Chapter 529: Flex
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 529: Flex
Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum! Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum! Thrum, thrum, thrum! Thrum, thrum!
Click, click, click, click!
The living room.
Seo Ye-rin was busily snapping photos of me as I toyed with the bass guitar, practicing.
She was moving all over the place, clicking away so fervently that anyone watching would think I was intentionally posing for a photoshoot.
"…Ye-rin."
"The way you're looking over here is so sexy. Can we do one more?"
I struck a pose anyway.
Click!
"Ooh, so handsome."
"Ye-rin, I’m practicing."
"Could you bite the pick and pretend to tune it just once?"
I bit the pick and pretended to tune the strings.
Click, click, click!
"Yes, perfect. You really are gorgeous. It makes taking pictures so rewarding."
"…Really?"
When I grinned, unable to resist the onslaught of compliments, Yoo Ah-rin, who had been watching from the side, clicked her tongue.
"Really, my ass. Stop trying to look cool. You’re cooler when you’re not trying, you idiot."
"…Was that a compliment?"
When I tilted my head and asked, Yoo Ah-rin just gave me a bored look and flipped me off, dodging the question.
Even so, she made sure to cover Chae-rin’s eyes—since the baby was in her arms—as if she were trying to fulfill her duty as a mother.
"Woo-jin, you can plug it into the amp. Doesn't it sound like nothing if you just play it like that?"
At Choi I-seo’s words—she was sitting on the opposite sofa holding Seo-woo and eating potato chips—I pointed to the connected amp.
"It’s already plugged in and ringing out."
"…."
"…."
Click, click.
"That 'I'm speechless' expression is also sexy. I love it."
"Stop taking pictures."
"Hehe."
Seo Ye-rin sat back down with a giggle. She looked satisfied, as if she’d captured plenty of good shots.
"But seriously, the bass doesn't suit Kim Woo-jin at all. Why did you end up playing it?"
At Yoo Ah-rin’s question, the other two nodded in agreement.
"What’s wrong with the bass? It suits me perfectly. Serious, hidden from the spotlight, but actually the dark hero of the band who plays a vital role."
"Puhahaha!"
"Ahahaha!"
"Pfft!"
"…."
It really pisses me off because they seem to be genuinely laughing.
Baaaa!
Kyaaa!
Even the kids were laughing brightly along with their mothers, not even knowing what was so funny.
They were so cute it was hard to even get mad.
"It was the only spot left. Apparently, Senior Han-gang is the vocal. And well, Choi Jin-ah said it’s the easiest instrument to learn among them?"
Choi Jin-ah had told me that if I wasn't going deep and just wanted to learn the basics, nothing was easier than the bass.
"Woo-jin would suit being the vocal, or the drums, or the guitar, though."
"Since he loves standing out so much."
"He’s not just an attention seeker; he’s a total attention whore. You can tell just by the fact that he took over as the Bamboo Forest Manager again."
"…."
Have I already sold off my dignity as the head of the household?
Anyway, since I’ve taken on the bass this time, I’m doing my best to learn.
"But this is actually kind of fun. It gives me a sense of achievement. I feel proud when I manage to do something I couldn't do before."
"…From the perspective of a college student who should be studying, saying you enjoy learning the bass is a pretty dangerous statement."
Choi I-seo made a vague, awkward expression. It seemed like a few people who neglected their university studies to learn music, art, or writing were flashing through her mind.
"We can go watch when the band performs, right, Woo-jin?"
"Of course. Part of the reason I’m going up there is because I want to show you guys."
"…A love song, pfft."
Beside her, Yoo Ah-rin let out a chuckle, recalling the story Oh Yun-ji had shared last time.
When I shot her a glare, Yoo Ah-rin just shrugged and replied.
"Go ahead, try a love song."
"Get lost."
"Agh! Chae-rin! Daddy told Mommy to get lost! What should we do?!"
Yoo Ah-rin lifted Chae-rin up to eye level.
Even as she said that, the corners of her mouth were twitching upward; she was clearly teasing me.
Give me a break.
I couldn't say it out loud because the kids were right there, but I was cursing her with my eyes.
"Pa-pa!"
"Hm?"
At the sound from Chae-rin’s mouth, all our eyes snapped toward her.
I, too, abandoned the bass and tried to rush over to Chae-rin.
But Yoo Ah-rin blocked me, pushing me back with her leg.
"Chae-rin! Papa! Yes! It’s Papa! Papa!"
"No! Don't do that! Mommy! Say Mommy! Not Papa! Ma-ma!"
"Hey! The kid is finally trying to talk, why are you blocking her! Wait, is our Chae-rin a genius?!"
"Seo-woo, it’s okay. You can go at your own pace."
"Our Yu-na is a face genius, so there’s no problem at all!"
On either side, the other mothers were busy with their own versions of parenting.
I thought they might get competitive about this kind of thing, but instead of competing, they were just busy doting on the kids.
The funny thing was that they all treated the three children as if they were their own.
I guess it’s because they have the same father, and we’ve grown close living together.
"Pa-pa!"
"Chae-rin!"
Yoo Ah-rin picked Chae-rin up and started running away.
"Hey! Where are you going!"
"Mommy comes first, no matter what! I’m the one who’s with her every day, so why is she calling for Papa first?! Chae-rin! Mommy! Mom! My! Mom! My!"
"Uh-um! Uh-woo!"
"Chae-rin! Don't lose to your mother! Don't give in to outside pressure and live your dreams! Daddy is always rooting for you!"
"That man is a beast! Don't listen to your father!"
Yoo Ah-rin fled from me as I scrambled over the sofa to chase her.
I immediately gave chase, and a pursuit to secure Chae-rin began.
* * *
Today was practice day.
Gathered at Choi Jin-ah’s house, we were eating pizza.
Usually, people eat after practicing, but we eat before.
"That’s all well and good, but the moment I smell pizza on an instrument, I’m seriously going to use your heads to assemble a new drum set, so be prepared. Wash your hands properly."
Choi Jin-ah laid down the law.
I could easily guess where she’d learned such colorful language.
Probably Yoo Ah-rin and Oh Yun-ji.
"I’m not joking! I’ve already cleared a spot for a second drum set!"
Isn't that basically a trophy rack for human heads?
Anyway, while eating pizza, Ahn Hyun-ho, who was munching on a crust, asked Jeong Chan-woo.
"Hey, if you won the lottery, would you still eat the pizza crusts?"
"Why would I? Absolutely not."
"Same here."
These guys were starting with the nonsense again.
"Even if you win the lottery, you should still eat the pizza crust."
When Kang Han-gang chimed in, Pyo Jin-ho smirked and clicked his tongue.
"You idiots. Hey, if you won the lottery, you would have added something to the crust in the first place. You wouldn't even have to worry about it."
"Oh…."
"Ooh, true."
The idiots marveled simultaneously. Then the conversation naturally went off on a tangent.
"But what would you actually do if you won the lottery?"
"I heard winning the lottery doesn't even change your life that much these days."
"That’s what people who haven't won say. I heard it definitely changes your life."
While all sorts of nonsense was being exchanged.
Nom, nom.
"…Are you a hamster?"
Choi Jin-ah was aggressively consuming pizza. While the men’s conversation was focused elsewhere, she was eating for all she was worth.
"If I won the lottery? First, I’d probably go on a trip with Gyu-a. Maybe not Japan, but somewhere in Europe?"
Toward Ahn Hyun-ho, who spoke with a grin, the single Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho immediately started picking a fight.
"Ugh, look at this unfilial bastard. He wins the lottery and still drives a stake through his parents' hearts."
"Tsk, tsk. This is why young people are the problem. They only think about their lovers. Not realizing that it’s only temporary."
"Dammit, we’re dating just fine right now, and I have to hear that it’s 'temporary'?"
To the indignant Ahn Hyun-ho, Kang Han-gang asked.
"How many times have you broken up with Gyu-a so far?"
"…."
"You guys have gotten back together a ton of times. I’ve heard of at least five."
They sure are dedicated.
I wouldn't know, since we’ve never broken up.
"Hey, Jeong Chan-woo. Help me out. Shouldn't comrades help each other?"
Jeong Chan-woo, who was eating pizza, tilted his head and then slowly slid his butt over toward Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho.
"I broke up. I’m on this side now."
"Puhahaha! See! I told you this guy would break up soon! Welcome, Chan-woo! Let’s work hard on our band!"
"If you’re in a band, you can get a girlfriend in no time!"
Jeong Chan-woo nodded at Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho’s words. The faint spark in his dark eyes seemed to be the motivation to find his next girlfriend.
That must be exhausting.
"Look at him moving his butt, as if he’s trying to prove he’s gay."
Ahn Hyun-ho tried to belittle Jeong Chan-woo by nitpicking something strange, but no one really denied that part.
Anyway.
The conversation returned.
"Then what would you guys do if you won the lottery?"
"Me? First, I’d deck myself out in luxury brands. Then I’d hit the clubs and hunting pochas like crazy. I’d also get a sexy car."
That was classic Kang Han-gang.
He looks like a nice guy from church, but inside, he’s just a child of Satan and demons.
"An apartment, definitely. Real estate, definitely. Land prices always win."
Pyo Jin-ho, a college student, talked about investment as if he knew what he was saying. As far as I knew, those guys had never even tried investing.
"Chan-woo, what about you?"
"Me? Well, first… I’d buy a house? Like Jin-ho? And then, I don't know, wouldn't I just play? For starters."
A dull and uninteresting answer.
I shifted my weight, waiting for the question to come to me.
"What about you, Jin-ah?"
Those bastards were intentionally avoiding me.
"Me? I think I’d just save it?"
Choi Jin-ah, who had already demolished the pizza and was now polishing off the oven spaghetti that came as a review event, answered.
Everyone nodded dully at her response.
They already knew she had plenty of money since she was a world-class violinist.
"Alright, shall we start?"
"Ready to practice!"
Watching them stand up, I finally shouted.
"You sons of bitches! Why aren't you asking me!"
"Ah, this guy."
"Always has to ruin the mood."
"The ones who have it all are always the worst."
The four of them looked at me with annoyed eyes. Finally, Ahn Hyun-ho asked me as if he were throwing me a bone.
"What do you want to do if you win the lottery?"
"I wouldn't even bother going to collect it."
Flex.