Chapter 24

24. Mini Fan Meeting

Click! Click! Click!

“I want a photo too~!”

A woman who looked like an office worker.

“Uncle, can I take a photo with my baby too?”

An elementary school boy.

“The ad was so cute~! Can I take a photo with my aunt too?”

Even an aunt passing by the drone store.

Siwoo knew from the internet that the Petiworld ad was getting a lot of attention, but experiencing it directly for the first time was truly amazing.

Many people he had never met before all recognized him.

It was hard to describe.

He felt like he had really done something right.

Was it the satisfaction of having worked hard on the ad?

Siwoo smiled prettily and clapped his hands.

Clap clap clap-!

“Look at him clapping! So cute!”

“He’s really beautiful!”

“Mom! Can I have a brother like him too?”

People started lining up to take photos, and the situation became a bit chaotic, so the store manager stepped in to help.

“Customers~! There are children here, so please wait in line safely and orderly!”

After calming the situation, the manager quietly asked Dojin.

“Sir, are you really okay with this?”

“...Yes. I already said I would take photos.”

“It must be tiring...”

“I didn’t expect so many people to come.”

The gathered people looked at Siwoo and Dojin with eager faces.

It was too late to refuse now.

The manager nodded.

The manager called an employee.

“Count how many customers are inside the store right now.”

“Not including those outside?”

“Right.”

The employees soon replied.

“Including the children, there are about 50 people.”

The store was packed.

The manager said to Dojin.

“You didn’t announce that you would take photos to those outside, so let’s just take photos for the 50 people inside. It might be difficult for you to say it, so we’ll tell them it’s due to store operations. How does that sound?”

The manager and employees were very kind.

“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry for causing trouble with our business.”

“No, it’s fine. Other stores pay to bring in celebrities for autograph sessions. This is actually helpful, so don’t worry about it.”

Host: Drone Store Manager

Assistants: Drone Store Employees

Location: Drone Store

This was Siwoo’s first fan meeting.

A stroller was placed in the center of the store.

Siwoo sat cutely in the stroller, hugging the stuffed animal his mother had given him.

As each person came up to sit next to the stroller, a store employee took a photo.

Click!

“You’re really cute. You were beautiful even when you were Mr. Moonlight last year. You have to grow up well, okay? Stay healthy! Bye~!”

“Bye~ See you~”

“Ah! So cute! Bye~”

“Bye~!”

Dojin realized again that his son had no shyness at all.

‘...Is this really Siwoo’s calling? Should I continue to let him do child actor or kid model jobs?’

He showed no signs of disliking or struggling.

Instead, he looked like he was having fun, his eyes sparkling with curiosity every time a new person came up.

Click!

“Mom~! Was I this cute when I was little?”

A young elementary school boy asked his mother after taking a photo with Siwoo.

“...”

“Mom, was I this cute?”

“...Yes, of course.”

“Hehehe! Bye~! Baby~! See you later~!”

After the mother and child left, two high school girls came up.

“Squeal! So cute! You were super cute when you were in the ad with the puppy!”

“Huh? Puppy?”

“...Squeal! You were with the puppy! What do I do! So cute!”

“Pup pup pup~”

Click!

Siwoo put on his best cute act for each photo, honed from his long experience as a baby.

The long line gradually shortened, and soon it was the last photo.

Click!

After taking a photo with an aunt holding a baby around Siwoo’s age, the line was finally empty.

That was the end of Siwoo’s mini fan meeting.

Dojin waved his hands.

“No, no, this is... I should be the one thanking you...”

As Dojin kept refusing, the manager personally gave Siwoo a gift.

“We’ve also benefited from the publicity. It’s not much, but it’s usually given as an event gift. Take it and play with your baby.”

It was a mini drone with a unique design.

Siwoo, holding the drone box, looked at the drone drawn on the box with eyes that sparkled as if stars were falling.

Dojin couldn’t refuse anymore and thanked the manager.

“Thank you very much. I’ll use it well.”

The manager asked with a meaningful smile.

“Yes. Oh, are Boksil and Nero doing well?”

“...What?”

Huh? How did the manager know Boksil and Nero’s names?

Seeing Dojin’s puzzled look, the manager sheepishly ran his hand through his hair.

“I... follow you.”

“...Oh.”

“Haha, I just wanted to take a photo with Siwoo too...”

The manager was genuinely surprised to see Siwoo in his store.

After Dojin and Siwoo left, the manager immediately went to Siwoo’s social media and left a comment.

– I saw Siwoo in person today~! ^-^ So cute! I’m the owner of the drone store! Come again~ I’ll give you a gift next time~ Ogu Ogu♡♡♡

* * *

After leaving the drone store, Dojin and Siwoo headed to their original destination, the aquarium.

When they arrived at the aquarium, Dojin saw a familiar face.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Dojin and a middle-aged man both looked surprised.

The man was the first to recognize Siwoo at the drone store.

“Hello.”

Dojin greeted him.

The middle-aged man approached with his daughter.

“Yes, the photo session went well? I’m sorry for causing trouble. It must have been tiring.”

“No, it went well and I enjoyed it.”

“That’s good. I didn’t expect so many people to gather. I should have been more discreet.”

“It could happen. It’s fine.”

“Are you going to the aquarium?”

“Yes.”

“We were just about to go in. Let’s go together.”

Dojin left the stroller at the stroller storage near the entrance and picked up Siwoo.

He planned to let Siwoo walk a bit inside.

“Siwoo, this is where the fish live. Are you excited?”

Dojin asked.

“Yeah. Fish. Cool.”

Siwoo was genuinely excited.

Not just for show, but truly.

As they entered, the atmosphere changed.

The unique, cool sea smell of the aquarium greeted Siwoo.

‘Wow, amazing. A place made just to see fish.’

It was a real cultural shock.

By Siwoo’s standards, fish were always food.

Something to catch and eat.

But the idea of catching fish from all over the world, raising them, and displaying them for people to see...

‘This shows that once humans satisfy their basic needs, they seek to satisfy their intellectual curiosity and sensitivity.’

Dojin put Siwoo down.

“If you get tired, ask Dad to carry you again. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

Dojin and Siwoo began their adventure in the underwater world.

Siwoo held his father’s hand and got on the escalator.

As they went up, cylindrical tanks brightly lit under dim lighting came into view.

“Wow.”

Colorful fish swam freely inside.

Siwoo exclaimed in amazement.

It might not seem like much, but to Siwoo, it felt like a beautiful painting.

“See the blue fish? Isn’t it pretty? Let’s see. This one is called a blue tang.”

Dojin pointed to the blue tang and told Siwoo.

Siwoo thought the name was a bit funny compared to its beautiful appearance.

‘...Blue tang? So the yellow one is a yellow tang?’

Siwoo chuckled to himself as he saw the yellow fish, a longhorn cowfish.

‘Well, that name is cute too.’

Siwoo and Dojin moved to the next exhibit.

“Siwoo, this is bamboo.”

It was a place full of bamboo.

Here, Korean fish like yellow croakers, carp, and willow loaches were displayed.

Siwoo found a tank at his eye level and walked over.

Dojin followed, protecting Siwoo from bumping into other people.

When Siwoo arrived at the tank, he watched the yellow croakers swimming gracefully and touched the tank glass.

Dojin quickly took out his phone to take a photo of Siwoo, who was touching the tank and watching the fish.

At that moment, the yellow croakers suddenly gathered around Siwoo.

It felt like when fish gather for food.

When Siwoo tapped the tank glass twice with his soft hand, the yellow croakers quickly dispersed and returned to their normal state.

“Oh, I should have taken a photo!”

Dojin, who missed the amazing sight, regretfully took a photo of Siwoo’s cute back and sent it to his wife, Hyunju.

Sending updates like this would help his wife worry less about Siwoo.

The saying that no news is good news didn’t apply to parents.

After visiting a few more exhibits, they arrived at a children’s exhibit.

Siwoo met a familiar face again.

“Haha, we’ve met three times today.”

Dojin, now familiar, greeted the man warmly.

The man asked.

“You and your son came out together, right? I’m the same. Want to go together?”

The man also seemed to be on a date with his child.

Dojin waved to a five-year-old girl clinging to her father’s leg and happily agreed.

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Having a sister might make Siwoo’s experience more fun.

The man told Dojin his daughter’s name again.

“Her name is Minseo. She’s five. Our...”

The man looked around and changed his words.

“What’s your son’s name?”

“Siwoo. He’s 16 months old.”

While the fathers talked, Minseo couldn’t take her eyes off Siwoo.

She had taken a photo with him earlier, but she was still amazed.

Feeling Minseo’s gaze, Siwoo raised his hand to greet her.

“Bye~”

Minseo hid behind her father’s leg for a moment, then peeked out and waved back.

“Bye...”

The fathers smiled at the children’s cute greetings.

The man said.

“Siwoo speaks really well. He must be very smart. Well, that’s why he’s in the ad... Oh, I should be careful. If anyone recognizes Siwoo, I’ll protect you. You had a hard time because of me earlier.”

“Haha.”

“Minseo, you said you wanted to see the baby again. Don’t hide, go and see him.”

The man gently pushed Minseo forward, and she reluctantly came out.

Minseo hesitated, then approached Siwoo and cautiously extended her hand.

‘Such a cute kindergartener.’

Siwoo smiled inwardly and raised his small hand to hold Minseo’s.

Minseo’s face lit up with a smile.

Siwoo and Minseo walked together to see the pretty, toy-shaped tanks.

Minseo walked slowly to match Siwoo’s pace, making sure he didn’t fall.

The fathers followed, chatting about everyday things.

When Siwoo and Minseo reached a transparent car-shaped tank, something strange happened.

– Vroom-!

Siwoo flinched.

“...”

Siwoo turned his head toward the next exhibit.

Beyond the corridor—

Someone was calling him.

Oh.