Chapter 72

72. Jackie Robinson

"Ugh~ Yomna... You've become so happy!"

Shin Young-min, the CEO, was waiting for his flight at the airport and watching episode 14 of "Hotel Red Moon" on his tablet.

Young-min pressed his nose with his hand.

As a father raising a son around Si-woo's age, he felt a pang in his heart seeing Si-woo and Yoo-ri happily playing at Han River Park.

"Wow, our Si-woo is now... really an actor! An actor! There are no kids who can do this at six... I don't think there are any in Hollywood either. Ah, we really need to show the world. We have such a young actor in our country! Like this, huh? Caa~ When is the Yomna emoticon coming out?"

Young-min asked the employee next to him.

"In three days. We expect significant sales..."

"We should buy it as soon as it comes out! Wow, is there a Si-woo version for Red Moon too?"

"Yes. They said they will add a few Red Moon scenes..."

"We have to buy it~ We have to buy it~ We have to purchase it~ I want to avoid buying it~ No matter how hard I try~ Si-woo is always in my heart~"

"..."

The employee, leaving the CEO who was singing an old song and entering his own world, decided to recheck the schedule for the trip to the U.S.

Young-min was excitedly tapping his tablet like a piano, checking the comments related to "Hotel Red Moon."

The reactions were very enthusiastic.

- Now... Is it really the end... for Yomna and Suho... Can't we see them again? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

- Bye! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'm glad you met your mom

- The acting was completely different from the movie, and the kid is really good at acting ㅠㅠ I was moved when Si-woo reunited with Han Yoo-ri at Han River.

- From a very scary wife to a little kid whispering to Han Tae-su, seeing this kid grow up and act with Han Tae-su is really amazing! The kid has grown so much! T_T

- Han Yoo-ri's acting seems to improve only when she's with Si-woo, or is it just me? Maybe Si-woo is teaching her acting? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- It's okay! Even without Yomna and Suho, we have Si-woo's next work! Who would have thought we'd be waiting for the next work of a six-year-old child actor! What's next after Bapu and Yomna?

- Are there no fan signing events? ㅜㅜ It must be hard for him because he's so young, but can't we have something like a lottery for a meal together? God, please... work for us...

"The comments are no joke. Our Si-woo is already a legend in the child actor world."

"Right. In terms of impact, he's the best ever. Isn't he similar to Dyanne Phan from 'I Am Sean' and Macaulay Culkin from 'Home Alone'? Of course, there's a difference between the domestic and international markets."

Young-min scratched his head and spoke.

"It's not the market difference."

"Yes?"

"It's the difference in skin color. If Si-woo were a white child, then..."

Young-min showed the tablet to the employee.

There were an enormous number of comments about the young actor Yun Si-woo.

It was hard to read them all, but even a quick glance showed that they were all as hot as active volcanoes.

"These reactions are happening all over the world."

"..."

The employee nodded silently.

The reason Korean actors are confined to the relatively small domestic market and can't conquer the vast international market is not because they lack acting skills compared to Hollywood actors.

Shin Young-min thought it was due to the differences in language and skin color.

The roles available to Asian actors were limited, and even if they built a solid career as supporting actors, it was extremely difficult to establish themselves as leading actors.

Unless it was an action movie that required martial arts or a caper movie with many characters, Asian actors were always third parties in films.

Villains.

Friends.

Sidekicks.

In major Hollywood films, the names of Asian actors were never mentioned first.

"I find that regrettable. Music has already paved the way for us to the world. People around the world sing along and enjoy songs in Korean. But in acting... of course, Korean films are good, but I want more people around the world to know about our... truly excellent actors. I want to show them off!"

"Yes."

"We need a Jackie Robinson."

"Yes."

"One person becomes a minority, a minority becomes a majority, and eventually, they become the majority. We need someone who can open the path for us to become leading actors in Hollywood, someone who can show that we can do it..."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I don't really know who Jackie Robinson is."

"Sorry. Jackie Robinson was the first black player to enter the American baseball league, which was previously a sport for whites only."

"Oh~"

"That's what I mean, we need an actor like that. I want such an actor to come out from our God Entertainment. That's why I added an English training program to the acting department, even though they're not idols."

Young-min smiled and half-joked.

"Just wait. I'll send all our actors to the U.S. later. Hahaha."

"Hahaha. Good luck, CEO."

The employee firmly decided to control the CEO so that he wouldn't randomly send successful actors in the domestic market to the U.S. and take unnecessary risks.

* * *

The Yomna emoticon was released.

While it was expected to be a hit, the God Entertainment employees didn't anticipate that the news of the emoticon's release would top the real-time search trends on portal sites.

The unprecedented collaboration between "In the Name of God" and "Hotel Red Moon" created a tremendous synergy effect, and it was decided to re-release the director's cut of "In the Name of God" with an additional three minutes of Si-woo's scenes.

Si-woo thought it might be too commercial, but the film, which had ended with 15 million viewers, successfully increased its audience to 16 million.

1 million from the baseball pitch.

1 million from "Hotel Red Moon."

A child actor with terrifying ticket power, who alone brought in 2 million viewers at the end.

Since the director's cut had just been released, there was a possibility that the numbers would increase further.

"Kyaa! Yomna! Yomna! Ah!"

"The movie was fun! The drama was also very enjoyable!"

"Ma'am, when is your next work? What will it be?"

"What do I do! What do I do! Mom, I just met Yomna... Yomna at the mall-!"

"Bye! Just once! Bye~ Just once~"

Si-woo, who had gone to the mall to buy clothes for the changing season, waved to the fans who had gathered.

"Ah, bye!"

Si-woo's greeting made everyone, regardless of age or gender, wave back happily.

'Hmm, they all look so happy? This is what being an entertainer is like.'

It felt rewarding.

He had worked hard on his acting, and being praised and recognized for it was quite... joyful.

And the fact that he was becoming a meaningful presence to many people, bringing them laughter and happiness, was both surprising and... how should he put it?

It made his heart warm.

Being loved by people was a very wonderful feeling.

'When I returned from war, I also received such cheers, but then there was the smell of blood. Here, there's only warmth. Maybe it's because I haven't stepped into the world of hate comments yet.'

While filming "In the Name of God" and "Hotel Red Moon," Si-woo had transitioned from acting as a playful game to a more serious effort to improve his craft and achieve results.

Although he wasn't the lead in the movie and only made a special appearance in one episode of the drama, Si-woo had firmly established his presence to everyone who watched the movie and the drama.

Busy days followed.

Like the idea that came up while eating bulgogi with the "Hotel Red Moon" PD, Si-woo also filmed a Honey Piece commercial, a washing machine commercial with Han Yoo-ri, who wanted to carry him around as a treasure, and a public service ad to prevent drunk driving...

The amount of work that came in was beyond imagination, but thanks to God Entertainment's consideration, everything proceeded according to the agreement, focusing on the things Si-woo wanted to do, whether it was CFs or photo shoots.

There was no subtle persuasion to take on higher-paying commercials or hints to do more work.

God Entertainment was a bit of a mysterious company.

With shareholders watching closely, they were naturally doing their best to generate profits, but it felt like they were looking for something beyond just immediate money.

In the scorching heat of August,

Si-woo was treating a girl who had injured her forehead at kindergarten.

"Si-woo... Hoo~ do it~ Hoo~"

The girl whined.

Instead of "Hoo," Si-woo made a "Heng" sound and smiled slyly, then placed his palm on the girl's forehead where the bandage was.

She had hit her forehead on the corner of a table while running around at home, and Si-woo was taking care of her because a scar might form.

If a scar appeared on a child's face, it would break the parents' hearts.

He was slowly making it disappear, not too quickly to avoid suspicion.

"Si-woo, if you do Cese~ it doesn't hurt at all, strangely?"

"I'm a superpower."

"......Ooh?"

"Okay. Go. I'll do it again tomorrow. That's it for tomorrow."

"Can you do it every day~?"

"No. I can't."

Determined, Si-woo turned his body.

He also treated a boy who seemed to have caught a cold, and before he knew it, it was time to go home from kindergarten.

"Shush~ Let's go play soccer!"

"Okay~!"

The kindergarten Si-woo and Ji-ho attended had various arts and physical education programs as its strengths, but it had many old and broken toys.

However...

Although it wasn't to his liking, it was fine because he liked his homeroom teacher.

In fact, whether it was a kindergarten or a daycare center, no matter how much you scrutinize, as long as there are no safety issues, the best thing is to have a good homeroom teacher, he thought.

After saying goodbye to his friends who were going home, Si-woo played soccer with the 7-year-old boys and girls for an hour as an after-school activity.

The purpose was to play with Ji-ho and the other kids, so he often let them take the ball, let them score goals, and caught them so they wouldn't fall.

'Sigh~ Really... Kids are getting annoying at the age of seven, it's tough. Even if the salary is impossible, I should get five times the snacks...'

Si-woo checked the kids' phone on his wrist.

He felt happy.

It was 10 minutes until quitting time.

Fortunately, it was a 5-day workweek with regular hours.

Moreover, next week was a break.

Si-woo happily took the bus and returned home.

"Mom~!"

"Si-woo, did you get along well with your friends today?"

"Yep!"

"Let's eat cereal and fruit, then go to the Go academy."

"Okay!"

Hyun-ju, who was now quite pregnant, greeted Si-woo warmly.

Although she was suffering from severe morning sickness, she was holding up well because Si-woo was secretly taking care of her.

Si-woo leaned close to Hyun-ju's belly and raised his voice.

"Kkumul~ Hello~"

Thump.

When Si-woo greeted, the baby kicked inside.

"Mom! It kicked with its foot."

"Yes, it's happy to see you."

"Kkumul~! I love you~!"

Thump.

The baby expressed its feelings with another kick.

Si-woo found the baby very cute, even though he hadn't seen its face yet.

He wanted the baby to be born quickly so he could hold its hand and see its face.

However, he could see that the parents' hard work would begin with the birth...

'I need to prepare myself mentally. It will be different from me. I'll help a lot, so don't worry too much.'

Si-woo hugged his mother's arm as if to comfort her.

After Si-woo and Kkumul's greetings, Hyun-ju led Si-woo to the dining table.

Hyun-ju, who had set out cereal and fruit, sat opposite and looked at Si-woo intently.

Si-woo, who had taken a bite of cereal, also looked at his mother.

He had sensed that his mother was troubled.

"Mom~ Why~?"

Hyun-ju, who was about to wait until Si-woo finished his snack, cautiously spoke in response to Si-woo's question.

"Si-woo, do you want to go to America?"

"America~?"

"Yes, another country. It's very far."

"I know. The other side of the Earth!"

Si-woo's eyes started to shine as he took a big bite of the apple.

Another country?

America?

Why is Mom suddenly talking about America?

"How about it? Do you want to go?"

Hyun-ju thought Si-woo would naturally want to go.

Hyun-ju continued.

"But, Mom can't go because I'm not feeling well. If you go, you'll have to go with Auntie..."

"With Auntie?"

"Yes, Auntie speaks English well and has time."

"Why are you going to America? For a trip?"

"Yes, why are we going...?"

Si-woo nodded vigorously after hearing Hyun-ju's story.

"Yes! I want to go! America!"