Chapter 3 : TV Appearance (1)

“Oh ho ho! That’s really amazing.”

Whoosh- Whoosh-

Mom and Dad were sitting on the living room sofa watching TV.

I was next to them, practicing sword techniques with a toy sword.

On TV, a program called ‘Garterbelt’ was being broadcast.

The show ‘Garterbelt’ featured clowns showcasing their unique skills.

And well-dressed nobles would laugh, marvel, or sometimes imitate them while watching.

The ages of the clowns varied, and occasionally, one would perform feats so impressive even I couldn’t help but admire them.

“Honey. Should we let Siyeon try going on that show too?”

“Huh?”

“You know, Siyeon is good at Taekwondo and can jump so well on her own. If a 5-year-old shows off tricks, she’d probably gain some popularity.”

“Popularity… But still, sending her to a show like that seems a bit…”

“Come on, you said before that it’d be good for Siyeon to learn acting. If she shows her face on a show like that from a young age, it could help her later.”

“Well, that’s true… But I only said that because Siyeon is so pretty…”

“Oh, honestly… Our Siyeon is…”

Mom and Dad continued their conversation while watching TV.

I kept moving my body as if I hadn’t heard them.

So… they want to send me there.

To go out as a clown and perform some tricks, I suppose.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar situation from my past life.

Though I wasn’t a clown, I remembered performing sword dances at royal parties and banquets to entertain the guests.

I had to showcase even more dazzling techniques to earn the nobles’ applause.

It was something I often did during my early years as an inexperienced soldier.

‘I see. They want me to earn my keep.’

It made sense—no one raises someone without expecting something in return.

Sending me to a show like that means they want me to perform and pay for my meals.

It was only natural, so I accepted it calmly.

Still, my parents were good people.

The fact that they had raised me in warmth for five whole years was enough.

I couldn’t just keep freeloading without doing anything.

Recalling my past life, where failure to earn one’s keep meant death, my current situation seemed almost strange.

Clowning… I’ll do it.

I’ll gladly become a spectacle in front of those nobles.

Compared to the blood and filth I had to endure in my past life, this was nothing.

With a calm determination, I turned to Mom and Dad and spoke.

“Mom. Dad.”

“Huh? Siyeon, what is it?”

“Yes, my daughter!”

Mom and Dad, who had been arguing for a while, turned their heads toward me.

“I’ll do it.”

“W-What?”

“Hahaha! Yes! That’s my daughter!”

“Sigh… But honey, Siyeon is still our daughter…”

And so, I ended up auditioning for ‘Garterbelt’.

The main PD of the TV show ‘Garterbelt’ was Kang Chan-guk.

Recently, Chan-guk had been feeling quite burned out.

“Should I move on to another program? I’ve been running this one for too long; it’s no longer fun.”

“Huh? But where would you find another show like ‘Garterbelt’? I still laugh to tears every week watching the contestants.”

“Hey, that’s only entertaining for a day or two. At this point, even if a real magician showed up, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

He was the one who turned ‘Garterbelt’ into a national variety show.

He worked tirelessly every week to discover extraordinary contestants.

But finding something genuinely new every week was challenging.

Child dance prodigies. Genius magicians who could fool everyone. Old men performing shocking stunts.

The contestants were always of similar types.

No matter how unique or intense they were, nothing truly flipped the script anymore.

Chan-guk was considering switching to another program.

“So, where would you go?”

“I need to think about it… Maybe start a new show… Anyway, let’s start the auditions. I still have work to do.”

For now, quitting wasn’t an option.

Chan-guk wearily began the contestant auditions.

As expected, the same types of contestants kept appearing.

He flipped through them quickly, marking the ones who could provide enough material.

“Next up is… Assassin Girl.”

“…Assassin?”

The name caught Chan-guk’s attention.

Even he had never seen a contestant with the title ‘Assassin.’

And she was only five years old.

“Huh. Is this going to be some martial arts prodigy thing?”

“Probably. They should’ve just written it that way…”

Occasionally, ‘Garterbelt’ featured martial arts demonstrations.

With little expectation, the next audition began.

But the moment a five-year-old girl walked in, Chan-guk’s half-closed eyes opened wide.

‘…What? How can a five-year-old look so pretty? And she’s so tall for her age?’

A stunningly beautiful child.

A flawless face without a single imperfection.

It felt like staring at a timeless piece of art.

It transcended the very concept of beauty.

“Please introduce yourself.”

The assistant director, equally stunned, took a moment to resume the audition.

Chan-guk adjusted his slouched posture.

‘This is it. I don’t know about assassins or martial arts, but with that face, she’ll be a sensation no matter what.’

“Hello! I’m Kim Siyeon!”

“Uh, okay. Siyeon, what’s your best skill?”

“…I’m good at assassination!”

“A-Assassination? Could you show us?”

The child confidently claimed to be good at assassination.

It wasn’t uncommon.

Children sometimes mimicked ninjas or fighters they saw in cartoons.

But usually, it was boys.

A girl saying this was rare, and Chan-guk considered using her looks as the main selling point even if her skills were lacking.

At least, until Siyeon started to move.

Whoosh—

“?!!!!?!!”

An incredible movement.

It was so fast it was almost invisible.

Siyeon pulled out a toy sword and began swinging it at an incredible speed, demonstrating something.

It looked almost like a sword dance.

I wasn’t an expert in that field, so I couldn’t quite tell what it was.

But one thing was certain: that child’s movements were extraordinary.

“W-what was that just now, Siyeon?”

“It’s called Am-Mu (暗舞, Dark Dance).”

“I-I see. Could you perhaps show us more, but slower this time? Maybe something different.”

“Yes!”

Siyeon proceeded to demonstrate various movements.

I couldn’t tell exactly what they were, but her performance was mesmerizing.

At the same time, an eerie chill ran down my spine.

When Siyeon reversed her grip on the sword and mimed stabbing something, my neck felt cold.

When she stabbed repeatedly at high speed, it felt as if my stomach was being slashed open.

It was just mimed movements, yet it sent chills down my spine.

It felt like I was actually being assassinated.

“O-okay. I think we’ve seen enough now.”

The assistant director finally stopped Siyeon after a long while.

Siyeon skillfully twirled the toy sword and sheathed it, then politely folded her hands together.

She looked like a real assassin.

“So… Siyeon, where did you learn martial arts?”

“I learned it at Assassin School.”

“A-Assassin School, you say…”

“Haha, she’s actually attending a Taekwondo academy these days. I think she just meant that. She’s really into it lately,” said Siyeon’s mother, trying to explain.

“Oh, I see.”

The assistant director turned to Chan-guk, the director, as if asking for guidance.

Chan-guk, who had been staring blankly with his mouth slightly open, snapped back to reality and straightened his posture.

‘This… works. I’m not sure what I just saw, but her movements are incredible. A cute little girl who’s also a martial arts prodigy? That’s definitely going to draw attention.
An unimaginable combination. The title Assassin Girl might just work…
It’s been a while since I’ve seen something worth creating.’

While sketching out ideas for the show, Chan-guk spoke.

“Siyeon, do you have any other ‘assassination techniques’ you can show us?”

A good director knows how to draw out a performer’s full potential.

This girl seemed deeply immersed in the concept of being an assassin, probably inspired by some anime or cartoon.

And with such immense martial arts talent, there was potential for even more impressive visuals.

“There are many techniques! But if I had an opponent, I could show even more!”

“An opponent?”

Did she mean she needed an assassination target?

Chan-guk stood up from his seat, eager to test her potential himself.

“Alright then, how about I be your opponent? Oh, but no swords—it’s dangerous. Haha!”

“Yes!”

“…Director?”

The assistant director looked bewildered.
Chan-guk waved him off casually.

This contestant was special.

He felt compelled to see her potential firsthand.

Even if nothing extraordinary happened, her face alone would guarantee plenty of screen time.

But something about this girl made him expect more.

She had a unique aura that stirred something in him.

“Okay, I’ll stand still. Try to ‘assassinate’ me. Oh, but don’t actually kill me, alright? Hahaha!”

“…Okay!”

What could a five-year-old girl possibly do?
At worst, he might get a tiny bruise.

Chan-guk smiled as he watched Siyeon prepare herself.

For some reason, he felt like he was about to witness something incredible.

Siyeon assumed a stance and began moving slowly, almost ceremoniously, like a martial artist.

Then—

Pop!

“?!?!”

She vanished from his sight in an instant.

“Urk!”

A heavy sensation struck his abdomen.

His body instinctively doubled over, his spine stretching.

Immediately after, he felt a sharp chill at the back of his neck.

Smack!

A crisp impact rang out, and Chan-guk collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Thud!

“D-Director?!”

The assistant director jumped up from his seat.

The once cheerful Siyeon now looked bewildered.

Even her mother stood up in alarm.

“D-Director? Are you okay?”

At first, no one believed he had actually fainted.

Surely, he was just pretending to play along with the child.

But that child’s movements… they were not those of an ordinary five-year-old.

“D-Director?! Director!!”

But Chan-guk did not wake up for a long time, and the audition had to be halted.

Not long after, Siyeon’s mother received a message:

Siyeon has been accepted into the ‘Garterbelt’ audition.