CTFI 03

Chapter 3

“The Kid I Raised on My Back”

“Are you crazy? Nooo—!”

A child’s scream echoed.

“Please! Save me!”

Yoon Tae-jin clasped his hands together and prostrated himself before Jin Do-hyun.
Ever since the author of “Our Family’s Youngest” had shot him a strange look at the Clef office a few days ago, he had been coming to Do-hyun’s house every day, begging like this.
The reason was simple: he wanted Do-hyun to appear as the “youngest” in “Our Family’s Youngest.”

“I’m a producer! Not a kindergartener, am I!?”
“Look in the mirror! Just by your face and actions, you’re a total kindergartener—”
“Shhhhhh—!”

Do-hyun snatched the back-scratcher beside him and shouted.
That little wooden stick had become his prized possession and essential survival tool.
Since his body had shrunk and his arms shortened, he couldn’t even scratch his back without it.

“Hah… guh! I’m already stressed enough! Please stop bothering me!”

Do-hyun scratched his back vigorously with the back-scratcher.

“Save me! You said you’d help!”
“Ah!”

How had things come to this?
Do-hyun blamed himself for opening the door earlier.
Just ten minutes ago, he had been enjoying a peaceful time.

Piano Fairy Doremi

A children’s animation so ridiculously cutesy that it made your hands and feet cringe: little fairies play the piano, compose songs, and defeat villains. At least, that’s what he had thought at first.
But…

“Hmm…”

By chance, Do-hyun stumbled upon Piano Fairy Doremi, and it immediately captured his eyes and ears.
The protagonist, Doremi, summoned a piano for a dazzling performance; her friend and rival, Misora, added melodies on a shoulder keyboard; and the mercenary, Tam-Tam, summoned drums for a perfect ensemble.

“Melody Beam!”
“Aaagh!”

A tremendous burst of energy erupted, and the villain collapsed miserably.
Ah! The dopamine rush never gets old! A masterpiece!
But that wasn’t all. He had assumed children’s anime themes would be simple, but they weren’t.
The song progressed in a C#m “money chord,” yet on closer inspection, it was meticulously crafted.

In the verses, the Lydian scale added a magical, mysterious atmosphere; in the chorus, the Phrygian scale amplified grandeur and emotion.

On the surface, it looked like a cute kids’ animation with adorable characters, but the theme song was masterfully made, enough to make your heart race.

A few days ago, Do-hyun had suddenly turned into a child and panicked for a while.
It was understandable. Becoming a child without reason was shocking enough—being sane was already a blessing.

‘Why? Who did this? Can I turn back?’

His mind was filled with worries and random thoughts, but ultimately, he found no answers.
Strangely, as time passed, he felt calmer.
Humans are creatures of adaptation… had he really adapted?
Or had his mind and thoughts simplified along with his body?
Or had his brain gone mad from not being able to accept such an unreal situation…?

In any case, Piano Fairy Doremi was like a drop of rain in a drought for him.
Thanks to it, he had even paid for a subscription and was binge-watching.
Today, he planned to watch “Season 3” with a sweet drink.
But…

‘Damn it!’

When the doorbell rang, Do-hyun naturally assumed it was his drink delivery.
Little did he know, it was Yoon Tae-jin!

“….”

Tae-jin wasn’t happy either.
He hadn’t originally intended to ask Do-hyun for anything.
Do-hyun, suddenly turned into a child, had worried him.

‘Is his mind intact? Is he eating properly?’

Unable to stand idly by, he came to Do-hyun’s house himself, only to find…

“Ha ha ha!”
“Ho ho ho ho!”

…Do-hyun was doing perfectly fine, to the point that Tae-jin felt foolish for worrying.
The living room was littered with snack bags and drink cans. The five-year-old Do-hyun had spent the entire day lying on the sofa, watching cartoons.
And most importantly:

“Don’t worry, hyung!”
“What if you never turn back…?”
“Do you secretly hope that happens?”
“No way! Lumis has to start coming back soon…”
“Huh? What do you think of me? My body doesn’t matter. My genius talent is intact. Lumis’ little prodigy escaping? Don’t worry. I’ll even have the office remodeled.”

Shrunken Do-hyun made even bolder boasts than before, raising Tae-jin’s expectations.
Yet now, he was slouched on the sofa, waving him off—well, back-scratcher-waving him off.
Tae-jin felt a wave of helplessness.

‘This is all because of that Doremi, Misora, or whatever!’

Tae-jin’s anger was directed at an innocent children’s program.

“Ah, by the way! Did anyone come looking for me?”

At that, Do-hyun suddenly jumped up and asked.

“…Not really?”
“…Is that so? Good. You can rest for a while then.”

Do-hyun flopped back down. His eyes sparkled.

‘…Is he crying?’

Tae-jin looked at him with a pang of sympathy.
Do-hyun had little to no charm in how he spoke or acted, yet he also seemed pitiful.
Many sought out “Producer Jin Do-hyun” or “Idol Jin Do-hyun,” but few cared about the human Do-hyun.
He never showed his feelings, built walls when someone got close, left without notice or word—people called him “selfish.”
But Tae-jin knew better.
It was just Do-hyun’s self-defense.
He didn’t know how to rely on anyone.
He isolated himself, saying he preferred being alone.
He never admitted loneliness, but always seemed lonely.
He kept the world at a distance.

‘…Right. He’s human too. He must feel hurt sometimes.’

“Haah—What? What are you looking at?”

Do-hyun yawned, mouth tiny and wide.

‘…No, I underestimated him.’

He thought it was a sad tear, but it was a yawn. Oh, bad timing.

“…You’re real, right?”

Tae-jin jumped to his feet.

“Ugh—”

Do-hyun picked his nose with a tiny hand, still staring at Doremi on TV.

“Ah, hyung!”
“…What?”
“Take a coffee when you go. I even ordered two extra just to reach the minimum order.”
“….”

What a brat…
Tae-jin gritted his teeth. His fists trembled.

“…Fine, I’ll drink it. But don’t regret it.”

“I won’t~”

Do-hyun waved the back-scratcher lazily.

“Han Jin-seo is going to VISTA.”
“…What?”

Do-hyun sat up straight.

“Stop moving—!”

Tae-jin stopped, smiling wryly.

“See? Feeling like talking now?”

“Ha ha ha!”

Do-hyun rolled on the sofa, holding his stomach.

“So… that’s how it is…”

Then he suddenly made a cold face, and—

“Ha!”

He laughed again, loudly.

“Yeah… I guess that’s possible.”

He kept alternating between laughing like a maniac and composing himself.

“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure!”
“Hah.”

Do-hyun snorted. Tae-jin smiled inside.
Usually, he was on the receiving end from Do-hyun, but today was different.
With a little provocation, he could sometimes stand above Do-hyun.

“Ha ha ha. Han Jin-seo at VISTA? That rookie too?”
“Yes!”

Tae-jin snapped his fingers, satisfied.

VISTA Entertainment.
One of Korea’s top agencies, where Do-hyun had been a composer and producer.
He had created countless hits and albums there but eventually left.
The reasons were varied: differences in work style, values, personality…
But the real reason:

“I want to raise my idols my way!”

Do-hyun wanted to create “real” idols in his own style.
VISTA had a strong system and capital, but it also erased the colors of its producers.
He left to pursue his dream of making something truly his own.

Then one day, an annoying mosquito appeared.

“Hyung, I heard you left VISTA? Actually, you were kicked out, right?”
“Hyung, I heard about that plagiarism with BURN IT UP.”
“Hyung, you’ve been quiet lately. Retiring? Well, you were too successful for your skill, right?”
“Hyung.”
“Hyung, hyung!”
“Whaaa~!”

Idol-turned-producer Han Jin-seo.
Perhaps because their paths were similar, he felt strong inferiority toward Do-hyun.
Everyone in the industry and fans knew it.
Well, he denied it of course.
And now he was at VISTA, handling rookie projects?
Do-hyun could already predict how annoying he’d be.

‘Even if it’s a mosquito you can swat in one hit, it’s annoying if it keeps buzzing.’

That mosquito caught Do-hyun’s attention.
But now it had stripes—an evolved mosquito?
The clash between a little prodigy and a major rookie…

‘This is going to be fun.’

It was perfect for spurring Do-hyun’s competitive spirit.

“What’s Lumis doing now?”

After laughing and making serious faces repeatedly, Do-hyun finally spoke with a normal expression.

“Hmm? Probably in the practice room…”
“What? Not that song we saw last time, right?”
“T-Title…”
“Don’t even say the word ‘title’!”

Tae-jin zipped his fingers across his lips.

“Ugh…”

Do-hyun shook his head, jumped off the sofa.

“Hey, where are you going?”
“To recharge Lumis.”
“Recharge…?”

Do-hyun tilted his short neck.

“Han Jin-seo, need to swat that mosquito. Just a normal swatter won’t do. At least an electric one!”
“Oh!”

Tae-jin brightened but tilted his head in doubt.

“So… you’re really going?”
“Why, what?”

At that moment, Do-hyun saw himself in the mirror and froze.
Short arms, short legs, children’s clothes Tae-jin bought.
The tiny T-shirt barely covered his protruding belly, stained with spilled drinks and crumbs.

“….”
“Let’s clean you up. Want me to wash you?”

“Shut… up!”