Chapter 173
Chapter 173
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Yu-na's Awards Triumph
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After taking Yu-na to the adjacent waiting room where the other kids were gathered, I returned alone to our original waiting room.
But the atmosphere was anything but normal.
Ahn Jeong-su was standing toe-to-toe with one man, his eyes sharp as if he might explode at any moment.
Step. Step.
I carefully approached Ahn Jeong-su's side.
"...What's going on?"
"Hah, it's nothing. The kids okay in the other waiting room?"
"Yeah, they're playing fine."
With that, a heavy silence fell.
The Entertainment Awards were about to go live any minute...
'I can't let this slide.'
I forced a bright smile and patted Ahn Jeong-su's shoulder to lighten the mood.
"Come on, hyung. Cheer up. You wanna be mad on a day like this? Let's ring in the new year with smiles."
"Hah, fine. Only because it's you, dongsaeng."
That's when it happened.
The man he'd been facing turned, kicked a chair, and stormed off.
The mood turned icy in an instant.
"Hey! Kim Baek-hyun! Cut it out."
"What do you mean 'cut it out'? You know the kind of flak we've been taking since Actor Lee Jun-seo left."
"...Just drop it."
"You're mad just because we showed a little attitude? Isn't that over the top?"
The long-haired man tried to intervene, but neither Ahn Jeong-su nor Kim Baek-hyun showed any sign of backing down.
"...I said cut it out."
"And I said I can't. Didn't you just see them looking down on us?"
"You guys started the disrespect first."
"Ah! Whatever."
He kicked the door open and stormed out.
The chill deepened instantly.
"Hah."
Ahn Jeong-su let out a deep sigh, sank into his chair, and rubbed his forehead.
The long-haired man glanced around nervously and sat far away. I stood between them, racking my brain.
Should I chase after Kim Baek-hyun outside? Or just stay put? Every option I considered made my head throb.
"...Pfft!"
A laugh that didn't fit the frosty air made me snap my head around.
Did Jeong-su hyung just laugh?
That's when it happened.
"Ahaha! You can come in now. He totally fell for it. Gotcha."
The waiting room door flew open, and Kim Baek-hyun walked in grinning.
"So we're done acting now, right? Hah... I thought I was gonna die holding back that laugh. Don't ever ask me again, hyung. Just so you know."
"Oh..."
My jaw dropped, and I froze.
Did they just prank me?
Ahn Jeong-su sidled up and slung an arm over my shoulder.
"You little punk. You were totally out of it. That shook you up that bad? Gotta smile to start the year right. Smile."
I shrugged off his hand.
"...I'm good."
"Ahaha! Sulking over that?"
"......"
It wasn't sulking—it pissed me off that I'd fallen for Ahn Jeong-su's trick.
A hidden camera prank, of all things...
"Hah."
I sighed deeply, and Kim Baek-hyun approached with a cheeky grin, extending his hand.
"Hey? Sorry I didn't greet you earlier. I'm Kim Baek-hyun, a broadcaster. Nice to meet you."
"...Yeah. Nice to meet you too."
I shook his hand.
"Oh, and the guy peeking over there is Kim Dae-ju. He's a broadcaster like me."
Kim Dae-ju bowed his head the moment our eyes met.
I bowed back, then turned to Kim Baek-hyun.
"But you said you got a lot of hate because of me?"
"Oh, that... Hey, we can drop the formal talk, right?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Right, well... It's something every broadcaster goes through at some point."
He continued with a smile.
"After the original member left, people said the fun dropped off a cliff and stopped watching... We got some flak comparing our chemistry to yours and Yu-na's. But hey, not your fault, so don't sweat it."
What a good guy.
I relaxed completely.
"Now that the hidden camera's wrapped, should we grab the kids? Jun-seo, come with me to pick 'em up."
"Huh? Oh... sure."
The Entertainment Awards finally kicked off.
Bam-para-bam-bam—
While watching MC Yoon Seok-jae's surprise stage for "Let's Play While Running!", we sat at a black round table with the kids.
But something felt off.
The surrounding celebrities weren't watching the stage—they were staring at us.
"Appa, can I eat this?"
"I told you to act natural. Your shoulders are slumping again."
"Y-Yu-na, you look pretty today."
"Thanks."
It felt like we were in another world. The kids showed zero interest in the stage.
"Appa... I'm hungry..."
"Huh? Now? Oh, got it. Hang on."
Kim Baek-hyun popped a snack into his son's mouth when he whined about being hungry.
Just then, Yoon Seok-jae's ear-splitting surprise stage wrapped up.
-2022 KY Entertainment Awards. We prepared a surprise stage to make things brighter and more lively. Thank you all for enjoying it... Welcome, everyone.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
As the applause died down, Yoon Seok-jae grabbed the mic again.
-Now, let me introduce the two MCs joining me.
That's when I felt a tug on my clothes and glanced down.
Yu-na was mouthing words, crumbs around her lips.
"When do we go up there?"
What a messy eater.
I smiled, pulled out a handkerchief, and gently wiped around her mouth.
Now her face was clean.
"Huh? When do we go up? Daddaa."
"Hmm, we probably won't."
"Why not?"
"Well, you see..."
"Because ratings tanked after your dad left for drama filming."
Ahn Jeong-su smirked and cut in with what I'd been about to say.
"Really?"
"Yeah... That's why we didn't get awards after Dad left."
"But Dad didn't do anything wrong..."
Yu-na's face fell.
"I-It wasn't Uncle's fault! Uncle and Dad are just lying! So don't be sad."
Su-jin's brave words brightened Yu-na's gloomy expression a bit.
"...Really?"
"Right? Uncle? Dad, say something."
This kid...
She'd grown up so much.
I nodded at Yu-na's teary eyes.
"It was a joke. It'd be great if we could go up there and get an award."
Ahn Jeong-su eyed Su-jin with a sly grin.
He slowly opened his mouth.
"Oho, our boy's cool, huh?"
"What's cool about it? And stop grinning like that. It's weird."
"He likes Yu-na that much?"
"W-What do you mean 'likes'!"
Su-jin's voice rose, drawing stares from the nearby celebs.
Warm gazes.
And soft chuckles.
Then a direct hit from the MC.
-Aigoo, why's Su-jin's face turning tomato red? You all know, but they say Su-jin really likes Yu-na, right?
Laughter erupted around us.
"......"
"Son, let's sit quietly now."
Su-jin scanned the room, then slunk back to his seat, head down to hide his flushed face.
Forty minutes had flown by.
Many had gone onstage, given speeches, and part one of the awards was just minutes from ending.
'They're holding up great this time.'
Unlike before, Yu-na wasn't fussing or begging to go home.
Su-jin was the same.
Following Yu-na's lead, sitting primly.
'These two are fine, but...'
These two were the issue now.
The two younger kids, even smaller than Yu-na and Su-jin, were whining to their dad about going home.
"Appa... I'm sleepy."
"Can't we just go home?"
"R-Ra-hee, let's tough it out one more hour."
"Our Seo-bin too. Can you wait strong like that big brother and sister?"
I glanced at Yu-na.
Her eyes sparkled as she sat quietly, staring at the stage.
"You okay right now, Yu-na?"
"Yeah! I'm good. I hope they call Yu-na soon... When can we go up there?"
As if we had a shot at the stage... But Yu-na seemed convinced we'd win and go up.
What if she's disappointed?
That's when it happened.
-Yes, time to announce. 2022 KY Best Icon Award. The winners are...
-Congratulations from the heart. "I Love Dad!" Cute Kids.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
My eyes flew wide.
"It's really us? Hyung?"
"I dunno either. They calling us for real? I wasn't paying attention to the stage."
"W-What do we do... I'm shaking..."
"Hyung, I heard it clear. We gotta get up there quick, right? Time's tight..."
"It's here! Yu-na's turn!"
While we hesitated, Yu-na jumped up and bolted for the stage.
Thud thud thud!
"Hehehe. Yu-na's number one!"
-Ahaha. Yu-na beat her dads to the stage. Dads, hurry up and join her—no time to waste.
"Kids, grab 'em and let's go. We're late."
The other dads scooped up their kids, and I scrambled after Yu-na onto the stage.
We lined up Su-jin, Kim Ra-hee, and Kim Seo-bin next to Yu-na up front, with us dads right behind.
"Who's giving the acceptance speech?"
"Su-jin, wanna do it?"
That's when four staff rushed over with mics for the kids, and the MC continued smiling.
-So, who'll accept on behalf of the group? Gotta say a few words too.
"Oh, th-this is a real mic."
"Appa, with this... home?"
While the kids fiddled blankly with their mics, Yu-na shot her hand up.
"Me! Me! Yu-na wants to!"
-Then Yu-na will accept on behalf of the kids.
Yu-na snatched the trophy and bouquet. They looked heavy in her little hands, so I took those from her.
"Yu-na? Now grab the mic and give your speech."
"Yeah!"
Step. Step.
Yu-na strode to center stage and held the mic confidently.
"Hello. I'm Dad's daughter Yu-na."
Her voice boomed.
"Thank you for the award."
-Ah! Yu-na's speech! We heard it loud and clear. So brave, cute, and overflowing with charm. No time left, so one of the dads for a quick...
Did she have more to say?
Yu-na cut off the MC.
"And."
A brief silence.
Then Yu-na's mouth opened.
"And! I love Dad!"