Chapter 211: Miso and Gong-Ju

Chapter 211: Miso and Gong-Ju

"Wait, wait a minute, Miso. I will check it out right now," I replied.

Miso clasped her hands tightly and made an excited expression. "Okay~!"

I met Miso's gaze and started a call with someone who could meet Miso's expectations.

-What is it, Team Lead Jung? Don't tell me you're gonna ask for a higher appearance fee again? You know a verbal agreement is still binding, right?

PD Yoo Hyun-Ji of Master of Mukbang was flustered at the thought of having to raise Haru's appearance fee again.

"Oh, no, it's not that. I'm calling because there's a good actor I want to recommend for a minor role," I explained.

In Master of Mukbang, there was an episode where the main character would share the food he cooked with a neighborhood kid living alone with his grandmother.

I was thinking of recommending Miso for that episode.

-Really? Who is it? NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

"She's a child actress normally worth 1 million won for an appearance fee..."

-Wait, no way. Are you talking about Miso?

"I am."

At the same time, a cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone.

-I knew it. You want her for the kid role in episodes three and four, right?

"Yes."

I seized the moment and switched to the speakerphone. "Miso, say hello to Ms. Yoo. She's the PD of the show you might star in."

Miso quickly followed my words and greeted her. "Hello, I'm Jung Miso from the Sun class at Lila Kindergarten!"

Upon Miso's introduction, the cheerful voice of Yoo Hyun-Ji came through.

-Hello, Miso. So, Miso. I heard you want to be on my show?

"Yes, Ms. Yoo!" Miso exclaimed excitedly.

Hearing the excited voice of Yoo Hyun-Ji, I turned off the speakerphone and spoke as if I were holding her daughter hostage.

"So? How much are you willing to pay, Ms. Yoo?"

-30 thousand won per episode! I can't do more.

"Oh~ come on, I know you can spend a bit more. You can't lowball a kid worth 1 million won per episode..."

-Ah, it's never easy with you. Alright, 50 thousand won! If you ask for more, consider it off!

"Thank you so much, Ms. Yoo!" I said in a cheerful tone.

Lee Tae-Poong and Cherry Blossom were given cameo roles that just required them to show their faces and disappear without getting paid.

But things were different for Miso. She had to appear in about two episodes, so this negotiation was necessary. Though the amount was a bit disappointing, it was a reasonable deal considering the drama production costs.

"Then I'll see you soon."

-Alright. And next time, text me the amount before we negotiate! My heart sinks every time you call, Team Lead Jung.

Yoo Hyun-Ji joked that negotiating appearance fees with me was tough and hung up the phone.

"Yes, Ms. Yoo. I will definitely do that."

After hanging up the call with Yoo Hyun-Ji, Miso started dancing with both her hands high and gave me a double thumbs up.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho is the best! The best!" Miso exclaimed happily.

Thanks to the successful negotiation, I was able to taste the seafood pancake Miso fed me herself.

'Miso definitely knows how to give a proper reward,' I thought to myself with a smile on my face.

***

We were currently at the Gyeonggi-do Yangpyeong filming site.

Miso was scheduled to come to the set a few more times, but today marked the end of filming for child actors like Jin Gong-Ju.

Worried that Jin So-Mi might show up, I cleared all my schedules and visited the site.

'Where is Sang-Bong?' I looked around and wondered.

I looked for Jung Sang-Bong during a brief pause in filming. Upon hearing that Jung Sang-Bong was in the open space behind the set, I went there to find him and saw the parents of the child actors gathered together with him, closely watching their children.

Although the child actors' moms frequently spoke to Jung Sang-Bong, he responded perfunctorily and never took his eyes off Miso.

I greeted the parents of the child actors and then discreetly called Jung Sang-Bong aside. "How's everything on set? Nothing happened to Miso, right?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Jung Sang-Bong replied.

"What about Jin So-Mi?"

"Ms. Jin So-Mi didn’t come at all. She sent an assistant instead."

"Is that so? That's a relief."

Relieved, I turned my head toward Miso and asked, "Wait. What's that?"

"Oh, that?"

An absurd scene unfolded before my eyes.

***

"Really? You don’t know how to play gonggi[1]?" Miso asked with surprise.

Cha Soo-Yeon mentioned our competing production, Festival of Money.

But nothing had been decided yet about our competition other than Jiang Wei investing 20 billion won.

"Have the new casting results come out?" I asked.

Cha Soo-Yeon shook her head. "Not yet. I've heard rumors but nothing's been confirmed yet."

I tried to reassure her. "Don't worry too much. No matter who comes, our actors are formidable."

"It's not that...I just want to push ahead," Cha Soo-Yeon explained.

I nodded. "I understand. I'll ask her but don't get your hopes up. She's not an actor under our management."

"I appreciate it," said Cha Soo-Yeon with a smile.

At that moment, Kim Sung-Woon announced the resumption of filming. "Everyone, let's get started! The production team needs to spread out and gather the child actors."

As preparations for filming wrapped up, the production team busily started gathering the children who had been playing with Miso.

Cha Soo-Yeon sighed as she watched the bustling staff.

"We just don't have the time to talk, huh? Oh, and thanks to Miso, filming the child actors was much easier. Thank you so much."

Miso had been the center of attention among the children, making their scenes easier to shoot.

"Don't mention it."

"See you later then."

As Cha Soo-Yeon went off to talk to Kim Sung-Woon, the last scene for the child actors was being set up.

***

The last scene for the child actors was young Cheongmyung following her mother, Manshin Wol-Ah, into the mountains, signaling their separation.

As Cheongmyung said goodbye to her friends, she performed a forbidden act—revealing the future of the children.

Kim Sung-Woon looked around the surroundings with a nervous expression and asked, "Okay, scene 17. Parting is another beginning scene. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Mr. Kim."

"Everyone, please keep quiet until I give the signal."

"Okay!"

Kim Sung-Woon checked the readiness of the child actors gathered around the sacred tree. Being young actors, it was necessary to double-check with them even if they were ready to act.

"Miso, are you ready?" Kim Sung-Woon asked.

In front of the sacred tree, Miso, Jin Gong-Ju, and two other child actors were gathered in a circle around her.

Miso nodded and responded to Kim Sung-Woon's question. "Yes!"

Kim Sung-Woon then shouted to the other child actors. "Are you guys ready?"

"Yes~!"

"Okay then. Here we go~ Ready~ Action!"

At Kim Sung-Woon's cue, Miso dressed in colorful traditional clothes quickly began to tear up. Tears continuously streamed down from Miso’s large eyes with ease.

Miso, who always showed an impressively quick immersion into her roles, approached one of the child actors and firmly took their hand.

『Yeon-Ji, don't go near the water this year.』

『Why?』

『Your life thread will be cut.』

『Huh? What's a life thread? More than that, can we go to the mountain? I bought another stuffy because I wanted to play with you.』

『Sob. I'm sorry.』

Miso's acting started to make the other children sniffle as if her emotions were contagious.

‘Wow. Miso's acting is no joke...’ I thought to myself.

The staff were taken aback by the unexpected intensity of Miso's act, but Kim Sung-Woon raised his hand to prevent any disturbance.

With tears streaming down her face, Miso pulled her peers into the world of In the Name of God.

But there was one exception—Jin Gong-Ju, trying hard not to get absorbed into Miso's performance, spoke to her.

『Cheongmyung, what about me?』

Jin Gong-Ju was portraying the role of young Yang Eun-So.

Yang Eun-So, a supporting character in the drama, was set to be Cheongmyung’s adversary and would encounter her again as an enemy in adulthood.

Miso turned her tear-filled eyes toward Jin Gong-Ju and started to stammer.

『Uh, uh... that, that’s...』

Since Yang Eun-So's character was involved in a murder in the plot, fear began to creep into Miso’s eyes. Miso’s words trembled and her expression showed she was unsure how to respond.

Soon, Miso's face started to turn pale.

I involuntarily swallowed hard without realizing it upon watching Miso's pale lips and trembling body clearly showing expressions of terror.

It was a moment intense enough to make one consider whether to intervene.

At that moment, Jin Gong-Ju sharply glared at Miso and began to speak.

1. Gonggi is a popular Korean children's game that is traditionally played using five or more small grape-sized pebbles ☜

2. Gonggi also means air in Korean ☜