Hobbyist VTuber

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The promising tree is recognized from its seedling.

Just having turned into an adult, Seonwoo Kang, with a visible nervousness, had just finished his first talent audition and heard this from the interviewer.

And now, Seonwoo Kang, who has indeed become one of the top five actors in South Korea.

“So, is acting that feels comfortable even after countless repetitions and one that you could do several times considered good acting?”

Without showing a hint of confusion at the reporter’s calculated question, Haeun maintained a calm voice, allowing Seonwoo to fully grasp the interviewer’s feelings from back then.

Of course, he already knew that Haeun was an extraordinary child in many ways.

Over the past few months, while filming with the neighbor uncle, he had unknowingly admired her high level of acting multiple times.

But that was merely in the realm of the camera screen.

There were certainly child actors who could be compared to her, even if they weren’t as impressive as Haeun.

During his past as Seonwoo Kang, he had encountered many kids born with beautiful looks.

He had seen kids who had already learned how to convey emotions to others.

He had undoubtedly met children who naturally exuded an aura that attracted attention.

However, it was precisely because he had met such kids that he could be certain.

He had encountered kids who were often said to possess a ‘destiny to become an actor.’

“Feeling that acting is difficult means you’ve put your best effort into it, right?”

He shouldn’t group those kids with Haeun.

That was a different kind of talent outside of acting.

“So I feel fortunate to be able to act the role of Kim Ji-a with difficulty.”

An unwavering gaze.

Words selected to eliminate any chance of misunderstanding.

Ultimately, that relaxed smile, as if she had already seen through the reporter’s shallow scheme.

The frightening scene where the one who set the trap instead fell into it, using Haeun as the stepping stone to shine.

‘…Man, how is she even seven years old?’

It made Seonwoo feel as if he were standing before a thousand-year-old serpent.

After all, the ability to manipulate others to one’s own liking was not a gift given to everyone.

In any case, Haeun was still just a mere seven-year-old seedling.

This meant it would be over ten years until Haeun could grow into a proper tree.

Just thinking about what kind of person that remarkably skilled child would become in the future made Seonwoo look forward to it.

“Good job, Haeun.”

“…Thank you, Seonwoo-ssi.”

However, for some reason, right after the production presentation ended.

More precisely, from the moment they returned to the waiting room, Haeun began to have difficulty calling him ‘Seonwoo actor.’

She outright refused to call him ‘Seonwoo uncle’ or even ‘Seon senior.’

“Um, Haeun’s mother. Did I do something wrong to Haeun?” Seonwoo asked, bewildered as he turned to Song Nayun.

“Well… I’m not sure? I’ve only heard good things about Seonwoo.”

Neither Seonwoo nor Nayun understood that it was not Seonwoo himself but rather the immense popularity of Seonwoo that made Haeun feel burdened.

Thus, Seonwoo could only feel a pang of disappointment at Haeun’s sudden distance.

Still, he thought they had gotten somewhat close while filming with the neighbor uncle over the past several months.

Well, anyway. The production presentation, filled with the journalists’ manipulations, ended well thanks to Haeun.

Since there weren’t any planned meetings with Haeun after today.

“Okay, then. I guess it’s around dinner time. Let’s go for a meal, Haeun.”

“Huh? Dinner…?”

“Yeah, dinner. After we finish something like a production presentation, everyone usually goes out to eat something delicious.”

He took Haeun, who hadn’t had any decent meal apart from the cake slices in the waiting room, to a pre-booked traditional Korean restaurant.

Of course, Haeun’s mother, Song Nayun, came along as well.

In fact, since he had already contacted the other cast and some crew members, it didn’t take long for familiar faces to appear at the restaurant.

After all, this gathering also served to celebrate the completion of the entire filming process of the neighbor uncle.

The reason Seonwoo had been contemplating whether to invite Haeun to the gathering was straightforward.

“Uhm… I wonder if the rib patties will suit her taste.”

There were virtually no foods that kids around Haeun’s age would enjoy at the upscale traditional restaurant that had been decided upon.

It was a genuine upscale place that served nothing but traditional Korean meals, not even the usual pork cutlets.

Regardless, he still thought it wasn’t right to have a gathering without Haeun, the lead of the neighbor uncle.

So, he brought her along, but from the first to the last page of the menu, the only suitable item for Haeun was the mini rib patties.

“Alright, everyone. Thank you for your hard work~!”

“““Thank you for your hard work!”””

After that, as all the ordered dishes came out and the sounds of chopsticks and spoons moving around began,

He couldn’t help but glance at Haeun, wondering if he had forcefully brought her to a restaurant that catered to adults.

Then, not long after, Seonwoo realized something unexpected.

“Um, do I have to pay extra for side dishes?”

“Huh? No, if you ask, they’ll bring more for you…”

To Haeun, the concept of being picky about side dishes didn’t exist.

With her chopsticks heading towards the so-called ‘health-improving’ foods, she didn’t even touch the rib patties placed neatly in front of her.

From perilla leaf pickles to spinach, cucumber kimchi, lotus root, braised carrots.

And even that eggplant salad!

“H-Haeun, if you’re struggling to eat this—”

“?”

“Ah, never mind… It’s nothing. Just eat a lot.”

He carefully asked, wondering if Haeun was forcing herself to swallow the food that didn’t suit her taste, but no matter how he looked at it, her expression didn’t appear to be one of discomfort.

She continued to eat with an unfazed expression, not once scrunching up her face.

In fact, it didn’t stop at one serving; she refilled two or three times and kept on eating.

This was clearly a scene that shattered Seonwoo’s preconceived notion that young children wouldn’t eat that kind of stuff.

He briefly considered that Haeun’s behavior might be acting, but there was no reason for her to eat those dishes while maintaining a poker face.

At this point, Haeun was almost intimidating.

Was this child, who was currently showing incredible proficiency with her chopsticks beside Seonwoo, truly a seven-year-old?

‘…If that’s a talent, then is that a talent too? Really?’

Thus, after a dinner that turned out a little differently than Seonwoo had expected ended.

Since the second gathering was at a pub that was off-limits to underage kids like Haeun, he had to say goodbye to her.

‘Hmm… This abalone is so fresh. It feels like it was caught just a few minutes ago.’

Even Haeun’s skill in properly removing and eating the abalone, which could appear quite grotesque in a child’s eyes, lingered in Seonwoo’s mind.

He had never anticipated that his earlier assessment of Haeun being extraordinary in various aspects would apply in this way too.

*

Click.

Click click.

“Hmm….”

About two months had passed since the premiere of the neighbor uncle.

Just like before in the last matchbox music video, Haeun was currently searching for any reviews about her acting from the audience.

However, it would still be another ten years until Haeun was of the age to watch the neighbor uncle without any issues.

Even after reading numerous comments and blog posts online, she couldn’t quite grasp what feeling her acting gave off.

From her mother, who had finished watching the movie on its first day of release, to the kindergarten teachers who said they had seen the neighbor uncle on the weekend.

She could only hear abstract remarks that Haeun’s acting was excellent.

As much as she wanted to know exactly which scenes evoked which emotions, she felt it was a bit awkward to pry that deeply.

<“Neighbor Uncle” ranks No. 1 for five consecutive weeks!>

<“Neighbor Uncle” surpasses 5 million cumulative viewers!>

‘…That’s a relief.’

From the articles discussing the neighbor uncle, she could understand that the box office figures were starting to align with what she had already known.

Due to Haeun stepping into the role of Kim Ji-a instead of Min Da-yeon, who was originally supposed to play it, there was some concern that the box office might be lower than expected.

But ultimately, nothing major had changed so far.

Moreover, the neighbor uncle was now something that had already left Haeun’s hands.

“Mom, I’m just going out with Ji-yoon for a bit.”

But there was still something on Haeun’s plate.

That was her participation in the upcoming kindergarten “Autumn Sports Festival.”

Thus, she headed to the nearby open space today as well to prepare for it.

In any case, Haeun had painstakingly and systematically practiced various little exercises for a long time and was the ace of the Doll Room.

She was assigned multiple roles for the autumn sports festival.

“Ready, set… Go!!”

At Jeong-yoon’s signal, who had prepared a stopwatch to measure Haeun’s running time, she dashed straight across the open space.

Although she might not have run a perfect 50 meters without a single error, the results showed a time of 9.11 seconds—incredibly fast for a girl of her age.

Haeun felt that it was slower than she had anticipated and, after running a few more times, only stopped after reaching a record in the 8-second range.

“Wasn’t Haeun the last runner in the relay?”

“Yeah.”

“Then as long as you’re not trailing by a full lap, your team will win.”

Haeun thought Jeong-yoon’s praise was just empty flattery.

Having come from a previous life where even ordinary jogging had been a challenge, she found it difficult to assess her physical ability objectively.

Regardless, she was determined to give it her all.

For the sake of her classmates who believed in her as the last runner, she wasn’t going to slack off even a little.