Chapter 545: Trend
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 545: Trend
"Wow, Senior, look at this! This is seriously incredible!"
Seo Da-mi, having received a few photos, made a huge fuss as she showed them to me.
The photos showed me looking quite handsome, but most of them were shots taken with Oh Yun-ji.
"I’m totally shipping the Woo-jin-Yun-ji couple!"
"…We are a couple, though."
I wondered what kind of novel nonsense she was spouting about "shipping" a real couple.
"Wow, amazing. I’m going to sleep so well tonight."
Well, no matter what I said, she was too caught up in her own excitement to listen.
On the other hand, the other girls who were listening nearby chimed in.
"Isn't Woo-jin-Ye-rin way better?"
Seo Ye-rin puffed out her cheeks and glared at Seo Da-mi while clinging to my arm.
"Why is it that around Woo-jin, there's always…"
Choi I-seo let out a sigh and went to check on our kids.
"Woo-jin-Yun-ji? What kind of baseless combination is that? It’s Ah-rin-Woo-jin."
"……."
If we’re talking about "roots," isn't Oh Yun-ji technically the most original one?
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't let them out.
As I’ve mentioned a few times, when you’re dating six women, I’ve learned through experience that keeping your mouth shut is often the wisest move.
"Hey, Woo-jin and I are the most 'original' couple, okay?"
Oh Yun-ji jumped in immediately, sounding offended. See? Even if I don't say anything, the conversation shifts that way anyway.
"B-but all those names sound a bit off—I think 'Woo-jin-ah' sounds the prettiest, don't you?"
Choi Jin-ah subtly tried to appeal for herself.
At first, I thought she was just calling my name, "Woo-jin-ah." But she was combining Kim Woo-jin and Choi Jin-ah.
"…Woo-jin-Ju-hee, hmm. Woo-Ju-hee? Huh."
Even Senior Ju-hee was muttering to herself, contemplating something strange.
While they were busy debating the nuances of their couple names, Myung Je-il called me over, so I headed his way.
He was looking at the photos we took today on his computer. Unlike his playful demeanor earlier, he looked quite serious.
"Could you take a look at this?"
"Yes?"
Why the sudden change in tone?
I’ve heard that when a bald man gets serious, you should usually be on guard.
Watch out for the baldy.
"Excuse me?"
Oh, shit.
"Ah, sorry. I meant to think that, but it came out of my mouth."
"……."
Myung Je-il gave me an incredulous look and then gestured toward the screen.
He showed me two photos side-by-side.
One was a shot of Seo Ye-rin and Yu-na together.
The other was a photo of the three of us, including me.
"…What about them?"
I asked because I genuinely couldn't tell what he was getting at.
"Don't they feel different?"
Myung Je-il glanced at me. Now that he mentioned it, it did seem a bit like that.
"Did the lighting change? Ye-rin looks a bit more radiant here."
At my words, Myung Je-il nodded and showed me other photos.
He showed a few photos of just the girls, and then showed the ones where I was with them.
As I noticed before, they looked strangely brighter, and their expressions were much more natural.
"……."
When I finally realized and fell silent, Myung Je-il slowly turned his body to face me.
"Like I said before, compared to those ladies, you are a bit lacking, you know?"
"You son of a bitch, you really just breathe out insults about my face, don't you?"
"…Did you just 'accidentally' say that out loud again?"
"No."
"……."
Myung Je-il stared at me with an absurd expression, then cleared his throat and continued as if he hadn't heard me.
"Ahem. You might be lacking, Woo-jin, but the ladies look much more beautiful when they’re photographed with you."
"……."
"I’ll admit it. The photos turned out better because you were in them."
What was this?
I was so taken aback I wondered if he was a different person.
I suppose his passion for photography outweighed his pettiness.
He thought I would ruin the photos because I was "lacking" compared to the girls, but since the results were actually better, he felt compelled to acknowledge it.
Well, if he was going to give me credit, I didn't feel the need to argue or complain further.
"Can you take our wedding photos later?"
I asked, thinking I should make a reservation in advance since I’d be taking them with all the girls eventually. Myung Je-il smirked and held out his hand.
"Okay, boy."
* * *
There are moments in life when you feel it.
Am I living the exact same life every single day?
Am I just a brain in a vat living in a loop?
Someone might tell me to stop talking nonsense, but right now, I was dead serious.
Because it felt like this exam period was never going to end.
Why does it feel like no matter how much I study, there's always more to do?
"…What are you doing? Your hands are resting."
"My brain is moving."
I quickly made an excuse to Choi I-seo, who was sitting next to me. Choi I-seo, who was looking at her phone, glanced at me, nodded, and went back to what she was doing.
For the record, I-seo was currently playing a game on her phone.
Sudoku.
I’ve never seen someone play Sudoku on their phone in my entire life.
I know people play chess or Janggi quite a bit.
But seeing someone play Sudoku on a smartphone was incredibly fascinating.
As expected, the most eccentric person in this house was definitely Choi I-seo.
"…I-seo, is that fun?"
I finally couldn't hold back and asked.
Normally, I-seo would have immediately snapped at me for chatting during study time.
"Huh? This? Yeah, it’s fun. Why? Are you interested?"
Choi I-seo looked at me with eyes full of expectation.
I was grateful she responded differently than usual, but honestly, I wasn't interested in the slightest.
"Uh, yeah. If it's fun, maybe I should try it too?"
But who was I?
I was Kim Woo-jin, the man who wanted to be such a good husband that he ended up with six wives.
"Really? The app is—"
Choi I-seo was delighted and immediately told me to install the app. While she was busy installing Sudoku on my phone...
"Urya! Urya! Urya! Urya!"
In the living room, Yoo Ah-rin was doing windmills.
"……."
Why does it feel like I see this every time it’s exam season?
I rubbed my eyes, but the sight remained the same.
Our children were taking refuge a safe distance away in the arms of Choi Jin-ah and Oh Yun-ji.
Seo Ye-rin was watching with fascination.
Senior Ju-hee kept tracking the timing with her eyes, and then suddenly—
Snap!
She grabbed Yoo Ah-rin’s spinning leg and said, "That’s enough."
"Oooooohhhhh!"
Seo Ye-rin immediately shouted in excitement.
Yoo Ah-rin and Senior Ju-hee slowly stood up and shared a high-five.
"Wow, you actually caught it. Senior, that was amazing! Do you have that much strength?"
"I had to put some muscle into it, but it wasn't impossible."
What kind of game were they playing?
Sometimes I feel like my house is packed with lunatics.
"Me too! I want to try! Kids! Watch closely!"
Seo Ye-rin stepped up, saying she wanted to show off to Yu-na, Seo-woo, and Chae-rin.
Yoo Ah-rin tried to dissuade her several times, but eventually, she started spinning a windmill again.
"Cyclone!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Seriously, why are they doing that?
"Pa-pa!"
"Kyahaha!"
"Oh, look at Chae-rin. Is Mommy cool?"
"The kids really love it."
Well, listening to Choi Jin-ah and Oh Yun-ji, it seemed the kids did enjoy it.
But just because the house is spacious doesn't mean they should be doing that in the living room—
Wait, she used to do that in my studio apartment too.
That’s right.
Even back when I lived in a tiny studio, she’d come over during exam periods and do windmills.
"Urya! Urya! Urya! Urya!"
The windmill spun vigorously again. Seo Ye-rin, with an excited expression, looked for an opening and lunged with her hand.
"Sokomade—pffft-ack-ugh!?"
She was sent flying and slammed onto the floor.
"……."
I should pretend I didn't see that.
Let’s just assume they’re having a good time and move on.
"There, Woo-jin, it’s all installed. Want to try a round?"
"Ah, right."
Choi I-seo had diligently installed Sudoku for me.
About five minutes passed.
"…I-seo, this isn't fun."
"……."
When I spoke honestly, Choi I-seo slumped her shoulders and nodded.
"Just study."
I’m sorry.
But what can I do?
It really was incredibly boring.
Maybe if it were chess or Janggi, it would be different. I was actually quite the strategist in those games back in the military.
"But why the sudden interest in games?"
I asked to comfort the dejected I-seo, and she shrugged.
"The girls said they were bored lately, so they’ve been gaming. But I don't know much about games, so I thought I’d start learning with this."
"……."
I don't know why she’s trying to learn "gaming" through Sudoku.
Anyway.
The girls are gaming?
Hmm, I suddenly felt a strong urge to join them, but...
"Woo-jin, focus."
"…Yes, ma'am."
I was still in the middle of exam period.
But Oh Yun-ji is in the middle of exams too.
I felt a surge of annoyance seeing her playing over there, especially since she was the type to slack off and still get top grades.
Come to think of it, I used to play games with Ye-rin quite often.
Since we played the same mobile games, I remember us talking about them a lot.
Back then, Seo Ye-rin spent quite a bit of money on—
"……."
Is she still spending money on them?
"What game are they playing?"
Just in case, I asked. Choi I-seo showed me a game that was installed on her phone but she hadn't played yet.
"This one."
"…Huh?"
I was so startled I had to look twice.
"They’re playing this? Why?"
I looked at her with an absurd expression, and Choi I-seo scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"I don't know. Apparently, some idol played it on a broadcast and it became famous, so the girls are into it now."
"…Do you know what kind of people play this game?"
"What kind of people? Are there specific people for certain games?"
"Yeah, there are."
Usually, games like this...
"Are played by rich middle-aged men."
In other words, you should never even start an Idle RPG.