Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 13

Seo-jun laid on the baby sofa that Team Leader Kang So-ra had given him as a gift, and sucked on the bottle of Elephant milk formula.

Normally, his mom would have held him, but right now she was busy.

“Our Seo-jun is so good on camera. The other staff members praised him so much. And our son is so well-behaved, he didn’t cry and finished the shooting in one go!”

She was telling her mother about the shooting.

She looked very happy as she bragged about her son.

Her mother’s face appeared on the video call screen.

Seo-jun waved his hand at his grandmother from time to time as he drank his formula. His grandmother also smiled brightly and waved her hand, saying, ‘Oh, my puppy!’

-But when will our grandson’s ad be on TV? I’ve been watching it all the time, but I can’t see it.

At her mother’s words, seo Eun-hye laughed awkwardly.

“Well, there’s this thing called YouTube, where they send out ads on the internet. The ad did so well there that the company said they ran out of milk formula. They said the TV ad would be delayed a bit until they make more formula.”

Team Leader Kang So-ra, who had come to their house personally, told them about the sold-out situation and said that they would pay the ad model fee as originally contracted for both internet and TV ads.

She said that if the TV ad was delayed beyond the deadline, they would renew the contract.

She bowed her head and apologized for the delay, but she couldn’t hide her smile as she was achieving record sales.

Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-jun were also happy that the ad contract was extended.

It was a harmonious apology scene.

-So I can’t see it on TV? You… YouTube? How do you do that?

“Ask Chan. He didn’t even know his nephewwas in an ad. What is he doing these days?”

Her mother sighed.

-He’s busy.

“Why? He hasn’t even gotten a job yet, has he?”

-He did. He got a job.

“He did?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Seo-jun thought of his uncle Chan at his mom’s words.

Seo Eun-chan.

He was a very scary-looking uncle who looked like a beauty and the beast with his mom because he was big and burly.

His mom used to complain that he couldn’t get a job because of his face, and that he looked like a sportsman but was a klutz.

She would slap his back and lament.

“That’s great! He got a job. What kind of job is it?”

-Well… Entertainment planning company, agency?

Her mother rummaged through somewhere and soon took out a white paper and read it.

-Cocoa Entertainment, manager.

“Cocoa Entertainment? I’ve never heard of it.”

-Well, you see. They’re making a new idol group, and he’s so busy that he doesn’t even come home. I don’t even know how many days it’s been, hye.

Seo Eun-hye’s face darkened at her mother’s worried sigh.

Seo Eun-hye quickly changed the topic. Look at our cute Seo-jun! His smiling face filled the video call screen. His grandmother smiled again.

“This kid, his mom is so worried about him!”

Seo Eun-hye hung up the phone and was about to yell, but she saw Seo-jun and lowered her voice. Then she quickly made another call.

Her target was Seo Eun-chan, that bastard!

“Pick up.”

She clenched her teeth and called her brother. She was really his sister. She looked like a real sibling. Seo-jun remembered the real siblings he had seen on TV.

That was that.

‘Daddy!’

“Oh, did our Seo-jun finish eating?”

‘I ate all my rice!’

Seo Eun-hye quickly picked up Seo-jun and tickled him, then put him back on the sofa.

She grabbed a random doll from the pile of dolls that Uncle Hee-sang had given him and hugged him with it.

“Mommy is a bit busy right now. Here, this is Seo-jun’s favorite doll!”

She must have been really busy, because the doll she hugged him with was the Lich King doll that she hated the most.

‘Daddy! I like it, though!’

Seo-jun’s upper gums were itchy, probably because his upper teeth were coming out.

He bit the hand of the Lich King doll that his mom had washed clean and chewed on it.

Click-

-Yes! This is Seo Eun-chan, the manager of Cocoa Enter!

Uncle Chan’s loud voice was heard. Seo-jun, who was playing with the skull doll, turned his head. Seo Eun-hye also turned her head.

“Seo Eun-chan, manager?”

-Yes! I’m Seo Eun-chan, the manager. Excuse me, but who are you?

Seo-jun was puzzled by Seo Eun-chan’s lively voice.

Huh? Isn’t that Uncle Chan? Unlike Seo-jun, who was confused, seo Eun-hye realized the reason right away.

‘Dad?’

“This kid…”

-Hello?

Seo Eun-hye, who was holding back her temper in front of her son, couldn’t stand it anymore and yelled.

“Don’t you have my number saved?!”

-…Eek! Sis? Why are you? Wait, did you change your phone number?

“It’s been three years!”

-Ahahaha. How come I didn’t know?

Seo Eun-hye tapped her forehead.

“Well, whatever. The phone number isn’t important. I’ve been doing fine without knowing your phone number. Yeah. You said you haven’t been home lately?”

-Yeah, well. I got a job, but I’m a bit busy.

“Mom is worried. Make some time and go home.”

Seo Eun-hye’s voice was as calm as Seo Eun-chan’s voice was low. Seo Eun-chan sighed softly over the phone and answered.

-I got it.

“Okay. Come by our house when you’re not busy, and let’s call again. Save my number!”

-Yeah! Say hello to Seo-jun and brother-in-law for me!

Seo Eun-hye hung up the phone and sat down in front of Seo-jun. She took the Lich King doll’s hand out of Seo-jun’s mouth, who was sucking on it.

“Why is your uncle like that, huh? Sigh. Well, at least he got a job, that’s good.”

Seo Eun-hye smiled and Seo-jun smiled with her. But that smile didn’t last long.

“No, really! This kid doesn’t even recognize his own nephew?!”

Lee Min-jun came home from work and was looking at the emails that arrived on the YouTube channel [JUN] with his wife and Seo-jun.

There were many advertising offers besides the Elephant Milk. He occasionally looked at the products that Seo-jun used well and wondered if they would be okay to go out as advertising models.

“This one came again today.”

Lee Min-jun pointed to an email. Seo Eun-hye knew that email too.

There had been a steady stream of emails sent every day since the day Seo-jun’s video was uploaded on YouTube.

It was some kind of internet broadcasting offer, but both Lee-min-jun and Seo Eun–hye had glanced over it and ignored it.

Seo Eun–hye clicked on the email.

“I’m curious what it’s about since they keep sending it.”

“Me too. I saw they want to make a broadcast on YouTube.”

“Like a web drama?”

“Yeah. Something like a web variety show.”

The screen changed.

[Hello. This is Cocoa Entertainment.]

That was the beginning. Seo-jun, who was sitting on his dad’s lap, also read it.

‘Cocoa, enter? What is that…’

“Dadadada?”

“Huh? Where is this…”

“Why?”

Seo Eun–hye also read it. Lee-min-jun turned his head to look at her reaction.

Um, he turned his head back. Seo-jun also looked at his mom and quickly turned his head away. There was a terrifying Seo Eun–hye there.

[…We were planning a parenting variety show when we discovered the channel [JUN]. JUN, who captured the hearts of babies all over the world with one mukbang! If you have a chance, please join our parenting variety show that we are planning…]

That wasn’t much of a problem.

[…If you are interested, please contact us at the number below.]

Yeah. That was the problem.

[Manager Seo Eun–chan. 010-XXXX-XXXX]

“Huh? Seo Eun–chan? That’s the same name as my brother-in-law…”

“No way! This kid can’t even recognize his own nephew?!”

That’s when the dad realized the situation and moved away while sitting. Seo-jun was quiet.

Mom quickly took out her phone and called.

-Yes! This is Cocoa Entertainment manager, seo Eun–chan!

‘Dad!’

“Shh. Seo-jun, be quiet. If you bother mom now… It’ll be a big problem!”

‘No, dad, that’s not it!’

Lee-min-jun cautiously covered Seo-jun’s mouth with his big hand. He shook his arms up and down as much as he could. Seo Eun–chan, who was far away, wouldn’t see it, but it was all Seo-jun could do.

‘Uncle! Uncle Chan is in big trouble!’

Seo Eun–hye smiled brightly and said in a sweet voice.

“Oh, I called you after seeing your YouTube email.”

-Ah! Are you JUN’s mother? Nice to meet you! I’m Cocoa Entertainment manager, seo Eun–chan!

“Dadadada.”

“Shh!”

The two men held their breath and looked at the mom who was smiling scarily. Seo-jun sighed inwardly.

‘Uncle Chan didn’t save it again.’

“But I’d like to meet you in person if that’s okay?”

-Yes! Anytime is possible!

“Okay. Then please come to noona’s house.”

-Uh… Yes? Noona’s house?

Seo Eun–chan, who was on the phone, tilted his head. He wondered if such an apartment existed.

The men who had been watching him also turned their heads when Seo Eun-chan jumped up as he answered the phone.

They were a four-member boy group that Cocoa Entertainment, where Seo Eun-chan worked, was going to debut.

They hadn’t decided on a group name yet, but they were talking about their future schedule with Seo Eun-chan at their dorm.

“Noona? Noona’s house? Is there such an apartment in Korea?”

Kevin Kim, the rapper and Korean-American, tilted his head.

“No? I’ve never heard of it either.”

Park Seo-jin, the lead vocalist who had to search everything he didn’t know, picked up his phone.

“But Jun! That’s awesome!”

“Yeah! I didn’t think it would happen!”

Choi Si-yoon, the dancer who first suggested the YouTube variety show, and Hwang Ye-jun, the sub-vocalist who suggested the parenting show, high-fived each other.

The four men whispered to each other.

That’s when it happened.

-Come to my house right now. You stupid idiot who can’t even recognize your nephew!!!

A loud voice roared through the phone. The four men who were talking quietly, and Seo Eun-chan who had the phone to his ear, were startled.

“No, this is…”

Seo Eun-chan quickly looked at his phone.

Huh? Why is Jun’s mother on the previous call list…?

He remembered what happened a few hours ago in his head.

Noona? Noona?!

“Yikes!”

-You. I told you to save my number, right?

“No, noona! Wait. Are you really noona?!”

-Who else would be your noona!?

“No, no. Uh. Then on channel [JUN], Jun…”

-Your nephew, seo-jun! How can you not recognize your nephew when you saw him a month ago!

Seo Eun-chan stuttered as he continued the conversation.

No, what is this. What’s going on!?

“Nephew? What’s a nephew?”

“Nephew. The son of the manager’s sister.”

“Oh. Nephew!”

Kevin, who was not good at Korean, asked and leader Park Seo-jin answered. Hwang Ye-jun kept exclaiming.

“Wow. The star baby with 200,000 subscribers, he’s the manager’s nephew.”

“Excuse me. He doesn’t look like the manager, does he?”

Choi Si-yoon quickly turned on YouTube and played a video from channel [JUN].

The four men gathered around and watched the video. A baby with a cute face was eating spoonfuls of food. The four men’s eyes went from the baby to Seo Eun-chan.

He was a man who looked like he would have to kneel and apologize if he bumped into him on the street.

He was glad that he had gotten used to him in the past three weeks, but he still had a terrifying appearance.

Hwang Ye-jun whispered softly.

“He really doesn’t look like him, does he?”

Meanwhile, seo Eun-chan, who had been scolded by Seo Eun-hye, barely hung up the phone.

He lost his energy and slumped down on the chair, lowering his head.

His ears were ringing. He felt like he heard a screech-! in his head.

“Manager. Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

Seo Eun-chan answered with a wave of his hand, as Park Seo-jin spoke to him. Park Seo-jin shook his head.

“Manager, you don’t look okay.”

“Manager’s sister seems very scary.”

The members nodded at Kevin’s words.

Seo Eun-chan lifted his head, after sitting on a chair for a while. He remembered his sister’s last words, while he was lost in thought.

-Come to my home right now!

Seo Eun-chan quickly got up from his seat and grabbed his wallet, phone, and coat. The four men’s eyes followed him. Park Seo-jin asked.

“Manager! Where are you going?”

“Uh… I have to go to my sister’s house.”

“Yep! Come back soon!”

He didn’t need to beat around the bush. Seo Eun-chan waved his hand casually at Kevin’s farewell and ran out of the door.

Watching the closing door, the four people silently prayed for the safe return of Manager Seo Eun-chan.