Most young mammals have relatively small bodies compared to their heads and eyes, along with playful behavior more prominent than their adult counterparts. This is a survival strategy. Their evolutionary trait—cuteness—ensures a higher chance of survival by eliciting care and protection from others.
The lion cubs' affectionate behavior toward Ha-eun was also a part of this survival instinct.
But to Ha-eun, such information was utterly irrelevant at the mont. They were just too cute to handle!
"Can I… can I pet them?"
"Yes, but please do so gently."
Survival instincts aside, all Ha-eun could think was how irresistibly adorable they were. She couldn’t stop running her hands over their slightly rough fur and the soft, squishy skin underneath.
At this mont, the fact that she was shooting a promotional variety show for Veterans ant nothing to her. Completely smitten by the cubs, she was engrossed in stroking their tiny, plush paws over and over.
What Ha-eun failed to consider was that each cub weighed about 13 kilograms—relatively light for three-month-olds. Within a year, however, they would grow to approximately 40 kilograms, reaching a size comparable to large dogs.
In other words—
-Whoosh-
"Ah!"
One of the cubs, tired of waiting for its turn to be petted, suddenly leapt onto Ha-eun. The impact of its weight was akin to a large dog tackling her, and Ha-eun tumbled backward, pinned by the cub’s tiny body.
Startled, Na Jae-hyuk and Seo Jin-tae rushed to her side. If Ha-eun hit her back or head on the ground, it could lead to a broadcast accident.
But—
-Thud-
With her well-trained core muscles, Ha-eun stabilized herself mid-fall, preventing a hard landing.
-Swooosh-
"You must’ve felt left out because I kept petting Ray, huh?"
She gently lifted the cub, Leo, that had tackled her, cradling it like a crying baby and rocking it back and forth.
"Ha-eun, are you okay?"
"Hm? What’s wrong?"
"No, I an… weren’t you scared?"
"Oh, no. I’m fine."
Leo dangled in Ha-eun’s arms as she swayed it gently. For a mont, its long tail curled inward, almost as if embarrassed.
"I really want to take them ho and raise them…" Ha-eun murmured softly. The microphone attached to her collar caught her words, and a nearby VJ let out a stifled laugh.
A lion is still a lion, yet Ha-eun showed no fear, treating the cubs as if they were ordinary pets. It left everyone equally impressed and bewildered.
Ti flew by as Ha-eun beca fully engrossed in playing with the cubs, oblivious to everything else around her.
"Ha-eun, it’s ti to move to the next location," soone finally inford her.
"Oh… okay…"
Reluctantly, Ha-eun said her goodbyes to the cubs. Before parting, she cradled both of them for a few photos.
"I’ll co back next ti… I promise!"
Her heartfelt farewell left Na Jae-hyuk nodding, remarking on how pure-hearted she still was.
Seo Jin-tae, however, who had seen Ha-eun channeling the psychopathic heiress Yoon Seung-jae not too long ago, muttered, "He’ll be surprised later."
The giraffe enclosure was their next stop.
The experience was similar to the elephant encounter, but with a distinct difference: giraffes have incredibly long tongues.
-Lick-
-Slurp, slurp-
"It touched —ahhh!!"
"Hang in there…"
The result was hilariously grotesque. Being the shortest of the three, Ha-eun ended up spectating from the side but cringed just watching.
"Who knew I’d ever learn the color of a giraffe’s tongue in my life…"
Of course, she didn’t forget to take pictures, most of which captured Na Jae-hyuk recoiling in horror and Seo Jin-tae cheering him on.
Next up was the fennec fox enclosure. Feeding them involved a unique twist.
"Fennec foxes eat alworms. Just place the alworms into their designated feeder—"
The mont the zookeeper ntioned the alworms, all attention shifted to Ha-eun.
"Um… shouldn’t you try it first, senior?"
"No… no, I’m fine."
"Ha-eun, hold tight! That thing’s trying to escape!"
Even the VJs, surrounding Ha-eun, seed terrified of the wriggling worms in her hand. Despite the commotion, Ha-eun calmly placed all the alworms into the feeder.
Like with the other animals, she wanted to feed and pet the fennec foxes directly. However, the zookeeper gently intervened.
"There’s no need to hand-feed them. Just leave the feeder and step away."
"Ah… okay."
Unfortunately, Ha-eun’s hopes of holding the fennec foxes were dashed. Respecting the zookeeper’s instructions, she reluctantly complied.
Afterward, during the zookeeper’s lunch break, Ha-eun sat with the staff, answering questions about Veterans.
Since this was a promotional episode, the questions were inevitable. However, so comnts stuck with her.
"Ha-eun as a villain? I can’t picture it."
"If you act like you did with the lion cubs, your villain might co across as adorable."
Realizing how inconsistent her image had been today, Ha-eun resolved to dial it back for the next segnt.
"I can’t ruin my image."
Yoon Seung-jae’s character in Veterans was all about charisma and gravitas, embodying the weight and tension of the film.
Even when a tiger approached the vehicle they were in, Ha-eun maintained her composure.
"It’s getting closer."
"It’s right in front of us!"
The massive tiger stopped less than a ter away, locking eyes with Ha-eun.
"I want to touch its nose."
Though tempted, Ha-eun didn’t break eye contact until the tiger walked away. It wasn’t fear keeping her still but the determination not to appear scared on cara.
Afterward, Na Jae-hyuk and Seo Jin-tae marveled at her courage.
"She won a staring contest with a tiger!"
"Ha-eun, you’re amazing. Truly the MZ generation at work."
When they reached the bear enclosure, a similar scene played out. As the bear approached the vehicle, the two n panicked while Ha-eun remained unbothered.
Eventually, she was handed raw at to feed the bear.
"Wow, it uses both hands to eat," she remarked as the bear calmly took the at from her tongs.
The zookeeper explained how intelligent bears were, even recognizing the people who regularly fed them.
Curious, Ha-eun asked, "Can people really ride bears?"
The zookeeper chuckled and admitted it wasn’t entirely impossible, referencing the famous viral image of a president riding a bear.
"But it’s better not to try anything risky," he added with a laugh, emphasizing the dangers of such stunts.
***
-Ding-dong.
"I'm ho…"
A few hours after wrapping up the filming for Job People, Ha-eun returned ho, her expression hinting at deep contemplation. Without a mont’s rest, she went straight to her computer and began searching, typing furiously, her resolve seemingly solidifying with each query.
Finally, with her mind made up, she approached Na-yeon, hesitatingly glancing at her mother for permission.
"Um, Mom…"
"Yes? …Did sothing happen at the zoo?"
"N-No! Nothing happened. But, well… Mom, I… I want to get a dog."
Ha-eun’s request was born from her unshakable mories of the lion cubs snuggling her and licking her cheeks.
"I’m not saying this lightly, though! I’ll take full responsibility, from start to finish. I’ll walk it every morning before school, and I’ll take care of everything, I promise."
"Hmm…"
Na-yeon pondered the request for about ten minutes. She was fully aware of the responsibility of caring for a living creature and wasn’t going to give an imdiate yes.
‘…Soone once said having a pet is great for stress relief.’
Considering Ha-eun’s busy schedule and the toll it took on her ntally and emotionally, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
At the sa ti, another thought crossed Na-yeon’s mind—her daughter was now a public figure.
"Alright, Ha-eun."
"Yes?"
"Instead of just getting any dog, let’s adopt one from a shelter. And while we’re at it, I think it’d be great if you could help promote adoption too."
Na-yeon suggested a dog shelter run by an acquaintance, her reasoning rooted in Ha-eun’s potential to spread positive influence as a celebrity.
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