Chapter 46: Meeting the Original Seo-woo

[STATUS WINDOW UPDATED]

Name: Ryu Seo-woo

Age: 27

Health Status: Good

Financial Status: Debt Accumulated (additional personal loans outstanding)

Talent Skills:

· Singing: S+ (Activated)

· Parenting: S (Fixed)

· Cooking: B+ (Fixed)

· Charisma: S (Fixed)

· Composing: S- (Activated)

· Martial Arts: D-

Passive Skills:

· Father's Intuition: You can now instinctively tell when your children (or any kid near you) are up to no good.

· Negotiation Pro: Increased ability to resolve arguments with little kids before they escalate into full-blown tantrums.

Bonus Buff:

· Dad Jokes +5: Your lame jokes are now 5% funnier to children

---o---

The barbecue pool party was in full swing, and the lively chatter mixed with the sound of sizzling meat and splashing water from the children's swimming pool.

Seo-woo, skewer in one hand, suddenly remembered the "Dad Jokes +5" buff that the system gave him.

Seo-woo: "Alright, kids, listen up! What do you call a bear with no teeth?"

The children paused their water fight and turned to him, eyes wide with curiosity.

Eun-woo: "What, Uncle?"

Seo-woo grinned.

"A gummy bear!"

The surroundings fell silent for a second.

Then—

The little kids BURST into laughter.

Haneul clutched his stomach, giggling uncontrollably. Eun-woo's face turned red from laughing too hard. Even the triplets, who had been giving Haneul the death glare earlier, were now rolling on the poolside floor, laughing their little hearts out.

Meanwhile, the adults...

Eun-ha: (facepalm) 🤦‍♀️"This is a disaster."

Eun-soo: Pfft- (hiding her laughter)

Ji-woo: "Why is this working on the kids?"

[System No. 1276]: Dad Jokes +5 success rate: 100% (For children under 12). Fail rate: 100% (For adults over 18). 😂

Seo-woo smirked. "Perfect."

As the party ended before 2 p.m., the kids were exhausted from playing.

Seo-woo took his triplets upstairs and tucked them into bed. He gently hummed a lullaby, and one by one, they drifted off into deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Eun-ha asked Eun-soo to accompany Eun-woo and Haneul to rest in the guest room while she called Haneul's guardian.

Seo-woo checked his phone. A message from Min-ho appeared:

Min-ho: "Come to the company next week to officially sign the contract."

Seo-woo: "Okay."

Satisfied, Seo-woo put his phone away and fell asleep as well.

---

Inoue Ren was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.

It had been years since his research hit a dead end.

The detector—the one he painstakingly developed to identify compatible male reproductive subjects—hadn't blinked in six years.

Frustration clawed at him.

Just as he was about to drift into restless sleep, his phone rang.

The caller ID was unfamiliar.

Inoue Ren's heart pounded.

"Finally... a lead?"

He grabbed the phone immediately.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

The voice on the other end was soft, cautious... feminine.

"Dr. Inoue," the young woman said, "I have information about the man you were looking for."

Inoue Ren sat up straight.

"You mean the one from six years ago? That was a piece of irrelevant information. I knew hi—"

The woman interrupted him.

"It was Moon Woo-sung."

Inoue Ren's breath hitched.

"Moon Woo-sung? Wait, his name was Moon Woo-seok, not Moon Woo-sung. Are you kidding me?"

The woman continued.

"It was Moon Woo-seok's younger twin brother. He's been missing for four years. He fell off a cliff."

Inoue Ren's mind reeled.

"Missing?! Younger twin brother? I thought it was Moon Woo-seok. No wonder my detector didn't blink all this time."

So I was on the wrong path all time long.

Then, the woman dropped another bombshell.

"Moon Woo-sung... had a son."

A child?

A man with a natural-born son?

"Are you sure?" Inoue Ren said.

He became excited.

The young woman continued to say what information she had gathered.

"The boy's name is Haneul."

The moment she said that name, something clicked.

"Haneul?"

Wait... isn't that the boy he manipulated last time to ask him to bring some weird powder to Seo-woo?

Inoue Ren thought that Ryu Seo-woo was the one he kidnapped 6 years ago together with Moon Woo-sung. He wanted Ryu Seo-woo's downfall to easily kidnap him again, but when he saw Seo-woo inside a car while waiting for his package at the convenience store, his detector didn't blink. He checked if his detector was broken, but it didn't. It was weird.

And then, he realized something. He realized that Haneul boy said that his uncle was Woo-seok. His mind raced. And he thought that Ryu Seo-woo was not the partner of Moon Woo-sung. So who gave birth to his triplets? It became complicated.

"If Haneul is Woo-sung's son... then Woo-sung's partner must have been a man."

The moment that thought settled, Inoue Ren's blood ran cold.

"Tell me," Inoue Ren pressed, his voice sharp. "Was his partner a man or a woman?"

There was silence on the other end.

Then, the young woman's voice became muffled.

Words blurred into static.

Inoue Ren strained to listen, but all he could hear were garbled sounds.

"What the hell?! Speak up!"

The connection grew worse.

Then—

CLICK.

The call was cut off.

Inoue Ren's fingers tightened around the phone.

He immediately redialed the number.

No response.

He tried again.

Disconnected.

A sense of unease crawled up his spine.

"Someone doesn't want me to find out the truth."

For the first time in years, he felt genuine fear.

Was there someone else in the shadows—someone more powerful than him—manipulating events?

And if Haneul was really born from his experiment, then...

"Why does it feel like someone is one step ahead of me?"

His research was finally leading somewhere.

But someone—or something—was working against him.

And Inoue Ren hated being played.

Far away, in a dimly lit office, a person sat before multiple monitors.

One of the screens showed a call log.

The name "Dr. Inoue Ren" flashed, marked as intercepted and terminated.

The person leaned back, exhaling.

"We can't let him find out the truth."

Their gaze shifted to another screen, which displayed a photo of two figures: an adult and a baby.

Haneul and his birth mother.

"Haneul's biological mother must never know."

And with a final keystroke, they erased all traces of the call.

---

Ryu Seo-woo's consciousness stirred, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an endless abyss of darkness. The air was still, void of sound, yet there was an eerie sense of presence around him. In front of him stood a large, human-sized mirror, its ornate silver frame seemingly glowing against the pitch-black void.

Confused, he hesitantly stepped closer, expecting to see his own reflection. But the glass held something else entirely. It wasn't his reflection staring back at him—it was a room. A familiar one.

Seo-woo's breath hitched as he took in the surroundings inside the mirror. That was his room. The one from his past life. The bookshelves filled with neatly arranged novels, the slightly messy desk where he once spent countless nights writing, the soft glow of the lamp on the bedside table. Every little detail was the same.

"Why... why is my old room inside the mirror?" Seo-woo murmured, his fingers hovering just above the surface of the glass.

Before he could think further, the door inside the mirror creaked open. Seo-woo's heart pounded violently against his ribs as he saw the person stepping inside.

It was him.

The version of him from his past life.

Seo-woo gasped, his mind whirling in confusion. He took a step back, but as if sensing him, the figure inside the mirror turned his head and looked directly at the glass. Their eyes met—one filled with shock, the other with confusion.

And then, the man inside the mirror spoke.

"Ryu Seo-woo... is that you?"

His voice was gentle yet trembling as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Seo-woo's lips parted, but no words came out at first. He hesitated, his throat tightening. Was this real? Or was he dreaming? Slowly, almost instinctively, he whispered back:

"Yes..."

A small, knowing smile appeared on the man's lips.

"I see..." The man exhaled softly as if releasing a burden he had carried for too long. "So, you've made it this far."

The way he spoke, as if he had been waiting for this moment, sent a shiver down Seo-woo's spine.

Seo-woo swallowed hard, his voice cracking slightly as he asked, "Are you... the original Ryu Seo-woo in the novel?"

The man inside the mirror nodded. There was no hesitation.

Seo-woo felt something tighten in his chest. "You're okay..." he whispered, a mixture of relief and sadness washing over him. He had always wondered—had always feared—what happened to the original him after he had taken over this life. But seeing him now, alive and standing in front of him, made his emotions swirl chaotically.

The original Ryu Seo-woo inside the mirror chuckled lightly, but the sound was hollow. "I suppose I am. But..." His voice trailed off as his smile faltered, and suddenly, his shoulders trembled.

Seo-woo watched as the original Seo-woo clenched his fists, his breath becoming uneven. Then, to Seo-woo's shock, tears began to well up in the man's eyes.

The sight of it made Seo-woo's heartache.

The original Ryu Seo-woo tried to speak, but his voice broke. "I... I had everything. My career was soaring, my life was—was more than I could've ever dreamed of." He let out a shaky breath, struggling to keep his composure. "But none of it mattered in the end... because they were gone. I've regretted everything I've done."

His triplets. His family. The people he loved the most.

Seo-woo's hands curled into fists at his sides as he watched the original Seo-woo crumble before him. The pain in his voice was so raw, so real, that Seo-woo felt it echo deep within his soul.

"I'm sorry," the man in the mirror choked out, rubbing at his tear-streaked face as if ashamed of breaking down. "I'm so, so sorry."

Seo-woo's breath hitched. "Why are you apologizing?"

The man let out a soft, bitter chuckle. "Because I was weak and had a bad personality," he admitted. "Because I couldn't endure it. And in the end... I left everything behind." He looked up, his tear-filled eyes meeting Seo-woo's once more. "But you... You lived. Thank you for not giving up after my career was over."

Seo-woo's vision blurred. His heart was heavy with emotions he couldn't quite put into words. This wasn't just a meeting between past and present—it was a reckoning of everything that had been lost and gained.

Taking a deep breath, Seo-woo reached out toward the mirror, his fingertips pressing against the cold glass. "You didn't fail," he said firmly. "You endured for as long as you could. And even now, you're still here. Just use my body to pursue your dreams and change a bit of your bad temper so you can remain longer in the entertainment industry. I left my diary there; just read it for reference."

The man in the mirror stared at him, his expression unreadable. Then, after what felt like an eternity, his lips curled into the smallest of smiles—one filled with sorrow, but also, perhaps, a trace of relief.

"Thank you, and please take good care of my children and family as I failed to protect them," he whispered.

Seo-woo said and smiled, "I will. Please take good care of yourself."

And then, the mirror began to glow.

Ryu Seo-woo opened his eyes and realized it was already 4 p.m. He checked on his triplets and saw them kicking each other playfully while sleeping. Seo-woo just chuckled.

Seo-woo stretched his arms as he stepped downstairs, still feeling slightly dazed from his strange encounter in the mirror. His feet landed softly on the wooden floor, and as he reached the bottom, he spotted Haneul standing outside, enthusiastically waving at Eun-woo, who was about to leave.

The little boy's bright smile was infectious, his small hands flapping wildly as he called out, "See you tomorrow, Eun-woo!"

Eun-woo, ever the quiet one, simply gave a short nod before climbing into the waiting car. Seo-woo found himself smiling at the sight—Haneul's energy contrasted so much with Eun-woo's reserved nature, but somehow, they made it work.

He was just about to join them when a familiar voice called out, laced with confusion.

"Wait... Ryu Seo-woo?"

Seo-woo turned sharply and felt his entire body freeze. Standing just outside his house was none other than Woo-seok, his right arm in a cast and his expression a mixture of disbelief and sheer bewilderment.

Seo-woo blinked in surprise. "Oh, you've already been discharged?"

"Yeah, how do you know, but wait..." Woo-seok said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you live here?"

"Uh... yeah?" Seo-woo responded hesitantly. He gestured toward Haneul. "Haneul's classmate and best friend is my nephew."

Woo-seok's lips parted slightly as he processed the information. "What?"

Seo-woo could almost hear the gears turning in Woo-seok's head as he tried to piece everything together.

"What... What kind of ridiculous coincidence is this?" Woo-seok muttered under his breath.

Before either of them could react further, Haneul suddenly dashed toward Woo-seok and latched onto his thighs with an iron grip.

"Uncle!" Haneul's tiny voice was filled with excitement as he nuzzled against Woo-seok's leg. "I missed you!"

Woo-seok, despite his usual stoic demeanor, softened instantly. He placed his good hand on Haneul's head, ruffling his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You just saw me a few days ago."

"But I still missed you! I was so scared when I heard about your car accident," Haneul huffed, tightening his grip.

Seo-woo snorted at the sight of Woo-seok struggling to balance himself with only one working arm. Haneul had him locked in place like a tiny yet determined koala.

Woo-seok sighed, pretending to be exasperated. "Alright, alright. Let's go home now."

But just as he straightened up, his eyes drifted toward the second-floor balcony of the house.

And then... he froze.

Seo-woo followed his gaze and immediately knew what had caught Woo-seok's attention.

Standing there, lined up like tiny judges assessing a courtroom, were three identical little boys.

Seo-woo's triplets.

Three pairs of round eyes blinked down at Woo-seok in synchronized curiosity.

Woo-seok, still stunned, opened his mouth and closed it again. He recognized one of them—Seo-jun, whom he had met back in kindergarten. But the other two? It was his first time seeing them, yet they all looked exactly the same.

Seo-woo sighed, rubbing his temples. "You three. Come downstairs and say goodbye to Haneul properly."

The triplets exchanged glances before whispering among themselves.

"I told you he was his uncle," Seo-jun said in a hushed voice.

"Whoa, Haneul's uncle is the ex-boss of our father? That's weird," Seo-jin muttered.

"Oh no, he has an injury," Seo-min added with concern.

"Just come down already!" Seo-woo called out, shaking his head in amusement.

Reluctantly, the three boys marched downstairs like little soldiers. As soon as they reached the door, they turned to Haneul and gave him small bows.

"Goodbye, Haneul," Seo-jun said.

"Let's play next time," Seo-min added.

Haneul beamed. "Okay! I'll be stronger next time, so we can wrestle again in the pool!"

Woo-seok blinked. "Wait—what do you mean 'again'?"

The triplets immediately looked away, whistling innocently.

Seo-woo coughed into his fist. "Uh... don't worry about it."

Eun-woo, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke. "I'll see you tomorrow at kindergarten."

Haneul nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"

Woo-seok, still visibly overwhelmed by the number of identical children surrounding him, sighed in disbelief. He turned to Seo-woo, eyeing him up and down.

"So, let me get this straight," he began. "You... are from the Ryu family in Incheon."

Seo-woo nodded.

"And instead of inheriting whatever wealth your family has, you threw yourself into the brutal entertainment industry to become an idol?"

Seo-woo coughed. "Uh... yeah."

Woo-seok stared at him like he had just declared himself an alien from Mars. "What kind of person voluntarily chooses suffering when they could've just lived comfortably?"

Seo-woo gave him a sheepish grin. "I like music."

Woo-seok groaned, massaging his temples with his good hand. "I don't get you."

Seo-woo patted his shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay, you don't have to."

Woo-seok stared at him for a long moment before sighing in defeat.

Woo-seok said, "Thank you for taking good care of Haneul."

"You're welcome!" Seo-woo said with a smile.

Woo-seok and Haneul got into the car, and the driver immediately set off.

As they rode in silence, Woo-seok found himself deep in thought. For some reason, Seo-woo's new speaking voice felt strangely familiar.

Something about his voice, his presence...

"Bi-yong?"

For a split second, the name flashed in his mind, but he quickly shook it off.

"No... that's impossible. Seo-woo can't sing anymore."