After playing with Kwon Suah, Myungwoo joined Kwon Seonwoo at his request for a bit.
“Juice okay?”
“Ah, yes.”
Myungwoo nodded at Kwon Seonwoo’s words, and Kwon Seonwoo poured orange juice into a small cup and placed it in front of him.
For Suah to improve… Kwon Seonwoo can’t keep catering to her like this.
Acting that well…
Their different thoughts crossed.
“I watched <Black and White Mask> and <Alley Childhood Friends>. Your acting was really good.”
Kwon Seonwoo was the first to speak. He smiled faintly and praised Myungwoo’s acting.
“Haha, thank you for seeing it in a good light.”
“Acting…”
Kwon Seonwoo paused to choose his words.
Honestly, seeing Kang Myungwoo had shattered the prejudice Kwon Seonwoo had held about child actors for quite a long time.
He thought child actors didn’t need acting skills, weren’t actually good at acting, and just succeeded on looks alone.
And Kang Myungwoo’s face proved that point, being so handsome.
So he naturally assumed that was the case.
But when he watched <Black and White Mask> to study other actors’ performances, he shuddered.
The child actor, whom he thought was just handsome, Kang Myungwoo, displayed such incredible acting.
“…Did you learn separately somewhere? Before coming to the academy Suah attends.”
“Ah, no. I don’t have that experience.”
Kwon Seonwoo’s eyes widened at Myungwoo’s words.
That level without learning?
Did that make sense?
This kid… is he really a genius?
Otherwise, there was no explanation. Kwon Seonwoo was silent for a moment.
“Really? That’s amazing. To show that level of acting without much learning.”
“Haha, thank you.”
Kwon Seonwoo forced a calm tone.
The thought of a tremendous genius, completely shattering his remaining prejudice with Myungwoo’s answer, made words hard to come out, but as an adult, in front of his daughter’s friend, he barely hid it and continued calmly.
“Since you’re at the same academy as our Suah, I’d like it if you taught her a lot. Having a kid with your skills teach her would definitely help Suah a lot.”
“Ah, about that.”
As the conversation turned the way he wanted, Myungwoo quickly spoke.
“Hmm?”
“While doing acting play with Suah, I felt something looking at the scripts.”
“What is it?”
Felt something looking at the scripts.
What surprising thing was this kid going to say now? Kwon Seonwoo swallowed.
“Looking at the scripts, most of the women in them seem to have personalities similar to Suah.”
“That’s right. I purposely picked those kinds.”
“You can’t do that.”
Myungwoo said with a firm face. Kwon Seonwoo flinched at his assertion.
“Can’t… do that?”
“Yes. An actor is someone who acts a role, not someone who fits the role to themselves. Suah can’t only do roles similar to her personality later on.”
Myungwoo continued calmly.
It was true. Roles didn’t adjust to the actor. It was always the actor’s job to adjust.
In that sense, Kwon Suah doing roles similar to herself didn’t actually help her much.
It might seem a bit presumptuous for an eleven-year-old actor, his daughter’s friend, to say to her father, an actor, but Myungwoo was confident he would take his words seriously.
He already saw Myungwoo as a fellow actor.
“That’s…”
Kwon Seonwoo’s words stuck at Myungwoo’s statement.
Because it was all true.
There wasn’t a big reason he gave Kwon Suah only those scripts.
He just liked seeing Suah happy, saying her acting improved that way.
But ultimately, it was true it didn’t help her acting development.
So Kwon Seonwoo couldn’t refute Myungwoo, who pinpointed that exactly.
“It’s fun for Suah now. But later? If she only acts a limited range like that, her range of roles as an actor will narrow. You don’t want that, right?”
Myungwoo continued in a calm voice.
Kwon Seonwoo was inwardly surprised at how he touched on what he’d been thinking deep down.
This kid…
What had he done to know and say such things at that age?
Clearly an eleven-year-old, one-year career actor, but it didn’t seem so at all.
This wasn’t something simply explained by maturity or talent.
Was this what a true genius was?
“You’re… right.”
After a long silence, he finally continued.
“I thought wrong. For Suah’s future, I shouldn’t do that.”
Kwon Seonwoo said that and smiled faintly.
“I thought Suah wasn’t that serious about acting, so I just wanted her to be happy.”
“No.”
Myungwoo shook his head at Kwon Seonwoo’s words.
“Huh?”
“Suah is serious about acting.”
Kwon Suah not serious about acting?
No way.
How could an eleven-year-old kid, if not serious about acting, talk about it at every turn, and show such serious eyes during acting play?
Her talent wasn’t outstanding, but it definitely wasn’t a case of lacking passion.
That’s why Myungwoo had stepped in.
If not, he’d have left it alone.
That level of interest was enough for just enjoying it.
“Suah really likes acting. She’s thinking about it seriously.”
“I get that a child might seem light about it, but how about trusting your daughter a bit more.”
“…Huh.”
Kwon Seonwoo opened his mouth slightly at the piercing words from Kang Myungwoo, the same age as his daughter.
This kid, what…
Clearly the same eleven as his daughter, but sometimes his words sounded like a middle-aged man older than himself.
Of course, what mattered now wasn’t that, but the content. It was all correct, so Kwon Seonwoo was silent.
Yeah, that’s…
Right.
Even though she was his daughter, it was true he’d dismissed her childhood passion as light.
Because she’s a kid, she could change if it didn’t work. Many do.
But even so…
That doesn’t change that it’s sincere in the moment.
He’d been completely wrong.
To realize this from his daughter’s friend, he was a total failure as a dad.
Kwon Seonwoo grinned and patted Myungwoo’s head.
“Thanks. For saying that. It helped me think properly.”
Myungwoo also smiled faintly at Kwon Seonwoo’s ready acceptance.
“No. Thank you for accepting it.”
I said it because you seemed like someone who would.
If he seemed like the type who couldn’t accept this, Myungwoo wouldn’t have brought it up from the start.
But he wasn’t the type with too much pride or who overly dismissed kids, and he adored his daughter Kwon Suah.
So the calculation was it’d be okay to say this much, and he just acted on it.
Having said all he needed, Myungwoo wore a relaxed smile.
“Oh dear, time’s already this late. Uncle held you up too long?”
“Haha, no. I can go now.”
Kwon Seonwoo’s face also looked relieved. Myungwoo had pulled out what he’d unconsciously thought, dissolving the knot in his heart.
“Take care. Come again next time.”
“Yes.”
The two exchanged simple greetings and turned.
Amazing kid.
How could he think of that at that age, with that career.
Kwon Seonwoo could only marvel at Myungwoo himself.
Great at acting, mature, deep thoughts…
At this level, with our Suah…
Kwon Seonwoo’s thoughts went that far, then he suddenly shook his head.
No, even so, that’s not it.
Two selves clashed in his mind.
Which would win remained to be seen.
Of course, whether Myungwoo thought that way was the issue.
***
The next day, filming for <The World Turned Upside Down in an Instant> continued from morning.
“Everyone ready?”
“Of course. Instead of asking me, check your side.”
“I’m already in top condition.”
The final source exploration members, after gathering opinions and adjusting personnel at the shelter—Nam Yeji, Choi Dowon, Song Seojun, and a few others—were fully prepared.
Packed food and sleeping bags, checked weapons, and top condition.
Song Seojun breathed heavily with a tense expression beside them.
I have to do it, I…
Something only he could do.
Song Seojun’s hands trembled at the thought.
Choi Dowon, who had been bickering with Nam Yeji as usual, saw Song Seojun, strode over, placed a hand on his head, and roughly ruffled it.
“Eek!”
“Hey, kid.”
“Y-yes?”
“Don’t tense up too much. It’ll mess things up.”
Choi Dowon gave a smile he’d never shown before, one that put people at ease, reassuring Song Seojun.
Was it the bond from traveling together?
Song Seojun had somehow become a cherished little brother to Choi Dowon.
“B-but…”
“Without you, we couldn’t even try. So no need to feel too burdened. It’s not like you absolutely have to succeed anyway.”
“Yeees…”
Song Seojun’s face didn’t relax at Choi Dowon’s comfort.
He clicked his tongue lightly. With this kid’s personality, relaxing would be hard.
After thinking a moment, Choi Dowon lifted Song Seojun up and put him on his shoulders.
“Eek!”
“What’s with the long face, kid? Just think easy. Like going on reconnaissance as usual.”
“Reconnaissance…”
“What you’ll do won’t be that dangerous anyway. The others will protect you somehow.”
The trembling Song Seojun felt throughout the piggyback ride lessened a bit at those words.
Choi Dowon chuckled and set Song Seojun down.
“So don’t worry too much, kid.”
“Yeees…”
Song Seojun looked at Choi Dowon and nodded with a more relaxed face than before.
Nam Yeji stared blankly at the two.
Soon after, everyone’s preparations were done, and Nam Yeji took the lead and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
“Okay.”
Everyone’s faces were full of tension and anticipation.
The thought that the monster source would be far more dangerous than before, mixed with the hopeful idea that finishing this would bring peace to everything.
With that, they set out from the shelter.
Life outside the shelter was tough.
No barrier, so they took turns on watch, and saved food just in case.
After several days, at a point where they didn’t know exactly how much time had passed, Song Seojun flinched and widened his eyes.
“Th-there…”
In his eyes, a place with tremendous smoke rising appeared.
“What, kid? Something there?”
Nam Yeji hurriedly asked at his reaction.
Her face showed accumulated fatigue from days of outside life.
“Smoke… is rising tremendously…”
“What?”
Everyone’s faces grew serious at Song Seojun’s words.
“The source…”
“High chance. Let’s go check.”
Nam Yeji led everyone with a firm face, slowly approaching the direction Song Seojun pointed.
“That’s…”
“A hole? Crack? …What do we call that?”
And when the source came into their view, they collectively frowned.
“Can we destroy it?”
One muttered in an unsure voice.
The presumed source was large and, above all, felt indestructible.
His words caused a slight stir in the group, but,
“It’s not ‘can we.'”
Nam Yeji dismissed all that, gripped her weapon tightly, and stepped forward.
Even then, monsters were being generated from the source.
“Take down all those and destroy the source…”
“Won’t be easy, but what can we do.”
And another member followed Nam Yeji with a firm face.
“Have to.”
As Nam Yeji stepped out first, followed by another, the people quieted, each with firm faces, raised weapons, and moved forward.
“Hah!”
And the battle between the source’s monsters and the people began.
“Choi Dowon, protect Song Seojun!”
“Got it.”
Song Seojun and Choi Dowon naturally fell back.
Choi Dowon stood protectively in front of Song Seojun, who had been rigid since the source appeared, doing nothing.
“Ah, aah…”
As Nam Yeji and the others took down monsters and approached, Song Seojun’s body trembled more at the massive smoke spewing from the source.
That… can we destroy it…?
In Song Seojun’s eyes, every attack on the source poured out considerable monsters, pressuring Nam Yeji’s side, and Song Seojun became even more panicked.
“No!”
Then, a few monsters ignored Nam Yeji’s group and charged toward where Song Seojun and Choi Dowon were.
“Ee, eeaah…!”
Choi Dowon gripped his weapon tightly, and Song Seojun activated his barrier with a pale face.
The monsters bounced off the barrier but kept diving toward them regardless.
Hitting the barrier, hitting, hitting again.
Soon more monsters pounded Song Seojun’s barrier.
“…?!”
And Song Seojun showed a panicked expression.
The barrier was shaking.
N-no…
Before he could open his mouth to shout, the monsters shattered Song Seojun’s barrier.
In that instant, Song Seojun’s face turned white.
D-die…
Die. Song Seojun gaped at the monster right in front.
In that moment, some force pushed him hard.
And,
“Keuk!”
A sound he didn’t want to imagine reached his ears.