Chapter 401
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 401
RESET.
To put it another way, it was an opportunity to use points to erase the maternal uncle from Seo Ho-jin’s life.
Everything I had done to recover my brother’s memories flashed through my mind in an instant.
At the same time, a doubt flickered in a corner of my heart: was it right to waste the points I had so carefully gathered on something so worthless? Nothing had even been properly confirmed yet.
‘But is this really a useless gesture?’
On the other hand, my worst-case predictions were beginning to crawl out of the shadows.
What if that bastard of an uncle had remembered the time when I was a PD? That wouldn't be a huge problem in itself. Even if he went around blabbing about it, no one would believe him. They’d just think he was insane.
My anxiety stemmed from something else.
I was afraid that Seo Ho-jin, who had lost his memories, might run into that prick and trigger some kind of system error. I feared that it might cause another adverse reaction in my brother.
‘…The possibility isn’t zero.’
Besides, hadn't the system window practically confessed it itself?
It said that even though a format had been performed, a system that had once glitched couldn't possibly operate perfectly. It claimed that even it could no longer predict what variables might arise.
I hadn't trusted the thing much to begin with, but now I found it even less reliable.
‘I have no way of knowing if treating this lightly will come back to bite me as a fatal blow.’
Regardless, the quests I had ignored and the loans I had recklessly taken out had overloaded this world.
I was fine with all of that falling on me.
It was just that I was too ignorant of how the countless small ripples to come might affect Seo Ho-jin—
“…….”
And that terrified me.
I buried my face in my palms and took a moment to steady my breathing.
As I connected my thoughts in various directions and looked for ways to overcome the situation, my racing heart gradually returned to its normal rhythm.
‘…I did think things had been a bit too peaceful lately.’
There was no way things would go that smoothly.
I pushed open the emergency exit door with force.
I passed the elevator on the first floor and stepped outside. I walked past the security office at the entrance of each building and followed the neatly maintained flower beds toward the entrance of the apartment complex. There, I saw my uncle sitting on a corner bench, pulling out a cigarette.
As I kept walking, I squeezed my already busy brain for more ideas.
‘First, let’s check how much he remembers. I can decide how to respond after that.’
I would make sure he never showed his goddamn face here again.
With that single resolution, I strode closer.
“Uncl—”
Just as I was about to call out to him.
“……?!”
Grab!
My shoulder was violently jerked backward.
“Hah, wheeze, cough…”
Rough breaths hit the back of my neck.
Startled, I turned my head to see my younger brother. His face was flushed red as he struggled to catch his breath, looking as if he had run here at full speed.
“…Seo Ho-jin?”
“Hah, cough, Hyung……”
As if he had lost his strength, the plastic convenience store bag he was holding fell to the ground, and the contents spilled everywhere. The slice of cake that had been tucked between the items slammed into the pavement.
I watched the scene unfold in slow motion before pushing aside Seo Ho-jin, who was blocking my view.
“Seo Ho-jin, move.”
I tried to head toward the bench again, but Ho-jin’s voice caught my steps.
“I did it!!!”
Seo Ho-jin grabbed my shoulders with both hands and bowed his head over them. After panting for a moment to catch his breath, I grabbed his chin and tilted his head up. His naturally drooping eyes looked even more pathetic as he stared at me.
“…Hyung, you don’t have to do anything. I—I handled everything.”
He spoke in a voice thick with damp emotion.
I chewed over his words before slowly repeating them.
“……Handled?”
I couldn't understand it at all.
What did you handle…?
“Yeah, so just calm down and come over here.”
Seo Ho-jin pulled at my stiff arm, trying his best to lead me as far away from that man as possible.
‘Damn, Seo Ho-yun, you’ve really hit rock bottom.’
Making my brother worry enough to tell a lie like this.
I let out a deep sigh, shook off Ho-jin’s hand, and looked him in the eye.
“…Ho-jin. Seo Ho-jin.”
“…….”
“Look at me.”
I told him to go far away to buy a cake; why did he have to come back early and see me in such a pathetic state?
“Go back home. I’ll take care of this.”
I firmly pushed him away and tried to move, but he continued to block my path, refusing to let me go.
“No, I’m serious! Hyung, I’ve already pretty much sorted it all out! I know it’s hard to believe, but I really worked hard to prepare this. You don’t need to get your hands dirty.”
Ho-jin continued his desperate persuasion, but when my expression remained unchanged, he scratched the back of his head aggressively and pulled an unfamiliar-looking phone out of his back pocket.
“Ah, hell, I’ll just show you.”
It wasn't the model he usually carried, so I looked at it suspiciously as his fingers began to move rapidly across the screen.
“…What are you doing?”
“Shh, shhh.”
He silenced me with his index finger and then pointed toward something.
I followed his gaze, and my eyes landed on our uncle.
The man, who had been looking at his phone, suddenly stood up and kicked the ground irritably. Then, he stomped out of the complex with heavy steps.
‘What?’
It was a departure so clean it was baffling.
While my brain was still buffering, unable to fully process the scene that had just unfolded, Seo Ho-jin let out a faint sigh and met my eyes.
“Whew…… Shall we go inside and talk?”
The slight curl at the corners of my brother’s mouth was vivid.
*
Back inside the house, I sat on the sofa and listened to Seo Ho-jin’s explanation as he knelt politely on the floor. When he finished, I pressed my palm against my throbbing forehead.
“So, Uncle has been contacting you for about six months, and you’ve been meeting him without saying a single word to me?”
“…Yes.”
“And you even recklessly dug into his background, found signs of fraud, met with his victims, and gathered evidence?”
“……Yes.”
“And since you did all that, I shouldn't worry?”
“Yep!!”
His voice, which had sounded like it was crawling into the basement out of intimidation, suddenly grew loud as he put on a proud face.
“…Seo Ho-jin, are you insane?!!”
I grabbed him by the collar, and he let out a groan as he was hauled toward me. I shook him violently for a long time until my anger subsided, then threw him back onto the floor.
“Oof! No, I mean, of course, I didn't tell him where we lived! I was really careful! I think he probably followed me….”
“Do you think that’s why I’m angry right now?”
“Then what is it?!”
I wished this was all nonsense, but as I scrolled through the burner phone I had snatched from him, I saw text records with not only the uncle but also several victims. He had even secured various documents and witness statements.
“…Hyung, don’t be too mad. Thanks to this, we were able to wrap things up without any major trouble.”
Ho-jin added tentatively, watching my reaction.
Judging by what my brother had said so far, it seemed that bastard of an uncle had no memory of the fact that I was originally a PD or that he had raised a young Seo Ho-jin.
‘…Six months ago was around the time Ho-jin lost his memories.’
If the overlapping system errors at that time had wiped Ho-jin’s memories and also affected the memories of the relative most closely related to him, the pieces fit together.
Or perhaps he had just happened to see The Dawn on TV and realized his nephew had become a celebrity. And then he calculated that I would be an easy target to bleed dry.
I let out a sigh and brushed my hair back roughly.
Whatever the case, a Reset wasn't necessary in this situation.
“……Hyung?”
Because Seo Ho-jin had secretly solved everything so that I wouldn't have to do a thing.
“Tsk.”
Ho-jin’s shoulders flinched at the sound of my tongue clicking.
But I only felt disgust at his overly exaggerated behavior.
‘He’s already caused all this trouble, and now he’s acting like a scared puppy.’
The scent of a deliberate, calculated plan wafted from the neatly summarized evidence.
Even if things worked out this time, if a problem had occurred—
I squeezed my eyes shut at the dizzying thought.
‘Fuck… Mom, I take back what I said earlier.’
I raised this kid all wrong.
I suppressed the rising anger and wiped my face with my hands instead. Ho-jin, perhaps feeling restless, fidgeted and mumbled excuses.
“…I just…… since you’re so busy, Hyung… I thought it would be better for you to focus on your main job while I, who have free time, took care of it…….”
“Seo Ho-jin, shut up. I’m trying to think.”
As I tried to settle my turbulent heart, Ho-jin, biting his lower lip anxiously, opened his mouth again.
“…But is this really something to get that angry about?”
I took my face out of my hands.
“It was something one of us had to do anyway.”
Ho-jin’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he couldn't sympathize with my emotions.
“The way our relatives only care about money is a bit disgusting, but that’s all it is. It doesn't bother me. But you seemed uncomfortable even being associated with them, so I thought it would be better if I handled it. That’s why I did it secretly—”
“Ha.”
I cut him off with a hollow laugh.
He could only say that because his memories weren't intact.
“Hey.”
Because all the traces of his childhood had evaporated.
“Do you even know what you’re talking about? Back then, that bastard did to you—…”
But I couldn't finish my sentence.
The way Ho-jin’s eyes widened in surprise seemed to prove once again that he had truly forgotten everything.
And seeing my brother like this, knowing no fear, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Ah, dammit.’
Maybe Ho-jin was happier now, having forgotten all those useless things.
The thought made me feel more than just disgusted with myself—I felt loathsome for selfishly struggling to pile up points just for my own survival.
“……Never mind.”
“Huh? What?”
“It’s nothing. I’m leaving. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Ignoring Ho-jin’s bewildered question, I stood up and grabbed my coat. I naturally took the burner phone with me as well. I planned to go straight to the company and hand it over to the legal team. If I told them he had been loitering around my house, they would straighten him out quickly.
‘Just in case, I should check on the rest of the relatives too.’
Once was enough for this kind of thing.
As I shoved my feet into my shoes, I turned around and called out to him.
“Seo Ho-jin.”
“…Yeah…….”
“If you ever contact that uncle again, I’ll kill him and then I’ll kill you.”
Despite his sulky expression, he nodded obediently.
“And if something like this happens again, tell me first. Don’t ever hide it.”
“……Okay.”
After getting his answer, I was about to open the door when the pile of shopping bags caught my eye. I kicked them and spoke.
“Take these.”
Ho-jin, hurriedly straightening the fallen bags, asked in confusion.
“…Aren't these yours, Hyung? You’re not taking them?”
I was annoyed, but I couldn't be petty enough to take back gifts I had bought for my brother.
Ho-jin crouched in front of the shopping bags, eyeing me warily.
“…Are these for me?”
“I heard you got into law school.”
“Uh? How—how did you know?”
How do you think?
I did a background check on you too, brat.
“I also heard you’re practically guaranteed to graduate at the top of your class. Why don't you ever report important things like that to your brother?”
“That’s because it’s not really a big deal… Okay, okay. Don’t look at me like that, I’m breaking into a cold sweat….”
Ho-jin started making excuses again but backed away at my glare. Then, he covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes crinkling into a smile.
“Anyway, thanks.”
He started giggling as he tore open the gifts, regardless of the incredulous look I was giving him.
“Whoa, new shoes!”
“…….”
“Heol, this pen looks expensive!”
I’m sitting here feeling like a mess, and you’re laughing over a few gifts?
Unable to contain my irritation, I gave Ho-jin a kick.
“Gah!”
“You, give me back the card I gave you.”