Chapter 425

Side Story (42)

The incident began like this.

A situation came up where Lee Hwayoung needed to bring some photos of himself from when he was young for a broadcast shoot. Shows with themes like “I’m curious about what the star was like as a child!” are popular all over the world, after all.

Since Lee Hwayoung spent his childhood by my side, he came all the way to Korea where most of his photos were. I could have just sent him the digital files or mailed the actual photos, so in truth, it seemed like he had used that as an excuse to come see me and the Pantheion members, but anyway.

[Me: Why are you fighting again?]

[Young Master 2: We’re not fighting. I’m the one getting angry.]

‘Ah, if you say so.’

In reality, it was probably mostly Lee Hwayoung getting toyed with by Choi Jeokhyeon, but if I pointed that out, Lee Hwayoung would probably only get angrier, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

[Me: Why?]

[Me: You have to tell me what the problem is so I can help]

“Wow, hyung. You never reply to us like this, but you sure play favorites with JackJack.”

“Shut up. If I don’t answer him properly, he sulks. Do you have any idea how tedious he gets when he sulks?”

“I can get sulky too, hmph!”

“……”

“…Don’t ignore me, it’s embarrassing! Please show some disgust at least……. Scold me…….”

I lightly ignored Nam Yihwon’s blabbering after he peeked over my shoulder at the texts, then looked back down at my phone screen.

So why, exactly, had Lee Hwayoung gotten angry at Choi Jeokhyeon again?

[Young Master 2: I need photos from when I was young, but you left all of them at that man’s house. I found the album with only my photos in it, but the photos I wanted weren’t there, so I searched for a long time and finally found another album in Lee Saehwa’s study.]

[Young Master 2: But the moment I picked it up, Lee Saehwa snatched it away! Without explaining anything! He doesn’t care whether I take other things or not, but suddenly he said I couldn’t take this one…….]

[Young Master 2: So when I asked if there were any photos of me with Seo Yutae in there, he kicked me out without even answering me! It’s absolutely humiliating. They’re 100% in that album. He’s hiding it just to mess with me!]

To summarize Lee Hwayoung’s messages, in which he vented his anger like a character in translated English literature: out of the hundreds of photos available, he insisted on taking the ones of him with me. And when he tried to find them, Choi Jeokhyeon had kicked him out.

‘Camilla should have a picture or two of us together, though. Did she not tell him?’

Camilla was the kind of woman who found it hilarious every time she saw her stiff, prideful son on the verge of losing his mind in front of Choi Jeokhyeon. So I could imagine that she might have deliberately hidden them.

‘Never mind. He has such a good memory that there might be a particular photo he wants. Something that would let him look back on those memories…….’

—The photo of Seo Yutae hugging Nicholas so hard he looks like he’s about to break him in half and kissing him right in the middle of the concert stage is seriously divine. I don’t usually care for fansite photos, but the second I saw that one I was like, wow … how does a photo like this even exist?? Seo Yutae, who shines the brightest onstage, is completely overcome with happiness and openly expressing affection to one of the people he loves most. It gives you such a good feeling……└ Fr fr. He normally doesn’t act like that, but you could see that he was so happy he was practically losing his mind, which made it 10x better. Nicholas’s eyes when he was looking at Yutae were sparkling like stars too … that single photo really let you feel just how radiant Yutae is……└ The angle, the lighting, the fans’ lightsticks in the back, everything was perfect. Even the way he lowered his head to meet the kid’s eyes, with his hair falling loose beneath it, was a shutter opportunity given by God. If I were that fansite master, I would’ve shot that and shouted, “I ate and left no crumbs”└ Didn’t that fansite hit #1 in follower rankings among all Korean fansites just from that one photo? Now every company in the ent industry is begging to hire them as a photographer :shiver: They were also the one who shot the album jacket for P4ntheion recently. Seo Yutae really has changed so many people’s lives……

In truth, thousands of the most famous photos are already uploaded all over the internet, so if those weren’t enough, he must be looking for something with a more personal,

Still, I had no idea why Choi Jeokhyeon wouldn’t let him take them.

They were just photos. And the person in them was saying he wanted to take them. They weren’t even photos of Choi Jeokhyeon himself, so why was he guarding them so fiercely?

Wondering about that, I started a video call with Lee Hwayoung. The call connected almost immediately, and I saw his thoroughly sour expression and a familiar brick wall.

It was outside Choi Jeokhyeon’s house.

He probably hadn’t been kicked out very long ago.

[“It’s so hot! Has Korea gone completely insane?”]

Before I could read any further information, a lion’s roar suddenly came through.

“Don’t stand outside. Get in the car. Korea is much hotter than England. Or head into a nearby restaurant or cafe.”

[“I don’t want to. Backing down now would hurt my pride.”]

Right. I hadn’t expected him to listen obediently in the first place.

I nodded, accustomed to Lee Hwayoung bristling with his claws out, and took out my wallet.

“I still have a photo of you and Choi Jeokhyeon together. It’s here in my wallet……”

[“No!”]

Right, he didn’t like that.

My mistake.

It was the kind of reaction anyone who knew Lee Hwayoung even slightly just had to accept without argument.

“…Why do you specifically need a photo with me, anyway?”

When I asked without offering any particular argument, Lee Hwayoung suddenly malfunctioned like a cat that had smelled a tangerine¹, then creaked out a reply.

[“T-To check if you were actually taking proper care of me back then……”]

“……”

Anyone who didn’t know Lee Hwayoung would probably wonder what kind of nonsense that was.

‘Well? What? What am I supposed to do for you?’

Apparently, even he realized after blurting it out that this wasn’t quite right. He stared straight at me with his eyes wide open. His expression openly revealed the thought, ‘I didn’t actually want to look at the photos just to criticize him. What if he gets offended?’

‘This guy wears his heart on his sleeve like that every time … what am I going to do with him….’

There are plenty of people who are prickly and snappish yet get inexplicably embarrassed about being the first to show interest or affection toward someone else, aren’t there? They pretend they aren’t. Lee Hwayoung was exactly that inexplicable sort of case.

‘He was just too embarrassed to be honest, so he spewed whatever popped into his head.’

Even when he was little, thanks to that personality of his, I once came home after finishing my schedule only to find Lee Hwayoung lying face-down in the middle of the living room like a starfish, his face bright red from being sulky.

“No, how long has he been like this! There’s even a mark on the kid’s forehead like he got cupping therapy from the floor.”

“…About three hours?”

“What kind of child is this stubborn? And Choi Jeokhyeon, you should’ve picked him up even if he resisted.”

“Why?”

“You can’t just leave a kid lying on the bare floor like this. He needs to go to the bathroom, drink some water, and so on……”

“Well, I found it quite entertaining.”

“He’s your nephew, not a chinchilla at the zoo. What are you watching him for?”

I found out later that he had acted that way because he was upset that I had gone to work and left him behind. Children don’t really understand that adults have to work, after all. He simply hated the idea of me disappearing from his sight.

According to Camilla, no matter how hard she tried, it was something she could hardly ever correct. He never threw tantrums in front of toys, but he had a tendency to fixate intensely on one particular thing, whether it was a stuffed animal or a person.

Even when the Prism members merely reached out their arms to pick him up, he would smack the backs of their hands away and firmly declare, “I don’t like it.”, so I had to carry him around all day.

‘That child got a little better once he lowered his guard somewhat, but … whenever I was there, he always wanted to come only to me.‘

Had Choi Jeokhyeon been someone he disliked just by looking at him?

Perhaps Lee Hwayoung’s excessive attachment to me was because he needed someone who could protect him from a threatening presence.

‘After that, I had to take Lee Hwayoung with me whenever I had a schedule.‘

— What’s up with the kid Seo Yutae’s carrying around???? Did Seo Yutae have a baby???└ As if. If that were the case, would he be carrying him around so openly? lololololol — Seo Yutae: “My schedule is so packed I’m about to drop dead”└ I’m actually scared because this person doesn’t seem to be joking at all. Even if all the other members got married, I can’t imagine Seo Yutae getting married and starting a family. With sasaengs and reporters following him around like that, he has never been caught in a single romantic rumor to this day;;; The legendary “I don’t go anywhere except schedules, the studio, the practice room, and the dorm……” workaholic who even made the paparazzi give up

└└ Someone asked him at a recent fansign if he had any intention of dating, and he said work was too important to him, so he felt like a partner would end up being a lower priority. He said that rather than hurt someone, he thought it would be better not to date at all…… — But they really do look alike when they’re standing next to each other lol. Their sullen expressions are exactly the same. I can’t believe there isn’t even a single speck of Seo Yutae’s genes in him└ You wouldn’t say that if you saw Camilla. He looks exactly like her, as if she gave birth to him all by herself. The absolute peak of glamorous. Back then, I just thought he was a pretty baby who looked like Camilla, but who would’ve thought he was actually her son……

└└ Really? He does look a little like Camilla, but I think he looks a lot like Lee Saehwa. Especially his overall vibe … Usually you either look like your parents or skip a generation and look like your grandparents, so taking after his uncle is quite fascinating└ But I’ve never seen a chaebol get talked about for their looks like this before. Just how handsome is he??

└└ You think the heir to Sanghwa Group would settle for just any ordinary beauty? I heard Choi Jeokhyeon’s mother was insanely beautiful even among celebrities, and according to the rumors, he’s basically her carbon copy. Is this why rich kids these days are born with good looks too … Reality check hits hard…

└└ I’ve never actually seen Choi Jeokhyeon in person, but I think there’s probably some exaggeration in all these rampant rumors because of Seo Yutae lolol He never properly tells us anything and just casually lets things slip like, “He’s kind of good-looking”, which only makes people more curious. It’s driving everyone crazy. Seo Yutae almost never compliments people on their looks, so it’s like, a random civilian gets told something like that by Seo Yutae?? Wild└ When Nikki was on British radio and Lee Saehwa’s looks came up, he immediately made a serious face and said, “Not really my type” hahaha Real family moment

└└ No, but if you hear all the time that you look that much alike and then say he’s not your type, doesn’t that mean you’re saying you’re not your type either? LOLOLOLOL

└└ Please legally prohibit handsome people from saying things like that to each other. It’s giving me an existential crisis

At the time, they were hiding the fact that Lee Hwayoung was Camilla’s son, so it was somewhat amusing that people speculated Lee Hwayoung was either my son or Choi Jeokhyeon’s son.

[“It’s just … because I spent the most … time with you, with you! Why would you even ask something like that!”]

While I was absentmindedly lost in a trip down memory lane, Lee Hwayoung suddenly shouted in anger over whatever had upset him this time. No one had even said anything to him, so why was he stammering like that again? His face also seemed a little red.

‘What a prickly little guy.’

“Fine, then I’ll head over to Choi Jeokhyeon’s house and get them now. Since you’re in Korea for the first time in a while, let’s meet up with the Pantheion guys, have a meal, and catch up.”

After suggesting my own solution, I immediately texted Choi Jeokhyeon.

[Me: I heard you kicked Lee Hwayoung out]

[Me: He came to Korea for the first time in a while, but you sent him out like that. He’s losing his mind, and he’s already such a prideful kid]

[Me: You’re working right now, aren’t you? He said he only needs four or five photos, so how about I find them and give them to him?]

But it didn’t take long for a lightning-fast reply to come back.

Ding!

‘He should still be working, why’s he replying so fast?’

When I checked the message, I found a very short and very clear answer.

[Young Master 1: No.]

Right, so after “I don’t want to”, it was “No”.

I had indulged Lee Hwayoung in everything because he was a child. But Choi Jeokhyeon……

‘Let’s see how you plan on kicking me out.’

[Me: I’m coming]

[Me: I’ll be there in 10 minutes]

…Now I’m starting to feel a little defiant?

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Translator’s Corner:

1. For reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyDChI3AbI ↩︎

LONG TIME NO SEE EVERYONE, I’M STILL ALIVE!!! (for better or for worse, just survived natural disaster … or surviving since it’s still going on … you can read the latest announcement if you havent…..)

Idk if I said it in this novel or other novel’s translator corner about not wanting rain to fall soon … be careful of what you wish for guys, because now I need rain so bad but it just doesn’t come asdfghjkl there’s an awful shortage of water in my place that I have to buy those mineral water gallon for washing and other use … and the government still building data centers, this is literal hell… I’m requesting an isekai from God….

Anyway, coming back after a month, I’m confused a little because ??? why this chapter felt like I was translating yaoi. Yutae, why did you even have a photo of CJH and Nicholas together in your wallet????