Chapter 356

[“Dad, good morning.”]

It sounded a little different from the Han Seungbeom I’d heard until now, probably because it lacked my usual blunt tone and temperament, but it was unmistakably his voice. How could I mistake it? After all, it was the very voice I’d had to listen to constantly ever since I first opened my eyes in this body.

‘What in the world is going on?’

The status window said that a crack had formed between the system and reality. Then was this something from within the system that had leaked out through the crack?

While I was lost in that thought, I heard a voice; not Han Seungbeom’s, but someone else’s.

[“Did you sleep well?”]

The owner of that voice, which startled me just as much as Han Seungbeom’s had, was none other than myself.

I was greeting Han Seungbeom good morning in an exceptionally affectionate voice.

I had never actually spoken with Han Seungbeom while I was alive, and right now, my original body is lying motionless on the bed like a corpse. This was something that didn’t actually exist, just like those strange photos from earlier.

However, the photos in the album were different from what I had last seen.

“…….”

The photo captured the very place and moment I was standing in right now, exactly as it was, but the person in it was different. The only people in the photo were Han Seungbeom and me.

As I stared at the album blankly, the photo in the album began to move. I was lying in bed, still half-asleep, and Han Seungbeom seemed to have come in to wake me up.

It felt like a world where reality had been strangely distorted. While I was lost in that unsettlingly realistic thought, Han Seungbeom had somehow transformed into a very young boy.

‘Why did he suddenly change like that?’

[“Well, well, look how warm your body is. You must’ve slept well.”]

[“Hehe.”]

In the photo, I scooped the much smaller Han Seungbeom into my arms and lay down on the bed with him, then began playfully tickling his cheeks with the tip of my nose and lips. It was something I used to do often when Han Seungbeom was by my side in the form of a cat. The same went for Seo Yuseong when he was little. I suppose you could call it a display of affection that might feel a bit unnatural unless it was directed at a lover, a child, or a pet.

Little Han Seungbeom, whether because he was ticklish or simply enjoying it, burst into giggling laughter as if he were about to flip over, kicking his feet excitedly. His faint struggles only seemed to fuel my mischief, as I kept pressing loud, smacking kisses to his cheeks and then whispered into his ear, “Are you sure you don’t need to sleep a little more?”

[“Really? You must be tired.”]

[“Yeees.”]

[“Then should we have a snack in a little while? You like tuna and skipjack, right?”]

In response, the young Han Seungbeom gave a small nod, then burrowed into my arms, his pale cheeks tinged with a clear pink blush from laughing too much. He reached out with his tiny hands, grasped a strand of my black hair scattered across the bed, and fidgeted with it before letting out another soft “ Hehe ” and giggling again.

Han Seungbeom looked so completely content and happy that, without even meaning to, I found myself thinking, ‘ I don’t want to disturb him ‘. Even if this wasn’t real.

But then, as I was gently stroking the child’s back, my hand suddenly came to a stop.

[“How strange. Kids your age usually have a much harder time waking up in the morning like this.”]

The moment those words were uttered, flat and as if under a trance, Han Seungbeom, who had been in my arms, instantly transformed back to his original age, as if a spell had been broken.

[“Ah, ahh…….”]

Realizing that his body had grown, Han Seungbeom was overcome with fear and tried desperately to curl up and hide himself from my view. But the version of me in the photo didn’t even notice him. I just stared blankly into the air and muttered to myself.

[“…This is Choi Jeokhyeon’s house. How are you even here?”]

[“…….”]

[“And how do I know what you like?”]

Han Seungbeom couldn’t answer any of my questions. He just froze, stiff and silent, like a child caught red-handed doing something bad. Even though he’d done nothing of the kind.

“Seungbeom-ah!”

Seeing his face go pale, my heart sank, and I hurriedly called out Han Seungbeom’s name. At that, the Han Seungbeom in the album photo froze in place. Then, that ghastly pale face, as if he had seen a ghost, slowly turned toward the ‘ me ‘ in reality.

[“…Dad?]

“Seungbeom-ah! Han Seungbeom! Can you hear my voice?”

[“Why … how can you see this place, Dad?”]

Muttering those words, Han Seungbeom eventually clutched his head and began trembling all over. The background in the photo, which had been nothing but warm and cozy just moments ago, was now cracking apart without mercy and collapsing into darkness.

[“No, please don’t look. Please forget.”]

[“…You can’t come. Don’t come!”]

Alarmed by how clearly out of his mind he looked, I instinctively reached out, trying to touch the laptop screen. The moment I did, my fingertip passed ever so slightly through the surface of the laptop, as if being pulled in.

[The System’s Designated Beneficiary refused Seo Yutae’s access.]

And the moment that notification window appeared, my hand was flung back out of the screen. I then quietly held my breath and leaned forward slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

Choi Jeokhyeon looked at me with a slightly worried expression. It seemed that neither Seo Yuseong nor Choi Jeokhyeon had seen my hand slip into the screen, probably because my body was blocking their view.

“…It’s nothing. I think some video was playing incorrectly. I must’ve been mistaken.”

“…….”

“Yuseong-ah, could you get the first aid kit from the living room? My hand stings a little.” I spoke to Seo Yuseong as if nothing had happened, deliberately putting on an act, then took my phone out of my pocket. It was all to avoid their gazes as naturally as possible.

“Did you get hurt badly?”

“No, it’s just a bit bothersome.”

‘…Thank goodness.’

There was no need to be confused or panic.

My heart seemed to pound with the relief that came from the hope I might be able to save Han Seungbeom.

As I looked down at my phone, I saw a message from Do Yuda at the very top of the notifications.

[Do Yuda: Hyung, why didn’t you come back to the dorm today? Nicky-hyung got super annoyed as soon as he woke up, so I’m scared ㅠ]

‘Since when did you start calling him Nicky-hyung?’

I replied briefly, “ I stepped out for a bit of work. I’ll be back in time for the meeting “, then tried to put my phone back in my pocket. But with the message notification ringing again, I sighed and looked back at the screen.

[Do Yuda: Can I wear your clothes today, hyung? I’m going to show off my human Dicoon look dd 1 Hyung, watch out. You might lose the ambassador spot to me;;]

[Me: Sure]

[Do Yuda: …Can you please take my bait? 2 I feel so pathetic……]

[Me: What’s bait ?]

[Do Yuda: Forget it. Hyung, you’re the worst]

[Do Yuda: …Hmm, next time someone makes a fuss about this and that, I’ll just say ‘Sure’ and leave it at that. It seems kinda cool.]

[Me: Why do you have to get so dressed up just to go to the meeting room?]

[Do Yuda: No, Manager-hyung suddenly ㅠㅠ mentioned they might be filming in the meeting room today for behind-the-scenes content, so I’m trying to dress up like a celebrity. I even asked to be sent to a salon, but he shot me down saying authenticity matters … no, isn’t it way better to be criticized for looking staged than to get screenshotted looking weird and called ugly?]

[Do Yuda: Still, what else can I do? It’s the final concert, so it’d be good to have at least one more thing to show the fans]

“…….”

Seriously, how many times did he say ‘ no ‘ in a single conversation?

I hadn’t even replied to the first message, but in the blink of an eye, the texts had piled up. It was almost hard to believe. As I kept reading, I could practically feel myself losing brain cells in real time. I couldn’t tell if this was something I should call a blessing or a curse.

[Do Yuda: Ah, now that we’re calling it the final concert, it suddenly doesn’t feel real]

[Do Yuda: Even while we’re just chatting, my heart drops out of nowhere. I guess it’s because I know it won’t be easy for all of us to be together like this again]

I helplessly scrolled through the flood of incoming messages, and just as Do Yuda finally seemed to quiet down, I tapped the input box. If I didn’t respond soon, that little mutt would definitely kick up a fuss. Then again, the fact that the long messages had stopped already felt ominous.

Determined not to get an earful, I was racking my brain for a response, trying to gather what little verbal skill I possessed, when yet another message came in.

[Do Yuda: Even so, we’ll still see each other from time to time, right?]

Seeing the message, it seemed that the earlier silence wasn’t because he was sulking, but rather because he was hesitating out of anxiety. I was about to casually brush off his unnecessary worries with a “ What kind of question is that? ” without much thought, but then I paused, my hand stopping mid-motion.

“…….”

It was because Han Seungbeom’s face from earlier came to mind.

In the end, I let my fingers hover aimlessly over the screen for a moment before slipping the phone back into my pocket.

Then I turned to Choi Jeokhyeon and quietly asked, “About Chaeyul. Is his birth mother still alive?”

“Yeah, it seems like her health weakened after childbirth, so she’s having some financial difficulties. I haven’t really tried to contact her, though. Why?”

“…I was originally planning to take care of him myself. But it feels like that might be a bit too much for me. So, I’ve been thinking about what would be the best option for the child.”

“…Really? I honestly thought you’d never back down from your stubbornness. But if you’re not going to raise him, that actually works out better for me. No matter how much you try not to, you can’t help but be reminded of Kang Hyukwoo.”

It wasn’t exactly for that reason that I chose not to take care of Chaeyul, but in a situation like this, I couldn’t bring myself to speak honestly. So, I just gave a small nod and forced out a reply that sounded convincing enough.

“…Seeing Jay get that angry made me wonder if I was doing something wrong.”

I tried to think it through and said what seemed like the most natural thing. Since I had actually been feeling uneasy about it ever since Jay left, it probably wouldn’t come off as too much of a lie.

“…….”

However, despite that, Choi Jeokhyeon seemed to sense that something was off in that brief moment and fell silent, watching my expression. I pretended to tidy up my belongings, turning my back to him, and hurriedly brought up a different topic to steer the conversation away.

“Come to think of it, your birthday … is right before the final concert.”

“…You remembered?”

When I suddenly brought up his birthday, Choi Jeokhyeon widened his eyes slightly, unable to hide his surprise. Was it really that surprising that I remembered his birthday?

“Why are you acting like it’s surprising? We’ve known each other for ages.”

“What’s surprising is you. You never cared about birthdays or anniversaries. What’s gotten into you, doing something you’ve never done before?”

At his words, which sounded like he was doubting me, I kept my mouth shut for a moment, repeatedly clenching and unclenching the hand I had stuffed into my pocket. Then, I pulled the corners of my mouth into a smirk and spoke confidently.

“…Well, it’s the very first birthday my amazing best friend is celebrating since reaching the grand age of forty.”

It was because I couldn’t feel any sensation in the finger that had passed through the laptop earlier.

‘As expected, it’s not going to be resolved so easily.’

All that had entered was just the tip of my finger, yet it felt as if my entire body were weathering away and breaking apart. I didn’t know whether it was because that world wasn’t designed to allow anyone other than Han Seungbeom to enter, or because I had violated the rules of the system.

‘I was wondering why he freaked out and pushed me away … so this was the reason.’

But regardless of everything, I had to go in and bring Han Seungbeom out.

I hadn’t been given a single piece of proper information about the system.

But at the very least, I knew what was right and what was wrong.

‘Han Seungbeom is supposed to stay trapped in there forever? Don’t be absurd.’

That’s why, despite the intense pain I felt earlier, I deliberately didn’t show a hint of it in front of Choi Jeokhyeon and Seo Yuseong.

“…I just thought maybe this time, I should prepare a little something for you.”

Because if I succeeded in bringing Han Seungbeom back, I couldn’t guarantee that I would remain in this world.

“For now, I need to focus on the final concert, so don’t expect too much.”

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Translator’s Corner:

Seo Yutae, you’re being too much, how did you never gift a birthday present to Choi Jeokhyeon …. like that man is so ready making a special display case to store them…..

Wow I finished this so early in the morning because I’m hungry but it’s not my meal time yet, so there’s nothing I could do … this is why you always have to secretly store emergency snacks. I didn’t have a meal in night but I usually ate snacks, but last night I couldn’t eat nothing because my 9 years old sister ate my snacks … it was a whole box …. I don’t think I starved that child (her daily allowance is 4x more than what I got when I was her age) so I’m not even sure why she’s always eyeing my food ???? Is it just young child thing to want other people’s things ????

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