Chapter 5 : TV Appearance (3)

Clap, clap, clap, clap-

With the sound of clapping echoing, the assassination operation by Siyeon began.

Ji-hyun sat with her back turned in the direction Siyeon was coming from.

‘She’s really talented. Surely, after this broadcast airs, she’ll get some love calls.’

Siyeon wasn’t just about her pretty appearance.

Looking at her today, she didn’t seem to fear the camera or being the center of attention.

And to think a 5-year-old girl would appear on a TV show and say she’s going to demonstrate an ‘assassination’.

Moreover, her way of speaking and actions were incredibly adorable.

Born talent. Someone destined to be a celebrity.

With a little bit of desire, I wanted her to join the same agency and act together.

‘Oh my, what am I thinking?’

For a moment, Ji-hyun even wished that child were hers.

As someone with a daughter named Ji-young, she felt a bit guilty toward her own child.

‘Our Ji-young said she wanted to be an idol. What if we debut them together? They seem to be close. Hohoho.’

While Ji-hyun was lost in these silly thoughts, the assassination operation was unfolding behind her.

From time to time, sounds like “Ugh!” and “Thud!” came from behind her.

Ji-hyun, the assassination target, couldn’t turn around, so she could only guess the situation from the sounds.

‘But I guess kids will always be kids.’

The screams and falling sounds were probably stuntmen’s acting.

Seeing the audience so quiet, it seemed like the action was nothing special.

Podong, too, was not giving any direction, only letting out moans like “Oh, oh…”

It might be something that wouldn’t even be usable for the broadcast.

In the first place, it didn’t make sense for a 5-year-old girl to show action.

‘What a shame. I was rooting for it.’

Ji-hyun, feeling a little regretful, noticed something odd.

The audience’s silence was strange, something she hadn’t expected.

“Eh, eeh…”

“Oh, oh…”

“Wow… Oh, oh…?”

People were opening their mouths blankly, slowly starting to make sounds.

It was the expression of those who had witnessed something completely unexpected.

“Oh, oh oh…!”

And soon, Podong, who had been silent, began making noises too.

It was the loudest voice Ji-hyun had ever heard from him.

His voice was already powerful, but with the microphone, it almost felt like her ears were going to tear.

“Ah, this is incredible!”

He reacted so strongly. Maybe he thought it was something that could be used for the broadcast.

“Ahhh!”

The sound of a stuntman screaming and falling could be heard from behind.

Now, it seemed that only one stuntman remained right behind Ji-hyun.

The other six must have been taken care of by Siyeon.

‘Wow, they’re really acting realistically.’

The sounds of falling and being hit were so realistic, it was hard to tell they were fake.

In the moment Ji-hyun thought she’d like to act with these stuntmen next time.

“Ugh…”

With the sound of the last stuntman falling, a cold sensation brushed the back of her neck.

“…!”

Killer intent. A feeling she had never experienced in her life. It was something hard to feel in the modern world.

The terrifying sensation made Ji-hyun instinctively turn her head.

“Ahhh!”

At that moment, the cold, sharp blade appeared before her eyes.

Ji-hyun froze instinctively and screamed.

“…I won’t really kill you.”

“…Eh, eh?”

And then a sweet voice came through.

When she opened her eyes, Siyeon was smiling with a knife pointed at her throat.

She was so cute that Ji-hyun almost wanted to kiss her.

But strangely, as she stared at her face, her body began to tremble.

It was like a herbivore encountering a giant snake.

“Pl-Please clap!”

Waaahhh!

With Podong’s announcement, the applause erupted.

Only then did Siyeon withdraw the knife and step down from her chair to greet the audience.

“Wh-what is this…”

And after the action ended, Ji-hyun saw the situation behind her.

It was a horrifying sight.

Seven stuntmen were lying on the ground, as if they were really dead.

“And let’s give a big round of applause to the stuntmen who helped us!”

Waaahhh!

Normally, at this point, the stuntmen should have stood up, bowed, and exited the stage.

But the stuntmen did not move and lay still on the ground.

It was as if they had truly fainted.

“The, the stuntmen, please stand up now.”

Podong said, but the stuntmen still didn’t move.

Podong, flustered, tried to handle the situation skillfully.

“Ha, hahaha! You really have professional spirit. It really feels like they’ve been assassinated. Hahaha!”

The stuntmen remained motionless.

Only then did the audience realize something was wrong and their expressions stiffened.

“Wait, are they really dead?”

“But the sound really seemed like it was a hit.”

“Is it even possible for a kid to fly around like that? Is she a robot?”

“Was that a real assassination?”

“Heh heh. Assassination, what. But she’s truly a martial arts prodigy.”

Various reactions.

Hearing those voices, Ji-hyun felt even more chills.

“Why aren’t those people getting up? Hey, hey. Go over there and pull them out.”

“Yes, yes!”

The director, Chan-guk, was just as flustered.

He had expected to see great action, but he hadn’t anticipated it to be this intense.

The action Siyeon had shown was absolutely not at a 5-year-old level.

“But, director, they’re not really dead, right?”

“They can’t be dead. Let’s check their condition, pull them off the stage and see. Keep the recording going.”

‘This is amazing!’

Anyway, it was something extraordinary.

Chan-guk clenched his fist and continued the recording.

The staff climbed up and dragged the stuntmen lying on the floor off the stage.

Fortunately, they were all breathing.

“Haha! Big applause, please!”

“What… What’s going on?”

“Are they really dead?”

“Are they okay?”

Kang Podong continued the broadcast, forcing a smile.

The audience murmured as they watched the stuntmen being dragged away.

“Next up, Siyeon will-“

But such a mishap was quickly forgotten.

Siyeon soon regained everyone’s focus.

She continued to impress the audience, drawing cheers with various displays.

Thus, the ‘Garterbelt’ filming concluded successfully.

“Thank you for your hard work~”

The filming ended with great success.

The guests were all praising Siyeon’s performance as the ‘assassination girl.’

“She was really amazing, right? For such a young kid, her face is so pretty. And she wasn’t nervous in front of the camera. She’s going to make it big.”

“She moves her body so well, she could be an idol. And to think she’s only 5 years old.”

“Her face is perfect for an actress. She’s a very attractive kid.”

It seemed the managers of the guests were already handing out business cards to Siyeon’s guardian behind the scenes.

Everyone who’s been in the entertainment industry a little bit would have seen it.

How big this child would become in the future.

Ji-hyun also quickly finished her greetings and went to find Siyeon and her guardian backstage.

“Ah, hello!”

Surrounded by managers, Siyeon and her mother.

As soon as Ji-hyun saw them, she approached and greeted them loudly.

“Everyone seems busy. Hohoho. I just wanted to talk for a moment, if that’s okay? We know each other personally.”

It was a lie, but Ji-hyun was acting to avoid losing Siyeon.

The managers licked their lips and stepped back.

“Hello. I’m Yu Ji-hyun. I wanted to have a conversation with Siyeon and her mother, so I’m sorry for the interruption.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Actually, those people just came up to us unexpectedly and it was a bit uncomfortable. I’m Lee Jiye.”

Siyeon’s mother, Jiye, looked like an ordinary woman in her 30s with a child.

She had a beautiful appearance and a graceful aura for an ordinary person.

She somewhat resembled Siyeon, though not exactly the same.

Maybe her father is unrealistically handsome? Ji-hyun thought to herself.

Then she got to the point.

“Actually, my daughter goes to the same kindergarten as Siyeon. I’ve been busy recently, so I haven’t been able to visit often, so this is the first time I’m seeing you. My daughter talks a lot about Siyeon.”

“Ah, you’re Ji-young’s mother?”

Siyeon, who had been silent, looked up at Jiye and spoke.

Jiye clapped her hands and raised her voice.

“Ahh! You’re Ji-young’s mother. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Hohoho, it seems Siyeon gets along well with our Ji-young.”

“Yes, she gets along well with Ji-young, and I also heard about you from Chaeyoung’s mother.”

“…Chaeyoung’s mother?”

Chaeyoung’s mother would be Hye-won, a top actress and Ji-hyun’s senior.

“Yes. I often run into her when I pick up Siyeon. We’ve talked a few times. It’s really amazing to think that two such famous people are near each other.”

“Ah, hahaha. Hye-won’s daughter goes to the same kindergarten, right? That’s right. What did Hye-won say?”

“Yes. Actually, Chaeyoung’s mother is an actress too, so she asked if we ever considered letting Siyeon try acting or become an idol. I’m still not sure about it… but she handed me her business card, so I took it. While I was thinking about it, Siyeon said she wanted to go on ‘Garterbelt,’ so she ended up being here.”

“She already made the first move? What a sly fox…She’s definitely not an ordinary woman. And as a director at TM Entertainment, she must be serious about discovering new talent. I didn’t realize she was working behind the scenes like this.”

“She really is like Hye-won. I also wanted to put Siyeon into acting when I saw her. I’m sure Siyeon will do well. Here’s my business card…”

If I waited any longer, I was sure I’d lose her.
This precious young actress.

Ji-hyun smiled brightly and handed over her business card.

“Our company is also focusing on developing child actors. Actually, TM Entertainment is more of an actor-focused agency, so we might be a better fit for her. Siyeon can join without pressure. Please do contact us. I’ll also make sure to talk to the CEO about it.”

“Oh, thank you. Of course, Siyeon’s opinion is the most important.”

Riding the momentum, Ji-hyun exchanged contact information with Jiye.

It seemed that Jiye wasn’t overly keen on pushing her child into acting.

She seemed to respect Siyeon’s wishes and was a good mother.

She was a pure and gentle, rabbit-like person, unlike Siyeon, who wasn’t scared and didn’t back down at such a young age.

“Well, please go in~”

After chatting a little more, Ji-hyun parted ways with Siyeon and Jiye.

Her resolve to keep Siyeon was stronger than ever.

Once the show aired, there would be even more offers coming her way.

Siyeon was just that exceptional.

Ji-hyun was determined to get her, and with that thought, she called the company’s CEO.

“Siyeon, is it true that you’re going to be on TV?”

“Yeah. I was on ‘Garterbelt.'”

A little while later at the kindergarten.
Ji-young approached as usual and started talking to me.

For some reason, Ji-young often came to me to suggest playing house or things like that.

It seemed like she wanted to be my team member.

“Cool! I want to go on TV too.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to be an idol like Girls’ Generation.”

“An idol?”

Isn’t that… an entertainer? If anything, idols today are kind of like clowns.

They remind me of circus clowns.

“Yeah! I think Siyeon would make a great idol!”

I see. That was her hidden agenda.

She was probably planning to laugh at me for doing the clownish things I had done.

“Don’t even think about aiming for an assassin’s spot, just keep being a clown for life,” she probably meant.

But that look didn’t bother me.

It was a necessary choice to survive.

After all, I was bound to rule the shadows.

I had climbed from the bottom in my past life, and I wasn’t going to back down from a little mockery.

“Hey, Kim Siyeon! Is it true you’re on Garterbelt?”

Then Chaeyoung also came over and shouted.

Chaeyoung, unlike Ji-young, always openly tried to compete with me.

“Yeah.”

“Heh, hmph! Why are you even going there?”

Her reaction was different from Ji-young’s.

I see. She must be angry because the rival clown is doing something unexpected.

Chaeyoung and I were gym partners, kind of like rivals.

No matter how much of a rival you are, you’d be confused if your competition suddenly disappeared.

It reminded me of a classmate who couldn’t endure the competition at Assassin School and left for the bright side.

We were always competing, but when he was gone, the void felt strange.

Some of the people I fought with in Assassin School even ended up being on the same team.

A dishonest person.

Don’t worry. This clown phase will be brief.

I’m the dark king who will rise again and rule the shadows. Nameless, yet eternal.

“Chaeyoung, let’s play house together! I’ll be the mom, Siyeon is the dad, and you’re Ji-young!”

“Why do I have to be you?”

Every day at kindergarten was a constant tension.