052. Caught Red-Handed
Two hours had passed.
My companions and my parents sat around the dining table, chatting.
I briefly explained the reason I had returned home and the connections I had made during my travels.
I cut out anything that could cause trouble and only shared stories that were safe to tell.
“Then you completely dropped out of the academy?”
“Yes. On the third day, I submitted my withdrawal letter to the chairman and walked out on my own two feet. I’m sorry.”
“If that’s what you mean, I have nothing particular to say to you.”
“You’ve been making your own decisions and acting alone since you were little. That’s why you dropped out, right?”
It was bitter that I couldn’t tell the truth in front of my parents, since I was pretending to be Bern.
My parents cherished Bern so much that they understood even extreme choices.
“Speaking of which, what happened to Sherin? Did she come back with you too?”
“You went to the academy because you’d liked Sherin since you were little.”
“Ah…”
I had cursed at Sherin unilaterally and cut ties with her.
My mouth itched to say what really happened.
But I couldn’t explain that Sherin had planned to turn me into a pong-pong guy, could I?
Instead of telling the truth, I lowered my head with a pitiful expression.
“Sherin’s heart has turned toward someone else. It’s sad, but I wish her happiness and have cleanly forgotten and bid her farewell.”
CRACK-!
A sound of grinding teeth came from the right.
I glanced sideways and saw Lin smiling gently.
But her jaw muscles were subtly tightening.
It was someone who had believed the excuse I made to deceive my parents and was now furious.
“I didn’t think something like that would happen…”
“It must have been tough.”
Fortunately, my parents seemed to believe it.
After all, it was an academy where noble children and the world’s top talents gathered.
My parents, who had known Bern as a somewhat strong kid, probably thought I was lacking in ability compared to other men.
In the situation, it wasn’t strange that Sherin was spreading her legs to other men.
It was shitty, but since I had actually fallen for Kang Junhyuk, the guess wasn’t wrong.
“Still, our son has good ability. He brought along so many pretty wives, not inferior to Sherin.”
“Two of them, even.”
“Ehhehe…”
“Thank you for your kind words, Mom and Dad.”
Rene and Lin smiled brightly at my parents’ sudden praise, while Lin looked embarrassed.
My parents were also smiling happily at their innocent reactions.
I enjoyed the tea in a warm atmosphere.
This kind of time is really nice.
“By the way, have you decided where you’ll stay?”
“My room will remain as is, one will use the guest room, and the other will use Frelic’s empty room, I suppose.”
“Ah, that is. Your brother who left for the royal capital recently…”
“Back already!”
“The tiger comes when called, they say.”
The door burst open, and a blonde man entered the house.
His eyes were long and torn, his mouth corners raised warily, and his skin was tanned.
A man who fit the description of a gigolo.
“No, who is this? It’s my only brother Bern!”
“Long time no see, Frelic hyung.”
The man’s identity was Frelic, Bern’s only brother.
He looked completely different from me, to the point of doubt if they were siblings from the same parents.
However, in the Adokchoe setting book, it was clearly stated as real brothers.
“Frelic, greet them. The people over there are Bern’s lovers.”
“Uhyo! All of them are quite beauties! This must be killing Bern with envy?”
“Thank you!”
“Uncle is also quite handsome.”
“Kuh! Hearing compliments from beauties, I’m so grateful my tears are overflowing!”
Even with the brother’s appearance, the atmosphere remained cheerful.
But in the midst of that, I couldn’t smile easily.
Because Frelic, given his blonde tanned delinquent look, was a playboy guy.
In Adokchoe 6, while the protagonist group was on a great adventure, Bern had a female protagonist named Kate.
Kate was an immature magician rejected from the magic tower, who admired Bern’s strength like early Kang Junhyuk and followed him.
Bern initially rejected her request to take her as a disciple.
However, as the requests continued without end, the naive sub-protagonist finally raised the white flag.
Thus, Bern went on adventures with Kate, teaching her his magical knowledge and secrets.
During this, many sweet episodes occurred, gradually building romantic feelings.
At that time, I was very happy, thinking “what is this?”
I was even more excited about the sign that Bern would start loving a proper woman instead of Sherin.
But at that time, I had forgotten something.
That the author was a Bern-hating addict at a level requiring treatment.
“Thinking about that now still pisses me off.”
While continuing the sweet adventures with Kate, Bern returned home.
Just like now, introducing the female protagonist to my parents, and quickly finishing the formal meeting.
I thought it would be smooth sailing, but who knew?
That the meeting would be for Frelic instead of Bern.
Bern stayed in Briant for about two weeks to teach Kate.
Meanwhile, Frelic, who failed miserably in business in the royal capital, returned to the village to farm.
Frelic, who gave off a wild vibe, was eyeing Kate while staying at home.
As time passed, Kate started having more contact with Frelic than with Bern.
From then on, I noticed something strange and read the novel while holding my heart.
But the story of Bern and Kate was no longer detailed, and the story moved to Kang Junhyuk.
“One day was hell.”
I read the novel every time the chapter updated because I wanted to see the Bern and Kate story.
However, even after 50 chapters, the story of the two wasn’t mentioned at all.
Then, at the end of the 6th part, the backstory was revealed, but the ending was absurd.
Two weeks passed, and when Bern invited Kate to go on adventure together, she rejected him in front of him.
She herself declared that she would give up the path of magic and stay in Briant to farm with Frelic.
Poor Bern respected Kate’s choice and left alone.
A month passed, a congratulatory letter arrived for Bern, and the story of the two completely ended.
“Shit!”
[Why are you suddenly like this?!]
“Ah, sorry. Bad memories came to mind.”
The second NTR after Sherin.
The more shitty part was that Bern’s story was completely omitted.
While Kang Junhyuk was doing great deeds, Bern was being robbed of a woman by his real brother.
What was Bern doing that he couldn’t protect the woman?
I wanted to know that, but nothing was revealed.
In the end, there was only Frelic’s line “She is a woman who doesn’t suit you.”
The author, who wanted to make Bern unhappy, but didn’t want to get hated by readers, cut out the NTR description.
At this, I felt emptiness beyond anger and reached the realm of enlightenment.
I had seriously considered dropping out in the middle.
But I thought that since I had suffered, I would make Bern happy in the end and followed.
Then, seeing the author put Bern’s pong-pong ending as the finale, my rational string snapped.
“It’s been a while. You too, right?”
“Yeah.”
Frelic, laughing hyukhyuk, put his arm around my shoulder.
His slovenly attitude was very unpleasant.
But since Bern and Frelic’s brotherhood was good, I forced myself to pretend to be happy.
Considering family bonds, I’ll let it go for now.
But if he shows ugly desires to Rene and Lin, then no matter what, I’ll kill him.
***
The night in Briant, where crickets were crying loudly.
Everyone was saying goodnight and heading to their rooms.
There was an unwholesome footsteps heading to the sleep room.
A blonde man with a bad smile, licking his lips.
In his hands, he held books whose contents were unknown.
“Kuhihit! Already getting excited!”
Frelic made a weird laugh sound, thinking of impure thoughts, and stood in front of the door.
He carefully knocked on the door.
“Sister-in-laws, are you sleeping?”
However, there was no answer from beyond the door.
So Frelic raised the corner of his mouth more and turned the doorknob.
“Then, not. Our hot night starts from now…”
Creak-!
Without permission, Frelic opened the door and entered the room.
It was the moment he closed the door to prevent the story from leaking out.
“Huh!”
“Good night, Frelic hyung.”
Behind the door was Bern, smiling brightly.
In his hand, he held a coconut.
“Bern?! Why are you here!”
“The guest room bed is narrow, so I told Lin and Rene to use my room, and I was going to sleep in the guest room. But why did you come here, hyung?”
“I came to talk to the sister-in-laws.”
“Was it really just to talk? Maybe you had some bad intentions…?”
“Bad intentions! They’re my prospective wives, how can you say such things…!”
“Then, may I check the book in your hand for a moment?”
When Bern extended his arm to hand over the book, Frelic flinched and trembled.
His throat gulping as he was tense, Bern’s eyes sharpened more.
It was definitely a magic book related to hypnosis or aphrodisiac magic.
So, Bern urged Frelic to hand over the book quickly.
“T, this is nothing special!”
“If it’s nothing special, why can’t you show it to me?”
“Kuh…”
Frelic was about to run away.
He tried to turn his body and kick the door to leave, but Bern grabbed his arm.
Frelic was powerless and suppressed, and the book was taken away.
“Ah, no…”
“I will check what kind of book it is. If there’s something problematic, it would be good to prepare yourself.”
While humming the famous background music from a gambling movie, Bern opened the book.
Preparing to smash the head with a coconut at any time.
Eventually, Bern’s eyes widened as he checked the book’s content.
“This is…?”
“Damn, I got caught…”
Bern was alternately looking at the book and Frelic’s face in disbelief.
The identity of the book that surprised him was surprisingly a picture book.
The content wasn’t ordinary, it was a book similar to an album filled with drawings of young Bern.
“Chet! I didn’t want to be caught by you, especially you.”
Frelic, rubbing his nose awkwardly, blushing.
Bern’s pupils started shaking rapidly at this sight.
“Then, the reason you came to meet Lin and Rene is…?”
“I was going to show my picture book to the sister-in-laws and have a hot chat time. Imagining how happy the sister-in-laws would be seeing my childhood appearance is thrilling. Kkuk!”
Frelic, who stole Kate from Bern in the original story.
Surprisingly, he was a pure-hearted gigolo.