episode_0078

“An interview… are you saying?”

Hong Geun-sik’s proposal to join his interview.

At first, Shin Ji-hoo tried to refuse.

Wasn’t it because Seo Yi-soo couldn’t get an interview all this time?

It was because she was afraid of making a mistake or causing a controversy.

But Hong Geun-sik added again.

“You don’t need to worry about Seo Yi-soo. The journalist who will be conducting the interview with me is very close to me. If you explain the situation to that friend, they will edit out any controversial parts.”

If Seo Yi-soo were to cause an accident, it would be possible to cut out that part in advance.

Of course, it was uncertain whether the journalist would actually do that…

Hong Geun-sik said jokingly.

“You can trust me. The journalist is reliable, but… if they want to continue working as a journalist in this industry, they shouldn’t deceive me over something like this.”

It was an interview position guaranteed by Hong Geun-sik.

To betray someone like Hong Geun-sik, there had to be a guaranteed price.

It didn’t seem right to break the promise with Hong Geun-sik over an interview with just a rising star like Seo Yi-soo.

“I see.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

In other words, Hong Geun-sik’s words were this.

You don’t need to trust the journalist.

Trust my position in the film industry, Hong Geun-sik.

“But, sir.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I’m very grateful for the offer. But honestly, I’m a bit curious. Why are you giving our actor this opportunity?”

“I see.”

If Hong Geun-sik does an interview, it will naturally be featured on the main portal site.

It means that the public will pay attention to his words and actions.

That’s why Shin Ji-hoo was curious about Hong Geun-sik’s intentions.

“There’s no special reason. Just… Seo Yi-soo is good at acting, isn’t he?”

Hong Geun-sik replied casually.

“I hope that an actor who can shine will have the opportunity to shine even more. That’s all.”

“…I see.”

Shin Ji-hoo accepted Hong Geun-sik’s proposal.

It was an offer that she couldn’t refuse no matter how much she thought about it.

***

A few days later.

Shin Ji-hoo and Seo Yi-soo, accompanied by Hong Geun-sik, headed to an office building near Seoul.

The office provided by the production company of “Business Partners” was used as the interview location.

The three arrived at the office on time and were greeted by a woman in her mid-thirties who looked beautiful in a neat office outfit.

A woman with a camera man by her side.

“Excuse me, are you the journalist?”

But the state of the female journalist here was strange.

“…?”

It seemed like she was anxious, biting her nails and constantly making phone calls somewhere.

“Oh, have you arrived? I’m sorry. Our journalist is not feeling well right now. She lost her child.”

The cameraman apologized and explained.

It was a strange word.

“Lost her child?”

A journalist and a lost child.

The words didn’t seem to match.

“I’m sorry. Our child suddenly disappeared.”

The female journalist continued to explain.

“But… I took my child with me because there was no one to take care of him during the vacation.”

The female journalist added with a troubled expression.

“But… when I took my eyes off him for a moment, he disappeared.”

“I see.”

Shin Ji-hoo finally understood the situation.

Well, even so, an entertainer. And bringing a child to an interview with a top actor like Hong Geun-sik…

But the question was soon answered by Hong Geun-sik’s whispered words.

“I heard that… that journalist. She’s probably a single mother. I don’t think she has any other family to take care of the child.”

“…?”

If that was the case, there was probably nothing else she could do.

The female journalist looked uncomfortable, as if she was biting her lips.

“The phone isn’t connecting. It seems like the battery is dead. I was told to play the game in moderation. I’m sorry for making you come for the interview.”

She looked very embarrassed.

And also, she looked upset.

Her child was missing.

But she couldn’t go out freely to search for her child because she was working, so her heart must not have been at ease.

And Shin Ji-hoo, she was a person with quite a complex feeling towards the existence of her mother.

Shin Ji-hoo stepped forward.

“Haha. It’s okay. Let’s look for her together. The child wouldn’t have gone outside the building. We’ll find her soon.”

“….Is it really okay?”

The journalist’s face showed quite moved by Shin Ji-hoo’s kind offer.

And….

“Of course. Seo Yi-soo. I’ll go look for the child for a moment. You rest here…. Seo Yi-soo?”

And at the moment when she realized that Seo Yi-soo had disappeared in the brief moment she took her eyes off her.

“Where did she go again?”

Shin Ji-hoo called Seo Yi-soo’s phone.

Ring ring!

Seo Yi-soo’s phone rang from Shin Ji-hoo’s bag.

“….”

“….”

“….”

Silence filled the neatly decorated rental office.

“Hmm.”

Shin Ji-hoo cleared his throat stylishly.

“Well, it seems like there are two missing. Let’s look for them together.”

“What? Missing? Two?”

The journalist, who had been impressed by Shin Ji-hoo’s actions just now, couldn’t understand at all.

Shin Ji-hoo couldn’t understand it either.

‘How can a 21-year-old go missing like this?’

There are things that are sometimes incomprehensible but must be accepted.

Being Seo Yi-soo’s manager is probably one of those things.

***

And as Shin Ji-hoo suspected.

Seo Yi-soo was missing.

After being separated from Shin Ji-hoo for a moment and wandering aimlessly around the building, she found herself in a different place.

She wasn’t worried at all.

“If I play like this, Shin Ji-hoo will come to find me.”

Despite the heaviness, she was positive about not having any means of contact, even forgetting her phone in Shin Ji-hoo’s bag.

Perhaps it meant that she trusted Shin Ji-hoo that much.

Anyway, even though she was missing, Seo Yi-soo explored the building cheerfully.

“Child?”

However, the situation changed when she happened to come across a child.

“Hey kid, what are you doing alone in a place like this?”

It was a boy.

He seemed to be in the lower grades of elementary school.

The boy was wandering around in a corner of the building corridor.

Seo Yi-soo asked the boy out of concern.

And the boy replied, “Just.”

“I became a missing child. I got distracted for a moment. My mom is gone. I lost my way.”

His mom was gone.

He was alone.

He said so.

“That, that…!”

Seo Yi-soo had a tremendous traumatic experience of parting with her family.

Back when she lived in her hometown, she, too, had parted ways with her family for various reasons and never saw them again.

Seo Yi-soo fell into contemplation.

“How can this happen!”

When she was alone.

Seo Yi-soo didn’t care at all about being a missing child.

But….

Thinking that this small and young child would be left alone like her.

She felt terribly dreadful.

She couldn’t just stand still.

“Grab my hand! Let’s go find your mother.”

“No. When you’re missing, don’t wander around for no reason. Stay put in one place….”

The boy made a quite reasonable argument, but it was in vain.

“Come on! Listen to me!”

Seo Yi-soo grabbed the boy’s hand and set out to find his mother.

“Um, okay. Let’s go then.”

From the boy’s perspective, he might have thought it was better to go along with it.

The elementary school student felt that Seo Yisoo looked like an adult, unlike himself.

Moreover, her innocent expression didn’t make her seem like a bad person.

Therefore, he guessed that if he followed adult Seo Yisoo, he would at least be able to get proper help in the first-floor lobby.

Above all, even in the eyes of a young child like himself, Seo Yisoo was very beautiful.

Holding hands with the pretty older sister and wandering around…

It was a strangely pleasant and exciting experience.

The boy pretended to be helpless and held Seo Yisoo’s hand.

“Come on, let’s go! To find your mother!”

“This older sister seems oddly cheerful. Oh, my name is Yechan. And you?”

“Me? I’m Seo Yisoo.”

“So you’re Seo Yisoo.”

And so, the two lost children began their adventure.

“Hehe. Child. Anyway, don’t worry now. I’m here.”

“Yeah, older sister. Actually, I thought my mom would come if I just waited. But it was a bit scary being alone.”

“Is that so? I see. Haha. There’s nothing to be afraid of now. I’m here.”

“But, older sister. I’m not a child, I’m Yechan.”

“Right. Yechan. I’m Seo Yisoo.”

At first, he was excited.

Seo Yisoo was happy that she could help a small and lovely child.

Different from himself, he was glad that he could prevent this boy from experiencing the pain of separation from family.

Yechan was excited that he could meet his mom a little sooner.

And he was thrilled to be able to wander around with the pretty sister Isu.

The exploration of the elementary school child and the innocent girl proceeded brightly and cheerfully for a while.

But…

As always, a crisis eventually arrived as if it were fate.

“Um, sister.”

“Yes, yes.”

About an hour into their wandering.

Yechan realized that something was wrong.

They had been wandering around for too long.

If they had found the lobby, they could have simply gone to the first-floor lobby front desk and asked for help.

That shouldn’t have been difficult for adults.

Why did they wander aimlessly inside the building for an hour?

“Why is it taking so long to find the lobby?”

So the boy asked Seo Yisoo.

Seo Yisoo, in response, gave a very innocent smile to the boy.

“The lobby? What is that?”

“…?”

“Hehe. As expected, there are still many words on Earth that I don’t know. Lobby. It has a nice ring to it.”

“…Sister??”

Yechan could see that something was seriously wrong.

Come to think of it…

This sister named Seo Yisoo had never once mentioned going to the lobby.

She had only repeated that she would help him find his mother.

It was a realization that came too late.

As Yechan realized too late, Seo Yisoo was just wandering around looking for the boy’s mother without a plan.

And Seo Yisoo was completely unaware that it was wrong.

“No… If we don’t go to the lobby. Where on earth are you trying to go by wandering like this?”

“Say no more. I’m trying to find your mother. Don’t worry. I’ll find her no matter what. Even if it takes all day. No…”

Seo Yisoo gave a fierce look to Yechan.

And then she whispered softly.

“Even if it takes my whole life.”

“…You can’t take your whole life, sister!”

“Huh?”

It was only then that the boy realized he shouldn’t follow Seo Yisoo.

“Alright, take me back to where we first met. That’s where I got separated from my mom. If my mom finds me, she’ll come looking for me from there.”

“Ugh.”

“No. Why are you avoiding my gaze? Why? What’s wrong now?”

“That’s the thing. Buildings on Earth are too vast and complex.”

“…So?”

“I don’t know the way back to where we started.”

Seo Yisoo was lost, even in finding the way back.

“Wait, what kind of sister is this?”

Yechan was at a loss.

It’s ridiculous, but it’s also true.

Without realizing it, Yechan raised his voice.

And ended up scolding Seo Isu.

It’s like when a mother scolds you when you do something reckless.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“If you were really lost like Mia, you should have just stayed put. Why are you wandering around so happily?”

“Well, that’s because Shin Ji-hoo will come find me soon.”

“You don’t even have your phone with you? How do you expect that manager hyung to find you? No. More importantly, if you found a lost child like me, you should have just gone to the lobby or asked the staff for help. What if you just wander around the building? Huh?”

And so…

Seo Isu, scolded like a child, clasped her hands together nervously.

It was truly pathetic, but what could she do.

It was all her own fault.

“I’m really sorry….”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Is it a stroke of luck?

Or is it even more pitiful?

Seo Isu’s exceptional emotional expression was still functioning perfectly at this moment.

Her deeply troubled emotions were conveyed to the boy scolded by her.

After being scolded, Yechan’s mood soured, so he lowered his voice.

“Sigh. It’s okay. It’ll just take a while, and Mom will eventually find me. Noona, are you crying by any chance?”

“Oh, no…. I’m a strong and brave person. I don’t cry….”

Although she said she was fine.

The way her lips were pouting made her look so pitiful.

“Sigh….”

Yechan let out a deep sigh.

“Well…. If I keep wandering around, maybe I’ll really run into Mom sooner.”

He knew it was an irrational thought.

But still, Yechan wanted to comfort the despondent Seo Isu.

Yechan was mature for his age and had received good upbringing from his parents.

But it might also be because Seo Isu was such a charming person who could captivate people’s hearts.

“Noona.”

“…Speak. I’m listening.”

Yechan said to the gloomy Seo Isu.

“I think you might have a point, Noona. Let’s keep looking for Mom. Let’s try a little longer.”

“….Really?”

“Yes. Come on. Give me your hand.”

Yechan reached out his hand.

Seo Isu, forgetting the scolding from earlier, firmly took Yechan’s hand.

“I knew you would say that. It’s better to do something than just wait around.”

“Yes. Everything you said is right, Noona.”

Seo Isu was happy because Yechan cared for her.

Seo Isu said, “You’re still a child. So don’t worry. I will definitely…”

She said with a bright smile.

“I will make sure you don’t lose your mother.”

At that moment.

Seo Isu’s emotional expression was at its peak.

As Yechan looked at Seo Isu’s smile,

He felt something strange.

Why did his heart ache and feel bitter when he saw that smile?

The emotions Seo Isu held were too complex and heavy for a child to understand and interpret.

So, Yechan just comforted Seo Isu without really understanding.

“Yeah. That’s right. Please find my mom quickly.”

“Yes, yes!”

At the moment when Shin Ji-hoo realized that Seo Isu was missing.

While the adults were organizing a search party.

The lost was taking care of the lost.