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Chapter 4
This Life Will Be Different
“Wow!! It’s Dad~!!”
As soon as Yurina returned home from school and stepped into the entrance, she saw me and ran straight toward me, throwing herself into my arms.
I had been preparing a snack for her, but my daughter suddenly hugging me left me completely trapped.
“Dad has flour on his hands. It’ll get on you, Yurina.”
“You really came home before me today?!”
“Of course! I promised. And you didn’t forget that you promised to play with Dad tonight, right?”
“Of course not! I spent all day at school thinking about playing with Dad!”
Yurina jumped out of my arms, took off her backpack, and started rummaging through it.
Soon she pulled out a clear file folder that held just one sheet of paper.
“Ahem—”
With a proud expression, Yurina lifted her chin.
Then she politely held out the file toward me like an office worker submitting documents for approval.
Since my hands were covered in dough, I couldn’t take the file, so I just leaned closer and looked at the paper inside.
<Rina and Dad’s Play List~!★♥♡>
[Look at Rina’s drawings with Rina]
[Watch animation with Rina]
[Play computer games with Rina]
[Ride bicycles outside with Rina]
[Take pretty photos with Rina]
There were thirty different activities written on that paper.
So cute…
The corners of my eyes curled up automatically.
Smack.
Without saying anything, I kissed Yurina on the forehead.
When cuteness exceeds the limit, the only solution is a kiss.
“Hehe. Dad kissed me.”
Yurina rubbed the spot on her forehead happily.
“Go wash your hands first. Dad prepared a delicious snack.”
“Wow! Snacks!”
Excited, Yurina ran straight to the bathroom.
Through the slightly open door, I watched her washing her hands while humming.
Just watching her made me smile.
My daughter is like a human vitamin.
Actually, before Yurina came home, I had been feeling down.
Giving up movies and going back to worrying about money again left a bitter feeling.
But the moment Yurina came home, those thoughts disappeared.
My mind felt refreshed, and I clearly remembered why I made this choice.
Right. Don’t regret it. I gained something far more valuable.
“Hmm!”
Letting out a determined breath, I finished preparing the snack.
“Whoa!! Dinosaur nuggets!!”
Yurina, who had just finished washing her hands, widened her mouth in excitement when she saw the chicken nuggets on the table.
Chicken nuggets were Yurina’s favorite snack.
I used to make them often before, but after I gave up parenting, I couldn’t make them anymore.
Her grandmother occasionally made them instead, but they were frozen ones from the store, which Yurina didn’t like.
“Dad’s dinosaur nuggets are the best!”
“Really? Aren’t the ones from the store tastier?”
“Nope.”
“Huh? Nope?”
Yurina firmly raised one finger, clearly saying that’s wrong through body language.
“Yes. Nope! Dad’s homemade ones are a hundred times, a thousand times better.”
She spoke like a proud food critic and stuffed her cheeks full of nuggets.
She really takes after her mom when it comes to eating. So adorable.
“Oh, right.”
Yurina suddenly stopped eating.
“Dad’s jacket. Teacher Chae-eun gave it to me after class and told me to bring it.”
“Oh right. I forgot. But where is it? I didn’t see you holding it earlier.”
Yurina pointed toward the entrance while chewing her nuggets.
“Over there.”
I looked where she pointed.
My jacket was lying on the floor like a trash bag.
“…Why is it like that?”
“I threw it when I ran in because I was excited to see you.”
“My daughter sure is bold.”
My poor jacket was covered in dust.
But when I saw it, I suddenly remembered something.
“Um… Yurina? Dad has something to say.”
“Yes? Go ahead.”
“I talked with Teacher Chae-eun earlier. She praised your drawings and suggested that you try learning art properly. What do you think?”
It was an important topic.
I was grateful Yurina had such talent, but whether she wanted to use it was her choice.
So I asked carefully, trying not to pressure her.
“What would happen if I learned it properly?”
“Well… Dad doesn’t know much about the art world, but maybe you could decide your future early or prepare to enter an arts middle school.”
Just imagining the tuition made my hands tremble.
Still, if Yurina wants it, I’ll make it happen somehow.
I had already saved the address of an art academy in my phone.
She’s my daughter.
If she can succeed, I’ll do anything.
“Then if I become really good at drawing… can we make movies together?”
“…?”
The unexpected question made me tilt my head.
“What do you mean? Making movies together with Dad?”
Yurina put down her fork and pouted slightly.
It looked like she had something she really wanted to say.
I listened carefully.
“Dad wants to make movies, right? That’s why you’re always busy and can’t play with me. So if I get really good at drawing, can we make movies together? Then I’ll draw! I’ll draw pictures and you make movies. That way you can always stay with me. I’ll draw pictures for Dad’s movies! Hehe.”
“…”
For a moment, I couldn’t say anything.
I just stared blankly at Yurina’s shining eyes.
My eyes started to sting.
I bit my lip to hold back tears.
If this kind child saw me cry, she would feel sad.
“My daughter even has beautiful thoughts.”
Instead of tears, I answered with a smile and hugged her tightly.
Then I spoke gently.
“Dad is really thankful that Yurina thought of something so sweet. But Dad wants Yurina to do things for yourself. If you want to draw for your own happiness, Dad will do everything he can to help. So just think about whether you want to draw for yourself. Okay?”
I gently patted Yurina’s back.
That pat was also meant for myself.
A gesture that meant let’s work hard together and become a better family.
Because our future would be different now.
It could be difficult or happy.
But either way, it was a new beginning.
Let’s live well this time, Kang Sung-woon.
***
A week passed after returning to the past.
For the first time in a long while, I visited NBC Broadcasting Station.
NBC was the place where I had worked as a variety show writer for over ten years.
After starting movie work with Director Hwang, I had been too busy to visit.
But it still felt like my second home.
So when I needed a job again, NBC was the first place that came to mind.
If I started here again, it felt like I could begin comfortably.
“Kang Sung-woon? Is that you?!”
As I walked through the front gate of NBC, I ran into Kim Kyung-min, a senior from college and a fellow variety show writer.
He had been standing in the smoking area and ran over when he saw me.
“Sorry, hyung. I contacted you late. How have you been? It’s been so long.”
“Huh? Yeah… I’m glad to see you, but it’s only been a month. Why are you acting like it’s been years? You must’ve missed me a lot.”
To him, it had only been a month.
But for me, it had been three years.
“Anyway, show your face around more often! If you start acting arrogant just because you’re making movies, I’ll kill you!”
Just like three years ago, Kyung-min put me in a playful headlock.
He was childish but warm-hearted, which was why most coworkers liked him.
Around this time, I think he had just started working as a main writer for the first time.
“I’m going to work at the station again.”
“What? Didn’t you say you were making a movie with Director Hwang?”
“That fell through. Honestly, it was too much for me anyway. I’ll make movies later, after Yurina grows up more.”
I tried to speak casually.
But as expected, Kyung-min looked at me with obvious sympathy.
“So our Sung-woon got dumped? I knew it! Working with a star director isn’t easy. Tons of people get dropped after starting projects with them. Don’t worry! Your writing is good. Another director will call you someday.”
“Y-Yeah… but I’m really okay…”
My pride was a little hurt since I had actually become a ten-million-viewer writer in my previous life.
But I just laughed it off.
“You heard the news, right? I became the main writer. Don’t worry about your position. Just stay healthy. I’ll throw work at you until you beg for mercy.”
“I’ve been around the station long enough too, you know? I already got a job before coming.”
“Oh really? And who helped build that experience of yours?”
While we were chatting happily, I suddenly noticed a blonde woman entering the station.
She wore sunglasses and a mask, hiding her face, but her glamorous appearance stood out.
She walked through the front gate and into the building.
I’ve definitely seen her somewhere… who is she?
When I kept staring, Kyung-min tapped my shoulder.
“Pretty, right? Even with her face covered, Yoon Ra-hee is still beautiful.”
“Yoon Ra-hee?! That’s Yoon Ra-hee?”
“You weren’t staring because you recognized her?”
I squinted and watched her walk into the building.
Yoon Ra-hee.
Originally an idol who became an actress.
She had both beauty and acting talent and rose to the level of a top star, appearing in dramas, films, and commercials.
But she later became infamous after causing a hit-and-run drunk driving accident.
“Why is Yoon Ra-hee at a broadcasting station?”
“Why else? Celebrities come here to film shows.”
“Isn’t Yoon Ra-hee supposed to be on hiatus right now?”
“What are you talking about? Why would she be on hiatus?”
“Why? Because of the drunk driving—”
Kyung-min stared at me like I was talking nonsense.
Only then did I remember.
Right… I came back three years.
Her drunk driving scandal hasn’t happened yet.
“I must have mistaken her for someone else.”
“You look confused after being away from the station for a while.”
I laughed awkwardly and brushed it off.
Until now, I had only been thinking about the fact that I came back from death.
I hadn’t fully realized that I had returned three years into the past.
Suddenly, it felt strange knowing things no one else knew.
Man… I should’ve memorized lottery numbers.
It felt like missing a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
I even tried to recall stocks or crypto that had exploded later.
“Yoon Ra-hee is coming back through a variety show this time. Her company wants to change her image.”
“Yoon Ra-hee on a variety show? That’s unexpected.”
Though she’ll probably cause the drunk driving accident in a few days and get dropped anyway.
Since I watch most variety shows, if I don’t remember seeing her, it probably means the scandal happened before the first episode even aired.
As far as I remember, the timing was around now.
Whichever team she’s joining is going to suffer.
“Which show is she joining? With her personality, it must be a studio show.”
I asked with a faint smirk.
I just wanted to know which unlucky production team she belonged to.
“That’s what I thought too, but surprisingly it’s the opposite. You know that new outdoor show Director Bong made? The one where celebrities run a restaurant together. She’s coming back through that.”
“…?”
For a moment, I thought I misheard.
Director Bong’s outdoor show… celebrities running a restaurant…
“That’s the show I’m joining!!”
What kind of terrible luck was this?
“W-Wait… you mean Director Bong Jin-ho?! Not another Bong?”
“Is there any other director named Bong at NBC who’s big enough to run a main program? Of course it’s Bong Jin-ho. Why are you so shocked?”
I wanted to deny it.
I prayed it wasn’t Bong Jin-ho.
Director Bong and I had known each other since our days as assistant director and junior writer.
Thanks to that, I got the job again with just one phone call.
Since I joined suddenly, I planned to hear the details later.
But I never imagined that Yoon Ra-hee, famous for her terrible personality, would be part of the cast.
Especially Yoon Ra-hee who was about to cause a scandal.
Why does the team I’m joining have Yoon Ra-hee…?! If things go wrong, the program could be canceled and I’ll lose my job!
“Anyway, welcome back, Kang Sung-woon. Back to broadcasting life.”
Kyung-min spread his arms and hugged me warmly.
But at that moment, his sincere welcome strangely felt like he was teasing me.
Because I was the only one here who knew Yoon Ra-hee’s future.
Sigh… starting already isn’t easy.
