Chapter 38: New Home, New Beginning

Choi Min-ho walked briskly down the long hallway, his polished shoes clicking against the marble floor as he headed toward Moon Woo-seok's office.

Just as he reached for the door, a voice called out from behind him.

"Min-ho-ssi, wait a moment."

He frowned. Jin Yu-jin.

With barely concealed irritation, Min-ho turned to see the infamous Jin Yu-jin approaching him with a sly smirk.

Yu-jin always had a way of getting under his skin, and today seemed no different.

"What do you want?" Min-ho asked flatly.

Yu-jin stepped closer, his strong perfume filling the air.

Min-ho grimaced, covering his nose.

"For god's sake, Yu-jin. How much perfume did you drown yourself in?" He waved his hand in front of his face dramatically. "It smells like you tried to seduce an entire department store."

Yu-jin narrowed his eyes but kept his composure. "Don't flatter yourself. You're not my type."

Min-ho scoffed. "Like I'd ever want to be."

Ignoring the comment, Yu-jin pulled a small photo from his pocket and held it up between two fingers.

Min-ho's gaze flickered to the image.

It was a candid shot of him hugging a young man in Bali, Indonesia.

Min-ho's expression remained unreadable. He remembered the moment clearly—the young man had thrown himself at him, begging to be his sponsor.

Without missing a beat, Min-ho smirked. "Well, well, well. I must say, I look quite dashing in that photo."

Yu-jin's lips curled into a frown. "You're not worried?"

Min-ho tilted his head, feigning curiosity. "Should I be?"

Yu-jin stepped closer, his voice lowering. "If this picture gets out, your reputation—"

"What reputation?" Min-ho cut in with a chuckle. "The one where I'm already labeled as a cold-hearted bastard?"

Yu-jin gritted his teeth. "You'll regret this, Choi Min-ho."

Min-ho rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, continuing toward the office. But before he could push the door open—

Yu-jin suddenly sprinted ahead and barged inside.

Min-ho stopped mid-step. "What in the—"

Through the open doorway, Min-ho stared in disbelief as Yu-jin dramatically flung himself onto Moon Woo-seok, clinging onto his arm.

"Woo-seok-ah! This meanie Min-ho is bullying me!" Yu-jin whined, batting his eyelashes.

Min-ho blinked. Twice.

Then, his face contorted in pure disgust.

"Are you kidding me?" he muttered under his breath.

Woo-seok, seated behind his desk, let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

But then, to Min-ho's complete shock, Woo-seok calmly said,

"Min-ho, stop picking on Yu-jin."

Min-ho's eyes widened.

"Excuse me?"

Yu-jin grinned triumphantly and wrapped both arms around Woo-seok's arm.

"We're lovers now."

Silence.

Min-ho's expression was unreadable. Then, suddenly—

He burst into laughter.

"Oh, this is rich! You? Lovers?!" Min-ho clutched his stomach. "Woo-seok, you must be under some kind of spell!"

Woo-seok remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Min-ho squinted at him. Something was off.

His sharp instincts kicked in—was Yu-jin holding something over Woo-seok?

Before he could press further, Min-ho's phone buzzed loudly.

He glanced at the screen.

Unknown number.

Curious, he answered.

Before the caller could even speak, Min-ho's eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Bi-yong!" he said loudly, making sure Woo-seok and Yu-jin heard it.

From the corner of his eye, Woo-seok flinched.

Min-ho smirked. Gotcha.

"Ah, Bi-yong, it's been a while," Min-ho continued, pretending to sound excited. "You want to meet at a restaurant? How delightful!"

A confused voice crackled on the other end.

"Huh? I never said that—"

Min-ho quickly cut the call, grinning devilishly.

He turned to Woo-seok, whose knuckles had gone white.

Interesting.

"Well," Min-ho said smoothly, "I should get going. I have an old friend to meet."

And with that, he walked out, leaving behind a very tense room.

---

Seo-woo furrowed his brows, remembering Choi Min-ho's nonsense.

"What does he mean by that?"

Just as he was about to ponder further, another notification popped up.

Min-ho: How did you get my number?

Seo-woo tilted his head.

Seo-woo: Hye-sung gave it to me. I told you before that you could get my number from Hye-sung, but you didn't so I asked Hye-sung. And I needed to ask you something.

Min-ho's reply was almost instant.

Min-ho: Let's not talk over the phone. I'll reserve a private room at a restaurant. Be there at 4 p.m. I'll send the location.

Seo-woo sighed but agreed.

Seo-woo: Fine. Just message me the place.

Before he could dwell on the upcoming meeting, the sound of quick footsteps and excited giggles echoed through the house.

"Dad!!"

The triplets burst into the room, their eyes wide with amazement.

Flashback

After the long journey, the triplets had slept through the night.

But when they woke up—chaos.

Seo-min sat up first, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Huh? Where am I?"

Seo-jin shot up and looked around, panicking. "Did we get kidnapped?!"

Seo-min gasped, clutching his blanket. "Did the bad guys take us?!"

Seo-jun, still lying down, groaned and rolled his eyes. "No, dummies. This is our new house."

The two younger ones blinked.

Seo-min tilted his head. "...For real?"

Seo-jun sat up, adjusting his glasses. "Yes. Dad told us, remember?"

Seo-jin threw off his blanket and sprinted toward the door. "I need to see Dad!"

Seo-min quickly followed.

The two younger boys raced out of the room and peered down the staircase.

Downstairs, they saw their father sitting with Auntie Jiji with her assistant.

Without hesitation, they charged down the stairs.

"DAD!"

Seo-woo looked up just in time to see them running at full speed. His eyes widened.

"Yah! Don't run on the stairs! You'll—"

Too late.

Seo-min tripped.

Seo-jin tried to catch him.

Both tumbled forward—

THUD.

Seo-woo sighed, shaking his head as he walked over to check on them. "What did I just say? Oh god, it's a good thing you only fell on the last step of the stairs."

Seo-min sat up, rubbing his knee. "It's okay, Dad. The floor is soft."

Seo-jin groaned. "No, it's not!"

Seo-jun finally arrived, walking down the stairs properly like a responsible child.

He sighed at his brothers and adjusted his glasses. "And that's why you listen to Dad."

Seo-woo chuckled, lifting them both up. "Alright, let's eat dinner. We have a lot of cleaning to do tomorrow."

The triplets cheered.

Back to the Present

As they settled into their new home, Seo-woo couldn't help but smile.

For the first time in a long time—things finally felt right.

Seo-min spun around dramatically. "Appa, is this really our new house?! It's soooo big!"

Seo-jin gasped, his tiny hands gripping his older brother's sleeve. "It looks like a palace!"

Seo-jun, the most composed, adjusted his little glasses and nodded. "The architecture is impressive. Who designed it?"

Seo-woo chuckled at his eldest son's mature way of speaking. "Ask your Uncle Jungie. He arranged everything."

The triplets blinked and turned their heads in unison.

There, standing near the entrance, was Jung-woo and a young woman.

The woman, dressed in a neat white blouse and jeans, smiled warmly. "Nice to finally meet you, Seo-woo-ssi."

Seo-woo nodded in recognition. "Ha-ni, right? Thank you for handling everything."

Ha-ni waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing! I'm glad you and your kids like the house."

Before Jung-woo could speak, Seo-woo suddenly threw a light punch at his brother's arm.

"Ow! Hyung!" Jung-woo rubbed his arm, looking betrayed. "What was that for?!"

"For handling things behind my back," Seo-woo said with a small smirk. "I'll pay you for this house."

Jung-woo immediately frowned. "Hyung, no—"

"I'm not arguing," Seo-woo cut him off. "I'll handle the payments myself."

Jung-woo groaned but knew better than to push the issue further.

As Seo-woo and the triplets moved from room to room, the reality of their new home began to sink in.

The house was massive, almost like a modern yet cozy mansion.

The living room had high ceilings with elegant wooden beams, a grand chandelier, and floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed natural light to pour in. Plush sofas, soft carpets, and a large TV mounted on the wall made it the perfect spot for family movie nights.

The kitchen was a dream—sleek white marble countertops, high-end appliances, and a spacious island in the center. The triplets' eyes lit up at the sight of the double-door refrigerator.

Seo-min gasped dramatically. "Dad! This fridge is taller than me!"

Seo-jin opened the pantry and let out a squeal. "We have so much space for snacks!"

Seo-jun examined the cabinets, nodding approvingly. "Everything is well-organized. Good."

Upstairs, the bedrooms were large and cozy.

The triplets' room was filled with three identical beds, decorated with their favorite colors. A huge window overlooked the beautiful garden outside.

Seo-min flopped onto his bed. "It's so soft! I feel like a prince!"

Seo-jin climbed onto his bed and jumped. "Boing! Boing! We can have pillow fights here!"

Seo-jun just sighed, pushing up his glasses. "Don't break the bed on the first day, you two."

The master bedroom was even more breathtaking—a king-sized bed, a walk-in closet, and a private balcony. Seo-woo stood in the middle of the room, feeling a mixture of relief and disbelief.

"This is our new home now..."

---

Seo-woo adjusted his jacket and exhaled.

"I need to head out and meet an acquaintance," he informed Ji-woo and Jung-woo, who were lounging in the living room.

Ji-woo glanced up from her phone. "An acquaintance? At this hour?"

Jung-woo raised an eyebrow. "Sounds suspicious."

Seo-woo rolled his eyes. "It's not. It's just a meeting. Anyway, are you two busy? Can you watch the kids while I'm gone?"

Ji-woo put her phone down and stretched lazily. "I was supposed to have a meeting, but I can switch it to online."

Jung-woo shrugged. "Same here. We got it covered, hyung."

Relieved, Seo-woo nodded. "Thanks. I won't be long."

Just as he was about to leave, Jung-woo suddenly clapped his hands together. "Oh, right! Almost forgot—Hyun-woo hyung is coming tonight to see you."

Seo-woo froze mid-step.

For a second, he didn't respond.

The name Hyun-woo stirred unfamiliar emotions in him.

In the original Ryu Seo-woo's memories, Hyun-woo had always been a distant figure. They were brothers by blood but strangers by interaction. Seo-woo, with his bad temper and reclusive nature, never actively tried to bond with his older brother.

"How do I even act around him?"

Still, he forced a nod. "Okay."

Ji-woo hesitated, fidgeting slightly. "Hyun-woo's bringing his wife and kids, too."

Seo-woo just hummed in acknowledgment, mentally preparing himself.

But then—

Ji-woo cleared her throat awkwardly. "Also... our stubborn father will be coming as well."

Seo-woo flinched.

His body instinctively tensed, fingers curling into fists.

"The old man is coming?"

He didn't say anything for a moment.

Avoiding his father was pointless. The man was stubborn as a mule and would hunt him down eventually.

So, Seo-woo took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Fine."

Ji-woo and Jung-woo exchanged glances but said nothing.

The tension in the air was noticeable.

Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, Seo-woo turned to the triplets.

The three kids had been eavesdropping behind the couch.

Seo-woo sighed but smiled, crouching down. "Dad needs to go for a bit, but I'll be back soon, okay?"

Seo-min pouted. "Why are you leaving?"

Seo-jin crossed his arms. "You just took us to a new house, and now you're going out?"

Seo-jun sighed dramatically. "At least tell us where you're going."

Seo-woo chuckled. "Just a meeting with someone. Nothing dangerous."

He pulled them into a quick hug and kissed their foreheads. "Be good for your aunt and uncle, alright?"

The triplets nodded, though they still looked a little disappointed.

As Seo-woo stood up, he rolled his shoulders and prepared himself.

Between meeting Min-ho, seeing Hyun-woo, and facing his father tonight...

It was going to be a long day.

---

At Starlight Entertainment, the atmosphere inside the executive office was eerily silent.

Moon Woo-seok sat leaning back in his leather chair, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the desk. His sharp eyes remained glued to his phone screen as he waited for an update.

His phone rang.

Woo-seok picked up the phone and pressed it against his ear. "Did you find out where they're meeting?"

His assistant's voice came through immediately. "Yes, sir. They'll be at a private restaurant downtown. I've sent the exact location to your phone."

Ping! A message notification appeared on his screen.

Woo-seok barely acknowledged it as he ended the call without another word.

Just as he was about to rise from his seat, his phone rang again.

His brows furrowed.

The caller ID displayed an unfamiliar number, but Woo-seok immediately recognized it—it was one of his hired investigators.

Without hesitation, he answered. "Talk."

A low, hushed voice came from the other end. "Jin Yu-jin is meeting with an old man. From what I've gathered, this man... knows you."

Woo-seok's eyes darkened. "Who is he?"

The investigator responded, "Still looking into it. But judging by their conversation, this man has personal knowledge of your past. You should be careful."

Woo-seok gritted his teeth. His mind raced through possibilities, but nothing clicked.

"Keep an eye on them and report back immediately," he ordered.

"Understood." The investigator hung up.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Woo-seok's head.

He winced, pressing his fingers against his temple. His vision blurred for a second before clearing again.

Damn it.

He pushed himself up from his chair, straightening his jacket.

His assistant's message was still glowing on his screen—the location of the restaurant where Bi-yong and Min-ho would meet.

Woo-seok's jaw tightened.

Without wasting another second, he stormed out of his office.