Chapter 158

After filming *Star Fisher*, Seoyeon had been continuously in touch with the two actors she had regularly appeared with on variety shows.

Lee Sang-soo, Song Gwang-min.

Two of South Korea’s most representative actors.

Of course, this wasn’t for the sake of merely maintaining connections.

It was purely because fishing had become a newfound interest of hers.

Occasionally, their manager would join them on these fishing trips.

“Working hard, huh? Trying to build networks already?”

Though such thoughts were present, the prevailing mood was gratitude for having more fishing friends. Moreover, for them, this kind of interaction was quite common.

However, Seoyeon had recently been busy and hadn’t been in contact as frequently.

“Are you considering a movie appearance?”

“Yes, I think we should discuss this in person.”

Naturally, it wasn’t possible to delve into specifics over the phone, so Seoyeon brought it up while they went fishing together. Jiyeon was also present this time.

“Seoyeon Joo, this is my first time fishing?”

“I’ll teach you!”

“…”

At Seoyeon’s enthusiastic declaration, Jiyeon silently nodded in agreement, realizing it would be easier to just go along with it. There was no point in refusing since she knew she’d end up being dragged along anyway.

“Joo Seoyeon, don’t we need to inform Seohui Jo? And we need to let the director know.”

“Yes, I already asked.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Seoyeon wasn’t about to handle things irresponsibly. Not only was there no guarantee that actor Lee Sang-soo would accept, but an individual actor couldn’t handle everything on their own either.

When informed, Seohui Jo’s eyes widened in excitement.

“Really, you’ve connected with actor Lee Sang-soo? Tell me! Oh, the vacant role for Gyeongseong Yeong-nyeo? Oh, Jiyeon told me? Yes, there is an issue. But if actor Lee Sang-soo could take that role, it would be amazing…”

Seohui Jo quickly tried to obtain actor Lee Sang-soo’s contact information, which Seoyeon tactfully stopped. Nevertheless, it seemed that Lee Sang-soo was one of the actors Seohui Jo greatly admired.

So, Seohui Jo said she’d handle things well and disappeared to speak with Director Baek Min.

“That evening, I received a response that everything was fine.”

“… Incredible.”

Jiyeon was amazed. Both Seohui Jo and Seoyeon had an extraordinary level of action when it came to moving swiftly.

As soon as an idea came to them, they immediately acted upon it, and they effectively utilized their age—an advantage that let them get away with certain behaviors since people tend to find younger individuals’ assertiveness less intimidating.

“Anyway, when is the fishing?”

“Probably the week after next?”

“What if I have a schedule?”

“I know for sure you don’t.”

How did you know?

At that, Jiyeon suddenly remembered that Seoyeon was well-versed with Ramiel’s broadcasting schedule. Otherwise, there was no way she’d be ready to go before the stream even started.

In short, by knowing Ramiel’s schedule, one could roughly estimate Jiyeon’s. This was because Ramiel usually streamed during Jiyeon’s off-time.

“… I knew this.”

Hey, isn’t the Vtuber thing going overboard?

Not that it’s bad, but could you stop shooting so many Super Chats?

It was exhausting returning them to Sua, after all. And Jiyeon had to acknowledge Sua had a tough time. There had been a misunderstanding between them earlier.

“So, let’s practice fishing before we go. I can teach you.”

“I’ll handle it myself.”

“… Hmph.”

Seoyeon bristled slightly, but Jiyeon ignored her, knowing that learning from Seoyeon might leave much to be desired.

***

*Gold Duckling* Seoyeon Chapter 2 – highly anticipated after Chapter 1 drew significant attention.

Among the many issues surrounding Chapter 1, Chapter 2 saw an even larger waiting list right from the start. Among those, the most troubled one was Young-bin.

‘Why did I suggest going to the swimming pool?’

And to make matters worse, it was an overtime workday. With no chance to return home, Young-bin was cornered into watching *Gold Duckling* with his colleagues. The plot point of this episode was… the swimming pool!

This meant he was in a situation where the entire nation was seeing his wife and daughter in swimwear.

Of course, it was swimwear, and there wasn’t anything too revealing, but still… ugh.

“Mr. Joo, don’t stress so much. Smile like in the show.”

“But there are so many prying eyes around…”

“Morale in the team is really up. Both the development team and the planning team are smiling brightly whenever they see Mr. Joo.”

Even an executive passing by commented to Young-bin about the team’s positive atmosphere.

Inevitably, Young-bin was grabbed by the employees right after his work was done, and he couldn’t even go home right away.

“Well, Team Leader, we must watch this with you.”

“Why didn’t you let us know earlier about your family’s appearance?”

“But I didn’t know either.”

“Ah, stop playing dumb.”

“But it’s true. I didn’t know.”

Since there was no malintent, there wasn’t much he could say to anyone. And anyway, whenever he faced his wife, no thoughts crossed his mind.

‘Whatever.’

Young-bin resigned himself and sat down in a chair. Watching the employees gathered in front of the TV in the waiting room, he thought it wasn’t such a bad thing to have a famous actress for a daughter. Watching her movies together didn’t feel any different, right?

And there was one benefit to Young-bin being on TV—it made his usually harsh superiors hesitant to criticize him, as they worried about potential connections in the broadcasting world. As rumors began to spread that Young-bin might join as a director for the company’s next major project, his career was on the rise.

“Face recognition is a great thing.”

The recent upward trend of Young-bin’s career was nothing short of terrifying.

‘Envious.’

‘I envy your wife and daughter so much.’

‘If I had such a wife, going home every day would be such a joy.’

‘How does your daughter turn out so perfect? She listens well, right? She probably even gives allowances?’

“Ahem!”

Whenever employees gathered, such envious gazes naturally directed themselves at Young-bin, especially from those around his age.

For the recently rising Young-bin, those gazes were a great motivation.

Yes, if you’ve gotten famous, these kinds of perks are natural.

“So, Team Leader, are you okay with the swimming pool episode today?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t your wife and daughter going to be in swimwear?”

“Aaah, don’t worry about it. Honestly.”

‘Of course.’

It was just a normal day of play and returning home, nothing extraordinary.

And Su-a, for example, was still wearing her jacket to cover her swimwear throughout.

While Young-bin was thinking this and watching the broadcast…

Right at the start,

“Why does mom cover herself?”

A scene appeared where Su-a’s jacket zipper was pulled down abruptly by Seoyeon. Immediately, Seoyeon pulled it back up upon seeing.

Of course, nothing specific inside was shown.

“This is what needs to be covered. The broadcast might be cut.”

At her daughter’s sudden attack, Su-a froze on the spot with her hands clutching the jacket closed.

“…”

Young-bin was also frozen.

‘Did this really happen?’

Other employees, who had first exclaimed in surprise, started glancing at Young-bin since it was unclear how this editing would turn out.

The viewers reacted similarly:

– “Sitting comfortably”

– “I’m hearing about swimsuits today as if I’m seeing everyone naked.”

– “Are you crazy? Why naked?”

– “Can you feel the vibes of being by the pool?”

– “Do you want to come to the pool naked???”

Viewers were filled with anticipation for the swimming pool episode, especially with such stunning body figures shown right from the start by Su-a.

Moreover, though Seoyeon was an actress, she had not worn revealing clothes before. Naturally, interest was concentrated on her appearance.

– “Manager Joo’s double chin”

– “If game management could scratch your itch like this, it’d be great, right?”

– “Isn’t Young-bin in development? There’s a separate operations team.”

– “Shut up.”

Anyhow, with the viewers’ heightened anticipation,

Seoyeon had quite a few concerns about this shoot.

After all, wearing slightly revealing outfits on TV was something she hesitated to do.

Of course, Seoyeon recently bought a beautiful swimsuit.

For summer, though she had no occasion to wear it yet due to her busy schedule.

‘I’m cute anyway’ was embedded in Seoyeon’s mindset, so she refrained from wearing anything unflattering to her appearance.

If you were born pretty, you should dress accordingly, right?

So why cover it up? That was Seoyeon’s philosophy.

However, showing it to the public was a different story.

Thus,

“Hmm, daughter, you have such a swimsuit?”

“… I bought it newly.”

A rash guard might have been outside Seoyeon’s style, so she compromised with a sports-oriented swimsuit.

She also brought a beautiful swimsuit.

To wear after filming was done.

Seoyeon planned to cover up with a jacket over the sports-inspired swimsuit, thinking that should be enough.

“What about Mom?”

“Yours too, I see. You brought the one worn earlier, right?”

“Oh, is that so?”

Seoyeon passed it without much thought, assuming she’d bring something appropriate.

“Oh, sister, Soo-yeon’s swimsuit is pink. Swishy!”

“I’ll play with you at the pool.”

“Really?”

Seeing her beloved little sister, Seoyeon couldn’t help but smile.

Reflecting back, she didn’t get to visit the pool during her own puberty.

Back then, even a slight exposure would cause her to react fiercely, disliking it.

Maybe partly due to the mental confusion that comes with adolescence.

“Well, how about Dad?”

“Dad knows how to manage himself.”

“Haha, that’s right!”

It seemed the pool visit greatly excited Young-bin, who laughed out loud.

And then,

“By the way, who’s the person beside you? What are they filming?”

“Oh, they’re filming this due to an ad campaign. In a vlog-style, probably a few more minutes.”

“Oh, I get it. Vlogs! Dad is modern too! I even use Instagram, right?”

“Do you?”

“Well… every time I post something, it always ends up with hate comments.”

As a game developer, being out in public could lead to relentless criticism. Still, despite this, Young-bin had been consistently uploading his photos—a feat in itself.

At that moment, his phone vibrated—it was a text from Su-a.

[Yonhap keeps pretending not to know…? It’s amazing how they keep believing that.]

[Let’s just let it continue. It’s fun while he doesn’t know. How can he not notice at all?]

[But isn’t it also adorable?]

Seeing Su-a laughing softly after typing these messages, Seoyeon groaned and closed her phone.

Upon arriving at the swimming pool, the family changed into their swimsuits and gathered together.

“What? Why are you both wearing jackets?”

Even though Su-a’s choice made sense, didn’t Seoyeon pass through puberty already?

Still,

“Hmm, does it matter? Let’s go, second dinosaur!”

“Hoo!”

Soo-yeon raised her arms high and ran off with Young-bin, despite saying she wanted to play with her sister.

“Hey, what’s with you being so aloof?” Seoyeon felt oddly left out, then glanced at Su-a.

If it’s for her image as an actress, that’s understandable, but Su-a should be fine without such covering, right?

“Mom, why do you cover yourself?”

Thinking this, Seoyeon lightly pulled down the jacket out of nonchalance.

And then,

“This needs to be covered, it’ll be edited out.”

“Isn’t it going to violate the censorship rules?”

Seoyeon thought seriously.

This was because the swimsuit turned out to be a bit small. Though she casually said, “I just brought it,” Su-a’s bust had grown recently.

Combined with the swimsuit, it was quite…

“…Mom, am I getting too chubby?”

“No, not at all.”

To call that situation “fat” seemed inappropriate. Certainly, with a larger bust, the fit might not be as nice. But aside from that, Su-a was… well…

“Dangerous.”

“What?”

“You know. Dangerous.”

Fortunately, most of Seoyeon’s comment was edited out, likely due to its inappropriateness for broadcasting.

Naturally, the viewers who couldn’t see this deleted part reacted.

– Seoyeon, show us what you saw.

– Why would we care what you saw?

– If you’re gonna do this, why even go to the pool?

– That sudden moment when the jacket opened… hmm hmm.

Of course, even with the jacket on, it was hard to hide.

Since it wasn’t regular clothing but a thin swimwear jacket.

– Isn’t the volume under there enormous?

– The jacket is clearly bulging.

– Seoyeon has an amazing figure. Is she really a high school student?

Even though her body didn’t fully expose, just a glimpse of the silhouette already sparked such comments.

While unfiltered community forums were filled with these comments,

The officially managed Seoyeon fan café saw a different kind of discussion.

– How does this body fight a gorilla?

– I thought Seoyeon was frail.

– I expected more muscle…

– – What?

In short, the swimming pool scene began just as Young-bin had mentioned—nothing too special.

At least that was what Young-bin observed.

“Mom, your swimsuit top came off!”

“Oh no! What do I do??”

“Sister, bounce me on the water!”

“Just a moment.”

– Seriously, how does someone skip on water like a skipped stone?

– Soo-yeon is really tough…

While Young-bin played alone, this side was chaos. Broadcasting accidents could easily happen, but luckily there wasn’t any revealing exposure, allowing it to pass.

“All right, let’s jump in with Dad on the count of one, two, three!”

“Yes!”

“… Me too?”

Young-bin naturally blinked, and Seoyeon could not decline in front of the camera.

In truth, Seoyeon had never learned to swim.

But still, such pool visits didn’t involve actual swimming, right?

Just enjoy it emotionally.

“One, two, three!”

At Young-bin’s shout, splash! The pool water surged, with a peculiarly large splash around where Seoyeon jumped.

-?

– The sound is weird.

– Not like someone jumping, more like something heavy.

– Wow, the mass.

– Yup, rumor has it that Seoyeon is quite heavy because of all muscle mass.

– Isn’t it normal for a human to be muscle everywhere?

While community forums casually brushed it off,

“Ah, deeper than I thought.”

Soo-yeon, with the tube in hand, dipped underwater then peeked her head out. Young-bin helped Soo-yeon and looked around, but Seoyeon was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey Soo-yeon, sister sank because she’s heavy.”

“Really?!”

Soo-yeon gasped, looking around frantically.

“Dad, Dad, really, can’t sister come up because she’s heavy?”

“Yeah, sister is heavy indeed…”

While Young-bin said this, he vanished suddenly.

Someone had grabbed his ankle, pulling him down underwater.

“Eh?”

Soo-yeon panicked at the sudden disappearance of her dad.

Where did he go?

“…Soo-yeon.”

“Hii!”

Seoyeon addressed Soo-yeon with the tube in tow. Although she couldn’t swim, she had briefly sunk lower in the pool. She hit her head on the bottom and checked if the bottom was broken before coming up again.

…Even though she was heavy, she floated eventually.

‘You really shouldn’t jump into the pool carelessly.’

Seoyeon then towed around Soo-yeon on the water like a jetski as a form of punishment. Incidentally, Young-bin had been thrown somewhere randomly.

Other than that, it was a truly ordinary, uneventful shoot.

Really, it was.

Still, separate from that,

– So, how much does Seoyeon weigh?

– Is Young-bin dead?

– He deserves it, youngin.

Various debates appeared frequently on community forums. Most of them were negative comments aimed against Seoyeon.

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