“You know it, right? If that happens, you’ll die, Dad.”
Hearing those words from Han Seungbeom’s own mouth, I thought, ‘Ah, so that’s how it is, after all.‘. A faint sense of disappointment spread through me, like a drop of ink bleeding into water.
No matter how much I tried to let go, I suppose some corner of my heart still longed for a happy future where I could save Han Seungbeom and return to those guys’ side.
From the moment Han Seungbeom, who was favored by the system, failed to escape this place and warned me, ‘Don’t come’, the outcome had practically been set in stone. Yet like a fool, I still clung to hope. When I realized that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, I know.”
I spoke, letting the words just flow without trying to hold them back, and Han Seungbeom’s expression turned sour.
“Those words finally have meaning precisely because I didn’t say them out of ignorance.”
When I answered in such a steady, unshaken voice, Han Seungbeom pressed his lower lip tightly inward, biting it until his chin looked as bumpy as a walnut, and lowered his gaze to the floor. Watching him like that, it suddenly struck me how similar it was to the expression Yoo Jay often wore when he looked at me.
If two people who shared no resemblance whatsoever wore the exact same expression, then the cause must have been me. While I belatedly muttered that to myself, Han Seungbeom finally opened his mouth again.
Although his innate temperament made his tone soft, the question carried a sense of grievance, as if he were asking, ‘I’m trying this hard to make you happy, so why won’t you acknowledge it?’. There was also a tiny one percent of needless worry mixed in; the thought that perhaps I truly did not wish to live, and he had saved me against my will.
Seeing how easily his feelings could be read, despite his best efforts to hide them, I realized he was truly just a child.
What’s more, he was a child who was terribly clumsy when it came to dealing with people, especially those he treasured.
When I came to that realization, my heart, which had been wavering precariously as I thought of those I had left behind, grew still. It felt as though I finally understood what was right and what I must do.
“I want to live.”
Contrary to the meaning of my words, the voice that left my tongue was utterly devoid of emotion, as if I held no lingering attachment to this life at all.
‘I never thought I’d be able to say these words like this.’
I was surprised myself.
The moment I had wavered before Choi Jeokhyeon, unable to control my lingering attachment, now felt like a lie. I had worried that I might show Han Seungbeom the same weakness I had shown the members of Prism and Choi Jeokhyeon, but when I finally stood before the real Han Seungbeom, I felt my attitude change naturally on its own.
“But my wish for you to live is greater than my own desire to live.”
As I cupped Han Seungbeom’s chin and gently stroked his cheek with my thumb while speaking, his features began to change with each blink. From the nineteen-year-old I knew, to the small cat I was familiar with, and finally to the child I had seen earlier. Just like the droplets that had welled in Han Seungbeom’s eyes, his form wavered unstably, reflecting the dizzying turmoil of his heart.
“I can’t give up on you, at least not as long as you call me Dad.”
Eventually, the space around us began to sway precariously. As I waited for the child in silence, I suddenly felt a tiny hand wiggle its way to my finger and grasp it tightly.
Then, a faint little voice whispered in my ear.
“I’ll be okay. But you have so many people waiting for you, Dad.”
“That doesn’t justify making you a scapegoat. I will take responsibility for what I’ve done.”
“…What you’ve done, Dad? Are you talking about trying to kill yourself?”
Han Seungbeom, who had been lying on the bed the whole time as if avoiding my gaze, suddenly sat up straight. With a face twisted in frustration, he blurted out that question. When I just blinked slowly, not denying it, Han Seungbeom grabbed my arm tightly and frantically protested.
“If you’re going to put it that way, then saving Dad and him was my choice too!”
This time, Han Seungbeom’s body suddenly transformed into the form of an adult he had never even experienced for himself. I watched him, full of agitation as he argued with me, then answered in a calm voice.
“It happened because of my choice. At that time, I was your sole guardian ……. so it’s only natural that you’d want to save me by any means. You don’t need to feel responsible for something you had no choice in, especially since you were just a child. And even if you really did make a wrong choice, it’s an adult’s duty to help guide you back to the right path.”
At those words, Han Seungbeom paused for a moment, unable to counter them. He soon lowered his head and muttered, “That’s such an unfair thing to say.”. Then he went on, “You’re always like that, Dad. You’re mercilessly harsh on yourself, yet you always come up with one excuse or another to justify other people …… Even if I weren’t a child, Dad, you would have acted exactly the same.”
“But then, who’s going to protect you, Dad?” 1
Ridiculous as it is, after hearing that, I was at a loss for words. It would have been easier to just reply with a lie, but I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“…….”
In the long silence that followed, I pointlessly lamented to myself, ‘Ah, why are kids these days so thoughtful? They’re so difficult to handle.’. I never expected it to be easy to persuade him, but I also never imagined it would be this much of a struggle.
I thought I could see right through him, yet if I let my guard down even a little, it felt as though his upright, honest heart would pierce straight through me instead.
Letting out a small sigh, I rubbed the back of my neck with my palm and, forcing a joking tone, brought up Han Seungbeom’s mother.
“If anything happens to you, do you think your mother will just leave me alone? She seemed really, really angry at me. I might have to hand back the life you saved, just as it is.”
I had only meant to lighten the mood a little, but judging from Han Seungbeom’s expression, it seemed like I could qualify for a championship in failed humor. He fidgeted nervously with his fingertips, as if recalling all the things his mother had done to me, before finally opening his mouth.
“…Please don’t resent my mom too much. She just … wanted to save me.”
“I don’t resent her.”
I answered without a second’s hesitation, but apparently that wasn’t to Han Seungbeom’s liking either. He clamped his lips shut and glared at me fiercely. Drawing on the instincts I’d honed back when Han Seungbeom was still a cat who couldn’t speak, I figured he was thinking something like, ‘I’m thankful, but after all you’ve been through, I wish you’d at least resent her a little.’
Was the part of him that was his mother’s son fighting with the part of him that was my son? While I was entertaining that silly thought, Han Seungbeom, with the air of someone trying to explain himself, glanced at me nervously before hesitantly continuing the words he had left unfinished a moment ago.
“To begin with, the thing Dad knows isn’t even my mom.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the notion that the status window wasn’t Han Seungbeom’s mother.
When I asked that with a raised eyebrow, Han Seungbeom lowered his gaze, hesitated for a moment, then finally started to explain, “Mom probably doesn’t even know how I’m doing right now. She’s just being used by the system.”
“The system of this world is still in its infancy, so its ability to understand humans is lacking. After that shortcoming caused several problems, it began implementing measures to make up for that flaw.”
Ah, something feels ominous. While that thought crossed my mind, Han Seungbeom continued, his fist clenched tightly.
“It absorbs people and uses them as the foundation of the system.”
“…….”
“In exchange, the system grants one wish to the person it absorbs. But once that wish is fulfilled, that person has most of their personality stripped away, and they are bound to be used forever.”
Han Seungbeom was born sickly, but after his mother passed away, he suddenly became healthy. Could it be that Han Seungbeom’s mother made a deal with the system to save him? As soon as that thought came to me, Han Seungbeom looked down at his body and spoke.
“My mother’s wish was, ‘Please protect my son’.”
“…….”
“…But there’s no way such a system could truly understand a human heart. The hostility the status window showed toward you, Dad, was nothing more than the system misinterpreting Mom’s raw emotions and then acting as if it were granting her wish.”
After muttering, “Mom shouldn’t have trusted the system. No, from the beginning, she shouldn’t have saved me and left. Even with the status window, I was always lonely. Because no matter how much I called for Mom, there was never an answer.”, he smiled weakly and tilted his head down.
“What’s the point of going back to the real world if it costs me your life, Dad?”
What do you mean, what’s the point? The point is for you to go back to the real world right now, make friends, achieve your dreams, and live happily. I opened my mouth to say this, but Han Seungbeom immediately blocked me.
“…You were the only person who ever loved me, Dad.”
Then he forced a bright smile and started to chatter.
“Living here isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In this world, everything goes exactly the way I want it. I can buy whatever I want and do whatever I want. I don’t get sick, and I don’t have my original family. It’s so much better than the life I struggled through in the real world.”
I stared at Han Seungbeom in silence, then spoke with a firm, uncompromising voice.
“No. I absolutely won’t allow it.”
“…Why? Why?”
Han Seungbeom seemed momentarily flustered by my outright dismissal. His eyes widened as he stumbled over his words. I watched his expression, clicked my tongue, and gave a simple answer.
“You’ve never said you were happy in this world, not even once.”
Hearing those words, Han Seungbeom’s pulse quickened, and the space before my eyes suddenly writhed and distorted, like the throbbing of a heart. I didn’t get a verbal response from him, but it was as good as having the answer confirmed with my own eyes.
In a way, it was only to be expected.
It was safe to say that this world was nothing more than a pathetic puppet show or a dream. Everything Han Seungbeom had achieved here, and every person who smiled at him, were just products of his imagination.
“I don’t know anything about the status window, the system, or any of that complicated stuff. I don’t even care about it. The only thing that matters to me is whether you’re happy or not, that’s all.”
Even though Han Seungbeom claimed he was okay, this world was far too unstable and full of falsehoods to simply leave him be.
There was no guarantee that this world, which wobbled so noticeably with even the slightest change in Han Seungbeom’s condition, could remain safe forever. It might hold up for for a while, but sooner or later, it would reach its limit.
“If what you’re saying is true, then your mother isn’t here with you either, right? But now you’re saying it’s okay to be alone? You’re talking nonsense.”
It’s a universal law that children always get into accidents when left alone. So stop talking nonsense and behave like a proper child. Just as I was about to say words that almost sounded like a scolding, I suddenly heard the door lock click open.
Then I heard the sound of someone pressing the keypad eight times, very quickly. Judging by how fast the hands moved, it was clear they already knew the password and had probably visited often.
‘…Who is it?’
Since the Prism members, as well as Choi Jeokhyeon, knew the code, it was hard to identify exactly who it was. But honestly, if it was one of them, it wouldn’t make a big difference to me when or how they showed up. So I just turned back to Han Seungbeom with my usual indifferent expression.
“No matter how much you don’t want to, you have to talk to me properly. Acting like this won’t change a thing.”
I assumed Han Seungbeom had summoned someone to escape our conversation. After all, everything in this world was under his control, so there was no way for an unexpected guest to appear.
“…How did he get here?”
However, contrary to my expectations, Han Seungbeom’s face showed genuine bewilderment. The sight of it sent a shiver down my spine and made goosebumps rise on my skin.
Before I could even ask, ‘Didn’t you call them?‘, the door lock clicked and the door opened. And the person who walked in was…….
Creeeeak.
“…Seo Yuseong?”
It was Seo Yuseong.
That guy stared into space with unfocused eyes, and when his name was called, he slowly turned toward me. Then, wearing a mechanical smile, he greeted me.
“Hello, hyung.”
As soon as I came face to face with Seo Yuseong, I knew instinctively.
That was the real Seo Yuseong.
Everything that existed in this world came from Han Seungbeom’s mind, so there were parts that differed slightly from reality, reflecting his perception. But the figure before my eyes now was exactly the same as the Seo Yuseong in my mind and the Seo Yuseong in reality.
“I need to talk to him for a moment. Could you please come back in a little while?”
Han Seungbeom, who had been frozen in place as if he couldn’t accept reality, finally snapped out of it and tried to handle the situation. But Seo Yuseong didn’t move a muscle and just stared at me. Seeing this, Han Seungbeom’s face went pale. He stepped in front of me and shouted frantically, as if repeatedly entering a command.
“…Please go back.”
“……”
“Go back!”
But that, too, was pointless.
Because Seo Yuseong was not a character of this world.
“You don’t actually think it’s all over just because you came in here, do you?”
Stepping into the house with familiar footsteps, Seo Yuseong reached for the cabinet where the kitchen knife was stored. He took the knife with a graceful motion, and then, with the most natural smile I had ever seen on him, he spoke in a low voice.
“Let’s go back, hyung.”
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Translator’s Corner:
Seo family reunion … you guys used to pray for times like this.
I found it really funny how this is practically Yutae’s first meeting with the real Han Seungbeom (not as cat), but he’s already acting as a full-time Dad. Like you think he’s already acting like a father to Nicholas, but that’s just an uncle … with Han Seungbeom, he literally went on “omg, my son” mode. If someone were to tell him Han Seungbeom isn’t actually his son, he 100% definitely would act like the world is ending tomorrow…..
And to this day I’m still curious about Han Seungbeom’s actual personality. Like we’re always under the impression that he’s some kind of gentle, weak child, but he’s here being stubborn and arguing with Yutae. Come to think of it, ain’t no way a child who spent his teens watching Yutae and Yuseong would actually be that gentle …. this is another case of we’re tricked into believing Yutae’s perception…..
Also, I mentioned I was reading The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune some days ago. Well, I enjoyed it … but I think I’m going to drop it for now after 350+ chapters …. it really ? went downhill after Part 1 ended ? Like the starting concept is interesting, but the plot development ??? The MC is too OP … to gary stu … like we have a lot of OP MC, but this is … listen. He’s naturally genius at acting. He won Best Actor in Cannes for his debut movie (15 yo), and at 16, he already won Daesang (things that definitely won’t happen in real life. No matter how good your acting or how succesful your drama, they won’t give daesang to rookie actor). Okay it’s acceptable since it’s acting novel. BUT MC IS ALSO LITERALLY GENIUS IN EVERYTHING ELSE? Gifted singer, gifted dancer, good at painting, so natural at martial arts he doesn’t need to use stunt man at all, GREAT WRITER, GREAT DIRECTOR, etc etc. I’m ?????????? There’s still 300 chapters left I’m scared what else is in store ?
And I really like his father-son relationship with the senior actor, and friendship with his idol friend. But seriously, the rest feels … so shallow. Like everyone from world-famous movie director to global singer Taylor Swift-level is obsessed with him …. all characters really feel like their life centered on MC just because he’s the MC … sigh, I’m going to look for other acting novels. I really like Become a Star (OP MC too, but he’s OP-ness is reasonable … he’s good at singing and dancing because he used to be idol trainee. Meanwhile Misfortune MC danced for the first time and already able to do high-level dance … I’m going to cry)
Oh, ISAC filming today. The reverse tribute comparison going to be brutal this time because I saw some group gave lobster and steak for lunch box … but tbh, I’m actually ??? because … I don’t think that’s a good idea for ISAC??? Like you have to eat those in the stands … or whatever they called audience seats in stadium. Steak might be easier to eat, but lobster ??? Of course it looks good and makes other fandom jealous, but eating it requires efforts … not to mention not everyone can eat seafood …. genuinely don’t understand what these agencies are thinking … are they running out of chickens …. but I guess chicken doesn’t look as impressive as lobster….
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