Four Days Before the Ad Shoot
Finally, spring has arrived, and the family decided to go on a picnic for the weekend.
We spread a mat and laid down in the park near the house, staring at the sky.
As I followed the drifting clouds with my eyes, all my worries vanished.
Staring at the clouds for a while made me think of my previous life.
Back then, when I was young, there were no smartphones, and we didn’t even have a computer at home.
So, when I was all alone at home, I had to either daydream or play with my toys to pass the time.
When I eventually got bored, I would go to the window, lay out a blanket on the sunlit floor, and drift off to sleep while watching the flowing clouds.
But as I grew older and life got busier, I hadn’t looked at the sky for a long time.
Now, reborn into a new life and with a younger body, the sky looks so blue and clear.
Mom and Dad sit beside me, chatting.
Mom, still vibrant in both body and spirit, brushed her hair back with the spring breeze and said, “The weather is really nice. I used to date your brother like this in spring.”
“Right? Do-hee didn’t like going out to play much, but now that we’re out, isn’t it nice, Do-hee?”
“Yeah, it’s not bad.”
Dad laughed as he spoke.
“Do-hee, come here and stand in front of the forsythia; I’ll take your picture.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Hey, come here and stand with us too.”
“Sure~”
Mom replied cheerfully and stood next to me.
Looking at Mom, it seems she grew up being loved without any wrinkles in her life.
Even though Dad and Mom are my parents in this life, I guess I still harbor the jealousy of the love I received in my previous life.
“Do-hee, how do I look?”
She broke off a nearby azalea and tucked it in her ear, smiling warmly at me.
“You look pretty, just like a spring maiden~”
“Haha, where did you learn to say that?”
Mom laughed heartily and tucked a flower in my ear as well.
“Haha, our daughter is totally a spring maiden too!”
“She got it from you~”
While I was having a sweet little moment with Mom, Dad interrupted.
“Wow, my daughter and wife are so beautiful! I can’t tell the difference between them and flowers~”
“Yuck, that line is so lame.”
I pretended to gag at Dad’s corny comment.
“Aww, I’m so embarrassed. So now I’m basically a flower, right?”
Meanwhile, Mom, despite those cheesy lines, gives him a flower pose.
Usually, parents have no time for lovey-dovey moments after the child is born, but I guess I’ve made it too comfortable for them.
’Is their marriage basically like dating since I let them be so cozy?’
I urgently need a sibling to experience the hell of parenting.
Leaving Mom and Dad’s affectionate display behind, I returned to the mat.
’Time to munch on some lunch…’
But whenever I’m alone for even a moment, my attention-seeking parents come hugging me.
“Why is our daughter eating alone~”
“Let’s eat together, sweetie~”
Their love-filled attention makes me smile, but it’s overwhelming… Hey, sibling, when are you coming along?
But it’s so much that it’s hard… Little sibling, when are you going to be born…
On the way home after the picnic
I was forced to walk with one hand held by my mom and the other by my dad.
Even the way home is exhausting.
My mom smiled brightly and asked me.
“Was today fun?”
“Yeah. But let go of my hand.”
Ignoring me, Mom continued to talk.
“Yes, let’s come out often in the future. When I was pregnant with you, I used to take walks in the park with your dad a lot.”
“Yeah, got it. Now let go of my hand, my arm hurts.”
“By the way, isn’t it about time for my period?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ve been so busy thinking about Do-hee’s advertisement that I forgot.”
Ah, finally, little sibling, you’ve come.
If it’s still not here despite the noisy nights, there must be a problem with Dad’s seeds.
With an excited expression, Mom glanced at Dad and said,
“I guess we should hurry home and check.”
Dad laughed heartily and hugged Mom.
But why aren’t you letting go of my hand?
I was stuck right in the middle of Mom and Dad.
“Ugh, I’m so sleepy, let go already.”
“I really love you, honey.”
“Nothing’s confirmed yet. Hehe…”
“I know, so let go of this hand. Ugh.”
Even after the hug ended, I was dragged along without my hand being freed.
As soon as we got home, Mom took a pregnancy test, and the result showed two lines.
When Mom saw the two lines, she and Dad were busy hugging each other, and I, annoyed, closed the door and went into my room.
My side feels chilly today.
I miss my piano teacher’s embrace.
I crawled under the bed and decided to forget my loneliness by watching YouTube.
The space under the bed, where I used to avoid Mom and Dad, has now become my hideout.
Sigh, who am I supposed to date in this life?
With my mind as a guy but my body as a girl, my identity is ambiguous.
One of my goals in my previous life was to have a child who looks like me.
I wanted to love my born child even more than the love I couldn’t receive.
Now to achieve that, I need to get pregnant. Damn it.
I don’t care; I can worry about that later.
For now, my immediate goal is to become a perfect person.
I crawled out from under the bed to clear my mind and wrapped up my day’s routine before falling asleep.
On the day of the advertisement shoot,
I arrived at the advertising set with my mom.
As soon as the uncle I met before and signed the contract saw us, he welcomed me with open arms.
“Oh, you’re here!”
“Oh, hello~”
“Has Do-hee been doing well?”
“Yeah!”
My cheerful greeting dismissed in one word was met with my mom’s disapproving look.
“Tsk, Idohee, bow properly and say hello again. Should I tell Dad?”
“Do-hee, greet properly again. Should I tell Dad?”
“Oh, that’s not okay.”
“Mother, please calm down. The girl made a mistake.”
I politely bowed at a 90-degree angle.
“Uncle, hello~”
“Hahaha, right, Do-hee! Let’s do well in today’s shoot, okay? Come here, I’ll introduce you to the director.”
Following the uncle, Mom and I went to greet the director.
“This is Director Kwon Dong-hyun, who will be in charge of today’s shoot. And Director, this is Do-hee and her mother who will be shooting today.”
“Ah. Yes, hello.”
“Hello, Director. Our Do-hee is new to filming, so please take good care of her even if she’s lacking.”
I also promptly bowed politely following Mom’s lead.
Gotta make a good impression on the director.
As Mom seemed more nervous than me, the advertising agency uncle tried to ease her anxiety.
“You don’t have to worry about the shoot. Our director is a veteran and great with kids.”
“Ah, yes. You don’t need to worry. Let’s go ahead and prepare for the shoot; just follow the staff here.”
The director seems to have quite a blunt personality.
Can he really handle shooting with kids?
“Yes, just follow me.”
“Ah, got it. Do-hee, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Mom and I followed the staff to the makeup room.
“Eun-seo, since she’s the girl filming today, just follow the concept we talked about.”
“Yes, understood.”
The staff delivered the instructions and left the makeup room.
The makeup staff, called Eun-seo, came up to me and greeted me.
“Hi~ I’m Seo Eun-seo. What’s the princess’ name?”
“It’s Do-hee.”
Calling me a princess right off the bat, how rude.
“Ahaha… really? Do-hee must be quite shy, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Hahaha… So, Do-hee, let’s come over and do your makeup and get you dressed?”
“I’m sorry. My daughter seems quite ill-mannered today. I’ll scold her well at home.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Teacher, hello! I’ll be in your care!”
“Pfft, alright, Do-hee, come and sit.”
“Yes.”
I sat down at the vanity to receive the expert’s touch.
I don’t get why they’re applying all this stuff on a 5-year-old.
Once the makeup was done, my skin was smooth, and my already pale skin looked even clearer and more translucent.
“Wow, you’re like a total doll. How can you look so pretty just with the basics?”
Even I looked decent in the mirror.
“Okay~ Now let’s come and try on some clothes?”
“I can put on the clothes by myself.”
I don’t want to show my skin to a stranger.
“It’s because I need to style you while you dress. Shall I help you?”
“I can do it myself.”
“Oh dear Do-hee, you have to listen to the teacher, right?”
My purity…. I wanted to give it to the piano teacher.
After showing off my innocent body to a stranger,
The mirror reflected my fully made-up self, and even I was surprised.
I’m even surprised at myself.
“Eh…? Is this really me…?”
‘A bit… adorable, maybe?’
I, all dressed up and made up.
This body has descended…
No longer do I need to worry about a future partner.
The answer was right in front of me.
I will love myself.
I’ll become a crazy narcissist.
‘Crazy Do-hee, take me; I’m yours and you’re mine.’
“Oh my, you’re genuinely the cutest one I’ve ever seen~”
Aah, I agree.
The girl has quite the discerning eye.
“Well, if you weren’t cute, I would have slapped you many times by now.”
I glared at Mom.
Where exactly on this fragile body would I be hit?
“Alright, everything is ready, so go out and wait.”
“Yeah!!”
“Ugh, so rude, Do-hee.”
“Yes.”
Once I went out and sat on a chair, the staff came over and handed me the script.
“Just memorize this.”
“Okay~”
As I sat in the chair reading the script, Mom came over to look with me.
“Oh~ So this is what the script looks like. Can our princess do well?”
“Of course, just sip a drink, put on a pretty face, and say one line, and it’s done?”
“Shall we practice once?”
“Okay.”
I pretended to sip from an imaginary cup in a cute way after holding it with both hands.
After drinking, I made a refreshing expression and delivered my line.
“Wow, that’s awesome.”
“Hey! Do-hee, that’s not your line! Where are you learning these words? If you keep using bad words, I’ll stop you from watching YouTube!”
“Yes.”
“Sigh… Let’s try it one more time?”
I lifted the imaginary cup again, pretended to drink, and exclaimed with a surprised expression.
“Could I have one more glass, please!”
Mom couldn’t hold back anymore and tapped my head.
“Ouch!”
I was flustered.
Thoughts swirled in my head.
‘Ah, that hurt. It’s the first time I’ve been hit since I was born.’
‘Where exactly on this body is there to hit?’
‘But why do my eyes keep watering?’
Strangely, my mind feels clear, but my body can’t control itself.
I definitely didn’t plan to cry, but my body disagrees.
My body reflexively sheds tears from the pain in my head.
I try swallowing the tears through my nose.
“Sniff… sniff…”
“Oh no, Do-hee, are you crying? Don’t cry, stop.”
Mom’s words seemed to trigger a dam, and the tears burst forth.
“Waaahhh!”
Mom was greatly surprised to see me, who never cried much as a baby, crying now.
“Oh no… I’m sorry, Do-hee, our princess, please stop; I was wrong.”
But when someone comforts me, it just makes me want to cry more.
“Waaahhh!”
Wow, but how am I even cute when I cry?
It’s perfect, really.
But when will this crying stop?
