Chapter 6
Honestly, the fact that the soy milk sold out on its first day was shocking, but I didn’t dwell on it too deeply.
‘They probably didn’t stock enough in the first place.’
However, contrary to my thoughts, the soy milk was selling even better than I had anticipated.
It wasn’t a case of being sold out every time I went, but compared to my past life, the sales were incomparable.
These days, there were even people recognizing me while I walked with Mom.
“Are you the kid from the soy milk advertisement?”
“Wow, you live in our neighborhood!”
“You’re really cute! But somehow you look different from the ad?”
I wasn’t being mobbed like a real celebrity or anything.
Just a few aunties who recognized me started to chat.
Yeah, this was barely the extent of it.
“Seo-yeon! Mom finally bought a ton of soy milk!”
“……Thanks, Mom.”
“What do you mean? You were so good in that soy milk ad… Wait, don’t tell me you hate soy milk too?”
Mom said this with newfound surprise.
As it happens, I wasn’t particularly fond of milk.
‘It’s just gross!’
I could manage skim milk, but I could never claim to love the stuff.
“Well, soy milk is better, but… I just strictly dislike beans.”
“Oh my, my daughter’s acting is truly incredible. I thought you loved soy milk!”
Of course, I had acted like I enjoyed it.
I couldn’t perform badly just because I disliked it, could I?
‘How did she buy three boxes?’
Anyway, I couldn’t let Mom eat all that soy milk by herself; I was fated to consume some of it too.
“But, there’s definitely something Seo-yeon hates.”
“……What is it?”
I avoided answering and turned my gaze away.
Looking back, I never really distinguished between likes and dislikes in my past life.
Especially if I showed my aversion to something like milk, I’d be totally ignored.
Lately, showing such signs seemed to come naturally; maybe those memories were easing up.
‘Is it because of acting?’
Or maybe it was just because I had become a girl.
Who knows what the reason is?
“Mom wants to know everything you like and dislike, so you have to tell me.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, Seo-yeon.”
After pushing a box of soy milk aside, Seo-yeon looked around to confirm Dad wasn’t around, then whispered.
“Director Jo contacted us. Would you like to try shooting another TV commercial?”
“A commercial? But I’m so tired of auditions…”
“Well, according to Director Jo, the advertiser who saw this CF liked it a lot.”
Child actors with exceptional talent are rare, but not so rare that they can’t be found.
Usually, when child actors lack acting skill, they often end up as kids’ models, so if you’re taking on the role of a child actor, it means you’ve got some level of acting prowess.
For example, like Lee Ji-yeon whom I met at the audition.
“Why me?”
“Well, it’s probably because of this soy milk ad!”
The soy milk ad…
It was clear it had a much larger impact than in my past life.
‘Well, trying out various roles isn’t a bad idea.’
All the money from the previous CF went straight into my bank account.
While the amount wasn’t huge, it was still my first earned money in this world, which felt quite rewarding.
“Sure!”
After all, I wouldn’t have too many other CFs I could be in.
Acting is arguably quite similar to being a VTuber, and honestly, there’s an enjoyable aspect to it as well.
Part of my desire to be a VTuber came from it being my only hobby in my past life.
After all, it was a chance to become a completely different me.
*
And so, Ju Seo-yeon.
Three months after turning six.
For the first time since my birth, I was about to attend kindergarten.
This was truly a first in both lives.
I never went to a place like kindergarten in my past life.
‘Hmm.’
Standing among kids dressed in colorful kindergarten uniforms, I crossed my arms.
Kindergarten entrance ceremony.
Mom waved at me not too far away.
‘……I want to go home.’
To be fair, I didn’t really vibe with the kids my age.
In fact, some of them were slowly inching away from me.
Why was that?
It’s not like I had done anything mean.
“Her eyes are scary…”
“Right?”
I could overhear their whispers.
Eyes.
Hmm, eyes.
‘Well… maybe that’s true.’
I could see why they might think that.
My relatively light-colored, reddish irises were definitely unusual.
And sometimes, they’d turn particularly red, but the reason behind that remained unknown.
‘Is this some kind of ability that came from being reborn?’
I couldn’t tell.
If they were going to reincarnate me, they could at least provide a manual.
Without a common status window, there were too many unknowns.
“Hey you!!”
At that moment, a loud high-pitched voice rang out.
Turning toward the sound, someone suddenly tugged on my clothes.
“Is it really you! What are you doing here!!”
The fierce-looking kid seemed familiar.
Yes, definitely…
“……Lee Ji-yeon?”
“What! You know my name?”
“I saw you at the audition.”
Of course, that memory was from my past life.
“Uh-huh, I didn’t expect you to remember me.”
Probably surprised I recalled her name, Ji-yeon’s expression softened a bit.
Honestly, I was more surprised she remembered me.
“I thought you would have forgotten about me.”
“What? How could I forget that? Yeah, that… humiliation!”
I guess being a child actor arms them with advanced vocabulary compared to others.
‘Still, can you really recall something from almost six months ago?’
Beyond just having a good memory, she seemed quite persistent.
The fact that she could get this worked up over something that happened so long ago was impressive in itself.
“But you were in another ad too.”
“What? You watched that?”
Well, it was on TV, of course.
‘And didn’t I even get to the better commercial than her this time?’
This time, Ji-yeon wasn’t in the soy milk advertisement, but rather a toy advertisement.
Toy commercials typically attract many child actors, so she must’ve felt lucky to get in.
She didn’t know it, but I had indirectly helped her land that role.
“……Hmph. Alright, I forgive you.”
I had no clue what I was being forgiven for, but I nodded along.
For some reason, Ji-yeon’s face brightened up at my reaction.
“The toy ad I did is better than your soy milk ad, my mom said! Got it? So now I’ve won.”
I had no idea what kind of competition she was on about, but I just nodded quietly.
While she articulated her thoughts clearly, it was evident she still had a childlike nature.
“Soy milk?”
“Oh, and by the way, I saw her on TV!”
Suddenly, a few kids reacted to Ji-yeon’s mention of “soy milk.”
Of course, that was not my intention.
“Wow, she’s that kid from the soy milk ad?”
“She’s definitely pretty. But her vibe seems different?”
“I thought she’d be a more lively kid.”
Moms watching from the back during the kindergarten entrance ceremony also turned their attention toward me.
What was up with that soy milk ad that everyone was suddenly paying so much attention?
To be fair, it was a gathering of mothers concerned about their kids’ health, so that made sense.
Kids in this era are glued to the TV all day, so they must have seen the advertisement, and mothers had a keen interest in nutritious milk and soy milk for their children.
……Ugh.
Glancing at Ji-yeon, I saw her face turning bright red in embarrassment, as if her pride was injured.
Then she started circling around me, as if trying to get someone to recognize her too.
Thanks to that, I felt my eyes were spinning.
‘Please, make it stop.’
Of course, no one recognized her.
Not even when the kindergarten entrance ceremony began ten minutes later.
*
“Hiring Director Jo was definitely the right choice.”
“No, it’s really due to everyone’s efforts.”
“The casting was perfect. Both Kim Jeong-ha and that child actor were truly amazing.”
As the Garam Dream advertising team leader praised, Jo Min-tae awkwardly smiled.
‘If you think it’s great, can’t you try to remember the name?’
Despite reminding him of “Ju Seo-yeon” multiple times, it seemed he had no intention of remembering it.
Then again, how many people would bother to remember the names of child actors, right?
“Thanks to this, our sales jumped sevenfold in one go. It’s all thanks to you, Director. So I hope you work with us again for the next commercial. We won’t let you down.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll let you know as soon as I have the availability.”
“Thank you so much.”
As Jo Min-tae hung up the phone with the advertising team leader, he let out a sigh.
‘They’re quite something.’
He had no desire to work with people who couldn’t remember actors’ names and were also tough on pay.
Still, with the success of this project, Kim Jeong-ha and Seo-yeon’s names had definitely gotten more visibility, which was a significant achievement.
Connections with talented actors are truly invaluable for a director.
Jo Min-tae sincerely wished for both Kim Jeong-ha and Seo-yeon to grow excellently.
One day, for the projects he would undertake.
“By the way, that last commercial turned out pretty well.”
At that moment, Jo Min-tae heard the voice of his father who was observing him.
Turning, he saw his father, who was now starting to go gray.
Jo Bang-hoon.
A renowned director who had produced several hits, and Jo Min-tae’s idol.
The only downside was that his father had never made a film that surpassed ten million viewers.
“That child especially. Did you cast her?”
“Yes. she was anything but ordinary from the audition.”
“Hmm.”
Jo Bang-hoon stroked his chin at his son’s remark.
Just around six years old, or was it five?
“Watching the unedited footage, there were definitely some flaws.”
“However, her emotional acting was oddly impressive.”
“Like method acting…?”
“Yes.”
Method acting is a double-edged sword.
Once an actor becomes deeply immersed in a role, it’s common for them to struggle for months afterward.
Seo-yeon clearly seemed to be the type to throw herself completely into her roles.
That much was evident from her acting.
However, she also managed to escape those emotions rather easily.
“That’s likely due to some immaturity or perhaps another reason.”
“Another reason?”
“Yeah.”
Of course, Jo Bang-hoon himself didn’t precisely know what that reason might be.
After all, the only video that could be deemed a proper performance she’d done thus far was just that one ad.
“If she were to act outside of a commercial… then perhaps we would understand clearly.”
“Really?”
His son’s discovery of a talented child actor had struck Jo Bang-hoon.
He had watched that soy milk CF several times.
This kid needed to be given the chance to perform in something more substantial than just an ad.
If she continued only doing commercials, her skills would develop in a distorted manner.
Especially during childhood, when they learn quickly, she could easily pick up undesirable habits.
“So you said they recommended that new CF? When do you think that will be finished?”
“Approximately in about a month. We’re about to start shooting.”
“Hmm, a month away.”
Commercials take a lot of time for editing and negotiating dates after filming.
The actual shooting will likely finish quickly.
That means there was now a great opportunity.
“I know of a good audition for a historical drama.”
“……Really?”
“If she wants, I’ll personally recommend her under my name.”
That wasn’t something that usually happened.
But just based on how much his son cared about her, he thought it was worth suggesting.
That level of talent seemed too precious merely to keep her in advertisements.
“Is it a historical drama, perhaps….”
“Yes, there’s a virtual historical drama airing on KMB soon. The name is probably…”
Pausing to contemplate, Jo Bang-hoon calmly continued.
“‘The Moon That Conceals the Sun,’ that’s what it will be called.”
If Seo-yeon had heard that name, she would have been taken aback.
‘The Moon That Conceals the Sun’
The last episode had a peak viewership rating of 40 percent.
This was a historical drama that had entered the ranks of being a national sensation.
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