Chapter 49: Hidden Debt

As Seo-woo and the triplets arrived home, they were greeted by Ryu Jung-woo, who stood in the living room with a pleased expression.

Behind him were three unfamiliar faces—two young women and a man—all dressed neatly and standing respectfully.

"Welcome back, hyung!" Jung-woo greeted cheerfully. "I took the liberty of hiring some help for you."

Seo-woo raised an eyebrow, glancing at the trio.

"Housekeepers?"

Jung-woo nodded. "Yep. I figured you'd need some assistance with the kids, cooking, and cleaning. Running a household alone isn't easy, especially when you have three little troublemakers running around." He chuckled.

The triplets pouted simultaneously, clearly offended at being called troublemakers.

"We're not troublemakers, Uncle!" Seo-min protested.

"We help Daddy!" Seo-jin added with a serious expression.

Jung-woo grinned, ruffling Seo-jun's hair playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But even superheroes need a team, right?"

Seo-woo, however, wasn't entirely convinced. He crossed his arms and turned to Jung-woo.

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't want people living in my house permanently."

Jung-woo tilted his head. "You don't trust them?"

"It's not about trust. It's about privacy." Seo-woo stated firmly.

Jung-woo thought for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, how about this? They'll work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and after that, they go home. You can even have your driver take them back to their homes at night."

Seo-woo considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"That works."

Jung-woo turned to the three housekeepers. "Understood?"

The three bowed in unison. "Yes, sir!"

Seo-woo then turned his attention to them, getting a proper look.

Kim Rae-na, a young woman in her mid-20s, had a gentle aura and a soft-spoken demeanor. Lee Hae-mi, a little younger, had a bright, energetic smile—she seemed like the type to keep the household lively. Oh Won-jin, the only male among them, appeared to be in his late 20s. He had sharp eyes and an unreadable expression.

As Seo-woo's gaze passed over Won-jin, he noticed that the young man was staring at him intensely.

Seo-woo narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, his tone calm but slightly sharp.

Oh Won-jin flinched, realizing he had been caught. His face paled slightly, and he quickly lowered his head.

"I-I apologize, sir. It's just... you look familiar," he stammered.

Seo-woo remained silent for a moment, observing the nervous reaction.

"Is that so?" he said coolly, before turning away.

The interaction wasn't long, but Jung-woo—who had been watching carefully—immediately stepped forward.

"Won-jin," he said in a low voice. "Be careful next time."

The young man swallowed hard and nodded. "I understand, sir. It won't happen again."

Jung-woo then turned back to the group and gave one final instruction.

"Clean the living room, do your tasks, but don't go upstairs."

The three housekeepers nodded before getting to work.

Seo-woo, without another word, guided his triplets upstairs.

Once inside the triplets' bedroom, Seo-woo checked the time—it was almost 5 p.m.

The day had been long and eventful—from shopping and playing to dealing with an unfortunate encounter with Madam Hwang.

His kids were clearly exhausted, their energy drained from all the excitement.

"Alright, boys," Seo-woo said, clapping his hands together. "Take a short nap. I'll wake you up when dinner's ready."

The triplets, now dressed in their new pajamas, nodded sleepily.

"Okay, Daddy..." Seo-min yawned, rubbing his drooping eyes.

Seo-jun and Seo-jin crawled onto their big bed, Seo-jin instantly clinging to Seo-jun like a koala.

Seo-woo smiled softly as he tucked them in.

"Rest well," he murmured, turning off the lights except for a small night lamp.

As he exited the room, he let out a deep breath and checked his system notifications.

System Notifications

✅ [Special Quest Completed: Shopping Spree]

Reward: A hidden truth about the original Seo-woo's mysterious debt.

✅ [Special Quest Completed: Teaching a Lesson to the Rude Woman and Her Brat!]

Reward: +25 in Martial Arts Mastery

Seo-woo sat on the edge of his bed, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his knee as he thought deeply about the debts left behind by the original Seo-woo.

"Just how much did he owe? And to whom?"

The idea of hidden financial burdens frustrated him, but he knew that ignoring them wouldn't make them disappear.

His head began to ache from overthinking, and just as he was about to let out a frustrated sigh, a window prompt appeared in front of him.

🔷 [System Notification] 🔷

⚠️ You have unlocked a Hidden Truth!

➡️ Would you like to know the full details of the original Ryu Seo-woo's remaining debt?

[ YES ] / [ NO ]

Seo-woo hesitated for a moment, then clenched his fists.

"Alright, let's see what kind of mess you left behind, Original Seo-woo."

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly in silent prayer, and clicked [YES].

The screen flickered before updating with new information.

The moment Seo-woo read the first line, his heart dropped.

📜 [Hidden Debt Record] 📜

Debt Holder: Oh Won-jung (Private Loan Shark)

Amount Borrowed: 850,000,000 KRW (2 months ago)

Interest Accrued: 12% per month

Time Left Until Deadline: 1 month

"850 million won..." He let out a slow exhale, rubbing his temples.

That was an astronomical amount. The kind of money that would take years to pay off unless you were filthy rich. But the real question wasn't just how much, but why?

"What the hell did the original Seo-woo need that much money for?"

He tried to recall anything from the original's memories, but there was nothing. No signs of a luxurious lifestyle, no hints of reckless spending. The original Seo-woo had been struggling, but not to the extent of borrowing from a loan shark.

"And why hasn't this Oh Won-jung come after me yet?"

A loan shark would usually hound their debtor relentlessly, sending threats, breaking into homes, or even resorting to violence. But in the past few months, there hadn't been a single phone call, message, or confrontation.

That's when a terrifying thought hit him like a ton of bricks.

"No way... He didn't lend me that money for financial gain, did he?"

Seo-woo's grip on the bedsheet tightened.

"What if he didn't want repayment in money... but in something else?"

The realization made his stomach twist uncomfortably.

Oh Won-jung hadn't forgotten about the debt. He was waiting.

For Seo-woo to come crawling to him.

For him to fail to pay in time.

For him to become his possession.

"Sick bastard," Seo-woo muttered under his breath, feeling a chill run down his spine.

---

Meanwhile, inside one of the guest bathrooms, Oh Won-jin, one of the newly hired housekeepers, stood leaning against the sink, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Hyung, I found him," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of running water.

On the other end of the line, a low chuckle echoed.

"So, my pretty debtor has been hiding in luxury, huh?"

Won-jin frowned. "Hyung, what the hell is your endgame? You haven't even tried to get your money back. I don't get it."

The voice on the other end was smooth, playful, and dangerous.

"Because, little brother, money isn't what I want from Ryu Seo-woo."

Won-jin stiffened. "What?"

The sound of fabric rustling and a chair creaking came through the phone before a deep, satisfied sigh followed.

"I let him borrow that money knowing he could never pay me back in time."

Won-jin's grip on his phone tightened.

"So you planned this from the start?"

"Of course," Won-jung admitted easily. "That's why I haven't sent my men after him. Because the debt isn't about money—it's about making him come to me."

Won-jin's stomach churned.

"Hyung... this is messed up."

Won-jung laughed, low and sultry.

"Oh, come on. I've always liked those who have a little fight in them. And Seo-woo? He's perfect."

Won-jin ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"You're delusional! You do realize he has connections now, right? He's not the same desperate singer who borrowed money months ago—he's practically royalty in the business world!"

"Mmm. I know," Won-jung replied lazily. "But that just makes it more exciting, doesn't it?"

Won-jin felt like tearing his hair out.

"You're going to get yourself killed. This isn't just some random guy anymore."

Won-jung chuckled again, but this time, it was darker.

"You really think I'd be scared of a few rich boys?"

Won-jin was about to argue when a knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"Won-jin?"

His breath caught in his throat.

Jung-woo's calm but firm voice came from the other side.

"What are you doing in there for so long?"

Won-jin panicked and quickly ended the call, shoving his phone into his pocket.

"S-Sorry, sir! I was just... fixing my uniform!"

There was a short silence before Jung-woo finally replied.

"Hurry up. You still have work to do."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

As Jung-woo's footsteps faded, Won-jin exhaled in relief.

"Damn it."

His hyung was playing a dangerous game. And this time, he wasn't sure if he could save him from it.

---

Far from the bustling mansion, in a dimly lit penthouse suite, a man sat shirtless on a leather couch, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

His toned back was exposed, and across it stretched a large, intricate tattoo of a majestic dragon, its serpentine body coiling elegantly down his spine.

The dragon's eyes gleamed like embers, almost as if the ink itself was alive.

Oh Won-jung swirled the amber liquid in his glass, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Ryu Seo-woo..." he murmured, his fingers lazily tracing the rim of the glass.

His gaze flickered to a photo on the table beside him—a past picture of Seo-woo, his once bright and confident eyes now replaced with a hardened glare.

"Even if you can't sing anymore, you're still mine."

He leaned back against the couch, the warm glow of the city skyline illuminating the mischief and hunger in his dark eyes.

"You just don't know it yet."

---

Seo-woo sat at the edge of his bed, his phone pressed tightly against his ear. His heart was still pounding from the earlier revelation, but he needed more answers. If the original Seo-woo had borrowed that massive amount of money, then there had to be a reason.

"Auntie Song, how are you?"

On the other end of the call, Auntie Song immediately answered, her familiar voice bringing a sense of warmth.

"Seo-woo! I was just about to call you!" she said, her voice light but tinged with frustration. "That useless ex-husband of mine is getting clingier by the day, trying to convince me to come back."

Seo-woo chuckled at her words, momentarily distracted. "You're still dealing with that mess, huh?"

"Mess is an understatement," she huffed. "But never mind that. How are my favorite triplets doing?"

"They're great. We just moved into a new house, actually," Seo-woo said, then smoothly shifted the topic. "Auntie, I wanted to ask you something. Do you... remember me withdrawing a large amount of money before?"

There was a brief pause.

"A large amount of money?" Auntie Song repeated, her tone shifting. "Why are you asking about that all of a sudden?"

Seo-woo hesitated for a second before lying smoothly. "I don't remember much... ever since the accident. Things have been a blur, and I just want to piece everything together."

Auntie Song inhaled sharply.

"So you really don't remember..."

Auntie Song's voice softened as she recalled that day.

"When I saw you a few months ago, you were different, Seo-woo."

Her words sent a chill down his spine.

"You looked... exhausted. As if you had already given up."

Seo-woo swallowed hard.

"You told me you were going to open insurance accounts for the triplets—things like financial security, investment growth, medical benefits... Everything to ensure they were taken care of."

Seo-woo's throat tightened.

"I remember asking you why you were suddenly doing this as if you were preparing for something. And you know what you told me?"

Auntie Song's voice trembled slightly as if the memory still haunted her.

"You said... 'If something happens to me, at least they won't suffer.'"

Seo-woo froze.

"What...?"

"You said it so casually, Seo-woo. As if you had already decided to disappear."

A sharp, suffocating weight pressed against his chest.

"Then you mentioned something even more ridiculous," Auntie Song continued. "You said you were going to act like a bad person so that the triplets would never need you or miss you when you were gone."

Seo-woo's vision blurred.

"Did I really... say that?"

"Yes," Auntie Song whispered. "I thought you had gone insane, but I could see it in your eyes... You had already made up your mind to leave them behind."

A tear slipped down Seo-woo's cheek, his hands trembling.

The original Seo-woo... had been planning to sacrifice himself.

"You coward," Seo-woo muttered under his breath, gripping the phone tightly. "You were willing to destroy yourself just so the kids would be okay?"

His mind raced.

The 850 million won wasn't for himself.

It was all for the triplets.

He had made sure they would never suffer, never have to rely on him. And then, he had planned to disappear, either by running away or... something even worse.

"Seo-woo?" Auntie Song's voice snapped him back to reality.

He exhaled shakily and quickly wiped his tears before responding.

"Auntie Song... Thank you. For always looking out for us."

"Of course, sweetheart," she said gently. "But what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Seo-woo took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Yeah. I just... realized how much I owe you. The kids miss you, you know? You should come to visit."

Auntie Song laughed warmly. "Of course! Tell my babies I'll be there soon."

As the call ended, Seo-woo leaned back against the headboard, his mind a mess of emotions.

"I'm not the original Ryu Seo-woo anymore," he whispered. "I won't make the same mistake he did."

But something wasn't right.

He furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

"Why don't I remember this from the original novel?"

Seo-woo had transmigrated into this body knowing the basic plot of the story—he had read and analyzed every event that happened to Ryu Seo-woo. However, the original novel did not mention this debt or even a loan shark.

"So this was never included?"

Seo-woo clenched his fists.

The author had written Ryu Seo-woo as a sub-villain—a character with an awful temper, prone to neglecting his children and ruining every good opportunity given to him. The original Ryu Seo-woo was meant to be despised, someone the readers wouldn't sympathize with.

But now... Seo-woo was discovering hidden truths that the novel never mentioned.

"Was the original Seo-woo really as bad as the novel claimed?"

Seo-woo exhaled sharply and pushed his thoughts aside and stood up to go downstairs to prepare dinner.