episode_0079

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

“Well… but my mom didn’t really disappear, so there’s no need to find her.”

“You have nothing to worry about!”

“Well, okay. It seems like that.”

“Let’s go!”

Seo Yisoo declared boldly and took Ye Chan’s hand, leading her down the road.

Seo Yisoo’s heart was filled with determination.

And so, as Seo Yisoo walked away, it was reminiscent of an adventurer setting off on a desperate quest.

Of course, in reality, this adventure was a futile one.

Seo Yisoo didn’t know who Ye Chan’s mother was, or what she looked like.

“….”

Ye Chan, mature beyond her years, had already realized this fact.

But she didn’t feel the need to inform Seo Yisoo of the true nature of this adventure.

“Just… let’s just play along with this older sister.”

For some reason, it felt like this adventure meant more to Seo Yisoo than it did to Ye Chan herself.

And so, Ye Chan decided to accompany Seo Yisoo on her journey with the intention of simply playing along with her older companion.

And so, Mia watched over Mia.

However, completely unaware of the truth, Seo Yisoo’s adventure began.

Seo Yisoo wandered around the building, quite diligently.

But if asked whether this was truly helping to find Ye Chan’s mother, the answer might be a bit difficult.

“Nuna, what are you doing?”

Seo Yisoo suddenly sat down by the window.

“Look. There’s a flowerpot here. Such beautiful flowers.”

Seo Yisoo happily gazed at the flowerpot by the window.

Creak-

“Yes, Team Leader. I’ve placed the order for the items to be sent to the factory by next week, as you instructed. Yes, yes.”

When someone unexpectedly popped out of the office, Seo Yisoo quickly hid.

“But shouldn’t we ask if they’ve seen our mother if we spot someone?”

“Well, that’s true. But I was just so surprised when someone suddenly appeared.”

“Sigh.”

The highlight came next.

A female employee was carrying a bunch of pastries as snacks.

Seo Yisoo noticed her.

“….”

Seo Yisoo’s gaze was fixed on the pastries the female employee was carrying.

“Um? Are you Seo Yisoo by any chance?”

The female employee, sensing the gaze, turned around, recognized Seo Yisoo, and asked in surprise.

“Yes… that’s me, Seo Yisoo.”

Seo Yisoo, still staring at the pastries, barely managed to respond.

Realizing this, the female employee asked, puzzled, “Why is this celebrity acting like this…?” before hesitantly asking, “Would you like to have some of these?”

“Um, is it really okay?”

“Of course. It’s just a pastry. Oh, by the way, if it’s okay with you, could we take a picture together?”

The female employee took a photo with Seo Yisoo and, in return, gave her a bunch of pastries before leaving.

“Hehe. Ye Chan, what are you standing there for? Come here and sit down.”

“…Nuna, you look like a celebrity. Is that right?”

“What are you trying to say? I am Seo Yisoo, a truly remarkable actress.”

“Um.”

Ye Chan was at a loss.

A person who seemed like a celebrity.

Getting excited over a few pieces of bread.

And then being so happy to receive them as a gift.

“Instead of that, come and sit down. Aren’t you feeling a bit hungry? Let’s fill our stomachs a bit and then continue looking for your mother.”

Seo Yisoo said, cutting a strawberry cream-filled pastry in half and offering it to Ye Chan.

“Nuna, really.”

By now, Ye Chan was starting to get a sense of who Seo Yisoo was.

Incredibly beautiful.

Probably an actress.

With many impressive qualities, yet engaging in such trivial actions.

“Well, let’s eat together.”

However, Ye-chan didn’t really mind Seo-i-su’s humble attitude.

The celebrities he occasionally saw passing by with his journalist mother always seemed to act like they were such amazing people.

Whenever he saw those celebrities, Ye-chan felt like they lived in a different world than him.

Seo-i-su, on the other hand, felt like someone who lived on the same land as him.

Although she couldn’t be of any help, she was frantically trying to find Ye-chan’s mother for him.

Even though he was still young, Ye-chan started to like Seo-i-su.

So, with a smile, Ye-chan sat down on the hallway chair next to Seo-i-su and started eating bread with her.

“…It’s delicious. This bread.”

“Yeah, yeah. This strawberry cream has a really innovative taste. Probably made by the most skilled pastry chef on Earth.”

“No. It’s not that great.”

Ye-chan watched in amazement as Seo-i-su tore into the bread.

‘Are all celebrities like this?’

Just eating bread.

And it’s not even from a famous bakery. Just a regular franchise.

But seeing Seo-i-su eating the bread.

Enjoying the bread with a happy expression.

Ye-chan couldn’t help but find Seo-i-su really charming.

Regardless of gender, he thought that people themselves shine brightly.

“Nuna.”

“Yeah?”

For some reason, Ye-chan wanted to become closer to Seo-i-su.

“Nuna, do you… not play games or anything?”

“Games?”

Of course, Seo-i-su didn’t really know what games were.

Ye-chan had to explain to Seo-i-su what games were.

“Oh, wait. Someone’s passing by. Sir! Do you have a charger by any chance?”

A new adult appeared, but Ye-chan didn’t ask him for help because he was lost.

He just asked to borrow a charger if he had one.

Then he turned on his phone and started playing a game.

“Oh, wow! Wow!”

Seo-i-su’s eyes sparkled as she experienced a mobile game for the first time.

The game Ye-chan showed her was an RPG game where dragons raise guardians to battle to prevent the world from destruction.

“How is it? Among the free-to-play players, I’m really strong.”

“Is that so? You’re really amazing. Even at such a young age, you can command guardians. That’s really impressive. Unlike me, I’ve never tried commanding guardians.”

“…? Well, you haven’t played this game before. Anyway, take a look.”

Ye-chan boasted about his game stats.

Seo-i-su was purely amazed by her understanding of the game.

The two of them forgot about looking for Ye-chan’s mother and played games, ate bread, and had a lot of fun.

The game was really enjoyable.

“It’s so fun. But my mom always nags me not to play for too long.”

Ye-chan grumbled suddenly.

“Oh, your mother seems quite strict.”

“Yeah. Very. She always stops me from playing games. Says it’s bad for my eyes. And that I need to study. Ah, I wish my mom was like you, Nuna.”

And that’s how Ye-chan ended up making a complaint mixed with flattery.

For Ye-chan, it was just a thoughtless comment.

But…

“You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Huh?”

Seo-i-su gently stroked Ye-chan’s head with a somewhat serious look in her eyes.

With an expression and emotion that young Ye-chan couldn’t read, she said, “Ye-chan. You shouldn’t say things like that. Family is irreplaceable. If that person disappears one day, they will never come back. No one else can replace them.”

“Sometimes, there are moments when I really miss them. Their face comes to mind so vividly that it hurts. I long for the warmth I felt when they held me in their arms.”

“……”

“But no matter how much I miss them, I can never see or feel those things again. Saying goodbye to family, that’s what it’s like.”

Yechan was a child who was more mature than his age.

But even so, he was still just a child.

So he couldn’t understand why Seo Yisoo had that expression on his face and said those words.

However, he could at least tell that his reckless words had triggered some aspect of Seo Yisoo.

“No.”

So, like a child, he retorted a bit bluntly.

“Did I really say that because I wanted that? I was just throwing a tantrum.”

Yechan, for the first time since meeting Seo Yisoo, acted like a boy his age.

“Haha. Is that so? Alright then.”

Seo Yisoo continued to pat Yechan’s head.

Yechan felt a bit embarrassed and very shy at the moment.

But for some reason, he couldn’t push away Seo Yisoo’s hand patting his head.

The two of them spent time like that.

“Yechan!”

And it was a little while later that the search party of adults found the two of them.

“Oh? Mom!”

Yechan ran to his mother and hugged her.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry, Mom. I was being taken care of by this sister here.”

“Oh my. Who’s taking care of whom.”

Yechan honestly told his mother what had happened during that time.

‘Now, even an elementary school student is taking care of me. Impressive, Seo Yisoo.’

But except for Shin Ji-hoo, no one believed Yechan’s words at face value.

They just brushed it off, thinking that a young boy was stubbornly returning the favor to the sister who had taken care of him.

“Are you Actress Seo Yisoo?”

Yechan’s mother, who mistook Seo Yisoo for the missing child, spoke with a friendly expression.

“I’m Yehee Jung, the journalist who will be conducting the interview today. I’ll make sure to write a good article.”

Kindness blossomed within a minor misunderstanding.

But Seo Yisoo didn’t pay much attention to such things.

“Why make a big deal out of that. It’s more fortunate that Yechan found his mother.”

Seo Yisoo simply smiled happily at the thought of Yechan reuniting with his mother.

Yechan could feel Seo Yisoo’s pure heart, and she responded with an even more friendly expression.

“Miss, here’s my business card. If you need any articles in the future, please contact me.”

Yehee Jung not only ended with a simple greeting but also handed over her business card.

Seo Yisoo seemed to really like it.

Anyway, that’s how the interview went.

Yehee Jung asked many questions.

Most of them were directed towards Hong Geun-sik, but she didn’t forget to ask Seo Yisoo some questions as well.

And all of Seo Yisoo’s words were recorded on Yehee Jung’s recorder.

The verbal exchange in that moment was later transcribed into text after some time.

***

“Oh, it’s finally the release date.”

After some time had passed, Shin Ji-hoo received a magazine that had been delivered to the KS Entertainment headquarters.

The magazine was called .

On the cover, there was a stylish print of Hong Geun-sik and Seo Yisoo.

Hong Geun-sik, sitting arrogantly with his legs crossed on a chair, twisting his mouth and giving a smug smile.

And standing behind him, with her hand resting on Hong Geun-sik’s shoulder, was Seo Yisoo, or rather, .

The contrast between the evil grin of Hong Geun-sik and the almost expressionless, somewhat detached look of Seo Yisoo created a peculiar impression on the cover.

“The photos came out really well. Let’s see. As for the content….”

Shin Ji-hoo unfolded the magazine and turned to the page featuring the special interview with Seo Yisoo and Hong Geun-sik.

Reading the interview, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

[Q: You were invited to a prestigious film festival right after your debut and even won an award. As a rookie actor, those memories must be unforgettable, right?]

[Seo (Seo Yisoo): Of course, those are memories that I can’t forget. Being invited to the film festival was an honor, but I never imagined I would receive an award. I am always grateful to Director Kang Jin for casting me.]

“What is this.”

According to Shin Jihu’s memory, Seo Yisoo’s response to this question was as follows.

-Oh ho ho! What can I say? It was a really good memory there. Even the mango shaved ice in Busan was delicious.

This trivial response was translated into the article as extremely calm and actress-like.

“No. Even if you gained favor by taking care of their child. Can a journalist deceive like this?”

Such doubts arose involuntarily.

Anyway, Shin Jihu continued reading the article.

[Q: You made your first acquaintance with actor Hong Geun-sik through this drama . What was your first impression?]

[Seo: When I first met the teacher, I was so nervous that I made a lot of mistakes. Fortunately, the teacher was very forgiving (laughs)]

In response to this question, Seo Yisoo said the following.

-What can I say? I always do my best when dealing with people. Shin Jihu told me to be polite, so I even bowed deeply.

When Seo Yisoo answered like this, even the friendly interviewer had a blank expression, unable to help but show a ridiculous reaction like ‘What? A temple? Are you living on a mountain? Where monks live?’

“They translated and wrote it like this again. Haha.”

Like this…

The interview article by the interviewer was very positive towards Seo Yisoo overall.

Any controversial parts were completely omitted.

The interviewer diligently translated and included Seo Yisoo’s answers in a moderate and actress-like manner.

Perhaps, just with this much, Seo Yisoo’s image would have greatly improved.

However, the highlight of the article was the following response from Hong Geun-sik.

That day, at the interview.

When asked about his thoughts on Seo Yisoo, Hong Geun-sik responded as follows.

[Hong: I think she is an actor with great potential. I can’t compare myself, a mere actor, to her. I believe that within 5 years, she will surpass even me and become the best actor in Korea.]

The breadcrumb that fans eagerly awaited.

And the bombshell that Shin Jihu had been pondering.

Seo Yisoo’s potential.

Even calling it a huge bomb would be an understatement.