Chapter 526: Proposal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 526: Proposal
Time spent at school is boring.
It’s especially tedious when you’re waiting for someone.
And when those "someones" are a bunch of idiots, I can’t help but feel like my time is being utterly wasted.
I want to go see the kids.
Scrolling through the photos of the children on my phone brought a satisfied smile to my face.
How could they be this beautiful?
Once, I got so caught up looking at their pictures that two whole hours vanished into thin air.
Even when they grow up, they won’t have to worry about making a living.
Of course, the fact that our family owns a conglomerate helps, but aside from that, they’re all so gorgeous they could probably live off their faces alone.
If they become actors, they’ll be leads; if they become idols, they’ll be the visual centers; if they start a Neutube channel, they’ll hit a million subscribers.
Just seeing all these pretty kids gathered together made me feel damn good.
"What are you doing?"
Ahn Hyun-ho, who was sipping coffee next to me, peeked over. He checked my phone screen and frowned.
"What the? Why are you looking at babies? Turn in your man card, you bastard."
"I’m telling you, Kim Woo-jin is washed up. In the past, he used to be the first one to jump into trouble, but now he’s just a eunuch," Jeong Chan-woo added.
Unbelievable.
"They’re my kids, you assholes. You’re supposed to be their uncles, for God’s sake. You want to die?"
"…No wonder they’re so cute I just want to pinch their cheeks."
"I’m telling you, Kim Woo-jin has become a total 'Dad.' He’s got this mature, dignified vibe now. It’s actually pretty cool."
Seriously, these guys have to step in shit before they realize it’s shit.
Can’t they try thinking for a second before they run their mouths?
"But damn, this guy has to be the only crazy bastard in South Korea with three wives who’s managed to get them all pregnant."
"Woo-jin, be good to them. If things go south with even one of them later, your life is over."
"Thanks for the great advice, you pricks," I shot back, promptly flipping them the bird.
"Hey, but shouldn't we 'uncles' go see them at least once?"
At Ahn Hyun-ho’s suggestion, Jeong Chan-woo stopped drinking his coffee and nodded vigorously.
"True. As uncles, we should pay them a visit. Give them some pocket money, buy them treats."
"They’re still breastfeeding, you morons. What, are you guys gonna provide the milk?"
Even as I said it, the mental image was disgusting.
"No, we just want to see their faces. They look so pretty in the photos, they must be adorable in person."
"Show me the photos too… Whoa, what is this? Their cheeks look so squishy."
"Heh, they’re such a handsome and beautiful bunch. I’m telling you, they’ll be able to make a living with just their faces when they grow up."
I don’t know if other dads are like this, but my self-control evaporates the moment someone praises my kids. My security clearance drops to zero, and I’m ready to show them everything down to the brand of my underwear.
"Amazing, right? The other day, one of them kept going 'Pa-pa,' and I swear they were trying to say 'Papa.' Our kids are definitely going to say 'Dad' before they say 'Mom.'"
Lately, we’ve been having a subtle competition over that—whether the kids will call for their mothers or their father first.
As I showed them more photos, Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo murmured in admiration.
"Ah, they really are cute."
"Makes me want to get married."
"But I hope they all take after their moms. If they take after their dad, it’ll be a disaster."
"…Three Kim Woo-jins? Wow, I see two possibilities. Either they ruin Uju Group, or Uju Group unifies South Korea."
"Shut the hell up, you lunatics."
Even though I pulled my phone away in annoyance, the two kept going.
"But seriously, Woo-jin, pray. Go to church. Please pray they don’t take after you."
"Or get a talisman. Go to one of those famous shamans. Old people usually know the good spots."
"Why are you guys acting like such assholes today?"
"Because we’re worried uncles."
"We’re saying this for your own good."
"Eat shit."
While we were bickering and trading half-serious insults, the rest of the hangers-on finally showed up.
"Yo, did you wait long?"
"The protagonist always arrives late."
The moment I saw Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho approaching, I scowled.
"Why are the two idlest bastards here making us wait?"
Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo jumped on the bandwagon.
"Shouldn't seniors be busy preparing for jobs? Why are you guys playing around every day?"
"You guys are basically surrendering at the 15-minute mark of life."
Despite our rapid-fire roasting, the two degenerates remained unfazed.
"Yeah, doesn't hurt. Doesn't hurt at all. I’ll handle my own employment."
"Don't you know I rejoined the 'Cheer Up Team'? Look it up on Neutube."
I wasn't sure about Kang Han-gang, but Pyo Jin-ho had indeed rejoined the Cheer Up Team—the Taekwondo Neutube channel that Yoo Ah-rin used to lead.
He was technically an original member, but apparently, not many people were thrilled to see him back.
Well, they probably kept him because he’s useful in some way.
"So, why did you call us? Gyu-a told me not to go drinking for no reason."
"My girlfriend wants to have dinner together tonight, too."
So Jeong Chan-woo got a girlfriend.
No one knew, but no one bothered to mention it either.
It wasn't like this was the first or second time.
"You know that time is coming soon, right?"
Kang Han-gang grinned, giving a thumbs up.
To put it bluntly, I didn't give a single flying fuck.
"What? Who the hell is supposed to understand you when you talk like that?"
"Agreed. You’re not planning to talk like that during job interviews, are you?"
"Are you talking about my fellow recruits? Is that exactly what it is? Don't you already know?"
"Okay, that actually hurt. You bastards. Knock it off."
It looked like it actually did hurt.
Senior Han-gang cleared his throat to regain our attention and spoke.
"The festival. It’s festival season. This is my last festival."
"Why is a senior getting involved in the school festival?"
"God, I’m embarrassed for you."
"Sigh."
His life really was a legendary mess.
Sure, a senior could participate in the festival.
But isn't it a bit much to be the one taking the lead like this?
He should leave it to the freshmen and sophomores to enjoy.
"Who said anything about running a pub? What’s a festival for? The stage. How about we go up there?"
Oh, here we go with the bullshit.
"Absolutely not. I hate standing out in front of people in the first place."
When I flatly refused, the four of them stared at me simultaneously.
Their eyes were screaming at me to stop talking nonsense, so I just flipped them off without a word.
"But Jin-ho isn't even from our school. Can he participate?"
When Ahn Hyun-ho pointed at Pyo Jin-ho and asked, the guy grinned and nodded.
"Don't worry, it's possible. I already applied, and they said one outsider is allowed."
"Hmm, the criteria are looser than I thought—wait, what did you just say, you crazy bastard?"
"Hyun-ho, he’s your senior."
But this time, even Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo couldn't hold back.
"Wait, you already applied?! The notice hasn't even been posted yet!"
"Applied for what! What did you sign up for! How dare you put my name down without asking?!"
"I have some connections in the Student Council. Your senior has a wide social circle, you know?"
Kang Han-gang puffed out his chest, looking smug.
I really wanted to beat him up.
"So you just went ahead and applied? How can a person be this reckless?!"
"We’re doing a band. I’m the vocal, Jin-ho’s on drums, Hyun-ho and Chan-woo are on guitar and keyboard. Woo-jin is on the recorder."
Why did I suddenly become the pathetic one at the end?
No, that wasn't the problem.
"Could Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo even play the guitar and keyboard?"
I asked, bewildered by these unexpected talents.
"No, I’ve never even touched a guitar."
"I can play 'Chopsticks' on the piano?"
So he just assigned them based on their image.
The fact that he took the vocal spot for himself was annoying, and the fact that my "image" was the recorder was even worse.
"Does Jin-ho know how to play the drums?"
"Learned in the military. A senior made the guys practice drums. I ended up following along later."
It was absurd how such military absurdity had turned into a useful skill.
"Ah, please, just do it. If we do this, the festival will go wild. I want to meet a lot of girls through this."
Just listen to the way this Han-gang guy talks.
"It’s not 'I want to meet a girl,' it’s 'I want to meet a lot of girls.' You’re already a total piece of trash."
At my words, the other four looked at me again. I flipped them off once more.
"Look, I already signed us up," Kang Han-gang said, steering the conversation back. "Hey, you guys. All you have to do is go up there, play one song, and come down. Is that so hard?"
Now he was the one getting angry.
"Hyun-ho, think about how much Gyu-a would love seeing that. And Chan-woo, you need to find a new girlfriend."
"I already have one."
"You’ll probably have broken up by the time the festival starts anyway."
"……."
Ahn Hyun-ho and I couldn't help but laugh. For some reason, that felt like a very real possibility.
"And Woo-jin, you need to show your kids your cool side."
"They’re barely a year old. They don't know anything."
"You can show them photos later. They’ll think, 'I thought my dad was just a loser, but he was actually cool back in college.'"
Should I kill him?
That actually made me want to do it even less.
"Playing an instrument isn't that easy."
"We can just practice. I saw your schedules; you guys have plenty of free time."
Kang Han-gang countered immediately, but there was one more thing that really pissed me off.
"The most annoying part is that you took the vocal spot for yourself so you don't have to practice an instrument."
"……."
Kang Han-gang shut his mouth, clearly having been hit where it hurts. Come to think of it, we’d be the ones struggling to learn instruments while he just coasted along.
I couldn't let this slide.
I had to show this idiot the reality of the situation.
"I’ll show you exactly how grueling it is to master an instrument."
*
"Hehe."
Lately, Choi Jin-ah had been in a very good mood. A period of rest had arrived after her concert tour ended.
She had received invitations from all over the world, but she was currently just resting and going on food tours.
In particular, she often hung out with the three women at Kim Woo-jin’s main house, as the three of them loved taking the kids to various places.
It was fun to be with the children, and she was happy exploring famous restaurants with her friends.
"Hehe."
Humming to herself, she entered the house, thinking she should cook some ramyeon for herself today.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
Click.
The door opened.
The moment she saw five men fighting with each other in the living room...
"…Who are you people?"
Choi Jin-ah could only ask blankly.