Chapter 67

The atmosphere was chilling. Filled with fear, I looked around, but I still couldn’t sense any presence. Just as I was about to freeze in place, I heard a voice calling me from the side.

“Hyung?”

I jolted and trembled so much that anyone could tell I was surprised. It was Jae-Ah. I asked her, noticing her curious gaze as she looked at my flustered state.

“…Did you just arrive?”

“I came up because you didn’t come out after waiting downstairs. What’s wrong? Did you see a ghost or something?”

Ghosts. Yes, how nice it would have been if it had been a ghost. Unfortunately, ghosts didn’t exist in this world; the only beings present were humans.

“Did you happen to see any suspicious-looking person while waiting?”

“What kind of person?”

“Like someone who seemed a bit off.”

“Nope. I heard the reporters were coming to look for you. Is that true?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Let’s go.”

“Okay. I called a taxi a while ago; it should be here soon.”

It was a given, but Jae-Ah was still a minor, so she didn’t have a driver’s license. I called her simply because I was scared to be alone, and taking the subway was fine, but taking a taxi was indeed more comfortable.

Seeing me with a big bag, Jae-Ah asked,

“Isn’t the bag heavy? Do you want me to carry it?”

“No, it’s fine.”

It was indeed a bit heavy, but I stubbornly refused. Since I would be getting in a car anyway, it wasn’t too difficult to carry it for a while. It felt psychologically burdensome to leave my belongings in the care of someone younger than me.

Soon, the taxi arrived, and we set off to Professor Seo’s office.

“By the way, are you okay not contacting us for a while?”

“If I were okay, I wouldn’t have contacted your father like this.”

Perhaps because I was on edge, my words slipped out a bit sharply without me even realizing it. Fortunately, Jae-Ah didn’t seem overly concerned. She seemed to have more questions but likely thought it best not to bring them up in the taxi.

I stared blankly out the taxi window while Jae-Ah quietly looked at her smartphone.

We arrived at the university and got out of the taxi. Although we had reached Professor Seo’s office, no one was there. He was probably busy with lectures. Jae-Ah and I spent our time sitting on the sofa in the office.

“Can I ask something?”

“What is it?”

“When you were with L.O.I earlier, was that Ji Kang-hyeon?”

“Yeah.”

Jae-Ah wasn’t the type to go around gossiping, and there was no reason for me to hide it, so I told her directly.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“What’s amazing?”

I wondered if she already knew about Ji Kang-hyeon. Since he was a famous actor, it wouldn’t be strange if she did. Jae-Ah didn’t seem like someone who was deeply into the entertainment industry, but she might have seen me on the TV show I had appeared in last time.

However, it seemed that the part that surprised Jae-Ah wasn’t that I was in a duo with Ji Kang-hyeon, but rather that I was simply bad at the game.

“Wow… he was really terrible at the game. I didn’t expect that. You and he were almost evenly matched.”

“Evenly matched? What does that even mean? Is that some idiom?”

Curious about a word I had never heard before, I asked, and I received a ridiculous answer.

“It means two geniuses with strong pride. It just means you were both about the same level.”

“What a strange expression.”

“Watch some YouTube, will you? It’s a famous saying.”

“I’ve been watching YouTube all day lately.”

“Wow, you’re such a bum.”

“Do you want to die?”

It was quite strange to see Jae-Ah acting cheeky, unlike her usual self. I wasn’t a fool; she was probably trying to lighten the mood because she could see I was uncomfortable. Knowing that, I could only pretend to be annoyed as a joke.

Still, discussing such trivial matters was definitely more helpful than sitting in silence.

“By the way, are you going to be staying at our house for a while?”

“Well, that’s the plan, but I probably won’t be there for too long. I’ll leave as soon as I find a place of my own.”

I would probably leave right away if I could get in touch with Muk Ha-neul or even Ham Yejin and Gang Hwa-won without needing to bother them. Of course, depending on their situation, I might get turned down, so I couldn’t be completely sure.

“I don’t think you’ve been to our house before, have you? Have you met my mom?”

“Professor Seo’s wife? No, I haven’t met her personally. What kind of person is she?”

“She’s pretty normal, I guess. Nothing special.”

“Did the professor have an arranged marriage?”

“I think it was an introduction? He doesn’t really talk about family matters.”

Speaking of family, Professor Seo had two more daughters. Jae-Ah was the youngest, and the eldest was probably working as a nurse while the second was in her third year of high school.

“What about your sisters? Are they at home?”

“My eldest sister lives in the hospital dorm, so she comes home occasionally. You probably won’t see her until a few days later. My younger sister is home but comes back late studying for the college entrance exam.”

“Wasn’t she preparing for the writing department entrance exam?”

“She was, but I heard she’s still unsure. They say if her regular score turns out well, she’s considering other departments too, but I don’t really know.”

“What’s your younger sister writing?”

“She doesn’t show me, so I wouldn’t know.”

“It seems like you don’t get along very well.”

“Isn’t that the case for everyone? I’m kind of on the fence with my eldest sister, but with my younger sister, it’s just like we look at each other like we’re strangers.”

We continued chatting until Professor Seo arrived. I heard various stories about their family, but nothing particularly special stood out. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like there were strict rules that had to be adhered to in their household.

The conversation went on until Professor Seo arrived. I wasn’t normally someone who liked to chat a lot, but Jae-Ah kept talking to me, so there was never a dull moment.

Time passed, and Professor Seo finally arrived.

“You’re here.”

“Yes, I am. Thank you for agreeing to this.”

“Sure. I’ve already informed my wife, so you can head in right away.”

Without further delay, Professor Seo packed his belongings. We went out to the office and got into the professor’s car, which he had driven before. Professor Seo didn’t ask me any deeper questions. Ever since things turned out this way, I had hardly seen him, and whenever we met, he didn’t really talk to me.

It was the first time the three of us were together since I had asked him for private tutoring, but the awkwardness was still the same as back then. Jae-Ah didn’t say much, but it was evident that she felt uncomfortable around her father.

Since Professor Seo’s house wasn’t far, we arrived quickly. It was a fairly stylish two-story detached house that looked expensive even to an outsider like me, not quite fitting with Professor Seo’s domestic car. It was clear he was well-off, but was he this wealthy?

“This house is… more upscale than I expected.”

“My wife had it built.”

Professor Seo casually resolved my doubts. I see. Was Madame the daughter of a chaebol? I vaguely remembered hearing such rumors before. I never thought they were true.

Upon entering the house, we were greeted by a middle-aged woman who looked to be around Professor Seo’s age.

“You’re home? Is this…?”

“Oh, this is my student—the kid who was on the news before.”

“Oh my, really? Ah, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but be surprised.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m the one who feels bad for suddenly imposing on you.”

“I’ve cleared out the guest room, so you can stay there. Just think of it as your own home and make yourself comfortable.”

As Madame had said, she was indeed an ordinary person. At first, her intense gaze on me felt a bit overwhelming, but it was understandable. After all, she was seeing someone her husband would be suddenly bringing home. Professor Seo and Jae-Ah went up to their respective rooms, and Madame guided me to the guest room on the first floor, which had a small bed in it.

“I hurriedly tidied it up, but the cleaning lady isn’t here right now, so it might be a little lacking. If you need anything, just let me know right away.”

“Oh, no. It’s fine. It’s more than enough. Thank you.”

Just having a bed was satisfactory for me. The room was nicely organized. I immediately took off my hat and hung it on the coat rack next to me. Madame seemed slightly surprised when she saw me do that.

“Oh my.”

My hair definitely wasn’t ordinary. I hadn’t thought much of it, but perhaps Madame thought she was being rude and quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry. I was just taken aback for a moment.”

“No, it’s fine.”

I felt like I was repeating that phrase.

“Um, you really were a man originally, right?”

“Yes, although it might be hard to believe.”

“Really… that’s true. The professor doesn’t talk much about school stuff. I was a little surprised when he said a student was coming suddenly.”

“I plan to leave as soon as I find somewhere else to stay, so please don’t worry too much. I truly apologize for asking you to accommodate me like this all of a sudden.”

“It’s okay. Even if you stay for a while, it’s no problem. Do you have any favorite foods? I might be good at cooking, you know.”

“I eat just about anything. Whatever you make will surely be delicious, Madame.”

“You speak so nicely. Ah, I’m losing my mind. I need to change, but I’ve kept you too long. Please relax.”

After saying that, Madame closed the door and left the room. Thank goodness. I wasn’t particularly good at appeasing others. It was a relief that she was being friendly toward me; it would have been much more difficult if she had a negative impression of me.

Once Madame left, I quickly changed clothes. In fact, I didn’t have any particular indoor clothes to wear. I lived in just a T-shirt and shorts, much like when I was a man, but I couldn’t just walk around someone else’s home in that, so I had to settle for reasonably appropriate outerwear.

After all, I didn’t have any suits that would fit my current figure.