Episode 19. Special Viewer (4)
The meal, which was supposed to be just between mother and daughter, had somehow turned into a gathering of four with Yang Jiyoon and her mother.
Min Seung-yeon and Jiyoon’s mother were the same age, and both loved the drama ‘Memory Bookstore’, showing great compatibility as they had many things in common.
However, the relationship between Yang Jiyoon and Kang Yebin was extremely awkward.
As Kang Yera pointed out, Kang Yebin, who had lived a life with no friends, was deep in thought.
How should she approach this peer in front of her?
Or should she just eat quietly without saying anything?
It was difficult for her to grasp the situation.
Jiyoon’s mother stroked her daughter and made a request to Kang Yebin.
“Yebin, you probably already know, but Jiyoon is very shy. So, if Yebin could be Jiyoon’s friend, auntie would be very happy.”
Kang Yebin quietly murmured the word ‘friend’ to herself.
Because it was a word that truly didn’t suit her.
Feeling the awkward atmosphere, Min Seung-yeon spoke first.
“Ji- Jiyoon’s mother! Did you watch episode 3 of ‘Memory Bookstore’ this time?”
“I did! It was so good, wasn’t it? Especially when Haepily’s past story came out, I just bawled my eyes out. My husband next to me had a look like, ‘You’re crying over this?’ But what can I do when it’s so touching?”
“That’s right, that’s right. I cried a lot then too. My husband even shed a few tears.”
“Yebin’s mother, it seems your husband has similar tastes. I’m envious.”
“At first, we were polar opposites, but as we lived together, we seem to be growing more similar.”
“Indeed. You’ve had three children. Doesn’t that mean your compatibility is that good?”
Min Seung-yeon’s face turned red at the direct remark.
It’s not easy to have three children with just any compatibility.
A sigh escaped Jiyoon’s mother’s lips.
“My husband always just says he’s tired when he comes home. Sigh”
“Jiyoon’s mother.”
Min Seung-yeon shook her head, pointing at the children.
It’s better not to talk about R-rated topics like marital relations in front of children.
Jiyoon’s mother, realizing that fact belatedly, awkwardly chuckled and turned the conversation back to the drama.
As the mothers started burning with passion over drama talk again, Yang Jiyoon perked up her ears.
Kang Yebin, who witnessed that scene right in front of her, spoke to her after dozens of hesitations.
“You said you liked that drama too, didn’t you?”
“Ah… uh, yes.”
Yang Jiyoon nodded with difficulty. Every time she moved, Yang Jiyoon’s braided pigtails moved with her head movements.
It was a cute reaction, perfectly suited for her age.
As much as Kang Yebin had mustered courage, Yang Jiyoon seemed to have decided to do the same, as this time she spoke first.
“You… do you like that too?”
“Should I say I like it? Strictly speaking, I don’t.”
“Huh? Why, why?”
“The story is clumsy, and the direction is a mess. If you look at the camera work, there are specific parts that should be in focus, but it shines on the wrong places. And tracking shots are used where they’re not really needed. Scene transitions are also too frequent.”
Difficult-to-understand technical terms flowed out of the mouth of a girl her age.
Naturally, Yang Jiyoon couldn’t help but make a face that showed she didn’t understand what Kang Yebin was saying.
Kang Yebin was momentarily flustered by her true self that had suddenly emerged.
Whenever movies or dramas came up, her ‘main character’ persona would pop out like this, regardless of her will.
“Anyway. It’s not my taste, that’s what I mean.”
“Oh, I see… But it’s fun. Memory Bookstore.”
“I think the subject matter is fine. But if I were the PD, I would have revised everything from episode 1 and reshot it.”
However, there are no right answers in content.
Kang Yebin knew this well.
So, instead of saying ‘This is wrong,’ she expressed it as ‘If it were me, I would have done it this way.’
The biggest problem, however, was that the person listening to this story was a baby who had just entered kindergarten.
Yang Jiyoon, who had been idly poking her rice with a spoon, shared her thoughts.
“Still… I think it’s fun.”
Kang Yebin’s gaze turned to Yang Jiyoon.
Yang Jiyoon’s small shoulders flinched slightly.
It was because she wondered if Kang Yebin’s feelings were hurt by what she had said.
However, Kang Yebin showed behavior in a different direction from what Yang Jiyoon was worried about.
“If the person watching finds it fun, that’s all that matters. That’s the most important thing.”
“……”
Yang Jiyoon, who had been quiet, carefully asked Kang Yebin.
“Later… can we talk about dramas again?”
Although their tastes didn’t match.
Still, Yang Jiyoon liked talking to someone other than her mother and father like this.
In response, Kang Yebin nodded briefly.
“Let’s do that.”
A bright smile spread across Yang Jiyoon’s face.
The two mothers, who had been silently watching this scene, also looked at the two young children with satisfied eyes.
Min Seung-yeon thought to herself.
That it was good she brought Yebin today.
Kang Dae-oh, who had just finished handling a busy period, decided to take a short break with his staff during a quiet moment.
It was then.
Swaaaah—!
A sound like water bombs falling could be heard from outside.
Lee Seojun, who had briefly gone outside to dispose of recycling, hurriedly re-entered the store.
“It’s pouring rain outside!”
In that very short time he was out, his clothes were completely soaked.
Choi Se-in jumped up from her seat and asked.
“Shall I get you a towel?”
“Please do.”
Kang Dae-oh pointed to the back of the store, where only staff were allowed.
“Wipe off the water and go change your clothes in the changing room. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Yes, I should.”
Meanwhile, the customers in the cafe were stuck there due to the sudden heavy downpour.
Everyone seemed to be planning to leave once the rain stopped, staying in their seats longer.
Conversely, there were also people coming into the store to escape the rain.
“Wow, the rain is pouring down like crazy.”
“Now I’ll definitely have to carry an umbrella whenever I go out.”
Perhaps due to the increasingly changing climate, highly localized torrential downpours similar to squalls were continuously occurring in Korea.
Three men and women who quickly entered the store looked down at their completely soaked clothes, showing looks of dismay.
As soon as Kang Dae-oh saw the customers in this state, he called out to Choi Se-in, who had gone to get towels.
“Se-in! I’m sorry, but could you bring three more towels?”
“Yes, boss!”
The three people who received extra towels from Choi Se-in thanked Kang Dae-oh.
The moment he saw him, a shaggy-haired man wearing horn-rimmed glasses among the group let out a sound, “Huh?”
“Are you perhaps President Kang Dae-oh?”
“Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”
He wasn’t a frequent customer at Amare.
If he had been a regular here, Kang Dae-oh would surely have remembered him.
The man told him how he knew Kang Dae-oh’s name.
“I saw a Neotube video featuring Yebin. You know, the family travel video uploaded on your youngest daughter’s channel.”
“Ah, you saw that.”
“The direction was amazing! To the point where I felt I needed to watch and learn from it.”
At the words “watch and learn,” Kang Dae-oh tilted his head.
“Are you someone who works in video production?”
“Well… actually, I’m in charge of directing dramas. People might not know it, but it’s called ‘Memory Bookstore’…”
As soon as he heard the drama title, Kang Dae-oh’s pupils greatly wavered.
“That’s a drama my wife and I are really enjoying! Are you the PD for that?”
“Yes, that’s right. This is quite embarrassing. Ah, this is also a coincidence. Just a moment.”
The man reached his hand into his wet bag.
Fortunately, the inside of the bag was not wet.
Taking out a small case, he handed Kang Dae-oh his business card.
“Let me formally introduce myself once more. I am PD Lee Jang-seop, in charge of directing ‘Memory Bookstore’.”
Kang Dae-oh also handed over his own pre-made business card.
After successfully exchanging business cards, Kang Dae-oh looked at Lee Jang-seop’s business card he had just received once more.
“It’s amazing. To see the PD of ‘Memory Bookstore’ here.”
“Me too. I came for a meeting nearby, and then it suddenly started raining, so I quickly grabbed any cafe I saw nearby and came in. I never thought it would be the cafe run by Yebin’s father.”
“Now that you mention it, you seem to know Yebin well.”
“Of course I do! Director Kim Gap-yeong praised Yebin’s acting so much, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Because it was Kang Yebin who helped him overcome his trauma regarding child actors.
From Director Kim Gap-yeong’s perspective, Kang Yebin was a child actress he could never forget.
Kang Dae-oh felt good hearing that his youngest daughter was highly regarded by people in video production.
Even more than when he heard the day’s sales.
However, the good news didn’t end there.
“Sunbae-nim.”
The woman who visited the store with PD Lee Jang-seop whispered something quietly to him.
“How about mentioning that to Yebin’s father?”
At the word “that,” Kang Dae-oh tilted his head.
PD Lee Jang-seop proceeded with a detailed explanation.
“We’re currently looking for a child actor to appear in the spin-off of ‘Memory Bookstore’. The moment I saw Yebin’s father here, I had a strong feeling that this was a heaven-sent opportunity.”
To put it simply.
It was a casting offer.
From Kang Dae-oh’s perspective, it was naturally a good offer.
Because it meant their second daughter would appear in a drama that he and Min Seung-yeon loved.
However, the important thing was Kang Yebin’s will.
Kang Yebin is a person who thoroughly weighs pros and cons.
She had even rejected offers to appear in dramas with famous actors. There was no reason for Kang Yebin to view appearing in the ‘Memory Bookstore’ spin-off positively.
“I don’t think it’ll work out… but I’ll try contacting her beforehand.”
“Yes, Abeonim. Please do! Ah, and can we order drinks right away? It feels a bit strange to just avoid the rain here without ordering anything and then leave.”
At the word “order,” Choi Se-in suddenly appeared as if she had been waiting.
“I’ll help you with your order.”
It was indeed Choi Se-in, quick-witted as always.
In the meantime, Kang Dae-oh had already sent a text message to Min Seung-yeon.
He wrote a lengthy message saying he had met PD Lee Jang-seop and that he wanted to offer Kang Yebin a casting role.
‘She’ll definitely refuse.’
He thought there was a very high probability she would.
However, Kang Dae-oh realized upon seeing Min Seung-yeon’s reply, which came back in less than a minute.
That there are no words like ‘definitely, certainly’ in life.
“PD-nim.”
“Yes, Abeonim.”
PD Lee Jang-seop, holding a vanilla latte that had just come out, turned his head and looked towards Kang Dae-oh.
Kang Dae-oh replied with a faint smile.
“Yebin says she’ll appear.”
PD Lee Jang-seop was so happy at that moment that he almost dropped the cup he was holding.
