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Chapter 13
“What if I don’t send her?”
Doha asked sharply.
“If you don’t send her and I raise her instead, you think you can handle all the fallout? You know the media will descend immediately and tear Yewon apart.”
“Of course they’ll try to tear her apart. But isn’t it the agency’s job to do everything it can to stop that?”
“……”
“Solutions can always be found, right? You make them, you create them. Whether you throw money at it or apply your accumulated know-how. We’re not just going to sit back and twiddle our thumbs while you’re under attack.”
Director Park smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry about our abilities. Just make your decision clear, Doha. Don’t do anything that sacrifices family just because you think you need to.”
“……!”
“No matter what decision you make, we can handle the aftermath. Unconditionally.”
‘Think carefully about this too. Do you really want to send Yewon somewhere else?’
After the unexpected notification from Director Park, all four of them returned to their dorm, exhausted in body and mind.
Doha, in particular, looked completely drained.
“…Samsam… are you okay…?”
Seeing Doha’s troubled expression, Yewon’s conscience pricked, and she gently grabbed his sleeve.
“It’s not your fault. Don’t worry.”
“Ha, but….”
Just as Yewon tried to speak further, Woo-yeon interrupted between them.
“That’s right, Yewon. It’s not your fault at all. This is all because of useless Doha—uh-uh…!”
Even the usually oblivious Young-oh knew better than to let Woo-yeon continue at that moment.
“Y-You two, go rest! Woo-yeon and I will make dinner~!”
“I-I’ll…!”
At Young-oh’s urgent voice, Yewon raised her hand.
But this time, Young-oh’s expression was firmly resolute.
“What are you saying, Yewon! Kids should be kids—rolling on the couch and reading picture books with Uncle Doha~!”
Picture books…?
With my uncle…?
Yewon looked up at Doha with a very awkward face.
It was embarrassing, sure… but if this helped her get closer to her uncle, she had to adapt.
Yewon steeled herself once more.
If I gradually spend more time by his side… maybe I can get him to open up and not push me away.
Young-oh pulled a picture book from Yewon’s things and handed it to Doha.
“Here, Doha, go read this picture book to Yewon in her room!”
“…….”
Doha glanced down at the book suddenly in his hands.
The title caught his eye: Finding Aurora.
…Right now, he was in no mood to read a picture book.
Just as he was about to postpone it,
Press.
“!”
Feeling pressure on his sleeve, Doha looked to the side.
Yewon was there, looking up at him with eyes full of hope.
“…….”
Doha ultimately accepted his fate.
Who could refuse those eyes? Only a psychopath, he thought.
“…Let’s go.”
Before he knew it, Doha’s guest room had become Yewon’s room.
He tucked the blanket over her and opened the book.
Once upon a time, long ago, in a small hut deep in the forest, there lived a woodcutter bear and a little bear.
“…….”
He started reading, but already the story annoyed him.
‘Shouldn’t they clarify what kind of relationship they have so the reader can feel at ease?’
Suppressing the urge to grab the absent author by the collar, Doha continued reading.
They cared for each other, but were still awkward and clumsy.
The woodcutter bear spilled honey while gathering it, and made nests with fallen leaves that sometimes had holes.
The little bear looked at the woodcutter bear and thought:
‘I’m lonely alone, but the woodcutter bear must also be struggling alone.’
“…What kind of logic jump is that?”
Doha exclaimed, flustered by the story’s illogical leap.
Yewon, however, responded firmly.
“Uncle, you can’t reason with a picture book. It’s just a story.”
“…….”
Her point was valid, and Doha felt a pang of embarrassment.
Trying to hide it, he quietly continued reading.
One night, a dazzling aurora flowed across the forest sky.
Blue, purple, and gold danced in the heavens.
The animals whispered:
‘If you follow the aurora, your heart’s wish will come true!’
A baby rabbit from the upper valley spoke.
“Ehh, Uncle. That’s not how you read it!”
“…Huh?”
Had he read it wrong? Doha’s confusion was interrupted by Yewon’s clear voice.
“You see? ‘If you follow the aurora! Your heart’s wish will come true!’”
“!”
The rabbit in the book seemed to speak with a clear, lively voice, startling Doha. He looked at Yewon.
“You have to read it like this, with feeling.”
Yet Yewon quickly erased the sparkle from the baby rabbit’s eyes and looked back with a disinterested expression.
Maybe it was just a mood…
‘She just started child acting recently,’ Doha recalled from what he learned through Young-oh.
She had only been an extra once in a drama.
From that, it seemed she had a genuine interest in acting.
Maybe it runs in the family… she’s talented like her uncle.
“…I thought doing an extra once couldn’t make her talented, but…”
In fact, it felt natural. Doha and his sister had attracted attention for their looks from a young age, constantly being cast.
“…Yewon looks just like us, so it must have been similar for her.”
No need to guess—she must have received countless offers.
Doha’s sister had similar experiences; the only difference was that Doha didn’t dislike the attention.
“…My sister felt burdened by it… that’s why she left me.”
Doha sighed bitterly.
There was no time for nostalgic thoughts.
He shook off his complicated feelings and continued reading.
The little bear who had heard the rumors glimmered and said:
“Woodcutter uncle, let’s find the aurora too. So we can truly become a family!”
…They weren’t family yet.
Doha finished the awkward reading.
“Ah, no, that’s not it!”
Yewon interrupted again, clearing her throat with a stubborn little voice.
Then, she looked straight at Doha and smiled brightly.
“Woodcutter uncle, let’s find the aurora too. So we can truly become a family!”
“……!”
Like a baby bear truly in need of a family, her eyes sparkled innocently.
Her clasped hands held the little bear’s earnest wish.
Doha finally knew for certain.
This wasn’t a trick.
His niece was… a prodigy.
It was hard to believe she’d only ever been an extra once.
“Yewon, you…”
“Am I good?”
Yewon asked, smiling brightly. Doha couldn’t help but nod.
“Yes. I knew you were a child actor, but… you’re really good. One day, you’ll be a star.”
“I will!”
Her unexpected answer made Doha’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Your dream is to be an actor?”
“Yes!”
Yewon said, then hesitated slightly before adding:
“Like my uncle, I want to shine on screen!”
“……!”
“So I want to stand next to you. You as an idol, me as an actress!”
‘If my sister becomes a director, I’ll be a singer! I’ll be more famous than her! And I’ll annoy her for life!’
Seeing a reflection of his own childhood in her ambition, Doha instinctively looked away.
The unstoppable tide of childhood memories washed over him.
