Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Bully from the Past
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Kim Tae-seok had long forgotten about Lee Jun-seo, whom he had bullied during his school days.
It had just been a prank back then.
The guy who always hunched his shoulders and looked around nervously... the weak one at the bottom... had become an actor.
At first, he honestly couldn't believe it.
Not until he opened the green window and searched for Lee Jun-seo's name.
[Sitcom: Guard the Pojangmacha!]
[Limited New Product CF]
The works where Lee Jun-seo appeared as a supporting actor had all been hits.
Limited's new products were popular too, so of course they sold well.
'He must have made a ton of money, right?'
Yeah, probably.
With that in mind, he had called to apologize for the past and ask to borrow a little money.
But something unexpected happened.
-Hey, what do you want me to do about it?
There was strength in the voice.
"...What?"
-Are you clueless? It's not like that makes it go away. You piece of shit.
Hearing curses from the guy who couldn't even lift his head back then made him laugh in disbelief.
"Hahaha! This shit thinks he's big now..."
-I wasn't done talking. Don't interrupt.
Overwhelmed by the sharp voice, Kim Tae-seok couldn't open his mouth.
He was starting to doubt if this was really the Lee Jun-seo he knew.
Lee Jun-seo said something more after that, but he was too stunned to hear it properly.
Click!
Finally, Lee Jun-seo ended the call.
Only then did Kim Tae-seok come to his senses and clench his fist tightly.
"This shit..."
Veins bulging on his forehead, Kim Tae-seok immediately called Lee Jun-seo back.
-Click! Unable to connect...
Even now, six years after graduation.
Unable to shake his violent temper, Kim Tae-seok bellowed.
"Uwaaaah!"
Crash! Bang! Smash!
No matter how much he smashed everything in the tiny studio apartment, his anger wouldn't subside.
"...This shit ignored me?"
From school days, Kim Tae-seok had given up on studying and lived that way. Even after becoming independent and finding jobs, he always got fired.
His temper was the biggest problem.
When his boiling anger erupted, his vision narrowed, and he raised his voice.
It was the same in society.
Even when he barely landed a job, he couldn't hold back his anger and fought with coworkers.
So getting fired was inevitable.
After it kept happening, he stopped even thinking about finding work.
'Unemployed for four years.'
He scraped by borrowing money from close friends.
Or taking it from juniors.
Being dismissed by the easy target from school days cracked his pride.
"Hoo..."
Only after smashing everything did his boiling rage finally cool a bit.
Kim Tae-seok scanned his surroundings.
The tiny one-room was a total wreck, practically a ruin.
It hadn't always been like this.
He had lived comfortably, no worse than anyone else. His mom and dad both worked, earning money.
That's why he grew up twisted, without proper love.
"Haa, if you're gonna brush me off so coldly, at least give me more money..."
Bzzz!
Kim Tae-seok ran his hand through his hair and calmly picked up his phone.
It was a call from Kim Do-hoon.
"Fuck, I said I'd pay back the allowance..."
He was about to ignore it.
Then a good idea struck him.
He answered the call he was about to dismiss and hurriedly spoke.
"Hey, Do-hoon. You were close with Jun-seo, right?"
-Why do you ask? More importantly, pay back the money I lent you first.
The annoyed tone.
He wanted to go over and grab him by the collar right then, but this time he held back his anger.
"I want to meet that shit and talk. Can you contact him for me instead? He's not picking up my calls."
Kim Do-hoon was silent for a while, then let out a deep sigh.
-Hey, how long are you gonna keep this up? We're adults now. What do you mean 'talk'? You just wanna step on him like back then, right? Don't drag me into it...
His patience reached its limit.
Unable to contain his surging anger, Kim Tae-seok punched the wall and raised his voice.
"Fuck you, you shit. You think I'm pathetic too?"
-......
"Haa, you're useless back then and now. Completely useless."
There was nothing more to expect from this guy.
Kim Tae-seok ended the call immediately.
Eyes filled with still-boiling rage, he tapped his phone.
The call connected soon after.
"...Hyungnim. It's me."
-Yeah, junior. What's up?
A gravelly voice came through.
Kim Tae-seok curled his lips slyly.
"There's something I'd like to ask of you..."
On the way home with Yu-na, people's gazes kept turning toward us.
Maybe because I wasn't covering my face with a mask and hat, but this time it felt different.
"Wow, it's Jun-seo oppa. They say he's often seen around here. For real?"
"Oppa? Isn't he an ajusshi? Married with a kid makes him an ajusshi."
"What are you talking about? If he's handsome, he's oppa."
"Hey! Hey! Yu-na's there too!"
The students who recognized us were following us in a group. It was early morning now. School time, so if they only followed me, they'd be late for class. That's what I thought.
"Hmm."
I stopped in my tracks.
The students following us stopped too. Looking back, I saw them eagerly filming us.
"Hey, kids?"
"Yes!"
"Hyungnim! Speak!"
Their unified attitude made me laugh. I shouldn't laugh here though...
I quickly composed my expression and looked at the students seriously.
"Isn't it time for school? If you just follow me, you'll be late. Hurry to school."
"We're fine!"
"Suneung's over, so we don't have to go to school."
"......"
I was at a loss for words.
Well, if that's the case...
No.
They're students, so they should go to school.
I cleared my throat.
"Ahem! Still, it's almost the end, right?"
"Daddy. Daddy. What's Suneung?"
Yu-na's sudden question.
The students clutched their chests at innocent Yu-na's question.
"...What's Suneung?"
"Yes."
"Suneung is, hmm... Ah! Right, you did dictation at kindergarten, right?"
"The one Yu-na got 50 points on?"
Yu-na spread her ten fingers wide.
Ten fingers is 100 points...
I'll explain later.
I gently stroked her head at her bold score reveal.
50 points isn't a high score.
Still.
It was a good score for Yu-na.
Even though she was behind her peers in studying.
It was the result of her hard effort.
"Yeah. It's like the dictation where Yu-na got 50 points."
The surroundings had gone quiet before I knew it.
Feeling something off, I looked around.
The noisy students had their mouths shut tight, just watching us.
"......"
"Daddy?"
This won't do.
But students have to go to school.
'Is there a good way?'
After thinking it over, a good idea came to mind. It was a line from a drama that would come later, but if I could give some good advice to these immature kids...
"Kids?"
The students focused at my call.
"School feels boring right now, doesn't it?"
The kids nodded all at once.
"Yeah, it probably does now. But you know, after you graduate, can you go back to that boring school?"
I scanned the students slowly.
All of them had wide eyes.
Just staring straight at me.
That meant they were focused on my words.
I opened my mouth again.
"School memories are precious. Right now, you'll laugh and say you hate school. And with Suneung over, you'll feel liberated and happy."
This was the most important part, so I poured sincerity into my voice.
"So. What the teacher wants to say is... enjoy your youth. Time keeps flowing. But... you can't turn it back. No matter how much you long for it..."
I slipped into the drama role's emotions and accidentally said "teacher."
It was so embarrassing.
Even in the cold winter air, my face burned hot.
As I fanned myself with my hand to cool the heat after finishing,
"Waaah..."
A girl's exclamation brought the students back, and they started speaking one by one.
Some were even sobbing with tears.
"I just got chills. Can you see?"
"The teacher always says that stuff, but it felt totally different."
"Hic. Hic."
Was it that moving?
Then Yu-na quietly spoke up.
"Huh? Ah! It was what Daddy said in front of the camera yesterday. Back then too, it was like..."
I covered Yu-na's lips with my finger. No spoilers.
This was from the rushed shoot at the set after getting a call from the director yesterday.
They said filming was almost done soon?
It would air around the start of the school season. Soon, my sunbaes would promote it on variety shows.
Of course, I'd have to do it too.
But the program I'm filming now is enough.
I glanced around.
Fortunately, no one seemed to hear Yu-na's spoiler.
"Ahem! Now head to school?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go brag at school."
"Yeah! Hurry! We have to go first and brag! You were filming, right? Upload it to the group chat quick!"
I watched them run off without looking back, then turned around.
Time to head home.
Lunatic Agency president Do Bong-seok muttered while looking at news articles online.
"This guy's drunk driving again? He's done for this time, hard to make a comeback."
He clicked his tongue and scrolled down. Bored with the similar content, Do Bong-seok stared blankly at the ceiling.
'Something interesting...'
He composed himself and stared at the screen again.
A president's heavy position couldn't be abandoned just because it was boring.
In this industry, information was power.
After reading through the repetitive articles, his hand slipped and hit refresh.
"Ah, even more piled up in that short time."
As he started reading from the top again, his hand stopped abruptly.
[Real Lee Jun-seo sighting!]
[Lee Jun-seo lectures kids!]
[Actor Lee Jun-seo makes students cry!] Seeing the sensational titles, a bead of sweat trickled down Do Bong-seok's forehead.
'No way... Ah, probably not.'
He gripped his innocent hair, trying to shake off the anxiety.
But it was no use.
With idol-level looks and top-tier acting skills, he had to be careful.
Any little thing could spark controversy.
"Should I have restricted his actions after all? Shouldn't have let him loose..."
No, this might not be bad. Yeah, probably.
Gulp!
Swallowing dryly, President Do Bong-seok clutched his pounding chest and clicked the post about making students cry.
A mere 5-minute video.
"......"
The actor in the video was definitely Lunatic's own Lee Jun-seo.
The video kept playing.
It captured Lee Jun-seo near a school, admonishing—no, persuading—students not going to school after Suneung.
"...What. You scared me."
Do Bong-seok chuckled.
Unlike the sensational title, it created a heartwarming atmosphere. His mind eased, a smile forming naturally.
Profound advice.
A short heartwarming article was written below the video.
"This could be good for actor Jun-seo even if spread intentionally? He's playing a teacher in the next drama, right... I think?"
It would serve as promotion too.
Thinking that, Do Bong-seok smirked and called the PR team manager.
"Hey, busy?"
-No, not right now.
"Then I'll send you a link. Spread it so it doesn't look like it's from us. Promote it a bit."
-What is it...
"You'll see when you look."