Chapter 15: Seo-woo's Secret Helper

Ryu Seo-woo sat on the couch, staring at the status window with a deep frown.

"I bought land in Seoul with a house?" he repeated, still in disbelief.

The triplets, sitting across from him, looked equally baffled.

"Wait, wait, wait—" Seo-jun raised a hand. "You're telling us that you bought land and house?"

Seo-min tilted his head. "But, Dad... we don't even have a house we own, so how did you afford land?"

Seo-jin, ever the logical one, quickly opened a calculator on his tablet. "Land in Seoul costs millions. How much was the total price?"

Seo-woo sighed, rubbing his temples. "30 million won."

"...Dad," Seo-jun said flatly. "Are you secretly rich?"

Seo-woo let out a dry laugh. "If I were rich, would we have been nearly kicked out by the landlord this morning?"

The triplets fell silent, considering his words.

"...Fair point," Seo-jun muttered.

Seo-woo exhaled and straightened up. "I need to call the seller and renegotiate the payment schedule. But first..." He frowned. "Why haven't they called me for delayed payments? Shouldn't they be hounding me for money by now?"

Seo-jun, always quick to analyze, shrugged. "Maybe they forgot?"

"Forgot? About a 30 million won deal?" Seo-woo muttered. "Yeah, right."

Still, he had no choice but to contact them. He pulled out his phone and dialed the seller's number from his notes.

After two rings—

A soft, sweet voice answered the call.

"Hello?"

Seo-woo blinked. The voice was gentle, almost soothing, completely different from what he expected.

"Um, hello, this is Ryu Seo-woo. I'm calling about the land and house I purchased..." he hesitated. "I wanted to apologize for not making regular payments. If possible, I'd like to discuss a renegotiation—"

The other end of the line fell silent.

Then, the girl let out an awkward laugh.

"Oh... um... it's okay. You don't have to worry about it. You... shouldn't feel burdened at all."

Seo-woo froze.

"...What?"

That was not the response he expected.

The triplets, sensing their father's confusion, leaned in closer, trying to listen in.

Seo-woo quickly regained his composure. "I appreciate your kindness, but I still need to be responsible for my payments. Can you tell me how much I've paid so far, and what's left to complete the payment?"

The seller hesitated.

"Please hold for a moment."

Seo-woo pressed the phone closer to his ear, and in the brief silence, he picked up muffled voices in the background.

It was faint, but—

A low, masculine voice was speaking.

Seo-woo strained to listen, but he couldn't make out the words.

Before he could process it, the girl returned to the line.

"Alright, I have the details now," she said. "You've already paid..."

Seo-woo held his breath, waiting for the answer.

---

"You've already paid... 20 million won," the seller finally said.

Seo-woo's eyes widened.

"Wait—what?"

That couldn't be right.

He barely had enough money to pay off 630,000 won in rent. How had he somehow managed to pay off 20 million won on a 30-million-won property with a house?

Seo-woo glanced at his triplets, who were watching him with wide, expectant eyes. He quickly turned away, lowering his voice.

"There must be a mistake. I don't recall paying that much."

There was a brief silence.

"No... I just checked the records," the girl replied. "You really have paid 20 million won. You only have 10 million left to pay. Most of our transactions were done via online banking. You rarely came here to pay in person because you were too busy. But when you did come, you were drunk and paid me in advance."

Her voice sounded a little too carefree like she wasn't really concerned about the missing payment.

That only made Seo-woo more suspicious.

"Wait... then why haven't you been asking me for the remaining balance? I was expecting calls demanding payment."

The seller paused again as if searching for an answer.

"Well... the previous payments were made in large sums, so we assumed you'd be paying the rest in a similar manner. Didn't you remember? But there was no need to rush you."

Seo-woo narrowed his eyes. That didn't make sense.

No seller in their right mind would casually wait on a 4-million-won balance, especially when the buyer wasn't making regular payments.

And then there was the voice in the background earlier.

Who was that?

Seo-woo's grip on his phone tightened.

"I understand," he said slowly. "Just to confirm... who made the payments? Was it processed under my name?"

The girl hesitated.

"Yes... the payments were under your name."

That hesitation confirmed it.

Seo-woo's heartbeat quickened.

Someone had been paying off his debt in his name.

"Alright, thank you for the information," Seo-woo said, forcing his voice to remain calm. "I'll reach out again soon regarding the final payment."

"No problem! Take your time," the girl replied, almost too cheerfully.

Seo-woo ended the call and immediately slumped back into the couch, staring at the ceiling.

This wasn't normal.

Someone was helping him.

But why?

And who?

Before he could process everything, Seo-jun scooted closer and peered at him.

"Dad, you look shook."

Seo-jin nodded. "Yeah. Who was that girl? What did she say?"

Seo-woo took a deep breath, rubbing his temples. "Apparently... we only have 10 million won left to pay for the land."

"WHAT?!"

The triplets gasped in unison, their eyes nearly popping out.

Seo-min, the youngest, blinked. "But... didn't you say the land with a house was 30 million won?"

"I did."

Seo-jun narrowed his eyes. "Then how did you pay 20 million when we barely managed to gather 630,000 won for rent?"

"Exactly," Seo-woo muttered.

The triplets went silent, letting the realization sink in.

After a long pause, Seo-jin leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Dad... I think someone's helping you."

Seo-woo exhaled deeply. "Yeah... but the question is who?"

And why were they doing it in secret?

---

Kim Ha-ni let out a deep sigh as she ended the call. Her fingers clenched the phone tightly as she glared at the man lounging comfortably on the leather sofa across from her.

"Ryu Jung-woo."

The man—tall, sharp-featured, and undeniably handsome—didn't even flinch at her tone. Instead, he casually leaned back, one arm draped over the couch, his expression utterly unbothered.

"What?" he drawled, raising an eyebrow at her fiery gaze.

Ha-ni huffed, crossing her arms. "I swear, I was about to faint earlier! Seo-woo's not stupid—he knows something's off! I told you this would happen! You should just tell him already!"

Jung-woo's jaw tightened, but he maintained his composed demeanor.

"It's none of your business, Ha-ni." His voice was cool, and firm. "This is between me and hyung."

"Then why am I the one covering for you?!" Ha-ni shot back. "I had to lie just now because you refuse to tell him the truth!"

Jung-woo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Because I want to help him secretly."

That made Ha-ni pause.

"Why?" she asked, voice softer this time.

Jung-woo fell silent for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping against the sofa's armrest. His usual nonchalant attitude faded slightly as a distant look passed through his eyes.

"Because our relationship is complicated."

For the first time, there was a trace of guilt in his voice.

Ha-ni's expression shifted. She had worked for the Ryu family long enough to know that things between Seo-woo and his family weren't exactly peaceful.

Jung-woo let out a quiet breath, his voice almost nostalgic as he continued.

"Before he ran away from home to chase his dream, we used to fight. A lot. Over everything. Dad. School. Music. His so-called 'talent.' He always thought I was the 'perfect son'—the one who followed all of Dad's expectations. And maybe I was."

He gave a humorless chuckle.

"But after he left... the house became too quiet."

Ha-ni watched as Jung-woo's gaze dropped to the floor, his fingers clenching slightly.

"At first, I thought it was better that way. No more arguments. No more shouting."

His voice lowered.

"But then... I realized I missed it."

The silence stretched between them.

Ha-ni shifted uncomfortably. She had never heard Jung-woo talk like this before.

"Hyun-woo hyung and Ji-woo asked me to help him," Jung-woo admitted. "They knew he wouldn't accept our help if we told him outright, so we decided to do it from a distance."

Ha-ni frowned. "Even your dad?"

Jung-woo let out a short laugh.

"Even my dad."

She stiffened in shock. "Wait. The same dad who practically disowned him?!"

Jung-woo shook his head. "He never disowned him. He was furious, yeah, but he never actually let go of Seo-woo."

A bittersweet expression flickered across Jung-woo's face.

"Do you know what Dad does whenever Seo-woo performs on TV?"

Ha-ni shook her head.

Jung-woo chuckled softly.

"He secretly votes for him on music programs. And when Seo-woo had concerts, Dad always made sure someone bought tickets, even if he never attended."

Ha-ni blinked, completely speechless.

Jung-woo's voice softened even more.

"When we heard what happened to him... when we found out why he disappeared from the industry..." His jaw clenched. "Ji-woo was the first to investigate. She wanted to know who hurt him. Hyun-woo hyung wanted to bring him home immediately."

"And your dad?" Ha-ni asked hesitantly.

Jung-woo's expression darkened.

"Dad got sick because of it."

Ha-ni sucked in a breath.

"But he still won't reach out?" she asked.

Jung-woo shook his head.

"No. He's waiting."

"For what?"

Jung-woo leaned back against the couch, his face unreadable.

"For Seo-woo to come home on his own."

A silence hung between them.

Finally, Ha-ni sighed and rubbed her temples.

"You guys are so dramatic."

Jung-woo smirked slightly. "We're a Ryu family. What do you expect?"

She groaned. "Fine, fine. I won't tell him. But if he figures it out on his own, don't expect me to cover for you!"

Jung-woo chuckled, eyes glinting with amusement. "Noted."

But deep down, he knew—

Seo-woo was already suspicious.

And it was only a matter of time before he discovered the truth.