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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Meeting the Landlord
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I slowly replayed the situation in my mind. Back then, my mother had been deeply moved because of me.
‘Could that be it?’
Do I have to move her deeply?
‘This is really hard.’
Being moved isn't something that comes easily.
‘I know this well because I'm an actor.’
Ask anyone on the street to name a moving piece of work.
‘They'd probably struggle to name many.’
Hundreds of works are released every day, but those ‘moving pieces’ were so rare you could count them on your fingers.
‘It's tough, so tough.’
I shook my head and sank back into thought.
‘Let's get my thoughts in order!’
Who am I?
‘Ma Gongja. A baby.’
Where am I?
‘The home of Ma Sujeong, a third-generation chaebol actress.’
But the most important thing was something else.
‘What tasks do I have left?’
I folded one of my short fingers.
‘One, my mother's health.’
I will never let her die!
I'll make sure she becomes healthy, no matter what!
So, what do I need to do to make that happen?
‘I have to collect coins.’
I needed to gather a whopping 30,000 of them.
‘Let's put that aside for now and move on.’
I took a deep breath and tried to fold another finger. My fine motor skills must not have developed yet, because my middle finger folded along with it.
‘Two. My dream.’
Acting, movies. A top star.
I flailed my arms and legs.
‘I'm going to make it big. I'm definitely going to make it big. I'll become famous and carve my name into the history of cinema.’
I can do it!
With this face, it's possible! Who wouldn't give me a script!
‘I can land any project, any role!’
I recalled all the time I'd spent waiting on set. No matter how hard I tried, I could never become a lead actor. I could only watch from the sidelines, never able to reach that position.
‘If it were based on skill alone, of course I could have done it.’
If someone had just cast me as the lead, I could have repaid them with my acting ability.
‘There were a few opportunities for that to happen.’
But the moment they saw my face, even potential investors would run for the hills.
But that won't happen anymore.
‘Because with this face, I can do it!’
Even investors who were running away will flock to me when they see my face.
I got so excited that my face grew hot. I fanned myself with my small palm.
‘I have to get famous.’
But how? When? Now?
Thump—
My arm dropped. I frowned and looked at my hand.
‘It's small and clumsy.’
My middle finger refused to straighten. I was still just a tiny baby.
‘Just like this finger, I still need time.’
I'll get to act someday.
But.
‘I don't want to wait anymore.’
The time I've spent enduring has been far too long for that.
Besides, the situation is perfect.
‘Since things have turned out this way, why not start early?’
I thought back to my past life. There were quite a few child actors whose parents were also celebrities.
‘Sure, they get criticized for nepotism...’
But it was true that they had an advantage over ordinary people at the starting line.
‘And now I'm Ma Sujeong's son.’
In terms of recognition, isn't this a huge advantage?
A grin spread across my face.
‘Plus, I have the coins.’
The goal became clear.
“Bbooawooyaaa!”
Get famous!
Right now.
‘To do that, I have to use the coins.’
Just like when I did that photoshoot with the actress Ma Sujeong at the orphanage, I could seize even better opportunities by using them.
‘Of course, there's a price.’
For a moment, a sigh escaped me.
“Bboooaaa.”
Damn it.
‘Even setting aside the price, I can't just spend coins recklessly.’
I need 30,000 of them to make my mother healthy.
‘I need to use them to get famous, but I also need to save them.’
It was then.
Suddenly, subtitles appeared before my eyes.
The text scrolled up like crazy. I blinked.
‘What's going on?’
I didn't even have time to read. The subtitles blocked my entire view. Feeling dizzy, I cried out.
“Bbooa, bboobboo, bboowoo-bboo!”
Hide subtitles for a moment!
With that last subtitle, my vision gradually cleared. I tilted my head, looking at the now-clear view.
‘What, there was a function like this?’
Why didn't I know? No, that's not what's important.
“Bbooa-i, bbooeoeo!”
My coins increased!
‘This means a lot of people suddenly saw me, right?’
Was there an occasion where I was exposed to the general public?
‘Ah, right.’
The photoshoot.
‘They said it was a charity photo for Seongjin Group's internal PR.’
Aha.
A grin appeared on my face.
‘Why didn't I think of that?’
My mother's health and my success as an actor.
The two goals weren't mutually exclusive.
‘I can just use coins to get famous first.’
And after I'm famous, I can save up coins to make Mom healthy!
I touched my forehead with my short hand.
‘If the two are one, then it's simple!’
I brought my hands together as if merging the two goals into one.
“Bbyuaah-bbooa!”
Get famous!
Right now!
I immediately looked back at my mother. She smiled brightly at me.
I was the type of person to use everything at my disposal.
‘The son of actress Ma Sujeong.’
Using this was simple.
‘Let's start with the easy stuff!’
“Bbyubbyu, bbyabbyu, bbyuya-u! Bbyu!”
Use Love & Peace Coin!
“Bbyubbya-bboowoo-pyu, bbyubbya, bbyubbae, bbyuyu!”
Post the charity photo I took with Mom on a popular website!
Wow. That's cheap.
‘If the cost is this low, there's no reason to hesitate.’
“Pibba!”
Do it!
Huh.
‘What kind of side effect is this?’
Wait, can this even be considered a side effect? What's the criteria?
I blinked. It was utterly absurd.
Just then, my mother called me.
“Gongja.”
I immediately lifted my head. My mother was lying next to me, patting my back.
‘It's nothing new, but she's so beautiful.’
But something felt off.
The actress Ma Sujeong.
Wasn't she famous in the film industry for her fiery personality?
‘Hey, Subtitles, I'm not trying to argue, but isn't my mom already bold and brazen to begin with?’
And she's going to get even more so?
I smiled brightly. Seeing my smile, my mother smiled back.
‘Well, it'll probably be fine.’
It's only for a month.
Yeah, it should be, right?
I gave a little grin. And with that, I pushed the thought aside.
* * *
My mother was rummaging through my closet. I stood holding onto the rail of my crib, doing little squats.
‘Ah, seriously!’
My legs gave out again. The mattress was soft enough that it didn't hurt, but I was not happy with the strength in my legs.
‘Just work properly.’
I grabbed the rail again and put strength into my legs.
It was then. My mother let out a groan and hung her head.
“Ughhh! Why isn't there a lion one!”
Hmm? A lion one.
I gave an awkward laugh and looked at my arm. It was covered in fluffy white fur.
‘So, is this a rabbit costume?’
I sighed.
‘It's an animal onesie, right?’
When I looked down, I saw an outfit that was dreadfully adorable.
‘She must have dressed me in this because it's cute, right?’
But for some reason...
‘It's just an outfit, but...’
I just put it on this morning, but I have a feeling I'll be wearing it for a long time. Is it just my imagination?
At my mother's groan, Ansan-daek came in.
“Oh my, Young Miss, what's wrong!”
“There's no lion one!”
“Oh, there should be one? Ah, here it is! I'll change him!”
Great. Changing from a rabbit to a lion.
Well, with this face, what wouldn't look good on me? I held out my hands and said.
“Bbaa!”
“Oh, how cute! Here, Gongja. Let's try on the lion outfit too.”
Ansan-daek swiftly changed my clothes. I tilted my head, wearing the hoodie with a mane.
Then, a subtitle appeared.
Ah, I must have been really cute.
‘Then again, with this face, what wouldn't look good?’
My mother smiled brightly and said.
“Gongja!”
“Bbaa!”
Yes, Mom.
“Mom made a decision yesterday. We're going to see the landlord right now.”
Huh? What landlord?
I looked around. The room, with its pink wallpaper, was quite large and spacious.
‘Huh, Mom? You don't own this house? Don't tell me you're renting in Seongbuk-dong?’
You're a third-generation chaebol, though?
Ansan-daek held me and said.
“Young Miss, what do you mean, 'landlord'?”
“But it's true.”
“How can you speak of the Madam like that?”
What Madam? Ah.
The answer came quickly.
“She's your mother, Young Miss! If she knew you called her that, you'd be in for it!”
Aha.
My mother let out a deep sigh.
“Yeah. So, the landlord.”
“Young Miss!”
“I'm the child she disowned. Ah, if she was going to disown me, she should have just kicked me out completely. Why won't she let me leave!”
“Young Miss!”
“Ansan-daek, don't shout. You'll startle Gongja. Ah, anyway, Gongja. Mom... is going to see the landlord, and I think you'll have to come with me.”
Ah, I think I knew what this was about.
‘She's going to introduce me.’
After all, she is my grandmother. I should go meet her.
My mother swept her hair back and said.
“If it were up to me, I'd just ignore her, but if I do, I'm afraid she'll send my Gongja away somewhere without a trace when I'm not around.”
“Young Miss, 'ignore her'! The baby can hear you!”
“Ah, sorry. I should use nice words in front of Gongja. Gongja! I'm sorry. Forget what I said!”
...I already heard you.
‘Anyway, is the relationship between mother and daughter that bad?’
My mother picked me up.
“Luckily, Mom knows how to persuade the landlord. Better strike while the iron is hot. We'll be back.”
Ah, that fiery personality.
“Young Miss, the Madam won't have anything nice to say! How about you leave Gongja here? You never know what might happen.”
“No. Gongja is essential to this plan. And it's better to get it over with in one go.”
She must really hate us.
My mother patted my back and said.
“Gongja, let's just bear it for a little while. It'll only be this once.”
“Young Miss!”
“I thought about it all day, especially with the Lee Yugyeong thing. I think this is for the best.”
My mother held me and took a deep breath.
“To deal with a nasty landlord, I guess it's best to become a total psycho, right?”
Ansan-daek put a hand to her forehead and cried out.
“No, what are you saying? A psycho!”
“Because you can't deal with the landlord with a sane mind. Hmm, should I have a drink?”
“Young Miss!”
“It's fine. I won't. I've quit drinking. You know how thorough I am. I came up with a good plan this morning while looking at Gongja.”
Ansan-daek sighed and asked.
“What kind of plan?”
“I'm thinking of singing a song.”
“What?”
“I was in a musical movie, you know. I'm surprisingly good at singing.”
Ansan-daek's eyes trembled.
“N-no. Young Miss. In front of the... the Madam? You're going to sing?”
“Yep. Seeing the landlord's face is so damn stiff, I might as well sing. My landlord, you can't even face her unless you're a special kind of crazy. I'll probably have to go completely nuts just to get a word in.”
“No, what happened overnight! You were already so hot-tempered, and now you've gotten even stranger!”
“Me? It's fine. It's fine.”
“What do you mean, fine!”
My mother lifted me up. I tilted my head as I was held in her arms.
She changed suddenly?
‘Could it be... the side effect?’
I looked up at my mother. Her lips were pressed into a firm line as she strode forward. She looked like a warrior queen heading off to war.
‘The side effect was becoming more bold and brazen.’
The mane on my hoodie swayed with each step she took.
Well, it should be fine, right? My mom is beautiful, after all! Yes! It'll be fine!
‘Hmm, anyway, I wonder what my grandmother is like.’
I deliberately thought of something else and gave an awkward laugh.
