Rediscovering Home
A few days had passed since establishing his relationship with Park Siyoon. Club Eden was perfect. Seonwoo leaned back in the comfortable chair in the management office, casually scanning the multiple monitors. On one screen, Han Chae-a sat across from a corporate CEO in the VVIP room. With an elegant smile, she tilted her wine glass and coaxed his signature onto a contract worth billions. 'As expected, Chae-a's the right one for deals like this. These guys love showing off in front of a woman—it makes them spend even more.'
On another monitor, Park Yuna had lined up the girls about to take the stage for an inspection. "You there, what's with that posture? Straighten your back!" Her sharp voice made the women's shoulders flinch. 'Her Majesty's in session. She's having a blast.' Seonwoo chuckled and switched channels. Everything was turning like well-oiled gears—flawlessly. He no longer felt the need to step onto that stage himself.
That night, Han Chae-a visited the penthouse for a business report, and the two sat alone in the study. "Chae-a, how's the club these days? Everything okay?" Seonwoo asked after sipping his whiskey.
"Yes, Master. Everything's running smoothly. The VIPs introduced by CEO Choi Minjun are highly satisfied, and investments are flowing in steadily."
"Good to hear." Seonwoo set down his glass and looked at her. "From now on, handle things without me checking every detail. Make decisions on the smaller stuff yourself. You've been doing great."
Han Chae-a looked up in surprise. "...Master. Can I... really handle it?" Her voice trembled faintly.
Seonwoo gently lifted her chin, meeting her eyes. "Just keep doing what you've been doing. You're more than capable." His gaze held genuine trust.
"...Yes, Master. Just leave it to me. I won't let you down."
After that day, Seonwoo's daily life was perfect tranquility itself. Mornings began with meals prepared by Amahara Rico. Afternoons were spent watching movies with Yoo Sori, Chae Jiyeong, or Rico, or lounging in the empty penthouse pool. Nights filled his bed with the women's warmth. Kang Jihyeon reported daily asset growth in the tens of billions. Han Chae-a managed the club flawlessly without him even asking. Everything meshed like interlocking gears, no need for him to lift a finger.
But Seonwoo wasn't enjoying it. For days, he sat blankly on the living room sofa, staring out the window. He'd attained wealth beyond his wildest dreams, yet he had no idea what to do with it. It felt like standing alone on an endless road with no end in sight.
While zoning out on the sofa, Seonwoo caught a faint, musty whiff. In the penthouse, scented with Rico's premium air fresheners, it had no business being there—a subtle, familiar smell. Mold.
In that instant, he sprang up impulsively. Without a word to the laughing women in the living room, he headed for the entrance.
Underground parking. The luxury sedan's engine purred smoothly as it cut through the air. No destination in mind. Yet his hands turned the wheel with familiar instinct, as if tracing old memories. The car left the glittering Gangnam streets, delving into rundown alleys. The flashy buildings vanished like a lie, replaced by dilapidated villas peeking under tangled power lines.
Seonwoo slowed down. Rolling down the window, he caught that familiar stench—faint food waste he'd thought forgotten. He parked at the alley entrance, the high-end foreign car clashing oddly with the shabby neighborhood. Stepping out, he walked into the familiar lane.
At the end stood his old studio apartment, the rusted iron door still firmly shut. Seonwoo crouched before it. Now he wore expensive clothes and drove luxury rides. But in his eyes, he saw his 23-year-old self from that basement room, tilting back a cheap soju bottle. 'What the hell am I gonna do for a living...' The sigh from his freshly discharged, buzz-cut self echoed in his ears. 'No skills, no degree, no money. Fuck, no answers.' The past him chugging soju. The current him, amassing fortunes. A faint alcohol tang tickled his nose.
'What if the Status Window hadn't appeared back then?' Countless futures flashed through his mind. Covered in construction dust, sweating on a site. Dozing at a convenience store counter. Finally evicted, homeless on the streets. But now, such scenes were unimaginable. Money, women, power—he had it all.
'So why this emptiness?' For the first time, Seonwoo pondered the meaning of what he'd gained. Money, women, power. The conquest had been thrilling. But now that it was over, only hollow shells remained.
'No... why am I getting all sentimental? It's not like there's nothing left.' Other memories surfaced. Rico's tearful, frightened face at their first meeting—the pity he'd felt. Yoo Sori beaming innocently in his arms, saying, "It's oppa's." Chae Jiyeong's warm smile as she prepared meals and welcomed him.
'Ah, that's it...' Seonwoo finally understood. True satisfaction hadn't come from seizing or dominating. It was in the world he'd built, sharing emotions and bonds with others. He was no longer the lonely 23-year-old Kim Seonwoo—he was a man with messy but loving women in his life.
After lingering before the studio, he brushed the dust from his butt and stood. Starting the car, a message from Yoo Sori popped up.
That short message brought an unwitting smile to Seonwoo's lips. 'Time to go home.' His eyes, resolute as he drove, held no more loneliness or void.
Seonwoo's car glided into the underground parking. He stepped out, lighter on his feet, and boarded the private elevator. 'Home.' The word he'd recalled at the studio. During the short ascent, he mulled its meaning.
Ding. The doors opened, and he entered the foyer. The first to greet him was the delicious aroma from the kitchen, mingled with the women's laughter. Rico chopped vegetables deftly while Chae Jiyeong poured wine beside her. "Rico, this wine should pair well with that dish."
"Really? Can I taste it?"
In the living room, Yoo Sori shrieked over the board game. "Ah! Unnie, you can't put it there! That's cheating!"
Park Siyoon giggled at her outburst from across the table.
Beyond the glass wall in the study, Kang Jihyeon and Han Chae-a focused on a video conference. Seonwoo leaned against the hallway, arms crossed, quietly watching the scene. 'It'd keep running fine without me.' Their disparate presences oddly warmed his heart.
"Everyone, dinner time."
At his voice, the women gathered in the dining room one by one. The massive table filled instantly.
"Baby, say ahh~" Park Siyoon laughed, feeding Yoo Sori a piece of braised chicken.
"Ah! Unnie, it's still hot!"
"Jiyeong unnie, try this too. I made it fresh." Rico shyly added her side dish to Chae Jiyeong's plate.
"Oh, thanks, Rico. Looks delicious."
Han Chae-a quietly refilled Seonwoo's empty glass with wine. The table was noisy and chaotic, yet harmoniously so.
Seonwoo raised his glass. "Cheers?"
Glasses clinked. The clear clink filled the home.
After dinner, they gathered in the living room, sipping wine and chatting. Yoo Sori naturally snuggled into Seonwoo's side. "Oppa, where'd you go earlier? We looked everywhere. You look so much happier now."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! You've seemed so out of it lately."
'Damn, can't fool Sori's eyes.'
"Won't happen anymore."
"Really? Good! Your face looks amazing now. Something good happen outside?"
He kissed her forehead softly, replying with a satisfied smile. "Yeah. Feels like I came home."
Yoo Sori beamed happily, and the other women smiled warmly at him. Amid that surrounding warmth, Seonwoo laughed in true contentment.