Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Road Trip to Chuncheon
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“What? He refused?”
On the way to Japan.
Inside the chartered plane, Olivia Snow ripped off her eye mask and shot to her feet upon hearing Jesse’s report.
“Yeah, he said it was too much pressure...”
“No way. What’s there to feel pressured about? Isn’t it a rookie’s job to meet people like me and grow their dreams?”
“Everyone’s different.”
“No, I just don’t get it.”
Jesse couldn’t bring herself to relay what he’d actually said: ‘The kid’s on a break right now, so he’s refusing all outside activities. If you want to see him, come here yourself.’
Absolutely not, seeing how this princess was grumbling sleeplessly over a mere refusal.
But she had overlooked one thing.
When things didn’t go her way, Olivia Snow became obsessed.
“Contact him again.”
“Even if I do, it won’t make a difference.”
“Tell him I really want to meet. Invite him to my concert.”
“That’s exactly why he doesn’t want to meet.”
“Then say let’s have a meal together.”
“He doesn’t want that either.”
“No, why on earth not?”
“...I told you already, didn’t I?”
“That’s what I don’t get!”
Jesse’s irritation began to rise with Olivia Snow’s relentless questions.
Should I snap?
Whatever.
Just tell her.
“Fine, I’ll be straight with you. He said absolutely no outside activities, but if you come in person, he’ll meet you.”
“In person? Who? Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Ha...!”
Olivia Snow snorted in disbelief.
“What a cocky brat.”
Having lived as a massively successful singer from the start, she was at the top of the heap, where no one could order her around.
Unless it was the U.S. President or someone globally revered.
For some upstart kid just poking their head into the industry to boss her around?
It bruised her pride.
“Fine then... Yeah, tell him I’ll go. Say I want to see his face.”
“I’ll send the email right away.”
Jesse did as she was told. No point trying to stop her here—she wouldn’t listen.
But surprisingly, a reply came quicker than expected.
“...He says it’ll be hard to meet while you’re in Korea?”
“Why?”
“He’s gone on a nationwide trip, taking a break...”
“You’re kidding.”
Olivia Snow’s sharp yell echoed through the entire plane.
* * *
“I want to try all the famous food spots across the country.”
“Not sightseeing the landmarks around the nation?”
“Auntie, that’s a bonus.”
“You say that now...”
Suddenly, as Yeonwoo talked about what he wanted to do, the family fell deep in thought.
“It’s kinda funny when you think about it. We pretty much toured all of Japan, but in Korea, we’ve barely gone beyond the capital area?”
“Yeah, there are so many places worth seeing here too.”
Yeonwoo nodded at Jiyeong and Heo Ok’s words, then said,
“I searched, and there are tons of foods I haven’t tried. I want to go to Sokcho and Pohang for their different hoe dishes, try jangkal guksu in Gangneung, dakgalbi in Chuncheon, and in Busan, nakgopsae, yangdaechang, and komjang-eo. Then Gunsan for muljjajang, Jeonju bibimbap... Oh, and more...”
Jiyeong’s jaw dropped as Yeonwoo rattled off food after food without pause.
“How much research did you even do...? You really planning to hit them all?”
“Yeah, Jaehoon hyung said he’d drive us everywhere.”
At that, Jihoon froze.
“Jaehoon?”
“Yeah, he said it’d be tough for Grandma or Auntie to drive, so he’d do it!”
Being left out of the trip members left Jihoon feeling oddly empty.
Of course. He had work, so Yeonwoo naturally excluded him.
“Hm. Tell Jaehoon to take a vacation.”
“Huh?”
“Dad’ll go instead.”
“What? What are you talking about? Bro, what about the company?”
Jihoon looked around at the family and said,
“I’m taking parental leave.”
“What...? Is that okay?”
“What’s not okay about it?”
“But what if it messes up your promotion...”
To Jiyeong’s question, Jihoon looked at his son, stroked his head, and said,
“When we first found Yeonwoo, I was scared to use up all my vacation like that, so I held back. I was afraid I’d miss promotions too.”
Jihoon’s goal was to earn as much as he could and leave it all to his son.
Sure, there were other ways to support his son—better ones even—but raised under a mother who left the family for her dreams and a father who slaved away for the family after she was gone, Jihoon hadn’t thought of them.
No, he hadn’t dared to try.
He was terrified of getting fired and not being able to raise his son.
But everything had changed.
His original plan was to leave Yeonwoo with Heo Ok for a month or two and hire a reliable housekeeper, but that fell apart once Yeonwoo bonded with her.
For the child’s emotional well-being, he couldn’t separate them.
Truth be told, he’d also felt relieved seeing his clumsy but caring mother handle his son so well.
Time passed, and things shifted again.
He’d thought he needed to earn money for his son to do what he wanted, but the kid was thriving happily on his own absurd talents.
He’d tried to relax and focus on what he loved, but that only meant longer hours chained to the company.
Which meant less time with the most important person: his son.
So Jihoon resolved to take parental leave.
No matter how progressive the world got, a man’s parental leave could still leave a subtle stain on his career.
But flip the perspective, and it was no big deal.
So what if he missed a promotion? If they told him to leave, he’d join a mid-sized firm.
How many SMEs would turn down someone with his specs and big-corp experience, even if he earned less?
Now that money worries were just for his own old age, Jihoon made his big decision.
“So how long is the parental leave?”
“Uh... The law changed recently, so up to a year and a half.”
“A year and a half?!”
Yeonwoo lit up at that.
“Then Dad can hang out with me for a whole year and a half?”
“That’s right.”
“Waaah!!!”
Seeing Yeonwoo bouncing with excitement, Jihoon sheepishly scratched his head.
If I’d known he’d be this thrilled, I should’ve done it sooner.
But hey, he could make this decision because Yeonwoo was doing so well.
“With that in mind, I’ll be driving for the nationwide trip.”
And so the family trip was set.
Jihoon prepared the moment his parental leave was approved.
JOP provided a van allocated to Yeonwoo for a comfortable family trip.
A four-person family could use Jihoon or Jiyeong’s car, but for a true nationwide tour—a long haul—nothing beat a van for luggage, comfort, and mobility.
“Wow, never thought we’d actually do a nationwide trip. But is it okay if I’m out?”
“You’ve got the company settled. They’ll call if they need you.”
“Yeah, true.”
Jiyeong’s workload at JOP’s Korean branch had lightened as it stabilized.
The label handled only album production anyway; JOP managed all admin. The empty studio would be checked occasionally by Wakana.
“Take lots and lots of videos and send them.”
Before departure, Wakana handed over YouTube cameras and a bunch of SD cards, saying,
They wouldn’t share the whole trip, but Yeonwoo’s adventures would go up as travel vlogs.
“Wakana seems more serious about YouTube than engineering now.”
After waving goodbye to Wakana, who saw them off with the gear, Jiyeong glanced back at her still-waving figure and said,
“Isn’t it just ’cause she’s not doing album work lately?”
“Nah, she’s tasted the money.”
YouTube revenue was insanely good, so it wasn’t wrong.
“Money taste? Watch your words around Yeonwoo.”
When Heo Ok scolded her, Jiyeong pouted where Yeonwoo couldn’t see.
Yeonwoo chuckled at his aunt, then looked at his dad in the rearview.
“Dad, where we going first?”
“Son, let’s see that map you made.”
“Yeah.”
Yeonwoo unfolded his map: a blank Korean peninsula with places he wanted to visit marked, and foods listed for each.
Jihoon glanced in the rearview at the unfolded map, then put some gravitas in his voice.
“We’re starting with Chuncheon!!”
“Chun...cheon!!”
The home of dakgalbi, makguksu, and tongtteok.
“Why start with Chuncheon of all places?”
“Coming back later, going from Gangwon through Seoul seems more congested than heading up the west coast.”
“Oh, got it. Yeonwoo, what do you think? Cool with that?”
“Yeah, I’ve wanted dakgalbi. Iron plate and charcoal-grilled both.”
Jiyeong said,
“Man, takes me back. On a college MT to Gapyeong, we impulsively went to Chuncheon for dakgalbi.”
Jihoon smirked at her.
“I thought you’d lost your mind back then.”
“Why? What’s wrong with going to Chuncheon?”
“Going’s fine. But heading out with no plan for the way back?”
“Back then, I thought that was cool.”
Jihoon chuckled.
Now? She’d mellowed out, big time.
Kid Jiyeong had been impulsiveness incarnate.
In third grade, she’d walked three hours in monsoon rain just to feel it.
Fifth grade, curious about bus and subway terminals, she’d gone all the way to the ends.
High school, she ran away to see how she’d survive—got caught sleeping in a nearby church.
As a college kid, she’d bolted the next day for a penniless nationwide trip, totally unprepared.
Then suddenly dropped out to learn English, borrowed money from Jihoon, and went working holiday in Australia.
Not done there: impromptu Middle East trip from Oz, then pilgrim path in Spain.
All unplanned—except the working holiday, she executed within a week of deciding.
Impulsive, but with insane action and resolve.
Maybe those experiences forged the Jiyeong who now excelled in work and music.
And now, sparked by Jihoon’s words, Jiyeong regaled Yeonwoo with her escapades all the way to Chuncheon, like epic tales.
“Pretty cool, right, Auntie?”
Yeonwoo shook his head firmly.
“Nope.”
“Why not? It’s cool! You try stuff too, Yeonwoo. Experiences like this build character.”
“Suddenly going off, ending up broke, starving, sleeping rough—how’s that cool? If I do it, I’ll prep money, routes, full plans.”
“Oh...”
If Jiyeong was P, Yeonwoo was J.
“It’s about sensibility.”
“That’s not sensibility, Auntie. That’s recklessness.”
“...Is our Yeonwoo a T?”
“Over-relying on MBTI isn’t great either, Auntie.”
Jiyeong was speechless.
Such a perfect nephew, but...
“Our Yeonwoo doesn’t match with Auntie! We’re too different!!!”
...their personalities clashed.
“People can’t be identical, Auntie. We live understanding each other.”
And he was turning into such an old soul.