Don't Cry, Miso (1)
I ended up taking a sick leave the day after I met Choi So-Hye.
"Those people are crazy. Do they think of alcohol as water or what? Ugh..."
My body felt as though it had been relentlessly pounded by pain. Forcing myself up, I made my special hangover ramen with extra chili powder, bean sprouts, and dried pollack.
Slurp!
After inhaling the chewy noodles and the salty broth, it was time to have a bite of the perfectly ripened kimchi.
Crunch!
It was only after savoring the refreshing kimchi with the ramen that I finally regained my senses.
"Burp! Thank goodness. I finally feel a bit alive."
After settling my upset stomach, I immediately headed to a nearby cafe to meet with the administrators of Yoo-Jin's fan website from her Burger Queen part-time days, 'Cheonho-dong's Burger Maiden,' and persuaded them to help us with the news of Miso's adoption.
The meeting was a great success and the administrators immediately rolled their sleeves and got to work. As a result, the comments on the article written by Ju Kang-Yong began to fill up with posts from the fan club members.
[Rookie Actress J's Private Life]
-J's high-paying part-time job!!
-Underaged Miss J earned 3 million won a month from part-time jobs—the backstory.
(Comments)
-You referred to the actress as Miss J but you really think we wouldn't know it's Jung Yoo-Jin with that mosaic picture?
-High-paying part-time job? LOL. What an attention seeker. Are you that hungry for the views?
-So what kind of part-time job did Jung Yoo-Jin do to make 3 million won?
-Jung Yoo-Jin worked a Burger Queen part-time job in Cheonho-dong.
-I thought she worked in a strip club or something just by the title of the article. But she just worked at a burger place part-time? How do you make 3 million won from that?
-Apparently, the branch owners competed and placed bids against each other to recruit her.
-Ah, typical reportrash.
-He's deliberately confusing people.
-I thought it was something serious.
-Go check the 'Cheonho-dong's Burger Maiden' fan website. All the clarification documents are there.
With the blazing comments by the fan club members, Ju Kang-Yong's article seemed to diminish in power.
***
I arrived in front of Miso's kindergarten.
Because Yoo-Jin was busy focusing on her script rehearsal and had delegated the role of responding to all queries concerning the article to me, l came to pick up Miso from her kindergarten today.
Miso wasn't coming out even though it was way past her usual dismissal time. Waiting in the car, I rested my chin on the steering wheel and grumbled.
"Should I go check? Why isn't she coming out?"
I got out of the car and headed toward the kindergarten—and as soon as I entered the kindergarten, I saw Miso fuming with anger.
"My m-my auntie is not a bad person!"
In the kindergarten playground, a girl, who was at least a head taller than Miso, was wearing a big pink ribbon on her head and mocking and making fun of Miso.
"Shut up! Everyone knows your auntie works at a strip club! I heard all celebrities do that!"
Two other girls standing behind the pink-ribboned girl were nodding incessantly.
Despite the bullying, the principal was nowhere to be seen.
Miso cried out again with an indignant expression, clenching her fists and thrusting her head forward. "No! My auntie doesn't work at a strip club! She plays with me every night!"
"Ah, is that so? Then she must have sneaked out after you had fallen asleep."
For a moment, I was so dumbfounded by the girl's remark that I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
'Is that something a 7-year-old should say?'
Suddenly, Miso erupted with uncharacteristic anger, pointing her finger at the girl's pink ribbon in front of her and blurting out something that she typically would not have said.
"You. You! That pink ribbon doesn't suit you at all! It's re~ally ugly!"
For Miso, that was the nastiest thing she could say.
The face of the girl with the pink ribbon turned bright red. "Eek~ What!? How dare you!"
Then, the girl with the pink ribbon pushed Miso roughly on the shoulder, causing Miso to stagger and fall onto the sandy ground.
'How dare she push my precious Miso!?'
I quickly ran over to Miso, helped her up, and examined her carefully. "Miso, are you hurt?"
As Miso stood up, she recognized me and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Sob sob. Uncle Yoon-Ho~~. Waaaaah!"
Miso had been holding her tears in front of the girls but began to sob out loud when she saw me.
"There, there. You're okay now, Miso."
Miso clung to me and cried pitifully as I glared at the girl with the pink ribbon without realizing it.
"Hey, you. How could you say that your friend's auntie works at a strip club? Where did you learn to say such nasty things?"
The girl with the pink ribbon seemed frightened by my low voice. The girls who stood behind the pink ribboned girl hiccuped in fear and soon ran away.
However, the girl with the pink ribbon stood her ground, shouting back defiantly. "B-but I'm right! I don't lie! My mom said that all the pretty-faced celebrities work at strip clubs at night!"
Her trembling body suggested that even at a young age, she might have issues with anger management.
I struggled to restrain myself from wanting to forcibly correct her behavior. Nonetheless, I persisted with the patience of an adult and spoke calmly. "That's because your mom doesn't know better. How can a busy and popular celebrity have time to go work at strip clubs? You've seen Miso's auntie appear in dramas, haven't you? Miso's auntie is so busy she hardly has any time to sleep."
As I spoke, Miso gradually stopped crying and shouted, "He's right! My auntie is really famous! Super popular!"
It was my first time seeing Miso shouting like this.
'Yes, in Korea, those with a loud voice will always win.'
Unwilling to back down, the girl wearing a pink ribbon shouted back, "You're wrong! My mom also works in the entertainment industry! Mister, you are wrong! My mom is right!"
The girl with a pink ribbon yelled at me with her eyes welling up with tears. However, the battle was already leaning in our favor.
"Hey, are you crying? You know you lose if you cry, right?"
"N-no, I, I'm not crying. Hic hic. Waaaaaah!"
'Ah, yes.'
It was a moment of triumph for the teasing and patience of an adult.