Chapter 8 : Commercial Shoot (3)

“Hmph. How amazing must the kid who became the model be?”

Hyunjung headed to the nearby Filla store in the department store with her son, Hyunsu.

Hyunsoo, who had been eliminated from the Filla kids’ model advertisement.

She was going there to see how amazing the kid who got accepted instead of her son was.

“Mom, I don’t like Filla clothes. They’re not pretty. Buy me Nike.”

“Ugh… This is why you were eliminated! You went to the audition with that attitude, and that’s why Filla didn’t pick you!”

“…”

Hyunjung was an overbearing mother.

She projected her unfulfilled desire to become a model onto her son.

“…What’s this?”

As she got closer to the Filla store, a question mark appeared on Hyunjung’s face.

There were several times more people than usual.

“Hey! Please stand in line. Can’t you see people are waiting?”

“Yes, yes? Is all this line for Filla?”

“Yeah! It’s chaos right now because of the advertisement.”

“Advertisement?”

“Don’t you watch TV? People are only talking about that ad these days. Over there, that kid!”

All those people were there to buy Filla clothes.

There were many young children and ordinary adults.

Filla wasn’t a very popular brand, just okay.

It was the first time the store had been so crowded.

Looking at where the person who was waiting pointed, Hyunjung realized the cause.

“Wow…”

There, a photo shoot picture featuring actress Jeong Woo-seon and a child was hanging.

In the background, a rainy city, with Woo-seon and a girl with a cold expression striking a pose.

‘So that’s why Hyunsoo got eliminated.’

At that moment, Hyunjung realized.

There are people born with overwhelming talent.

She couldn’t even imagine matching the ‘coolness’ of that kid.

“Uh, mom, I just want to buy Filla!”

“Ha… this is something else.”

Cheonseong, the president of Filla Korea, had been rewatching the recent advertisement whenever he had time.

The advertisement featuring famous actress Jeong Woo-seon and 5-year-old Kim Siyeon.

The final scene where they rush across a building roof in the rain never got old no matter how many times he watched it.

“It’s a great ad, but I just can’t stop watching it.”

It wasn’t just a well-made ad.

It was like an obsession; he couldn’t stop watching it.

It was exciting, like watching a well-crafted action movie.

It was just a 20-second ad, but the pleasure it gave him couldn’t be shaken off.

It wasn’t just Cheonseong feeling this way.

It was already a huge topic online.

Articles and community posts were pouring out.

[The rise of the advertising kid model, Filla’s sales exploding.]

[The identity of the viral Filla ad model is 5-year-old Kim Siyeon?]

[Kim Siyeon, who became an instant sensation with ‘garter belt’ and ‘Filla ad.’ Her adorable looks bring even more attention.]

[Kim Siyeon, a once-in-a-thousand-year face, ‘The miracle of the peninsula.’]

[Actress Jeong Woo-seon mentioned Kim Siyeon in an interview, talking about the atmosphere on set. “Siyeon’s natural talent was extraordinary. She even led me during the shoot.”]

[Sold-out sensation: Filah windbreakers. Sales of famous brands like Nike and Adidas were quickly surpassed.]

It was the first time a 5-year-old kid dominated the entire portal site.

Moreover, the products from the ad were mostly sold out in stores.

The sales of other items also increased several times compared to usual.

People were asking when the products would be restocked, with over a thousand inquiries per day.

As a result, the factories were running all their lines at full capacity, producing several times more clothes than usual.

“Hahahaha. We might end up surpassing the headquarters’ sales at this rate.”

Filla was a company headquartered in Italy.

Filla Korea was the Korean branch.

Recently, sales had been plummeting in the European market where the headquarters was located.

In contrast, the sales in Korea were soaring.

After Cheonseong took the position as the head of the Korean branch, the results were the best ever, and a smile never left his face.

[Title: What’s all the fuss about Kim Siyeon?]

Why is everyone going crazy over a 5-year-old kid? By the way, when will Filla windbreakers be restocked?

Recommendation: 45 Disrecommendation: 2

I went to all the Filla stores in Seoul, but there’s not a single one left.

So I went to Daejeon and bought one. Barely managed to get the last one.

But how is she so pretty? Is it really possible for a windbreaker to sell out like this? Honestly, I think the sold-out situation is over the top. So I just bought a jacket and shoes.

Isn’t it still far from winter?

Can’t you wear a jacket in the fall?

But seriously, that’s the face of a goddess reincarnated.

She’s pretty and cute, but her presence… It’s not something a 5-year-old should have. When she landed on the ground while rolling, it was like Tom Cruise—nothing less.

The garter belt video is insane. She’s really going to make it big. The way she moves reminds me of Scarlett Johansson.

If I fought her, I’d lose.

Not only the advertisement but also the ‘garter belt’ video was quickly spreading by word of mouth.

Both in real life and online, everyone was talking about Siyeon.

“This is a must-grab.”

This wouldn’t end with just one advertisement.

Anyone could tell that Siyeon was different from the rest.

Soon, other companies would begin targeting her.

Before that happened, Cheonseong intended to make Siyeon Filla’s exclusive model under the best conditions.

He immediately called Siyeon’s mother, Jiye.

But his expression quickly hardened.

“…What? She doesn’t want to do it?”

A little while after the Filla ad was released,

I started seeing kids at kindergarten wearing the clothes I wore in the ad.

Of course, I was wearing the same clothes.

It was the outfit I received from the advertisement.

I didn’t really like it, but it was okay.

It was comfortable and functional, great for my job as an assassin.

But the clothes made noise when they brushed together, so it seemed unsuitable for missions.

“Siyeon! I’m wearing the clothes Siyeon wore too!”

“Uh?”

Jiyeong, wearing the same windbreaker as me, came running with a bright smile.

Though it was children’s clothing, it looked cute on kids with short legs.

I see. So that’s what happened.

Jiyeong was the one who tried to assassinate me on the first day by poisoning the snack.

But it was later revealed that the snack had no poison in it.

Since then, she had continued to talk to me.

And today, she even wore the same clothes.

The intent behind all of her actions was obvious.

‘She wants to be my team member.’

Sometimes, assassins work alone.

But just as often, they form teams.

I, too, was forming a team with the members I personally selected.

They were all outstanding and trustworthy individuals.

I regretted losing my members at the last moment.

Jiyeong, too, wanted to become one of my team members.

Seeing her try to match with me by wearing the same clothes shows her unity.

She might be a little lacking in skill, but she’s an intelligent child.

She noticed me and has already started lining up. I like that.

“Alright. You’re accepted.”

“Huh? I’m accepted?”

“Yeah.”

“Yay!”

For now, it would be good to work together in kindergarten.

After graduation, I’ll see her true skills in real missions.

Since she’s my first team member, I decided to accept her with an open heart.

Then, I saw Chaeyoung lazily wandering beside us.

“Huh? Chaeyoung’s wearing this too!”

“I-I wore it too?”

I see. Chaeyoung wants to be a team member too.

But with Chaeyoung, I had concerns.

Chaeyoung was my gymnastics partner, but she hadn’t once completed a proper gymnastics routine.

Without that basic skill, it’s hard to become my team member.

“Mm… Chaeyoung, you’re not accepted.”

“Wh-what?”

“Why isn’t Chaeyoung accepted?”

“Chaeyoung can’t do gymnastics.”

“Uuuuuh!”

Crying, Chaeyoung ran to the teacher.

Only those with a strong will can survive in my team.

She’ll need to grow stronger and come back.

“Si-yeon, then are you going to keep appearing on TV?”

“No.”

“HOH?”

When Jiyeong asked, I shook my head in denial.

I was planning to reduce the exposure of my image from now on.

This clowning around will be my last.

In just a few more years, I’ll be able to make a living.

I need to stop promoting my image like in the advertisements.

That day, when I returned home, my mom talked about something related.

“Siyeon, Filla said they want you to continue doing ads. Is that okay? Jiyeong’s mom is joining the agency too.”

“Uh… No.”

“Oh, you don’t want to anymore?”

“Yeah.”

She asked if I would continue clowning around.

I shook my head.

“Okay, I understand. If you don’t want to, Si-yeon, then I can’t force you.”

My mom seemed a bit disappointed.

It couldn’t be helped. Even thinking about the future, it’s better not to have my face constantly exposed.

Don’t worry, mom, I’ll repay everything later.

I was once the assassin who ruled the empire’s darkness. Nameless, of course.

But unfortunately, I had forgotten one thing.

Not everything in this world goes the way I want.

Chaeyoung’s 7th winter.

In a few months, Chaeyoung will start elementary school along with Siyeon and Jiyeong.

The three, who had been together through kindergarten, luckily ended up going to the same elementary school.

At first, Siyeon was an annoying child to Chaeyoung.

Her mom always told her she was the most beautiful in the world.

And the kindergarten teacher and everyone passing by said the same thing.

But things changed when Siyeon appeared.

Everyone could see that Siyeon was beautiful, and she caught everyone’s attention.

She appeared on TV before Chaeyoung, and became incredibly famous.

The Filah ad was so cool that Chaeyoung even wanted to wear the same clothes.

During kindergarten, Chaeyoung continued her cute, childish rivalry with Siyeon.

But Siyeon wasn’t bothered at all.

In fact, she even treated Chaeyoung like a fool as if she found it funny.

Chaeyoung, determined to beat Siyeon, kept following her around.

Before long, Chaeyoung became Siyeon and Jiyeong’s best friend, and they were inseparable.

“Th-This is a special invitation!”

“Yeah.”

That day, Chaeyoung invited Siyeon to her house.

Hyeon, who had been eyeing Siyeon for a while, also used Jiyeong’s mom to extend the invitation.

After kindergarten, Siyeon agreed to go to Chaeyoung’s house with her.

It was a secret from Jiyeong.

Because before, Jiyeong and Siyeon had hung out without Chaeyoung.

As the kindergarten dismissal time approached,

“Let’s meet tomorrow. Bye!”

“Bye.”

Jiyeong waved and left first.

Chaeyoung and Siyeon waited for their moms.

But strangely, Hyeon hadn’t shown up even after all the other kids had left.

“Hm… Is Siyeon’s mom or Chaeyoung’s mom running late?”

The kindergarten teacher asked the last two, Siyeon and Chaeyoung.

“We’re going to Siyeon’s house today, and we’re taking our moms’ car.”

“Oh, really? Should we wait a little longer then?”

They waited a bit more, but Hyeon still didn’t show up.

At this point, it was definitely getting late.

Chaeyoung started to feel uneasy since her mom wasn’t there.

“Hmm… Mom’s running late. Should I call Chaeyoung’s mom to check if something’s wrong?”

“Yes, yes.”

The teacher fumbled through her apron pocket to get her phone.

Then the teacher realized she had left her phone inside the kindergarten.

“Oh, I left my phone inside. I’ll be back to get it quickly, so can you wait a little longer?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay. Hold hands tightly, both of you.”

Though it was unsettling that their moms were late, Chaeyoung felt at ease as she held Siyeon’s hand.

For some reason, being with Siyeon made her feel calm.

Sometimes, Siyeon’s beautiful face even looked like a handsome idol from her agency.

As the teacher stepped back into the kindergarten,

“Hey, isn’t that the car?”

A black van pulled up in front of the kindergarten.

Chaeyoung had seen Hyeon ride in a similar car for her schedules.

Since Hyeon was an actress, the windows were tinted so no one could see inside.

Sometimes when she finished her schedule, she would come straight back in this car, so Chaeyoung assumed it was Hyeon.

Chaeyoung and Siyeon approached the car, thinking it was her mom.

“Huh? No.”

“Huh?”

But when Chaeyoung saw the van’s license plate, she shook her head.

It was different from Hyeon’s usual van license plate.

“Yep, Mom’s van’s license plate is 7489.”

This van’s plate was 3323.

Realizing it wasn’t her mom, Chaeyoung’s face fell, and she held Siyeon’s hand again and turned away.

But then…

Thud-

“Whoop- Huh?!”

“???”

Suddenly, the van door opened with a bang, and a rough hand reached out from inside.

Chaeyoung and Siyeon were grabbed by the hand and quickly pulled into the van.

The black van sped away from the kindergarten.

A moment later,

“Chaeyoung! Siyeon! Your moms are running a bit late, just five more minutes… huh?”

The teacher, who had been on the phone with Hyeon, was bewildered.

The two children had vanished.