Chapter 14: The Grim Reaper is Here

The living room was unusually quiet that Friday night, an air of uneasy anticipation hanging between Ryu Seo-woo and his three sons. The four of them sat in a circle on the floor, a pile of neatly stacked bills and coins between them. The old coffee table had been pushed aside to make room, and in its place lay their collective hopes of escaping eviction.

Seo-woo sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, let's count everything. We need to know if we've earned enough to satisfy the Grim Reaper tomorrow."

The triplets giggled, momentarily breaking the tension. They all knew who the Grim Reaper was—their landlord, who had been breathing down their necks about the overdue rent.

As they counted, Seo-woo's eyes widened in shock.

His sons had way more money than expected.

He stared at them, puzzled. "Where did you get all this?"

The boys exchanged guilty glances, as if deciding who should confess first. Eventually, Seo-jun took a deep breath and spoke up.

"We... started an online business."

Seo-woo blinked. "You what?"

Seo-jin, looking slightly sheepish, explained, "I made a website and designed everything. Seo-min crafted items to sell, and Seo-jun handled the buyers."

Seo-jun nodded. "We used your laptop. Grandma Song helped us with deliveries."

Seo-woo was speechless. His heart swelled with both pride and heartbreak.

His children were brilliant, far more capable than he had ever imagined. But at the same time...

They shouldn't have had to carry this burden.

It should have been him—their father—providing for them, not the other way around.

Seo-woo lowered his head, his shoulders trembling.

"Dad?" Seo-min called, concerned.

Seo-woo tried to hold back his tears, but the dam broke. He pulled his sons into a tight embrace, his voice shaking.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry..."

Seo-jun, Seo-min, and Seo-jin froze for a moment, stunned by their father's sudden tears. Then, one by one, they hugged him back.

"Dad, don't cry," Seo-jin murmured.

"We're not mad," Seo-min said softly.

"We just wanted to help you," Seo-jun added.

The four of them sobbed together, holding onto one another as if their love alone could shield them from the hardships they faced.

Eventually, when their tears dried, laughter bubbled up instead.

Seo-woo wiped his face, chuckling. "Now we look like a bunch of crybabies."

The triplets giggled, nodding in agreement.

With their emotions settled, they refocused on their mission: counting the money.

Seo-min carefully stacked the last few bills and announced, "Our earnings from the business... 80,505 won!"

Seo-woo's eyes twinkled with pride.

"That's incredible," he said, ruffling their hair. "But from now on, no more secrets, okay? If you ever have a plan, you have to tell me first."

The triplets grinned and nodded in unison. "Promise!"

Now, it was Seo-woo's turn.

He glanced at the thick envelope in his hand—the payment from Hye-sung. The truth was, he had earned over a million won, but he didn't want to overshadow his children's hard work.

So, instead, he held back a portion and told them, "I earned 550,000 won."

Seo-jun quickly grabbed a notepad and did the math. "That means... our total is 630,505 won!"

Seo-jin jumped to his feet. "That's 505 won extra after paying off our debt!"

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then—

"WE DID IT!"

The triplets cheered, bouncing up and down with excitement. Seo-woo laughed and joined in, pulling them into another group hug.

Their burden had been lifted, if only for now.

And for the first time in a long time, their tiny apartment felt like home again.

---

A loud knock echoed through the apartment, followed by an irritated voice.

"Ryu Seo-woo! Open up!"

Still half-asleep, Ryu Seo-woo and his three sons groggily sat up at the same time, yawning in unison.

Seo-woo rubbed his eyes, muttering, "The Grim Reaper is early today..."

The triplets nodded sleepily, stretching their arms before sluggishly following their father to the door.

With a forced smile, Seo-woo opened the door. "Good morning, sir."

The landlord, a middle-aged man with a perpetually sour expression, wasted no time. "Enough with the greetings. Where's my money?"

Seo-woo internally sighed. The landlord was so sure he couldn't pay—so sure, in fact, that he had brought backup. Downstairs, a group of burly men stood waiting, arms crossed, ready to drag them out like unpaid baggage.

The landlord was just about to give the signal when—

Seo-jun stepped forward and thrust a thick envelope into his hands.

The landlord froze.

His eyebrows twitched as he cautiously peeled the envelope open. Inside was a neat stack of bills—their full payment.

His eyes widened, and for a split second, his lips twitched upward, as if wanting to form a smile. But he quickly masked his reaction, instead clearing his throat and scoffing dramatically.

"Hmph. Don't think this means you're off the hook," he muttered, stuffing the envelope into his pocket. "I'll be back next month for your rent."

Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and stomped down the stairs.

The triplets peeked outside, watching as the grumbling landlord reached his waiting musclemen—who had sacrificed their sleep for nothing.

"Are you serious?" one of them groaned.

"You dragged us out here at dawn for this?" another complained.

The landlord, now on the receiving end of the complaints, awkwardly scratched his head. "Uh... my bad?"

Meanwhile, back at the rental house—

"Pfft..." Seo-min snickered first.

Then, Seo-jin followed.

Then, Seo-jun.

And finally—

The entire Ryu family erupted into laughter.

The landlord whipped his head around, glaring suspiciously, but before he could catch them—

SLAM!

Seo-woo and his sons shut the door, still giggling.

---

With the rent finally paid, the Ryu family celebrated with a hearty breakfast.

As the triplets excitedly discussed new ideas for their online business, Seo-woo decided to check his system window.

A familiar, transparent blue screen flickered to life before his eyes.

[STATUS WINDOW UPDATED]

Name: Ryu Seo-woo

Age: 27

Health Status: Good

Financial Status: Debt Accumulated (Additional personal loans outstanding)

Talent Skills:

· Singing: S+ (Condition to Activate: Completing 50 quests) (26/50)

· Parenting: B+

· Cooking: B+ (Fixed)

· Charisma: A+

· Composing: S-

Temporary Privilege:

-The host can sing for a week (3 days left)

Seo-woo smiled, feeling a small sense of accomplishment.

That was... until something caught his eye.

Debt Accumulated? Additional personal loans?

Frowning, he asked the system, "What personal loans?"

A new window popped up, listing the details.

Seo-woo skimmed through the information—and then froze.

His jaw dropped.

"...I bought land with a house in Seoul?!"

The triplets, seeing their father's horrified expression, tilted their heads in confusion.

Seo-min blinked. "Dad... why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"

Seo-woo slowly turned to his sons, his voice shaky.

"Kids... I think I made a very expensive mistake..."