After finishing all their schedules, Brownblack and Seo Eunchan headed to Seo Jun's house. They were taken aback by the unexpected applause and the flash mob on their way home.
The front door opened with a bang, and Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun, who were setting off fireworks, finally made it feel real.
Without a word, they burst into tears. Seo Jun, who was sandwiched between Brownblack, didn't cry this time.
Feeling a bit sulky, he kept pushing away the faces of his older brothers who were trying to get close.
"Seo Jun seems a bit cold today?"
"I thought so too."
Brownblack, who had quickly washed up, gathered around Seo Jun. To cheer him up, Brownblack quickly picked up the dolls.
"Wow, Seo Jun has such dolls?"
"Whoa, this one is completely a skeleton?"
Brownblack, who had never seen monster dolls before, was initially surprised but soon started playing with Seo Jun enthusiastically, following the 'script for playing with Seo Jun' that Kim Heesang, who attended the celebration party, had passed on. Seo Jun's mood quickly improved.
The living room table was soon filled with delicious food. While sharing stories and showing them the real-time search results, Lee Minjun spoke up.
"We're going to America."
"Huh?"
"We're moving to America. Probably in about a month."
"America?!"
Brownblack exclaimed in surprise. Kim Heesang, who had become close to Brownblack over the past month, and Seo Eunchan, the manager, seemed to already know and were just drinking beer.
"Yeah. Minjun got transferred to the U.S. office. We'll probably be there for about 2 to 3 years."
"Since it would be lonely to go alone, we decided to go together."
Brownblack nodded in disbelief. He then looked at Seo Jun, who was sucking on Rich King's hand. 2 to 3 years. It was a long time.
"Where in America are you going?"
"LA. Los Angeles."
Kevin asked quietly, and Lee Minjun answered.
"If it's LA, we have a house there. Everyone else has moved away, so only my sister lives there now..."
Kevin showed them a photo on his phone. It was a family photo. A younger-looking Kevin and two other people were in the picture.
"This is my brother, and this is my sister."
A stern-looking man and a woman laughing heartily were visible. Lee Minjun and Seo Eunhye looked at the photo.
"I'll contact my sister. If you have any problems or questions, just call her. Here's her contact."
"Having someone we know in America is good, but is it okay to just give this out?"
"Ahahaha."
Kevin laughed at Lee Minjun's question.
"It's fine. My sister is super social. She'll be thrilled to have more people to know. She'll even come out and play if you call her, as long as she's not busy with work."
"Really? Thanks. I'll definitely call."
Seo Eunhye tightly held the contact information.
They had decided to go because there was no one to worry about, but paradoxically, the lack of acquaintances made them a bit nervous. It was fortunate to have someone to ask about life in America.
* * *
Seo Eunhye stroked Seo Jun's hair as he slept. Lee Minjun quietly looked at Seo Jun's face. Seo Jun's mouth moved as if he was eating something in his dream.
"I can't believe it. I thought I didn't have prejudices..."
Seo Eunhye's self-reproach made Lee Minjun laugh. He felt the same way.
"It's inevitable. We're parents."
"But it still feels wrong."
Seo Eunhye's heart ached when she saw Seo Jun hugging the monster dolls one by one after the filming ended and returned home. Moreover, in the video of [48 Hours], Seo Jun never touched the dolls.
When she asked Seo Eunchan, he said that not only in the edited version but throughout the 48 hours, Seo Jun only touched the dolls at the beginning.
"Our Seo Jun is too kind and smart. He seems to be too sensitive to our reactions."
"......We must have made him that way, right?"
Seo Eunhye, who lost her father at a young age, had been hurt by the insensitive comments of others while growing up and even now, but she had never given up and lived resiliently.
Having overcome such prejudices, she thought she was living happily without caring about others' opinions.
But that wasn't the case.
Seo Jun had heard the comment "That baby, the doll is strange" from someone in the past, which had deeply affected Seo Eunhye. The comment that the doll was strange soon turned into the baby being strange, which kept circling in her mind. Lee Minjun, who heard the story from Seo Eunhye, also became a bit sensitive.
Unconsciously, it had become their trauma.
"I thought it would be different for us, but I didn't want Seo Jun to hear such comments."
"Right. What if Seo Jun gets hurt?"
So, the couple played with the monster dolls Seo Jun liked at home.
The other mothers were kind and didn't hide it, but they didn't bring the dolls outside. They only brought a regular teddy bear.
While washing the dolls, they realized that even the teddy bear wasn't ordinary.
They understood that this was a thoughtful gesture from Kim Heesang, who considered the couple's feelings and Seo Jun.
However, their efforts to protect Seo Jun from judgment had instead made him more sensitive. This little boy was becoming overly cautious.
While pondering how to make Seo Jun play with the dolls without worrying about their reactions, coincidentally, Lee Minjun was transferred to the U.S. office.
America.
A place where diverse people live. A place where various personalities exist, and even uniqueness can be a strength.
Although things were improving, in Korea, where they knew too many people, it was hard not to be concerned. In America, where they knew no one, it might be better.
Changing the environment and meeting diverse people might help Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun overcome their trauma.
Thinking this, Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun decided to move to America with Seo Jun.
They had enough money.
When Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun checked the account linked to Nertube after a long time, they were amazed by the unbelievable numbers and their hearts raced.
They then set aside some money for Seo Jun and donated to several organizations.
"I'll also study more while in America."
"Seo Jun will see a broader world."
The parents decided to go to America for their own sake and for Seo Jun's sake.
* * *
Seo Jun went to a nearby park with his mother in a stroller. It was chilly, but he was warm in his thick clothes.
While sitting on a bench and enjoying the warm sunlight with his mother, he heard murmurs. It was a couple sitting on the opposite bench.
"Is that baby the one who appeared with Brownblack? The one on WNET."
"Is it? I'm not sure."
"Of course. I recognized him at first sight."
"Kids at that age all look similar, don't they?"
The woman nodded, agreeing with the man's comment. It was indeed hard to distinguish between babies' faces.
"But, did you watch 48 Hours?"
"Yeah, it was fun. Watching babies must be really hard."
Seo Eunhye carefully relaxed her stiff body and stood up. She blocked Seo Jun's stroller and slowly moved away from the bench, making sure not to seem like she was avoiding them.
Once they were away from the couple and in a less crowded area, Seo Eunhye's legs gave out, and she squatted on the ground.
"Momma?"
"Wow, people are starting to recognize us outside?"
It had been a month since Brownblack debuted. They left a strong impression as a talented idol group and were still busy with broadcasts and events.
There was no time to make calls, and Seo Eunchan was even busier than before the debut. Seo Eunhye and her mother were at their wits' end.
As Brownblack's popularity rose, more people started watching Nertube's [48 Hours].
When it became a topic online, WNET proposed to re-edit and air [48 Hours] to Seo Eunchan.
"Since it's a late-night show, not many people watch it. Plus, we're going to America soon. The kids will grow so much that no one will recognize them when we come back."
Seo Eunchan, who was using his nephew for Brownblack's success, suggested that since it was already on Nertube, it wouldn't matter. The couple agreed.
WNET accepted Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun's opinions and edited the video for television. This time, it focused more on Brownblack.
"This should be fine to include."
The video that wasn't on Nertube. Seo Eunchan decided to include the footage of the man they met at the playground.
Seo Eunchan went to Seo Jun's apartment to get the man's consent and heard the story. "Why didn't I know this?" Seo Eunchan, the manager, reflected.
"I'm really sorry!"
"No, it's fine. It was good publicity."
"It wasn't real publicity!"
With the man's permission, the cable channel edited and aired the man's post, the comments, and the playground footage.
-Really?
-It wasn't real publicity?
-Why wasn't it on Nertube?
-If it was, people would have called it fake. Who would go to an unknown idol group's performance and get autographs just because the songs are good?
-True.
The man in the video smiled brightly.
"This is the first autograph!"
It was officially recognized as the first autograph on the show.
-When Brownblack becomes famous, it will be worth a lot.
-Yeah, the story is good too.
-Envious...
...
-But the baby is cute.
-Yeah, he seems smarter than other kids. He doesn't even shy away or cry.
-Isn't this the baby from the eating video? The legendary eating video.
-Oh, that's right. He's in Nertube ads now. The one with the elephant.
* * *
"We should go home before we find out more."
"Okay!"
Seo Jun was excited. People were already recognizing him, though not as much as his older brothers.
His heart was pounding.
The feeling of being noticed by others! It's amazing!
When they returned home with Seo Eunhye, the house was a mess. Only the bedroom was tidy. The living room and kitchen were filled with half-packed boxes.
"We decided to keep the house. This is what we need to take."
"Okay!"
Seo Jun held up the Rich King doll. Seo Eunhye smiled.
"Seo Jun, you took good care of your dolls."
"Okay!"
Seo Jun hugged the Rich King doll tightly and smiled brightly. The way his parents looked at the dolls was different. It seemed like their minds were a bit more at ease. Seo Jun was happy too.
A week later, Seo Jun left for America.
* * *
"Seo Jun, Aunt Na is here!"
"Aunt!"
Seo Jun, who was waving at passersby from the window, turned his head.
Na, Kevin's sister, was standing at the door, waving. Seo Jun ran over and did a high-five with Na Kim.
It had been four years since they moved to America.