Chapter 26: The Trending Post

Seo-woo paced back and forth in the living room, his mind already juggling multiple things at once. The system had proven to be eerily accurate once again. Lighthouse's first performance was adjusted to a new time—4:00 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m. due to scheduling conflicts with other K-pop artists. That meant Seo-woo would be able to attend both the performance and his children's talent show.

"Thank goodness for that," he muttered to himself, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. But even with the solution in sight, he couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.

Seo-woo took a deep breath and walked into the living room, where his triplets were sitting quietly. Their faces were still a little downcast, and Seo-woo's heart clenched.

"I have some news for you, my little stars," Seo-woo began, smiling softly at them. "I've talked to Auntie Song, and she's going to help you all get ready for the talent show. I'll be there with you as soon as I finish something important, okay?"

Seo-jun's brows furrowed. "But, Dad, you'll be there, right? Before we go on stage?"

Seo-woo knelt down in front of them, making sure to meet their eyes. "I promise, Seo-jun. I'll be there before your performance starts, and I'll be right by your side as soon as I can. It's going to be so much fun. You'll see."

Seo-min and Seo-jin nodded, their faces still tinged with sadness. Seo-woo's heart cracked at the sight, but he knew this was what needed to be done. He kissed the tops of their heads.

"I'll make sure it's all worth it," he whispered.

Seo-jun gave him a hesitant smile. "Okay, Dad."

"I'll be back before you know it," Seo-woo promised, his voice gentle but firm.

Seo-woo watched them as they went back to preparing their props for the skit. Auntie Song, who had been a second mother to them for years, would be there to help. But still, Seo-woo couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that weighed on his chest. His children meant the world to him, and the last thing he wanted was to let them down.

The sound of their laughter as they rehearsed their skits brought him back to the present.

"You're the fairy, Dad!" Seo-jin declared with excitement, holding up a shimmering blue cape he had made out of old fabric. "And I'm the dragon!"

Seo-woo chuckled. "I'll play the fairy, but I expect that dragon to be fearsome!"

Seo-jun, always the planner, stood next to his brothers with a clipboard. "We'll need to do a quick run-through of the skit again," he said, his tone serious. "We want it to be perfect."

Seo-woo nodded, smiling at how much care his children were putting into their performance. They were so much like him—determined and dedicated, always striving for excellence, even in something as lighthearted as a talent show.

They began to run through their little skit. Seo-jun led the way, his role as the "director" showing his growing maturity. Seo-min acted as the fairy's trusted companion, while Seo-jin was the fierce dragon who needed to be tamed. They giggled and exchanged playful lines, their spirits lifting as they performed.

"No, no, no! The fairy must wave their wand like this!" Seo-min said, waving her hand dramatically in the air.

"Ha! You cannot defeat me!" Seo-jin growled, pretending to blow fire.

Seo-woo laughed along, clapping his hands. "I think you've got it, kids! Perfect! You're all going to be stars tomorrow."

While they practiced, Seo-woo's phone buzzed on the counter. He walked over and checked that Hye-sung messaged him that his assistant would come to pick Seo-woo up, and then replied. He wanted to add some background music to their skit, so he searched over the internet, but he was distracted for a moment, his attention now divided. He glanced at the screen and saw an intriguing post that caught his eye. It was a trending photo of two men embracing—one of them unmistakably was Moon Woo-seok, and the other... Jin Yu-jin.

Seo-woo narrowed his eyes. So, they're not hiding their relationship anymore, huh?

He wasn't surprised. Given their history and the drama surrounding their rivalry, it was only a matter of time before something like this would leak to the public. But for some reason, the sight of the two men together didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

His thoughts quickly shifted. What matters now is my children.

He read through the comments on the post to pass the time. Some were supportive, others were accusatory, but all of them were speculating about the nature of their relationship. People could say what they wanted. To Seo-woo, it didn't matter. He knew what he had with his children—nothing could break that bond.

And Yu-jin...

Seo-woo shook his head. Yu-jin will never be a threat.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he thought of the fire accident and the past that had haunted him. His gaze shifted to his children, now practicing their final lines for the skit, and a sense of reassurance washed over him. The past wouldn't repeat itself. Not on his watch.

He turned back to the screen, checking the time. His children needed him. It was time to focus on them.

"Okay, my little actors, let's wash up and go to bed early."

---

Moon Woo-seok's hands tightened into fists as he stared at the glowing screen of his tablet. The post, the photos, the comments—it all made his blood boil. He felt a surge of anger that almost made him want to throw the device across the room. But he knew he couldn't afford to lose control. Not now.

His heart raced, his mind clouded with a mix of frustration and protective instinct. How could he be so reckless? The images of Jin Yu-jin and his embrace with him were all over the internet, and the comment sections were a storm of judgments and speculations. Some are cruel, others are mocking—none of them understand the complexity of their relationship.

Moon Woo-seok slammed his fist against the desk in frustration. The last thing he wanted was for their personal lives to become fodder for the gossip mill. He wasn't the type to react impulsively, but this was different.

He grabbed his phone and called his assistant. The moment the call connected, he didn't waste any time. "I need you to contact the IT department immediately," he ordered, his voice cold and firm. "Tell them to remove every trace of those damn photos. I want them off the internet—now. And find out who those paparazzi are. They'll pay for this."

His assistant's voice trembled slightly, but he acknowledged the order quickly. "Understood, sir."

As soon as the call ended, Woo-seok took a deep breath, trying to reign in his anger. The last thing he needed was to make a rash decision that he would regret. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the music to fill the silence.

He played the song—Bi-yong's haunting voice echoing through the speakers. The soft melody settled his nerves, though a new wave of confusion washed over him. He muttered Bi-yong's name under his breath.

"Bi-yong..."

He hadn't met him yet, but the memory of hearing him sing still lingered vividly in his mind. It had been a quiet day when he first stumbled upon the young man performing in a local park. Bi-yong's voice had been something else—raw, so emotionally charged that it stopped Woo-seok in his tracks. It wasn't like any performance he had heard before. The moment their eyes had met from across the distance, there had been an unspoken connection—a feeling that Woo-seok couldn't quite place.

But the strangest part was how Bi-yong had made him feel. There was something magnetic about the young man, something that made Woo-seok feel drawn to him, even though they had never spoken. He had felt an urge to know more, to understand who this person was and why he had such an effect on him.

However, he knew that it was a feeling that couldn't just be dismissed. Bi-yong was someone who could easily slip through his grasp, and Woo-seok had no idea when or where they might meet again. All he knew was that the next time their paths crossed, he needed to be ready.

As the song played on, Woo-seok's thoughts turned more inward. His fingers drummed against the desk in frustration. He was dealing with his own tangled emotions and now this situation with Yu-jin, but his curiosity about Bi-yong remained.

"One day, I'll meet you," Woo-seok whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "And when that happens, I'll find out just what it is about you that's stirring something inside me."

The song continued to play in the background, as the words seemed to echo in his mind, reminding him of the mystery that Bi-yong had become in his life. The answers he needed were out there—but he couldn't shake the feeling that this would lead him down a path he wasn't quite prepared for.

The feeling of something more-something deeper—gnawed at him, and for the first time, Moon Woo-seok wasn't sure if he was ready to face the consequences of uncovering what lay beneath it all.

---

[STATUS WINDOW UPDATED]

Name: Ryu Seo-woo

Age: 27

Health Status: Good

Financial Status: Debt Accumulated (House loan: 7 million won; additional personal loans outstanding)

Talent Skills:

· Singing: S+ (Activated) (The host activated this before their practice for the talent show. The system gave him lots of daily quests.)

· Parenting: A+

· Cooking: B+ (Fixed)

· Charisma: S (Fixed)

· Composing: S-

Special Quest:

· Attend both the parent-child talent show and Lighthouse's first performance at Everyday's Music

---o---

"Little Theatre"

Original Ryu Seo-woo: "Did you not hear me singing? So biased"

Moon Woo-seok: "I just didn't like you. Every time I saw you, my blood would suddenly boil."

Ryu Seo-woo: "Ohh don't worry, OG Ryu Seo-woo! I will avenge you."

Moon Woo-seok: "Noooo... Please, my wife..."