Chapter 84

84. New Variety Show

– Self-harm?

– So what? How is the sea? Did he get hurt a lot? ㅠㅠ

– The Noryangjin seafood market tour is off the table…

– Action scenes are good, but please show more of Siwoo and Suhyun playing cutely together~ I saw the director's interview and it said Siwoo's screen time decreases in the second half ㅠㅠㅠ

– Since he got hurt, Siwoo will probably appear more for a while?

– Seeing the young sea lying there hurt makes me feel so sad ㅜㅜㅜㅜ

PD Lee Hyoeun sat with a red velvet crepe and a milk latte in front of her, looking at her phone.

After taking a sip of the latte, PD Lee Hyoeun, with a bit of white foam on her lips, said to the junior male PD sitting across from her,

“[A Day in a Fishing Village]—I knew this kid would do well from the start. But he’s doing even better than I expected. I’m so proud. It feels like I had a hand in it somehow?”

Seeing PD Lee Hyoeun’s happy smile, the junior PD said,

“[A Day in a Fishing Village]—Yoon Siwoo’s reaction was really good. I mean, mimicking chickens in the chicken coop and the fishing! Haha. After the show, he even became the cover model for Monthly Fishing. Didn’t he get a call for the fishing tour?”

“Ah, he was only four or five back then. How could a kid do a fishing variety show?”

“That’s true.”

The junior PD took a big spoonful of the tiramisu in front of him and savored it.

“Ah, really… I want to cast him. Yoon Siwoo. He’s so desirable. So desirable.”

Three years ago, the junior male PD, who was sitting next to PD Lee Hyoeun while planning [A Day in a Fishing Village], had been crying, saying that he would be content with just one hit. Now, he was directing a moderately successful variety show as he had wished.

“Not going well?”

“Sigh, we haven’t reached an agreement. God Entertainment is very picky. Yoon Siwoo is also busy with filming. Wow, has a seven-year-old ever become this famous?”

PD Lee Hyoeun smiled proudly.

“Exactly. They say the ratings go up by 1% every time Siwoo wiggles his mermaid tail. It’s a hit. A hit. He’s a kid who brings in box office success.”

“Exactly… How can it not work out…?”

“From what I read in the articles and comments, Siwoo’s screen time decreases in the second half of the drama. It’s probably because it’s a romance, so the adult sea will appear more. Siwoo’s schedule will definitely have some free time. Keep trying!”

“I wanted him to join as a regular when the new kids were added this time…”

“Give up on that. Just cast him as a guest. God Entertainment manages Yoon Siwoo’s schedule very strictly, so if you hesitate, even the guest opportunity might be lost.”

“Sigh… Yes… That might be better?”

“I’ve been saying this for a month now, but you’re only hearing it now.”

“Senior, I’ll go up first. I need to talk to God Entertainment again.”

The junior PD quickly finished his tiramisu and left the cafe.

Alone, PD Lee Hyoeun took out her phone again and looked at a photo of Siwoo at four, taken in a fishing village.

“He was so cute back then. Now he has a boyish charm. I wonder how many tears he’ll make the older sisters shed in the future… Oh, he’s so cute!”

Thinking about how she also wanted to cast Siwoo when the opportunity arose, PD Lee Hyoeun stabbed her red velvet crepe with a mini fork.

* * *

The set was so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Every time Siwoo wiggled his mermaid tail slightly, the only sound caught by the audio was a faint splash.

Siwoo, who had a pale face from the makeup, was lying in a bathtub wearing a mermaid suit.

This was a scene where the young sea, severely weakened by the mermaid’s attack, was recovering in the bathtub.

“Sniff…”

Suhwan, sitting on a chair in the bathroom, started his crying performance as he looked at the pale Siwoo.

…But the tears wouldn’t come.

“Cut!”

The tense atmosphere on the set was relieved.

Director Lee Sangchul approached and asked,

“Suhwan, are you still having trouble getting into the emotion?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try again.”

“Hmm, if your condition isn’t good, don’t force it. Let’s use artificial tears.”

“Ah… Just a little more… I want to do it naturally.”

Suhwan said, almost pleading.

“Okay. Since we have some time, don’t stress and try to get back into the emotion from the beginning. Talk to Siwoo a bit to ease the tension. Remember, the more you think, ‘I have to cry, I have to cry,’ the harder it gets. Got it?”

“Yes, Director. I’ll do my best.”

“Not just your best, but relaxed. Take it easy. I’m counting on you. When you’re ready, raise your right hand as a signal.”

Director Lee Sangchul and the staff stepped back to give Suhwan more time.

Siwoo, with his T-shirt sticking to his body from the water, awkwardly wiggled his mermaid tail.

‘Crying is actually quite tricky. You can force a facial expression, but tears don’t come on command.’

Siwoo had done crying scenes before during his special appearance in [Hotel Red Moon].

He could immerse himself in the situation with his well-honed concentration from many lifetimes, but if he couldn’t, he might have had to dredge up old, buried memories from the bottom of his soul.

“Big sister~”

Siwoo called out to Suhwan in a cute voice.

“Yeah?”

Completely submerged in the water, Siwoo only had his face above the surface, and he asked in a gentle voice,

“Can’t you cry?”

“Yeah. What should I do?”

“Why aren’t you crying? Aren’t you sad that I’m hurt?”

Siwoo’s slightly pouting and whining tone made Suhwan burst into a bright smile.

Seeing Suhwan’s smile, Siwoo was taken aback.

He was supposed to make her cry, not laugh.

Suhwan, also surprised, pressed her raised lips with her hand.

“Oh…! I know why I can’t cry.”

Suhwan, who had been covering her smiling face to avoid being seen by the director, said with shining eyes.

“Seeing you lying comfortably in the bathtub… You’re just so cute, I can’t help but laugh.”

Suhwan couldn’t help but smile whenever she looked at Siwoo.

Of course, if she were a more experienced actor, she could have done it well, but her concentration varied greatly during filming due to her lack of skill.

She needed to focus on her emotions, but she kept getting distracted by Siwoo’s adorable appearance, like a sleeping mermaid prince in the water.

“The script says… ‘Lying comfortably as if sleeping in water mixed with a mysterious potion.’”

“Yeah, I know. You’re doing well. It’s me who’s the problem.”

“Should I pretend to be in more pain?”

“But that would be different from the script.”

“Director~!”

With Director Lee Sangchul’s permission, Siwoo and Suhwan did a light rehearsal, and when they saw tears welling up in Suhwan’s eyes, they immediately started filming.

“Ready, action!”

As the camera lights came on, Siwoo began his performance.

Originally, this scene was supposed to be led by Suhwan with Siwoo responding, but now it was the opposite.

‘Seven years old and our ace! Siwoo, I’m counting on you! I trust you!’

Director Lee Sangchul clenched his fist and focused on Siwoo’s expression.

Siwoo slowly opened his eyes.

He saw the bathroom ceiling, which he was quite familiar with from frequent filming.

Counting about five sheep while looking at the ceiling, Siwoo slowly turned his head toward Suhwan and the camera.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Director Lee Sangchul’s eyes widened.

The staff’s mouths dropped open.

Suhwan felt a sharp pain in her heart.

If anyone with maternal or paternal instincts saw Siwoo’s frail appearance, they would have burst into tears.

His deep eyes, though dry, looked as if they were welling up with tears.

His pale, slightly trembling lips.

His lonely, wavering gaze, like a young animal seeking protection.

The most beautiful and adorable child in the world was alone in the water, enduring pain to avoid worrying the person in front of him.

Tears streamed down Suhwan’s face.

Suhwan, who had been struggling to cry just a moment ago, was now shedding tears uncontrollably, forgetting her lines.

For a completely different reason from earlier, when she couldn’t take her eyes off Siwoo because he was too cute, Suhwan couldn’t look away from him.

Siwoo, taking over for Suhwan who had missed her line, spoke.

“…Are you okay?”

Siwoo said the line “Are you okay?” that was supposed to be Suhwan’s.

Suhwan snapped back to reality and responded.

“Yeah. I’m okay. How about you?”

“I’m okay. The medicine the fisherman brought is working well.”

Siwoo said, though he didn’t look okay at all.

Suhwan, moved by the atmosphere Siwoo was creating, held back her tears to deliver her lines.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“…Why did you save me when I was a kid? Why didn’t you just let me die? It just made things worse.”

Siwoo looked at Suhwan with a dazed expression and smiled.

Seeing Siwoo’s gentle smile through the camera, Director Lee Sangchul felt a shiver run down his spine.

‘Laughing in this situation?’

Director Lee Sangchul’s eyes darted to the script.

There was no such line in the script.

‘A seven-year-old interpreting emotions spontaneously!?’

He knew Siwoo was a genius, but he had underestimated him.

A child’s emotions are straightforward.

Sad is sad, and hurt is hurt.

But Siwoo, without any direction, was showing a smile as if recalling his childhood.

While Director Lee Sangchul was trying to think of a word higher than ‘genius,’ Siwoo’s voice stopped his thoughts.

“I saw a human for the first time… a child like me… but he was already dead. I wanted to talk to him, to hear stories about the land.”

“So you saved him?”

“That’s part of it… too…”

Siwoo mumbled the rest of the line softly.

Suhwan asked again.

“What do you mean?”

“Too… too…”

“…Yeah.”

“Too… too… interesting and… cute…”

Suhwan’s tears stopped.

Siwoo, embarrassed, half-submerged his face in the water.

Suhwan, a bit flustered, stared at the bathroom floor, then dipped her hand in the water and lightly sprinkled it on Siwoo’s face.

“What! You little thing! You’re the one who’s cuter!”

* * *

Siwoo was heading to the broadcasting station in a car driven by Taeu.

“Siwoo, how long has it been since you did a variety show? It’s been three years since [A Day in a Fishing Village], right?”

“Since I was four~”

“Right. You’re seven now, so it’s been exactly three years. How do you feel? Excited?”

“Yeah~ I like it!”

Taeu parked the car in the broadcasting station’s parking lot and got out with Siwoo.

“Let’s go up. Siwoo.”

When Siwoo and Taeu arrived at the broadcasting station’s set, the staff came to greet them.

“This way, please.”

As they went inside, they could feel a lively atmosphere.

The children’s laughter was also clearly audible.

A variety show PD approached Siwoo and Taeu.

“Wow, Yoon Siwoo! Thank you so much for coming! It’s great to see you!”

“Hello~”

Siwoo bowed.

The PD knelt down to meet Siwoo’s eyes and asked,

“Siwoo, do you know what this show is about?”

“Yeah~ I’ve seen it on TV.”

“Do you like sports, Siwoo?”

Sports…

He’s really good at them.

“A little~”

“Is there any sport you’d like to do this time?”

“Anything~ I like them all!”

“Oh, confidence! Siwoo, go say hello to your friends and get ready for filming! We’ll start soon. Wow, a superstar like Siwoo is on our show! Haha!”

The PD shook hands with Taeu and went back to prepare for filming.

And a little while later—

The filming of [Our Kids’ Physical Education], a variety show featuring children that had recently become popular and broke away from the typical parenting shows, began.

Oh.