Chapter 360

On the way to the shop run by Seungbeom’s aunt, I received a text from Jay.

[7: How are you?]

It was just a brief greeting without any other words.

Since we parted ways like that last time, he must have had a lot on his mind too. Every time Jay tried to get involved in my problems, I strongly resisted and pushed him away.

He didn’t know what exactly to do or how to do it, yet he felt worried. Trapped in a boundless sense of powerlessness, the only thing he could manage was write and send those three words.

It weighed on me.

Because I knew what kind of feelings he had when he sent this, I couldn’t easily send a reply. Even if that was precisely the reaction Jay least wanted.

As I silently stared at the phone screen, I heard a soft knock, and shortly after, a woman entered the room.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. My schedule ran later than planned.”

She was Han Seungbeom’s aunt.

We could have talked while having a meal outside, but the conversation I wanted to have with Han Seungbeom’s aunt today wasn’t something for others to overhear.

If I wanted to hear something from the other person, then I had to tell them something in return.

Since I didn’t want to reveal my identity, I never asked Han Seungbeom’s aunt anything. I even tried to avoid meeting her altogether, just to prevent that kind of conversation from happening. I suppose part of it was also guilt, in my own way.

But it seemed even that had reached its limit now. With so little time left, I had to hear Han Seungbeom’s story, no matter what.

‘Because if I want to save Han Seungbeom, I’ll need even the smallest clue.’

I sat quietly holding the untouched mug in my hands, then finally broke the silence, “Thank you for agreeing to meet me, even though I contacted you so suddenly.”

“Don’t mention it. If anything, the real problem was that I didn’t hear from you for so long.”

It was a sharp comment about how I hadn’t reached out to her at all despite everything that had happened. Given the nature of my job, every problem became public through the media, so Han Seungbeom’s aunt naturally found out as well.

When I simply kept my eyes lowered and apologized again with a quiet, “I’m sorry”, Han Seungbeom’s aunt looked at me for a moment in silence, then let out a sigh and spoke.

“Next time something like this happens, at least come up with an excuse. And don’t act like you’re guilty of a crime. I know better than anyone how weak Seungbeom’s body has always been, and I do understand, at least logically, that your position leaves you with no choice but to feel uncomfortable around me.”

“…….”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I have no complaints about you … but if you keep acting like you’re carrying all the world’s misfortunes, it makes it hard for me to even blame you.”

Han Seungbeom’s aunt, saying that, seemed to be in quite a bad mood. Maybe it was because she usually had a smiling face, but even just the slightest hardening of her expression made her look angry.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what she truly meant by what she just said. Perhaps she herself was conflicted about whether or not to blame me, someone who was practically the cause of Han Seungbeom’s death. But I stayed silent, because I didn’t think I had the right to make assumptions about her complicated feelings.

After what felt like a long silence, I finally spoke again.

“My name is Seo Yutae.”

“…….”

The moment I told her who I was, her eyes widened in surprise, but a moment later she gave a small nod, as if it made sense.

“Yes, I figured all along that you must be someone who has been working in this industry. It’s just not realistic to suddenly become so successful otherwise. But I never imagined someone as famous as Seo Yutae-ssi would be acquainted with our Seungbeom.”

“We happened to meet by the sea. He seemed to have no place to return to, so I simply took him in.”

When she heard ‘ He seemed to have no place to return to ‘, Han Seungbeom’s aunt shut her eyes tightly, looking conflicted, then murmured softly, “So that’s why Seungbeom tried so hard to save you. Because you became a place he could return to.”. After that, she bowed her head and thanked me.

I immediately shook my head, as if to say that was far too much for me, then asked, “Can you tell me about Han Seungbeom?”. She then replied, “I don’t know much. But if that’s alright with you…….”, and began to speak in a very quiet voice.

“Seungbeom was frail from the moment he was born. He was so small that he had to be put in an incubator, and his heart was in such poor condition that he couldn’t run around like other kids. My sister always felt guilty about it. She blamed herself every day, saying it was her fault for not giving birth to him healthy, and acted like she would do anything if it meant Seungbeom could be well.”

“…….”

“Then one day, she suddenly came to me, looking incredibly happy and saying that Seungbeom was going to be okay now. I thought my sister must have fallen into some kind of cult. When people get that desperate, they tend to turn to such things, right? So I tried to talk her out of it. I told her it was all lies and that she couldn’t let herself be fooled.”

‘Was there some kind of deal made regarding Han Seungbeom’s health?’

Knowing Han Seungbeom’s abilities, I immediately sensed that the system had intervened and tried to refute the accusation of it being a cult. However, Han Seungbeom’s aunt firmly shook her head, stopping me.

Her unwavering eyes seemed to say, ‘ I know the truth too .’

“But then, from a certain point, Seungbeom’s health started to improve. And, eerily enough, my sister’s health gradually got worse instead. We tried everything to treat her, but all she kept saying was, ‘I have to die for Seungbeom to live ’ … From then on, I realized that something was terribly wrong. But since my sister looked so happy watching a healthy Seungbeom …. I couldn’t say anything.”

“…….”

“You must have known what happened after that, Seo Yutae-ssi. My sister’s health slowly declined until she passed away, and my brother-in-law abandoned her. Seungbeom did become healthier than before, but he had no choice but to grow up lonely, with nothing to rely on except the game my sister made…….”

Han Seungbeom’s mother created that game for him, but in the end, it couldn’t cure his loneliness. What Seungbeom truly needed wasn’t health or a game that gave him incredible abilities, but someone who would love him wholeheartedly.

It was truly heartbreaking to me.

“And then an accident happened to you guys.” 1

“…….”

“He came to me looking completely pale and told me he was going to disappear soon. He said he came because he wanted to see my face one last time. He said those words with the exact same expression my sister had before she died, so I confronted him, asking what nonsense he was talking about, but it was no use. Even when I tried to call for help, everyone ignored me as if they couldn’t hear anything, and no matter how many times I reported it, the ambulance never came. You probably know how such a thing was possible, don’t you?”

It was only after hearing those words that I realized how Han Seungbeom’s aunt came to believe in his abilities. And at the same time, I was so overcome with guilt that I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head.

“…All I could do was watch that child who simply wanted to say goodbye with a smiling face…….”

Tears dripped down onto the back of her tightly clenched hand.

What comfort could words of apology possibly bring in this situation?

In the end, I couldn’t even bring myself to say the foolish words ‘ I’m sorry’ , and instead, I quietly stared at her face and asked softly.

“If, there is a way to save Han Seungbeom.”

“…….”

“You want to meet him again, no matter the cost, don’t you?”

At that, Han Seungbeom’s aunt lifted her head toward the ceiling, as if trying to hold back her tears, her eyes darting restlessly. However, perhaps unable to stop the welling tears with just that, she soon lowered her head completely.

.

.

.

Ding!

As I stepped outside the building, a cool breeze under the blue sky gently tousled my hair.

I stood there for a moment, quietly watching the sight, then slowly began walking, blending into the crowd.

“Dad, let’s play with the new toy when we get home!”

“Well, only if Minseo promises to tidy up the toy room properly.”

“Really? I promise!”

Maybe it was because the sun was still up. There seemed to be an unusually large number of young children and students today.

“Ah, I’m so screwed. Seriously, the professor put questions on the test that he never once explained in class.”

“Oh no, what are you going to do? Your parents are merciless about that kind of stuff, aren’t they?”

“Still, they wouldn’t kick me out, would they? I’m Mom and Dad’s child, after all.”

I passed through the moments Han Seungbeom should rightfully have had.

As I took each step forward, as I encountered the happiness of others, a question, though far too late for it to mean anything, rose in my heart: why on earth did you have to be so foolish, leaving this world behind without ever getting to enjoy even this simple, ordinary happiness?

“Did Han Seungbeom leave any message for me?”

“…….”

“I’m sorry. He really didn’t leave me anything, nothing at all ……. If there were any words he left behind, I’d like to hear them.”

“No. There wasn’t anything like that. Seungbeom just wanted you to live happily, without feeling any kind of burden. But he did leave me with a request. It was about you.”

“…A request?”

But in the end, at the end of all that foolishness…….

“‘He’s someone precious to me.'”

Because you knew I existed .

Because I knew, always, that I was loved by you more than I ever deserved.

“’So please be kind to him, Auntie.’”

I could never bring myself to reproach you.

‘I wished you’d be a child more used to receiving love than giving it.’

After walking for quite some time, I caught sight of my face filling a giant billboard.

It must have been something the fans had done. To remember me, on this ordinary day that was neither my birthday nor the anniversary of my death.

‘The talk about Kang Hyukwoo … lasted only about three days, I think.’

Goodness is beautiful and vibrant, but evil is sordid and dull.

‘Who would’ve thought that someone so obsessed with authority would be forgotten this meaninglessly.’

Kang Hyukwoo, despite all the countless evil deeds he committed, only ever wanted money in the end, didn’t he? Good people who leave behind great achievements or are loved by many are remembered for a long time, but villains like Kang Hyukwoo vanish without leaving a single trace in this world.

To me, the love and goodwill Han Seungbeom had shown me was something no price could ever be put on.

That’s why I was certain that this kind of ending didn’t suit Han Seungbeom.

As if to touch the ‘ me ‘ in the photo, I lightly brushed the screen, and all I felt was the distinct hard texture of the LED display. I savored that feeling in silence for a moment before slowly pulling my hand away and taking my phone out of my pocket.

[Me: I’ve decided to send Chaeyul to his mother.]

[Me: You don’t have to worry.]

And after replying to Jay’s message, I shut my eyes tightly and recalled Han Seungbeom’s face.

“Seungbeom relied on his father more than anyone else … that’s really sad news.”

Maybe the ‘ father ‘ Han Seungbeom’s aunt once mentioned to me wasn’t actually his biological father. I wished I had realized that a little sooner. Thinking about it now, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

“I’d wish for Seungbeom to live, even if it meant someone else had to be sacrificed. To me, that child is more precious than anyone else. Because I love him.”

“I’m truly sorry to say this to you, but I simply cannot accept this situation. You chose death of your own will, didn’t you? So if you end up living happily while that child’s life was the price that made it possible, I think I’d be filled with resentment. No matter how much Seungbeom asked me to accept it … I just can’t control how I feel.”

“He was far too young to disappear without ever having been loved…….”

You were truly a lovely child to me, but could I ever be a good father to you?

“…I feel the same way.”

Now it’s time to put everything back the way it was.

You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee or Wishlist!

Translator’s Corner:

Wow, I’m actually annoyed translating Han Seungbeom’s aunt part. I mean I understand, but what right does she have to say all that to Yutae when she’s the one who didn’t take Han Seungbeom out of that house …. did we forget that Han Seungbeom ran away from home and felt like he had no one until he met Yutae ….. I mean I personally can understand it (since it’s realistic. Your relatives might care about you, but in the end of the day, they will think it’d better for you to stay with your parents), but it’s really sounded … hypocrite.

Well, but then, I guess reading this just felt uncomfortable because it was unfamiliar, at least in idol novel. Most idol novels, when the plot was MC posessing a body, usually set the MC as an orphan, had no one, and some even had blank past, so we don’t see this kind of confrontation often.

But the way Yutae introduced himself was so cool. Like, he was THAT famous that there’s no question asked. No “Which Seo Yutae?”. Ofc it’s also because the aunt worked in the industry, but it’s still really cool. Just name, without any explanation.

Also the way Seras arranged a biliboard for Yutae …… if this was real life, someone 100% would recognize Han Seungbeom and taking pics of him touching Seo Yutae’s ads … like …. the internet would go crazy (this definitely could be happening, but we would never know since Yutae almost never checked the internet unless he has specific goal…..)

Wow, we reached chapter 360 … 2 arcs left to the ending. Just now there’s a comment in early chapters of this story saying they’re actually skeptical about the plot but continud reading because of my translator notes. Glad to know my random, no-one-asked, rant actually helped ….

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.