Episode 11. Child Actor Debut (1)
Kang Dae-oh, who had received a call that the PV work for the children’s animation theme song, pushed by Producer Na Joon-tae, was all complete, stopped what he was doing for a moment and searched for his smartphone.
He tapped the link Producer Na had sent him.
“Oh, it’s out.”
At Kang Dae-oh’s words, Oh Myung-woon, who had stopped by his cafe to spend some time, also showed interest.
“What is?”
“You know, the one I told you about last time. The one where Yera sang the animation theme song.”
“Ah, that one?”
“Yeah. Producer Na sent me a text saying the PV video was uploaded today and told me to watch it. Do you want to watch it too?”
“Of course, I do. Copy the link and send it to me.”
“Okay.”
Oh Myung-woon went to the address Kang Dae-oh sent and watched the video.
The animation quality was quite good, but…
The song was excellent, as expected.
“Did Yera really sing this? No, how can a baby sing this well?”
“She must be a natural.”
“A natural? Come on, you have to keep your lies within reason. You and your wife can’t sing.”
“Hey, hey. I can still sing at an average level.”
“Always so proud.”
It was true that their daughters inherited their mother’s beauty genes. But they didn’t inherit singing or acting talent.
As Oh Myung-woon just mentioned, neither Kang Dae-oh nor Min Seung-yeon had ever shown exceptional talent in that area.
Just because parents can’t do something doesn’t mean their children can’t either.
Of course, the opposite is also true, but Kang Dae-oh was greatly relieved that his children were born with individual talents.
‘No, that’s not right. Should I say they regressed instead of being born?’
Even though it had been several years, he still couldn’t quite get used to the fact that his daughters had regressed.
If Kang Dae-oh felt this way…
How much worse must it be for Min Seung-yeon?
‘That’s why it’s so burdensome to reveal the whole truth to the girls’ mother.’
Min Seung-yeon only knew that Kang Yera and Kang Yebin were growing faster and were more mature than other children.
Perhaps it was easier for both of them this way.
Oh Myung-woon, who had finished watching the video, looked at Kang Dae-oh enviously.
“You’re lucky. To have a daughter who is pretty, cute, and sings well.”
“Without all that, just having them as my children is good enough. Isn’t that a parent’s heart?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Kang Dae-oh and Oh Myung-woon looked at each other and smiled.
Since both of them were fathers, they could deeply empathize with each other’s words.
“Didn’t that producer say he was keeping an eye on Yera? I remember you telling me he said to contact him anytime if you wanted her to debut as a singer.”
“Oh, right.”
“Is Yera really going to debut as a singer? No wonder. At her first birthday party, she picked up the microphone without hesitation.”
Strangely, that event at her first birthday party played out like a prophecy.
Kang Dae-oh naturally thought it would happen, but…
“If Yera wants to do it, then I’ll let her.”
His daughter’s wishes always came first.
No matter how much they were parents, they couldn’t control their child’s life as they pleased.
Furthermore, Kang Yera was a case of regressing to the past after living a life with many regrets.
She must have many things she wanted to do.
Therefore, Kang Dae-oh wanted to give his daughter as much autonomy as possible.
Do whatever you want.
The only condition was that it shouldn’t be against the law.
This was the only condition Kang Dae-oh set.
Oh Myung-woon poured the last of his iced americano into his mouth.
“Should I get Yera’s autograph before she becomes a star? If I try to get it after she gets famous, she’ll be too busy, right?”
“Still, she’d definitely do it for you. You’re an uncle who’s seen her face since before she could even crawl.”
“Even so, Yera probably won’t remember me, so what’s the point?”
“Well, maybe she will.”
“Okay, thanks for the empty words.”
It wasn’t empty words to console Oh Myung-woon.
Kang Yera actually remembered him.
Everything, from the diapers and formula to the rabbit doll Kang Yera often played with.
However, he didn’t know Kang Yera’s secret, so he didn’t show much expectation.
Just as Kang Dae-oh nodded at Oh Myung-woon’s question about whether he could visit to see Kang Yera next time…
The cafe door opened, and a young man who looked to be in his early twenties greeted them.
“Hello!”
“Welcome, customer. I’ll help you with your order here.”
Kang Dae-oh hurriedly moved to the counter.
The man shook his head, indicating he wasn’t there as a customer.
“I came after seeing the part-time job advertisement.”
At the mention of a part-time job, Oh Myung-woon let out an exclamation of “Oh~”.
“You rascal. Now that you have some leeway, you’re looking for a part-timer. Looks like you’re doing well enough to live?”
Kang Dae-oh shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“It’s all thanks to our daughters.”
Today, too, Kang Dae-oh expressed infinite gratitude to his two daughters who were at home.
After work, Kang Dae-oh returned home and told his wife about what happened today.
“I found a part-timer.”
“Really? You finally found one. It took a long time.”
“Tell me about it. I thought I’d find one quickly. But there weren’t as many applicants as I expected.”
Although there were a few people who came looking for a part-time job, they showed unsatisfactory attitudes during the interview stage.
If he thought someone was good and contacted them, they would already have found a job elsewhere.
This process kept repeating, which caused it to take a lot of time.
However, because it took a long time, he was able to hire a truly good talent as a part-timer, which was actually better.
“I heard the new part-timer also aims to open his own cafe, just like me.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. He said he’d work for a long time. He wants to become independent after gaining enough experience.”
“That’s a relief. It would be meaningless if he quit soon after we went to such trouble to find him.”
That was true.
Since his daughters were born, Kang Dae-oh felt as if everything he did turned out well.
They were, quite literally, good luck charms that had rolled into his life.
Those good luck charms were currently sitting in the living room, each spending their time.
Kang Yera, as always, was passing the time by watching stages of idols, who were her distant seniors, on her smartphone.
The other one, Kang Yebin, was completely engrossed in the TV.
Normally, it’s best to introduce smartphones and TV as late as possible, but…
They couldn’t do that with Kang Yera and Kang Yebin.
Because they had already enjoyed the benefits of civilization to the fullest.
However, Min Seung-yeon, unaware of this fact, was simply worried.
“Our children, what if they get called smartphone and TV addicts like this?”
“It’s okay. They’re all adults, so they’ll manage well on their own.”
“Adults? What nonsense are you talking about? They’re babies, not even five years old yet.”
Kang Dae-oh belatedly realized he had made a slip of the tongue and apologized, saying he had been mistaken for a moment.
Min Seung-yeon let out a deep sigh and clapped her hands loudly twice, making a sound.
“Princesses! It’s time for bed.”
Kang Yera, with a face full of regret, said she understood and put down her mother’s smartphone, which she had borrowed for a moment.
On the other hand, Kang Yebin seemed so engrossed in something that she didn’t even answer.
Min Seung-yeon showed a surprised reaction to Kang Yebin’s behavior.
“Yebin-ah. Kang Yebin?”
“……”
Even when her mother called her several times, she remained motionless.
It was strange that the normally obedient child wasn’t even answering today.
“Second princess. Are you okay?”
Min Seung-yeon waved her palm in front of Kang Yebin.
Only then did Kang Yebin realize her mother was calling her and nodded, saying she was sorry.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“What were you watching so intently?”
“That.”
Kang Yebin pointed to the TV.
On the screen, a promotional video for ‘The Culprit’s Place’, a Korean crime thriller film opening next week, was being broadcast.
A wry smile spread across Min Seung-yeon’s face.
“Did you like that movie?”
“Yes!”
Unlike their peers, Kang Yera and Kang Yebin showed no interest in children’s movies or cartoons.
They only reacted to content for adults.
“Mom. I have a favor.”
Kang Yebin said, pointing at the screen with her small hand.
“Can’t we go see the movie?”
“No. That kind of movie is too dangerous for young children to watch.”
“But it’s for all ages…”
Surprisingly, Kang Yebin was right.
Min Seung-yeon was surprised that it was rated for all ages, as she had expected it to be at least 15+ since it was a crime thriller.
Nevertheless, taking her second daughter to the cinema was by no means easy.
Because taking a baby who isn’t even two years old to the cinema requires more courage than one might think.
If she cried suddenly after being taken there, wouldn’t it be a nuisance to the people around them?
As her worries deepened, Kang Dae-oh voiced his thoughts.
“Why don’t you take her?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. You know Yera’s personality well, don’t you? That she’s a quiet child even in unfamiliar places.”
“That’s true, but…”
Still, she had never taken them to a movie theater before, so she felt uneasy.
“Then should I take her?”
“You? What about the cafe?”
“I’ll just take a day off, I guess.”
Kang Yebin wanted to go to the cinema so badly. As a father, he couldn’t just sit by.
Min Seung-yeon sighed deeply and shook her head at her husband’s suggestion.
“No. You just go to work tomorrow, honey. You have to teach the part-timer, don’t you? I’ll take Yebin.”
Kang Yebin let out a silent cheer.
Seeing his second daughter’s joy, Kang Dae-oh chuckled.
“Our daughter. Don’t make mom suffer when you go, okay?”
“Yes!”
“If I hear you caused mom trouble there, I won’t take you to the cinema next time. Promise.”
Kang Dae-oh held out his pinky finger.
Kang Yebin, holding out a finger many times smaller than her father’s, looked triumphant as if to say ‘don’t worry’.
Kang Yera, who had been watching all this from a step away, sighed and shook her head.
“Such a stubborn dongsaeng.”
Perhaps only Kang Yera herself wouldn’t know that this statement also applied to her.
A week passed.
Min Seung-yeon, as promised, arrived at a movie theater near her home with Kang Yebin.
However, the atmosphere of the cinema was unusual.
“Is there some kind of event?”
It wasn’t a small cinema, so it was usually bustling with people, but…
Today, it felt like even more crowds had gathered.
Just then.
Kang Yebin pulled hard on Min Seung-yeon’s sleeve and exclaimed.
“Mom, Mom!”
“What is it?”
“Look over there, over there!”
“……?”
Kang Yebin spoke in an excited voice and pointed to one side.
Min Seung-yeon looked at the spot where people were particularly concentrated, and an exclamation of “Oh my!” escaped her lips.
“Aren’t those people the actors who appeared in the movie?”
She had come to the cinema with a light heart, but…
It coincided with a surprise visit event by the actors.
Kang Yebin’s eyes burned fiercely as she looked at the actors.
For the first time in a long time, her soul as an actress began to burn hotly.
