Chapter 29
“Uncle. Do you have a favorite drama or movie?”
“Hm?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Do-ha blinked in confusion.
He normally had zero interest in movies or dramas, which made it even more awkward. His hobbies consisted of listening to music, making music, communicating with fans, thinking about the concept for the next album… and that was about it.
When Do-ha couldn’t answer—
Damn. What a total muggle.
Ye-won decided to change tactics.
“Should Ye-won try copying Woo-yeon uncle?”
“!”
“Huhhh?! Me??”
Woo-yeon, who had been quietly sitting there eavesdropping on their conversation, pointed at himself in shock.
“Yep!”
“You can copy me?? How?!”
“You can copy me?? How?! Like this!”
“…!!!”
In an instant—Woo-yeon’s intonation, voice tone, facial expressions, gestures.
Ye-won replicated everything perfectly right in front of him.
It was such a flawless imitation that the two men could only gape, mouths hanging open.
But Ye-won wasn’t done yet.
What I just did was basically voice mimicry.
The real acting started now.
“Hey, hey. Lee Do-ha. Shoulders back. You’re the leader, aren’t you? Why are you always slouching like that? Eyes all lifeless! What are you doing?”
“……!!”
“Wow. That’s insane.”
Applying all the speech habits she’d analyzed, Ye-won acted out the character of “Woo-yeon.”
The ever-so-slightly upturned lips. The confidence oozing from big gestures. The tendency to move shoulders and legs more than hands. The voice pitched just a little higher than his natural tone.
Even the way his eyebrows and eye corners curved along with his smile.
She recreated everything.
But she didn’t stop at simply portraying the character—
It’s about delivering the message I want to convey.
As if encouraging him not to shrink back, to stand tall. Delivering the message the scene itself was meant to express.
That, in Ye-won’s mind, was what made a good actor.
“Ahem.”
She cleared her throat once.
Time for the next scene.
This time, she relaxed her raised shoulders and slightly lengthened her neck.
She loosened every facial muscle except for the sharp glint in her eyes, creating an indifferent aura.
Crossing her legs lightly, leaning back into the sofa with her waist tilted, she exuded leisure.
Then she took a deep breath, let it out like a sigh, and looked at Woo-yeon with faint disdain.
“…….”
“Wow, I didn’t even say anything yet but I know exactly who that is. That’s Lee Do-ha!! That ‘I’m such a cool uncle’ vibe!!!!! Wow!!! I’m getting PTSD right now. Seriously. Goosebumps!”
Do-ha flushed red at his niece’s adorable(?) performance and lowered his head, unable to lift it again.
Woo-yeon, meanwhile, was jumping up and down in excitement.
Watching him, Ye-won added—
“Han Woo-yeon. Aren’t you going home?”
“WAAAAA!!!”
And just like that, she delivered the finishing blow.
After kicking Woo-yeon out of the room—literally—
Do-ha held his dizzy head and took a peach yogurt from the fridge, handing it to Ye-won.
She looked at the rabbit-shaped plastic spoon that came with it and stared at him curiously.
…He doesn’t look like the type to collect cute stuff like this. When did he even prepare it?
As if unaware of her thoughts, Do-ha sighed and scooped a small spoonful to feed her.
“…I lost.”
“Huh?”
With yogurt in her mouth, she asked back.
Sweet.
Whether it was the yogurt or the sweetness of victory, Ye-won decided to enjoy it.
“Since Uncle lost… don’t ever do that again. Got it?”
Do-ha said it with a deeply wounded expression.
But instead of her usual obedient reply, Ye-won only shrugged with a sly smile.
“Do what?”
“You pronounced everything perfectly earlier.”
Oops.
She turned her head slightly, caught.
Well, earlier she had to mimic an adult, so she paid extreme attention to pronunciation.
Now she was playing a kid, so she didn’t need to be that precise.
Adjusting pronunciation to fit the character was part of acting too.
“…Have you really never learned acting properly?”
“Nope.”
She nodded while happily accepting each spoonful he fed her.
At least not in this life.
“…I heard. You asked the CEO to sign a contract with you.”
Do-ha spoke carefully.
From when she read the fairy tale book before, and especially after today’s performance—
He had no choice but to admit his one and only niece had the makings of an actor who could appear on TV or in films tomorrow without it being strange at all.
Even if an adult had performed like that, he would’ve objectively thought, That’s good.
But seeing a palm-sized child deliver lines flawlessly without blinking—
Even after witnessing it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe.
He didn’t know much about acting, but he knew this wasn’t ordinary talent.
…If CEO Park had seen her acting, he would’ve completely lost it.
Maybe it was lucky he hadn’t yet.
That was how remarkable her talent was.
“You really… want to be an actor, right?”
“I do.”
Even though he’d asked before. Even though the answer came instantly. Do-ha hesitated.
Because he himself was in the entertainment industry.
He knew better than anyone how hard it was—how cruel it could be, especially to a small, young girl like her.
But at the same time, he also knew how it felt to be unable to pursue what you wanted.
‘Don’t you think it’s selfish to have that kind of dream?’
‘Please give it up, Do-ha. Listen to Mom. If you become famous, who knows what might happen?’
‘Your sister gave it up for Mom just fine. What’s wrong with you that you can’t give it up—!’
He knew what it felt like to have the only dream you’d ever had opposed by the very family you most wanted support from.
So he couldn’t easily oppose Ye-won.
Instead—
“If it’s your dream, Uncle will support you harder than anyone.”
He said the words seven-year-old Lee Do-ha had once longed to hear.
…Of course, not just support.
If he could, he’d burn down anything blocking her path and lay down nothing but flowers for her.
But he swallowed those words, worried he might scare her.
“Really?!”
“Yeah.”
“Wow.”
Ye-won smiled as if she’d just heard something out of a dream.
“I’m really happy….”
Her eyes curved so much they nearly disappeared.
Do-ha let out a soft chuckle.
“You’re that happy?”
“Yes!! Of course!!”
She took a deep breath—inhale, exhale—and placed her hands on her hips.
“It’s not just anyone. It’s Uncle supporting me. That’s the best!”
“……!”
“I don’t need anyone else’s support but yours.”
She buried her face into his shoulder.
The small arms hugging him, the warmth of her head, the faint cozy scent unique to children—
All of it made Do-ha feel truly like family.
“Thank you, Uncle.”
If anything, he wanted to be the one saying thank you.
“…It’s nothing. That’s what family does.”
Awkwardly, he reached out and patted her back.
Right.
So that this small back, these small shoulders, wouldn’t have to carry something too heavy—
He would carry it all instead.
The role of the adult he had so desperately wished for in his childhood.
Now that he was an adult, being able to be that person for Ye-won was something he was simply grateful for.
Meanwhile, in a high-rise hotel in the heart of Seoul.
Eon stood in the suite, gazing down at the night view.
From such heights, Seoul sometimes looked so small—
Less like a city of people, and more like a city of dolls.
And among those dolls, she felt like the most doll-like of all.
That was why she occasionally found herself staring blankly at the city lights like this.
Just then—
“!”
The sound of a card key tapping against the hotel door lock echoed.
“There you are.”
Seo Yeon-ho entered Eon’s suite.
