Chapter 100: Ah, How Can I Resist Cheon Yu-hak’s Birthday Party! (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Ah, How Can I Resist Cheon Yu-hak’s Birthday Party! (1)
Let’s take a moment to talk about the Cheonhwa Group.
Among the 5 Great Groups that represent Korea, they are the prestigious family that holds the number one spot by an overwhelming margin.
The grandfather of the current head—meaning Cheon Yu-hak’s great-grandfather—was not just wealthy. He was a famous hero who took the lead in saving the world during the early days of the Dimensional Collision, even before the Hero system was fully established.
To put it simply, they are the quintessential chaebol family you’d find in a modern fantasy novel.
The Cheon family bloodline has several distinct traits. Looking at their external characteristics, the first thing you notice is their impossibly brilliant blonde hair.
Perhaps because the great-grandfather’s blood is so potent, everyone born into the Cheon line possesses deep, golden hair.
Next is their beautiful appearance.
They are all born with structurally perfect features. To be honest, this wasn’t for Cheon Yu-hak’s sake, but rather a ploy by my friend—the author—who wanted to introduce Yu-hak’s sister as a heroine.
And finally, there’s the internal factor: their personality. Most of them are flashy and love being the center of attention.
Even looking at Cheon Yu-hak, while he values competence, doesn’t he enjoy standing out even more?
Why am I suddenly bringing this up, you ask?
“A birthday party?”
“…Yes. My father told me to invite all of you.”
It seems that even a guy who loves the spotlight finds it embarrassing when his parents throw a birthday bash for their seventeen-year-old son on such a massive scale that it’s practically a festival.
Pfft, LOL. There’s no way I’m missing Cheon Yu-hak’s birthday party, LMAO.
Cheon Yu-hak looked so mortified that his usual confident demeanor was nowhere to be found. He covered his face with one hand and shook his head.
Man, seriously.
What a fantastic piece of news to boost my spirits on a potentially draining Monday morning.
I obviously knew when Cheon Yu-hak’s birthday was, but in the original work, it passed by uneventfully amidst a dark atmosphere. I never imagined such a hilarious event would actually take place.
It wasn’t just me; the other kids were either snickering or looking intrigued, so my reaction wasn’t out of place.
Only Lilac…
“Still, it’s nice that they’re throwing you a party. It shows how harmonious your family is.”
He was saying such carefree things, but seeing his expression flicker slightly, he probably suspected it too.
He knew that Cheon Yu-hak wasn’t the type to be embarrassed by anything short of a massive scale.
That jerk. Sometimes he’s the most wicked of them all. Just laugh openly like the rest of us, Lilac!
Then, a small question occurred to me.
“Hey, Yu-hak.”
“…What is it?”
Oh, seeing him this dejected is actually quite refreshing.
“If it’s that embarrassing, couldn’t you just… not invite us?”
The fact that such a large-scale party was being held for his birthday was embarrassing enough, but the fundamental reason he was dying of shame right now was that he knew we would be there.
If he hated it that much, he could have just not sent the invitations.
“…He said he would come in person.”
“Huh?”
“He said if I didn’t invite you, he wouldn’t stop at invitations. He’d personally visit every single Academy cadet, one by one, to invite them to the party.”
…Oh, dear god. The situation was way more horrific than I thought.
A father who throws a birthday party for his seventeen-year-old son like it’s a major national event, and then threatens to visit the school and meet every student individually if his son doesn’t invite his friends…?
And that father is the chairman of Korea’s top conglomerate…?
‘Cringe’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.
My father was a total saint in comparison.
Wait, just how big is this party if he’s talking about inviting the entire Academy…?
Now even I’m starting to get a little scared.
“Anyway, since it’s come to this, I’ll need everyone’s clothing sizes.”
“…Huh?”
“…Ah, you probably have your own tailored suits, so it doesn’t matter for you, but it’s different for the others. I need them so I can have dresses and suits made.”
…Didn’t you say it was a birthday party?
I imagined something big since he said it was ‘grand,’ but is he planning to go even bigger and flashier than I thought?
Or is there some kind of ‘Cheon Yu-hak Nativity Festival’ event that I didn’t know about because it wasn’t in the Setting Book?
I felt uneasy when Yu-hak said, ‘It seems my father is planning to make a bit of a scene,’ but he didn’t literally mean a public festival, right?
Seeing his dark expression, the rest of us started to look a bit grim as well.
“…Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t cause you any trouble. I’ll try my best to cut out the tedious procedures so you can just enjoy yourselves.”
As he spoke, his face looked like that of a man who had already given up on life.
* * *
Okay, I’ll be honest.
I was naive.
No matter if this is an Academy novel or a crazy world, I thought there would be a line of common sense.
I mean, even for the country’s top chaebol, how serious could they be about a son’s birthday? At most, I thought they’d rent out a hotel and throw a party, like my father did.
That’s really all I thought.
But the moment I saw the airship flying through the sky while we were heading home, I realized how insane that thought was.
— Birthday Celebration for Cheon Yu-hak, Eldest Son of the Cheonhwa Group. Free food and drinks provided by the Cheonhwa Group.
— Buffet-style dining prepared by famous star chefs! Large-scale invitations sent to theater troupes and musicians…!
— All halls of the Cheonhwa Hotel temporarily open to the public!
— Countless sights and attractions! A grand parade through the night streets is waiting!
— Wow! There’s never been a festival like this before…!!!
“Wow…”
Ha-ni just stared up at the sky in awe.
“…Hang in there.”
Even Lilac couldn’t defend this anymore and simply shook his head.
Lee Yu-na looked back and forth between the floating airship’s billboard and Cheon Yu-hak’s face before offering a prayer.
“Yu-Yu-hak, it’s okay. I’m sure he has his reasons. He’ll probably control the crowds, and I’m sure there’s a distinction between important guests and general visitors!”
Ju Ri-ra was desperately trying to shield him, but to my eyes, it looked more like she was hitting him with the shield.
Surprisingly, Kim Ga-eul was deep in thought, though it probably wasn’t about anything important.
“Ha.”
And as for the long-awaited reaction from Cheon Yu-hak? He had returned to his usual cool expression, let out a hollow laugh, and stared blankly at the airship for a long time.
“This is madness.”
We desperately held back our laughter, feeling a profound sadness that there was nothing we could do for him except watch as his ears turned beet red despite his cool face.
No, but seriously.
Is this how a character in a novel thinks…?
Launching an airship and preparing a parade to celebrate a seventeen-year-old’s birthday? I really want to ask if this judgment is correct, both as the chairman of Korea’s greatest corporation and as a parent of a teenager in puberty.
* * *
When Cheon Yu-hak returned home, he felt like he wanted to die for the first time in his life.
Well, his birthdays had always been grand.
He’d received countless gifts, met many political figures at parties, and when he was very young, they had naturally thrown large festivals.
…Come to think of it, this might be the first time since that incident that they were celebrating his birthday this extravagantly.
The day he and Kang So-hyun first met.
After the day he had caused that unthinkable accident and So-hyun had stood alone to stop him, his father and the rest of the family had become quiet, as if they were in a period of self-reflection.
— Aren’t you afraid of me…?
He knew better now, but back then, he thought his family was afraid of him.
He was too young to realize that everyone keeping their distance was their way of being considerate.
Perhaps asking that question to the only guy who continued to talk to him even after that day…
Maybe it was a form of acting out.
Yes, after hearing the answer that day, he might have started considering that guy a true friend.
— What are you talking about? You got totally wrecked by me~ Yeah, I’m not scared at all! Hehehe!
Ah, wait, maybe not. He recalled wanting to land a punch on that grinning face back then.
“Ah, Yu-hak, you’re home?”
“Hm? Noona? It’s unusual for you to be home on a weekday.”
“It’s been a long time since your birthday party was this grand. I was specifically told to attend.”
“My birthday is on Friday. There’s still some time left.”
“True, but is Father the type to listen to reason?”
“…My apologies.”
“It’s fine, it’s not your fault. Looking at the sky today, it seems you’re the one suffering the most.”
“…It is nothing.”
If his father had done this to train his mental fortitude out of concern for his weak spirit, it was quite effective, and he felt like begging him to stop. But for now, it was still somewhat bearable.
“Oh, is So-hyun coming too? I heard Na-hyun has gotten healthier.”
“Yes, he will likely come. Some other friends are planning to attend as well.”
“…Oh my, you have friends other than So-hyun?”
“I am well aware that my personality poses a challenge to smooth social interaction. However, I do have those I am close with, so you need not worry.”
“Oh, our Yu-hak has grown up. I do want to see So-hyun again after all this time. Looking at the photos Na-hyun sent, he’s still such a pretty boy.”
…Thinking about what happened in their childhood, the words ‘he definitely won’t want to see you’ rose to his throat, but he held them back.
If he said that, his sister would surely go out of her way to bother the guy.
“Whew. Anyway, I just hope Father doesn’t escalate things any further.”
“Hmm, that might be difficult.”
“…Pardon?”
“Actually, I’ve been trying to tell you…”
The moment his sister started to speak, they heard their father’s voice shouting from a distance.
“It is not enough…!!!!”
…Not enough? What is? If this isn’t enough, just how much more embarrassment does he have to endure?
“A birthday party that anyone could throw cannot be called the best…!”
Is that so? He doubted many people had experienced a birthday party like this.
His father kicked open the door and flew toward them, spreading the pure white wings that were his symbol.
“I’ve been thinking. A festival that is merely large and flashy cannot be the ultimate party.”
“I’m sure you don’t mean this, but if you’re thinking of scaling it down, I am all for it.”
“It’s already lacking; why would I scale it down?”
Had he done something to upset his father recently? No.
He truly believed this was for his son’s sake.
It was driving him crazy.
“As I thought.”
“…Yes.”
“It lacks love.”
“…Pardon?”
“Youth means love! Isn’t that the topic your age group is most interested in?”
Well, it wasn’t entirely wrong, but wouldn’t it depend on the person…? At the very least, he was more interested in martial arts than love.
“But if we make it a light atmosphere like a blind date, the older guests won’t be able to enjoy it. Since we’ve invited foreign dignitaries, we can’t have that.”
That was a relief. Or was it?
“Therefore, the concept for your birthday party this time is a Ball.”
It wasn’t a relief at all…!
“By any chance, is the ‘ball’ you’re referring to the ‘Martial Way’ that a warrior must follow?”
“That sounds interesting too, but a Ball means dancing and getting to know one another, does it not?”
“Father.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Could you please let me off just this once…?”
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to force the general public. The Ball will be held in the main building, only for the dignitaries and invited guests like your friends.”
It seemed his father was already completely hooked on the concept of a Ball.
At this point, unless he forcibly usurped the position of family head right here and now, there was no stopping the decision.
Once he made up his mind, he saw it through.
That was his father’s motto.
“I’ll have to rewrite the invitations! I should mention that I’d like everyone to bring a partner!”
After saying that, his father flapped his wings again and flew toward his room.
…How was he supposed to look those guys in the eye tomorrow?
Actually, he thought he knew why his father was acting this way.
The talk about youth and the interests of their age group was likely half-bluffing.
He probably intended to introduce potential daughter-in-law candidates—girls he’d handpicked to be Yu-hak’s wife—at the birthday party.
…And half of it was probably because he just wanted to see the kids’ romantic lives unfold.
A father who meddles in his son’s friends’ love lives…
He had always respected his father, but today, truly…
“…He’s the absolute worst.”
He really, really was.