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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Miracle Video
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Eric Smith had a 15-month-old son who had just started to utter his first words.
He had been overjoyed when his son started saying 'Mama' and 'Papa'.
"Maria…"
But now, he felt like crying.
Because his son, Jack Smith, had clamped his mouth shut since morning, refusing to eat anything.
It had only been two days since he was left alone with his son. It was the first time this had happened, and Eric was flustered. He'd already been struggling with his son for thirty minutes. Eric was filled with regret.
'Why didn't I learn how back then?'
A vivid image of his wife, trying to get just one more spoonful in, flashed before his eyes.
"Nooo!"
Watching his son, who was sitting in his high chair, bang his little hands on the small table—*thump! thump!*—made him feel like he was about to lose his mind.
After trying every trick in the book, from playing airplane to playing train with Jack's little spoon, Eric finally resorted to his last option.
"I didn't want to bother you…"
But he couldn't just let his son starve.
>There's yogurt in the fridge that Jack likes. Try that.
Maria Park, on a business trip in France, sighed as she read her husband's message.
"Only two days…"
Her son was a very picky eater. That's why she'd stocked the fridge full of Jack's favorite foods before she left, but their effectiveness had already worn out in just two days.
She had even stocked up on sweet things she wouldn't normally feed him, but it was no use.
"What am I going to do…"
She had to stay in Paris, France, for at least three more days. No, three days was only if things went exceptionally well. But right now…
"Director! This still hasn't arrived!"
Someone shouted, waving a piece of paper. The startled director shot up from his seat and grabbed the phone.
He dialed the number with lightning speed and waited for the other party to pick up. The director anxiously bounced his leg, his impatience on full display.
*Click-*
-Hel…
"What do you mean you haven't sent it yet? We don't have much time left, don't you know this is the most important part?"
Watching the director rattle off his complaints before the other person could even speak, Maria wiped her face with both hands.
"At this rate, I won't be able to leave even after a week…"
*Is this what a stress-induced illness feels like?* Maria Park let out a deep sigh. Then she sent a message. The recipient was Eric Smith, her husband.
>Figure it out, you're his Papa, aren't you? ;)
"Maria? Maria?!"
Eric shook his smartphone. It was a cry that would never be heard, but Eric couldn't give up on his last resort so easily. He shouted, hoping his voice would reach all the way to Paris, France.
"Maria!!"
"Nooooo!!"
Defeated, Eric slumped onto the dining table. Jack continued to bang on his high chair tray.
Tears welled up in Eric's eyes. Tears welled up in the baby's eyes, too. Eric looked at Jack, who was on the verge of crying. Was it because he missed his mom, or because he was hungry?
"If you're hungry, you can just eat…"
Eric picked up the spoon. It was Jack's favorite yogurt. Jack knew the sweet taste of the pure white yogurt, but he wouldn't open his mouth. He just shook his head from side to side.
Just as round two between Eric and Jack was about to begin.
*-Ding!*
A notification sound chimed.
Later, when Maria returned home after her two-week business trip, Eric would tell her that the notification had sounded like a heavenly bell.
Of course, right now, it was just a useless alarm.
"What's this?"
The sound had come from the FinePad on the table. It was the FinePad Maria used when she was cooking or working at the table.
He looked at the screen and saw a notification that one of the N-tube channels Maria subscribed to had been updated.
[LALA'S DAY - A new video has been uploaded.]
It was the N-tuber Maria sometimes referenced when she made Korean-Western fusion dishes.
Eric hesitated for a moment. He checked the time; his struggle with his son had now surpassed fifty minutes.
"Alright, Jack. Son. Let's call a temporary truce."
Eric raised both hands. Jack pouted and babbled to himself.
He decided to watch the video for a brief change of pace.
"Maria said this N-tuber's daughter has been eating well lately…"
He remembered what Maria had said. The N-tuber and her subscribers, all raising babies together, were trying various methods shared through comments and videos to get their children to eat.
But for the past few days, Maria had been saying how envious she was that the N-tuber's daughter was eating so well.
He'd even bought the baby formula the N-tuber had posted about—one sold only in Korea that he'd managed to get through international shipping—and tried making the recommended baby food, but none of it worked on Jack.
"I wonder if she'll upload a secret to getting kids to eat well?"
Eric pressed the play button. Unlike usual, there were no ads.
"Huh? Two minutes?"
It was only a two-minute video. Eric, who had planned on taking a thirty-minute break while watching, stared at the screen with an ambiguous expression.
[Hello! This is LALA!]
He thought it was a bit strange, but Eric didn't stop the video.
It was a stroke of divine luck. Looking back, Eric thought that notification was truly a blessing. And watching that video was the best thing he'd ever done, right after marrying Maria and having Jack.
[Today's video is a short one. I'm here to recommend an N-tube channel.]
LALA seemed to be filming handheld, as she spoke with a serious expression into the shaky camera.
[My daughter has been eating really well lately. You all know that, right?]
Eric nodded.
[Well, I've mentioned it so many times, of course you know.]
After a brief pause, LALA opened her mouth.
[I've brought you the secret.]
"What?"
Eric was startled. A secret?
People watching her video all over the world were startled too.
LALA bowed her head deeply. Her face was full of apology.
[It's true that my daughter eats the formula and baby food well. But that wasn't the entire reason she started eating so well. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner.]
"Wait, what?"
The formula he'd waited hours for until it was restocked came to mind. The stock was so limited that he'd barely managed to buy it before it sold out.
And then there were all the ingredients piled up in the fridge that he'd bought to make the baby food. Eric stared at the refrigerator, dumbfounded.
LALA had only said it was a 'recommendation,' and Eric hadn't believed the N-tuber 100 percent, but he still felt like he'd been scammed.
Eric opened the comment section to see what others were thinking. A lot of comments had already been posted.
-Wait, so it wasn't because of the formula and baby food?
-You have no idea what I went through to get that formula… They don't even ship internationally here ㅜㅜ
-I even paid extra for it…
-LALA only recommended it.
-Yeah. What she recommended might not suit other kids. It's not LALA's fault.
-But she said there was another secret. Everyone's disappointed because she hid it.
-Maybe it's related to her private life?
Since they were all loyal viewers of LALA, there were no vulgar comments, but many blamed her and expressed their disappointment. On the other hand, there were also many comments defending her. It looked like a fight was about to break out.
As he was scrolling through the comments, LALA's voice came on and subtitles appeared. An airplane icon popped up at the top of the screen.
[The video indicated by the icon on the screen right now is the secret.]
The title "What is this?"
Eric, who had been about to write a comment, paused and tilted his head. He couldn't tell what it was from the title alone.
LALA's video continued.
[To explain briefly, this is a video my friend uploaded. It was originally meant for just our group of friends to see, but I finally convinced her to upload it to N-tube.]
He grew curious about what kind of video required so much convincing.
[This video is for the children to watch, rather than the parents. It was the same for my daughter. Set it up so your baby can see it clearly, and then try feeding them baby food or formula. They'll eat it right up.]
Several photos appeared, showing LALA's daughter eating while looking at a smartphone. Eric glanced at Jack, who still had his mouth clamped shut, then turned back to the screen.
[The baby food and formula were my personal recommendations, but you have to watch these videos. Really, it's a must! I'll be back with another video soon! Bye, everyone!]
With those words, LALA's video ended. All that remained was the video she had recommended.
Eric thought for a moment, then decided to do as she said. His last resort, Maria, had left everything in his hands.
Eric placed the FinePad where Jack could see it clearly and went to warm up Jack's baby food. It was the one made from LALA's recommended recipe. He figured that if it was the baby food she'd recommended, maybe Jack would eat it better while watching the video.
"Will this really work?"
He was skeptical, but looking at Jack, who hadn't eaten for an hour, he had no choice but to try.
Jack kept his mouth firmly shut, and Eric sighed. The baby food was placed in front of Jack. Eric sat down next to him, deciding to feed him while they watched the video together.
"Please, just eat…"
The video started.
A baby with jet-black hair appeared on the screen. He looked younger than Jack, not even a year old, and was sitting in a high chair.
He was an adorable baby with chubby cheeks and distinct features. Then, a soft sound was heard. It was a man's voice.
'Is that his dad? Jun?'
He saw the channel name. [JUN]. It seemed to be the baby's name.
A woman's hand appeared, holding a small baby spoon with pure white baby food on it.
Eric scooped some baby food onto Jack's spoon as well. Then he glanced at his son.
His son's sulky expression had softened slightly as he stared intently at the video.
'Oh!'
Eric held his breath, waiting for the right moment.
The baby in the video, Jun, opened his mouth, and the spoon went in. Jun waved his short, chubby arms.
Jack's eyes widened into perfect circles. The fascinating baby with shiny hair was eating his baby food. Very deliciously. *Nom, nom.* For some reason, Jack felt an urge to copy him.
"Ah-! Ah!"
Jack's mouth opened. Eric knew. This was it!
*Swoop!* The spoon slipped right into Jack's mouth. Jack mumbled for a moment before swallowing it all without spitting.
Eric's eyes widened.
Oh, ohh, ohhh!!
He felt like shouting with joy but held it in. There was still a lot of baby food left.
Eric's savior, Jun, enthusiastically waved his arms while eating, and Jack ate with just as much enthusiasm. Seemingly excited, Jack also started waving his arms.
One spoonful after another. Following Jun's lead, the bowl was empty in no time.
"Papa! Papa!"
Having devoured the entire bowl of baby food, a full Jack repeatedly called for his papa and hugged Eric. Eric felt his vision blur with tears.
"No, this isn't the time for that."
Eric quickly grabbed the FinePad and wrote a comment on Jun's video. He hastily hit the subscribe and like buttons. He wanted to make it easy to play next time he had to feed Jack.
-He ate it all! This really works!
-My daughter finished everything too! I recommend this for babies who won't eat!
Then he went back to LALA's video, the one that had led him to Jun's.
The disappointed comments on the short two-minute video were gradually disappearing. It wasn't LALA who was deleting them. The original commenters were voluntarily removing them.
-Thank you! Please tell your friend this was a huge help!
-Thank you so much for convincing her! My son is eating so well!
-I'm the mom who wrote a comment earlier. I'm so sorry. Really… thank you for uploading this video.
*Ding-!*
>Jack, did you feed him?
It was Maria.
With a brightened face, Eric quickly typed a message. He also took a picture of the empty baby food bowl and sent it.
It was for his wife, who was working hard but was surely worried about her picky son and struggling husband.
>How did you do it!? That's amazing!
Eric chuckled. He planned to keep Jun's video a secret until Maria came home. He wanted to boast about how well he could feed their son even without her. Of course, she'd find out as soon as she got back.
Just like Eric Smith, the number of viewers watching the videos from [LALA'S DAY] and [JUN] to feed their babies baby food and formula was steadily increasing. The comments and likes on both videos were also piling up.
24 hours after the video was uploaded.
The video's view count was approaching one million.
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