Chapter 14

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Translator: Ebonarch

Chapter: 14

Chapter Title: Dad Returns to Prison (Revised)

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Definitely, last night even my little sister Mi-hyun had been awake.

The next morning, when she woke up and our eyes met, I could tell right away. She'd heard everything. Her gloomy expression said it all...

Unlike yesterday, when she'd been thrilled to get her first cell phone, a chill hung over our family from the morning onward.

"...Eat your breakfast."

"Ugh..."

Mom was utterly dejected, and we followed suit, glancing at her nervously. We rolled our eyes at one another and silently shoveled down our food before heading to school.

"Hey! Hyun-seong! Let's play dodgeball!"

"Uh... I'm not feeling great today."

"Why not! You're our ace!"

"Don't go! We'll all lose if you do!"

"Sorry."

It must have shown on my face to everyone else too. I was sitting there like a corpse with a pitch-black expression when Gyu-tae came over from the next class, pestering me until he read the mood and asked outright.

"What's up? Why the death glare? Want me to spill something to cheer you up?"

"Hah. Forget it."

"What? You've been making that sour face all day."

"Family stuff."

"Your parents getting divorced or something?"

"What? That's bullshit."

"My dad's about to divorce soon."

"...What?"

Turned out Gyu-tae's dad was in business too, but he was always too busy to come home, so his mom cheated, and they'd had a massive fight.

"I had no idea."

"I never told you. Come on, spill it. You'll feel better."

"Doesn't it bother you? Your parents divorcing?"

"...Dunno. They've been fighting like crazy since I was little. It's like, it was bound to happen."

"...Got it. Thing is..."

Once I'd finished telling him everything, Gyu-tae punched my shoulder.

"Fuck, that's some next-level drama, but at least they're not divorcing, right? Your dad'll be out in a few years. Better off than me. Lucky bastard, haha."

"Lucky my ass, you idiot."

"Is it? Guess we're even then."

His dumb words somehow lightened my mood a bit. That's why I could never hate the guy.

Kwak Young-cheol.

That was the man's name.

The guy who'd pinned everything on Dad at the bakery.

The next afternoon, he suddenly showed up in front of our family. At the stairs to our cramped semi-basement, with Dad. He seemed to know Mom from before, greeting her familiarly while gauging her reaction.

"Na-yeon. Long time no see."

"Young-cheol oppa?"

"Yeah. You been well?"

Kwak Young-cheol was the kind of guy who reminded you of a bear or a gorilla. Shorter than Dad, around mid-170s in height, but his shoulders were ridiculously broad, his chest and waist thick and solid. Everything about him was burly. His frame was so powerfully built that you immediately thought of dignified strength.

Standing next to Dad—who was tall and lean even if not huge—he looked... incredibly sturdy.

And on the forearms exposed by his tank top... there was a flashy dragon tattoo.

He was like a fireplug overall. A slimmer, more menacing version of that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ma Dong-seok guy.

With a guy like that blocking the doorway alongside Dad, it was suffocating.

"You heard the story, right? I'm so sorry... I feel terrible about Tae-gu, so I came to apologize in person."

"..."

Mom was seething without a word, while Dad fidgeted awkwardly beside her.

"Hey, Na-yeon. Even without Young-cheol hyung, I couldn't have avoided the bakery anyway. You know that."

"Hah... Yeah, I know, you idiot. So shut up about it."

"..."

As Dad clammed up, Mom glared fiercely and pointed accusingly at Young-cheol.

"Oppa! How could you do this? How could you pin it all on him?!"

"I'm sorry. I got nothing to say."

"...You shouldn't. Hah..."

Kwak Young-cheol rolled his eyes nervously in front of Mom—who looked like he could squash her with one hand—and finally managed to speak.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I know. What I did was trash. So from now on, I'll think of Tae-gu as my lifelong benefactor! I'll take care of him. Once he's out of the bakery, I'll give him a management job at my business, and look after your family while he's inside too."

"What exactly are you gonna do for us, oppa?"

That's when Dad, who'd been fidgeting beside him, stepped in to explain.

"Na-yeon, Young-cheol hyung's not kidding. He runs multiple businesses—big ones in booze and women too."

Ah...

I'd never had much respect for Dad to begin with... but seeing him prattle on next to this solid Young-cheol ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ajusshi... He was always quick to snap at Mom or us over nothing, but in front of someone stronger, he just cowered and simpered. It was peak beta.

Worse, showing off another guy in front of his own woman? Something was fundamentally wrong. Any man wants to look cool and strong in front of his girl. But Dad... wasn't.

Truth be told, it wasn't all that shocking for Dad to end up in prison. When I was a baby—back when Mom was an underage single mom raising twin newborns—Dad had been in juvie.

But now, at such a critical time, hearing him irresponsibly say he'd do a few years in the slammer for his "hyung"... Even if he was my dad, the loser vibes were off the charts.

"Come on... let's not do this. It's been ages—grab a beer and talk it out. Yeah?"

"Beer right now...? Hah, whatever..."

Once the adults' bickering wrapped up, that Kwak Young-cheol ajusshi shuffled over to me and Mi-hyun. Honestly, he looked scary as hell...

"Haha, you two must be Na-yeon's kids. Wow, you take after your mom—tall and handsome. Ajusshi feels bad about this... here, take this?"

But when a wad of 50,000-won bills popped out of his wallet, my resentment thawed a little.

Maybe he's not so bad after all?

July 20th.

Dad's trial and imprisonment went off without a hitch. The evidence was ironclad, and he'd synced stories with Kwak Young-cheol ajusshi to take the fall for him too.

The moment the verdict was read, Mom's eyes welled up a little... but that was it. She never had high expectations for Dad—Kang Tae-gu—anyway. I just stood there blankly, taking it in.

"Kids, Dad'll be a model prisoner and get out early. Study hard while I'm gone. You're the man of the house now—take good care of Mom and Mi-hyun... Got it?"

"...Yeah."

I brushed off his usual parting words. He had no right to lecture me anyway.

"Mi-hyun still not coming?"

"Why call her? She obviously doesn't wanna see her dad like this. You wanna see yourself in her shoes?"

"Fuck, the way you talk... Still, she should at least see her dad off to the slammer."

"Oh please. Making your daughter feel sorry for you? Just behave in there and get out. I'll deposit money regularly."

As Dad was finally hauled away, Mom watched his back with a mix of relief and regret, letting out a small sigh.

"Hah... My fate. Hyun-seong, let's go."

"Ugh..."

With Dad in prison, Mom had to find work now too. Even if he hadn't been a proper breadwinner, he was the only source of income they'd had.

"Mom, should I get a part-time job?"

"No. You study. Your grades were good this time, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I'll handle it, don't worry. One of us in the family needs to go to college, at least."

Mom put on a brave front for me, but job hunting was tough. A 32-year-old woman with only middle school education and no work experience. That was Mom.

"...Part-time wages won't cut it, huh?"

She scrolled through Albarheaven apps asking around, sighed at flyers, sighed some more.

Jobs paying what she wanted had qualifications she lacked; simple jobs she could do paid minimum wage. Nothing satisfying.

After interviewing here and there for a bit... surprisingly, she landed a legit office job paying 2.3 million a month.

"I promised I'd take care of you guys."

Kwak Young-cheol ajusshi had kept his word, slotting her into an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠office role at his used car dealership.