People generally prefer winning over losing in a competition. And this is no different for children, who are still untainted by the world.

Whether it’s simply because winning feels good and losing doesn’t, or because they want to earn praise from their parents, children display a competitive spirit that’s no less fierce than that of adults. They just don’t experience “competition” as frequently as adults do.

“The 7th Autumn Sports Day at Areum Kindergarten will now begin~~~~~!”

However, when the announcer’s voice echoed across the expansive futsal field, signaling the start of the sports day, the young and innocent eyes that were usually wide with wonder turned much more serious. Especially with the many parents in the audience watching, there was no way the kids could afford to lose focus.

Except for one child.

For Ha-eun, who just a few months ago was spending her days on a movie set instead of at kindergarten, the attention directed her way held a slightly different meaning.

“Honey, isn’t that the girl from *The Man Next Door*?”
“She definitely has a different air about her, like an actress should.”
“Maybe we should ask her for a picture with our child later?”

‘…Maybe I should just go to the bathroom and wait it out.’

Even her classmates in the Moonlight class, who had previously only thought of her as the pretty girl in their class, were sneaking glances at her. With all this attention, it was natural for Ha-eun to feel a bit uncomfortable.

This was the first time Ha-eun truly realized the extent of her fame. She was aware that the movie *The Man Next Door* had set a record, reaching an impressive 7 million viewers. But honestly, Ha-eun hadn’t yet fully grasped the fact that she’d become a celebrity.

This was mostly because, apart from the movie's press conference, she hadn’t been exposed to the public eye much. Outside of school, her outings had been limited to the open field near her house, where she’d been exercising for a while, and occasionally Double Lee’s studio. And even for her trips to the studio, she had always ridden in Joon-jung's van, leaving little opportunity for strangers to recognize or approach her.

So, for Ha-eun, this autumn sports day was her first real experience being out in front of a crowd as a known figure.

Of course, Ha-eun hadn’t expected that no one would recognize her, but still…

‘It’s a bit much, being stared at like this.’

She couldn’t help but feel a little like a beluga in an aquarium, with everyone looking at her in fascination.

“Our daughter’s a real celebrity now, huh? All I hear people talking about is you,” her dad remarked with a grin.
“Dad… do you think I should have worn a mask?”
“Hmm, that might have made people even more curious about you.”

Sung-yoon added a gentle suggestion that Ha-eun might be better off relaxing. After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong, so why feel uncomfortable under everyone’s gaze?

It wasn’t bad advice, but the reality was that just adjusting her mindset wasn’t enough to handle this level of attention.

When the first event of sports day, the “Burst the Bag” game, started, Ha-eun thought back to her recent pitching practice. She threw her beanbag with full strength, bursting the bag on her third try.

-Whispers.
-Side glances.

As the eyes of everyone fell heavily on her again, Ha-eun awkwardly scratched her head. But this time, she didn’t notice that there was a different kind of gaze mixed in.

[Ah, oh my, it seems the Blue Team’s bag wasn’t secured properly.]

The announcer scrambled to manage the situation, which had ended in less than 15 seconds. After a few more events came and went, it was finally lunchtime.

“Mom tried her best with the lunchbox today. How is it, Ha-eun? Does it taste good?”
“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Finally, Ha-eun could relax and enjoy the delicious lunch her mom had prepared. About an hour later, the highlight of the sports day—the relay race—began.

Like the final event of many sports days, a significant number of points were on the line in the relay, enough to close any score gaps. Ha-eun, who had even practiced a little over the past few days just for this moment, tightened her shoelaces.

The relay race, among all the events, was the most decisive way to determine the winner and loser. The excitement among the kids, who had been watching the score between the Blue and Red Teams go back and forth all day, was at its peak.

[Blue Team and Red Team runners, please get ready. Three, two, one… Go!]

“Go, Blue Team!”
“Red Team, fighting!”

For some of the kids, the excitement had turned into nerves intense enough to make them pale. Among them was the runner just before Ha-eun in the relay, who was supposed to pass her the baton.

-Thud!

“Ugh, waaaah!”

‘…Oh no.’

The kid had been doing well up until halfway through but tripped and burst into tears after losing their balance. Ha-eun’s opponent in the other team, whose name she barely remembered, now wore a bright smile.

“Hehe, looks like your team’s gonna lose. I’ll be going on ahead!”

The boy, who taunted her with a sly grin, took the baton and dashed forward. Meanwhile, Ha-eun’s teammate, supported by the teacher, approached her, sobbing as they handed over the dirt-covered baton.

“It’s okay, Eun-seo.”

-Hoo.

“We’re going to win.”

With her usual calm expression, Ha-eun declared their victory and shot off like a bullet.

---

**Park Ye-jun, age 7.**

“Hehe, looks like your team’s gonna lose. I’ll be going on ahead!”

Ye-jun, the boy who had teased Ha-eun earlier, had already convinced himself that he’d beaten her. And he had reason to believe so; after all, the gap between them was easily more than half a lap.

All he had to do was keep running, and he’d cross the finish line in front of everyone, beating that famous Ha-eun. His heart swelled with excitement at the thought.

For as long as he could remember, all anyone talked about was Ha-eun. His classmates, his teacher, even his parents—everyone seemed to be enchanted by her.

She was beautiful, with a gentle personality, never raising her voice, and she’d even starred on TV and movie screens. It wasn’t surprising that Ye-jun felt both jealousy and admiration towards her.

This moment was a golden opportunity to beat Ha-eun in front of everyone. In just a few more seconds, he’d reach that white finish line.

But… why?

“Huh, huh?!”

Everyone, including his parents, was looking behind him with wide eyes.

‘No way…’

Imagining the unthinkable, he turned his head to look back.

“…Hello.”

-A chill ran down his spine.

“Wh-what the?!”

Facing Ha-eun’s calm gaze in real life, not just in his imagination, he felt a shiver. He only had about twenty steps left to the finish line, and losing to her at this point was worse than anything.

But despite his best effort, he couldn’t widen the distance. In fact, she was closing in on him.

-Swish!

With only five steps left, Ha-eun leapt forward, stretching her arm to snatch the white finish tape right in front of him, landing in a cheetah-like pounce, just like one he’d seen on a documentary.

Ha-eun then tumbled across the dirt, clutching the finish tape, but quickly regained her footing, showing no concern for the dirt on her. She left the stunned and heartbroken Ye-jun behind, heading toward her cheering classmates.

“Ugh… waaah!”

Emotions that were too much for a seven-year-old to bear hit him all at once. The humiliation, frustration, and embarrassment all spilled out in tears.

Even though the teacher tried to comfort him, Ye-jun felt an intense shame. If only he had lost without saying anything…

The most painful part was that Ha-eun hadn’t even glanced back at him after narrowly beating him.

But Ha-eun, who had unknowingly dealt this emotional blow to Ye-jun, actually thought quite highly of him as a runner. In fact, she hadn’t intentionally ignored him; her attention had just been caught by her sobbing teammate running towards her.

In the end, the Blue Team, Ha-eun’s team, won the relay and the sports day. Holding the prize—a stationery set (which she later learned was the same prize given to the runner-up team)—she returned to her mom, Na-yeon, who had been cheering under the tent.

And then, for the first time in her seven years, she heard her mom scold her.

“Jumping onto the dirt like that at the finish line! What were you thinking?”

Even her dad, Sung-yoon, who asked why winning wasn’t enough, got scolded alongside her.

Still, despite being banned from exercise for a week as punishment, Ha-eun felt it was a meaningful day.

Thus, her first lesson in restraint ended, and in November, as autumn leaves started to fall…

“What… Ha-eun is nominated for Best New Actress?”

This unexpected news reached her ears one day as she attended her regular singing lesson at Double Lee’s studio.