Chapter 21

21. Unbelievable-!

The cameras on the set lit up in unison, capturing every move the children made on film.

“Aww! Eo-eo~”

Siwoo made a cute sound upon confirming that the camera lights were on.

Then, Nero, dressed as a tuna, entered the living room and exchanged a glance with Siwoo.

Suddenly, he started running towards Bokssi.

Nero charged at Bokssi, still in the tuna costume, and Bokssi, terrified, ran away as fast as her feet could carry her to avoid the tuna.

‘…This isn’t a tuna, it’s Jaws, isn’t it?’

“Kyaa~!”

Siwoo chuckled and started running away from the shark, or rather, the tuna.

– Meow~

Nero had been quite dejected just a moment ago.

It was because his outfit was no match for Bokssi’s.

However,

As he started running, his mood changed.

– Kyeong! Kyeong!

“Kyaa! No, no~!”

Everyone was running away to avoid him.

Nero, chasing after Bokssi and Siwoo, felt his hunting instincts awaken.

The game of chasing the laser pointer, which he had found unsatisfying earlier, was a million times more fun.

– Meow~

‘This is exciting. Should I play a bit more?’

Siwoo waited for the moment when Bokssi and Nero passed by him and cast a spell.

‘Haste-!’

Whoosh!

Feeling like a lion or tiger from National Geographic, Nero let go of his senses and sprinted like a storm at the increased speed.

“Ahh! Don’t come this way!”

Seeing the staff members backing away from his approach, Nero felt like the strongest creature on Earth.

In reality, the staff were just stepping back to avoid being caught on camera.

– Meow~

– Pant, pant!

“Ahh! Haha!”

Nero ran around the living room at explosive speed, releasing his stress.

“Eo~ Stop~!”

When Siwoo judged that enough had been filmed, he called out to Nero to stop.

However, Nero, who was playing the shark while wearing the tuna costume, was under the illusion that he was the top dog and didn’t hear Siwoo’s words.

– Meow! Meow~

Nero roared.

“Babu-!”

‘Enough already-!’

Siwoo also roared.

Rumble-

Nero finally came to his senses at the strong voice that reached his head.

Nero and Siwoo’s eyes met in the air, generating electricity.

– ……

“……”

– ……Meow.

He wasn’t a lion or a shark.

He was a cat.

As Nero’s excitement subsided, Bokssi ran over and barked wildly.

– Woof, woof, woof! Grr!

Bokssi was genuinely angry at Nero for not following the script and really biting his tail.

“Nooo~!”

The baby scientist Siwoo, with his white lab coat flapping, quickly went over to stop the two children.

He then sat on the living room floor and hugged Bokssi and Nero tightly.

“Buuu.”

‘I told you not to fight. Nero, did you bite Bokssi’s tail, or did you not bite it?’

Siwoo, who had put Bokssi and Nero in a headlock, released them after getting a promise to play nicely.

Nero, now free, whimpered while looking at Siwoo.

– Meow…

He wanted to play the shark game again, but he wouldn’t bite the tail this time.

‘But just a moment ago, you were complaining about the tuna costume…’

* * *

“Unbelievable!”

Clap, clap, clap-!

Director Baele sprang up from his seat and clapped.

He had been worried that Nero’s mobility would be restricted by the tuna costume.

But what a surprise.

Nero was a black cheetah.

The speed was insane.

Moreover, Bokssi, who managed to narrowly escape Nero, the black cheetah, until the very end.

Director Baele had never known poodles could run so fast.

Bokssi’s ability to dodge Nero’s pursuit by freely changing direction left and right was like a bolt of lightning.

It was more thrilling than any chase scene in a movie.

The staff members gasped in amazement.

“Wow, that’s incredible! The kids’ movements… Wow!”

“They’re not just running, they’re almost flying!”

“I thought I was watching an animal superhero movie!”

The amazed voices of the staff continued endlessly.

Amidst this, a single word caught Director Baele’s ear.

“Hero…?”

Director Baele muttered to himself.

He slowly ran his hands through his hair and smiled.

The marketing team leader, standing nearby, suddenly felt a chill.

‘Sometimes… there’s a hint of madness in his expression…’

Director Baele shook his head and clapped again.

Clap, clap, clap-!

This time, it was a slow clap.

“You let them play freely and managed to capture in just 20 minutes what we planned to film over several hours. Excellent.”

He had doubted whether they would even get a single usable shot of Nero running in the tuna costume.

In the worst case, Nero might have lain on the floor and refused to move.

Or he might have struggled and taken off the costume himself.

In that case, they would have had no choice but to give up the hard-to-find tuna costume.

Director Baele closely watched Siwoo, who was babbling to Bokssi and Nero, who were sitting in the middle of the living room.

His eyes shone sharply.

‘Just now, during the chase, our actor Siwoo… has a very good rapport with animals? It’s as if he’s having a conversation with them… No, surely that’s not possible.’

Though he couldn’t explain it precisely, Director Baele’s keen eyes detected a strong bond between the three children, transcending species.

Their chemistry was impeccable.

Then?

Director Baele called out to everyone.

“I have good news! Everyone! I’ve got a new idea! Let’s aim higher! Hahaha!”

Director Baele, who had realized the children’s high potential, thought to himself.

‘Potential is there to be unleashed.’

* * *

Director Baele called the stylist.

“Take off the glasses to make Actor Siwoo’s face more visible. We can’t miss a single expression. And take off the tuna costume from Actor Nero. We’ve finished filming that. Bring the bow tie and the black lion mane hat.”

“Understood.”

As the stylist was about to leave, Director Baele called her back.

“Wait! One more thing! Bring the shoes that make the popping sound for Actor Siwoo. We’ll film with the shoes on.”

“It’s a living room, but shoes? Ah, understood.”

The set suddenly became busy.

The filming, which had been briefly paused, resumed.

Siwoo took off his glasses and put on his shoes.

Nero, with a bow tie, transformed into a stylish black cat that could have come straight out of a fairy tale.

The lion mane hat, which he seemed eager to wear, was set aside for later.

Nero kept glancing at the hat, which was placed in the corner.

“Ready, action!”

Director Baele called out in a serious voice.

The camera zoomed in on Bokssi’s face.

And…

“Bokssi~ Lie down. Let’s take a picture while you’re lying down.”

Dojin tapped the living room floor in front of Bokssi.

Bokssi tilted her head and stared at Dojin.

“Lie down, Bokssi. You do it well at home. Can you lie down? Bokssi? No, why isn’t she lying down? She does it well at home.”

Dojin’s face turned slightly red as he smiled awkwardly at the staff.

Director Baele gestured for him to try harder.

Dojin asked Bokssi again.

“Bokssi~ When I lie down, you do it right away. Come on, lie down~ Can you lie down?”

– Pant, pant.

With so many staff members watching, Dojin was getting frustrated.

Bokssi, whether she understood or not, stuck out her tongue and wagged her tail.

“Oh, she’s not lying down. She’s not in the mood to lie down?”

Dojin turned to Hyunju for help.

At that moment,

Hyunju and Siwoo, who had been standing together, walked forward.

Pop, pop, pop.

Bokssi was signaling to her dad that she wanted a treat, but he didn’t understand.

Siwoo, approaching Bokssi, raised his hand and called out in a cute voice.

“High five~!”

‘I’ll give you a treat later.’

Bokssi immediately flopped down on her back.

“Ohh-!”

“The baby is so smart!”

“We should have done a high five!”

Dojin let out a sigh of relief.

‘Siwoo saved the day. Phew.’

Siwoo, acting like a baby, pretended to wander around aimlessly while babbling.

“Wubububu~ Pupu~”

‘Bokssi, let’s start the acting while lying down. Hmm, imagine… when you went hiking with your dad. How did you lie down at home after that? That feeling, that expression. Action!’

Bokssi started moving her body subtly.

Stretching out to the side, Bokssi drooped her eyes and stuck out her tongue, adopting a soulless expression.

Having received detailed acting guidance from Siwoo for several months, Bokssi already possessed acting skills that were incomparable to other dogs.

Next, it was Nero and Hyunju’s turn.

Hyunju asked Nero.

“Nero, let’s look outside~! You like looking out the window, don’t you?”

Hyunju placed Nero on the window sill.

But Nero snorted and immediately came down.

The window was blocked by a wall.

“Nero~ Just sit there for a moment. Is it because there’s nothing to see?”

Director Baele scratched the back of his head.

Even to him, it seemed unlikely that Nero would be interested in a window that was only