Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Airport Reunion and Family Night
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“I’ll be heading out now!”
Right on the dot at 6 p.m.
Jihoon sprang up from his seat and shouted.
“Huh? Cutting out right on time for once? Section Chief Shin, wanna grab a drink with me tonight?”
At the manager’s words, Jihoon smiled and replied.
“Sorry, my son’s coming home today.”
“Oh, right? Yeah, get out of here on time for once.”
“Yes, sir. You head home soon too, Manager.”
Jihoon bowed his head politely and hurried down to the parking lot, hopping into his car.
“Hope I make it there on time.”
Rush hour to Gimpo Airport—wonder if I can time it right.
Sure enough, traffic was jammed.
Impatiently tapping the steering wheel didn’t make the road clear any faster.
Still, it looked like he’d make it.
Gimpo Airport wasn’t as crowded as expected, being a weekday.
Jihoon checked the flight number and arrival time, then paced in front of the arrivals hall.
How long had he waited?
The doors opened, and people started pouring out.
Jihoon scanned the crowd.
“Hey, Yeonwoo!!”
Spotting Yeonwoo, Jihoon grinned wide and waved enthusiastically.
“It’s Yuin!!”
“Yuin, over here!!”
“Yuin!!”
Out of nowhere, a swarm of people rushed forward, chanting Yeonwoo’s stage name.
Jihoon blinked in confusion, eyeing them. Big cameras like cannons and handheld mics—reporters, no doubt.
“What the…?”
Who leaked that Yeonwoo was coming in?
Hold on—had his son really gotten this famous?
Too swamped with work to keep up with the news, Jihoon had no idea Yeonwoo had blown up from his performance at Himari’s Budokan concert.
“Whoa…!”
Just then, security guards hired by JOP swarmed in, setting up barricades.
A circular space formed around Yeonwoo and Heo Ok, but the spotlight on Yeonwoo didn’t let up.
Standing calmly in the center, Yeonwoo gave a polite bow to the crowd.
“Hello, it’s Yuin.”
Unlike the flustered Jihoon, the young boy handled the reporters’ flashes with total composure.
“Yuin! About the performance with Uesugi Himari… Huh?”
Questions were about to pour in on Yuin when someone else emerged from the arrivals hall.
“It’s Himari!”
“Uesugi Himari!!”
It was Uesugi Himari.
As a jazz pianist and composer, you’d think she’d be less known in Korea than Japan, but she had a surprisingly solid fanbase.
It came from her days as music director for a hugely popular romance film back when Japanese movies and dramas were at their peak.
That soundtrack still popped up as background music in variety shows whenever they needed a romantic vibe. And with Yeonwoo’s recent collab performance bringing it back into the spotlight, her recognition had skyrocketed even more.
“Hello, everyone!”
Himari greeted them in Korean.
Though her accent was thicker than usual.
She was doing it on purpose. If word got out she understood Korean fluently and could hold everyday conversations, it’d be a hassle.
Playing dumb, she stood beside Yeonwoo and Heo Ok, waving to the crowd while subtly signaling the JOP staff.
The staff caught on instantly, coordinating with security to clear a path.
The three hurried out of the airport. That’s when it happened.
Yeonwoo stopped in his tracks.
As if by telepathy, his eyes met Jihoon’s.
“Daddy!!”
Spotting his dad, Yeonwoo dashed over and threw himself into his arms.
“Yeonwoo!”
Jihoon scooped him up with a proud smile.
“My boy, did you eat well in Japan? You feel heavier. Wait, have you grown taller too?”
“I grew 1 cm!”
“Already? That’s a ton!”
Jihoon ruffled Yeonwoo’s hair wildly as he said it.
Sometimes, regret tugged at him. Work kept him from fully sharing these growing moments with his son.
“Should I quit…?”
But then how would they eat?
On the drive home with Yeonwoo, the boy couldn’t fight off his exhaustion and crashed right after brushing his teeth.
Checking that he was asleep, Jihoon stepped out to find Himari and Heo Ok sipping wine in the kitchen.
“Yeonwoo’s asleep?”
“Yeah, conked out the second he lay down. Exhausted.”
“Can’t blame him. He was coaching Yuri and Annosuke right up till today.”
“Wow… Is our son a workaholic?”
“Maybe. Takes after you, kinda. Wine?”
Wine?
Jihoon eyed the bottle as Himari swirled her glass teasingly.
He smacked his lips and took a seat at the table.
“Sure.”
“Grabbed it from the fridge. It’s chilled.”
“Ooh.”
“I like white wine cold.”
“Not big on wine myself, but yeah, white’s best chilled. Your Korean’s gotten way better, by the way.”
“Practice.”
Jihoon nodded, then watched Heo Ok chug her wine.
“Take it easy. Not great for your health.”
“Hm? Oh, it’s been a while.”
Heo Ok covered her mouth, embarrassed.
“You’ve cut back on drinking lately?”
“Gotta think about my health.”
Himari chimed in, relieved.
“You used to drink every day before. Glad you stopped.”
Jihoon tilted his head at that. In his memories, the Heo Ok from his childhood barely touched alcohol.
Her living attached to the bottle?
“Mom, why did you…”
Just as Jihoon started to ask, the front door opened.
“Ughhhh, Shin Jiyeong off duty!”
It was Jiyeong.
She stumbled in like a zombie.
“Hey, Yeonwoo’s sleeping. Keep it down.”
“Huh? Oh right, he was coming today. Hey Mom, hey Himari sis?”
“Long time!”
Heo Ok just shook her head silently, while Himari laughed amusedly and raised her hand.
“Ooh, wine? Me too!”
“Shower first, then drink. You stink.”
“What stink?”
“Old maid stink.”
“I’m not an old maid! Girls like me aren’t even called that anymore!”
“Then just your stink.”
“Ugh…”
Jiyeong pumped her fist, then rushed off to wash up.
A chilled glass of white wine awaited her when she returned.
“Alright, cheers? Clink!”
Clink.
The glasses met, and Jiyeong downed hers in one go.
Heo Ok followed suit and stood up.
“Feeling dizzy from the first drink in ages. I’m off to bed. You young ones keep going.”
“Goodnight, Mom.”
“Night, Mom!!”
With Heo Ok gone, Jihoon leaned back relaxedly.
“Did Yeonwoo… have a good time in Japan?”
“Yeah, treated like royalty at the company.”
“I see. Sigh, work’s kept me from looking after him properly…”
“No, is that company always slammed? Shouldn’t a section chief have it easier?”
Jihoon shrugged.
“Yeah, why am I always swamped? No time even for Yeonwoo.”
“If you wanna dote on him that bad, quit and jump to a smaller firm.”
“Smaller places have worse benefits. Even less time with my son, dummy.”
“Then quit altogether. Your kid’s raking it in—follow him around and babysit.”
Jihoon scowled.
“Leech off my son?! Do I look like that kind of guy?”
“No, but… he makes insane money. What’s wrong with a little handout?”
Right now, Yeonwoo was literally swimming in cash.
Enough to buy several apartments like this one.
“Me, mooch off him…?”
“Uh, um…”
The conversation stalled awkwardly. Himari, sensing it, jumped in to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, yeah. Do what you love while you’re healthy. Regret comes later. You enjoy your job, right?”
“Y-Yeah?”
“It’ll look good to Yeonwoo too. He said he likes seeing you work hard.”
“Really?”
Himari nodded with a smile.
Her words settled something in Jihoon.
Yeah, he wanted time with Yeonwoo, but he loved his work.
Loved the recognition, leading the juniors who looked up to him.
After losing his family and wandering, Yeonwoo’s return let him enjoy it all.
“Me too. Work’s fun. Gotta keep at it till I can’t. No regrets that way.”
Jihoon nodded, lifting his wine, then paused.
Come to think of it…
‘Was it the same for Mom?’
Sure, she’d overdone it.
‘Kinda get it… but I won’t abandon my family.’
Lingering resentment toward his mom remained.
“By the way… isn’t it time for Mom’s hospital visit?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“You know that clinic well, right? Make an appointment. I’ll take her.”
But he didn’t hate her like before.
“And Yeonwoo’s free for a bit, right?”
“Dunno. Ask his manager now.”
“That Oh Jaehoon guy? Oh yeah, he sends schedules monthly, weekly, daily.”
“What? Then you knew.”
“My head’s been all over lately.”
Jihoon scratched his head and checked his phone.
Then he jolted.
“Hey… Yeonwoo, they’re throwing a birthday bash?”
“Huh? What? Oh, his birthday’s coming up soon.”
Yeonwoo’s birthday was November 4th. Next month.
Jiyeong checked her phone at Jihoon’s words.
“Oh, this… It’s a YouTube live stream. Fans wanna celebrate his birthday.”
“Live-stream a kid’s birthday?”
“Yeonwoo’s not just any kid. You know how many fan club members he has?”
Jihoon felt the gap between his Yeonwoo and the world’s Yuin.
“Guess I gotta pay more attention to Yeonwoo—no, Yuin’s news. Thought not meddling in his career meant total hands-off, but it’s gone too far.”
“Bro’s always had zero interest in entertainment anyway.”
Listening in, Himari spoke up.
“Then we need birthday gift ideas. What does Yeonwoo like?”
Jiyeong and Jihoon froze.
“Yeah… what to get him?”
“Don’t overthink. Get a Power Ranger robot.”
Himari responded to Jiyeong’s casual suggestion.
“He… got every Power Ranger toy already, working as music director this time.”
No way.
Jiyeong and Jihoon were floored.
Children’s Day, birthday, Christmas—all covered by Power Rangers before. Now impossible.
This was serious.
“W-What do we do? Dinosaurs?”
“No, bro. Think. He’s got all his faves already—dinosaurs or whatever toy won’t excite him.”
“Right. Man…”
Watching Jihoon and Jiyeong deliberate gravely, Himari shrugged.
Easy for her as an outsider—just pick anything. But not for parents and aunt.
Himari finished her glass and headed to bed quietly.
Even with her gone, the siblings’ debate at the table dragged on.