Chapter 557: Decisive Evidence
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 557: Decisive Evidence
Japan.
To most Koreans, it’s the most accessible destination for an overseas trip.
However, unlike a typical son of a chaebol family who has even been to Hawaii, I had never actually set foot in Japan.
I’d like to think of myself as frugal, but whenever I mention that, the response is almost always: "And yet, a guy like that has six girlfriends?"
Honestly, I can't say I don't feel a bit wronged by this.
No matter what I do, the answer is always, "And yet, a guy like that has six girlfriends?"
If I say I’m being frugal by saving money, that’s the response I get.
If I try to be a good person by being considerate of others, that’s the response I get.
Even when I say "I love you," the response is still: "And yet, a guy like that has six girlfriends?!"
What kind of bizarre situation is this?
Most of my life can be countered with that one sentence.
You could say it’s a cross I have to bear, a burden placed on my shoulders by karma or fate.
Anyway, the point is that I can't get any credit no matter where I go.
But hey, what does it matter?
As long as I have six wives, I don't mind living a life where I'm looked down upon.
Wait, that’s not it.
I got a bit sidetracked there, but anyway, the point I wanted to make was this:
"I've never been to Japan."
I am a frugal chaebol who has never been to Japan.
At my answer, Oh Yun-ji nodded as if she expected as much and continued her explanation.
"Right, so I'm going to Japan. I need someone to help me out. So, do you want to come with me?"
"Of course I—!"
I was about to say I’d go, but Seo Ye-rin, who had been listening, immediately raised her hand and cut in.
"Objection! Where do you think the father of my child is going?!"
At Seo Ye-rin's shout, Yoo Ah-rin nodded in agreement.
"Seo Ye-rin actually said something right for the first time in about three months. Hey, where do you think you're going alone? If you're going, we're all going together. Are you going to leave your wives behind?"
"Huh? Three months? Me?"
"……."
The pressure from Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin was intense. And it wasn't like they were wrong.
Actually, it wasn't that I particularly wanted to travel; I just wanted to hang out with them.
"Hmm… I think it’s fine for him to go once."
Surprisingly, the one who agreed was Choi I-seo.
"What!?"
"Are you kidding me?!"
Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin stared at her simultaneously. The woman they thought would stand on their front lines as a logic-armored Great General had suddenly turned her back and become the enemy.
"No, I mean, Woo-jin gets harassed too much if he’s only at home. I don't want him to get too stressed out."
As expected of the Great I-seo.
Look at her worrying about my stress levels.
"Anyway, we only have to look at Woo-jin, but Woo-jin has to look at all six of us. He must be exhausted."
"But that’s a good thing, isn't it?!"
"You idiot! That’s just a reason for us not to have to be considerate of that jerk!"
I feel like that’s also a valid point.
Choi I-seo glanced at Oh Yun-ji and asked.
"You're going Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, right? Since you're asking Woo-jin to go."
"As expected of Choi I-seo. Of course. It’s a Friday free period plus the weekend."
"……If it’s the weekend, I think it’s okay for him to go."
At Choi I-seo's nod, my shoulders perked up slightly.
Is there anything as heart-fluttering as a sudden trip?
I’m inclined to say absolutely not.
"It’s not like anything major will happen just because Woo-jin is gone for three days, right?"
"It is a big deal! It’s a huge deal for me! Gaaah! Woo-jin-ahhh!"
Seo Ye-rin was already clutching her chest and collapsing, even though I was still right next to her.
Yoo Ah-rin, who was debating whether to join in the theatrics, cleared her throat and tried to maintain her dignity.
"No, hey. I get what you're saying, but it’s still a bit annoying that he’s going alone."
"It’s not like he’s going for fun. Right, Yun-ji?"
When Choi I-seo glanced her way, Oh Yun-ji nodded vigorously while waving her spoon around.
"Hey, there’s a lot to take care of this time. We’re trying to recruit a new broadcaster. You know, like a VTuber?"
"V-Tu… what?"
When Choi I-seo asked what she meant, Oh Yun-ji answered nonchalantly.
"It’s a thing. You put on an anime character's face and broadcast. It’s like filming a real-time anime episode."
"……."
Choi I-seo looked at me with a face that said she didn't understand, but it was hard for me to explain it any better than that.
I tried to explain it in a way that Choi I-seo could grasp.
"You want to broadcast without showing your face, but just using your voice is a bit boring, right? So you create your own character and use that as your face."
"Ah…."
"That’s really interesting."
Choi I-seo nodded in admiration, and Choi Jin-ah chimed in from the side.
Well, anyway, that wasn't the important part.
"We’re planning to expand in that direction, so we’re going to scout a few people."
I see.
No one was particularly impressed.
That was Oh Yun-ji's job, after all.
As for us, the only internet broadcasters we really cared about were Popo and the Taekwondo channel, Cheer Up.
"Anyway, so I'm taking Kim Woo-jin, okay? We’re going this week, so get ready—"
"Objection!"
Yoo Ah-rin immediately pointed her finger at Oh Yun-ji.
It seemed she was imitating what Seo Ye-rin had done earlier.
"Hey, this is something we all need to decide together. The head of the household, who is basically the pillar of this home, is going to be away for a full three days and two nights. We need to have a meeting."
"……If we're having a meeting, shouldn't we order some jokbal?"
I wasn't sure what jokbal had to do with a meeting, but Yoo Ah-rin nodded, so we ended up ordering it.
"If we're ordering jokbal, we need makguksu too, right?"
"Ugh, just order whatever. You're being noisy."
Yoo Ah-rin brushed her off irritably.
Choi Jin-ah grumbled while searching for a good restaurant on her phone.
"We just ate."
Choi I-seo let out a sigh.
"Even if we have a meeting, we should wait until Ju-hee Unni gets off work. Order it as a late-night snack."
"Yes! I'm just looking in advance for what to order for the late-night snack."
It’s not like she’s shopping or anything.
Anyway, it looked like we were going to have a meeting and a vote on whether I could go to Japan tonight.
"I'll just be gone for a bit. I can bring back souvenirs."
Thinking it wasn't that big of a deal, I spoke to Yoo Ah-rin, but she immediately narrowed her eyes and warned me.
"Hey, what did I just say? The head of the household, the pillar of our home, the reliable central axis. You’re disappearing for a full three days and two nights. This place could turn into an apocalypse in an instant."
"Is it really that serious?"
"It is, so shut your trap."
"……Didn't you just call me the pillar of the home and the reliable head of the household? You're telling the pillar to shut his trap?"
It felt like she was just straight-up ignoring me.
* * *
"Now, we will begin the 8th Family Meeting."
The living room.
Choi I-seo, sitting in the center of the sofa, announced the opening of the family meeting.
"……The 8th?"
I wanted to ask when on earth we had done this eight times, but everyone else looked so used to it that I just let it slide.
"There is a division of opinion regarding Woo-jin going to Japan for three days and two nights to help Yun-ji with her work."
Choi I-seo pointed to her right as she spoke.
"This side is the Pro-Japan faction. Oh Yun-ji, Min Ju-hee, and Choi I-seo."
"……They’ve already won, haven't they?"
The moment I saw the lineup, I muttered to myself.
With Choi I-seo and Oh Yun-ji, you could say they were essentially the brains of our household.
And if I was Lu Bu, then Senior Ju-hee was Xiang Yu.
With the "Conqueror Ju-hee" on their side, who could possibly win?
"This side is the Opposition faction. Seo Ye-rin, Yoo Ah-rin, and Choi Jin-ah."
"……Jin-ah, why are you over there?"
When I asked, Choi Jin-ah glanced at me while gnawing on a jokbal bone.
"I just went to the side I thought Woo-jin wouldn't like."
Wow, she’s really shameless.
"Uryaaa! Bring it on!"
Seo Ye-rin suddenly stood up and shouted. She seemed to think this was a tag-team fighting game, but unfortunately, her side would lose if it came to a fight.
Wait, hold on.
"Hey, if it’s three against three, and I join the Pro side, isn't it already over?"
At my words, Choi I-seo shrugged and replied.
"The head of the household doesn't get a vote."
"What kind of……."
I wish she’d repeat what she said to me earlier.
The head of the household, the pillar of our home, the reliable central axis.
Didn't she make such a fuss about putting me on a pedestal?
Wait, there was one more strange thing.
"Ye-rin, where’s Ah-rin?"
Yoo Ah-rin, who had been opposing so fiercely earlier, was nowhere to be seen.
Then Seo Ye-rin, sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, nodded.
"Ah-rin is preparing her logic."
I didn't know what "preparing logic" meant.
However, seeing that Yoo Ah-rin, the loudest voice on the opposing side, was absent, Oh Yun-ji saw an opportunity and immediately went on the offensive.
"This trip to Japan for three days and two nights isn't for fun. It’s for work. It’s going to be really tough, so Woo-jin is just helping me out."
Wait, now that she says it’s going to be tough, I suddenly don't want to go.
"Besides, I'm his girlfriend too, right? You guys have him at home, but I’ll be all alone in Japan."
"……."
"I'll buy you guys whatever gifts you want. Souvenirs. Okay? We won't even be taking any special commemorative photos. We won't even have time for leisurely sightseeing in the first place."
Oh Yun-ji appealed to them, saying that me following her wasn't exactly a treat, but rather that she was taking me because she needed me.
"I'll be going as his bodyguard too. If anything strange happens, I'll text you guys immediately."
Senior Ju-hee, who was next to her, added a word as well.
Seo Ye-rin and Choi Jin-ah, who was engrossed in her jokbal, listened.
After glancing at her phone, Seo Ye-rin nodded and spoke.
"Our side! We have decisive evidence!"
It’s not like this is a criminal case; I don't know what kind of evidence she’s talking about.
"Kim Woo-jin, go to the master bedroom and bring the evidence!"
"……Ah-rin is in there, isn't she?"
Are they going to beat me up inside or something?
Feeling dejected, I trudged toward the room.
"Hey, Jin-ah. Are you eating that jokbal all by yourself?"
"Why are we even doing this, seriously?"
I heard grumbling from behind me. To be honest, even though it was called a meeting, no one was actually being serious.
Creeeeak.
The moment I opened the door.
I realized that the opposition had, in fact, hit the nail right on the head.
Whether it was right or wrong for me to go to Japan.
Arguing the logic of that didn't matter one bit.
They just had to make me not want to go.
And Yoo Ah-rin had executed that plan perfectly.
Wearing cat ears, paws, and a bikini cosplay, Yoo Ah-rin gave a wink and acted cute.
"Are you still gonna go, meow?"
The authority of the head of the household was immediately restored.
