The Baby Seizes Fortune - Chapter 12
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 12
After a moment of review, Unsan furrowed his brow and spoke.
“This is difficult. As Park Manager said, Writer Kim Bong-cheol’s work is the most stable choice. But something doesn’t feel quite right.”
“I think… the sitcom would be good too.”
Hee-jae spoke up with a tone that didn’t match his age.
Unsan’s eyebrows softened gently.
“Perhaps you fancy that child? She seemed around your age, and she was pretty.”
“That’s not it. And she’s not even appearing in it.”
At his grandson’s firm words that didn’t play along with the joke, Unsan clicked his tongue and said.
“You really don’t leave any openings, do you. Anyway, tell me your reasoning.”
“Our country is currently in an economic crisis, unemployment is rising, and families are being destroyed. In such a depressing reality, I don’t think people would want to watch content about forced political marriages with unwanted partners because of money, even in dramas.”
“Hmm…”
Unsan’s eyes gleamed sharply.
Hee-jae continued speaking.
“But sitcoms allow people to temporarily forget reality and laugh through light and interesting episodes. If someone who’s struggling had to choose between the two dramas, I think they’d choose the latter.”
Unsan nodded as he looked at his grandson who had shown sharp insight.
Hee-jae was a child with clever instincts who wouldn’t be born twice into the Kang Family.
That’s why he always kept him close and taught him many things from a young age.
“Alright, let’s go with your choice for this investment. Whatever the outcome, there will be something to learn.”
But no matter how gifted Hee-jae was, he would learn that success and failure in the adult world don’t always go according to calculations.
Experiencing failure and becoming humble would also serve as a foundation for mental growth.
Well, since the first option wasn’t appealing at the moment, the child’s words were somewhat enticing too.
Then Chairman Kang spoke to his secretary.
“Tell Park Manager to invest in option 3.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
* * *
Junho returned after finishing his first shoot, and though he couldn’t hide his exhausted face, he came carrying bags full of my favorite snacks in both hands.
“Chaea, Daddy’s home!”
“Wow!”
I immediately took the snack bags and rolled my eyes to scan through the snack list.
“Daddy’s the best!”
Banana-flavored snacks that melted in your mouth were my favorite. Watching me sit and eat snacks, Junho smiled contentedly as he changed clothes.
Junho had been cast as the secretary, driver, and general assistant to the internal medicine director who was the main character, and he was in a subtle romantic tension with the director’s daughter.
It was supposed to create laughter through the sitcom’s subtle love line development and the clumsy mistakes that arose from trying not to let such feelings be discovered.
Well, since it hadn’t aired yet, I didn’t know for sure, but that’s how Junho explained it.
“How was filming today?”
“Yeah, everyone was kind. Especially senior Oh Young-il. He really has great character.”
Actor Oh Young-il was the actor who played the main character, the internal medicine director.
“He brought me fish-shaped pastries while I was practicing my script alone, and I almost cried. And when I almost got scolded badly by another senior, he covered for me completely.”
I nodded.
Middle-aged actor Oh Young-il was a veteran actor with a decent image who would gain much higher recognition through this sitcom, and even in the time I had lived, he consistently appeared in dramas as a leading actor.
‘As expected, people with good character have long careers.’
“Anyway, this was the first time I had such a comfortable shoot.”
Junho had a bright smile on his face as if he felt good about it.
“Is it okay to be this happy? I can’t count how many times I thought I did well to listen to Chaea.”
Junho, who had begun running earnestly toward his dream, looked more radiant than ever.
Seeing Junho like that made me proud too.
“But the lunchbox Daddy prepared for you…”
Junho looked at the empty lunchbox placed in the small sink and laughed.
“…you cleaned it all out! Good job, our Chaea.”
He immediately ruffled my hair vigorously.
Before going to the shoot, Junho had packed his own lunchbox at dawn and also carefully prepared mine.
“But Chaea.”
Junho hesitated as if thinking about something, then spoke to me.
“Would Chaea like to… try going to preschool now?”
At the same time, a status window appeared.
[Sub Quest: Find the broken fragments of the past!]
[Reward: 1 Gray Key]
‘But if it’s a gray key, doesn’t that mean it’s not very important?’
In quests, usually golden keys or red keys were the main keys. I sulkily pushed out my lips slightly.
Junho interpreted my reaction somehow and spoke with a worried expression.
“I couldn’t send you to preschool until now, but I think it would be good for you to start making friends. Chaea… you don’t have any friends.”
It felt like lightning was striking my head with a crash.
Right, I’m a loner. I have no friends.
But isn’t that natural!
Even if my body is five years old, my mind is an adult’s. There’s no way I’d click with little kids!
“Well, Actor Oh Young-il’s wife runs a preschool in Gangnam. When I told him I was raising Chaea alone, he said they’d accept you.”
“But…”
If it’s a private preschool in Gangnam, would it be okay with Junho’s financial situation?
“The tuition there is really expensive, but he talked to his wife and she said she’d give us a 50% discount.”
50% discount? That’s pretty amazing.
“I’m worried that such a smart Chaea might not learn enough because of her inadequate father. They said they’d teach English at the preschool too…”
“Daddy.”
I cleared my throat and looked at Junho.
“But Chaea already knows everything even without going to preschool.”
Even if I studied at a good preschool, it would just be boring time-wasting for me since I already had adult knowledge.
‘But at the same time…’
Given the timing of the sub quest appearing, there seemed to be something to Junho’s suggestion, so I was conflicted.
“Of course our Chaea is a genius. But… well, how about just taking the entrance exam once?”
“Huh? Entrance exam?”
At Junho’s words, I raised my eyebrows.
“Yeah. That preschool has an entrance exam. Actor Oh Young-il also said that if Chaea passes, he’d give us a discount, but he can’t do anything about the entrance exam.”
“What if I pass the exam but don’t register? Won’t that actor dislike it?”
“Ah, that won’t happen. It’s a preschool with incredibly high competition anyway. When I bragged about Chaea, he just casually said to try taking the exam once.”
“Hmm…”
After thinking for a moment, I nodded.
‘Alright, decision made!’
“Then let’s just try taking the exam first!”
Junho, who was a daughter-fool, did everything I asked even when puzzled, so I couldn’t refuse the one thing Junho wanted – the preschool entrance exam!
“Great! Good thinking, Chaea. Then Daddy will look into it right away.”
Junho’s eyes sparkled brightly.
* * *
Jo Mi-sook, the wife of actor Oh Young-il and director of ‘Edinburgh Kindergarten’ in Gangnam-gu, Daechi-dong, was quite annoyed at her husband’s request.
“He’s a junior actor appearing in the work I’m filming now, and he kept bragging that his daughter is a genius. So I said I’d give them half price if she passes our preschool.”
“How could you make such a promise so carelessly?”
It had been over ten years since she married him, drawn to his gentleness and kindness that was unlike other men, as he was two years older but always spoke respectfully to her.
But like a coin has two sides, sometimes she didn’t like her husband acting like a good person.
The monthly tuition was two million won, and half price? It’s not like they were teaching by digging the ground. Really.
“I’m sorry. That junior is in a tough situation. He’s twenty-five and raising a daughter alone, and seeing him work so desperately reminded me of myself when I was young. I said it prepared to cut my own allowance…”
“What allowance would you cut? Fine. Since you made that promise, I’ll go along with it this time, but there won’t be a next time. And you did tell him our preschool entrance exam is extremely strict, right?”
“Oh my. I told you, didn’t I? I said I can’t interfere with that either. Exams have to be fair.”
At Yeong-il’s words, Misuk’s temper cooled down somewhat as she thought to herself.
From what she heard, it was a daughter being raised alone by a single father in poor circumstances—how smart could she really be, no matter how clever she seemed?
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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