Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Ye-jun's First Hamburger
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As Answer’s popularity grew, an entertainment reporter happened to be watching their live broadcast, and Seul-bi’s promotion of Seopyeong Confectionery was once again turned into an article.
The article, titled [A Never-Ending Positive Influence], ended up rapidly boosting the public's favorability toward both Seopyeong Confectionery and Seul-bi, who had kept her word.
The Answer members were on their way to a theme park, riding in the car they had gifted Min-jun. The trip was both for a scheduled appearance and to keep a promise to Ye-jun.
“Ahh, whose car is this? It’s so comfortable.”
As Seul-bi spoke with a mischievous expression, Min-jun met her eyes in the rearview mirror.
“I’m driving it with immense gratitude. Thank you for the gift. I really love it, everyone.”
“Eheh!”
Yi-na, who had been reading an article about the previous day’s live broadcast, spoke up.
“Seul-bi unni, you’ve gotten really popular since that pig’s head mukbang.”
“Hmph. The fans are finally recognizing my true self.”
Ro-si smiled softly at Seul-bi’s puffed-up demeanor. The more time they spent together, the more she realized that, contrary to her appearance, Seul-bi was a deeply thoughtful person.
“The best part of the live broadcast yesterday was the scene where you shook out the empty snack bag to get the crumbs.”
“I didn’t like that part. It seemed too staged. Who eats like that?”
Yi-na voiced her complaint at Min-jun’s comment.
“You just don’t get it. With Wangkkulsora, the last crumbs are the best part. The honey is slathered onto these unusually small, specially shaped snacks. So you get way more honey in every bite. It’s insanely delicious.”
Seul-bi’s serious explanation made Ro-si and Min-jun laugh in amusement.
“Honestly, I never understood shaking out the Kkumdongsan snack bag, the one that drops all the honey peanuts. They just get all over your face.”
“Ah! That’s it!”
Yi-na’s grumbling made Seul-bi’s eyes widen.
“You just figured out what you want for lunch, didn’t you?”
Yi-na guessed with a smirk.
“What if we created a premium version of Wangkkulsora by coating it in tons of sesame seeds? Chewy, sesame-candy-flavored Sesame Kkulsora! Wow, that’s brilliant!”
Seul-bi beamed, picturing a snack that didn’t even exist.
Min-jun smiled and chimed in.
“That sounds like a great idea. The ingredients and method are classic, but I’m sure it would taste amazing.”
“I knew you’d understand, Oppa, even if no one else did.”
“I should subtly mention it to the chairman when I get the chance. It would be even better if Answer personally planned the snack and modeled for it.”
“Oh, right! Speaking of which, what happened with the Smile Ice Cream deal? You said you were talking about a contract extension.”
Seol-ah, who had been sleeping in the back as if she’d passed out, shot up at the word ‘contract.’
“Contract?”
“Pfft!”
The sight of a dazed Seol-ah still wearing her eye mask was so hilarious that the Answer members burst out laughing.
“Seriously, Seol-ah unni. She’s always like that whenever money comes up.”
But Seol-ah’s head had already slumped back down.
The Answer members had laughed playfully, but knowing Seol-ah’s family situation, it was also a laugh of relief and peace.
Answer had now reached a level of recognition where it was harder to fail than to succeed.
“For the Smile contract extension, we made a deal to receive the same number of shares we originally had, with a one-year lock-up period.”
“…That’s a good thing, right?”
Among the members who didn’t quite understand Min-jun’s explanation, Seul-bi asked on behalf of the group.
“Simply put, we’re selling the Smile stock, which has more than doubled in value, and using that money to buy back the same number of shares at the original price. In terms of cash, it means we earn 70 million won and end up with over 100 million won worth of stock again.”
“Wow! Wasn’t that commercial originally worth only 30 million won?”
“Yep. Good thing we took the stock, right?”
“Amazing. Our Oppa is the best!”
The Answer members exclaimed joyfully.
“Anyway, it’s this week.”
“What is?”
Ro-si asked in response to Seul-bi’s comment.
“The music show.”
“Ah…”
It had been a while since their song was released, but with Fire Emblem’s promotions finally over, they now had a chance to win first place.
Everyone was aware that they would be competing for the top spot on this week’s music show against Seven Arrow, a senior girl group from KGM who had made their comeback earlier.
“It feels a little awkward. Of all people, it had to be them.”
They were a strong-willed girl group, with industry rumors of them getting into a brawl with SJ Enter’s notoriously fierce Savage Girls.
“What’s there to be awkward about? Someone has to get first place. It might as well be our talented and kindhearted Answer.”
“Haha!”
“It’s true, there aren’t many people like us.”
Carried by the good mood, Seul-bi hummed a tune as she fiddled with her phone.
“Let’s see who’s on the music show this week.”
* * *
“We’ll try not to interfere much, since your brother might feel shy. Just follow the general route we’ve planned.”
“Okay, Jakga-nim.”
The production staff gave Min-jun and Answer some pointers, and a female employee from the theme park’s PR team was assigned to guide them on the route and other details.
A constant smile graced her face, her curiosity about Answer and Min-jun palpable.
From the parking lot, Choi Yoo-jun, who was pulling a kids’ wagon with Seol-ah’s younger brother, Ye-jun, inside, spotted Answer and Min-jun, accompanied by Seol-ah’s mother.
“Timjang-niiim!”
Choi Yoo-jun’s voice boomed, devoid of any shame, drawing the attention of the many people at the theme park entrance.
“Ugh, isn’t Yoo-jun oppa embarrassed?”
Yi-na said with a cringing expression.
“Ye-jun!”
Seol-ah, who had looked utterly exhausted just moments before, beamed and ran forward. Choi Yoo-jun lifted Ye-jun out of the sponsored wagon.
“Noonaaa.”
Ye-jun hopped excitedly and ran into Seol-ah’s arms.
“Aigoo, my Ye-jun. Mwah, mwah, mwah.”
Holding Ye-jun, Seol-ah showered his face and forehead with kisses.
Ye-jun seemed to love his sister’s barrage of kisses, giggling as he gently patted her face.
“Hey, hey! You’ll get lipstick on him!”
Seol-ah’s mother chided her, but she pulled both Seol-ah and Ye-jun into a tight hug.
“Hic… Mom.”
Seol-ah sniffled, her expression like a child’s.
Ye-jun, his face now smudged with Seol-ah’s red tint, gently patted his sister’s back.
The Answer members and Min-jun watched the scene with warm smiles. They knew well that her little brother, Ye-jun, was one of the main reasons Seol-ah had been so desperate to succeed.
While Seol-ah and her mother shared a moment of silent tears, Ye-jun, now out of his sister’s arms, was surrounded by the Answer members, grinning happily.
“Guess which noona this is.”
Ye-jun looked up at Ro-si, who had crouched down to his eye level, and smiled brightly.
“Hehe. Pretty noona.”
“Kyaa!”
Ro-si, looking like she would die from his cuteness, swept him up in a tight hug.
“Ye-jun, give me a hug too.”
Yi-na snatched Ye-jun from Ro-si’s arms.
Even Seul-bi, who had her own trauma from a lack of affection after her parents’ attention was stolen by her younger siblings, found Ye-jun irresistibly cute.
“Ye-jun, Seul-bi noona is here too, you know?”
“Dancing noona.”
“Kyaha! Ye-jun, you saw me on TV?”
“Uh-huh! I like Noona’s dancing.”
The production crew was busy filming Answer and Seol-ah’s family.
Choi Yoo-jun walked over to Min-jun.
“So touching… Maybe I should stay.”
“You have to drive back down again tomorrow. Don’t risk drowsy driving. Get a good rest from now until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Tsk. Alright. I’ll go eat something good with my sister.”
“Good idea.”
Choi Yoo-jun handed the wagon, which held Ye-jun’s belongings, to Min-jun.
Ye-jun looked dumbfounded by the sheer scale of the massive theme park, which he was visiting for the first time.
But soon—
“They’re so pretty!”
“Who are they?”
“That’s Answer. You don’t know them?”
“I think I’ve heard of them. No wonder they’re so pretty.”
Despite it being a weekday, students in school uniforms, likely on a field trip, and other visitors began to crowd around Answer.
Ye-jun seemed scared by the crowd at first, but then he started grinning as he heard people call his sister pretty.
“Excuse me, we’re filming, so could you please step back a little?”
“Please cooperate. We are filming.”
The production staff, along with employees from the theme park, began to control the area around Answer.
“Thank you! Please watch over us.”
“And we’d be even more grateful if you took lots of pictures and posted them on Starstagram!”
Just as a few people were about to complain, Seol-ah and Seul-bi greeted them brightly, while Ro-si and Yi-na waved or posed for the fans taking pictures, quickly brightening the atmosphere again.
“Mommy, I wanna wear a skirt too.”
“Huh?”
Ye-jun ran to his mother and pointed at Seol-ah’s pink tennis skirt, making the Answer members laugh.
“Why? Why do you want to wear a skirt, Ye-jun?”
Yi-na asked, crouching in front of him.
“Mmm. It’s pretty. I think I’d be pretty if I wore a skirt too.”
Seol-ah looked at Ye-jun’s bright, clear eyes with a motherly smile.
“Ye-jun, should we ride the carousel?”
“Uh-huh! I wanna ride that one, that one.”
Ye-jun pointed at a carriage instead of a horse, jumping up and down. Seol-ah, her mother, and Ye-jun got into the carriage, while the Answer members each mounted a horse.
Ye-jun was incredibly excited by the carousel, which simply went around in circles. He giggled and laughed, waving at the female park employees and looking at the Answer noonas on the horses next to him.
But Ye-jun wasn’t the only one having fun.
“Noonas, ride that one, that one.”
“We can’t. Ye-jun, you’re still too small to ride the Viking ship.”
“Nooo. You noonas ride it. I’ll watch from here to make sure you’re riding it right.”
“Puhaha!”
Ye-jun’s words, surprisingly articulate for his age, made even the production crew filming Answer laugh at his cuteness.
Using Ye-jun’s request as an excuse, the Answer members boarded the Viking ship. As it slowly began to move, screams started to escape from here and there.
And then, the Viking reached its peak.
“Kyaaaah!”
Seol-ah let out a refreshing scream.
“Ahaha!”
Seul-bi pointed at the screaming Seol-ah and burst into laughter.
“Euh-heuk!”
Ro-si trembled, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Kiyaaa!”
Yi-na waved happily at the production crew’s camera.
The day was re-energizing the Answer members, who had been getting a little worn out from their recent packed schedule.
And then it was lunchtime.
Seol-ah pressed down on the hamburger with her hands, compressing the already thinnest burger even more.
“Here, Ye-jun, open wide and say ‘ah.’”
“Like a crocodile? Raaawr?”
Ye-jun scrunched up his face cutely and opened his mouth wide. Seol-ah pushed the hamburger into his mouth.
“Bite.”
“Waang! Nyaam.”
Into the innocent mouth of Ye-jun, which had rarely tasted anything processed, seeped the aroma of a flame-grilled patty for the first time in his life.
Following the mind-stealing smoky flavor, Ye-jun realized he was chewing on a soft patty coated in richly melted cheese.
This fantastic taste momentarily paralyzed all of the young boy’s senses, except for his taste.
“…?!”
Ye-jun, eating a hamburger for the first time, looked inside the cheese-laden burger with a startled and bewildered expression.
“How is it, Ye-jun? Is it yummy?”
Only after Seol-ah asked did Ye-jun snap back to reality.
“Yeah… what is this?”
Ye-jun asked Seol-ah, still dazed.
“A cheeseburger.”
“Noona, is this expensive?”
“Ahaha!”
Ye-jun’s unexpected question sent even the production crew into fits of laughter. Seol-ah, barely managing to compose herself, answered.
“Why do you want to know if it’s expensive?”
By now, the regular customers at the surrounding tables had noticed the situation and were focused on Ye-jun’s mouth.
“‘Cause Noona has to have a lot of money to eat a lot of it.”
Ye-jun’s innocent words echoed through the quiet hamburger joint.
“Puhaha!”
This time, laughter erupted from the surrounding tables as well. Ye-jun, not knowing why, just smiled brightly.
“Is it that yummy?”
“Yeah! I wanna eat this every single day.”
Ye-jun said to Seol-ah, his face filled with joy.
“Pfft! Mom, you’ve never bought Ye-jun a hamburger before?”
“No. I was trying to hold off as long as possible.”
Seol-ah turned back to Ye-jun and said.
“Noona makes good money now, so I can buy you lots of delicious food.”
“Wow! I think I’m happy.”
A glimmer of emotion welled up in Seol-ah’s smiling eyes at Ye-jun’s words.
The young boy’s amazed expression as he ate a cheeseburger and drank a milkshake created another classic scene. Min-jun thought Ye-jun’s cute face was perfect for creating memes that would go viral online.
And sure enough, the PD and writers filming Ye-jun were excitedly exchanging opinions, knowing they had captured a great moment.
Min-jun was certain that a good commercial deal would come from the hamburger brand they were currently eating.
After that, many more entertaining scenes were filmed: Ye-jun getting startled by a bear that came too close and scrambling onto Seol-ah, him trying cotton candy for the first time, and more.
Though it was a scheduled appearance and a meeting with Ye-jun, it was turning into a wonderful day for the Answer members to enjoy themselves freely. Min-jun, meanwhile, was already picturing the future ad deals that were sure to roll in, savoring the sweet, refreshing taste of anticipation.