Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Manipulation, and the Comment Part-timer Choi Yang
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Bzzz—bzzz—
Something relentlessly pierced the silence of the quiet morning.
A low, irritating vibration buzzed endlessly from beside my head.
The moment I started waking up to that sound,
I felt something hard smacking and shoving my head mercilessly, like it was throwing a tantrum.
At that unpleasant sensation, I grimaced and barely opened my eyes.
Yura's foot, twisted into an acrobatic sleeping position, was pressed against my cheek.
"Mmm... noisy... turn off the alarm..."
Yura mumbled in her sleep.
I hadn't noticed back when we slept in a single bed due to the lack of space, but Yura's sleeping habits were straight-up fucking disastrous.
It was only after switching to a king-size that her true colors emerged.
Last night, it had just been me and Yura in bed.
Chaewon rarely slept with us because she was conscious of Haneul.
Even when she couldn't hold back her urges and snuck upstairs after Haneul was asleep,
she'd slip back down to the first floor at dawn to avoid waking her.
The vibration kept going.
Rubbing my eyes, I checked my phone. It was the alarm set for 7 a.m.
I'd turned off the sound on purpose, leaving only the vibration, but it buzzed persistently.
I found the shaking phone and silenced the damn alarm.
The room fell quiet again, filled only with Yura's steady breathing.
I gazed quietly at her curled up beside me.
These days, Han Yura's libido had spiked noticeably.
Unlike before, she was often the one initiating sex now.
'The more time passes, the more it feels like I'm the one getting devoured...'
That thought drifted through my mind as I gently nudged her to the other side of the bed.
Then I dragged my stiff body up, scratched my ass, and picked up the clothes I'd left on the floor to get dressed.
These mornings no longer required desperate hustling for cash.
The leisure felt awkward yet comfortable.
Thinking back to those days in the cramped 6-pyeong studio, surviving on instant ramen while glued to charts—it was night and day.
With over 5 billion won in assets, a day or two of rest wasn't a luxury; it was a given right.
Of course, the desire for more money lingered, but the desperation had faded.
I watched Yura sleeping a moment longer, then got out of bed.
And slowly descended the stairs to the second floor.
As I went down, the delicious aroma of breakfast wafted up from below.
It was the savory scent of frying oil mixed with hearty soybean paste stew.
Reaching the bottom, I headed to the kitchen, where dazzling summer morning sunlight poured through the wide windows, brightening the whole house.
And right in the midst of that sunlight stood Chaewon.
She hummed softly under her breath, preparing our breakfast.
It was the familiar back view I'd known since our 6-pyeong studio days.
But seeing her here today felt entirely different.
The vibrant irezumi tattoo flowing down her back and shoulders in the sunlight no longer looked like scars or threats.
Far from tacky, it seemed like a work of art encapsulating every moment she'd lived through.
I couldn't help but stop in my tracks at the peaceful scene.
After a quiet moment taking it in, I sat at the wide kitchen island without a word.
Chaewon wordlessly poured a cup full of some mysterious green liquid from the blender and handed it to me.
Just the healthy-looking color made me grimace.
"Ugh... do I have to drink this?"
"It's good for you, so quit whining and drink it."
"......Hah."
"Tsk, not on the first floor."
Just as I muttered under my breath, Chaewon's sharp voice cut in.
"Ah, sorry."
I apologized quickly.
And glanced around. I knew it wasn't time for Haneul to wake yet, but I felt unnecessarily tense.
This wasn't my dirty bachelor pad anymore.
This was our home—me, these two women, and that little kid.
Chaewon's maternal side shone through in moments like this.
Her ironclad rule: watch your language around the child.
I couldn't argue with that.
I squeezed my eyes shut and chugged the mystery green sludge in one go.
Bitter, astringent, thick, and fishy.
Even the spoiled milk I'd force-downed as high school punishment didn't taste this bad.
For something made with ridiculously expensive organic ingredients, why the hell did it taste so awful?
I barely finished the cup.
To wash away the lingering aftertaste, I grabbed a cigarette and headed outside.
The whole house was now a no-smoking zone.
I crossed the lawn of fresh green grass, opened the gate, and stepped out.
Then headed to where my first car—a domestic SUV—was parked.
There, as if she'd stolen or scavenged it from somewhere, was a small ashtray waiting for me.
'Should I call the cops? "Hey, there's a thief here"?'
I chuckled at the pointless thought.
The deep first drag cleared some of the gunk from my mouth.
The green liquid's aftertaste lingered, but the cigarette neutralized it somewhat.
I finished the smoke and went back inside.
Chaewon had set the breakfast table.
Soybean paste stew, rolled omelet, and a few side dishes arranged with care.
That's when it happened.
Haneul, just woken from her room, rubbed her eyes and toddled out.
Spotting me, she wobbled over sleepily and hugged my thigh with her tiny arms.
"Haneul, go wash your face and eat breakfast."
Chaewon took the kid to the bathroom to wash up and came back.
We three ate quietly.
Haneul was still half-asleep, stuffing food down mechanically.
It was such a peaceful morning.
Yura, who'd been sleeping more lately, showed no sign of coming down from upstairs.
Chaewon finished eating and started prepping Haneul for daycare.
Right then, Chaewon sidled up to me.
And whispered ever so softly in my ear.
"On your way today, could you swing by a pharmacy... and grab a pregnancy test?"
'...What? Fuck?'
"....Pregnancy test?"
I asked back, just in case.
From Chaewon's lips came words that shattered my entire peace.
"My period's a bit late... probably not, but just to be sure."
Nothing came to mind to say.
I just nodded.
"Uncle, hurry~!"
Haneul's voice urged me from the entryway.
I dazedly took her tiny hand and left the house.
My mind was already blank.
The peaceful morning flipped to chaos in an instant.
I dropped Haneul off at daycare with an empty head.
She said something to me, but I just nodded blankly.
On the empty-headed drive home, I stopped at a pharmacy for the test.
My mind stayed blank the whole time.
Back home, Chaewon silently took the test and headed to the bathroom.
Click.
The door shut.
That's when my heart started pounding like mad.
My legs trembled against my will.
'Fuck... fuck... fuck...'
I repeated meaningless curses in my head.
How much time passed? Click. The door opened again.
Chaewon emerged from the bathroom.
Her face, unlike when she entered, looked utterly relaxed.
"You were freaking out, huh? Your face is pale as a ghost."
"...What'd it say?"
Chaewon silently showed me the test in her hand.
A single clear line.
Not knowing what it meant, I stared at her blankly again.
Chaewon smirked.
"Not pregnant."
Haaa...
With those words, all the tension drained from my body at once.
I collapsed to the floor with a thud.
Unlike my pathetic display, Chaewon acted like it was nothing, lightly tapping my slumped shoulder before heading back to the kitchen.
As if nothing had happened.
I sat there on the floor, gasping for breath.
And in that moment, icy alertness slammed into my head.
I'd forgotten.
Intoxicated by earning billions overnight, buying this dream house, and seizing this "everyday life" I'd only fantasized about, I'd momentarily forgotten.
Me, Yoon Chaewon, Han Yura—what risks we three were taking with this insane scheme.
My teeth ground together at the realization.
I felt pathetic for letting my guard down in this dream life, focusing only on enjoying it.
Not yet.
This wasn't the time to relax.
Our war wasn't over.
This peaceful daily life,
this warm home,
all of it could crumble in an instant—and I'd forgotten that.
The 5 billion, this house—everything rested on shaky foundations.
The coin market remained brutal; we could lose it all anytime.
No time to slack.
We had to squeeze out every last won, as fast as possible.
Next year, tax laws change.
A third of our hard-earned profits gets ripped away by the government.
No waiting around thinking "it'll work out somehow."
Whether Yura or Chaewon got pregnant was a wildcard.
If either one's body acted up, our "business" grinds to a halt.
That was our team's deadliest risk.
So the answer was clear.
Recruiting a third member wasn't just "needed" anymore—it was essential.
I calculated coldly.
Simple math: adding one more partner drops each person's pregnancy odds to exactly one-third.
This wasn't emotional; it was arithmetic.
I stood up.
My new goal was set.
Convenience store clerk, nameless keyboard warriors.
No more hesitation.
Time to act—today.