*
The set was decorated with colorful toys.
The only difference from ordinary toys was that they were enormous, as if meant to be used by giants.
But that alone made it a dopamine-filled paradise for a five-year-old.
As Gru received her makeup, she could not stop exclaiming when a train large enough to carry a child rolled into motion.
“Whoa!”
“Gru, look at me. Let’s keep those lips sealed, all right? Seal!”
“Seal!”
When Gru firmly pressed her lips together and put on a solemn expression, the surrounding staff burst into laughter, utterly charmed by her cuteness.
Gru’s concept for the day was a wind-up angel doll.
Once her makeup was finished and a doll windup key and tiny wings were attached to her back, exclamations of admiration erupted from all around.
“She’s unbelievably cute.”
“Gru, look at Uncle. Say cheese—”
“Cheese!”
“Ah, she’s really beautiful.”
“Gru looks even better in person.”
The staff who had been dressing Gru up were fussing over her and taking pictures when—
“Gru! You’re so pretty and cute. I’m Jake Kim, the man who’ll be taking your pictures today.”
When a flamboyantly dyed-haired man greeted her, the people surrounding Gru stepped aside.
“……!”
According to Uju, he was the most influential up-and-coming photographer these days.
“Hel-lo! I’m On Gru from the Chick Class of Justitia Kindergarten!”
Gru bowed deeply from the waist, and Jake grinned as he held out his hand for a handshake.
‘A handshake! Just like an adult!’
With a determined look on her face, Gru clasped his hand in both of hers and shook it vigorously up and down.
Jake laughed aloud, then straightened his back.
Spreading both arms toward the staff, he spoke in a theatrical tone.
“Today’s got a really good feel to it!”
The staff burst out laughing at Jake’s words.
It meant that he liked his subject very much—and that was a sign the shoot would go smoothly.
Following his guidance, Gru went straight up onto the set.
“Gru, play around freely here.”
Gru creaked her way onto the set and climbed onto the train she had noticed first.
“She’s adorable! You’re doing great!”
Thanks to Jake’s praise, her nervousness melted away before she knew it.
Gru gradually began playing with the toys more naturally.
“They said she was a beginner, but she’s pretty good, isn’t she?”
“Exactly. I was worried since it was a shoot with a child, but she isn’t even crying. This is incredibly easy.”
“And most importantly, the kid is pretty.”
“Right.”
“Exactly, exactly. That’s what matters.”
Laughter broke out here and there.
Thanks to the cute and sociable baby, the atmosphere on set was lively.
Click!
Click!
The shoot continued, and Gru was holding a giant teddy bear when—
A group of people in suits suddenly came pouring into the studio. Behind them, two familiar faces appeared.
On Suhyeong and Nam Jiwon. The two chairwomen had come to visit.
“Hm?”
Jake, who had been taking pictures, listened to something whispered by a staff member and turned around.
The staff grew tense at the advertisers’ unexpected visit and nervously watched their faces, while Jake ran a hand through his hair with an displeased expression.
“Uh-oh. Photographer, why are you suddenly doing that?”
“Ah, photographer… What do we do? He hates it when the advertisers come. He doesn’t like them meddling so much….”
“Oh dear… How did this happen….”
“They’re not going to start nitpicking because they don’t like something, are they?”
Even as the staff fretted anxiously, Jake’s expression did not ease.
Gru saw the photographer’s stiff face and creakily rolled her eyes as well.
She had noticed that the atmosphere of the set had changed—the staff, the photographer, everyone.
When the child’s expression hardened, Jake clicked his tongue awkwardly.
He had acted like an idiot. How could he let his face stiffen so unprofessionally in front of a beginner child model?
‘Damn it. It’ll be a disaster if she starts crying.’
If the child cried, they would have to redo her makeup, and it would take a long time for her to regain her composure.
‘Should we take a short break?’
If he played with her and helped her relax, perhaps she could smile again.
Jake was about to lower his camera when—
After rolling her large eyes for a moment, Gru looked straight at the camera.
“……!”
Jake raised the camera he had been about to lower.
Then, as though warm sunlight were beginning to shine across her face, a smile spread around Gru’s lips.
Click!
Jake smiled.
As if she knew he was in trouble, the child had given him a mature smile.
He let out an incredulous laugh.
‘Which one of us is the professional here…?’
Jake waved his hand.
“Great! Let’s keep going just like that!”
Gru’s single smile completely reversed the atmosphere. The entire set melted into warmth.
The shutter continued to click as people took pictures of the child.
Click!
Click!
And Jake was not the only one taking pictures.
The two chairwomen, On Suhyeong and Nam Jiwon, were also taking pictures of Gru on their phones, surrounded by a crowd of secretaries in suits.
Then they began flipping through the pictures and arguing over whose pictures were better.
“No, surely anyone can see that my pictures are better.”
“That’s your problem, Chairwoman On. You lack aesthetic sense. Mine are much better. Secretary Kim, compare these for us. I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Pardon…? Me?”
The staff, who had been tense, each let out quiet chuckles at Secretary Kim’s helpless expression.
It seemed the two had not come to the set as advertisers today.
The chairwomen were nothing more than a grandfather and grandmother who were completely smitten with their granddaughter.
And so, the set gradually returned to its lively atmosphere.
*
“All right, last one! Jump!”
At Jake’s suggestion, Gru sprang up from atop a toy box.
“Yaaay—!”
Click! Click! Click!
Shutter sounds continued amid exclamations of delight.
At last, Jake lowered his camera and gave the chairwomen a polite bow.
On Suhyeong looked puzzled, but Nam Jiwon understood his meaning and smiled with satisfaction.
“Looks like it was easy working with our Gru. That picky man even bowed to us.”
“Ahem.”
On Suhyeong gave a faint smile and cleared his throat to hide his pride.
After the cheerful shoot ended, just as they were about to review the pictures—
“Oh, Seo Uju?”
“It’s Seo Uju.”
A murmur spread among the staff.
Uju had appeared at the set with his manager.
“Uju!”
“Whoa…!”
When Gru came running over happily, Uju was startled and blushed.
The manager waved hello to Gru, then poked Uju repeatedly in the elbow.
“Gru looks really pretty today, huh? So that’s why you wanted to come?”
“Stop it~!”
Uju smacked his manager several times, then wet his lips with his tongue.
He shifted his eyes around before speaking.
“Gru, you….”
“Mm?”
“You look really pretty today.”
It was a compliment steeped in embarrassment.
Gru became shy as well, shook her head vigorously, and smiled bashfully.
“Thank you. Uju too… Um, today Uju is… uh, avant-garde.”
“Avant-garde?”
“It means you’re ahead of your time.”
Gru had learned the phrase from Jurim and returned it word for word.
Uju tugged awkwardly at his shirt.
“Ah, this. I might have to go back and shoot again later.”
Perhaps because it was a zombie movie, Uju was wearing clothes ripped to shreds, with injury makeup covering various parts of his face and body.
“Uh, shouldn’t Uju be shooting?”
Come to think of it, Uju had said gloomily that he could not come to Gru’s shoot because it overlapped with his movie filming.
That was why Gru had promised to visit his set instead.
“The thing is… filming’s been put on hold for a bit because a dungeon appeared at the location.”
A dungeon had suddenly appeared at the place they had rented for filming.
It would not have been a problem if they had cleared the dungeon before filming began. For some reason, however, the raid had been delayed day after day, and the dungeon still had not disappeared by the day of the shoot.
“A dungeon?”
“Yeah. We’ve asked the guild that owns it to clear it right away, but apparently they’re having a hard time.”
“Gasp! Is it a strong dungeon?”
“Apparently it’s AAA-rank or something.”
“I see….”
AAA-rank was the level immediately below S-rank. Gru did not know which guild had been assigned the dungeon, but depending on the circumstances, it could certainly be difficult.
“So we’re still discussing with the guild when they can clear it, but I guess it’s taking some time. The guild keeps saying they can’t manage it right now because of their circumstances.”
“Ohh….”
Uju sighed, and Gru nodded gravely as she listened.
The manager, who had been listening to the children’s conversation, gave a bitter smile.
“Circumstances, my foot….”
It was not a matter of whether they had the means to clear the dungeon. It was because of the adults’ circumstances.
“Our hunters are on vacation right now. So if we want to clear it, we’d have to hire mercenaries, and that’s not something that costs just a few pennies. You know how much hunters charge, right? So, unless you pay us a little more, I don’t think we’ll be able to clear it right away. You’re smart people, so I’m sure you understand.”
It was one of the common ways guilds staked out a dungeon.
A form of bullying used to extract unfair profits from people in urgent need of a dungeon raid.
Especially when a large-scale shoot was imminent, time was money.
Extras, filming equipment, rental hours for the location, and countless other expenses meant they would ultimately have no choice but to hand over the money the guild demanded and be done with it.
The reason negotiations had taken longer than expected this time was the film’s reputation.
Because it was the sequel to a hit movie, the guild wanted to charge more than the usual going rate.
‘What a bunch of vicious bastards.’