TCHGCA 07

Chapter 07

“What were you thinking, committing such an act?”
“……”
I swallowed nervously.
I had expected to be scolded like this, but hearing my grandfather’s deep, heavy voice in person made my heart pound.
Under his stern gaze, I felt as though I’d been caught doing something terribly wrong.
My eyes began to sting.
I wanted to apologize, admit I was wrong, and run away from this place as fast as I could.
—Contractor!
It was then that I heard it.
—You must stand firm! Am I not right here beside you?
A powerful voice echoed inside my head.
At the same time, I felt a strange warmth settle over my shoulders.
…That’s right.
I clenched the fabric of my skirt tightly in both hands.
Swallowing hard, I tried to steady my trembling heart.
I can’t run away.
Somehow, I just knew.
If I let my fear get the better of me and ran away now, I would never be able to pursue acting.
I promised myself that in this life, I wouldn’t die without getting to do anything I wanted…!
No matter how much the fox helped me, I was the one who ultimately had to change my own fate.
I had made that resolve, so I couldn’t let myself get scared and fall silent before I’d even tried.
I took a deep breath, then abruptly lifted my head.
My grandfather’s eyes were still as fierce as ever.
Even so, I met his gaze without flinching.
“…Because I want to be an actor.”
“What?”
Silence fell.
My grandfather raised one eyebrow as though he thought he’d heard me wrong.
I bit my lip tightly, but I still refused to look away.
How much time passed like that?
“An actor? Ha!”
My grandfather let out a disbelieving laugh.
He looked utterly dumbfounded, as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“What put such foolish notions into your head?”
…Foolish notions?!
The moment I heard those words, my fear was swept away by a sudden surge of indignation and hurt.
“It’s not a foolish notion!”
“……”
…Gasp.
W-what have I done?
I was the one who’d shouted, yet I was so startled that I clapped both hands over my mouth.
I’d actually raised my voice at my grandfather. How disrespectful!
Bracing myself for the furious scolding that was sure to follow, I squeezed my eyes shut.
“……”
But strangely, the study remained silent.
I cautiously opened one eye and glanced at my grandfather.
…Huh?
What I saw startled me so much that I opened both eyes wide.
For some reason, my grandfather was smiling.
It was as though he’d just discovered something very interesting.
“Baek Yujin.”
My grandfather called my name once more.
Unlike his stern voice from earlier, this time he sounded calm and gentle.
“Do you know that you’ve been able to enjoy far more privileges than other children your age?”
“……”
It was an unexpected question.
I blinked a few times, then nodded.
“Yes, I do.”
“……?”
This time, it was my grandfather’s turn to blink.
He stared at me with a strange expression before clearing his throat and firmly shaking his head.
“No, you don’t.”
“But I do…”
“I said you don’t. How could you possibly understand? You’ve lived your entire life this way.”
N-no, I really did understand!
For some reason, my grandfather seemed absolutely convinced that I knew nothing about the world.
Feeling wronged, I pouted and spoke up.
“I know our house is really, really big! And I know that I get to eat delicious, expensive food every day!”
“……”
“I know that learning the violin and flute is a privilege, too. And that having a pretty, spacious room is something special!”
The longer I spoke, the stranger my grandfather’s expression became.
I could tell almost immediately.
He was genuinely surprised by my answers.
He really thought I wouldn’t understand…
I wasn’t a little baby, after all.
I’d lived to the ripe old age of thirteen in my previous life!
But those thoughts were soon interrupted when my grandfather, who had been quietly watching me, spoke again.
“Then do you also understand that if you become an actor, you could lose all of those things in an instant?”
His voice was even more serious than before.
“You are of the Baek family bloodline. The path you must follow was decided for you the moment you were born.”
“……”
“If you refuse to follow that path, everything you have will disappear.”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
My grandfather’s voice was incredibly firm and cold.
And yet, for some reason, his eyes as he looked down at me seemed terribly sad.
Grandfather… why does he look so sad?
I couldn’t understand.
Even so, I slowly opened my mouth.
“It’s okay if I lose everything I have.”
I meant every word.
In my previous life, I hadn’t been allowed to play freely, and I’d had to suppress my cravings for the food I wanted because I was afraid of gaining weight.
But this life was different.
I lived in a huge house where I could have anything I wanted and eat whatever I liked.
And yet, strangely enough, I wasn’t happy at all.
Now, however, I finally understood why.
“…You can only be happy if you do what you truly want to do.”
“……”
As I spoke, I met my grandfather’s gaze once more.
…Huh?
But his expression had changed again.
His lips trembled, and his eyes wavered.
He looked like someone who had just heard something incredibly shocking.
However, that expression lasted only a moment. My grandfather took a deep breath.
“You audacious little thing.”
“……”
“You’re exactly like that fellow. I suppose there really is some of his blood running through your veins.”
…What does that mean?
I could only blink in confusion.
My grandfather, who had seemed so frightening just moments ago, now looked a little lonely.
And then—
—…Yes! Very well done!
“!”
I flinched at the fox’s sudden shout.
Fortunately, my grandfather seemed lost in thought and didn’t notice me jump.
Y-you scared me…!
—You did it, Contractor!
Despite my silent complaint, the fox continued in an excited voice.
…Huh?
At its words, my eyes widened.
Does that mean…?
“Very well.”
At that moment, my grandfather finally parted his tightly pressed lips.
His expression had returned to its usual dignified sternness as he looked down at me.
“Then prove to me that you are truly determined.”
“P-prove it?”
“That’s right.”
Flash—!
The moment my grandfather nodded, a blue window appeared before my eyes.
[Pass Grandfather’s Test!]
Objective: Deliver a performance that completely overwhelms veteran actors!
Reward: Permission to pursue acting until graduating from elementary school.
“Surely you wouldn’t have said all that without being confident that you could accomplish something, would you?”
My grandfather’s voice was sharp.
But my gaze remained fixed on the newly appeared blue window.
…I did it.
For the first time, I had earned an opportunity through my own strength and courage.

Chirp, chirp, chirp—
“……”
I slowly awoke to the sound of birds singing outside the window.
Even after waking up, I couldn’t quite bring myself to get up. I simply blinked a few times.
Maybe it was because so many incredible things had happened yesterday, but everything felt unreal.
—Snoooore…
But the fox sleeping beside my pillow was proof that it had all really happened.
I must have been exhausted…
I gently stroked the fox, who showed no signs of waking up, a few times before stretching lightly.
“Mmm…”
I’d been terribly tired yesterday, but after a good night’s sleep, my body felt as light as a feather.
And it wasn’t just my body.
My heart was practically bouncing in my chest, and I was positively giddy with excitement.
“…Hehe.”
Of course I was.
I was in an absolutely wonderful mood right now.
What had happened in the study yesterday had given me a tremendous boost of confidence.
I’d been so scared, but I’d gathered my courage, and I’d actually managed to convince my grandfather!
Of course, I hadn’t completely won him over.
I still have to prove myself as an actor, and I can only pursue acting until I graduate from elementary school…
But I was happy just knowing that I’d earned this opportunity through my own efforts.
If I work hard, I can do it, too…!
Determined, I clenched both fists.
You can do it! You can do it!
All right, let’s do our best today, too.
Today was going to be just as important as yesterday.
I was just about to get out of bed and start getting ready when—
Creak—
“……?”
My head instinctively turned at the sound of the door opening.
That’s strange. Who could it be?
There was no one who would normally come to see me this early in the morning.
I cautiously peeked out from between the curtains of my canopy bed, and the moment I saw who had entered, my eyes widened.
The person standing in the doorway was someone I’d never expected to see.
“D-Dad?”