Chapter 45

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 45

Chapter Title: Family Reactions to Aebom

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For a moment, everyone's breath caught. Literally.

If I hadn't gone through the exact same thing myself, I might have seriously wondered if I'd suddenly gained the superpower to stop time.

'I was the same way when I first met Oh Hana and Han Aebom.'

Their beauty hadn't felt real at all. Honestly, I'd even considered pinching my cheek to make sure it wasn't a dream.

"Ow. Shit."

The moment that thought crossed my mind, Kim Hyuna had already pinched her own cheek as hard as she could and blurted out a curse without thinking.

She really is my little sister. Great minds think alike.

Normally, Dad would've chewed her out just for swearing in front of the adults, but right now, he was so quiet it was like he was dead.

Dad's eyes were glued to the photo I'd shown them, staring so hard that if looks could drill holes, I'd need a new phone tomorrow.

'No way he's fallen for her, right?'

I was genuinely scared to think about what might be going through his head. When I'd gotten that confession from Han Aebom, he'd already been brainstorming grandkids' names by gender. Considering he was my dad, he was probably already debating what toys to buy his grandkids.

"Gotta... work even harder."

The moment he muttered that, chills ran down my spine. My suspicions might've just been confirmed.

"Cough, sh—cough."

Once Kim Hyuna started choking and coughing, it spread like contagion, coughs erupting everywhere.

"No, this, what."

Kim Hyuna stammered in bewilderment.

"I was all set to shower her with endless praise, encouragement, and cheers if she was just a girl. And then bam, an actress out of nowhere?"

True. Listening to Hyuna, Han Aebom did feel more like an actress than an idol.

Her figure was even more perfectly sculpted than Oh Hana's, and even through the photo, you could sense her elegance and grace.

'Wait, what does "if she was just a girl" even mean?'

What kind of girl did she think I'd hooked up with?

"Wow. This. Is. Insane."

She kept spitting out the same words like a broken record, but no one called her on it. She was basically voicing everyone's thoughts right now.

"This looks like AI art."

"What are you talking about, Hyungmin oppa? She's way prettier than any AI art. That's why it's so shocking."

"Facts."

That's when Hyuna suddenly lunged forward, shoving her face right next to mine over the phone. Then she asked,

"How do I look right now?"

"What? A squid just showed up next to me."

"You wanna die?!"

I do love my little sister, but even I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to nod along with everyone else this time. My sister wasn't ugly by any means, but next to Han Aebom's photo, she'd look like a squid.

"Oppa, does ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our family have some money or something?"

Huh?

"This is 100% a scam. Gold digger."

"......"

I'd known this girl for over 20 years, but this was the most serious face I'd ever seen her make. Even when she confessed to Mom and Dad that she was skipping college to get a job, she hadn't looked this grave.

"It's not a scam. For real. We're... kinda seeing each other."

My conscience twinged a bit in my chest. But it didn't feel bad—more good, actually. Who knew the word "seeing each other" could feel so soft and fuzzy?

"Ha, you're totally possessed. Possessed bad. This is trouble. Eyes that could hand over the house deed later. Think logically, oppa. Unless you shoved money in her hands, why would someone this gorgeous go out with you?"

The rest of the family shot me worried looks at Hyuna's words. Just how low was my image in this house?

And the person who'd brought this up to cover for me was ripping into me the hardest. Whose side are you on?

"Now that you mention it... yeah, that could be."

"I heard rumors ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lately about pretty girls linking up with Chinese folks to lure guys and sell them alive."

"Or maybe Hyunwoo hit the lottery or something?"

Incredibly, there were over ten people here, and not a single one believed Han Aebom and I could naturally be together.

Okay, I hadn't believed it either.

Before actually sleeping with Oh Hana and Han Aebom, I never imagined I'd really be able to thrust my dick into their pussies.

'Hell, sometimes I still wonder if I'm dreaming.'

That's when it happened.

My phone rang. The screen lit up clearly with [Han Aebom]. The moment everyone saw it, they all jumped back like primitive humans discovering fire for the first time.

It was like watching a circus act.

"N-no way, right? That's not her calling, is it? No way. Someone like that calling oppa?"

"No, I asked her to call. You guys said to put her on speaker earlier."

Dad yelled urgently, like he was desperate to take a dump.

"Qu-quick, answer it! Hurry!"

Seeing him act like even one more ring was a huge offense was ridiculous and snort-worthy.

It really hit me how absurdly national-treasure-level gorgeous Han Aebom was. I'd gotten a bit numb to it lately, waking up to her every morning—and more—but to them, she was a princess straight out of a fairy tale.

I picked up.

"Yeah. Hello."

-Hyunwoo?

"Ah, hold on. Switching to speaker."

-Oh, sure, sure.

Once I switched to speaker and gave the okay sign, Han Aebom spoke again.

-Can you hear me now, Hyunwoo?

I thought a bomb had gone off in my phone. The adults, necks craned out like giraffes, all jolted back in shock, tumbling over.

"Wh-what? Her voice is angelic."

"No way, wow, this, wow."

Reactions exploded everywhere. Dad had the happiest look I'd ever seen on him. Fucked. I couldn't even imagine how many grandkids were already popping out in his head.

Mom wasn't showing it outright, but she'd always been bothered that I'd reached this age without ever holding a girl's hand—a total solo. Her eyes were tearing up a little.

Was it that big a deal? Thinking about it, yeah, it was.

-Hello? Hyunwoo? Hello?

"Wh-what's she saying! Answer quick, oppa. An angel's calling you. Don't wanna get smited."

Who's the angel?

And she's younger than you.

"Ah, yeah. It's a bit noisy around here."

I chuckled and spoke casually. It was obvious to anyone we'd been together longer than a day or two. Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Anyway, Aebom."

-Yes.

"Could you introduce yourself real quick?"

-No problem at all.

Han Aebom's voice flowed out.

Soon after, regardless of age or gender, the house turned into a bustling marketplace, like a village festival.

And at the center of it all was me.

To borrow Oh Hana's fan lingo, this was what they called a "fandemic," right?

Basically, a mashup of "traffic accident" and "otaku," meaning you suddenly and unexpectedly crash into fandom for something, like a car wreck.

Right before my eyes, my whole family had collectively caught the Han Aebom bug. Hard. They were more worried about missing out than me getting scammed.

"In-insane. She speaks so well too."

"Seems like she's from a good family. Even if it's as a live-in son-in-law, don't let her slip away."

"You ungrateful brat! Our new daughter-in-law wants to get closer to you. And you reject her? If you're not bringing her for Chuseok, don't bother coming home."

It was total chaos. All the attention was laser-focused on me again. When it was about job stuff before, it felt like the floor dropping out from under me.

Not now.

My lips itched to grin. My shoulders wanted to lift on their own.

"No wonder you weren't sweating the job hunt. My brother's my brother—when he commits, he delivers. Adults, apologize to Hyunwoo for the job talk. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠With a girl this pretty, we should be boosting his morale, not killing it."

At my brother's words, the adults competed to offer sincere apologies and nodded vigorously.

"How was I supposed to know Hyunwoo had a catch like this? I wouldn't have said it otherwise."

Dad nodded too.

"Who cares about a job now? Lock her down. The future of the Kim family depends on it."

That serious?

"Oppa, you have to bring her for Chuseok. But how? If I see Aebom in person, my heart might stop."

"Same."

Seeing everyone nod solemnly, I finally lost it and burst out laughing, doubling over.

It was the most refreshing laugh I'd let out at the family home in ages.

Anyone seeing me would think I was a refugee.

My left hand clutched a whole tub of kimchi wrapped in the golden cloth they never handed out to just anyone. My right was loaded too—galbi ribs, skewered sweet-and-sour pork, fried shrimp, the best of the ancestral rite dishes, packed to the brim. Enough side dishes for at least a week, no worries.

Refusing wasn't an option.

Grandma had insisted I take it to feed "that sexy someone." If I didn't, she'd board the train herself. The old lady, already advanced in years, was suddenly full of youthful vigor, vowing not to die until she saw her great-grandkids.

Ticket in my mouth, I struggled to my seat, hugging the luggage close, and reflected. Since getting out of the army, as my life started twisting bit by bit, had I ever left the family home feeling this good?

Was I allowed to be this happy? Then a system window popped up, like it was saying the real happiness starts now. A smile crept onto my face.

That New Year's quest where I'd wished for blessings—it was truly handing me once-in-a-lifetime happiness. I was so blissed out it was almost scary. What if these quests suddenly stopped?

'Don't rely on it too much.'

I made a tiny resolution that probably wouldn't stick.

Once home, I'd thank Han Aebom first thing. With that thought, I quietly closed my eyes.

"Phew."

The total +2 Stamina from quests so far felt more substantial than I'd thought. Back in the day, I'd have been drenched in sweat, taking breaks along the way just to haul these two massive bundles. But I made it home in one go.

The thought of seeing Oh Hana and Han Aebom soon—and maybe even having sex—already had me smiling.

I punched in the familiar PIN, 5844, and opened the door.

"Ah, welcome home."

The friendly greeting stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Who are you?"

For real.