Chapter 4: Recording

But why was Yi Eun’s face even redder after crawling under the covers?

With her cheeks puffed out, Yi Eun didn’t complain. She rubbed her warm, flushed cheeks and sighed like a little grown-up at the two puppy plushies sitting side by side on Kwon Jiyong’s bed.

Who told Jiyong’s swollen, red eyes to look so pitiful? Having a crybaby for a friend meant not only losing her toy, but also sacrificing her chubby cheeks.

“Did the little ones finish talking? Made up now?” Han Lanji bent slightly and leaned in toward the two tiny tots. Seeing them sitting side by side like the puppy plushies, holding hands, made her heart melt. “From now on, even if you two argue, make up quickly, okay? Especially you, bully Jiyong you’re the big brother, no more saying things like ‘we’re not friends anymore,’ alright?”

Kwon Jiyong nodded, his swollen eyes opened as wide as he could manage. “Neh! Okay!”

“Yi Eun, you can’t bully your big brother just because you’re younger, alright?” Lee Jin gently stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Isn’t Jiyong more precious than your favorite plushie?”

Yi Eun reached out her little hand, secretly hooked her pinky around Jiyong’s and gave it a gentle shake. Her deer-like eyes glanced shyly at him as she nodded earnestly, “I only have Jiyong and Domi unnie as friends.”

Feeling her pinky linked with his, Kwon Jiyong looked down at their hands. Realizing he was now one of just two people, a sense of responsibility suddenly surged within him. “Yi Eun is my best friend too!”

Both moms were briefly stunned. Han Lanji pulled Lee Jin aside and asked in a whisper, only to find out, Lee Jin hadn’t yet enrolled Yi Eun in a kindergarten since moving to Korea.

    They hadn’t paid much attention before to how Yi Eun would run over to find Jiyong right after every ballet class, but thinking back now, it was probably because Yi Eun’s occasional use of Chinese made it hard for the other children to get close to her.

And then, even their own little Jiyong stopped attending ballet altogether.

Wouldn’t that mean Yi Eun has no friends in ballet class now? Han Lanji held her head in her hands, unsure how to bring this up to Lee Jin.

But she didn’t need to Kwon Domi had already come bouncing over, shouting, “Omma! Since Jiyong isn’t doing ballet anymore, can I use his tutu to make clothes for my dolls?”

“Oh my, Jiyong’s not going to ballet class anymore?” Lee Jin looked a bit flustered. “Is it because of Yi Eun…”

Han Lanji immediately waved her hands in denial, “No, no, not at all. He’s just not that into it after two months.”

Her son might be young, but he had a strong sense of self. He’d always been firm about what he liked and disliked, even from an early age.

Jiyong nodded, still holding pinkies with Yi Eun, his expression serious. “Auntie, it has nothing to do with Yi Eun. I just don’t like ballet.”

He turned and looked at the tiny little sister beside him, whose head barely reached his waist. She was watching the grown-ups with a blank, confused expression. “Don’t blame her. She doesn’t understand any of this yet.”

He even used the same comforting words his parents had said to him, now to reassure Lee Jin.

“Aigo,” Lee Jin looked at the boy with deep affection, reaching up to gently pat his head. “Jiyong is so thoughtful.”

Sensitive by nature yet full of empathy this cool-looking little boy was actually very soft-hearted. She felt comforted knowing her daughter had such a kind friend.

Kwon Domi tugged on Han Lanji’s skirt again, holding back for two seconds before asking once more, “Omma! Can I have Jiyong’s little skirt?”

“Alright, alright.” Han Lanji shook her head with a helpless smile. Her daughter had always loved “designing” clothes, so giving her Jiyong’s ballet outfit wasn’t a bad outcome for anyone.

“Then after Jiyong finishes recording the show tomorrow, can we go to the amusement park?” Kwon Domi asked while hugging the tutu that had just been delivered express from Jiyong. She exchanged a quick glance with him, then turned to Han Lanji and boldly pushed her luck, “Can we go with Auntie and Yi Eun too?”

---

The next day

 Yi Eun arrived at the recording site with Kwon Jiyong. Her face was full of curiosity as she looked around at the many cameras and busy crew members.

But the small studio was packed with people, and all Yi Eun could see were pairs of adult legs towering above her. Domi, who had been here a few times, was more familiar with the place than Yi Eun. Seeing her tiptoeing and looking around wide-eyed, she quietly reached out and pulled her forward by the hand.

“Yi Eun, let’s stand over here. Can you see Jiyong from here?” Domi pointed just a few steps ahead, where Kwon Jiyong was standing.

Yi Eun looked up. On the stage were a few adults with three children in front of them, two neatly dressed little girls and Jiyong, wearing a leopard-print baseball cap and a black suit.

“Aigo, I just heard that one of our child stars from the ROORA kids group even appeared in a movie last year?” Lee Sang-min placed a hand on Jiyong’s shoulder. “Which one of you was it? Want to introduce yourself?”

Jiyong reached up to touch the hat on his head, took the mic the host handed him, bowed, and greeted politely, “Ne. Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Kwon Jiyong, I’m seven years old.”

“I heard Jiyong is also really good at dancing, is that true?” The host bent down to speak to him, his face full of the fondness adults often have for young children. “Can you show us a little?”

Shy at first, Jiyong’s expression changed completely as soon as the music started. His little face turned serious. Though his movements didn’t have the power and precision of an adult’s, each step and gesture flowed smoothly and carried his own unique style.

This was a side of him completely different from his usual self.

Yi Eun, though young, was clever. As she watched Jiyong dance, she compared his movements to the ballet she was learning waving hands, bending, standing tall. Hmm, very different, but both were beautiful in their own way!

She excitedly raised her arms above her head and waved them, mouthing a greeting but staying quiet and well-behaved.

“Jiyong! You’re amazing!”

“So cool! Your hands and feet move like floating clouds!”

    The cool little boy dancing on stage immediately caught sight of Yi Eun’s gesture from the audience. Shyly, he pressed his lips together and revealed a small smile shaped like parentheses.

As soon as his attention was diverted, Kwon Jiyong, who hadn’t yet learned to multitask, began to slip up in his steps. But he didn’t panic. Instead, he playfully did a few basic salsa rock moves toward Yi Eun’s direction quirky, exaggerated movements all while mumbling a tune to himself. His spontaneous freestyle instantly made the chubby host laugh and bend over, wrapping him up in a hug.

“Aigoo! Our Jiyong is great at freestyling, huh?” He patted Jiyong’s backside, and the little boy squirmed in his arms, laughing along.

The children’s segment of the show quickly came to an end, and the members of ROORA the co-ed group had a brief break.

Since their debut last year as a mixed-gender idol group, ROORA had taken the Korean music scene by storm, sweeping through award ceremonies. As they stepped offstage, the staff greeted them with polite smiles.

Just as Kwon Jiyong was holding Yi Eun’s hand and getting ready to leave with everyone, he noticed Lee Sang-min approaching. He paused and tugged gently on Han Lanji’s sleeve.

Aigoo, not only was he hardworking, but he also had a sharp eye for people at such a young age.

Lee Sang-min couldn’t help but think, This is a kid who really suits this industry. No wonder he filmed a movie at five and stood out among all the children in the child star auditions.

In fact, this kid debuted two years earlier than he did!

He smiled at the two mothers, then crouched down and pulled a few pieces of candy from his pocket, holding them out to the three kids. “Are you Jiyong’s sister and little friend? Big brother’s got candy for you.”

Kwon Domi, the oldest of the three, hesitated. The man in front of her did look a little like one of those bad guys who lured kids with candy… but he was a celebrity! And there were lots of people around!

Probably not a bad guy… right?

She looked at her mom, who nodded slightly. Only then did Domi reach out and politely take a candy from Lee Sang-min’s hand.

“Thank you, oppa.”

“Thank you, hyung,” said Kwon Jiyong. Though he was technically a member of ROORA’s kids’ unit, he hadn’t really met the adult members many times. Still, he at least knew that this guy with sunglasses pushed up on his head wasn’t a bad person. He looked down, picked out a milk candy, and squinted with satisfaction.

However, Yi Eun stared seriously at the tall man in front of her. After taking a candy from his hand, she corrected her older brother and sister’s way of addressing him with a serious look in her eyes:

“Thank you, uncle.”

“Huh?” Lee Sang-min froze for a couple of seconds, stunned. At only 22 years old and already a breakout star, this was the first time he’d been hit with such a verbal blow. He clutched his chest in mock agony, face full of pain.
“Do I really look that old?”

“Yi Eun-ah, this is a hyung (big brother), not an uncle…” Lee Jin said awkwardly, trying to smooth things over.

Here we go again! she thought, frustrated with her daughter’s stubborn sense of logic.

Yi Eun looked up at her mom in disagreement, then turned to glance at Lee Sang-min again.
“Big brothers should be around Jiyong’s height. But uncle is taller than mom, so he must be an uncle.”

That one sentence made both Lee Sang-min and Kwon Jiyong burst into laughter.

“Aigoo, I thought she was saying I looked old,” Lee Sang-min laughed heartily.

Meanwhile, Jiyong thought to himself: Even though Yi Eun never calls me oppa and never uses formal speech with me, at least I’m still considered a ‘big brother’ in her eyes!

That single word “big brother” had him bubbling with excitement all the way to the amusement park.

Jiyong held Yi Eun’s small hand as they walked. Though he was three years older, the excited boy couldn’t stop bouncing as they moved forward. In contrast, four-year-old Yi Eun walked steadily, planting each step firmly on the ground.

Hmm,she thought,Mom says we should walk properly. If you hop around like Jiyong, you might fall.

“Jiyong, you shouldn’t walk like that. We need to walk steadily.”

“It’s fine! I’ve never fallen before!” Jiyong lifted his chin proudly. He had always walked this way showing off a little flair ever since he was small.

Yi Eun let out a long sigh and tugged Jiyong’s arm to stop him, muttering under her breath,
“No, no, this really isn’t okay. You’ll fall like this…”

But Jiyong didn’t care. “I won’t fall! And even if I do, it’s no big deal!”

Yi Eun frowned, about to say “But you cried last time you fell!” when suddenly, her attention was pulled away by a mix of loud sounds and music coming from nearby.