Chapter 6

Several months had passed since the CF shoot.

Or perhaps it was because I had never seen the completed version of the CF in advance.

“Everyone stumbles sometimes and struggles with the trials that come before them.”

The first CF I faced through the living room TV was a bit different from what I had imagined…

No, it felt quite different.

It wasn’t that it was edited completely differently from the concept Director Kang Eun-tae had told me about.

It meant that facing my reflection in the TV screen, rather than in a small hand mirror, required much more courage than I had expected.

Thanks to that, it was the first time I lost sleep.

Of all days, the day after the CF aired was the first day I was supposed to go to kindergarten, so I couldn’t even nap, let alone sleep in.

“Ha-eun~. You can’t be late on the first day of kindergarten~.”

“…I know….”

I managed to lift my eyelids, which felt heavier than a children’s dumbbell, just for breakfast and began to get ready.

It wasn’t until about ten minutes later that a look suitable for a kindergarten student was finally formed.

However, the entrance ceremony for the kindergarten I was going to had already ended six months prior.

My mother, who was slightly more enthusiastic about my education than average, had searched and searched for a kindergarten that was right for me, and by then it was already autumn.

“Since it’s the first day, everyone might feel a little awkward, Ha-eun. But if you muster up the courage to say hello first, you’ll be able to make friends quickly.”

I found myself in a situation where I had to somehow wedge myself between the kids who were already somewhat familiar with each other.

I was in the body of a young child, like a high school detective from a neighboring country, but my mind was still the same, so I didn’t think I would be particularly disheartened about not connecting with kids who were six years old in body, mind, and heart.

However, if my parents heard that I was feeling out of place among my peers, it seemed likely they would worry about me.

“Having friends… it’s better to have more, right?”

“Of course. If you get along well with your friends, you’ll enjoy yourself too.”

For now, I decided to try my best to befriend as many kids as possible, as my mother hoped.

It felt a bit wrong to ruin the effort my mother had put into finding the best environment for me over the past six months.

So, I finally arrived at a private kindergarten located a bit far from home.

“Our daughter, fighting!”

“…Fighting.”

I lightly clenched my fist in an effort to show encouragement toward my mother, who had her fists raised with encouragement.

After that, I was guided by a teacher who had been waiting for me, into a classroom called Dalnim Class.

“Okay, kids. We have a new friend in our class today.”

At the gentle voice of the teacher, the children’s gazes turned toward me simultaneously.

It felt a bit strange to have around twenty curious eyes staring at me.

‘Hmm… there’s more than I expected.’

This was my first time going to kindergarten in both my past and current life, which felt a bit fascinating.

If I thought about it, there had been more days I hadn’t gone to elementary, middle, or high school than days I had gone.

Even if I were to say this was my first experience of student life, it wouldn’t be a lie.

Still, I wouldn’t have to go to the hospital instead of school anymore.

I thought it wouldn’t matter if I blended in a little among the fresh young children. I had to think a bit about what kind of expression could help me approach the kids.

“The new friend’s name is Lee Ha-eun. Since we’ll be spending time together, how about we give Ha-eun a warm welcome with applause?”

-Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

The sound of applause echoed through the classroom.

Exactly three seconds later, one of the kids raised their hand.

“Teacher! I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere!”

“Really? Where have you seen them, Si-woo?”

“Hmm… I can’t remember. But I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere.”

It seemed the CF that aired yesterday lingered faintly in their memory.

However, I felt a bit shy to directly say that I had appeared in the CF.

For now, I decided to keep pretending not to know.

I thought if I bragged about appearing on TV, I might end up looking like someone suffering from celebrity syndrome.

“Okay, shall we go to Ha-eun’s seat now? You can sit in the empty spot by the window over there.”

Following the teacher’s pointing finger, I trudged over.

Not long after that, during the playtime that started, I tried to talk with as many kids as possible.

Maybe due to the difference in mental age, I couldn’t immediately grasp what the children’s words meant or what kind of interest they showed towards me.

“Hey, Ha-eun. Do you want to play doctor with me…?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t push away the kids approaching me, wanting to do something with me or having questions.

Seeing the kids come toward me first, it seemed the impeccable appearance, a trait and merit of reincarnation, was effective even among the kindergarten kids.

From that point on, time passed peacefully without any major issues, except for one unexpected thing.

“Doctor, how long will I live from now on?”

“Oh.”

“Five years?”

“Five, four, three, two, one, zero. You are dead.”

‘…Is this a morning drama?’

The kids were much more ruthless than I had anticipated.

Before long, the pretend hospital play transformed into a funeral play.

“Oh no, Ha-eun. What if a dead person opens their eyes!”

“…I’m sorry.”

Following the flow of the children’s consciousness proved to be a challenging task.

Unlike during the CF shoot, since this was an ad-lib performance without even a script, the difficulty level increased even more.

*

“Why did you contact me first? Is there something going on?”

“What could it be? I just wanted to see you after a long time.”

After entering with an arm around his shoulder, Lee Jun, my high school classmate, led Kang Eun-tae to the nearby beef restaurant, pretending to concede.

Afterward, guided by the staff, we arrived at a seat in a room with partitions on all sides.

The only hidden reason for reserving a room for the meeting between Kang Eun-tae and Lee Jun was simple.

Lee Jun was a well-known hip-hop singer and a regular member of a public entertainment program.

“Don’t let anyone know, or you won’t be able to eat.”

“Hmm, that belly could be the kind that gets sick from overeating.”

As more light-hearted jokes were exchanged, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

As our stomachs began to fill with the glossy beef, we shifted our conversation.

“Eun-tae, the advertisement you shot this time was really cool and atmospheric.”

Conversations began about Kang Eun-tae’s CF, which had drawn significant attention due to its innovation in the advertising world.

Talk about the new music video of Lee Jun’s hip-hop crew, Daulby, also started to come up little by little.

To be precise, CF and music videos differ in their emotional appeal.

However, in a way, music videos could also be seen as a kind of advertisement that introduces a product in the form of music to consumers.

“Well, I do have the storyboard with me. Could you take a quick look at it?”

“Sure, why not? Hand it over.”

It was only natural that Lee Jun would want to hear the advice of Kang Eun-tae, a quite talented CF director.

And so, receiving about ten pages of storyboards from Lee Jun, I began to examine the details of Daulby’s new song “Matchstick.”

“This one has a good concept too?”

“Really?”

“Yes. There’s a reason why they’re doing so well.”

Kang Eun-tae felt that the music video storyboard Lee Jun provided needed no corrections.

In other words, it meant that moving forward to shooting the music video wouldn’t cause any particular issues.

However, for some reason, Lee Jun insisted that I look at the last page.

With a hint of suspicion, I finished a general review of the last page of the storyboard.

It was soon after that I discovered that the role of the matchstick girl, which was the key to the music video “Matchstick,” was left blank.

‘…No way.’

As my gaze slowly shifted from the storyboard to Lee Jun across the table, as expected…

“That girl who appeared in your advertisement, her name was Lee Ha-eun, right?”

-Smile.

“Give me Ha-eun’s contact info, Eun-tae. And I’ll cover everything today.”

He revealed the true reason for summoning Kang Eun-tae with a disingenuous smile.

Really now, he said he just wanted to see me after a long time.

“Ever since you appeared on the show, you’ve gotten scarier, Jun.”

“Please, we’ve looked and looked again with Gun-yeol, but we couldn’t find anyone who would suit our music video better than Ha-eun.”

Soon, what Kang Eun-tae faced was Lee Jun’s earnest gaze.

If it were any other matter, there might be discussions; however, Lee Jun was someone who wouldn’t compromise in matters related to music.

“Should we add more meat then?”

I could easily sense that Lee Jun felt the same conviction that had struck me the first time I saw Ha-eun.

“Yes, order anything you want. I still have a way to go before I feel full.”

Not long after that, thick ribeye steaks were placed on the sizzling grill.

As the meat gradually turned brown, the butterfly effect of Kang Eun-tae drawing Ha-eun into the world on the screen was also becoming clearer.

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