Chapter 505: Impersonation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 505: Impersonation
“Alright, hello everyone! Starting the broadcast for today! We were originally supposed to do a Malatang mukbang, but I’ve brought a very special guest—!”
Popo’s broadcast began.
Choi I-hyun stood off-camera, holding the Malatang.
I gave her a ‘fighting’ gesture. She had suddenly ended up as a guest on Popo’s stream under the pretext of being a junior from the same university.
The kid seemed to have some guts; she didn’t look particularly nervous.
Seeing her smiling brightly with anticipation, it seemed she might actually have a knack for this kind of thing.
Though, she herself probably just thought of it as a bit of fun.
‘Well, she definitely has the looks for it.’
She was Choi I-seo’s sister, after all.
I hoped she’d enjoy it, treating it as a unique experience she wouldn’t normally get to have.
This was bad.
I was about to rush back to the kids, but then...
“Crazy.”
Yoo Ah-rin had sent a photo of all three kids lying down and sleeping together.
Seeing their precious faces, the corners of my mouth curled up involuntarily. When they were this cute, there really ought to be a law against it.
As I was staring dotingly at the adorable kids, another message popped up.
It was a selfie of Seo Ye-rin winking and acting cute.
“…….”
Look at her, sending her own selfie immediately after.
“…….”
While I was grumbling about getting scolded even after giving a compliment, Seo Ye-rin sent another photo.
It was a side profile of Yoo Ah-rin smiling bashfully at her phone after receiving my reply.
There was no reply after that.
It looked like Yoo Ah-rin had pounced on Seo Ye-rin.
— Choi I-seo -
A call came in just then.
“Yeah, I-seo.”
— What if I-hyun says she wants to keep doing broadcasts or something?
She sounded worried about her sister.
“Well, if she wants to do it, shouldn’t she?”
— I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. It’s just that she just started university, and I don’t want her to get too obsessed with one thing.
“I-seo, your sister is an adult now. She’ll make the right judgments for herself.”
— …….
“There’s nothing to worry about. It’ll be fine.”
— ……Yeah, you’re right.
Choi I-seo let out a sigh and murmured softly.
— I guess I’ve been unconsciously treating I-hyun like a child.
This was what I liked about Choi I-seo.
She tended to judge every situation rationally, and that applied to herself as well.
‘Actually, she’s much stricter with herself.’
— Right, I think it’s because I didn’t trust I-hyun enough. Hearing about Chan-woo earlier made me feel more rushed, too.
— Thanks, Woo-jin. I think I’ve come to my senses. I should leave the decision regarding Chan-woo to I-hyun as well.
“No, about that—”
I explained the part Choi I-hyun had misunderstood and told her I’d smoothed things over.
— …….
“…….”
A brief silence hung between us.
Then, Choi I-seo spoke up.
— Even looking at it objectively, Chan-woo wasn’t the one, right?
“Yeah.”
— Thanks.
“Heh, see you in a bit.”
— Are you going to eat dinner before you come?
“I’m not sure. If it gets late, I might eat before I head out.”
— Okay, I see. A-hem.
“……?”
— I, I lo—
— Whoa! I-seo was talking to Woo-jini all by herself!
— Look at that! I told you she’s the most devious one!
— Sigh.
Click.
The call ended. It was almost a very husband-and-wife-like conclusion.
Unfortunately, it seemed to have been thwarted by the interference of the others.
Still, the fact that I-seo even tried was enough to satisfy me.
When I went back into the CEO’s office, Oh Yun-ji had straightened her clothes and was back to work.
“Ahem.”
When I let out an awkward cough, Oh Yun-ji only shifted her eyes toward me for a second before focusing back on her work.
She seemed embarrassed and her pride wounded by the fact that she’d given in to temptation and ended up doing it.
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t think my sister-in-law would suddenly walk in.”
“It’s a good thing it was I-hyun! If it had been an employee, I seriously wouldn’t have been able to show my face at work again!”
“…….”
“You’ve only learned how to be lewd, geez.”
“Ahem.”
“Why are your hands so erotic?! Where did the old, bumbling Kim Woo-jin go?!”
If I were still bumbling at this point, wouldn’t that mean I’d learned nothing?
I slowly approached to watch her work, but Oh Yun-ji let out a sigh.
“Don’t come closer. I really won’t be able to get any work done.”
“Aw, why? I’m bored.”
“I’m working!”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Is the only thing you can do here grope my chest?! Go eat Malatang with the others! Stop bothering me!”
Oh Yun-ji actually threw her pen at me.
In the end, I was kicked out just like that.
“…….”
The employees were stealing glances at me after hearing the shouting from the CEO’s office.
I passed through their awkward gazes and headed outside.
If I stayed in the office, I’d just keep teasing Oh Yun-ji.
I shouldn’t get in her way, right?
‘So, what now?’
The problem was that I really had nothing to do.
Even though Choi I-hyun had joined Popo’s stream, she wouldn’t be there all day.
‘I should text her to come out midway.’
The driver who was supposed to pick me up hadn’t arrived yet, so I just wandered around the area out of boredom.
It had been quite a while since I’d walked through the city center without a care in the world.
I’d been so busy lately, and time was always short.
I was walking along, thinking that spending time like this wasn’t so bad, when...
‘I want to go home.’
I just wanted to go see the kids.
I shouldn't have told her to join the broadcast.
I bought a Hershey’s at a convenience store and sat down at a table.
I was chuckling to myself while looking at the photos of the kids again when...
Suddenly, a large man approached me.
He walked up with a bright smile, and I could see a group of people behind him who looked like his friends.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Could you buy us a cup of coffee?”
Hmm.
Now this was a new one.
I looked at the man with interest and asked, “Why should I?”
“Huh?”
“Do I know you?”
“You’re Kim Woo-jin, right? The youngest son of Uju Group.”
“You know me well. But I don’t know you?”
Then, the group behind him suddenly swarmed over. It was a mix of men and women, and judging by the vibe, they looked like university students.
“Hey, what gives? He said no.”
As the man spoke irritably, a woman who followed behind him held out her phone to me.
The Bamboo Forest app was open on the screen.
‘Ah, that guy.’
I hadn’t been able to manage the Bamboo Forest properly because I’d been busy, but I remembered there was someone impersonating me.
I’d seen it during winter break, and since it disappeared after the semester started, I thought it was just someone trolling.
I guess they were active again.
“That’s not me. It’s an impersonator.”
“What? An impersonator?”
“Ha, this is ridiculous.”
“See? I told you! I said it wasn't him!”
“Kim Jung-woo is hilarious. I can’t believe he actually went and asked.”
“Sorry about that. But since we’re here, it’s fate, so why don’t you just buy us something from the convenience store?”
“Pfft! Crazy! Kim Jung-woo!”
“Whoa, look at the balls on this guy.”
“He’s been doing weird shit like this since high school.”
They were chattering away excitedly among themselves.
How should I put it?
It didn’t feel like they were intentionally picking a fight, but it felt like they were using me as a prop for their own entertainment.
Is this what ‘insiders’ are like?
It’s been a while.
Since I’ve encountered such a shitty situation, that is.
Of course, I wasn’t the same person I was in my first year.
I was now a junior, I’d been discharged from the military, and I was even a father of three.
Back then, I would have just charged in blindly, but the current Kim Woo-jin had the dignity and majesty of a father.
“This is fucking annoying, isn't it?”
But damn it, I couldn't help it if it felt like shit.
As I spoke while sipping my chocolate milk, the atmosphere instantly turned cold.
The looks they gave me were varied.
“Why are you suddenly swearing?”
The guy named Kim Jung-woo looked offended that I’d cursed at him.
“…….”
The woman who had shown me the Bamboo Forest screen glanced at me and then looked around at her friends.
“Hey, Jung-woo. Stop it. We were the ones being rude.”
“Sorry.”
On the other hand, there were those who tried to hold Kim Jung-woo back.
“No, he could have just said no. Swearing and saying it’s ‘fucking annoying’ is a bit much, don’t you think?”
I smiled as I watched Kim Jung-woo huffing while being held back by his friends.
“I just added some seasoning because I figured you’d use this as a story to tell later. You look exactly like the type to talk shit and act all tough at a drinking party.”
Something like, ‘Let me tell you about the time I went up to a chaebol I didn’t even know and asked him to ring the Golden Bell at a convenience store.’
“You probably wanted to give off the vibe of a ‘fun crazy guy,’ but to me right now, you’re just a piece of shit.”
Kim Jung-woo’s face turned bright red as he glared at me, huffing and puffing.
Perhaps because I’d hit the nail on the head, he just kept muttering curses under his breath like a refrain.
“Hey, he’s apologizing, isn’t he?”
“Your words are a bit… harsh.”
“Is it okay for someone famous like you to act like this?”
Now, even the ones who were holding him back started chiming in.
“What are you guys talking about? You’re the ones who picked a fight first.”
“We didn’t pick a fight!”
“If it made me feel like shit, then it’s a fight. You suddenly came up and asked me to buy you something.”
The bickering continued.
Just as I was feeling my blood pump and feeling alive...
“Sigh.”
A sigh came from behind me.
I turned my head slightly, and there stood Senior Ju-hee in a suit.
“Young Master, please answer your phone. I was looking for you.”
“Was today the day you were picking me up, Senior?”
“I am your exclusive bodyguard, after all. I’ll be the one driving you from now on.”
“Oh…….”
Well, come to think of it, it made sense for Senior Ju-hee to do it.
“So.”
Senior Ju-hee’s gaze turned toward the punks in front of us.
“What is going on here?”
Truly strong people overwhelm others with their aura alone. I’d seen people like that from time to time.
And at the very top of that list was Senior Ju-hee.
Under Senior Ju-hee’s cold gaze, the guys immediately tucked their tails.
‘Ah, I need to suspend that guy.’
I immediately gave Anonymous 160 a three-day suspension and sent a notification.
“Look at this guy?”