Chapter 11: Lee Hye-sung

Moon Woo-seok slammed his phone down after calling his younger brother, Woo-rim. "You're an idiot," he muttered to himself as he grabbed his car keys. Woo-rim had been panicking since Ha-neul went missing, but Woo-seok was furious with him for being careless. At least, he thought, the boy had been found—and thankfully, by someone Woo-seok knew, though the thought of that someone being Ryu Seo-woo brought a sour taste to his mouth. Moon Woo-seok and Ryu Seo-woo had a complicated relationship. They were like fire and water due to their contrasting opinions during meetings.

As he rushed out of the office, Yu-jin caught sight of him. "Did you find Ha-neul?" Yu-jin asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Yes," Woo-seok replied curtly, brushing past him.

Yu-jin frowned and smirked as Woo-seok's figure disappeared into the parking lot. "Soon enough," he muttered to himself, "I'll be part of the Moon family. Woo-rim can't resist me, and Woo-seok needs me to treat his insomnia. A perfect setup."

Meanwhile, Woo-seok sped through the streets, his thoughts racing. The idea of seeing Seo-woo again was strange. He wasn't sure if he was ready for the awkwardness or the questions that would inevitably come.

When he arrived at the kindergarten, he parked haphazardly and rushed toward the front gate. He flagged down a staff member, who directed him to the school infirmary.

As he opened the door, his eyes immediately fell on Ha-neul, who was sitting on the bed. Relief washed over him, and he rushed forward. "Ha-neul! Are you okay? What happened?"

Ha-neul pouted but nodded. "I got lost, Uncle. I'm sorry."

Woo-seok knelt down and hugged him tightly, ruffling his hair. "Don't scare me like that again, okay?"

Then, he turned his attention to the man standing nearby. Seo-woo was leaning against the infirmary wall with his arms crossed. He looked tired but calm. Beside him was a little boy, who was holding his hand.

Woo-seok froze for a moment, his gaze shifting to the boy. There was something oddly familiar about the child, but he couldn't place it. He quickly composed himself.

"Ryu Seo-woo," Woo-seok said, standing up and addressing him directly. "Thank you for taking care of Ha-neul. I don't even want to think about what could've happened if he hadn't run into you."

Seo-woo shrugged, his expression neutral. "It's nothing. He was crying, and I couldn't just leave him there."

Woo-seok nodded, then glanced at the boy beside him again. "And... who is this?"

Before Seo-woo could answer, the boy spoke up. "I'm Seo-jun," he said with a small, polite bow. "I'm his son."

Woo-seok's eyes widened. "Your... son?" He looked at Seo-woo incredulously. "But you told the company you were single."

Seo-woo sighed. "I am single. I never lied about that. But yes, I have children."

Woo-seok blinked, clearly thrown off by the revelation. He wanted to press for more details, but Seo-woo cut him off.

"I really should be going," Seo-woo said. "My other two sons are still in class, and I need to pick them up soon."

"My other two sons? Ryu Seo-Woo already has three children." A thought circulated in his mind

Before Seo-woo could leave, Woo-seok pulled out his checkbook. "Wait."

Seo-woo frowned. "What are you doing?"

Woo-seok scribbled something down, tore off the cheque, and handed it to Seo-woo. "This is for taking care of Ha-neul. It's the least I can do."

Seo-woo glanced at the cheque, his eyes narrowing when he saw the amount: 200,000 won. "I can't accept this," he said, shaking his head. "I didn't help Ha-neul for money."

"Keep it," Ha-neul said softly, tugging at Seo-woo's sleeve. "Please."

Seo-woo looked at the boy's pleading eyes and reluctantly took the cheque, tucking it into his pocket without another word.

"Thank you," Woo-seok said, his voice sincere.

Seo-woo gave a small nod. "Take care of Ha-neul."

He turned to Seo-jun and patted his head. "Let's go, Junnie."

"Junnie?" Seo-jun said in his thought.

As they left the infirmary, Woo-seok watched them go, still trying to process everything. The sight of Seo-woo as a father was something he never expected, and it left him with more questions than answers. But one thing was clear: this wasn't the last time their paths would cross.

While waiting for his children outside the kindergarten, Seo-woo sat on a bench and took out his phone. He quickly calculated the money he had earned so far, including the cheque from Moon Woo-seok.

Current total: 420,000 won.

They still needed at least 210,000 won in the next four days to pay the landlord, not to mention daily expenses like food and utilities. The thought made his shoulders tense, but he exhaled slowly. He had to stay calm for the triplets.

Out of habit, he scrolled through his notifications and suddenly froze.

A video of him and the triplets' street performance had gone viral.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he tapped on the link. The video had thousands of views, and comments were flooding in. Thankfully, both he and his sons had been wearing face masks, but anyone who had followed his career closely might still recognize him.

— "Wait, isn't this Ryu Seo-woo? This figure is somewhat familiar. The voice is not familiar because it is a bit raspy, so I think he is not..."

— "Those kids are so talented and approachable. I think they are cute behind those face masks.

— "No way, it was Ryu Seo-woo. Impossible. He can't sing now, because his vocal cords are damaged"

— "Even if it's not him, this guy is amazing. He should go pro!"

— "This is not Ryu Seo-woo. LOL. Why are you all obsessed with that Ryu not-Seo-good-woo? Hahaha...

Seo-woo sighed, rubbing his temples. He had deliberately stepped out of the spotlight for a reason. If people recognized him, especially his enemies, his peaceful life with his children could be at risk.

I can't let my sons get exposed.

Just as he locked his phone, the school bell rang, and the students started pouring out of their classrooms.

Jae-hoon, the chubby boy who had fought with Seo-min and Seo-jin earlier, was the first to spot him. He grinned and waved excitedly. "Bye, Uncle Seo-woo!"

Seo-woo chuckled and waved back before focusing on his triplets, who ran towards him.

Before heading home, they stopped by the supermarket to buy groceries.

However, Seo-jun looked worried as they entered. "Dad... do we have enough money?"

Seo-woo smiled and patted his head. "Don't worry. I earned some from my part-time job as a lounge singer. And Ha-neul's uncle also gave us some money as thanks."

Seo-min and Seo-jin's eyes widened. "Who's Ha-neul?"

Seo-jun took a deep breath and explained everything that had happened earlier at the school infirmary. His brothers listened intently, their expressions shifting from curiosity to surprise.

As they walked past the beverage aisle, Seo-woo suddenly stopped.

A large promotional poster of Jin Yu-jin caught his eye. The singer was smiling flawlessly while holding a bottle of PrettiMilk, a popular beauty drink he endorsed before.

Seo-woo clenched his jaw.

The triplets, noticing their father's sudden silence, followed his gaze.

They knew what he was thinking. They knew what had happened in the past.

Seo-min looked down, his small hands tightening into fists. If Dad went back to being a singer... would he leave us behind again?

Seo-jun bit his lip and tugged at his father's sleeve. "Dad, let's go."

Seo-woo snapped out of it and forced a smile. "Yeah, let's go."

After checking out their groceries, they finally returned home.

While unpacking, Seo-woo noticed Seo-jun acting strangely. The boy kept glancing at him hesitantly, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how.

"Junnie," Seo-woo crouched down to his son's level, "what's wrong?"

Seo-jun hesitated for a moment before pulling something out of his pocket. A calling card.

Seo-woo blinked. "Where did you get this?"

His son looked guilty. "I... I found it when we were counting the money we earned from the performance in the park last time."

Seo-woo carefully took the card and examined it.

It belonged to a music producer.

A well-known talent scout.

Lee Hye-sung

Someone who could change their lives.

But at what cost?