“Hello, I’m Seungbeom’s mother.”
As Yang Hajun approached and handed her the microphone, Han Jaewoon’s mother bowed her head in greeting. Yang Hajun, who bowed politely in return, skillfully conducted the interview.
“Mother-nim, Trainee Han Seungbeom has won the first place, is there anything you’d like to say?”
“…….”
Han Jaewoon’s mother lowered her head without answering Yang Hajun’s question. At first, I thought she was unable to find the words to respond because she didn’t have any feelings toward Han Seungbeom.
“Ah, what am I doing … I’m so silly.”
But it wasn’t like that.
She fanned her reddened face repeatedly with her hand. Then, she rolled her eyes several times, staring into the air as if trying to suppress her tears. Every time she glanced at me, she would tightly close her eyes as if frustrated with herself for not being able to hold back her tears.
“Mother-nim, it’s okay to take your time.”
Even Yang Hajun, the actor, seemed to not notice that her action was acting, and he spoke in a warm tone and patted her back as if comforting her. The audience was so moved that they let out a collective sigh and burst into applause.
Han Jaewoon’s mother, as if gaining strength from the applause, nodded her head several times. Then, as if making a resolve, she opened her mouth while gripping the microphone with both hands.
“Seungbeom-ah? It’s Mom……”
“Ah……”
Her voice, trembling precariously, was undoubtedly that of a person filled with sorrow. At the call that would naturally make anyone with a mother feel a lump in their throat, the audience was already letting out sighs and wiping away tears.
I was so dumbfounded, I could only watch in disbelief, unable to even let out a sarcastic laugh.
Perhaps his mother should have been the one who aspired to enter the acting industry, not Han Jaewoon.
Han Jaewoon was putting on a show of comforting his mother, standing by her side and patting her back, while his father, perhaps not wanting to ruin the situation, was pretending to be sad, covering his mouth with his hand.
After clearing her throat several times, Han Jaewoon’s mother looked at me with a warm smile.
“Thank you for making me realize that all the time Mom spent cheering you on was not in vain. You’re my light. If you ever face difficulties in the future, you can rely on Mom as many times as you need, just as you have until now. Don’t hesitate to tell me anything. I love you dearly, my son.”
While Han Jaewoon’s mother was putting on a truly chilling performance, I was once again reminded of how absolutely loathsome it feels to despise someone’s very existence.
And apart from that, I felt sad.
I thought there was no way I could feel any emotion other than anger when I saw that sight, but I was unbearably sad. No, it would be more accurate to say that I felt
hurt
.
It was an emotion that
Seo Yutae
would not have felt.
But I couldn’t look for the source of the emotion right now, because there was a situation in front of me that I had to deal with.
Apart from the emotions I was feeling right now, my brain was working swiftly as if cold water had been dumped on it.
‘.…I’m sure I warned them. Not to cross the line.’
In this situation, I had to consider whether it would be more beneficial for me to go along with those words or to deny them.
“…….”
I received a microphone from the production staff, and slightly moved my face that had been maintaining a blank expression. I made a slight show of discomfort that only the most observant would notice, and then immediately smiled brightly as I held the microphone. At the perfect moment, the red light on the camera turned on.
“When I first heard from my father that you opposed my debut, I was really worried that I had disappointed you, Mother. But hearing you say that makes me so happy. I’m also truly grateful that I was able to prove my dream. I’ll keep working hard to become a son you can be proud of.”
For now, it was enough to say something that an average trainee would say.
Anyway, even if I showed that my relationship with my parents wasn’t good here, it would just be consumed as gossip.
Han Jaewoon’s mother said that she had supported me
all the time
and that I had
relied
on her until now. But the phrase “
opposed
” contradicted the unwavering support and encouragement that Han Jaewoon’s mother had spoken of, while the phrase “
heard from my father
” subtly revealed that I hadn’t established a level of trust with her where I could rely on her.
Although my change in expression was likely not captured on the broadcast, the fancams taken by the nearby audience would have recorded it perfectly.
It was natural for everyone to not notice anything particularly strange right away. But once someone started looking for faults and scrutinizing every action, it wouldn’t be too difficult to find something suspicious in this scene.
Once a scandal breaks, the public is quick to dig into someone’s past words and actions, searching for anything they can use to create a narrative.
‘She said Han Jaewoon is pursuing an acting career….’
Han Jaewoon’s family was arrogant and greedy. It was obvious that he was bound to make a mistake one day.
I needed to draw a line between them and me, and this was just the beginning.
‘Since you decided to put your face in front of the public, from now on
,
you’re going to learn firsthand how terrifying the consequences of lying is.’
— Mother-nim ㅠㅠ Your words are so warm, I’m crying
— She seems like such a good mother … 88
— Thank you for raising our Captain so well ㅠ
— I’m weak to beautiful family stories…
.
— ㅜㅜㅜㅜ
The rapidly scrolling chat window on the screen caught my eye. I skimmed through it, feeling a sense of delight like watching a prey caught in my trap.
‘If you build such a perfect image, the backlash from the public will inevitably be immense when it crumbles.’
Her mistake stemmed from her arrogance, fueled by her history of controlling Han Seungbeom as she pleased, and her obsession with maintaining a perfect family.
She didn’t know yet.
How this industry works.
‘If she had just said congratulations, that would have been enough … it’s because of her greed that such a mistake happened.’
A hint of a crack appeared in her forced smile as she finally realized something was off. Meanwhile, Han Jaewoon and his father applauded, oblivious to everything. I narrowed my eyes at them, smiled, and bowed slightly.
‘…How stupid.’
When I raised my head again, I made eye contact with them.
At that, Han Jaewoon’s mother quickly blinked her eyelids, as if trying not to frown, then grabbed Han Jaewoon by her side and pulled him forward. After all, the mistake had already been made, so she intended to achieve the purpose of coming here from now on.
“Our Jaewoon, Han Jaewoon. He’s Seungbeom’s younger brother. Say hello to your older brother.”
“Hyung, you’ve really worked hard. I’m so happy that your efforts have finally paid off. I’ll work hard too, so that I can stand in front of the camera like you and achieve my dream. Congratulations on your debut, and let’s make sure our bond never changes.”
Han Jaewoon, who seemed a little distraught at his mother’s urging, spoke while staring at the camera, not me. All he was thinking about was making sure his face looked good on camera. It was truly a zero-point acting performance, completely unlike his mother.
— The younger brother is handsome too!
— But it doesn’t seem like he resembles the Captain. A bit of a different charm?
└ Just be honest lolol. He doesn’t look like Han Seungbeom at all, but you’re trying so hard to hype him up just because he’s his younger brother.
— Ah, somehow, haha… why does the younger brother feel so fake? I don’t think he came here just to 100% congratulate
└ Since he said he wants to stand in front of the camera, maybe he’s aspiring to be a celebrity? It seems like he’s just trying to get his face on TV.
└ On his older brother’s debut day…..?
I watched as cold criticisms were gradually mixed in among the positive responses, and I decided to just let them be.
***
After the broadcast ended, all the trainees scattered to spend time with their families for the first time in a while. Since I had already cleared out my things from the Lucky Center, I had no way of returning there anyway.
I had no choice but to get in the car with Han Jaewoon’s family, led by his father.
As a tense silence stretched on, Han Jaewoon’s father, who had been glancing at his wife, suddenly opened his mouth.
“You should have just answered your mom nicely during the broadcast. Why did you do that?”
It seemed like he was deliberately trying to blame me in order to lift the mood of Han Jaewoon’s mother, who had been sulking. I calmly asked him back.
“…Nicely?”
“Father also compromised once. So, you should compromise too.”
He seemed to be talking about the contract. I tapped the door armrest with my index finger to calm my temper.
Then, I calmly opened my mouth, “I clearly told you not to come, but since you insisted on coming, you should be able to handle this much.”
“…….”
When I spoke in a tone that could not be seen as gentle, Han Jaewoon’s father closed his mouth. Then, he started to watch his wife and Han Jaewoon’s expressions again. Seeing how he clearly prioritized his other family over Han Seungbeom, I turned my gaze completely toward the window. It was a way to shut off my concern altogether.
But then, that effort felt pointless as strange emotions suddenly rushed in like a tidal wave. It was very similar to the emotion I had felt during the live broadcast earlier.
‘…What is this?’
I
wanted to disappear, to hide somewhere where no one could find me.
There was no one chasing me, but I felt like
I
had to run away.
“Seungbeom relied on his father more than anyone else….”
At that moment, I remembered what Han Seungbeom’s aunt had said.
A thought crossed my mind, and I held my breath in disbelief.
‘….Han Seungbeom?’
Han Seungbeom’s weak stomach began to churn again. I felt like this stomach was about to cramp at any moment.
As soon as we arrived at the apartment, Han Jaewoon’s mother went straight into the house without looking back, and Han Jaewoon hurriedly followed her. Watching them, a tightening pain in my chest grew stronger, and I finally got up from my seat.
I felt like I shouldn’t go into that house in this condition.
And then, I started running without thinking. I knew it might look strange, but I couldn’t bear it any longer.
This body was struggling to cope with the current situation.
“…….”
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Han Jaewoon’s father didn’t stop me.
He didn’t even call out Han Seungbeom’s name, just stood there for a moment and then went inside the house.
‘Damn it!’
My chest felt suffocated.
I kept my gaze fixed on the ground as I ran, afraid that if I looked up, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“Haa, ha…..”
And when I came to my senses, the ground had changed from pavement blocks to asphalt. It was a parking lot in front of the apartment complex.
Just as I was starting to feel relieved that I had escaped that house, a sudden chill ran through me.
‘.…What is that?’
And then, my dark vision suddenly brightened. It seemed to be the headlights of a car.
When I turned my head towards the direction of the light, there was a black car rushing towards me.
‘What the…..’
Screech!
The horrifying sound of wheels grinding against the asphalt brought my numbed hearing back to life.
“Heuk, ugh.”
I almost got hit.
Had the driver not swerved the car and slammed on the brakes at the last second, I would have been sprawled on the ground. Even though I wasn’t actually hit, my whole body throbbed.
The car that stopped right in front of me almost hit a person, yet the driver didn’t even have the decency to honk.
“…….”
There was something odd about the way the driver’s door opened. The other person’s hands seemed to be shaking, or perhaps their body was staggering. Since my eyes were glued to the ground, I couldn’t tell the exact reason.
‘Drunk driving? Accident?’
Through my downward glance, I briefly saw legs encased in a luxurious suit and shoes with red soles. The familiarity of the attire sent a shiver of unease down my spine.
‘No way.’
The driver approached me without even offering a common phrase like ‘
Are you okay?
‘. Instead, his snake-like grip tightly grasped my arm. And through trembling breaths, a small voice barely reached my ears.
“…We finally meet.”
As soon as I heard that voice, to my surprise, the flood of Han Seungbeom’s emotions disappeared, and the tension in my body eased. Then, a boundary began to form between
Han Seungbeom
and
me
.
Because, the person in front of me now was someone who knew
Seo Yutae
.
I raised my head, and found a familiar face.
‘This bastard … when did you start chasing me?’
The original childish young master. He wasn’t a good friend, but we were each other’s only friend. The person who, during my trainee days, became something like a guardian for me in place of my father.
My first fan, and the craziest person in my life.
I heard he had a different name for public use, but his real name was Choi Jeokhyeon. He was
that person
.
“Choi Jeokhyeon.”
When I called that name, which ordinary people would have no way of knowing, his eyes became drenched in joy.
Like a child who had finally found a lost item.
“…….Seo Yutae.”
You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee!
TRANSLATOR’S CORNER:
ARGH I’M SO FURIOUS DOING THE FIRST PART I WAS MUNCHING ON BROWNIES BUT IT EVEN TASTED BITTER BECAUSE I’M!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANGRY!!!!!!! I just want to throw up, GET THEM OUT FROM THE STORY PLEASE ???????????????? WHY SHOULD I DO THIS……………..
It’s funny because back when official manhwa translation is still not a thing, and a lot of scanlation group is thriving, I used to like the “MC reincarnated as a step-mother” trope, especially that one I became the hero’s mother (Abel is so cute). I was putting
marrying a single father in isekai
as my #1 isekai wishlist back then. But apparently, reality doesnt work like that ….. and I can’t stand that trope anymore now. I don’t know if other stepmothers out there are good and it’s just my luck or what, but my father’s new wife practically acted like Han Seungbeom’s stepmom (if not even worse). Maybe they attend the same stepmothering class or something. I genuinely don’t understand why would stepmothers act like they did a huge favor for just not kicking a child out of their house when they married a father … Mine was talking everywhere spreading how I was a bad child but she’s a loving mother who gracefully takes care of me like her own, when behind the closed door, she’s a text-book Snow White’s stepmother. Han Seungbeom is a stronger person than me. I already cut ties and escaped from them long ago before the constant gaslighting could kill me for real (or before I could commit murder). I will never wish that kind of environment on anyone, not even on my worst enemy. Han Seungbeom, let me hug you …..
But seriously I was probably delaying this chapter for a long time since I can’t stand them ….. if it’s not for the last part. The author is so smart for showing him here, my anger quickly died down … LIKE, EVERYONE, PLEASE WELCOME MY BELOVED, LUNATIC #1 !!!!! (I love MC more, don’t worry).
and while you’re here give me a vote too, I seriously have zero decision skill when picking which version of name to use. And his name is not even a common one …. you’ll see him often (I think?), so click the name carefully ……