Seo Jun and his mother were looking at a laptop. The screen was still flipping through so fast that Seo Jun couldn't make anything out, but fortunately, Seo Eun-hye explained everything to him one by one.
Seo Eun-hye didn't think Seo Jun would understand anything. However, with Seo Jun's appropriate interjections, it made it more enjoyable to talk.
"Wow. It doesn't work after 20 months."
Although she was the one who filmed the video, Seo Eun-hye was surprised to find out that the internet was full of stories about the video she didn't know. Especially, the posts about the effectiveness depending on the age in months were shocking.
"Apu!"
'Is it because [Fairy Sparkle] is a low-level ability?'
There were quite a few abilities that made people imitate, but they required a corresponding amount of mana. It was too much for Seo Jun, who was only 8 months old, to use.
"There are a lot of other babies' eating videos too?"
That's how trends work. When someone starts, everyone follows.
However, unlike Seo Jun's video, other babies' eating videos didn't have any effect. They might eat once or twice by chance, but by the second day, it was clear.
"Everyone says they only watch Seo Jun's video. Our Seo Jun is amazing!"
Seo Jun's shoulders perked up at his mother's praise.
Seo Eun-hye surfed the internet for a while and then looked up. It was already past 10 PM. Lee Min-joon, who was supposed to come back at 7 PM, was late.
"Dad is late."
"Apu, apu, apu."
Today, Lee Min-joon took a half-day off from work and went to Elephant to talk about the CF contract. He planned to meet his lawyer friend to review the contract.
"Probably drinking with his friend."
"Ubu, ubu."
Seo Jun laid down on the bear plushie next to him. It was already 10 PM, and he was sleepy.
Seo Eun-hye picked up Seo Jun. Patting his back, he soon felt drowsy. Seo Jun's eyelids slowly closed.
Ding dong ding dong.
The timing was bad.
Click—
The door opened. The sound made Seo Jun's eyes snap open. Seo Eun-hye swallowed.
"Dad's here!"
Dad, with a red face, said. Seo Eun-hye waved her hands at Lee Min-joon, who was reaching out to hold Seo Jun.
"Go take a shower first."
"…Okay."
After quickly showering, Lee Min-joon sat down with Seo Eun-hye. His eyes seemed fine, indicating he hadn't drunk too much. Seo Jun, who had woken up, played with the bear plushie next to his parents.
Lee Min-joon took out the contract. It was a copy, not the original.
Difficult words and phrases were marked with a pen, and comments were added below. Lee Min-joon explained the contract based on what he had heard from the Elephant team leader and his lawyer friend.
"So, the shooting time is when Seo Jun eats, about 30 minutes of shooting, and if more is needed, additional shooting on the same day. Of course, after Seo Jun's digestion is complete."
Considering Seo Jun's eating time, they would have to wait 2-3 hours after one shoot before shooting again.
"Seo Jun will be comfortable, but others will have to wait so long. So, they want to finish in one go… Is it possible to shoot in 30 minutes?"
"They said it should be fine as long as it looks like the video uploaded to Nertube. They can handle it with editing, subtitles, and narration."
Seo Eun-hye nodded in relief at Lee Min-joon's words. The Nertube video was a raw, unedited clip. Lee Min-joon continued.
"If you send a photo of where Seo Jun eats comfortably, they will try to make the background as similar as possible."
"Wow. They're paying so much attention? That's great."
"They said it will be uploaded to Nertube ads first and then to TV ads later. The period is about 3 months."
Seo Eun-hye was delighted with the better-than-expected terms. She had been worried that Seo Jun might be uncomfortable, but with this level of attention, it seemed fine.
"Seems really good. What does your friend think?"
"There are no poison clauses, and it's fine."
"Then, should we do the ad?"
Seo Eun-hye asked, and Lee Min-joon nodded. Seo Jun also nodded. His parents laughed when they saw this.
"Seo Jun agrees too."
"Then, it's decided!"
Lee Min-joon found a black pen and then took out the original contract.
"Sign here."
"Got it."
Seo Eun-hye wrote her name, and Lee Min-joon also signed. After a moment's thought, Seo Eun-hye went to the toy storage and the couple's closet, bringing back red paint.
"Why is that?"
"Since it's Seo Jun's CF, Seo Jun's signature is needed too. This is natural paint. I bought it on sale to use for sensory play when he's a bit older. Since Seo Jun can't sign, we need to stamp his fingerprint."
Seo Eun-hye brought a small bowl from the kitchen and poured a little red paint into it. She then sat Seo Jun on her lap.
Seo Eun-hye dipped Seo Jun's right thumb in the paint.
"Wait, wait! Let's take a picture for the first contract as a keepsake!"
Lee Min-joon quickly grabbed the camera and snapped a few photos. He even recorded a video, seemingly reluctant to miss the moment. Seo Eun-hye stamped Seo Jun's thumb below the couple's signatures.
The CF contract now had the signatures of the parents and the red thumbprint of the baby.
* * *
Seo Jun opened his eyes. It seemed he had fallen asleep. Stretching out his hands, he saw that his thumb still had a red tint.
Remembering his mother's words that it would be gone by tomorrow, Seo Jun clenched and unclenched his fists.
Lifting his head, Seo Jun saw a blue door in front of him. It was the same door he had opened.
"Is it still just here?"
Seo Jun waved his hand to the right. A larger door appeared, but it didn't open when he pressed it with his palm. He waved his hand again to open the blue door.
Seo Jun slowly crawled over to check the books.
"Have I read up to here?"
Books that hadn't been shelved were scattered on the floor.
"Hmm. Should I make an automatic cleaning spell?"
Shaking her head, she thought it might not be bad to mark where she had read.
Moreover, with his current baby body, it was difficult to do much.
Seo Jun started reading the books from where he had left off.
"Is there anything good?"
What would be needed for the ad shoot?
[Fairy Sparkle - Lowest Level] was effective, but only for babies up to 20 months.
Unlike the eating video, which only needed to be effective for babies, the Elephant formula ad needed to appeal to parents with purchasing power.
"What can I do for adults… Hmm…"
Seo Jun read the books diligently. Many lives contained in the books were read quickly.
Clearly, the body in the library was different from the real-world baby body. In the library, he could read the text quickly and move his hands and body easily, unlike in the real world.
However, reading continuously still made his eyes hurt.
"Ah, my eyes."
Seo Jun rubbed his eyes with his tiny hands and took a short break. He thought of the Rich King doll given by Uncle Hui-sang.
"If only I had Rich's hypnosis magic, it would be so much easier…"
Knowing that it could be effective through videos, one hypnosis spell could lead to a sellout.
Unfortunately, the memory of a life like Rich's required passing through a very large door, which Seo Jun in his current state couldn't open.
"Besides, Rich's magic is only dark-aligned… Maybe it's too much to ask…"
Seo Jun, who had given up on the light-aligned [Elf's Basic Breathing], continued reading.
"I might have to read all night… Sigh…"
He couldn't find a suitable ability.
Quite a bit of time seemed to have passed. Seo Jun was pondering. Should he give up and rest? Or should he search a little more?
Then, a book caught his eye. As he read the title, a faint memory surfaced in his mind. Huh?
"Is this here?"
Seo Jun's eyes widened. He quickly opened the book and read it. Reading the book made the life at that time feel much closer.
"This is perfect!"
Finding a satisfying ability, Seo Jun smiled brightly.
* * *
"Hello!"
Team Leader Choi Hyun-ji hurried over to greet them. Seo Eun-hye, who was taking Seo Jun out of the car seat, also greeted her warmly. Lee Min-joon got out of the car with Seo Jun's bag.
"I'm Team Leader Choi Hyun-ji from Elephant's planning team."
"Hello, I'm Seo Eun-hye, Seo Jun's mother."
Team Leader Choi Hyun-ji led the family to the set.
"You arrived early, even though there's still some time before the shoot!"
"I thought it would be better for Seo Jun to get used to the unfamiliar set before the shoot."
"That's great for us!"
The set was spacious and open, with one side resembling a living room and the other side equipped with cameras and lights.
People who looked like staff were moving furniture and adjusting the lighting in the living room set.
Seeing the living room set for the first time, Seo Eun-hye was impressed.
"It's really the same."
"Yes, we tried to make it as similar as possible."
Seo Jun also made an "Ooh" sound, seeing the living room that was almost identical to his home.
"This is the waiting room. If Seo Jun is uncomfortable, you can come in and rest anytime."
Opening the door, they found a room decorated warmly.
There were dolls that babies would like, a small baby crib, a mobile hanging above it, a coffee pot, a yellow elephant-drawn Elephant formula can, and a bottle sterilizer. There were even diapers from various brands.
Moreover, sandwiches, coffee sticks, and snacks were prepared for the parents, making Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon exclaim in surprise.
"It's really nice."
"Yes, you can tour the set anytime. Or you can rest here until the shoot. The director hasn't arrived yet… Oh, when you tour the set, be careful of the many wires on the floor. Also, make sure to hold Seo Jun, as there might be dangerous objects."
Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon nodded at Team Leader Choi Hyun-ji's words. She left the waiting room to prepare for the shoot.
While unpacking Seo Jun's bag, Lee Min-joon said,
"I didn't expect them to prepare so much."
"Me neither. And these dolls are really cute."
Seo Eun-hye, holding Seo Jun, admired the dolls gathered on one side.
Soft, yellow chick dolls, round-eyed panda dolls, and a cluster of sparrow dolls. They were worlds apart from the dolls at home.
Lee Min-joon laughed, half in resignation. In his hand was the only ordinary bear doll from home.
"Seo Jun might not like them."
His mother looked at her son. Seo Jun wasn't interested in the dolls in front of him. He was reaching for the bear doll his father had taken out. Lee Min-joon gave the bear doll to Seo Jun.
Finding it too heavy to hold, Seo Jun was placed in the prepared baby crib with the bear doll.
"Apu, apu."
'Of course, the best doll is the one from Uncle!'
Playing with the bear doll's belly, Seo Jun looked down at his own belly, where the ultimate ad skill he found in the library of life was stored.
'Huh? My head keeps drooping…'
Unable to support the weight of his head, Seo Jun's forehead hit the bear doll's belly.