RECTW 23

Chapter 23

“My poor baby, that must have been so hard, right? Your hands are all swollen. Oh dear, this breaks my heart. You worked so hard. It’s all over now, so let’s hurry home and get some rest.”

“Mmm…”

Completely exhausted, I let my body go limp as Mom dried my hair. She kept sighing over and over, but I didn’t even have the energy to comfort her.

By the time filming ended, the sun was already setting outside.

The only things I had eaten all day were a cup of instant noodles and a single roll of kimbap that Mom had hastily bought for me at lunch.

I’m never doing this again…

Seriously, what had possessed me?

If it weren’t for that stupid four-star Potential!

Every time I thought, What kind of scam artist is this guy? and looked at the four-star Potential label attached to that unlucky star, I found myself helplessly tempted.

What a shallow person I was.

“Aren’t you going to say goodbye to the director before we leave?”

“No need. Didn’t they say he’s heading straight to the film lab? Let’s go. I’m exhausted.”

“Okaaay…”

As we left the studio, Mrs. Bang kept looking back over her shoulder as if she had some lingering attachment.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. The director seemed to think very highly of you, so I wanted to leave a word of thanks.”

“…Don’t tell me he used that cheesy line on you too.”

“Hm?”

“N-Nothing…”

“Didn’t you notice? I’ve heard directors usually yell all the time on set and terrorize people. But Director Ham Gyeong-seok sent everyone out because you were nervous and even held the camera himself. Honestly, where do you find someone that kind?”

Mom shook her head repeatedly.

“If it weren’t for those rumors, I’d even want to be friends with him. He seems a little blunt, but thoughtful and decent. I wonder why someone like him treated that unknown actor the way he supposedly did. They said that actor almost died.”

“Rumors aren’t always true.”

“Good heavens!”

A sudden unfamiliar voice interrupted.

Mrs. Bang jumped in shock, and so did I.

Seeing our intense reaction, the person who had been approaching us hesitated and stopped walking.

“Ahem. I wasn’t trying to startle you on purpose…”

Ah! It was him.

The man in the trench coat who had watched us from a corner of the set the entire day.

He had looked incredibly suspicious while hiding his identity. Whenever I asked the staff who he was, they simply brushed it off by saying he was someone from the client’s side.

Wait a second.

That voice…

Wasn’t it oddly familiar?

The moment the thought crossed my mind, the man seemed to sense our suspicion and removed his hat, sunglasses, and mask one by one.

Mrs. Bang gasped.

“Bae Seonyeok?!”

“Yes, it’s me. We meet again.”

“How did you get here— No, wait, you were at the filming site the whole time! So that was you? My goodness, why?”

“Well, you see…”

Bae Seonyeok seemed hesitant.

While answering Mom, he kept glancing at me thoughtfully. Then he gave a wry smile and made a suggestion.

“You could say there was something I wanted to confirm. Anyway, it’s getting late and you’re heading home, right? How about I give you a ride? I need to stop by my cousin’s place anyway, so it works out.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. We were going to take a taxi anyway, so we’d really appreciate it.”

“Then let’s go. We can talk on the way.”

One might think Mrs. Bang accepted far too easily, but the destructive power radiating from the current Bae Seonyeok was simply that overwhelming.

Is this what Ham Gyeong-seok meant by star quality?

A double four-star rating in Potential and Destiny was truly incredible.

Once all the random items hiding his handsome face were gone, his aura was on an entirely different level.

Every movement he made looked like a scene from a movie.

“Hm? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“O-Oh, it’s nothing~”

Wow… I’m getting drunk on this.

Handsome really was the best.

It felt like a ray of comfort for my exhausted child’s body and ancient soul.

“I don’t think I heard your name before. Would you tell your uncle what it is?”

“Me? I-I’m Singa~”

Without even trying, the cuteness of little Seo Singa exploded at full force.

Of course, there were handsome people around me already.

Im Rampa was famous, and Jeong Hyeong-gyo and Choi Cham-byeol were promising talents.

But they were still just little snot-nosed kids.

They didn’t make a woman’s heart flutter.

But this man!

A full-grown, peak-condition handsome man!

The king of the wild 1990s pyramid, untouched by filters or heavy foundation, was simply built differently.

“So, Singa. How was filming today? Did you have fun?”

“…”

Forget the nonsense and just hug me already.

I had only thought it in my head, but apparently my body reacted first.

Before I knew it, both my arms were stretched toward Bae Seonyeok.

Pick me up.

“…Hm?”

Startled, Bae Seonyeok looked back and forth between me and Mom.

I was secretly embarrassed too, but since things had already come this far, I shamelessly committed to it and even prepared some tears.

What are you waiting for?

Why aren’t you picking me up?

Pure little Seo Singa was only eight years old. Naturally, she wanted to get close to handsome older brothers.

Mrs. Bang, whose soul was far more worldly than that of any innocent child, had no intention of passing up the chance to have her daughter held by a top star.

Chuckling, she pretended to stop me while actually nudging me closer to him.

“Look at her. I’m sorry. She must really be tired today. Singa usually isn’t this clingy. She’s actually very shy. They say kids recognize handsome people too, and maybe she’s never seen such a handsome uncle as Mr. Bae before.”

The hidden meaning was clear:

A child who’s usually shy worked up the courage to approach you. If you don’t pick her up, you’re not even human.

Swept up by the atmosphere, Bae Seonyeok awkwardly lifted me into his arms.

Mmm~ He must use expensive shampoo. Smells nice~

Pure little Seo Singa inhaled the scent of a top star and wrapped both arms tightly around his sturdy neck.

Now then…

If I remembered correctly, Bae Seonyeok would later make an absurd amount of money in the Chinese market and through Netflix.

It felt like there was a sticker on his handsome forehead reading:

“Excellent Cash Mobilization Ability.”

If I ever ran out of money to buy crypto, he’d make a perfect emergency savings account.

Right. So what if our Compatibility is only two stars? Our Affinity is four stars!

I sweetened my voice as much as possible.

“Uncleee~”

Apparently Bae Seonyeok had never held a child before.

He had been stiff as a board, but as I rubbed my rice-cake-soft cheeks against him, he gradually relaxed.

A low laugh escaped him.

“You little rascal. You’re overflowing with charm, aren’t you?”

“Singa doesn’t have an uncle~ You be Singa’s uncle!”

My first uncle, second uncle, third uncle, youngest uncle—all still alive and well.

My apologies!

“What? Hahaha.”

“Seo Singa! Just because Uncle held you once, now you’re getting carried away! Aren’t you embarrassed, clinging to him like that?”

Though she pretended to scold me, Mrs. Bang smoothly accepted the “uncle” title on his behalf.

Completely unaware that he had fallen into the mother-and-daughter duo’s carefully crafted trap, the young top star merely smiled warmly.

“Not at all. If I have such a cute niece, of course I should be the uncle. All the people around me are guys. A little girl is definitely different.”

The cheerful atmosphere continued.

The parking lot wasn’t far away.

Whoa! A Range Rover?!

A Range Rover in the poverty-stricken 1990s?!

This money-loving niece nearly fainted from admiration upon seeing her uncle’s luxurious foreign car.

This uncle I had acquired for free was simply wonderful.

Then, while driving with impressive skill and an incredibly smooth ride, Bae Seonyeok casually asked as if it were an afterthought:

“Noona, have you given any thought to Singa’s future career path?”