Chapter 12

12. First Birthday

Late at night, past midnight.

Siwoo quietly got out of bed.

‘Is today my first birthday? I’ve already lived for a year. Sigh.’

He felt a mix of emotions.

Although the period from 0 to 11 months was the most suffocating and sometimes even terrifying part of each reincarnation, thinking about it being his last life made even this period feel bittersweet.

Siwoo, who had slipped out of the crib, cast a more powerful sleeping spell on his parents and shuffled out to the living room.

‘Ah, maybe I’ll check my phone for a while.’

Just as Siwoo was about to leave the room, he turned around and went back inside.

Siwoo, using both hands, picked up the phone on his mother’s bedside table, unlocked it with her fingerprint, extended the screen auto-off time to the maximum, and then carried it out to the living room.

“Nero, turn on the lights.”

– Meow~

Nero, who had been playing alone in the living room, perked up his ears and was delighted to see Siwoo.

Nero wiggled his bottom under the light switch and then leaped up with all his might.

Click!

Success.

The lights in the living room turned on.

“Good job. It’s worth the practice.”

– Meow?

“I get it. Just one bite. You’re really fixated on strange things. Can’t you forget the first taste I threw out the window?”

Nero went to the food bowl, filled his mouth with food, and started chewing.

It was fortunate that Boksil, who had gone for a late-night walk and was now exhausted, was sound asleep.

Siwoo leaned back on the sofa and turned on the TV with the remote.

“I should practice a bit after playing and then go to sleep. Maybe I’ll watch a movie.”

Since making a payment would leave a trace, he had to choose a free movie.

After scanning the list of movies for a moment, Siwoo spoke to the remote.

His hands were still small, so it was easier to use voice commands than to press the buttons.

“Find a free movie with cats or dogs.”

Since it was his birthday, he chose something peaceful and healing.

To also practice his English, Siwoo put on the third part of "Dogs & Cats" in English and switched his mother’s phone to special private mode before going to a portal site.

Search.

Several related article titles appeared.

Siwoo read a few articles and the comments below them.

– Oh~ Director Lee Han-su! When is it opening? It seems really funny.

– Is this a horror, romance, or comedy? Hahaha

– I’ve been a fan for 10 years!!! Su-jin and Tae-su, let’s go!

“People are really excited.”

The movie was in the middle of filming.

Unlike the adults who filmed every day, the children were participating in the filming once a week.

Next week, they were scheduled to film at a café in Seogyo-dong, Seoul.

“It’s supposed to be filmed until July and released in December. By then, I’ll be 19 months old… I’ll be so old. It’s being released just as my baby days are ending.”

Siwoo considered the period up to 24 months, when the grand heavenly gate opens, as his baby days.

“Damn. Why does it feel like I’m not just living for a year but approaching death? Is my 101st life really non-existent? No, I shouldn’t think like this on my birthday.”

With a clear mind, Siwoo turned his attention to the movie.

The movie was talking about a feed factory.

Siwoo opened the search bar on the phone again.

Search.

After looking up the information, Siwoo nodded.

It said that while the necessary nutrients are different and long-term consumption can be problematic, eating it once or twice is fine.

This time, he searched for his own name.

Search.

As expected, there was nothing about him.

Only stories about people with the same name appeared.

“Should I search for baby actors? It’s amazing to live in a world with TVs and the internet. I wonder why I was born here only now.”

Just as Siwoo was about to search for baby actors, he suddenly remembered his mother’s social media.

The social media app on the phone seemed to be sparkling more than usual.

He touched the app.

“Hmm…”

Many of the posts were pictures and videos of Siwoo, with the rest being of Boksil and Nero.

For a relatively new account, it had a surprisingly high number of posts.

Filming the movie and posting on social media had recently become a big joy for his mother.

The number of followers was…

About 1,700.

“Is that a lot or a little? I can’t really tell. How many did Jung-tae’s mom have?”

Siwoo tried to recall.

40,000.

He had heard that after the movie’s release, she aimed for 100,000.

Of course, it was likely just the unrealistic hope of a nostalgic, greedy aunt.

“Mom’s account is only two months old. It will probably grow over time.”

If the account was promoted, the number of followers would definitely increase.

Siwoo shifted his attention from the numbers and decided to look at the photos his mother had taken.

“She really takes a lot of pictures. Learning social media late is scary.”

He clicked on his own picture and read the comments.

– The baby is so cute!!

– Is his name Siwoo? He’s the cutest baby I’ve ever seen ㅠㅠ

– So cute~! Please post more pictures! Of Boksil and Nero too~!

Seeing the overwhelming praise, Siwoo knew what to expect.

With a maxed-out appearance, it would be strange if he wasn’t cute.

The time he spent to max out his appearance was not wasted.

As Siwoo scrolled down, a video caught his eye.

It was a video his mother had posted early on, where Nero and Boksil were engaged in a chase, performing method comedy.

“There are so many likes and comments.”

Siwoo played the video.

In the video, Nero was writhing and rolling on the floor.

Even now, you could feel the effort he put into the performance.

– Haha, so funny! What’s he doing? Hahaha

– I laugh every time I watch it ㅎㅎ

– What is this cat? Hahaha

– If this cat were a VJ, I’d send a donation ㅠㅠ

It was the post with the most likes and comments on his mother’s social media.

“Good reaction. Next, I’ll post a video of the cat jumping to turn on the lights. Of course, Mom will post it, and I’ll just guide it.”

Siwoo, laughing to himself at the videos and comments, left the social media and went to MyTube.

“Videos are definitely on MyTube.”

I tried to have a staring contest with 100 people… What was the result?

Play.

My top 5 favorite Seoul restaurants.

Play.

I’m fasting for 24 hours while my friends keep eating.

Play.

Although Siwoo had experienced countless things in his 99 lives, this place was truly a new world.

A world with technology more magical than magic and humans more fascinating than monsters.

Siwoo closed MyTube and stretched.

“I should start practicing. I’ll end up staying up all night if I don’t.”

The movie was almost over.

He hadn’t really watched it.

Siwoo erased his traces from the TV and phone and called Nero.

“Nero, turn off the lights.”

Nero, who had been lying with his back to Siwoo, seemed to have dozed off and didn’t respond.

“Alright. Go to sleep. You have your own cat power.”

Siwoo, confirming that Nero was really asleep, decided to turn off the lights himself.

Siwoo raised his index finger.

“Wind Arrow.”

It was a classic spell he had learned a long time ago.

A small stream of wind formed above Siwoo’s finger.

It was more like a wind needle than a wind arrow.

Whoosh!

The wind needle flew forward and hit the light switch precisely.

Click!

The lights in the living room turned off.

Siwoo returned to the bedroom, put the phone back in its original place, and climbed into the crib.

It was time to practice.

Although this world was quite peaceful and there was no real need to become stronger, he still needed to practice to prepare for any accidents or unexpected events.

He didn’t want to lose his only remaining life in a traffic accident or a fall.

Sitting in a lotus position, Siwoo took a deep breath and began his meditation.

Siwoo’s night was over.

* * *

He woke up around 11 a.m.

Although he had slept for a short time, his body felt light thanks to the energy he had absorbed at dawn.

Siwoo did about three minutes of stretching, grabbed the crib railing, and stood up, calling for his mother with a voice tinged with tears.

“Mommy~!”

It was a perfect cry.

A flawless baby performance, honed through 100 baby lives.

His mother ran to the crib.

“Our son is awake? Were you surprised not seeing Mommy? I was taking pictures of Boksil.”

Hyun-ju picked up Siwoo and said,

“Today is Siwoo’s first birthday, so let’s take a lot of pictures later. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, and Mommy and Daddy’s friends will come, and there will be a lot of people. Does Siwoo like being around a lot of people?”

“Mmm~ Mommy!”

“Alright. Let’s have some milk.”

That evening.

Siwoo’s first birthday party was held at a quiet family restaurant near their home.

“Siwoo~! Siwoo~! Look this way? Look over here!”

“Siwoo is getting cuter! Happy birthday! I brought a gift~!”

“Do-jin is quite a figure, but what can you do? It seems like his son has already surpassed him? Hahaha!”

It was noisy.

The host, a comedian who occasionally appeared on variety shows, was skillfully controlling the atmosphere and leading the party.

He had been sent by Han-tae, who had heard that the father would be hosting the party.

“Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our beloved Siwoo’s first birthday! The father of Siwoo will now give a thank-you speech…”

It was the father’s turn to give a thank-you speech.

Do-jin was scheduled to speak at the beginning of the party, and Hyun-ju at the end.

Do-jin stepped forward and began his speech, speaking beautifully as a former theater actor.

Just as the first words were about to come out of Do-jin’s mouth,

Hyun-ju, who was carrying Siwoo and moving between tables, was tapped on the shoulder.

Hyun-ju turned around reflexively.

“Ah!”

Hyun-ju was startled.

Top star Su-jin, who had been busy with filming, was smiling in front of her.

“Y-You really came?”

She had said she wanted to come, but with such a busy schedule, it seemed impossible that she would actually make it.

“The director said to come. He said to take a lot of pictures with Siwoo. They might be used as props in the movie.”

“Oh, well, thank you so much for coming.”

Hyun-ju still couldn’t believe it.

Regaining her composure, she guided Su-jin and her manager to an empty seat.

“Is that Su-jin? Is it really her?”

“Wow, she’s amazing in person. I heard Do-jin’s child is in a movie… Is that why she came?”

“Wow, Su-jin is here. Suddenly, Hyun-ju seems really impressive. Look at her connections.”

Hyun-ju heard the murmurs of some guests who recognized Su-jin.

“Please sit here.”

As Su-jin sat in the chair Hyun-ju pointed to, she said,

“I’m afraid I might take attention away from Siwoo. Oh, can I post the pictures I take today on my social media?”

“Yes, that’s fine. It would be an honor.”

“Well, an honor, but… Siwoo, happy birthday. Since this isn’t a set, can I call you Mommy?”

“No,