Chapter 9 – Acting [Be my Daddy]

May 5, 2017.

The Angel’s Shelter bazaar, held every year on Children’s Day, was a fairly well-known event in Geumcheon District.

“Through the Angel’s Shelter bazaar, which reminds us that the spirit of love and solidarity still remains in this increasingly cold and indifferent society and community, our local community can become a little more attentive to its neighbors and to those who are marginalized…”

Starting with a speech by the district mayor, whose term had about a year left and who needed to prepare for the next election, congratulatory addresses followed from the district’s National Assembly member, city council member, and district council member.

“…I will conclude my words by once again expressing my gratitude. Thank you.”

Finally, after the district council member’s address ended, the bazaar began.

Perhaps because it was bustling with outsiders for the first time in a while, the expressions of the children at Angel’s Shelter were quite animated.

“Unni. Isn’t this dress pretty? The pastor bought it for me.”

The affable Nayeon was busy calling women who looked like aunts to anyone and showing off the clothes she was wearing.

The aunts who were called ‘unni’ by Nayeon cackled and played along with the child.

It wasn’t just Nayeon.

Children who were always starved for adult attention and love tried their best to approach the people attending the bazaar and attract their attention whenever they got the chance.

Of course, not all of them were like that.

‘Even if they show interest in us like this today, it’s all just a one-time thing anyway.’

There were quite a few children who kept some distance from people with that kind of thought.

Siguk also kept his distance from people.

However, the thought he held was different from the other children.

‘It’s about time they should be coming now.’

Siguk looked at the watch he had put out for sale.

The watch was pointing to 13:32.

‘They’ll come.’

Thinking that, Siguk turned his gaze to the bazaar site.

“Unni.”

Watching Nayeon talking to the aunts, Siguk chuckled. But a sense of bitterness followed that laughter.

‘Poor kid.’

Knowing the future.

That was a privilege, but at the same time, it was also an enormous mental burden.

Because he knew the future, he could catch and kill Kim Yanggi and take control of his organization through Lee Jeonghoon. At the same time, because he knew the future, he could see the misfortune that would befall Nayeon, who was laughing so brightly now.

Since Nayeon was one of the few people Siguk had shown human affection to in his past life, his heart was more than just uncomfortable.

‘Isn’t there any way to help her?’

After accepting the reality of Regression, Siguk pondered two main things.

One was, what kind of life should he live?

The other was, wasn’t there a way to save Nayeon?

The first concern was easily resolved. He had a clear goal: to live freely but not be chased like in his past life. All he had to do was follow the best, so-called ‘honey tech’ path he remembered.

So, Siguk went to find Kim Yanggi, killed him, and absorbed his organization.

After all, in his past life, it wasn’t Kim Yanggi but Lee Jeonghoon who actually designed and completed the YK Group.

Siguk judged that if he could just make Lee Jeonghoon his ally, he could live the life Kim Yanggi enjoyed in his past life in this life.

And that was realized according to Siguk’s will.

The problem was the second concern.

Preventing the unfortunate future that would befall Nayeon.

‘There’s no way.’

In the former case, it was a very easy task for Siguk, as it only required killing Kim Yanggi and exerting appropriate force.

But the latter was different.

‘Should I catch and kill that bastard Yang?’

It wasn’t a very difficult task.

In fact, it was the easiest thing for Siguk.

‘But can twisting the inertia of history really be done by killing just that one bastard?’

Siguk’s gaze turned to the twin brothers coming out from behind the orphanage, sniffing each other’s fingers.

‘What if I preemptively kill those bastards? They’re going to die soon anyway.’

Siguk shook his head.

‘They’re guys who won’t live for more than a few years anyway. There’s probably no need to catch and kill them in advance. Those bastards are pitiful too, after all.’

“Hoo…….”

Siguk let out a sigh.

‘Should I ask Lee Jeonghoon to adopt Nayeon too?’

It was actually the most realistic method.

After all, the relationship between Siguk and Lee Jeonghoon was only slightly less vertical than the relationship between Siguk and Kang Bonggil-Han Myeongho, but it was basically a client-supplier relationship.

If Siguk told him to adopt Nayeon together, it meant Lee Jeonghoon couldn’t refuse.

‘But will Nayeon really accept that?’

The problem was Nayeon’s will.

Would she really accept being adopted by Lee Jeonghoon?

What if she strongly refuses?

Could he tell her to shut up and obey to prevent the unanswerable misfortune that will befall her?

Such thoughts confused Siguk’s head.

Just as Siguk was agonizing over thoughts about Nayeon, a taxi stopped in front of Angel’s Shelter.

And a couple got out from it.

It was Lee Jeonghoon and his wife, Yoo Seoyoung.

“There are a lot of people?”

Yoo Seoyoung asked, linking arms with Lee Jeonghoon.

“Yeah…… It’s probably because it’s a fairly large event held in Geumcheon District?”

“Let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

Lee Jeonghoon and Yoo Seoyoung entered the yard of Angel’s Shelter.

‘They’re here.’

Siguk, who spotted Lee Jeonghoon, approached him.

“Huh? Unni, your bracelet is so pretty.”

But before Siguk, Nayeon approached Yoo Seoyoung.

“Oh my. She called me unni.”

Yoo Seoyoung laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as if she didn’t dislike being called unni. Then she unlinked arms with Lee Jeonghoon, squatted down to Nayeon’s eye level, and asked.

“What’s the name of our cute little one?”

“I’m Ju Nayeon. What’s your name, unni?”

“Nayeon, huh. Unni is Seoyoung. Yoo Seoyoung.”

“Seoyoung. Seoyoung unni.”

“That’s right. Seoyoung unni.”

Watching the two converse affectionately, Siguk approached Lee Jeonghoon.

Lee Jeonghoon was also watching the conversation between Yoo Seoyoung and Nayeon with a smile when he noticed Siguk approaching him.

Siguk gave him a look. Lee Jeonghoon nodded slightly.

“Hello.”

Siguk awkwardly greeted Lee Jeonghoon.

“Oh, oh. Yeah, yeah. What’s your name?”

Lee Jeonghoon also awkwardly responded.

“My name is Lee Siguk. What’s your name, mister?”

“I’m Lee Jeonghoon.”

The awkward conversation between the two contrasted with the natural and affectionate conversation between Yoo Seoyoung and Nayeon.

“Shall we take a walk for a bit?”

“Shall we?”

Lee Jeonghoon said to Yoo Seoyoung.

“Seoyoung-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to take a little walk with this kid. There’s a place he wants to show me?”

At Lee Jeonghoon’s words, the gazes of both Yoo Seoyoung and Nayeon turned to Siguk simultaneously.

“Huh? Siguk oppa, when did you get here?”

“Do you know him?”

“Yes. He’s an oppa I’m close with.”

“Really?”

Yoo Seoyoung looked at Siguk and asked.

“Hello? What’s your name?”

For a moment, Lee Jeonghoon’s expression stiffened. A hint of fear briefly flickered in the corners of his eyes.

He looked at Siguk with anxious eyes.

“My name is Lee Siguk.”

“That’s a nice name. Are you close with Nayeon?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must be a good kid.”

Was there any logical causality between being Nayeon’s friend and being a good kid?

Siguk, who had that thought for a moment, looked at Lee Jeonghoon.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.”

Siguk walked side by side with Lee Jeonghoon. Watching the two disappear, Nayeon held Yoo Seoyoung’s hand and chattered with her.

“That child Nayeon, she seems very lonely.”

Lee Jeonghoon said to Siguk in a less crowded area.

Siguk nodded.

“Are there any kids here who aren’t lonely?”

Lee Jeonghoon flinched and looked at Siguk. Siguk chuckled.

“Haven’t I told you several times that I should be considered in a separate category?”

“But loneliness is an emotion that any living being has.”

“Sometimes that loneliness can feel like freedom to someone. Let’s stop talking nonsense and get to the point.”

Lee Jeonghoon nodded.

“Did you handle Kim Yanggi well?”

“We went with the guys right after you left that day and buried him.”

“That warehouse in Yeoju?”

“That’s right.”

“Any worry about being discovered?”

“No need to worry. It’s a remote place with no redevelopment potential.”

“Good. What about the guys keeping their mouths shut?”

“I’ve instructed them well.”

“You know you need to keep a close watch on Kang Bonggil or Han Myeongho, but especially on Kang Bonggil’s three underlings, right?”

“I know well.”

“What about the Clover guys?”

“I plan to take them over tomorrow.”

“I trust you’ll handle it well, but you need to win over President Lee as much as possible. Unless they resist and cause trouble to the end, try to persuade them as much as possible.”

“No need to worry.”

Then, the sight of Nayeon and Yoo Seoyoung walking hand in hand entered the view of the two men.

Seeing that, both Siguk and Lee Jeonghoon smiled simultaneously. However, both of their smiles contained a bitter emotion.

“Have you told your wife?”

“Not yet.”

“Then why did you come here today?”

“I just asked her to come to the bazaar with me.”

“When do you plan to tell her?”

“I plan to do it after taking over the Clover guys first.”

“Yeah. That’s better.”

A fragment of a story about Lee Jeonghoon that Siguk had heard from Kim Yanggi in his past life passed through his mind.

『This Vice Chairman has a damn good head, but it’s just a pity that both he and his wife are infertile. If they had even one kid, they wouldn’t be living separately like they are now.』

‘If Nayeon gets adopted too, Lee Jeonghoon’s married life in his later years might not be so uncomfortable. But if I’m the only one adopted…’

Adoption was just a means from the start. Siguk had no intention of sincerely treating Lee Jeonghoon and Yoo Seoyoung as parents.

As such, Siguk planned to build a wall against Yoo Seoyoung.

Lee Jeonghoon, who knew the circumstances, might be less affected, but Yoo Seoyoung, who didn’t know, would obviously be deeply hurt by the child they went through the trouble of adopting.

And that would clearly cause conflict between the Lee Jeonghoon-Yoo Seoyoung couple.

‘Maybe they might even get divorced. Yeah. Rather than living separately or in a loveless marriage when they’re old, getting divorced might be better…’

Having organized his thoughts to his own convenience, Siguk opened his mouth.

“Persuade her well. Ah, and by the way. You see that girl walking with President Lee’s wife over there?”

Lee Jeonghoon nodded.

“She’s a friend named Nayeon, and she’s really kind. Very sociable too. If possible, try to persuade your wife to adopt her together.”

“……?”

“Think about it. Do I seem like I’ll properly play the role of a son?”

Siguk looked at Lee Jeonghoon.

“President Lee knows all the circumstances, so he might just let it slide. But what about President Lee’s wife? Do you really think she can do that?”

“……”

“If one can’t properly play the son role, but the other properly plays the daughter role, then President Lee’s wife might be able to tolerate it somewhat.”

“…I didn’t know you’d care about such details…”

“I’m softer in the details than I appear.”

“Keuk.”

Lee Jeonghoon laughed, showing his teeth.

Laughter also burst from Siguk’s mouth.

The two laughed for a while as if it was absurd.

“I liked that joke this time.”

“It won’t come out often.”

“I’ll try to talk to Seoyoung well.”

A brief silence flowed between them.

“Unni! This is a picture I drew!”

Watching Nayeon show Yoo Seoyoung a picture she drew, Lee Jeonghoon opened his mouth.

“Do you have divine powers by any chance?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you’re a shaman or fortune teller, something like that.”

“Ha. Last time it was a youthful dwarf, this time it’s a shaman or fortune teller… Aren’t you trying too hard to fit the world into a rational framework?”

“It’s because there’s no other explanation. The fact that you know so much about me, about us as a couple.”

Lee Jeonghoon looked at Siguk.

“The fact that both Seoyoung and I are infertile is something only the two of us know. Only someone like Kim Yanggi might know that I’m infertile. But you…”

“You know everything, so you must be a shaman or fortune teller?”

Lee Jeonghoon nodded.

“Before dating Seoyoung… I mean, right after being discharged from the military when the future seemed bleak, I went to see a shaman with friends once.”

This was a story Siguk hadn’t heard even in his past life.

Siguk quietly looked at Lee Jeonghoon and listened to his story.

“Until then, I treated shamans or fortune-telling as superstition. In an era where the world can be explained by science, I considered such things relics of a bygone era. But that day, that shaman accurately told me both my past and present. And… she also told me about my future of working under Kim Yanggi. So I started believing from then on. That such mysterious powers exist in the world.”

Siguk chuckled.

“I don’t know much about shamans or ghosts, but one thing is certain: I have nothing to do with that kind of thing.”

“……”

“Okay. I’ll give you one prophecy. In 2020, when that time comes, President Lee will be able to make a rational inference about my existence.”

“I hope that happens.”

“It will happen.”

Lee Jeonghoon nodded. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he put his hand in his pocket, took out an old-model smartphone, and handed it to Siguk.

“It’s cleanly handled. I prepared it because it would be better to contact each other with this for the time being.”

Looking at the smartphone, Siguk chuckled. He accepted it.

“Burner phone?”

“That’s right. Once the adoption is formally completed, I’ll get you one in your name then. The latest model.”

“I’ll gratefully accept it.”

From far away, Yoo Seoyoung and Nayeon called out to Siguk and Lee Jeonghoon, waving.

The two men awkwardly smiled and headed toward them.