

"Let go!!!"

Ji-hoon, worked up, really wanted to get at least one punch in on my face and came charging, dodging the teacher.

And as the fist shot out, I lightly dodged Ji-hoon's punch.

Even after the teacher pulled him off me, Ji-hoon was still glaring at my face with an expression full of killing intent.

Seeing Ji-hoon really and truly furious, I raised my hand as if to tell him to calm down and apologized.

"Sorry."

"......"

"But... you were so freaki—pfft."

With my overwhelming memory, the scene came back to me, and I couldn't hold in the laughter. Park Ji-hoon lunged at me again.

"FUUUUUCK!!!!"