Chapter 88: Enter Dad
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: Enter Dad
Enter Dad
Eun-seong watched the schoolyard, his gaze fixed on the children swarming Han-byeol. It was clear they were venting their frustration, and the reason was just as obvious: the widening score gap in their game.
He rolled down the window. Even without trying, he could hear their high-pitched voices ringing out loud and clear.
"Go Han-byeol, this is your fault!"
"No, it's not! I didn't do anything wrong!"
It was a chaotic soccer game with no real rules. The kids were ganging up on him, insisting his goal was invalid because he’d supposedly pushed another player. Their stubborn, childish logic made them a formidable force.
Eun-seong crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, observing the scene from a distance.
He knew that kids bickered like this all the time. And while it grated on his nerves to see their angry glares directed at Han-byeol, he also knew they usually worked things out on their own.
But as he listened, their taunts began to cross a line. Eun-seong’s eyes grew sharp.
"My mom said so! Go Han-byeol doesn't have a dad! She said he's a pitiful kid!"
"My mom said that too! She said Han-byeol's mom had him all by herself!"
His brow furrowed before he even realized it. A sharp breath hissed through his clenched teeth as his hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"Nuh-uh! I have a dad too!"
Han-byeol’s desperate cry shot across the yard and pierced Eun-seong straight through the chest.
For a moment, Eun-seong stopped breathing.
"Is that why you live with your mom and grandma? Because you don't have a dad?"
"Then call your dad right now! Why can't you? Go on, do it!"
"Nuh-uh! My dad is super, super busy, so I can't call him! But I do have a dad!"
The boy hated losing more than anything, and rather than cry from frustration, he chose to hold his head high.
He was screaming with every ounce of strength he had, desperately trying to protect himself.
Eun-seong squeezed his eyes shut. Clenching his jaw, he let out a ragged breath. The life my child has been living. His blood boiled at the thought of the stares and labels his son had endured in his absence.
As the other kids shoved him, Han-byeol stumbled backward. Fearing the boy would trip and fall, Eun-seong glanced at his side mirror.
He shifted the car into drive.
The engine growled to life. With a surge of power, the car rolled forward, carving a wide arc as it drove straight onto the schoolyard.
Startled by the roaring engine, the children stopped their squabble and spun around in unison.
The car came to a halt, and Eun-seong rolled down the window. The children peeked inside, their faces filled with curiosity.
Eun-seong took off his sunglasses and looked at Han-byeol. The moment their eyes met, a hot surge of emotion swept through him, setting his chest ablaze.
"Han-byeol."
Yes.
From now on, you are my reason for being.
"Dad's here."
You are my whole world now.
* * *
"Han-byeol. Dad's here."
Whoa. Han-byeol’s eyes went wide with shock. He stared at Eun-seong, rubbing his eyes with both hands to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
He opened them again. Whoa! No matter how many times he looked, it was really him—the “Filial Piety is Money” mister.
"Who are you? Are you Han-byeol's dad?"
"Mister, are you really Han-byeol's dad?"
The children crowded together, craning their necks to get a better look. Eun-seong glanced down at them before getting out of the car. He walked over to Han-byeol and took his hand.
"That's right. I'm Han-byeol's dad."
When the man who had arrived in such a cool car introduced himself as Han-byeol's father, the children exchanged uncertain glances.
Since Eun-seong mostly worked abroad and only did movies when in Korea, the young children had no idea who he was. He raised an eyebrow at their blank faces, wondering if he should be relieved.
Doubt still lingered in their eyes. Seeing this, Eun-seong knelt to bring his face level with Han-byeol's.
"Look. We look alike, don't we?"
"You don't look alike."
"Yeah, you don't."
Flustered by their bluntness, Eun-seong told Han-byeol to close his eyes and smile. When the boy obeyed, Eun-seong did the same.
"How about now? We look alike, right?"
Seeing their expressions become identical in an instant, the children's eyes grew round. Whoa, they really do look alike when they close their eyes.
"But why don't you live with Han-byeol, mister? Han-byeol lives with his mom and grandmother."
"Yeah. Han-byeol doesn't have a dad at home."
"That's because I was busy. I was working in another country, so we couldn't be together."
"Ah... I see..."
As the children nodded, their suspicions resolved, Eun-seong gestured toward his car with his chin. Instantly, all their wide eyes shifted to the vehicle.
"My dashcam over there recorded your whole game. If you want to know if Han-byeol's goal was fair, we can all watch it together."
"No, it's okay! Han-byeol scored the goal. I'm sorry, Han-byeol. I was just jealous."
"Yeah! We were wrong! We won't do it again!"
The tide turned in an instant. Faced with a towering adult, the children scrambled to apologize, practically competing to see who could sound the most sincere.
"Sorry, Han-byeol! Let's not fight and be good friends!"
"Han-byeol! I'm sorry too! I'll play fair from now on! Let's settle it with skill!"
His mind a complete blank as he held Eun-seong's hand, Han-byeol simply nodded at their apologies. They were the kind of kids who would fight one day and be kicking a ball together the next, so this was a peaceful enough resolution.
"Great people don't attack others for their weaknesses," Eun-seong said, his voice firm. "They protect them."
"Yes, sir."
"Yes!"
He wasn't sure if they truly understood, but Eun-seong decided to leave it at that.
Holding the tiny hand in his, he looked down at the boy.
"Son. Let's go home."
Han-byeol, who had been staring up at him blankly, nodded.
* * *
Sitting in Eun-seong’s car in a complete daze, Han-byeol kept his lips sealed and fidgeted with his fingers. He had chattered away endlessly on the phone just yesterday, but seeing the man in person felt incredibly strange.
It was shocking enough that the mister had suddenly appeared at his school, but for him to introduce himself as his dad to all his friends… Han-byeol was frozen in shock.
He vaguely understood that the lie he’d blurted out—claiming he had a dad just because he hated to lose—had snowballed into something huge. Even a child could see the situation had gotten way out of hand.
"Aren't you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry."
"You weren't cold?"
"Not at all. I'm hot."
Feeling embarrassed and awkward, Han-byeol gave stiff, curt answers. Eun-seong glanced at him with a soft smile.
"I guess you're not happy to see me."
"……"
"Oh? You're really not happy to see me?" Eun-seong prompted, studying his face.
Han-byeol hesitated before finally managing to speak. "We lied to my friends."
"What lie?"
"You're not my real dad... and they don't know I'm filming a movie as your son."
"Ah, they don't. Is that going to be a big problem?"
When Eun-seong asked so nonchalantly, Han-byeol’s head snapped up. His eyes went wide, his face practically screaming, What is this mister talking about?
"What if they find out later that you're not my real dad?"
"Hmm. What should we do then?"
"……Never mind."
Hearing a reply that showed no grasp of the situation's gravity, Han-byeol gave up and fell silent, his expression dejected.
I wish it wasn't a lie. If the mister were my real dad, then it wouldn't be a lie.
But he couldn't bring himself to say those words out loud.
"How do you know where my house is?" Han-byeol asked, noticing how easily he navigated without directions.
"Last time, after your birthday party, you fell asleep at my place. I drove you home then."
"Ah. I thought..."
"You thought what?"
"I thought you already knew where my house was. I guess I was wrong."
Eun-seong chuckled at Han-byeol's rambling explanation. Then, making a right turn, he added a brief clarification.
"You're not wrong. I knew where your house was all along."
As he spoke, the Iroun Animal Hospital came into view. Dr. Ju was probably inside. Eun-seong's lips curled into a slight frown.
"You know that hospital over there? I'm close with the doctor."
"Are you closer to me, or to that doctor?"
A wave of petty jealousy washed over him. Han-byeol blinked, confused by the odd question.
"No answer? Are you hesitating because you feel bad for him?"
"It's not that. Is that really important?"
"It is."
"I don't know. How am I supposed to answer when you ask me so suddenly?"
“Playing hard to get already? You really take after your mother.”
Eun-seong sighed. Han-byeol refused to give him the answer he wanted. With the genes of Go Yeon-ju—the absolute master of playing hard to get—running through his veins, Eun-seong figured he had many more anxious days ahead of him.
Before long, they arrived in front of the house. As Han-byeol unbuckled his seatbelt and prepared to bolt, Eun-seong caught him by the shoulder.
"Hold on a second."
"Yes? Why?"
As Han-byeol settled back into his seat, Eun-seong rested his head against his hand on the steering wheel and looked at the boy.
Perhaps because he had spent so much time watching videos of the boy growing up, looking at his face now conjured images of him as a newborn, and of the days when he took his first clumsy steps.
"You've grown up so well."
"What do you mean? Me?"
At the sudden compliment, Han-byeol's eyes darted around. Brushing the sweat-dampened hair from the boy's forehead, Eun-seong spoke again.
"Han-byeol."
The boy's eyes quickly met his. Hearing his actual name instead of his nickname, "One Star," Han-byeol looked surprised, wondering what was going on.
"Last time, you told me a big secret, didn't you? That you were in your second life as a nine-year-old."
You know, I'm a second nine-year-old.
"You whispered it to me when you came to my house. You said you were only telling me because it was a secret."
I don't usually tell anyone, but I'll make an exception for you.
"That's right. I haven't told anyone else, only you. But why?"
"Because I'm incredibly grateful. You shared the biggest secret of your second nine-year-old life with me."
When Eun-seong suddenly brought up the past to thank him, Han-byeol pursed his lips, hesitating. Eun-seong gently stroked the boy's hair and added:
"So, today, I'm going to tell you a big secret of mine."
"A secret?"
"Yeah. My secret. I've never told anyone else, but I'll make an exception just for you."
As Han-byeol nodded in agreement, Eun-seong took a deep breath and swallowed hard.
He closed his eyes slowly, then opened them, meeting the boy's gaze head-on.
At this turning point, where everything is about to go back to the beginning, I just hope he doesn't get hurt. I hope he never has to know the cold, harsh reasons behind it all.
At least, not until he's old enough to understand.
"Han-byeol. Listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you."
Eun-seong began his long story.