SIYUN - In her brain.
SIYUN - In her brain.
When lunchtime came and Ji-hoon and I started heading for the snack bar, Ji-yeong was hanging back, hesitating.
I spotted that and dragged Ji-yeong with me to the snack bar.
"Grab whatever."
"Really...? My mom told me not to eat stuff other people buy me..."
I looked over at Park Ji-hoon. Ji-yeong, who'd followed my gaze to Ji-hoon, was at a loss for words.
That bastard always scarfed down his own body weight for lunch.
"Look at him. Just grab whatever."
"Okay..."
I was eating bread and strawberry milk when Park Ji-hoon walked over, having heated up some kind of pizza bread.
Ji-hoon openly stared at Ji-yeong.
"Whoa, you made a friend?"
Park Ji-hoon looked at me and snorted a laugh.
I spoke quietly to Ji-yeong, who was glancing around nervously.
"Just ignore that moron."
At my words, Ji-yeong gave me a deeply serious look.
"...That's a bad word, though..."
"No, you can use it for a moron. It's like calling a pig a pig. He is a moron."
"...It's... a bad word... though..."
Disappointing.
I'd wanted some other brat, not me, to call Park Ji-hoon a moron...
How can she be this innocent...
I watched the kid drinking her milk and snorted a laugh.
Park Ji-hoon kept cramming bread into his mouth until his cheeks looked ready to burst, then chugged some cola.
"Good?"
"Mmm, so good~ pizza bread, nom."
Watching Ji-hoon turn more and more into a moron... geez, it honestly made me wonder if this guy was really the same bastard who reincarnated with me.
He was just a straight-up ten-year-old who worked out a bit.
Looking at Park Ji-hoon acting his age, I almost felt like I should take notes.
I admitted it.
To anyone watching, he was clearly a ten-year-old...
I glanced at Ji-yeong, who was eating cautiously, and said,
"Eat more if you're hungry. You gotta eat a lot to grow fast."
"Huh? I'm fine, this is a lot already, okay?"
Then I looked at Park Ji-hoon, whose body was growing noticeably by the day.
"You trying to hit two meters?"
"Whoa, totally my goal."
Right now, Ji-hoon was a full head taller than the other kids.
A full head taller than me, too.
"So when's the eye surgery?"
"This summer break. And I'm getting braces, too, apparently."
I stared at the crooked tooth Ji-hoon stuck out to show me.
"Brush your teeth, you yellow mess. Disgusting as hell."
"Pfft."
Ji-yeong laughed beside me, and Ji-hoon, still eating his bread, gave her a flat stare.
Ji-yeong flinched and averted her eyes.
Ji-hoon had a reputation among the little kids as a thug who did nothing but fight.
"Ever been in a fight besides when you're with me?"
"A while back, some fifth-graders warned me to stop hanging around you since I look like crap. One time."
"How many."
"Three."
"You sound proud as hell. You like beating up little kids?"
"Wow... fuck, who did I fight because of? I figured you'd at least be moved. And I didn't beat them up, I disciplined them."
I drank my strawberry milk and looked at Ji-yeong.
"...?"
"Wanna go play piano?"
"Next... we have Korean class, though?"
"You're a piano major."
"Yeah... but you..."
"I don't care."
Ji-hoon, who'd been listening to our conversation while eating, spoke up.
"Wow... ditching me again."
"You go work out after school now."
"Mmm, busted~"
'Is this guy a fucking lunatic or what...'
I stared at Ji-hoon like he was a bug and left, taking Ji-yeong with me.
"I'm not done eating yet!!!"
"Screw off."
Ji-hoon mulled it over with a serious face, then abandoned his food and came running after me.
I took Ji-yeong to the music room.
The music teacher lit up the moment she spotted me.
"Next class is with the 2-4 homeroom teacher, the Korean teacher. Please tell him I'm here."
As long as I let them know I was still on school grounds, the teachers didn't interfere with whatever I did.
My grades played a part, but the teaching philosophy of this private elementary school in Seoul, which prioritized helping kids' talents bloom, was also a big factor.
Ji-yeong's piano skills were beyond what I expected. She played surprisingly well, which caught me off guard.
"Oh... you're pretty good?"
"No, I'm not..."
I stood beside Ji-yeong, whose face had gone red, and watched along with the music teacher.
Dad took me to the U.S. to attend the Krammy Awards.
It was my first time on a plane in this life, and a lot had changed compared to the planes of my past.
The interior was impossibly clean, and there was no smell, which genuinely surprised me.
"Whoa."
"Si-yoon, first time on a plane, right?"
"Yeah."
"You gotta take your shoes off, you know?"
"Oh, really?"
When I naturally slipped my shoes off at the entrance, the flight attendant laughed.
"...?"
I tilted my head, and Dad cracked up.
"What?"
"You're not actually supposed to take your shoes off."
"You're not?"
I picked up my shoes without a word and put them back on.
Dad, who had lived with me for nine years, picked up on my mood and rushed to speak.
"Si-yoon, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Could happen to anyone."
Dad tried to put a hand on my shoulder, so I swatted it away—smack!—quick and light.
"Si-yoon!"
The flight attendant, who was watching, said quietly,
"You're exactly like you are in your vlogs..."
"Ahaha..."
I gave Dad a deadpan stare while he laughed awkwardly.
"Laughing...?"
Dad ended up having to wait on me hand and foot the whole flight to the U.S.
Since it was my first trip abroad, Dad had one of his managers along.
They talked a lot, so he must've been one of the JSM managers close with Dad.
Dad kept trying to carry me around, a fully grown 120-centimeter kid.
"Dad."
"Yeah?"
"Food."
"Hungry? Wanna go eat pizza?"
"Pizza? Sure, let's do that."
The second we sat down in the restaurant, Dad ordered.
A little later, a huge pizza and three colas came out.
I grabbed a slice bigger than my face and took a bite. It was tastier than I'd expected, and I made a satisfied face.
Dad captured the moment in a picture.
"Quit taking pictures, will you? My face is gonna wear out."
"No way~ I've gotta save moments like this."
That was when a Black man who'd been stealing glances at me came over.
The manager tensed up.
The man walked up and spoke to me in awkward Korean.
"Ga-in... right?"
"Hi~"
"I saw Zombie movie, so awesome! I'm a really big fan!"
Hearing that he was a fan, Dad let his guard down and laughed awkwardly.
I chewed over the pizza in my mouth, gave the man an autograph, and then took a picture with him and Dad, the three of us together.
The man checked Dad's face in the photo and did a double take.
"Ji... Ji-ho...? Your Father? Oh my god..."
Dad laughed awkwardly, and more people began to approach, recognizing my dad, who was even more famous than me.
I chewed my pizza and watched the scene.
Only after the crowd dispersed, and Dad had given an autograph even to the shop owner, did he sit down to talk with his manager.
"See, this is why I said we should bring a bodyguard."
"...I didn't think I'd get recognized..."
"You hit number one on the Billboard chart, and you didn't think you'd get recognized? Gotta say... that's something."
"Normally, people here have trouble telling Asian faces apart..."
"Does it make sense to compare regular people to someone who's hit number one on the Billboard chart..."
Dad scooped cream cheese onto his cold pizza and ate it like a guilty man. The manager watched him and said,
"Anyway, bodyguards will be with us starting tomorrow."
"...I was planning to take Si-yoon sightseeing..."
"Don't you drag Si-yoon into danger."
"Yeah..."
Dad seemed to fully realize we were in the U.S. now, and we headed to our prepared lodgings.
People greeted us the moment we arrived, and I even spotted some of the foreigners I often saw on Neotube.
We went into our hotel room and settled in. Dad poked my nose as I lay down to sleep.
"Stop it, okay?"
"Whhhhyyyyy~"
I told my dad firmly as he tried to act cute.
"Go sleep on the sofa over there."
"Sorry."
The next day, Dad, who'd accepted a talk show gig while we were here, got dressed neatly and began to fret.
"Ji-ho, we're out of time. We've gotta go."
"Hang on, just a minute. Si-yoon's clothes..."
Dad tried one outfit on me after another and agonized for ages.
"Can we go now?"
In the end, Dad settled on the outfit I was currently wearing, scooped me up, and went outside.
A car was waiting out front of the hotel.
We got in and drove. Buildings that looked like factories appeared, and we followed a guide inside.
There, we were greeted by the talk show host, some foreign guy in a suit called 'Jamin.'
After a brief chat and a rehearsal, the talk show began.
"It is no exaggeration to say this man is sweeping the Billboard charts. Please welcome Mr. Kim Ji-ho."
Dad walked out to massive cheers, waving.
"Hello."
"Wow, I've heard it's harder to see you in person than the president."
"Ahaha..."
Dad sat naturally and comfortably on the sofa and crossed his legs.
"It was truly difficult to invite you. The reason, of course..."
"My daughter. She's too young, so it's hard to leave her by herself."
Jamin nodded and said,
"They say that to invite Mr. Ji-ho, you have to invite his daughter as well."
"Let me introduce her once more! The little Barbie doll of South Korea, Miss Kim Si-yoon. Please come out!"
I walked in wrinkling my face like I was displeased.
But even that drew cheers from the crowd.
"Is something bothering you?"
"Haah... Why am I a doll?"
On the huge screen, my nine-tailed fox costume makeup appeared—me shaking my hips and swishing the skirt of my hanbok.
Boing-boing sound effects had been added, too.
"This clip is hot in the U.S. right now, too, isn't it? Even if people don't know the name Si-yoon, plenty know this meme."
"That's my dad's favorite thing I do."
Dad jumped in surprise at my abrupt answer.
"Since when!"
"See?"
Thanks to the back-and-forth between Dad and me, the show flowed along naturally.
"Mr. Ji-ho, you're attending the Krammy Awards this time. How does it feel?"
"Simply participating is something I'm truly grateful for, and it's an honor. But Si-yoon is more important to me. I want to go back to Korea soon."
"Oh... aren't you doing quite well right now?"
"I've never spent a night away from home with Si-yoon, so I'm starting to feel anxious..."
"Ahaha, so that's why you haven't made public appearances for ten years."
Dad smiled, looked at me, and touched my nose.
He seemed to be touching my nose a lot lately, but I could allow that much.
"If Si-yoon weren't here, I probably wouldn't be either. It was honestly very hard for me."
"".....""
A brief silence, about three seconds long, settled, and my eyes met Dad's as he smiled at me.
"What."
Kim Ji-ho snorted a laugh at my words and looked at the camera.
"Si-yoon is a blessing, more than I deserve."
Jamin smiled at the sight and said,
"Mr. Ji-ho, there are a lot of rumors that this new song was written after a fight with your daughter."
"Oh! I saw a lot of those comments, too. That people can tell when and under what circumstances I wrote a song just by listening to it... truly amazing."
"So, is it true? They say the songs you write after a fight lately are intoxicated with the thrill of victory..."
"Si-yoon just lets me win."
I was playing with my dad's outstretched fingers. Jamin saw this and asked me,
"Did you know that your 'In Her Brain' piece number 137 has now surpassed a million dollars?"
"I know. It's probably the synergy from Dad being famous too... I guess a lot of people have money to burn."
"Ahaha, no, that means the work is just that good."
The talk show drew to a close, naturally finishing with a performance by Dad.
Famous people invited Dad to events and took photos with him, while he showed me around America.
And on the final day, we attended the Krammy Awards ceremony.
Dad won the grand prize at the Krammy Awards and became a global celebrity.
Not that anything changed, thanks to Dad still never going out anyway.
Dad, wearing a tank top, was brushing Alpha and Beta.
"Si-yoon~"
"Yeah?"
"Can you bring me a bag to put the fur in?"
I went into the storage room. My height had increased, so I could now reach a shelf that used to be too high to grab a bag from, and I handed it to Dad.
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Not really? Pizza?"
I opened the fridge and grabbed a spoonable yogurt.
I peeled off the lid, got a spoon, and was eating it little by little when Alpha and Beta came over.
"This isn't yours, you know?"
"Si-yoon."
"Yeah?"
"Want to cut your hair just a little?"
Dad was looking at my hair, which reached down past my hips.
Thanks to my long hair, I had to sweep the back section forward whenever I sat down.
I shook my head, making my hair swing, and said,
"I don't care if you cut off a lot."
"No way. Si-yoon is pretty with long hair, you know. Let's just go get it cut to your waist~"
"Fine."
I answered while watching the news.
Time passed, and we were ten days away from summer break.
At last, Beusa, the organization hosting the World Art Competition in Sydney, Australia, contacted Teacher Go Min-su.
Because I had the 'SIYUN - In Her Brain' series, there was no verification process needed to confirm I was the artist.
I had already ascended to the ranks of recognized painters.
Interview requests came flooding in, but Jang Seong-man and Dad cut them all off.
Then one day, someone from Beusa contacted me directly.
"Hello."
A voice spoke in English. I answered in English.
-"Is that Si-yoon?"
"Yeah."
-"You must come to Australia, because get a prize and money."
"Ask my father."
-"Umm... He said no..."
"Right, I won't go there."
At my firm voice, the Beusa employee spoke as if they had made up their mind.
-"So, your prize will be transferred to another person."
I answered without a second thought.
"Alright."
-"...What..?"
"I'm busy. Um, send my painting back by next week. Bye."
-"Wa... Wait...!"
I quickly hung up the phone, tossed it onto my desk, and went right back to hunting a Maple Leaf game boss monster with Ji-hoon.
"Ah, what are you doing?!"
Park Ji-hoon's voice came through the headset.
-"Unbelievable. You're the one sucking at DPS right now?"
"What are you talking about? It's Uncle's fault."
-"Well, that's true."
That's when Sheen, who'd been quiet, spoke up.
-"Hey!! That's not right!"