Huk- huung-
My legs cutting through the air.
I was practicing Taekwondo in front of the living room TV.
Taekwondo had a type of form called “Poomsae,” which was like a sword dance.
As the level of Poomsae increased, it became more extravagant, and the techniques became more difficult.
“Wow, you’re doing great, our Siyeon. Will you become a Taekwondo athlete when you grow up?”
“Huh? No?”
Taekwondo was more like a game.
For me, who had learned many deadly martial arts, it was useless.
However, there was meaning in learning the culture of this world and performing various movements.
I heard the instructor more seriously recommending Taekwondo to my mom.
It seemed like he wanted to officially enroll me in the Taekwondo school.
But I told my mom that I didn’t want to do that.
I didn’t plan on dedicating my life to a single martial art.
As an assassin, it was enough for me to use only what was necessary from different martial arts to develop my own unique style.
But I didn’t quit Taekwondo.
Because there were benefits in doing Taekwondo.
Now, I could practice various exercises without anyone suspecting me.
If I practiced for the perfect body as an assassin, my parents wouldn’t have any doubts if I did it through Taekwondo.
Sometimes, when I swung around a toy knife, they clapped for me.
Actually, my mom warned me that it was dangerous. But since my dad liked it so much…
“Then?”
The question about dreams.
It was a common question for children in this world.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get enough samples of what other kids answered.
But when I thought about the previous question, I could find a hint for my answer.
‘Will you become a Taekwondo athlete?’ my dad asked.
A “Taekwondo athlete.”
The word “athlete” was something I had often used.
Those who were excellent and had skills like a trickster in a particular field.
It was mostly used in fields like assassination or gambling, where the shady underworld thrived.
I used it often.
I remembered when we raided those guys’ hideouts.
“Entering as an athlete,” I’d say, leading the team in a raid.
And Taekwondo was a widely recognized martial art in this world.
A Taekwondo athlete would probably be a common type of assassin here.
So, I just had to mention a similar kind of job.
Also, when acting, it’s important to mix in some truth to deceive the other party completely.
Therefore, my conclusion was something similar to an assassin, but a role I would want to do in the future.
“I will become a spy!”
Even so, being a spy was better than being an assassin.
It was a more childish answer, I suppose.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s right, our daughter! You’ll become a spy!”
Thankfully, it was the right answer, and my dad laughed heartily.
Once again, I was able to perform the role of a little child successfully today.
“Aigoo… Why do you keep saying such things to our daughter? Our Siyeon should become a princess, right?”
“Huh!”
My mom said as she hugged me.
I nodded.
I didn’t plan on becoming a princess, but I had often acted as a substitute princess in my past life.
“Siyeon, can you go to kindergarten properly starting tomorrow?”
“Huh!”
Tomorrow, I will go to kindergarten, an educational institution for children under the age of eight.
It seemed early, but early education was common in this world.
Now that I think about it, I remember when I first went to the assassin school.
That time was really tough.
Kindergarten was a place for early education before school, so it should be less painful than school.
“Make sure to get along well with your friends.”
“Yes.”
I answered while crunching on an apple.
I was confident that I could get along well.
After all, I had gotten along really ‘well’ with the others at the assassin school.
“Our daughter will be very popular at kindergarten. Ha ha ha ha ha!”
“Siyeon, you’re not allowed to make a boyfriend already, okay?”
“Yes.”
I see. This must be a conversation about using beauty to your advantage.
It’s a mistake that beginners often make.
Especially those boys who had just entered assassin school, they often fell victim to using beauty and easily lost their lives.
But to me, beauty tricks were laughable methods.
On the contrary, now that I was in a woman’s body, I would be able to handle it much more perfectly.
The next day, I headed to kindergarten.
Kindergarten was quite different from what I had imagined.
It was not a place filled with darkness and blood like the assassin school.
Instead, it was full of soft, bouncy things and warm lighting.
The children there were just ordinary kids, not the ones training to become assassins.
“Siyeon, I go mogling?”
“Huh?”
A girl who had been following my actions approached me.
And then, I had a gut feeling.
Of course. So this is what it is.
This was the same trick I had fallen for when I first went to assassin school.
A girl approached me on the first day, when I had been beaten badly and was lying on the floor.
She had offered me a rice ball with a pitying expression.
At assassin school, the weak didn’t even get food.
That rice ball was like a savior to me back then.
But assassin school wasn’t so easy.
That rice ball was poisoned.
I nearly died from the beginning.
“…Hmph. Same trick.”
I muttered with a low laugh.
The girl who had offered me the snack tilted her head innocently.
“Eh, do you not want to eat…?”
What a great performance.
If I hadn’t had experience, I would definitely have been fooled.
“No.”
But I wouldn’t act like a novice and start a fight here.
There could be a counterattack if I rejected the snack she offered.
The solution was simple.
“I can’t take your precious snack and eat it.”
“Eh?!”
I quickly snatched the snack from her hand and put it in her mouth.
The girl chewed on my fingers as well.
“Just watching you eat makes me full.”
“Uh, uh?”
I smiled slyly as I watched her.
She probably didn’t expect this from the very first day.
The girl hurriedly swallowed the snack she had been chewing.
“Ugh…?”
“Hmph. You ate a lot.”
“Do you not want to eat? It tastes so good…”
Persistent. But she seemed fine even after eating just one.
I see. The first one was the bait.
There must be poison in the remaining snacks.
In that case, I’ll make sure to end this properly.
How dare you try to mess with me, from the very beginning.
“No. Watching you eat makes me happy. I’ll feed you myself.”
“Uh?”
I took the remaining snacks out one by one and put them into the girl’s mouth.
She couldn’t escape. I held her other hand tightly.
It seemed like she couldn’t resist my strength, and she ate all the snacks.
“Hehe… Did you eat?”
“Yeah, I ate. What about you, Siyeon? Didn’t you eat?”
“Yeah. It’s fine.”
So, the girl ate all the snacks.
I wiped the crumbs and saliva from her mouth with my sleeve.
It was the last mercy for the fool who would meet her end.
“Okay, everyone gather round~”
At that moment, the teacher called everyone over.
It seemed like it was time for the next activity.
I went with the girl who was pretending to endure the poison, towards the teacher.
“Okay, the next activity is~”
The next activity was gymnastics.
We were to pair up and do gymnastics together.
It seemed like a session to learn the basic moves of assassin martial arts.
“Siyeon, would you like to pair up with Chaeyoung?”
“Yes.”
My partner was a girl named Chaeyoung.
For some reason, she was blushing and puffing up her cheeks, crossing her arms.
I see. She seemed to be trying to intimidate the new kid.
“Okay, everyone hold hands with your partner~”
“Hmph!”
Chaeyoung didn’t extend her hand to me.
Her personality seemed to be one with a strong sense of pride.
Instead, I grabbed Chaeyoung’s hand first.
If she was going to test me, I’d take the initiative.
Things like this should be established from the start.
“Uh, huh?”
‘Simple move.’
Simple moves. On the other hand, Chaeyoung couldn’t even do them properly.
To think she would try to test me with such skills. It was laughable.
And so, I toyed with Chaeyoung, and the gymnastics session ended.
Joo Hye-won, one of South Korea’s top actresses and currently a director at TM Entertainment.
She had come to pick up her daughter from kindergarten.
“Hye-won sunbae, long time no see.”
While waiting in the car for the kindergarten session to end.
Someone knocked on the window of Hye-won’s car and spoke.
“Oh my, who is this?”
It was Ji-hyun.
Yu Ji-hyun, another famous actress in South Korea.
Though they were with different agencies, they had worked together on several projects.
“What’s the occasion? Did you come to pick up your child yourself?”
“I happened to finish my shoot early. On the way back.”
Ji-hyun, a little younger than Hye-won, was in the middle of a busy time in her career.
Unlike Hye-won, who often came to pick up her child, Ji-hyun had less time to care for her child.
“Really? Your recent projects have been doing well, right? The viewership ratings are high.”
“I didn’t do much. It’s all thanks to the other actors and staff.”
“You’re being too humble for someone with ten years of experience, aren’t you?”
“You’ve been in the industry for over 15 years, and you’re still so humble. Hoho.”
There was a subtle exchange of jabs.
Though they weren’t enemies, this type of subtle rivalry always existed between them.
Their agencies were rivals, and the relationship between an established leading actress and a rising star often looked like this.
“Oh, the kids are coming out. Ji-young!”
The children began coming out.
Ji-hyun spotted her daughter and waved at her excitedly.
Hye-won also got out of the car and looked for her daughter.
“Chaeyoung!”
Both actresses hugged their children as they ran toward them.
Both were lovely children who wouldn’t lose to anyone.
‘Hmph. My Chaeyoung is cuter.’
‘My Ji-young is the prettiest.’
Hye-won and Ji-hyun subtly competed with each other.
Each thought their daughter was the most beautiful.
But at that moment,
“…?!”
“…Huh?”
A girl leisurely walked out from behind.
Though she was only five years old, she walked confidently. Her back straight, her posture perfect.
Her kindergarten uniform fit perfectly, without the typical disproportionate look of kids with big heads.
‘S-She’s cute…!’
‘Was there such a beautiful girl in kindergarten?’
“Hmph! Mom, which one is prettier, me or her?”
“Uh, uh?”
Chaeyoung tugged on Hye-won’s sleeve, staring at the girl with a pout.
Hye-won hastily turned her head and said, “Well, of course, my Chaeyoung is prettier, hohoho.”
Normally, Hye-won would say that her daughter was the prettiest in the world.
But for some reason, this time she added a common phrase that a mother with a typical daughter would say, “in mom’s eyes.”
Ji-hyun had a similar reaction.
But Ji-young seemed a bit closer to that girl.
“Bye, Siyeon!”
“Yeah. Bye.”
The child casually waved goodbye as she left.
Ji-hyun stared at the girl’s retreating figure.
“Did you make a new friend, Ji-young?”
“Yeah. Siyeon came today.”
To think there was such a perfectly beautiful child.
Ji-hyun couldn’t believe her eyes.
…That child is going to be someone big.
Both Hye-won and Ji-hyun had the same thought after seeing Siyeon.
That was when they both became interested in her.