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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Broadcast
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034
“Huh? What’s ‘bad’?”
Kim Jinhyeong asked, tilting his head.
“People like that are bad!”
Right. I put it mildly, but they deserve a beating.
‘These kids are working so hard, and people are just raining on their parade.’
The least they could do is not get in the way.
It reminded me of my past. Honestly, there were more than a few people who told me I'd never make it on screen with a face like mine.
‘But I did it.’
It was true that it was difficult. But time passed all the same, even if I just sat there and gave up.
‘If time's going to pass no matter what I do, it's better to give it my all and face the challenge head-on.’
I stared intently at Kim Jinhyeong.
“You're doing great, hyung!”
So ignore those words, kids.
Just then, Kim Jinhyeong suddenly bent over. Thanks to that, my eye level dropped too.
“Hyung?”
“Puhahahaha! Ahahahaha! This is hilarious!”
Hey, I was being serious with my comfort, why are you laughing!
Kim Jinhyeong set me down on the floor and rolled over once. His laughter must have been loud, because another member cautiously approached.
“Hey, what's wrong?”
“Gongja comforted me!”
“Huh?”
Kim Jinhyeong was laughing so hard he had to wipe away tears.
“And I actually felt comforted! A lot!”
At that moment, a caption appeared before my eyes.
W-well, I guess he really was comforted.
‘The coins went up quite honestly.’
The next member asked carefully.
“Uh, again? I-is it good?”
“Yeah. It's great!”
“R-right. As long as you're happy.”
Kim Jinhyeong hugged me tightly.
“Gongja, thank you! For comforting me!”
“Ung!”
“By the way, Gongja. How old are you?”
Let's see. Am I two yet? At most?
I tilted my head and said.
“Gongja don't know my age!”
“Huh? Why not? You should know, right?”
“I don't know anyfing!”
Kim Jinhyeong was about to ask again when another member quickly caught on and covered his mouth.
“Hey, hey!”
“Why?”
“Dude!”
Only then, as if realizing my situation, did Kim Jinhyeong blink.
“Oh...”
“Uh, sorry. I'm sorry, Gongja.”
You get it now?
I smiled brightly.
“It's okay!”
Even though I said that, Kim Jinhyeong couldn't bring himself to meet my eyes.
‘This will be edited out, right?’
Everyone knows I'm adopted, but it's not the kind of scene you'd see on a cheerful childcare show.
‘But he seems to feel really bad.’
I patted his head again.
“It's okay!”
Kim Jinhyeong lowered his head and whispered.
“I'm sorry.”
I told you it's fine.
Just then, the members who had just finished making the baby food came over in a line.
“Gongja! Time to eat!”
The mood wasn't great, so it was good timing. I smiled brightly and walked to the kitchen. The Halo members followed me.
‘They're really good kids.’
I fell once every ten steps, smiling brightly all the while.
* * *
The living room was quite a long way from my room.
‘I think I fall on my butt about four or five times.’
Is it because the house is big? Or because my baby steps are so small?
‘Well, it should be fine in a few months.’
The Master said it would be January.
I walked with determination. As I toddled down the hallway, Ansan-daek watched me with a pleased expression.
“Ah, it's today, isn't it? The show with Gongja!”
Yes. It's today.
‘I've been waiting eagerly.’
I'm finally making my broadcast television debut.
‘The broadcast was later than I thought.’
I can't believe I had to wait three whole months.
‘I was so bored during that time...’
*Sigh*.
A sigh escaped me on its own.
I hooked my leg over the sofa. Pushing up with my arms, I could now climb onto it skillfully.
This was the result of my diligent efforts in the three months since the variety show filming ended.
‘To think all I've done in that time is one variety show!’
A sense of self-loathing washed over me. I rested my cheek in my hand and sighed again.
“Oh my, Gongja. What's wrong?”
“I don't like getting older!”
Ansan-daek fell silent.
“I-I see.”
“I'm not making enough pwogwess. It's like a snail!”
No, I'm a celebrity. My mom is helping me. I should be on a bullet train!
But it's so slow, just inching along.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Why isn't anyone looking for me?
As I propped my chin on my hand discontentedly, Ansan-daek gave an awkward laugh.
“What are you talking about, Gongja? And when did you learn a difficult word like 'progress'?”
Ah, is that a difficult word for a baby to use?
‘I have the perfect excuse for times like this.’
I said, crawling across the sofa.
“Fwom a stowybook!”
It would probably appear in a book.
“Oh, right. Our Gongja loves books. Oh! It's starting!”
“Auntie! It's not on! Something else is on!”
“Oh, you're right. There are so many commercials these days!”
I know. It's slow.
I glared at the TV, displeased.
‘But the fact that it has commercials is a good thing.’
Is this childcare show getting some hype?
‘Well, the casting was good.’
Me, and Halo too.
I recalled those hectic idols.
‘They were nice.’
I wanted to keep seeing them.
It was a shame that it was just a one-time thing.
‘The production crew must know that too.’
When we parted ways, the PD and writers were all excited, saying they'd struck gold.
As long as the editing wasn't a disaster, this childcare show was guaranteed to be a success.
‘Then they should have called me again!’
Why are they just leaving me alone!
‘Excuse me, Mr. PD, Ms. Writer. Don't you want me?’
*Phew*.
Another sigh escaped.
“Gongja! Why do you keep sighing!”
“Because I'm fwustrated!”
Ansan-daek stared at me.
Ah, is she worried?
“It's okay. I'll stop.”
Ansan-daek forced herself to look away and muttered.
“Maybe it's not a good idea to have a child read so many books?”
Oh, dear.
Just then, ‘Baby and Me’ finally started.
The first scene was Halo entering an office.
“Faintly!”
“Shining!”
“For you!”
They bowed their heads in unison.
“Hello, we are Halo!”
There's that greeting again.
A caption moved across the screen.
-Are you confident about doing a childcare variety show?
A member shook his head.
“No. To be honest, I'm nervous. It's our first time with a baby.”
-What have you prepared?
“I called my mom and learned how to make baby food. We can't let the baby starve, after all.”
So that's what they prepared.
‘No wonder the process was chaotic, but it was edible.’
These hyungs, they really are nice.
-What are you most worried about?
“I'm worried the baby will cry. What if he cries just from looking at our faces?”
At that moment, a clip of me smiling was overlaid on the screen.
“Also, what if the baby is shy around strangers?”
A scene of me answering with a smile appeared.
-All the hyungs are cute!
Wow.
‘I'm quite photogenic, aren't I?’
Is it because I'm still a baby? My cheeks did look chubby.
‘I wonder if I'll lose the baby fat when I grow up.’
Natural looks are important, but maintenance is even more so. I'll have to think about that too.
Soon, the narration began.
The scene of the Halo members in their office disappeared. It immediately switched to a scene with me and Mom.
Mom and I were sleeping in a large bed. Even then, I was tossing and turning.
‘Wow, look at me wriggling around.’
I looked at my own hand.
‘I thought I wasn't growing, but I guess I am.’
It was definitely different from three months ago.
Ansan-daek said while looking at her smartphone.
“They're saying Gongja is cute on the message board.”
Are they?
‘I want to see the comments too.’
Even my mom wouldn't buy a smartphone for me.
“Oh, what am I thinking! Gongja, Auntie will be in the kitchen!”
“Okay!”
“Watch quietly!”
“Okay!”
Ansan-daek left her smartphone on the sofa and rushed off.
‘What a stroke of luck!’
I quickly swiped down on the smartphone screen. There were quite a few posts on the broadcast station's message board.
Title: The baby is cute!
└ Is this that famous Ma Gongja? lol
└ Yeah, the kid Ma Sujeong adopted.
└ I remember him from Entertainment Walk. Wow, so damn cute. He looks like a doll. How can anyone look like that?
└ If they sell a doll of him, I'm buying.
└ Take my money! Group buy +1
└ But can a doll even capture Gongja's cuteness? Nah, no way.
└ I want to say no, but it feels true for real?
└ It's true... Nothing can capture the real Gongja's cuteness. I really want to see him in person.
└ His cheeks look like they'd be super soft.
└ There are lots of cute babies, but Gongja is on another level, agreed.
That's right. Be amazed, everyone.
‘So this is in real-time.’
Are they all writing this while watching the live broadcast?
On the TV, I lay back down so as not to wake my mom. When I absentmindedly refreshed the message board, several new posts suddenly appeared.
Title: The kid is so considerate of his mom, huh.
└ ㅎㅎ What did I just see?
└ Ma Sujeong said her kid was an angel, and it looks like he really is lol
└ Angel, agreed.
└ Doing such a sweet thing with that face! Wow, where are his wings?
└ He seems really nice. His wings fell off, and I was bored so I ate them!
└ lol Why would you eat them!
└ lmaooo Give them back!
An angel, huh.
‘I did intend for that, but I didn't think it would come out right away.’
The results were surprisingly good. I grinned and looked back at the TV screen.
Mom was carrying me into the living room.
‘They included more of our daily life than I expected.’
I looked at the message board on the smartphone again.
Title: Ma Sujeong is so pretty.
└ Is that face for real right after waking up?
└ My face, close your eyes...
└ The kid is pretty. The mom is pretty. This whole waking-up scene is like a movie.
└ I guess the kid takes after his mom.
└ Nah, he's adopted.
└ Whoa, I didn't know.
└ Guess she adopted him because he's pretty.
└ Nope. Look at this. https://enter.v.caun.net/v/DKFSDALSAJKAS
└ Heh, let's be real, she probably took him in for his looks.
└ They said that's not why.
└ Jealous of a baby? Pathetic.
Quite the argument was breaking out. I apathetically smacked the sofa once.
*Thwack—*
The sound of hitting the leather was very satisfying.
‘Why are they so late to the party?’
Wasn't the topic of my adoption already over and done with?
‘Well, it'll probably die down.’
I looked at the TV again. In the moment I'd looked away, the Halo members were in a different setting.
‘Ah, is this the interview scene?’
It was a common feature in variety shows. After a situation played out, they would always show a separate interview about their thoughts on it.
A Halo member sat in a chair and spoke.
“We were thinking about it all wrong, weren't we?”
“Yeah. We went there to take care of Gongja.”
“But you know, somehow, Gongja wasn't a kid who needed to be taken care of!”
So they do know.
“I realized it even more after we got back to the dorm!”
“I couldn't sleep.”
Three or four members lowered their heads and said.
“Gongja took care of us.”
“He's not even two years old!”
“I kicked my blankets. I was so embarrassed.”
But Kim Jinhyeong was different. He smiled slightly and said.
“I'm not embarrassed.”
Then he looked up at the sky.
“Because it went beyond embarrassment.”
Beyond what?
‘These kids are a bit sensitive.’
Is it because they're going through puberty?
The screen changed again. The Halo kids and I were playing with a ball.
‘I already know what happens, so there's no need to watch.’
I checked the comments.
Title: Isn't this different from a normal childcare show?
└ The baby is teaching the idols lmaooo
└ What is happening lmaooo
└ lol A famous quote was born lol "Because people usually don't forgive mistakes?" lmaooo "Gongja is okay" lolol Halo was genuinely moved lmaooo
└ That expression is for real lmaooo
└ Jinhyeong, were you happy to be forgiven? lol Aww, there there.
└ Wait, what is going on here? lmaooooo
└ It's getting weird lmaooo
└ Halo getting excited after being forgiven by a kid not even two years old lol
└ Never heard of this group but they're cute lol But Gongja is even cuter lmaooo
Is it just my imagination?
‘Is the message board suddenly getting a lot more posts?’
Even the number of replies has shot up.
