The Heartfelt Confession and Unexpected Fatherly Discipline
Exiting the rented room with my head held high, my hands and feet began to tremble as my distance from the family home grew shorter.
Just stay hidden a little longer.
Actually, now that money was incoming, as long as I decided to keep it up, I could continue hiding. I could move back into the room at my parents’ house, pretend to be a student, and easily conceal everything.
But the longer the lie stretched, the bigger the storm it would cause.
It’s better for me to get ahead and confess before he comes running out of nowhere.
Anyway, if I was going to be scolded, it should be by my parents.
“Ugh…”
I arrived at the family home.
Despite my determined heart, my hand trembled as it reached for the door lock.
“Hoo…”
Click. Click. Click. Click.
I slowly entered the password and gently opened the door.
“Mom. I’m back.”
“Son~! Come in quickly! Honey! Yi-han’s here!”
“Hmm. Welcome home.”
Seeing my mother greet me with her usual bright smile and my father come out to the entrance to welcome me as if he didn’t care much, I recalled what I had done.
I had dropped out of school and didn’t plan to return.
Even dropping out was suspicious enough, but I had inflated the tuition fee from 3 million won to 5 million won.
When I got the school to arrange a room for me to study comfortably, I secretly moved out by using the deposit to a semi-basement.
When I sent money for a new laptop, I didn’t buy it and continued using the old one.
A crazy guy.
I should have just not said anything.
“Son. These apples are extremely sweet. Try them.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
Even though the apple was in my mouth, it tasted like I was chewing sand. It was the same feeling as when Joshua counted the last leaf, as the apple disappeared from the plate, my lifespan seemed to vanish.
“So, son. What’s the big topic you wanted to talk about? You said there was something to discuss.”
“Hmm. Speak freely.”
While I was hesitating, my parents started first.
“Hoo.”
I couldn’t delay any longer.
After taking a short deep breath, I confessed to my parents.
“Mom. Dad. Actually… I didn’t return to school.”
“…?”
My mother tilted her head as if she didn’t understand, while my father scratched his ear, looking like he hadn’t heard correctly. I closed my eyes tightly and continued confessing.
“I dropped out after my service and didn’t return.”
“D-Didn’t return to school? Since after service? What does that even mean? You took the tuition money too!”
“I’m sorry. The tuition you gave me… I used it. The room you arranged… I got the deposit back and moved to a cheaper house. A room for 100 won deposit and 20 won a month…”
“…”
My mother closed her eyes tightly, while my father, struggling to hold back anger, asked me with trembling eyes.
“Then… what did you do all this time? Service ended in February! What did you do without going to school!”
His father shouted loudly.
It was fortunate that he didn’t swing his fist.
“I made games during that time.”
“Eek!”
Clang.
My father dropped the fork he was holding and grabbed my collar.
“Ah, Dad! Are you okay?”
I panicked and tried to approach, but my father reached out to stop me and shouted with a face flushed red.
“Games? You made games?! I supported you to study hard, and you made games?!”
“…”
“This brat is just…!”
Schlup.
My father unbuckled his belt and folded it in half.
“Dad! W-Wait! Listen to the end of the story!”
“What story to listen to! You said you were doing great, great, and then you drove a nail into your parents’ hearts? Come here!”
Seeing my father about to swing the belt like a whip, I shouted desperately.
“Dad! It’s 200 million won! 200 million!”
“200 million? What kind of nonsense! You stole tuition money and deposit money, and now you’re trying to hand over your inheritance early?! This brat really…!”
“No! I earned 200 million won! F-From games!”
Hesitation.
The arm that was about to swing froze in mid-air.
“What does that mean. You earned money?”
“Y-Yes! You know I made games, right? That, that game’s earnings are 200 million.”
“That’s… really true?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll show you.”
Approaching cautiously like a wild beast, I carefully picked up my phone and showed my father the profit.
“Dollars?”
“Yes. Dad. The company I’m servicing my game on is Google and Apple, American companies… You know App Store, right? It’s on the smartphone you use too.”
“I’m not that dumb. Anyway, you’re earning money? With games?”
“L-Let me explain in detail. Please stay calm for a moment…”
My father sat back on the sofa, saying he’d listen to the story. The belt in his hand remained unchanged.
“After my service, I continued making games. It was released last month.”
“Last month? With only one month, you reached 200 million in sales?”
“Yes. Dad. The game is called Dot Hero… It’s quite popular. The download count is still 500,000, but the trend is rapidly increasing, so it seems it will hit 1 million soon.”
“500,000? 500,000 is a lot, right? I don’t get it.”
I pondered how to explain so my father would understand, and opened my mouth.
“There’s a real-time popularity chart that ranks downloads, and in the Google Play Store my dad uses, it’s second place, and in the App Store, fourth place.”
“So, it means second and fourth in Korea?”
“No. Based on the world. It varies slightly by country… but it should be about the same.”
“The world?!”
Now it finally hit him, and my father was surprised.
Earlier, I felt like a death row inmate entering the execution chamber, but the father’s reaction changed, and I became slightly proud.
“Yes. Actually, since my game has only been out for a month, it’s second place. But with this momentum, I think it can reach first place soon. The thing about games is that the first is hard, but once the flow is taken, users increase steeply.”
“World first… my son made a game that reached world first…?”
“No. It hasn’t happened yet…”
“Shut up.”
“Yes.”
My father closed his eyes and thought deeply, then opened them.
“Yi-han.”
“Yes. Dad.”
“I should have just told you I wanted to do something and asked for support. If my son wanted to challenge, what would I have said? I’d have supported him for being a man.”
I didn’t say anything because I knew he probably would have told me to study instead of doing pointless things.
“World first? It’s amazing. Your dad couldn’t even reach domestic first, but my son reached world first in his twenties, and I’m so happy I could dance.”
“…”
“But, I can’t help being proud and angry at the same time. You deceived us for almost a year. The disappointment is huge.”
“I’m sorry…”
I bowed my head.
I thought I’d be forgiven to some extent by showing the sales.
“You.”
My father called my mother, as if he was about to scold me harshly this time.
“You look shocked. Go outside and get some fresh air. I never hit my son before, but today you have to.”
“Don’t hit too hard…”
I watched my mother get up from her seat and our eyes met.
In my mother’s eyes that passed by, there was disappointment toward me.
After my mother left, my father came closer to me.
Accepting my fate, I folded my body in a position easy for my father to swing the belt.
I braced my body and waited for the beating.
“What are you doing. Get up.”
“Eh?”
“N-No need to be discouraged. I beat a man, so why be discouraged.”
I cautiously stood up.
“So. World first?”
“No. Not yet… but I think I will soon.”
“Hoo… You said sales reached 200 million in one month? Net profit?”
“Yes. I have to give 15% to my partner.”
“85% is your share? Hehe.”
Unlike before, my father looked very happy.
“Y-You weren’t going to beat me, were you? You were going to hit me, mom…”
“What are you doing beating an adult! You’re not a kid.”
“Then why mom…?”
“Your mom was so shocked, how could I praise you in front of her.”
“Eh?”
My father patted my shoulder with a look of pride.
“Well done. Your dad used to play around when you were your age, but earning 200 million… Of course, I’m not praising you for earning money. I’m praising your spirit of challenge.”
“Dad…”
“I have no idea what kind of determination a delinquent like you had to make such a reckless decision. You must have gone through tremendous worries. From the military?”
Even though it was a worry before regression, I nodded because I couldn’t explain it.
“Yes. Before service, I thought about the growing mobile game market.”
“You were secretly proceeding because your mom and I might oppose it?”
“Yes. Honestly, I thought you’d oppose…”
“Opposition is it! Do you have the courage to take tuition and deposit money, but not the courage to be opposed!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Enough. I wanted to be a reliable father to my son, but it was my fault. You must have judged based on my behavior.”
“Ah, no. I’m the bad one…”
My father patted my shoulder.
“Enough. Enough. You know you were wrong, so let’s not talk about it anymore.”
“Dad…”
“I said enough! Rather, show me the game you made. Let me see how well you made it to aim for world first.”
Since I couldn’t play the game on my father’s phone, I gave him mine.
“This is how you move?”
“Yes. Catch the monsters coming over there and level up.”
“Oh. What are these cards?”
“Cards that raise character abilities. You choose what you want.”
My father played the game for a moment and returned the phone to me.
“I don’t understand anything. What is all this noise, my eyes hurt.”
“Hahaha.”
“But I understand one thing. You made it with all your effort.”
“Yes. I did my best given the situation and conditions.”
“Well done.”
Those three words shook my heart so much.
I almost shed tears without even my age.
“What are you going to do from now on. You have no intention of returning to school?”
“Yes. I plan to create and operate a studio with the settled money.”
“Really? Running people isn’t that easy. Especially since you’re young, there might be people who ignore you.”
I understood my father’s worry.
I looked ordinary on the surface as a 22-year-old. But I had 14 years of memories of struggling in society.
“I’ll do my best. Even in such cases, it’s experience.”
That brat.
The atmosphere was warming up.
My father, as if all his anger was gone, even joked.
“By the way, you don’t need investors? Starting a company requires a lot of money.”
“Yes. I think it’s fine. Since the game sales are going well…”
“If you lack funds, tell me. It’s not that I’m covering it because you’re my son. I’m telling you because I think you’ll get good dividends after investing. Hehe.”
I’m sorry, but I have no plans to share my share with my family.
“About business, as your senior, if you have any troubles or questions, ask me anytime.”
“Ah. Yes.”
“What advice should I give first… Yeah! I’ll introduce my accountant friend. These guys are really good at work—”
Click.
The sound of the door lock being pressed came.
Is mom back.
Since I had a good talk with Dad, I was about to loosen up mom’s anger too—
Crack.
Strange.
My back felt hot.
“You brat! Driving a nail into your parents’ heart?!”
Slap. Slap.
It wasn’t a mistake.
My father was whipping me relentlessly with the belt.
W-Why…?
It hurt, but the confusion was even greater.
-Dad?
-Sorry. I said I’d scold mom, but if the atmosphere is too warm, it doesn’t seem right. Just bear with it a little.
I first realized that father and son could communicate with just their eyes.
“Kyah. Kyaah!”
“What are you doing shouting like that!”
“Dad! W-Wait! B-Bone! It hit my bone!”
*
My mother’s anger turned out to be easier to resolve than I thought.
I knelt in front of the door until she forgave me.
-This time only, I forgive you.
-I’m sorry…
-And from now on, once a month, you’ll come find me at my room, so remember that. I trusted you, but now I have to trust again.
-I’m sorry…
Although there was a restriction that mom would visit my rented room, I thought it was a cheap price.
However, one trial came, and another trial followed.
“Daniel.”
“Yi-han.”
We sat in my rented room with serious faces and stared at each other.
“This is a directive as the CEO. Come up with an idea.”
“Yi-han. You’re the CEO, so you decide. And, you came up with the idea. What about Joyland?!”
“Too lame. I’d rather close the business.”
We had to set a business name.