Chapter 88

88. Frozen Story

After dinner, Siu was reading a book in his room.

Since encountering the Harrywart book in LA a year ago, Siu had become obsessed with foreign fantasy novels.

While reading "The Little Vampire," a book about a vampire boy living in Seattle, USA, Siu stopped reading when he heard a knock on the door.

"Si Yun?"

The sound coming from below the door was undoubtedly his younger brother.

When Siu opened the door, Si Yun, who had been crawling hard to see his brother's face, was sitting and smiling.

"Brother~"

Si Yun, who was close to turning two, could only awkwardly pronounce five words: "Mom, Dad, Brother, Nero, Boksil."

Behind Si Yun, Hyun-ju was standing with her phone.

"Si Woo, what were you doing? Can Mom and Si Yun come in?"

"Sure~ I was reading a book."

"Harrywart?"

"No, The Little Vampire. I already finished Harrywart~"

"Is The Little Vampire fun too?"

"…Yeah."

Although it was too childish and didn't quite suit his taste compared to Harrywart, he could still read it to clear his mind.

'Sigh, I should be reading something like A Game of Thrones… but since I'm in kindergarten, I have to be satisfied with The Little Vampire…'

Crawling.

Si Yun, who had entered the room, grabbed Siu's body and stood up, then begged to be held.

Siu pressed Si Yun's chubby cheek with his hand and gently picked up his little brother.

"Hmm… Umm…"

To Si Yun, who was whining, Siu said,

"Alright. I'll play with you. Want to read a book together?"

"Ahhhhh!"

Si Yun, with his fluffy, small hands tightly gripping Siu's clothes, looked at him with a pleading gaze and babbled.

It meant he wanted to play magic.

"Later~ Let's read a book now~"

Sitting on the floor, Siu opened the book with Si Yun crawling onto his lap.

While showing Si Yun the illustrations in The Little Vampire, Hyun-ju said,

"Si Woo, I have some good news. You're planning to audition for Harrywart next year, right?"

"Uh-huh~"

"An American company called your company. The author of Harrywart saw you on XOXO and really liked you. They've invited you to participate in the Harrywart audition."

"But I was already planning to participate, right?"

"They didn't know you were participating, so they called to make sure you would come."

"I see."

Then…

Instead of being just one of many participants, he would be a strong candidate invited to participate.

Of course, it was still just an invitation to participate in the audition.

Nothing was decided yet.

'I thought it might be more advantageous for American-born Asian children, but it seems not. The Harrywart movie is so popular that it will likely be a global hit unless they mess it up… If I want to go global, I have to seize this opportunity.'

It was rare for an Asian actor, especially a child actor, to capture the world's attention to this extent.

Such an opportunity might not come again for the next ten years.

Thinking about the exciting and fun Universal Studios and the Hollywood streets with the handprints of famous stars, Siu wanted to be part of that exciting world.

* * *

Siu was burning brightly in the final days of his toddlerhood.

"Si Woo! Over here! Look this way!"

Click! Click! Click!

Wearing the clothes chosen by Jeong-tae's mom, Siu, who had become an accidental fashion leader for children after appearing in a drama, was shooting a photo spread for a luxury children's clothing brand in a Samcheong-dong alley.

The brand was designed for children from kindergarten to early elementary school, featuring a lineup of clothes that gave off the vibe of prestigious European private schools.

"Wow, this kid can really pull off any outfit."

"Beauty is not just a face, it's a fashion statement."

"Did you know that everything Si Woo advertised sold out? The 'Sea Eye Fashion Si Woo Look' was completely out of stock."

The clothes Si Woo wore had become the standard for boys' children's clothing in South Korea, and were very popular among moms and kids.

It was like the 'Yoon Si Woo' craze, a slightly younger version of the 'Ryu Seung-hyun' phenomenon that had swept through moms of older elementary school and middle school boys.

By the way…

Jeong-tae's mom, who had chosen Si Woo's clothes, regretted not selling the clothes herself when she saw how well they sold.

She was now considering taking a break from her efforts to make Jeong-tae a star and starting a shopping mall, thinking she might have a talent for choosing clothes.

Thanks to this, 10-year-old Jeong-tae told Si Woo he had more time to play with his friends.

"Si Woo, good job! This is a gift for you!"

"Thank you~!"

"See you next season! Si Woo, you did great! Every second is like a photo spread! Hahaha!"

Holding the toy box given by the clothing company, Siu got into the car with Tae-woo.

As they started the car, Tae-woo joked,

"Si Woo, should we go into the toy business together? Si Woo is a toy tycoon~ That sounds nice."

They gave him toys as gifts wherever he finished a job.

While Siu didn't really need the toys, they had their uses.

First, he gave the baby toys to Si Yun, and shared the rest with his friends at kindergarten.

Thanks to this, Siu earned the nickname 'Santa Eye' at kindergarten.

'Come to think of it, the 'Eye' trend is popular. Sea Eye, Sand Eye, Santa Eye. If I sweep the domestic scene this year and get the Harrywart role in the U.S. next year… that would be great.'

"Hmm… Uncle Tae-woo~"

"Uh-huh?"

"What time is the commercial shoot tomorrow?"

"10 AM. I'll pick you up by 9, so get ready with Boksil and Nero. I'll call your dad again when he gets off work."

The next morning.

Doh-jin washed Siu, dressed him well, and carried the carriers with Boksil and Nero to the parking lot.

Tae-woo was waiting at the entrance of the apartment.

"Mr. Doh-jin! Hello! Haha! How have you been?"

"Fine, thanks to you! Thank you for always taking care of Si Woo."

"No, no. Si Woo is so smart and well-behaved, it's not a problem. It's a pleasure. Oh, what happened to your hand? Did you get hurt?"

Tae-woo asked, noticing the bandage on Doh-jin's hand.

Doh-jin shook his head as if to say 'don't ask' and said,

"Last night, while giving Nero a bath, I… got scratched. Nero is a wild animal when he's angry, a wild animal."

– Meow!

Nero, who seemed to understand they were talking about him, let out a sharp meow from inside the carrier.

"What are you angry about after scratching Dad? Let's go. It's time to go to the playground you like."

Doh-jin put the carriers with Boksil and Nero in the car and helped Siu get in.

Siu, holding the first volume of "Harrywart and the Dragon's Egg" that he had started reading again the previous evening, got into the car.

The car headed for the set prepared somewhere in Seoul.

"Si Woo, you can't read books in the car."

"Umm… It's bad for your eyes, right?"

"That too. You get carsick, remember?"

"I'm fine… Okay~"

Siu, who had planned to read during the trip, put the book down on the seat next to him at his father's request.

Doh-jin asked,

"Si Woo, you're auditioning for the movie based on this book?"

"Uh-huh~"

"Really? What role? I should read the book too."

"The role of a child adopted to the U.S. when he was young."

"Oh… I see. That's different from Yomra and Bada. Does he use magic? Magic?"

"He uses magic~ It's different from Yomra and Bada. Yomra and Bada are… more mature. But this one is a real child."

Tae-woo, sitting in the driver's seat, laughed and said,

"Oh, Si Woo is already doing character analysis? That's impressive."

"This is just the basics~"

Siu answered with a bright smile.

Upon arriving at the commercial shoot, Siu greeted the director and staff and took a look around the set.

"Wow~!"

Siu let out a genuine exclamation.

A large wooden building covered in snow was set up.

"Isn't it cool?"

"Isn't it? It's really cool. The uncles built it all. Inside, there's a real restaurant."

"Does it really serve food?"

"…No. It doesn't serve food. It just looks real. Haha. Si Woo, you're so cute. You look even better in person. I hope you do well today! Si Woo!"

"Uh-huh~!"

While in the past, he felt like he was living his daily life and occasionally working, now it felt like work was part of his daily life.

He was familiar with the set.

Siu confidently answered the staff and went to prepare for the shoot.

"Ooh! Yoon Si Woo! Yoon Si Woo!"

"Wow! Sea Eye!"

"Really small! A baby! So cute!"

When Siu entered the makeup room, he was surprised.

About thirty actors were chatting and waiting inside the makeup room.

As Siu entered, everyone's attention turned to him.

Siu awkwardly waved and looked around.

The costumes were varied.

There were warriors, thieves, mages, priests, pirates, and more.

It seemed to include all the classes from the hit mobile MMORPG "Frozen Story Season 2," which had won numerous awards for its excellent production and was enjoyed by people of all ages.

'There are foreigners too?'

"Ooh! Yoon~ Si~ Woo~ XOXO! Sea Eye~"

"…No. Sea Eye. S-e-a E-y-e."

"Sea Eye?"

"Sea Eye~"

When Siu explained more clearly, a large, white man in an apron laughed heartily.

Siu thought to himself,

'Apron? What's this job? An NPC?'

The white man, patting Siu's head, said,

"Hi. I'm the owner of the Traveler's Rest. I bring you food when you order."

"Wow, you speak Korean really well~?"

"I've lived in Mapo for 16 years."

"Oh~"

"Let's do our best!"

"Uh-huh!"

A moment later, Siu came out after finishing his makeup.

He was dressed in the costume of the new class 'Taming Master' being ambitiously added to Frozen Story.

A special limited edition featuring Siu's character and his attack pet Nero and healing pet Boksil was also planned for sale.

Wearing a Robin Hood-like hat with a red feather, green clothes, and brown boots, Siu confidently walked out with a beautifully crafted, scaled-down bow on his shoulder.

"Wow, he looks just like a game character?"

"Exactly. Wow. There's no sense of dissonance."

"It feels like he jumped out of the game world!"

Siu stood in front of the beautiful wooden building covered in snow, receiving the full attention of the staff.

A sign reading "Traveler's Rest" was visible.

The extras were already inside the rest, creating a lively atmosphere as they waited for the shoot to begin.

The director approached Siu, gave him a few instructions, and told him to relax before returning to his position.

Soon, the director's voice rang out.

"Ready, action!"

Siu changed his expression at the director's signal and began acting.

Siu felt that all his work, whether it was fashion spreads or commercial modeling, was a form of acting.

'One. Two. Three.'

Counting in his head, Siu lifted his head and pushed the door of the rest open forcefully.

The extras in the rest, who had been noisy, suddenly fell silent at Siu's entrance.

Facing the rest owner in the distance, Siu, now a seven-year-old Taming Master, shouted loudly.

"Owner! A glass of delicious milk! Oh, warm, please!"