Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Explosive StarTalk Posts
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“…Are you on StarTalk right now, Sia?”
A snort of laughter came from the other end of the phone. Just like how Yu-na had spilled to the reporters… had Yoo Sia done the same, exposing Yu-na's dark history?
-Yes, well, I'm busy, so… Make sure to show it to Yu-na.
The call ended abruptly.
“…….”
“What's going on?”
I lowered my voice at Yoon Si-won's question so the kids wouldn't hear.
“Yoo Sia posted something on StarTalk. Something related to Yu-na…”
Yoon Si-won pulled out her phone with a stiff expression. I let out a deep sigh behind her.
This time, Yu-na had ruined singer Yoo Sia's image.
So, even if Yoo Sia revealed Yu-na's dark history in return, she had no grounds to complain.
Yu-na was the one who broke the promise first.
Tap! Tap!
Yoon Si-won tapped my shoulder, her lips twitching as she showed me her phone screen.
It displayed Yoo Sia's personal StarTalk account.
“This is… singer Yoo Sia's personal StarTalk account. Her latest posts…”
Her voice trembled badly.
She seemed to be holding back laughter.
I wondered what she had written.
I took Yoon Si-won's phone and examined the posts closely.
[Everyone, the kid broke our promise first. Do you all know about that? During lunch on the music video shoot, the kid straight-up… pooped her pants.]
#Lee-Junseos-Daughter #Yu-na #Pants-Pooper
#Whos-More-Embarrassed
[During filming, she got so obsessed with winning that Yu-na cheated right in front of me. As punishment, there's a video of her writing her name with her butt…]
#Should-I-Post-It #Cheat-King
#Pants-Pooper #Duck-Butt #Idiot
Two bombs had been dropped.
The reactions…
I needed to check the reactions first.
Clicking on the post with the most comments unleashed a festival of replies.
-Oh! Is this a exposé war?
-Wow! Popcorn time! Everyone sit down!
└Sitting!
└Me too.
-Yu-na's the pants-pooper, Sia unnie's the bed-wetter. A dream matchup. LOL Any other episodes?
└Nah, Yu-na's done both. Actor Kang Su-ho spilled that. LMAO.
└Oh yeah? LOL.
-Unnie must be really pissed. LOL You can feel the rage in the post.
I felt it too.
Yoo Sia had posted not one, but two.
-Sia unnie too, huh? Same as Yu-na! Identical.
-Didn't expect that from unnie.
└Right? LOL She seemed haughty and quiet even as a kid.
-They must really be close?
└Is that article true?
I handed the phone back to Yoon Si-won and looked toward the kitchen.
“Ha-yul, this is really good.”
“Right? It's my favorite.”
“Oh, I see!”
Even with two bombs dropped.
Yu-na sat calmly at the table, munching snacks with Ha-yul.
Late into the evening.
We finally had dinner together after Lee Jong-min, who came to work even on the weekend, arrived.
Various side dishes and kimchi stew.
Unlike before, this was a very ordinary home-cooked meal.
“I made a lot of rice, so if you'd like more, just let me know.”
“Haha! Eat up, Jun-seo. No need for diet control this time, right?”
Five empty beer cans were scattered next to Lee Jong-min, who had started drinking from the get-go.
His raised voice tone suggested he was getting tipsy.
“…Daddy! No more drinking!”
Lee Jong-min scoffed at Ha-yul's bold words and cracked open a new beer.
“Work's been crazy lately. I need this to get by. Let it slide just for today, sweetie?”
“No way. Confiscated.”
Watching Lee Jong-min lose his beer, I lowered my gaze.
Yu-na was dozing off on my lap, her head bobbing. Spoon and chopsticks in her hands, drool trickling from her lips.
She must be exhausted…
I set Yu-na's spoon and chopsticks on the table and stood.
“Hueeum… Hehehe.”
Should I lay her on the sofa comfortably first?
As I smiled and turned.
“…She's asleep?”
I turned at Yoon Si-won's question.
She had stood with me, lowering her voice and pointing to the inner room.
“Ha-yul's bed is in there. Want me to tuck her in?”
“Ah, would you?”
“Mom. I wanna sleep with Yu-na… Suddenly tired.”
“You said sleeping with a friend was your dream before? Hehe.”
“Th-that's not why!”
I entrusted Yu-na to Yoon Si-won and sat back down.
While Yoon Si-won was away.
Lee Jong-min looked straight at me.
His flushed, drunken face was full of sincerity.
“Jun-seo.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“Marvo's success is thanks to you. Thank you. I really wanted to say it in person.”
“No need to thank me for that. I succeeded thanks to you too, right?”
He bowed his head deeply.
For a moment.
Suddenly, he looked up, clapped, and laughed.
“Right! I heard. Yoo Sia's Yu-na's aunt? Haha! Small world. What a coincidence.”
“Ah…”
Yoon Si-won emerged from the room, her expression hardening. A heavy silence fell.
Yoon Si-won approached boldly, sat at the table, and poked Lee Jong-min's side.
“Hey, what the hell.”
“I told you to drink in moderation? You lose all sense when you're drunk?”
I waved it off.
“Haha. It's fine. And, it's not confirmed yet if singer Yoo Sia is my late wife's… sister.”
“Tch… Is that so?”
“Sorry. My husband turns into an idiot when drunk…”
I shook my head and held out my empty rice bowl to Yoon Si-won.
“Could I get some more rice? Playing with the kids all day left me starving still.”
She shrugged and took the bowl.
“Ah! Why don't you just stay over? Yu-na's out cold; hard to move her without waking.”
Good idea.
“Then, I'll impose for the night. I can sleep in the living room.”
Sunday morning, Yu-na's loud voice woke me.
“No! I didn't do that!”
“Ugh… Yu-na. So loud…”
I sat up groggily, scratching my belly, slowly opening my eyes.
What? Where am I?
A living room different from home.
‘Ah, right.’
This is Ha-yul's house.
We'd agreed to stay over per Yoon Si-won's suggestion yesterday. I stretched refreshingly upon waking.
“Ugh!”
“Auntie! Yu-na really didn't!”
Yu-na's voice grew louder again.
Who's she arguing with?
Yu-na was on the sofa, using my phone to talk to someone.
Her face red as if about to burst, she yelled furiously.
“I didn't! Really!”
“Yu-na, who's on the phone?”
“Ah, Daddy!”
Yu-na teared up and clung to me. A familiar voice came from the phone.
-Jun-seo. Pick up if you're listening.
“Ah, Seol-hwa noona?”
-Yeah, it's about you and Yu-na. Things are getting rowdy. Thought you should know, so I called early.
I took the phone from Yu-na and continued the call, patting her back with my other hand.
“Did you see what Yoo Sia posted? Don't tease her too much.”
-……
Suddenly, silence.
The call hadn't dropped.
Why'd she go quiet?
That's when it hit.
-The reporters finally found it.
“Huh?”
What did they find?
As I opened my mouth.
-You mentioned the nursery before, right?
I racked my brain.
I had told An Jeong-su at home during the ‘Daddy, I Love You!’ filming.
“Yeah, I did…”
-Sigh, seems reporters scoured every nursery for a scoop. Sunflower Nursery, right?
My body jolted.
‘Sunflower Nursery.’
Where I'd lived since school days. Where I first met my wife, Kang Min-ju, and fell in love…
Drip!
A tear fell on Yu-na's head.
I hurriedly wiped the unwitting tears and slowly spoke.
“…Why there?”
My voice cracked slightly.
-It hit the news. Check it first. Hanging up.
Click! The call ended.
As if considerate, ending quickly. I took a deep breath to calm my turmoil, glaring ahead.
Not to cry in front of Yu-na.
I forced strength into my eyes.
‘Yeah, let's check.’
I searched my name and clicked the latest article.
“…….”
A photo of the all-too-familiar nursery building appeared on screen.
I ignored the article.
The graffiti-covered front gate.
‘That… Min-ju and I doodled there, got scolded by the director.’
The grassy yard.
‘On drizzly days, lying there calms the mind… Min-ju always said that to me…’
The large pine tree by the window.
‘Sneaking out at night with Min-ju, we'd climb down that tree…’
Happy memories surfaced, leaving my heart hollow.
“…….”
“Daddy… Are you sad too?”
Yu-na's call snapped me back.
Tears were falling from my eyes like hers.
“…Yeah, sad.”
“Yu-na's sad too… What if friends tease me as pants-pooper?”
I wiped Yu-na's tears first with my sleeve, hugging her warmly.
“It'll be okay.”
“Really?”
“If anyone teases, tell Daddy right away. I'll scold them good. Got it?”
“Really? For real?”
“Of course. And if you cry like this all the time, Mommy watching from heaven will be sad.”
“……?”
“So let's stop crying… and smile together with Daddy?”
“…Hehehe.”
Yu-na smiled again before I knew it.
I smiled brightly too.
‘Yeah, overcome it like this.’
Patting Yu-na, I checked the article again.
Now the content registered.
[This is ‘Sunflower Nursery,’ where everyone knows actor Lee Jun-seo lived from his school days. In the past, Lee Jun-seo's parents died in an accident…]
(Past nursery kids photo)
[This photo captures the nursery kids from 10 years ago. Lee Jun-seo is in the bottom left, and next to him is a child resembling singer Yoo Sia.]
‘Resembling Yoo Sia?’
Not to my eyes.
Eyes, nose, mouth.
Face shape different too.
Yet they say she resembles…
Doubting my eyes, I quietly asked giggling Yu-na.
“Yu-na, wanna see a photo?”
“What is it?”
“This.”
I zoomed in on the group photo of past nursery kids and showed her.
“See the pretty sister next to Daddy? Does she look like auntie Yoo Sia?”
She shook her head vigorously, no hesitation.
“Not at all.”
“Right?”
“This sister's prettier.”