Chapter 3: A Painful Past

After dinner, Seo-woo leaned back in his chair, watching as the triplets finished their plates. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Hey, kids," he said, forcing a cheerful tone, "how about we go out for some midnight snacks? There's a convenience store nearby, right?"

The triplets exchanged glances.

"Midnight snacks?" Seo-jin raised an eyebrow. "You've got money for that?"

Seo-woo pulled out his wallet, his heart sinking at the sight of its contents: 20,000 Korean won. It wasn't much, and his debt of 600,000 Korean won—with 300,000 Korean won due monthly—loomed over him like a dark cloud. Still, he forced a smile.

"It's not a feast, but we'll figure something out. Let's go," he said.

The night air was cool as they strolled to the convenience store. The quiet streets were lit dimly by streetlights, their glow casting soft halos on the pavement. Seo-woo walked ahead, the boys trailing behind.

"Dad," Seo-jun called out, his voice cutting through the stillness.

Seo-woo turned, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

"Do you even know how bad our debt is?" Seo-jun asked, pulling out a small notepad from his pocket.

Seo-woo winced. "Uh... I have a rough idea. Why?"

Seo-jun sighed, flipping through the pages. "If we owe 600,000 won and the interest is 5% per month, that's 30,000 won added every month. But we negotiated with the landlord to pay him in two weeks with interest, so we need to pay him 630,000 won."

Seo-woo stared at him, a mixture of admiration and embarrassment flashing across his face. "You're... really good at math."

Seo-jun shrugged. "Somebody has to be."

Seo-woo smiled, patting the boy's shoulder. "Thanks for explaining, genius baby. We'll figure it out, alright?"

Inside the convenience store, Seo-woo carefully picked out snacks that wouldn't exceed his budget: a small bag of chips and a single soda. He glanced at the triplets, who were eyeing instant noodles and ice cream wistfully.

"We'll get more next time," Seo-woo promised.

Though his words were optimistic, guilt gnawed at him. I'm now their dad. I should be able to provide more than this. But I don't know how to be a parent.

As they walked back home, the now-familiar chime rang in Seo-woo's mind.

[QUEST COMPLETE]:

Go for a walk with your children.

Rewards: +5 Charisma, +5 Health Recovery

[STATUS WINDOW UPDATED]

Name: Ryu Seo-woo

Age: 27

Health Status: Slightly Improved (Malnutrition Decreasing)

Financial Status: Debt Accumulated (2 months rent overdue: need to pay within two weeks with interest, additional personal loans outstanding)

Talent Skills:

• Singing: S+ (Condition to Activate: Completing 50 quests) (2/50)

• Parenting: C+

• Cooking: C

• Charisma: B

Quests Available:

• Prepare a meal for your children (Reward: +10 Parenting, +5 Health Recovery) (Accomplished)

• Go for a walk with your children (Reward: +5 Charisma, +5 Health Recovery) (Accomplished)

Back at home, Seo-woo gathered the boys around their small, battered table.

"We need to talk," he began, his tone serious.

The triplets leaned in, their curiosity piqued.

"I don't want to sugarcoat it," Seo-woo continued. "We're in a tough spot financially, but that's going to change. Starting tomorrow, we'll figure out a way to earn money. Together."

"Earn money?" Seo-jin asked skeptically. "Like... a job?"

Seo-woo nodded. "Something like that. We'll brainstorm tomorrow. For now, let's focus on staying positive, okay?"

The boys exchanged unsure glances but nodded.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the city, Moon Woo-seok, the CEO of Seo-woo's entertainment company, sat behind a large desk in his sleek, minimalist office. The city lights reflected off the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a faint glow across the room.

He flipped through documents, his sharp eyes scanning the details. "Is the termination paperwork ready?" he asked without looking up.

His assistant, standing nearby, nodded. "Yes, sir. Ryu Seo-woo is scheduled to come tomorrow to sign the termination."

Woo-seok leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled. His expression remained unreadable, but his thoughts drifted to Seo-woo.

He remembered the younger man's vibrant performances, the way his voice captivated audiences. However, the memory was tainted by the image of Seo-woo sitting in the company's breakroom, sipping a bottle of some strange drink.

Woo-seok's frown deepened as the flashback played in his mind.

Seo-woo had been laughing with the staff when he suddenly choked, his hand flying to his throat. He coughed violently, his face contorted in pain. Moments later, he clutched his neck, his voice hoarse and barely audible.

The tests that followed revealed the devastating truth: his vocal cords had been irreparably damaged. Woo-seok's gaze hardened.

"Make sure the process is handled discreetly," he told his assistant.

"Yes, sir," the assistant replied, bowing before leaving the room.

Alone, Woo-seok closed his eyes briefly. Though he prided himself on his business acumen, the memory of Seo-woo's fall from grace left a bitter taste in his mouth. What a waste of talent.

Unbeknownst to either of them, their paths were destined to cross again in ways neither could foresee.

The triplets were sitting on the worn-out couch, quietly eating the snacks they had picked from the convenience store. Despite their father's attempts to connect with them, the atmosphere in their tiny rental home remained distant. Seo-jun, Seo-min, and Seo-jin occasionally exchanged whispers and glances, but their interactions with Seo-woo were strained, almost as if he were a stranger.

Seo-woo sat at the dining table, his hands clasped tightly, staring at his reflection in the darkened window. His heart ached at the invisible wall that had formed between him and the children—a wall built after years of the original Ryu Seo-woo's absence.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips. What kind of father is he? he thought. The kind who left his children behind to chase a dream... and failed miserably.

As the silence in the room grew heavier, memories began to resurface—pieces of the original Ryu Seo-woo's life that he had long buried, but now clawed their way back to the surface.

Flashback

Before Ryu Seo-woo had become a struggling singer, he had been the middle son of a wealthy businessman in Incheon. His father, strict and traditional, had wanted Seo-woo to follow in his footsteps and inherit the family business. But Seo-woo had dreams of his own.

"I want to sing, Father," he had said one evening at the dinner table, his voice trembling with determination. "I want to be on stage."

His father's thunderous voice echoed in his mind. "No son of mine will throw away his future for something as foolish as singing!"

But Seo-woo refused to back down. He packed his things and left for Seoul, determined to carve out a new life for himself. It wasn't easy—he had no money, no connections, and no plan. All he had was his voice and his dream.

That dream, however, took a dark turn one fateful night.

Seo-woo had been walking home after a late-night singing audition. He didn't notice the van that had been tailing him until it was too late. Rough hands grabbed him, a cloth pressed against his mouth, and everything faded to black.

When he woke up, he was in a dimly lit hotel room. His head throbbed, and his body felt heavy, as though weighed down by something unnatural.

The door creaked open, and a stranger stepped inside. The man was tall and well-built, his face shrouded in shadow. Seo-woo tried to move, to scream, but his body wouldn't obey him.

"We've been drugged," the man said coldly, his voice sending chills down Seo-woo's spine. "You won't be able to resist."

Seo-woo's vision blurred as the man approached him. He felt helpless, his body betraying him as the stranger's touch became invasive.

"Stop," Seo-woo tried to say, but the word came out as a whisper.

The stranger leaned in, his breath hot against Seo-woo's ear. "Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault."

The night passed in a haze, and Seo-woo was unable to fully comprehend the events unfolding around him. By morning, he woke up to find himself alone in bed. His clothes were scattered on the floor, and his body ached with unfamiliar pain.

Heart pounding, Seo-woo hastily dressed and fled the room, not daring to look back. He didn't even notice the man still asleep in the bed as he bolted out the door.

Two Weeks Later

Seo-woo had tried to move on, throwing himself into auditions and practice sessions, but his body felt different. He was nauseous, tired, and emotional. Then came the realization that changed everything: he was pregnant.

He couldn't believe what was happening to him. In this world, there was a 1% chance that a man could become pregnant, and five men were recorded as being able to bear children, making him the sixth. However, he can't reveal this to anyone, as it would ruin his dream.

The weight of that discovery broke him. He spent days locked inside his small rental house, crying until there were no tears left. He had no one to turn to, no one to help him—except for his elderly neighbor, an old woman,  who had always been kind to him.

"You're not alone," the old woman had said, holding Seo-woo's trembling hands. "I'll help you through this."

And she did. Over the next several months, she became his anchor, helping him prepare for the arrival of his children. When the triplets were born, Seo-woo named them Seo-jun, Seo-min, and Seo-jin. He vowed to be a good father to them, even if it meant sacrificing everything.

But as the months turned into years, the lure of his dream became too strong to resist. Seo-woo left his children in the care of the old woman and pursued his singing career. He told himself it was for their sake—that he wanted to give them a better life.

For a while, things seemed to be going well. Seo-woo's talent caught the attention of an entertainment company, and he was on his way to becoming a star. He seldomly went home. But his career came to an abrupt halt one night when he drank a bottle of water that had been tampered with.

The burning sensation in his throat had been immediate, followed by hoarseness that wouldn't go away. Doctors confirmed the worst: his vocal cords were damaged beyond repair.

His dream, the 4-year hardship and fame, shattered, Seo-woo returned to his rental house, only to find his children distant and cold. They barely remembered him, and the bond they once shared had been replaced by resentment.

Back to the Present

Seo-woo blinked, pulling himself out of his thoughts. The triplets were now asleep, their small bodies huddled together on the couch. He remembered that the original Ryu Seo-woo didn't take his children out because he was afraid the media would find out.

He walked over to them, carefully draping a blanket over their sleeping forms.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'll make it right for you as your new father. I promise."

As he turned off the lights, a small notification appeared in the corner of his vision.

NEW QUEST AVAILABLE:

• Rebuild trust with your children.

(Reward: +10 Parenting, +10 Charisma, +5 Health Recovery)

DEADLINE: None

Unbeknownst to Seo-woo, the threads of his past and present were about to intertwine in ways he couldn't imagine. In a high-rise office, Moon Woo-seok was preparing to sever the final tie to Seo-woo's singing career.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.