Chapter 65

For someone born in a Confucian country, Lee Ha-Eun sure had a sharp tongue.

‘Why’s she staring like that? It’s making me uncomfortable.’

Was there something on my face? The girl’s gaze was fixed on me.

"What are you looking at?"

Though my tone was curt, I tacked on a polite formality, attempting to soften it a bit.

"Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize I was staring so much..."

Finally realizing the situation, she quickly bowed her head.

Oh. I wasn’t really looking for an apology—I just wanted to know why she was staring.

But instead—

"What’s with his tone?"

"Ugh, must be another one of those guys who thinks looks are everything."

"Wait, isn’t that Lee Ha-Eun? The guy who painted Hollow Snow?"

The murmurs started, with people assuming I’d randomly come in to pick a fight.

‘...Not entirely wrong, I guess.’

I had come off a bit aggressive, after all. Not that it would change the situation.

Insults aimed at me didn’t faze me anymore. I’d heard them all before. They barely registered now.

"Oppa..."

Unlike me, Yoon-ah and Hong Ye-Hwa both looked worried.

I waved a hand to reassure them before turning back to the girl who had apologized.

"Let’s start over. I’m Lee Ha-Eun."

"Oh, um... I’m Lee Soo-Rin," she replied hesitantly.

Shy, huh? That worked in my favor. It meant we wouldn’t need to talk much. We could just acknowledge each other and move on.

"Actually... I’m a fan of yours. That’s why I was staring..."

"Ah."

Lee Soo-Rin fumbled through her bag and pulled out a small notebook and pen.

So she was staring because she was a fan. Fair enough.

I signed the paper she handed me and returned it to her.

Her face brightened instantly as she spoke again.

"I also watch your streams! I love your artwork—it’s always so beautiful and entertaining!"

Her speech sounded a bit off. Was she raised overseas or something?

"Uh... thanks," I replied awkwardly.

Her expression brightened even further at my words.

‘She’s... kind of fascinating.’

That was my impression of Lee Soo-Rin—a mysterious, almost indescribable presence.

Maybe it was the bloodline of Lee Ji-Cheol.

She was unlike anyone I’d met before, which left an impression.

Though she quieted down after that, her happiness was still evident.

"Wow, Rin unnie can smile like that?"

Yoon-ah, wide-eyed with curiosity, stared at Soo-Rin.

"She really did brighten up all of a sudden," added Hong Ye-Hwa, tidying her red hair.

Then both of their gazes shifted to me.

What now?

"Oppa, no more."

"Ha-Eun, don’t push it... okay?"

With their creepy, knowing looks directed at me, I could only nod quietly.

When they said something, it was usually best to just go along with it.

I didn’t have much of a choice.

"Ahem! Are you Lee Ha-Eun?"

One of the men at the table cleared his throat and addressed me.

‘Ugh... what a sleazy vibe.’

He was the kind of guy you instinctively wanted to avoid. The kind who exuded arrogance and used slick words.

He was also the same guy who’d been hitting on Yoon-ah and Hong Ye-Hwa earlier.

I gave him a lazy nod.

"You already heard, didn’t you?"

"...Your tone’s a bit short."

"You were the one who dropped the honorifics first."

Lee Ha-Eun had one core belief: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

If someone spoke casually to him, he’d do the same in return.

His face twisted in displeasure at my response.

"No need to show respect to someone beneath me."

"This is Korea, isn’t it? That’s odd—thought we didn’t have a monarchy or caste system here."

Society wasn’t supposed to work like this, yet people often measured others by wealth, creating an unofficial hierarchy.

The rich grew richer, and the poor fell further behind.

The haves and the have-nots.

"Honestly, it’s always the privileged ones who act the worst," I muttered under my breath.

He must’ve heard me, as he shot to his feet, trembling with anger.

I smirked at his reaction.

"What are you going to do, huh? Throw a tantrum? Hit me?"

"You little—!"

"Oppa!"

"Ha-Eun!"

And yet, there was one thing I wanted to say to guys like this.

The money they flaunted so proudly?

It wasn’t theirs. It was their parents’.

Wham!

"Aaaaah!"

"Goodness! He’s been drinking too much all evening!"

"I knew that guy was trouble!"

‘Ugh... That hurt like hell.’

A sharp pain shot through my left cheek where the punch had landed.

If only my body wasn’t so weak, I would’ve...

"Tch... damn it," I hissed.

"Oppa! Oh no, what do we do? Ye-Hwa unnie, get someone, quick!"

Yoon-ah and Hong Ye-Hwa panicked as they checked on me.

It all happened too fast for them to intervene.

‘Tsk. I provoked him, sure, but I didn’t think he’d actually throw a punch.’

I couldn’t believe someone would lose their temper over such a small jab.

‘Ugh... I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Did that mess with my head?’

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. My lip must’ve split.

As I covered my mouth with one hand—

"Hmph! How dare someone like you talk down to me?"

The guy who’d punched me sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Wasn’t education mandatory through middle school in this country? Why was his IQ this low?

Spit.

I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth, letting it drip down to stain my white shirt.

‘Great. Now my shirt’s ruined.’

I steadied myself, holding my throbbing head, and stood up.

"Think you can handle this?"

"Ha! Do you think I’m poor like you?"

"Forget it. Talking to you is a waste of time."

Every word out of his mouth made me feel dumber.

At least I knew I was richer than his parents.

The commotion had attracted the attention of the adults. Most of them looked irritated, but it wasn’t my problem.

"Mom! Dad!"

Yoon-ah called out as two familiar figures appeared through the crowd.

My mother, Mrs. Kang, and my father, Mr. Lee, had arrived.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let them through, and I couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘Wow. Dad, just how high up are you?’

Their faces had been slightly flushed earlier from drinking, but now they were ghostly pale.

They ran over immediately, their worried expressions soothing my irritation.

"Ha-Eun?! What happened here?"

Dad’s voice was filled with shock.

"Are you hurt?!"

My mother’s panicked cry barely left her lips before she was gasping for air, visibly shaken.

I couldn’t lift my head.

‘Why do I always end up worrying them?’

Sighing inwardly, I waved my hand to reassure her.

"I’m fine. Really, it’s just a little cut inside my mou—ugh!"

Before I could finish, Mom grabbed my chin and pried my mouth open.

"The smell of blood..."

Her trembling voice was filled with dread, and I couldn’t meet her eyes. I rolled my gaze elsewhere, avoiding the weight of her concern.

"Everyone, remain where you are."

Dad’s low, commanding tone echoed through the now-silent banquet hall.

He approached me, and I awkwardly attempted to greet him.

"Hewwo."

My words came out garbled, thanks to Mom still holding my jaw in place, but I hoped he got the message.

"It doesn’t matter why my son is here," he said evenly, his voice calm but cutting.

"What matters is that my son is hurt."

Dad’s gaze swept over me before he extended a hand.

Swoosh.

Warmth spread across my left cheek as his hand lightly brushed against it.

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, the pain I’d been ignoring flared up, stinging fiercely.

Dad flinched, withdrawing his hand immediately, his face clouded with guilt.

"Are you okay, Ha-Eun? Did that hurt a lot?!"

He anxiously inspected my face, his eyes darting with concern.

"It hurt a little, but I’m okay," I said, trying to brush it off. I resisted the urge to touch my burning cheek.

"Ha-Eun, here, use this," said Hong Ye-Hwa, appearing with an ice pack she’d fetched from somewhere.

Ssssss!

The cold pressed against my cheek sent a sharp jolt through me, but the pain gradually subsided.

"Haa... ahhh, that’s better."

Holding the ice pack in place, I finally looked around.

"Uh, sorry for the commotion," I said, bowing slightly.

No one responded.

‘Figures.’

I expected as much.

While my family and Hong Ye-Hwa fussed over me, I directed my attention to the source of the trouble—the man who’d hit me.

"Thanks, buddy," I said, my lips curling into a smirk. "Because of you, I get to go home early."

I stifled a laugh as I continued.

I opened my mouth wide, showing the cut inside for everyone to see.

"You see that? Pretty sure that qualifies as assault."

The man’s face twisted with realization.

"And you’re an adult, aren’t you? So your parents can’t even take the fall for this one."

I added with a pointed tone, "Also, no settlements. I’m richer than you, anyway."

The man’s expression froze, panic spreading across his face.

He must have realized how royally screwed he was.

It was inevitable the moment my father, Lee Sung-Hak, entered the scene.@@novelbin@@

Anyone familiar with this world would know who he was.

Watching the man pale to the color of a ghost made me chuckle.

"If you were born in a Confucian country, you should at least have some manners," I said, unable to resist the jab.

It was ironic coming from me, sure, but who cared?

"Confucius emphasized four virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. From these come the four beginnings. We’re born with them."

I paused dramatically, enjoying the attention of the now-wide-eyed crowd.

"But people lose those beginnings and seek education to regain them."

"That’s where the phrase ‘you’ve got no manners’ comes from—those four virtues. Or as they’re called in slang, ‘sa-ga-ji’ (four things)."

Silence fell over the room as people stared at me in confusion, clearly learning this for the first time.

‘Wait, how do you not know this?’

The man sputtered, trying to defend himself.

"I-I was just—"

"See you in court, friend."

With that, I stood up, still pressing the ice pack to my cheek.

Hong Ye-Hwa followed, sticking close to my family as we left. Uncle Hong trailed behind, shaking his head.

In moments like these, it was best to move swiftly and decisively.

As we exited, I locked eyes with Lee Soo-Rin for a moment.

I offered a small nod in acknowledgment before turning away.

Our path crossed with Lee Ji-Cheol, whose expression was unreadable, though his face seemed to tense slightly.

‘Well, that guy’s life is about to take a rough turn.’

I wasn’t going to stick around to see it unfold.

And honestly, if that man didn’t even know who my father was, he clearly hadn’t done his homework.

‘Then again, if he knew, he wouldn’t have acted like that in the first place.’