Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: What’s This Auntie Doing Here?
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“Hmph hmph hmph~”
Ha Yu-ra hummed cheerfully as she drove.
She had bought a big tub of ice cream for the passenger seat and was savoring her upbeat mood to the fullest.
Today was the day of Chae Seon-hwa’s first main round filming—the daughter of her beloved teacher, Chae Soo-jeong.
In shows like this, the preliminaries were brief, limited to one episode or a teaser, while the main rounds took up most of the airtime. So, the real broadcast started today.
Since this was Seon-hwa’s first time stepping into the spotlight after only minor roles so far, it was definitely worth celebrating…
Or so she told herself as an excuse.
In truth, Yu-ra just wanted to see her teacher after a while and had latched onto a convenient reason.
She’d asked about today’s schedule in advance for that very purpose.
By the way, she hadn’t mentioned dropping by early—this was Yu-ra’s little whim to lightly surprise her teacher.
And so, she arrived at Soo-jeong’s house.
Fortunately, she heard sounds from inside, so Yu-ra felt relieved that she’d timed it right and lightly pressed the doorbell.
“Oh? It’s Yu-ra unnie.”
“Hi~ Has our Seon-hwa been well? You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.”
In reality, they’d met just two weeks ago for the finale party of Reply 1989, so there wasn’t much change. But to Yu-ra, it felt that way.
And then.
“Mom~ Yu-ra unnie’s here!”
“Oh my…”
The figure that soon appeared.
Seeing her with an apron over her casual outfit, Yu-ra felt her cheeks flush warmly, a sensation she hadn’t felt in ages.
The stress piled up from her packed schedule melted away like ice cream on a hot day, leaving a soothing calm.
Just looking at Soo-jeong brought her peace, and a deep smile spread across Yu-ra’s face.
“Come on in. Showing up without notice like this…”
“Haha, I was passing by and just wanted to drop this off. Here, ice cream.”
A big tub from the ever-popular Baskin-Robbins 31.
As expected, joy lit up Soo-jeong’s face when she took it.
“No, you shouldn’t have… Have you eaten? Stay for a bite. I was just about to boil some ramen.”
“No, I’m fine. It’s rude enough to drop in unannounced…”
“Nonsense, come in. It’s just one more bowl.”
“Hehe… Well, if you insist…”
Following the flow she’d half-expected, Ha Yu-ra naturally stepped inside.
She’d cleared her schedule for this, so she took her time.
The teacher’s home, now familiar, wrapped her in a comforting vibe.
She even felt more at peace here than at her own family home as she turned her eyes toward the sofa.
But…
“...Huh?”
“...What?”
The next moment, their eyes met on a familiar face.
Both froze in place, locking gazes.
A person she never imagined seeing here.
The instant they recognized each other, one emotion surged automatically in their minds.
An all-too-familiar one.
Irritation.
‘...What the hell? Why’s the SG kid here?’
‘No way… What’s this LK auntie doing here…’
LK and SG—two of South Korea’s top conglomerates.
Both famous for appliances, they were bloody rivals in the industry.
Sure, as major chaebol families, there was some surface-level family exchange.
But it was all fake smiles and pretense.
In reality, they were desperate to trip each other up in business at every turn.
And right now.
The two heiresses from these rival empires, stuck in the same space, felt their moods sour instantly.
“This is Seo Han-sol, the girl who teamed up with Seon-hwa this time. I brought her over to feed her before practice later.”
“Ah… I see. Teammates, huh…”
From Soo-jeong’s words alone, Yu-ra—who knew the industry inside out—quickly pieced it together.
But out of basic courtesy, she kept quiet on it, sat down after Soo-jeong headed to the kitchen, and plopped right next to Han-sol, who was eyeing her unpleasantly.
“...Why don’t you sit over there?”
“This was my spot originally.”
“What kind of nonsense…”
“Unlike you, I’ve been here more than once or twice. Regular guest and regular are different, you know?”
“Tch. Acting all childish even as an adult… No wonder your TVs don’t sell.”
“But we beat you on fridges?”
“Yeah, sure. We’re still #2, you’re #4.”
“At least we’ve hit #1 before. Stay quiet, you eternal #3 who’s never even tasted it.”
Thus, stuck side by side on the wide sofa, Seo Han-sol and Ha Yu-ra bickered without budging out of pride.
Seon-hwa, sitting in front, watched with wide, sparkling eyes and asked,
“Are you two friends?”
“No.”
“Obviously not.”
They shot back curtly.
Seon-hwa tilted her head, then toddled off to her room with a bouncy step.
She returned clutching something in her tiny hands.
The two on the sofa knew instantly what it was.
Jenga.
A simple game that delivered a serious dopamine hit.
Seon-hwa set it up on the table, eyes gleaming, and said,
“Yu-ra unnie, let’s play this again.”
“Sure, why not? Just one quick round before eating.”
Yu-ra slid off the sofa onto the floor with practiced ease, as if they’d done this often.
Seeing her familiarity sparked a competitive spark in Han-sol, who slyly joined her on the floor.
“Alright, let’s start right—”
“I wanna play too. Seon-hwa, can unnie join?”
“Yeah! More people make it more fun!”
Seon-hwa chattered happily, oblivious to the subtle tension between them.
Both found her cuter by the second, their expressions softening briefly…
But catching each other’s reactions reignited the fierce rivalry.
‘I don’t wanna lose to her at this either…’
‘This time, I’m going all out.’
Thus, they dove into the pointless battle of pride with full focus.
It didn’t matter in the grand scheme, but for this moment, Yu-ra and Han-sol shouldered the honor of Korea’s top conglomerates.
Sure, it was just pulling wooden blocks, but their finger movements screamed intense concentration.
‘She’s pretty good…’
‘Tch, pulling that one like that…’
The tense game continued precariously, the tower thinning bit by bit.
It looked ready to topple any second, ratcheting up their nerves.
The problem was,
amid all this, one person exuded pure nonchalance, zero tension.
“Heave-ho!”
-Tap!
“!”
“Oh no…”
Seon-hwa flicked out a block with her tiny finger effortlessly.
While the other two agonized like their lifespans were draining, she just grinned innocently, loving every second.
And her skills were top-notch—the tower didn’t even wobble when she pulled.
The game dragged on in this mix of two life-or-death struggles and one carefree romp…
“Ah.”
-Crash!
Yu-ra’s face went pale as she froze stiff in place, ending it.
“Yesss! I win!”
Han-sol whooped with genuine glee.
Snapping out of her statue-like daze, Yu-ra let out a small sigh and said,
“...Haa. You’re good. I lost.”
No bet was on the line, but Han-sol’s dopamine spiked wildly from the concession alone.
Their companies might edge out hers, and despite the age gap, this opponent was an established actress making a name in entertainment—Han-sol’s life goal.
Just look at how she acted alongside Han-sol’s idol, Chae Soo-jeong.
Beating someone like that—even in a game—filled Han-sol with thrill rivaling her main round qualification.
‘This is fun. So that’s why everyone plays games.’
After basking in this rare everyday joy, Han-sol headed to the bathroom.
Meanwhile,
watching her go, a quiet smile crept onto Yu-ra’s lips.
‘Never pegged her for it… but she’s got a cute side.’
Han-sol beaming like she’d conquered the world over a silly game win.
Sure, four years older than Seon-hwa, but to Yu-ra, she was still a kid.
The rivalry flared briefly due to family baggage, but she wasn’t real competition, so this loss was no big deal.
‘Plus, the payoff from losing is even bigger.’
With that thought, Yu-ra whispered to Seon-hwa,
“A promise is a promise, right?”
“Yeah! I’ll tell Mom we’re going to the waterpark with Yu-ra unnie this time.”
“Good girl, our Seon-hwa’s so sweet.”
Yu-ra stroked Seon-hwa’s hair happily.
Their secret deal, sealed via phone memo moments ago, was done.
Meanwhile, over there,
watching them with a pot of ramen in hand, Soo-jeong smiled to herself.
‘Looks like they’ve all warmed up to each other.’
As soon as Han-sol returned from the bathroom, they dug into the meal in a warm(ish) atmosphere.
It was simple—just ramen with kimchi—but both chaebol heiresses shared the same thought as they ate.
‘So good… Better than the maid’s.’
‘Teacher’s ramen is the best… Can’t get this at home.’
A mishmash of mushrooms, cheese, dumplings, rice cakes, and more—more stew than ramen.
But that’s why it hit different. They slurped it eagerly.
Then.
“Um… Mom. Got anything next weekend?”
“Hm? No plans. Why?”
Seon-hwa asked cautiously.
Yu-ra’s eyes sparkled reflexively.
Han-sol’s curiosity piqued at the sight.
With both watching intently,
Seon-hwa finally spoke.
“I wanna go to the waterpark.”
