Growth (1)

 The fact that the soy milk sold out on the first day was shocking, but I didn't dwell on it too much.

 

'They probably didn't stock much in the first place.'

 

However, contrary to my thoughts, the soy milk sold far better than I had expected. It wasn’t always sold out, but it was selling far more than what I remembered from my previous life.

 

Nowadays, people even recognized me when I walked around with Mom.

 

—Aren’t you the kid from the soy milk commercial?

—Wow, she lives in our neighborhood.

—She’s so cute! But she looks a bit different from the commercial.

 

I wasn’t exactly a celebrity, but some local moms started to recognize me and strike up conversations. That was it, for now.

 

“Seo-yeon! Mommy finally bought a ton of soy milk!”

 

“...Mom, you should drink it all.”

 

“What do you mean? You drank it so deliciously in the commercial... Oh, don’t tell me you don’t like soy milk?”

 

Mom sounded genuinely surprised. Just like she said, I didn't like regular milk.

 

It tastes weird!

 

I could tolerate low-fat milk, but I couldn't say I liked it.

 

“Soy milk is better, but... I just don’t like beans.”

 

“Oh my, my daughter is such a good actress. I thought you loved soy milk.”

 

Well, I had to act like I enjoyed it. I couldn’t very well show my dislike on camera.

 

'Did she really buy three boxes?'

 

In any case, I couldn’t leave Mom to drink all that soy milk by herself, so I had to help her finish it.

 

“But Seo-yeon, you do have things you dislike, huh?”

 

“...What?”

 

I turned my gaze away without answering. In my past life, I didn’t have clear preferences for likes and dislikes.

 

Especially with things like milk; showing that I disliked something usually meant getting ignored.

 

Recently, these preferences naturally emerged, perhaps as my memories from my past life faded.

 

‘Is it because of acting?’

 

Or maybe it’s because I became a girl. Who knows why?

 

“Mommy wants to know everything you like and dislike, so you have to tell me, okay?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Oh, Seo-yeon.”

 

Mom pushed the boxes of soy milk aside and checked to see if Dad was around before speaking softly.

 

“Director Cho contacted me. He asked if you’d be interested in doing more TV commercials.”

 

“Commercials? But I don’t want to go through auditions...”

 

“Well, according to Director Cho, some advertisers liked your performance in the CF.”

 

Finding talented child actors isn't impossible, but it’s rare. Children who lack acting skills often become kid models. So, being an ‘actor’ already implies a certain level of talent.

 

Like Lee Ji-yeon, who I met at the audition.

 

“Why me?”

 

“It must be because of the soy milk commercial, right?”

 

The soy milk commercial... It certainly had a greater impact than in my previous life.

 

‘Well, it’s not bad to try various types of acting.’

 

The money from the CF went into my bank account. It wasn't much, but it was the first money I earned in this world, so I felt quite proud.

 

“Okay.”

 

There probably aren’t many CFs I can do. Acting is somewhat related to being a VTuber, and honestly, it’s fun.

 

I want to be a VTuber because it was my only hobby in my past life.

 

I can become someone completely different.

 

***

 

Three months after turning six, I started kindergarten for the first time in both lives.

 

I had never attended kindergarten in my previous life.

 

‘Hmm.’

 

Amidst the colorful, uniformed children, I stood with my arms crossed. It was the kindergarten entrance ceremony.

 

I could see Mom waving at me from a distance.

 

‘...I want to go home.’

 

Naturally, I didn’t get along well with kids my age. Some of them even started avoiding me. Why?

 

“It’s scary... Her eyes...”

 

“Right?”

 

I heard them whispering. My eyes... Well, I could understand that.

 

My iris color was light, giving off a reddish hue, which was indeed unusual. Sometimes, it turned even redder, though I didn’t know why.

 

‘Is this some kind of ability I got from being reborn?’

 

I didn’t know. If they were going to let me be reborn, they should have included an instruction manual.

 

There were too many things I didn’t understand without a status window.

 

“You!!”

 

Suddenly, a child’s high-pitched voice echoed. When I turned towards the sound, someone grabbed my collar.

 

“It’s you! What are you doing here?!”

 

I recognized the fierce-looking child.

 

“...Lee Ji-yeon?”

 

“You know my name?”

 

“We met at the audition.”

 

Of course, I remembered her name from my previous life.

 

“Hmph, is that so?”

 

She seemed surprised that I remembered her name. Honestly, I found it surprising that she remembered me.

 

“I thought you’d forget.”

 

“What? How could I forget that? It was so... humiliating!”

 

Maybe because she had some acting experience, her vocabulary was more advanced than other kids.

 

‘How can she remember something that happened over six months ago?’

 

It wasn’t just good memory; it was almost obsessive. I was impressed by how she could still be so angry about something that happened so long ago.

 

“But you were in another commercial, right?”

 

“What? You saw it?”

 

Of course, it was on TV.

 

‘She was in a better commercial than in my past life.’

 

Lee Ji-yeon’s recent appearance was in a toy commercial, not a soy milk one. Toy commercials attract many child actors, so it was impressive she got in. She might not know, but I had helped her indirectly.

 

“...Fine. I’ll forgive you.”

 

I didn’t know what she was forgiving me for, but I nodded. Her face lit up, looking smug.

 

“My mom said the toy commercial I did was better than the soy milk one. So, I win.”

 

I didn’t know what kind of competition she was having, but I just nodded.

 

She spoke well, but I still thought of her as a child.

 

“Soy milk?”

 

“Oh, I saw her on TV!”

 

Some kids reacted to Jiyeon’s mention of soy milk. This wasn’t what I intended.

 

—Oh, isn’t she the girl from the soy milk commercial?

—She’s pretty, but she looks different in person.

—I thought she was lively.

 

Even the mothers who were watching the entrance ceremony started to notice me.

 

What kind of soy milk commercial was this popular?

 

It made sense since it was a gathering of moms concerned about their children's health. The kids spent all day in front of the TV and must have seen the commercial. The moms were naturally interested in healthy options like milk or soy milk.

 

“...Ugh.”

 

I glanced at Ji-yeon. Her face was red with embarrassment. She started circling me, trying to get noticed.

 

It made me feel dizzy.

 

‘Please stop.’

 

Of course, no one recognized her. Not even ten minutes later, when the kindergarten entrance ceremony began.

 

***

 

“We were right to trust you with this, Director Cho.”

 

“No, it was everyone’s hard work.”

 

“The casting was excellent. Kim Jung-ha and the child actor were both amazing.”

 

Cho Min-tae awkwardly smiled at the head of Garam Dream’s advertising team.

 

‘If you think they’re so great, why not remember their names?’

 

Despite being told several times, the team leader didn’t seem to remember ‘Ju Seo-yeon’s’ name. How many people really remember child actors' names anyway?

 

“Thanks to you, our sales have increased sevenfold. It’s all thanks to you, Director. So please consider working with us on the next commercial. We’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”

 

“Yes, of course. I’ll let you know as soon as I have some free time.”

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

After hanging up the call with the team leader, Cho Min-tae sighed.

 

‘No way.’

 

He had no intention of working with people who couldn’t remember the actors’ names or paid poorly. However, he was proud that he had made the names Kim Jung-ha and Ju Seo-yeon known.

 

Connections with talented actors are invaluable for a director.

 

Cho Min-tae hoped that both Kim Jung-ha and Seo-yeon would grow and succeed.

 

For the future films he would direct.

 

“That commercial was quite good.”

 

His father’s voice came from behind him. Turning, he saw his father, Jo Bang-woo, with his hair turning white.

 

Jo Bang-woo was a renowned director known for several hits and was Min-tae’s role model. The only regret was that his father had never directed a ten-million-ticket film.

 

“Especially that kid. Did you pick her?”

 

“Yes. She was exceptional from the audition.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Jo Bang-woo stroked his chin. The girl was only five or six years old.

 

“When I watched the unedited footage, I saw some flaws.”

 

“But her emotional acting was extraordinarily good.”

 

“Like method acting?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Method acting is a double-edged sword. Some actors take months to recover after immersing themselves in a role.

 

Seo-yeon seemed to be the type who fully immersed herself in her role. Her acting showed that.

 

However, she easily snapped out of those emotions.

 

“That might be due to inexperience or another reason.”

 

“Another reason?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Even though Jo Bang-woo was saying this, he wasn’t sure of the reason either. After all, he had only seen her in one commercial.

 

“If she tries more serious acting instead of just commercials, we might find out the reason.”

 

“What?”

 

Bang-woo had watched the commercial several times. This child needed more than just commercials.

 

If she only did commercials, her skills might develop unevenly. Especially during the formative years, she might pick up bad habits.

 

“They mentioned offering her another commercial, right? When does that end?”

 

“About a month from now. They’re about to start shooting.”

 

“Hmm, a month.”

 

Commercials take a lot of time for editing and scheduling. The shoot itself wouldn’t take long.

 

So, there was a perfect opportunity.

 

“There’s a historical drama audition coming up. I think it’s worth a try.”

 

“...What?”

 

“If she’s interested, I can recommend her under my name.”

 

This was unusual. But he felt it was a waste to let this talent be confined to commercials.

 

“A historical drama? You mean...”

 

“Yes, KMB is planning to air a fantasy historical drama. The name is...”

 

After a moment of thought, Jo Bang-woo continued.

 

“The Sun Hidden by the Moon, or something like that.”

 

If Seo-yeon had heard the name, she would have been surprised.

 

‘The Sun Hidden by the Moon.'

 

The drama would eventually reach a peak rating of 40%, becoming a national hit.