Chapter 1

1. Your 100th life is about to begin.

* * *

"Siwoo! Over here! Over here! Come this way! There are snacks! Snacks!"

Hyun-ju sprinkled some puffed rice on the living room mat to lure her son.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Now six months old, Siwoo flailed his chubby limbs and wriggled his way toward the puffed rice.

Wriggle, wriggle.

Swoosh, swoosh.

"Good job! Over here! There are more snacks? Our Siwoo loves snacks~!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Siwoo, moving like a caterpillar, finally reached the spot where three puffed rice pieces had fallen.

With his tiny hands, Siwoo managed to pick up one piece and stuffed it into his wide-open mouth.

"Ooh, ooh! Is it yummy? There are more over there? Let's eat them too!"

Just as Hyun-ju tapped the spot with her fingertips where the other puffed rice pieces were.

The phone rang from the bedroom.

"Siwoo, I'll go get the phone. Stay here and eat."

As Hyun-ju got up to go to the bedroom, a brown poodle that had been lying quietly on one side of the living room suddenly stood up.

Hyun-ju shouted to the poodle as she ran to the bedroom.

"No! You can't eat what the baby is eating! Bokshil, be good, okay?"

– Woof!

Bokshil, who honestly admitted she wasn't that good, stealthily put her paw on the mat while Hyun-ju went to get the phone.

She had been salivating at the sight of the puffed rice for over ten minutes.

The moment Bokshil stepped onto the mat.

Bang!

Siwoo's tiny hand slapped the mat hard.

Bokshil was startled and froze with one paw raised.

The gaze of 3-year-old Bokshil and 6-month-old Siwoo met in mid-air.

And then...

Siwoo, using both hands to support himself, slowly got up.

He bent his right leg and planted his foot on the mat, standing up completely.

Only a 3-year-old dog, Bokshil, who couldn't speak, watched with wide eyes as the 6-month-old baby stood on his own two feet.

Siwoo, now standing, clenched his mouth and pointed to one side of the living room with his finger.

That was where Bokshil had originally been lying.

– Woof...

Sensing a great threat through her animal instincts, Bokshil quickly turned around and went back to her spot.

"Hello! Yes, it's me, Unni!"

The sound of her mother's voice was heard.

Siwoo shot forward like a sliding bullet.

Thump!

"Siwoo? He's practicing belly crawling and playing with the puffed rice. Yes, he's eating well. He loves it. Siwoo~! Auntie!"

"Yay! Ah, ah, ah! Mama!"

After greeting his aunt, Siwoo resumed his belly crawling to collect more puffed rice.

Hyun-ju chased after Siwoo while talking to her sister.

"No, he can only say 'mama' so far. He can't even say 'mommy' or 'daddy' yet."

Hyun-ju felt good about her sister's praise but tried not to show it.

"Oh, why? All babies are cute. Is there such a thing as an ugly baby?"

At this point, she felt a bit strange.

"Unni, you're being more intense today. Why is that?"

On the other end of the phone, Hyun-ju's sister, Hee-ju, cautiously spoke.

Hee-ju was an assistant writer for a drama.

"..."

"Ha..."

"Whose heart? It's my baby, you know?"

Click.

"He's always been his own way since he was little. Oh, dear."

* * *

After drinking formula and burping, Siwoo laughed for a while at Bokshil and then fell asleep on the mat.

Hyun-ju picked up Siwoo and laid him in the baby crib.

Snooze...

Siwoo's white face, breathing deeply and sound asleep, was so cute and lovable.

Maybe he really is the cutest baby in Korea, as Unni said?

Hyun-ju smiled to herself.

What if he doesn't want to sleep at night when he's sleeping so soundly now?

She was worried, but it was a blessing to be able to prepare dinner in peace.

Hyun-ju went to the kitchen, glanced at the clock, and started cooking.

Sizzle...

Bubbling...

The sound of cooking meat and boiling stew filled the house when the front door opened and her husband, Do-jin, came in.

"Brother, you're here? Thanks for your hard work today."

Do-jin was a tall man, over 180 cm, with a handsome face. He had once aspired to be an actor, but now he was a diligent police officer working hard for his family.

"Sure. Thanks for taking care of Siwoo. Did everything go well?"

"Same as always. Oh! No, it's not."

"Why?"

"Umm! Change your clothes first and come back. I'll tell you while we eat."

"Okay."

Do-jin looked at the sleeping Siwoo and quietly went to the bedroom.

After changing into comfortable clothes, he saw Hyun-ju setting the table.

"Can I help?"

"No, I'm done. Sit down."

"Here, let me take it. It looks heavy."

"It's fine... thanks."

Do-jin took the pot of doenjang stew and a few side dishes from her.

While he did this, Hyun-ju finished setting the table.

Do-jin and Hyun-ju, sitting across from each other, started eating carefully to avoid waking Siwoo.

When about half the food on the table was gone, Do-jin asked.

"So, what was the thing you said you'd tell me?"

Hyun-ju fished a piece of tofu from the stew, ate it, and then said.

"It's nothing much. My sister called me earlier."

"Hee-ju?"

Technically, she should be called his sister-in-law, but Do-jin had called her "sister" since he met her in a theater group in his early twenties.

Hyun-ju was also introduced to him by Hee-ju.

"Yes. My sister said they need a baby about six months old for the ending of her current drama. She asked if we could bring Siwoo to film a scene."

The drama, Mr. Moonlight, in which Hee-ju was an assistant writer, was a grand historical drama covering the period from the Japanese occupation to the Korean War and the Third Republic. It was now in its final stages and had a viewership rating of over 40%, making it a major hit.

"Yes. She asked me to think about it and call her back by 8 PM. If you don't want to, it's fine."

It was 7:20 PM.

There was still some time.

"I'm not against it, but... I'm worried Siwoo might get stressed, or... what if he decides to become an actor later because of this?"

Hyun-ju barely managed to suppress a burst of laughter.

"Because of one scene in a drama when he's six months old?"

Do-jin, feeling a bit embarrassed, said.

"Well, acting... If you don't know anything about it, it's one thing, but if you get a taste of it, you might think you can do it too."

Do-jin was worried that Siwoo might grow up, struggle with what to do in life, and then, upon learning that he had appeared in a drama as a baby, declare, "I want to be an actor!"

He had experienced this himself.

As a child, he had gone to a film set with a friend to earn some pocket money and acted as an extra. This led him to wander in the theater world for over ten years, feeling that he could achieve what he saw on stage, only to be harshly reminded by reality that he couldn't.

The gap between his aspirations and reality was excruciating.

Hyun-ju understood Do-jin's feelings.

She placed her hand on top of his.

"Got it. I'll tell my sister we won't do it. You're the most important to me, and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Do-jin snapped out of his thoughts at the warmth in Hyun-ju's voice.

What am I thinking about a 6-month-old baby who can't even walk?

They say a person who is startled by a pot lid after being scared by a pot.

Do-jin was projecting his own life experiences onto Siwoo's future.

"No, I was being overly sensitive. It's just one scene in a drama that he won't even remember. Let's call my sister and go. It might be good to get some fresh air."

"Is it okay?"

"If you're not against it."

"I... think it'll be fun. I want to see the celebrities. I want to see how pretty Lee Soo-jin is in person."

"Haha, so that's your real goal?"

Hyun-ju stuck out her tongue and smiled.

While the parents were talking, Siwoo, who had woken up, was rolling around in the baby crib. He stuck his hand under the bumper guard to avoid getting his limbs stuck.

He lifted the bumper guard slightly and peeked through the gap.

He couldn't see his parents in the kitchen.

Bokshil, who had been sniffing the floor to mark her territory in the corner of the living room, turned her head when she sensed someone's gaze.

Their eyes met.

"..."

– ...

Siwoo wiggled his hand that was stretched between the crib bars.

Bokshil approached the crib, making soft paws sounds.

Siwoo stroked Bokshil's head with his hand.

Bokshil stood still, letting him.

Siwoo made a soft cooing sound to Bokshil.

"Go potty on the pee pad. Mom is thinking about getting you neutered."

It wasn't a cooing sound.

– Woof.

Bokshil, feeling dejected, ran away from the crib.

Bokshil looked back at Siwoo from the pee pad in front of the sofa.

– Pant, pant.

Siwoo was about to give Bokshil a thumbs up when he heard his parents getting up from the table.

Siwoo quickly restored the bumper guard and lay down, sucking his thumb naturally.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

It was the hand that had touched Bokshil.

Siwoo spat out Bokshil's fur from his mouth and put the other hand in his mouth, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Siwoo, you're awake? Were you sucking your thumb?"

Hyun-ju checked Siwoo's diaper and carried him to Do-jin.

"Is your daddy here? Do you want to go to daddy?"

Do-jin, holding Siwoo, asked Hyun-ju.

"When will our baby start walking?"

Hyun-ju, heading to the bedroom to call her sister, said.

"He can't even stand yet, and you're hoping he'll walk? You're being greedy. Siwoo is in big trouble. I'll go make the call."

"Okay. Say hello to Hee-ju for me."

Hyun-ju went to the bedroom and called her sister.

"Brother is going to get some fresh air. I'm a bit worried Siwoo might get stressed, but..."

"Got it. When is the shoot?"

"Day after tomorrow?!"

"Uh-huh."

At 6 months old.

The debut of Yoon Siwoo, who would later stand at the pinnacle of stardom worldwide, was decided.

Oh.