Translated by cabinfourtranslations.
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After finishing the schedule and returning to the dorm, I had just taken a quick shower and was resting in my room.
Squeak.
Then, I heard the sound of slippers and the door opening.
Without even turning my head, I opened my mouth, still typing on my laptop.
“Did the coward come?”
“…….”
The person who opened the door and entered didn’t say anything. He just stood there, probably glaring at me.
“Hurry in and dry your hair. You’ll catch a cold.”
Sure enough, it was my roommate, Lee Hwayoung, who entered the room.
”I can tell just by his reaction.’
The reason I called Lee Hwayoung a ‘
coward
’ was simple.
Lee Hwayoung had been wandering around here and there without even sitting down for the entire filming. He didn’t want the animals to approach him. Well, it was quite an adorable excuse.
‘You can stand there and glare at me for the rest of your life. I won’t look at you.’
Showing such determination, I lifted one corner of my mouth and kept my gaze fixed on the laptop screen. Then, the guy angrily walked over to where the bed was and stood right in front of my face.
And then, he slammed the laptop I was looking at shut.
“
Eolssigu
.”
1
As I lazily let out an exclamation at the forceful touch, enough to make me worry whether the laptop screen might have broken, Lee Hwayoung raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he didn’t understand what I was saying. It was probably an unconscious reaction.
However, unlike when he argued with Lee Danbi, he didn’t ask questions like, ‘What is
Eolssigu?
‘.
He must have learned from witnessing the way Woo Kangwon and Do Yuda couldn’t hold back their laughter whenever he asked such a question that it could make him look quite naive.
Instead, that guy immediately refuted my ‘
coward
’ comment.
“I told you, it’s not that I’m scared. I just don’t like them.”
“Yes, of course you do, young master.” I responded to Lee Hwayoung, casually brushing off his irritation.
I knew better than anyone that he was lying. This guy had been afraid of animals since he was little.
I could still vividly remember not being able to take him to the park because he would freak out at the mere sight of animals. So, there was no way I could believe him when he said things like, “
It’s not that I’m scared. I just don’t like them
“.
‘What am I supposed to do? I can’t even hold him anymore.’
Back then, he would cling to my leg, asking to be picked up whenever a big dog came near. I wondered if he remembered it. For some reason, animals never approached Choi Jeokhyeon, so heading toward him instead of me would have been the smarter choice.
“Don’t treat me like a child, Han Seungbeom!”
Now, it seemed he was upset not about being called a coward but simply about being treated like a child. I chuckled at the sight of him shouting my last name in the literal spelling, perhaps because his Korean conversion function had glitched.
“Yes, yes.”
Now he’ll probably say something like, “I was born earlier than you” or “We’re the same age, so stop talking nonsense”.
“I was born before you.”
See.
How is it that our young master can never fail to meet my expectations?
“I didn’t like sitting on the floor. That’s why I stayed standing.”
“You sure dislike a lot of things.”
“You didn’t like dogs either.”
“That’s…….”
When I trailed off in response to Lee Hwayoung’s quick retort, he continued with a slightly triumphant expression.
“You’re even scared of such a small dog that you’re frozen in place.”
Hearing those words, the face of the small dachshund from the filming set came to mind.
“Hyung, how long are you going to keep holding onto the cats? If you keep this up, you’ll face strong opposition from the dog faction.”
“What can I do? Only cats keep coming to me.”
“Then would you like to hold him? He’s cute.”
Saying that, Do Yuda forcefully handed me the dachshund. In response, the dog quietly stared at Do Yuda with a look that seemed to say, “
Why are you putting me in this situation?
“
“…….”
“…….”
“Why do they both look so unhappy?”
“I know right…..”
I stiffly held the dog as if I were picking up smoked ham, then, with a tense expression, I asked.
“…Are dogs normally this stiff?”
“Huh?”
Lee Hwayoung was probably pointing that out.
No, I just didn’t have much experience with dogs.
I was just a little worried that maybe I was the reason he was behaving strangely.
“Okay, think of it that way, then. What a fantastic combo, really.”
I gave a vague reply to Lee Hwayoung, who was misunderstanding things on his own, and pulled the soft blanket over my body. Then, seemingly completely irritated, Lee Hwayoung turned off the light, went to his bed, and lay down with his back to me.
***
While I was staring at the black ceiling, my phone, which I had placed on the desk, vibrated.
‘Who the hell is texting me at this hour of the morning?’
I clicked my tongue, pushed myself upright, and reached over to pick up the phone.
On the brightly lit screen was a message from Jay.
[7: Yihwon-hyung said he came to greet you.
I guess he found some time to go while filming the drama.]
[7: Is it really okay if I don’t see Yihwon-hyung?]
I moved my finger to reply to the message, but then paused.
I knew I should reply with something, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“…….”
Jay’s tone was quite cautious, unlike usual. It was a short message, but I could tell just by looking at it.
Jay also knows that I still have uncomfortable feelings about Nam Yihwon.
I lay on my dark bed, reading Jay’s text over and over again. After repeating this for a while, I sat with my back against the wall and covered my face, which had completely lost its drowsiness.
Then my original voice rang in my ears.
“What’s so important about money? Why, why are you borrowing money from Kang Hyukwoo? Why!”
And when I pulled my hand away, I saw my father’s face. As soon as I identified that face, I realized that I was seeing something that wasn’t real and closed my eyes tightly again.
“Fine, let’s say you didn’t know. In that case, you should’ve stopped there. You should’ve told me right away and paid it back.”
Even as everything in front of me turned completely black, my sharp voice didn’t stop and kept echoing.
‘Is this the dream I had before?’
It felt like I had dreamed of arguing with my father like this when I stayed at Choi Jeokhyeon’s house.
At first, I wondered if it was the same dream, but I had a feeling it wasn’t. The memory should have been filled with the feeling of the biting cold wind scratching my body and the salty smell of the winter sea. But it was too blurry for me to be sure.
“…How did you get Nam Yihwon’s phone number? I’m pretty sure I never gave it to you.”
As soon as I heard the next words, I was sure.
Ah, this was a memory from when the first scandal broke.
“How could you even think of borrowing money from the members?”
I remembered that memory more clearly than anything else, so I could guess the exact time period. Perhaps I was influenced by what Jay had told me about Nam Yihwon, which led me to dream about that time.
“I told you that I shouldn’t cause harm to the members, that I shouldn’t get caught in a situation where Kang Hyukwoo can take advantage of my weakness!”
My first scandal started with an expose about my father secretly borrowing money from Kang Hyukwoo, company officials, and the member of Prism, and not paying it back.
And the ‘
member of Prism
‘ in that expose was Nam Yihwon.
“How am I supposed to face the members after you’ve done something like this, all by yourself!”
As soon as I checked the content of the article, I realized I had fallen into a trap.
At that time, my relationship with Kang Hyukwoo was already completely broken, and he did this as part of a warning and threat to control and shake me.
The situation escalated further when a newspaper with close ties to Kang Hyukwoo testified that “
Seo Yutae’s father has been indulging in extravagant luxuries with other people’s money and Seo Yutae, despite knowing about it, has taken no action
“.
There was never a single piece of evidence to prove that I was aware of the entire situation. But when clear evidence of my father’s debts was presented, such as his payment history for luxury goods and his loan documents, people began to believe even the other vague stories listed alongside them as if they were true.
Seo Yuseong and I quickly became the shameless scoundrels who pretended to be unaware of our father’s debts because we were too stingy with our money. We received severe backlash from the public, and Prism’s group reputation was inevitably damaged as well.
“…It was because I needed business funds.”
“What kind of business is it that makes you so greedy? Do buying luxury goods and going to bars really have anything to do with the business?”
Whenever my father said he needed money, I would give it to him without hesitation. This had been the case even before I became a celebrity, and I held no regrets about it.
I couldn’t fathom why he felt the need to start a business in secret, going as far as borrowing money from others.
“Do you not think about Seo Yuseong? I don’t care if I’m the only one being criticized, but Seo Yuseong is being criticized too. What will a child, who’s already distant from his father, think when he sees this situation? If you need money, just ask me for it. Have I ever refused to give you money when you asked for it?”
When I mentioned Seo Yuseong, my father let out a bitter laugh.
Then, he suddenly changed his attitude and opened his mouth.
“F**k, I’m just trying to listen, but you’re really annoying. It makes me feel gross.”
As soon as I heard the frivolous tone of voice, which didn’t suit his age or the situation, I momentarily thought I had misunderstood someone else’s words.
“Hey, how long do I have to beg my kids for money?”
Recalling the shock I felt when I first saw my father like that, I tightly shut my eyes and clenched my teeth. But the words he spat out flowed into my mind without stopping, as if they didn’t care about my feelings at all.
“Do you know what Seo Yuseong said to me? He told me that it was disgusting to see me clinging to you like a leech, sucking your blood. He even asked me why I was still alive if I was going to live such a pathetic life. He said it without batting an eye.”
It was a story I had never heard before. When I showed my bafflement, my father sneered and said,
“Hey, your younger brother is not normal. What kind of child says that kind of thing to their parents? Even if he lives in a human shell and pretends to be normal now, he can’t fool the eyes of his parents. Ever since he was a kid, just making eye contact with that guy was enough to give me goosebumps.”
“…….”
“But all you ever think is that your younger brother is adorable, and you blindly protect him. Both siblings are out of their minds, so who can I trust in this world? That’s why I want to succeed like Director-nim and be able to relax and enjoy life with my own abilities. Is that really such a big deal? I never asked you to lend me business funds. I borrowed it from people who said they would lend it to me. If the business goes well, I would have paid it all back without you ever finding out!”
I was so shocked that my mind couldn’t process anything. I didn’t feel it was worth talking to him anymore, so I turned around and walked away without answering.
Then, I went straight to Nam Yihwon, bowed my head, and returned the money along with an apology.
Because I thought that was the first thing I needed to do.
Nam Yihwon quietly looked down at me and muttered.
“I really like you, hyung, but I can’t stand your father at all. He doesn’t seem … very smart. Look at the way he stupidly went to Kang Hyukwoo and blew it up. If he had just kept his mouth shut, I would have pretended not to know and let him not pay it back.”
“….What?”
Then, he put his arm around my shoulders and forcefully helped me stand up, smiling softly with a wink.
“It’s okay, hyung. I’m always on your side. I’ll do an interview and tell them that you didn’t know anything at all.”
“……..”
“So, you should never say you’re leaving Prism, okay?”
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Translator’s Corner:
Eolssigu (얼씨구) HONESTLY IDK HOW TO TRANSLATE THIS TO ENGLISH THERE’S NO SPECIFIC MEANING. In this context it can be read like “Wyd”, but it’s just … an exclamation, in sarcastic way. ↩︎
Finally introducing our last Prism’s member …. our troublemaker Nam Yihwon …. why it took 180 chapters to meet his flashback asdfghjkl also MC is out-fathering all the real fathers in this series
Anyway, I’m glad at least I can reach this point before I went back to my hometown T_T I was hoping for 200 chapters but apparently I spent days after new year day busily crying because leaving is sad … how can others do it so effortlessly …..
I don’t want to leave asdfghjkl I’ve been living here for the past 3 years, this room felt more like a home to me than my previous home … It’s in one day but I haven’t packed at all because I’m just asdfghjkl can’t bring myself to do it. And aside from the home environment, my hometown environment is not that great too …. you know what a rural village neighborhood looked like in a drama and movie, it’s exactly like that asdfghjkl everyone lived there since they’re born so basically everyone knew each other and knew each other business and nosy and pretty judgemental too … just thinking about all the stares already making me want to perish….. It really feels like I’m heading off to a death sentence …
I’m glad I picked up this series. I’m actually pretty sad about picking it this late, should’ve done this months ago when I was still a student and could afford to stay in this city, but then again … it works well too since now I at least have something to look forward everyday, because I need to bring this story until the end T_T But then again … the internet connection … let’s just hope I can work something out for that part. My hometown is near the sea, and it’s rainy season too, so you can imagine the mobile connection in a place with no wifi … why did I born in such a rural place, I don’t know too … I experienced a lot of things for the first time when I went to college asdfghjkl
God, it’s not too late to send the MC to adopt me. Please send me one Seo Yutae T_T I’m a good child and I won’t ask anything else!!!!! One Seo Yutae please T_T (But seriously, I’ve never prayed for a fictional character to be real this hard)