I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 20
Scorching lights poured down upon me once again.
[I was truly born for the stage.]
Director Kwak began explaining the blocking from the storyboard to me and the Just members one by one, checking each movement.
“Lucas picks up Sung-guk and plays with him, then accidentally knocks over the Lego blocks he’d stacked. When he looks down, it’s a complete mess. Tae-hyung spills his drink everywhere. When Jae-hyun comes out of the kitchen with food, he’s furious. He’s asking how anyone is supposed to eat in this disaster.”
Director Kwak turned his gaze to me.
“When Sung-guk sees the living room in shambles, he does that signature pose of his.”
Director Kwak mimicked my signature pose.
I nodded in understanding.
“Then, when our Sung-guk strikes that serious pose, Beom-seon rushes out with the Samjeon Electronics Hurricane vacuum cleaner and shouts ‘Don’t worry!’ while sweeping the entire living room floor clean in one go.”
“Yes!”
The Just members answered confidently.
Without Michael constantly grumbling and causing trouble, the team’s unity was stronger than ever.
“Alright, let’s run through a rehearsal.”
“Yes, Director.”
“Our Sung-guk is ready too, right?”
“Yes!”
I quickly raised my hand high.
Everyone around me laughed at my reaction.
“That kid really is a mood maker.”
The director took his position behind the camera.
Lucas picked me up and carried me into the film set.
The rehearsal began inside the film set, which resembled an ordinary apartment living room.
The rehearsal ended on the first take.
“Perfect! Let’s shoot it exactly like that!”
* * *
“Cut!”
Director Kwak’s voice was strained.
Jae-hyun, the handsome one, kept flubbing his lines.
Jae-hyun had only one line.
“How am I supposed to eat in this filthy place? When are we going to clean all this up?”
He kept stumbling over this simple line again and again.
Even Lucas, who had been lifting me—now considerably heavier—began to tire visibly.
“Hyung, please. Sung-guk is getting really heavy now.”
Director Kwak stood up from his seat.
“Jae-hyun, let’s go over your lines again.”
“Director, I’m sorry. I practiced so much, but I don’t know why this is happening.”
Jae-hyun lowered his head repeatedly, his face anxious.
Jae-hyun was the one who played the mother role in ‘Five Men and a Baby Basket,’ and his gentle charm had made him the most popular among the members. But Jae-hyun wasn’t particularly skilled at acting.
I quickly glanced at Beom-seon.
Beom-seon’s line was just one phrase: “Don’t worry!”
As Michael and I resolved our rivalry and his screen time gradually diminished, Beom-seon’s presence grew more prominent toward the latter half of the film.
Beom-seon’s tsundere-like demeanor, which had created an awkward dynamic between us, captivated female fans.
[Beom-seon’s acting was actually better….]
After Just disbanded, Jae-hyun had attempted acting a few times, but he hadn’t received particularly favorable reviews. He simply lacked fundamental talent for the craft.
In contrast, Beom-seon had methodically built his filmography starting from supporting roles, eventually securing a lead position and even winning Best Actor at a film festival.
I watched Jae-hyun practicing his lines with Director Kwak.
I toddled over to stand beside them.
“Jae-hyun, that diction isn’t quite right.”
“Director, I’m sorry. Why can’t I get this?”
Jae-hyun’s greatest weakness was the excessive cuteness in his speech patterns themselves.
While that quality had shone as an asset during reality shows like “Five Men and a Baby Basket,” in commercial shoots it backfired—transforming scenes that demanded anger into playful performances.
Director Kwak clutched his head.
“What do we do? This scene needs to be more serious….”
“Director, I’ll try again.”
Jae-hyun read through it again and again, but his voice still carried that nasal quality.
I quickly glanced at Beom-seon.
Beom-seon, still holding the vacuum cleaner, was experimenting with his single line in multiple tones and mixing in physical actions to enhance his performance.
I toddled over to Beom-seon.
“Sung-guk, will you play with me?”
I quickly grabbed Beom-seon’s hand and pulled him toward the director.
“Sung-guk, they’re busy over there with the director and Jae-hyun. Let’s play here instead.”
[Yeah. That’s why we’re going. No more talking—just follow me.]
What people didn’t realize was that babies possessed surprising strength, and their inability to comprehend words was surprisingly useful in moments like this.
Beom-seon had no choice but to follow along with me.
Director Kwak glanced at Beom-seon.
“Have you memorized your line?”
“Director, could you watch me too?”
“Sure. Jae-hyun, you keep practicing over there.”
“Yes.”
Jae-hyun answered with a dejected expression.
Beom-seon delivered his single line naturally, hoisting the vacuum cleaner with a flourish.
“Don’t worry!”
Then he gauged the director’s reaction.
“Director, how was that?”
“Natural. You’ve got good pronunciation—were you planning to act originally?”
“Not really. I learned acting among other things before my debut.”
“Is that so?”
Director Kwak studied Jae-hyun for a moment, then handed Jae-hyun’s lines to Beom-seon.
“Try doing this one.”
“This is Jae-hyun’s line, Director.”
“Give it a try.”
Beom-seon glanced sideways at Jae-hyun.
Jae-hyun looked displeased, but he couldn’t ignore Director Kwak’s instruction.
Beom-seon studied the script briefly, then looked up at Director Kwak.
“Director, Jae-hyun has that motherly vibe even in the commercial, but I don’t have that quality. Would it be alright if I do it my own way?”
“Sure. Do it however feels natural.”
“Yes.”
Beom-seon murmured through the lines a few times quietly, then looked at me.
I deliberately made eye contact with the child.
[Go on, try it for me.]
“How am I supposed to eat with all this mess? When are we ever going to clean this up….”
Beom-seon delivered the line lightly, with a grumbling tone.
Director Kwak seemed quite pleased with that delivery.
“Beom-seon, would you do it one more time?”
“With the same tone as before?”
“Yes.”
Beom-seon delivered the line with exactly the same inflection.
Director Kwak turned to Jae-hyun.
“Jae-hyun, you try again too.”
Jae-hyun, apparently nervous, tensed his throat and delivered the line with force.
“How am I supposed to eat with all this mess? When are we ever going to clean this up!”
The result was a voice that sounded like a wicked stepmother from a fairy tale.
“Hold on, I think we need to revise the storyboard.”
Director Kwak called over the Assistant Director and began revising the storyboard. Then he gathered everyone together.
“Let’s switch up the roles and do another take.”
Everyone looked at Director Kwak with confused expressions.
“I was trying to bring out the characters in the scene with five men and the baby basket, but watching the last take, I noticed everyone has pretty distinct personalities. Lucas, keep carrying Sung-guk as you come in, and Jae-hyun, you take on the role Tae-hyung was doing.”
“Pardon?”
Jae-hyun looked at Director Kwak in bewilderment.
Tae-hyung’s role was lounging on the sofa eating snacks.
“Beom-seon, you take Jae-hyun’s lines, and Tae-hyung, you come in at the end with the vacuum. Since you’re the leader, that seems right.”
“Ah, yes, Director.”
Tae-hyung answered quickly.
[Finally, we’ll wrap up early….]
The Assistant Director stepped in and reorganized the film set.
“Alright, let’s begin filming!”
I quickly smoothed my hair and nestled into Lucas’s arms.
Lucas held me and knocked over the Lego blocks again, and Jae-hyun dropped snacks on the floor while eating. Finally, it was Beom-seon’s turn.
Beom-seon, now wearing an apron, delivered his line with a grumbling tone.
Beom-seon’s masculine frame wearing an apron created an oddly comedic effect.
“Don’t worry!”
Moreover, Tae-hyung, true to his role as leader, brought the scene to a decisive close.
“Cut!”
A sharp, concise voice.
Director Kwak seemed pleased with the result.
Director Kwak gathered the production staff and appeared to be soliciting their opinions. Then he called out toward the Film Set.
“I think this direction works well. Alright, let’s go again!”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
I quickly chimed in with my own affirmation.
[Let’s wrap this shoot quickly!]
After two more takes, filming finally ended.
Director Kwak approached Jae-hyun and patted his shoulder.
“Jae-hyun, it seems like you’d be well-suited for roles with more charm. Next time, we’ll structure the storyboard that way.”
“Director, I apologize.”
“You’ll do better next time. Don’t be discouraged.”
“Yes.”
Director Kwak consoled Jae-hyun and moved toward Beom-seon.
“What made you think of the apron?”
“It was among the props, so I decided to try it. I thought that since I have a rather masculine appearance, it might not suit an appliance advertisement.”
“That’s a good idea, Beom-seon.”
“Thank you.”
“Beyond your looks, your diction is excellent and your voice is outstanding. For actors, voice is the most important thing. Keep up your work with Just, and consider pursuing acting as well.”
“Ah, yes… Thank you.”
Beom-seon nodded with a bewildered expression.
Then he lifted me up effortlessly.
“Sung-guk, is it just my imagination that this feels like it’s thanks to you?”
[Beom-seon, it’s not your imagination. I orchestrated all of this.]
“Anyway, I feel great getting praised. Hey, want me to buy you something delicious?”
[There isn’t much I can eat right now. Buy me something tasty when I’m older.]
“What are you saying? Alright. I’ll treat you to a big bowl of jjajangmyeon on your kindergarten graduation day!”
[I’ll accept that if it’s from Samjeon Hotel.]
Mother approached us.
Her lips seemed slightly redder than usual—or was that just my imagination? Besides, her shyness was plainly evident. Moments like these reminded me that Mother was a woman too.
“What were you two discussing so intently?”
“Thanks to this little one, we wrapped filming well. I told Sung-guk I’d buy him something delicious when he grows up.”
“Beom-seon worked hard today.”
Mother blushed like a young girl.
[This won’t do.]
I quickly nestled into Mother’s arms, burying my face against her shoulder as a long yawn escaped me.
“Is Sung-guk sleepy?”
“Mm-hmm!”
“Alright, let’s go.”
I turned my head slightly and waved goodbye to the Just members.
[Don’t do anything that’ll tarnish my reputation. Take care of yourselves.]
* * *
Kim Mi-young quickly opened the car door.
Mother settled me into the back seat and sat beside me.
“Sung-guk must have been exhausted from filming today, but he held up well.”
“Unni, it’s really amazing. Kids this age usually sleep a lot, but Sung-guk doesn’t even sleep during filming.”
[Mom, I’m a professional. For a professional, time is money, and that’s how we wrap early and get rest.]
Mother gently pressed my forehead.
“The air on the film set isn’t good either. You worked hard today, Sung-guk.”
Tap. Tap.
Just then, someone knocked on the car window.
When Kim Mi-young rolled it down, Shin Sung-joong thrust his greasy face toward us.
“You finished filming?”
[Shin Sung-joong, you already knew that.]
I tugged at Mother irritably, tapping her repeatedly.
[I’m sleepy right now! I don’t even want to talk to this guy.]
Kim Mi-young had no choice but to respond.
“Yes, what is it?”
“One of our agency’s actors is filming on this set, and I came to cheer them on. I happened to run into you again like this. I was actually meaning to contact you anyway, so while we’re here, would you like to grab a coffee? Or better yet, let’s have a meal. There’s this really delicious Korean restaurant nearby.”
[What kind of nonsense is this!]
As I whined, Mother looked at Shin Sung-joong.
“I’m sorry, but filming ran so long today that Sung-guk is exhausted.”
[That’s right. This is when you use the tired child excuse.]
“Ah, I see.”
Shin Sung-joong smiled ambiguously, but displeasure flickered beneath it.
“Director, I apologize. I left my second child with someone else. Next time, please contact me to arrange a meeting in advance.”
“Ah, yes. My apologies. Then next time, I’ll definitely set up an appointment first. Have a good day.”
Unlike their first meeting, Shin Sung-joong bowed respectfully as he said goodbye.
Kim Mi-young immediately rolled up the window and started the car. Then she glanced at Mother in the rearview mirror.
“Sung-guk’s mother, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“You noticed, unni?”
Mother smiled knowingly.
[Mother’s getting quite skilled at this.]
I nestled deeply into Mother’s embrace and closed my eyes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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