Chapter 51: ANOTHER SECRET
"BAEKYA, I have big news," Wonyoung said excitedly when he entered An Baekya’s room. The kid was just sitting on the bed while reading a book. "Don’t be shocked, okay?"
An Baekya closed the book and put it on the bedside table. "What is it, Appa?"
Wonyoung sat on the edge of the bed before sharing the news with the kid: "My cousin works as a proofreader in a publishing company. She’s working on this novel called ’Unchained.’ And guess what? The main character is a child actor named ’An Baekya.’ You know what’s the most mind-blowing part? The main character has the same background as you! Apparently, the ’An Baekya’ in the novel was also an abused child, and his greedy relatives stole his mother’s life insurance."
An Baekya had a lukewarm reaction to Wonyoung’s ’bomb.’
This kid is smart, so I’m sure he already knows what I’m trying to say. Do I need to spell it out for him?
"Appa, we also have the same life story."
Oh, that was right.
"You were also abused and stolen from by your guardians," An Baekya said calmly. "Plus, my name is common. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, Appa."
"Well, Gayoungie said she hasn’t finished the novel yet. But, apparently, the story follows the main character’s journey as a child actor. According to my cousin, the An Baekya in that story is being exploited by his aunt. Isn’t that the same as your past?"
"Yes, it’s the same."
Wonyoung waited for An Baekya to say more.
But that didn’t happen as the child just kept his mouth shut.
Huh?
That’s it?
"Baekya, this is huge. You’re smart, so I don’t know why I need to spell this out for you. But if that novel is actually something similar to ’Chained to You,’ then it must have something to do with how this whole thing happened. Like you regressing and me, well, going back in time?"
"I understand your concern, Appa. But, to be honest, I don’t care whether that novel called ’Unchained’ is related to the phenomenon that brought us back in this time frame or not," An Baekya said bluntly. "Like I said before, I don’t care how we got to this point. I only care about staying in this world to change my life. To do that, I need to work hard and earn 100 billion won. I don’t want to return to the old timeline, so I just want to focus on the present."
Oh, right.
The second chance that An Baekya received didn’t come for free.
He needs 100 billion won to stay here.
"I’m not interested in whoever wrote ’Unchained,’ and if the story is really about my past life," An Baekya continued calmly. "But I won’t stop you from investigating the novel, Appa."
Hmm?
But if An Baekya isn’t interested, do I really need to investigate the matter?
To be fair, Wonyoung was curious.
Not about the story, but...
"I want to meet the writer of that novel, Baekya."
"Go ahead, Appa," An Baekya said while nodding. "I wish you meet that person as soon as possible."
Wonyoung smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Baekya."
***
"SYSTEM, are you fucking stupid?" An Baekya asked in a low voice while glaring at the old book with blank pages. "Why does ’Unchained’ still exist in this world physically?"
Soon, the blank pages bled with words.
[We’re sorry about that, child.
Bae Wonyoung woke up earlier than expected, so the ’clean up’ was rushed. As a result, we did a sloppy job of closing the ’door.’
But, rest assured, the thing about ’Unchained’ has been taken care of already.]
Haaah.
"I’m not the only one who’s going to be in trouble if Appa finds his System," An Baekya whispered, sighing while shaking his head. "Let’s be extra careful from now on, okay?"
***
2AM.
Yun Dujun.
Phone call.
Haaah.
This sunbae really calls whenever he wants, huh?
Fortunately, Wonyoung wasn’t asleep yet since he was busy binge-watching Yun Dujun’s old dramas.
He paused the TV first before answering the call.
"Sunbae-nim, it’s not polite to call during an ungodly hour like this unless it’s an emergency."
"Did I wake you up, Hoobae-nim?"
"No, but it’s still rude. You could have sent a message first."
"Alright, I’ll keep that in mind."
"Why did you call, Sunbae-nim? Is there a problem?"
"I just called to let you know I’m picking you up this weekend. We can move into my new house by then."
"Sunbae-nim, you could have just sent me a text."
"Well, I want to hear your voice, Hoobae-nim."
Wonyoung almost choked on his saliva.
And, whether he liked to admit it or not, hearing those words from Song Sihyuk actually gave him butterflies in the stomach.
"W-What do you mean by that, Sunbae-nim?"
"Daddy, who are you talking to?"
Oh.
It was Yun Yuhyun’s voice.
"Sunbae-nim, why is Yuhyun still awake?"
"I was probably being noisy."
Oh.
That meant Yun Dujun was in the same room as Yun Yuhyun.
Wonyoung was pleased to know that the two were spending time together.
"Yuhyun-ah, I’m talking to your papa. Do you want to talk to him?"
Only silence followed suit.
"Ah, Yuhyun has fallen asleep already."
"I’m glad to know that the two of you are together, Sunbae-nim."
"We’re actually at our new house. Yuhyun isn’t used to his new bedroom yet, so he insisted on sleeping together."
Ah, so that was why.
"Then let’s end this call, Sunbae-nim. We don’t want our Yuhyun to wake up again."
"Alright. Good night, Hoobae-nim. See you this weekend."
"Yes, Sunbae-nim."
And, just like that, the call ended.
Wonyoung gasped when the realization hit him belatedly.
I forgot to ask if Sunbae-nim was flirting with me!
***
"OPPA, I’m here!"
Aigoo.
Wonyoung immediately helped Bae Gayoung carry her huge luggage inside the apartment. "You should have called me, Gayoung-ah."
"It’s okay, Oppa. My boyfriend drove me here."
"And he didn’t help you carry your luggage? This is almost half your size."
"Well, you said Dujun-ssi will be here. I didn’t tell my boyfriend, and I have no intention of telling him, that Dujun-ssi is my cousin-in-law. It’s not that I don’t trust him. But it’s better to be safe than sorry."
"Is the NDA you signed that scary?"
"It’s not just about the NDA, Oppa," Bae Gayoung said, pouting when she realized that Wonyoung was teasing her. "I want to protect your privacy, too."
Aww.
"You’ve really grown up, huh?"
"I’ve been telling you that from the start, Oppa— I’m an adult now," Bae Gayoung insisted while looking around. "Where’s An Baekya? I brought snacks for him."
"He’s still asleep," Wonyoung said, and then he looked at his younger cousin with a serious look on his face now. "Gayoung-ah, let’s talk over a cup of coffee."
And that was how the two of them ended up having iced coffee in the kitchen.
It would have been nice to enjoy coffee on the balcony, but the end of February is still very cold.
"Oppa, you asked if you could meet the author of ’Unchained,’ right?"
"Yes. Is it possible?"
Bae Gayoung suddenly turned serious, and then she shook her head. "I asked our senior editor about the author. He told me that the author of ’Unchained’ had actually passed away a few months ago."
Wonyoung gasped out loud.
That’s pretty shocking.
"It’s just weird that they only remembered when I asked about the author," Bae Gayoung said. "After that, the editorial department received an order from the higher-ups to stop translating ’Unchained.’ They took it off my hands and gave me another project to work on."
"I... don’t know what to say."
Wonyoung was still shocked to know the author of ’Unchained’ was already dead.
"I’m shocked, too, Oppa," Bae Gayoung said when she noticed how shaken Wonyoung was. "Sadly, they didn’t give me the entire manuscript when they asked me to proofread it. So, I only read up to the part where An Baekya’s aunt started scamming people using the child’s name. I’m sorry, Oppa. I can’t tell you what happened next."
"It’s alright, Gayoung-ah. No need to apologize. Thank you for entertaining my weird requests."
"Are you that curious about the novel, Oppa?"
Wonyoung was just about to answer, but...
"Appa, Aunt Gayoungie, good morning."
Oh.
It was An Baekya, walking into the kitchen while rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.
Aw, cute.
Even An Baekya’s bed hair was adorable.
"Good morning, Baekya," Bae Gayoung greeted the child cheerfully. "I brought snacks for you. Let’s have breakfast together?"
An Baekya smiled— the kind of smile that would make it easy for people to mistake him for an angel. "I’d love to, Auntie."
Aigoo.
Both Wonyoung and Bae Gayoung squinted their eyes because An Baekya’s cuteness was blinding.
Yep, that’s the face of a future top actor.
***
WONYOUNG ran to the door when he heard someone punching the passcode.
Of course, he knew it was Yun Dujun because the Alpha had called earlier.
He then gave the passcode to the building and his apartment.
"Hello, Dujun Sunbae-nim," Wonyoung greeted Yun Dujun politely. "Oh. You came alone?"
"Yuhyun was still asleep when I left. Don’t worry, his nannies and bodyguards are with him," Yun Dujun explained while the door behind him was closing. The Alpha looked good despite wearing a cap and a face mask that hid his handsome face. His casual clothes looked stylish on him as well. "Is Bae Gayoung already here?"
"Yeah. She’s just helping An Baekya change clothes."
"I brought coffee for you two and hot chocolate for An Baekya," Yun Dujun said while handing the cup holder to Wonyoung. "I didn’t bring food since you said you already had breakfast with the kids. But we can buy food later if you get hungry."
"Okay, Sunbae-nim. Thank you," Wonyoung said. "Come in."
Yun Dujun nodded, then he removed his shoes and put on the slippers that Wonyoung had prepared for him.
And when they got to the living room.
"Good morning, Abeoji."
"Hello, Dujun-ssi."
An Baekya and Bae Gayoung greeted Yun Dujun politely.
"Good morning, Baekya," Yun Dujun greeted An Baekya back indifferently, and then the Alpha looked at Bae Gayoung. "It’s been a while, Gayoung-ah. You don’t have to address me formally. Just call me like how you used to."
Oh, right.
Wonyoung remembered that Bae Gayoung used to call Yun Dujun ’oppa’ before.
Back when she didn’t know yet how rich Dujun Sunbae-nim was. And Gayoungie probably feels awkward now that Dujun Sunbae-nim is a top actor.
"I-Is it alright to do that...?"
"Yeah, of course," Yun Dujun answered Bae Gayoung while nodding. "You’re my husband’s little sister, so that makes you my sister-in-law."
Aww.
Sunbae-nim knows that I see Gayoungie as a little sister and not just a younger cousin.
But wait.
Wonyoung furrowed his brows.
Sunbae-nim keeps calling me his husband, even though we’re about to divorce.
"O-Okay, Dujun Oppa," Bae Gayoung said shyly. "Thank you for being nice to me, and for taking care of Wonyoung Oppa while he was in a coma. I didn’t get to thank you in person before."
"It’s alright, Gayoung-ah," Yun Dujun said casually. "No need to thank me for doing my duties as Wonyoung’s husband."
Oh.
For some reason, Wonyoung blushed.
And he scolded himself for feeling giddy just because Yun Dujun kept calling him his husband.
Stand up, Bae Wonyoung— remember, Dujun Sunbae-nim’s mother is scary!
***
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