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Translator Note:
Just wanted to let you know that sometimes I won't translate calls(?) like 'oppa, hyung, eonni, nuna, etc.' and suffixes like '-ssi, -nim, etc.'
So...... Bear with me, please (/▿＼ )
Thank You!
***
Chapter 3 – He Didn't Tell You?
"Hey,
look over there."
"Aahhh,
no way......"
When
I saw people around us recognizing them, I wondered if they were famous. I
thought it was because of their good looks, but I didn't think they were
celebrities. These days, students are also quite famous through social medias
and streamers.
"Mr.
Manager, it's a family matter...... So, you can go first."
"Ah,
yes."
The
man called ‘Mr. Manager’ looked at Jay with sparkling eyes as he walked away.
The two siblings, who were just looking at each other, quickly sat down.
"Who's
this?"
"You've
heard from your father, he's the owner of...... That box."
"Really?"
The
face that asked back was purely surprise, not mixed with consternation. It was
obvious that his biological father had been telling them about Jay's existence.
"Hello,
um...... Hyung. I'm Yoon Dojun."
"Yoon
Dohwa."
"......You
can call me Jay."
They
just nodded, apparently being an introvert was common in the family. Jay also
nodded his head slightly and accepted their greetings.
'My
family relations are very strange.'
A
white family with no blood relation, and a sudden new mother and half-siblings.
Park Hyun-ah, who thought Jay was surprised, hastily explained.
"They're
twins, they're 18 this year, and they...... Surprised you?"
"A
little. I stopped communicating with my father after my mother passed
away."
"Ah......
She passed away."
After
a moment of silence, Jay asked what the box was.
"It's
yours, he didn't even let us touch it."
"Is
that so?"
Accepting
the box from Yoon Dojun, Jay ripped off the box's tape. It's quite heavy, and
he thought it might contain some old clothes or photo albums.
"Ah."
The
contents were simple. A photo album and a few trophies in velvet boxes. Jay
picked up the one that stood out.
"......You
had this."
"That's......"
The
golden leaf was a trophy that anyone in the industry would recognize. Park
Hyun-ah and the twins' eyes widened when they recognized it. They thought it
was just someone with the same name, but it couldn't be......
"You're......?"
Jay
looked at Park Hyun-ah in confusion.
"Father
—he didn't tell you?"
***
The
late Yoon Suheon
Wife
Park Hyun-ah
Children
Yoon Dojun, Yoon Dohwa, and Yoon Jay
The
names written on the wreath were unfamiliar to me. I rewrote my biological
father's surname because I thought someone would ask me if I used my foreign
name.
'Since
he didn't tell his second marriage partner and his children, only a few people
know me, but......'
Most
of the wreaths at the funeral were related to the entertainment industry, so I
didn't want to reveal that I was Yoon Jae-hee.
[Son,
do you want to do this?]
[Yes!]
My
childhood was fairly happy. My father's business was strong, and my parents got
along well.
I,
myself had a talent, a sponge-like ability to absorb everything, and he had the
focus to back it up.
I
wasn't just gifted for my age, I was extraordinary, like I had superpowers.
[Honey,
isn't he a genius?]
[Why?]
[He's
good at everything!]
My
father, Yoon Suheon, who worked in the film industry, recognized his son's
abilities and found a way to utilize them. Acting.
[Do
you know Director Lee Young-chang?]
[He's
a batting average director.]
[He's
making a new movie now......]
[But
honestly, is it going to work?]
[If
there's a kid who acts well......]
[Would
there be such a person? Even if there is, will he be able to get the
investment......]
As
soon as Yoon Suheon heard that, he knew that his son would be good at it.
[The
kid in this book is different from me, right?]
[Yes.
Can you do it?]
[......I
want to see a kid like this].
Yoon
Jae-hee had another talent. The ability to watch someone do something and then
imitate it perfectly, as if he had absorbed their life.
After
meeting real children with cerebral palsy, Yoon Jae-hee nailed the audition.
[Finally!
This is the kid I've been looking for!]
When
Director Lee Young-chang saw Yoon Jae-hee's performance, he gave him a standing
ovation, and the movie finished filming smoothly.
Then,
the movie unexpectedly swept the domestic film festivals and became a big hit
at overseas film festivals.
[Yoon
Jae-hee from <Children>, how does it feel to win the first ever Best
Actor award at Cannes Film Festival?]
[In
the future, what kind of work would you like to participate in?]
[Is
it true that you were cast in the drama <Violin>?]
As
soon as I debuted, the fame I gained became fodder for those who like 'the
first' and 'the youngest' titles. They came to my home and school. And even
bothered me and my family.
[I
heard he's disabled.]
[That's
all a lie. Like people on TV......]
[No.
He's disabled, that's why he can get an award.]
Naturally,
there was envy and jealousy from classmates, and even well-meaning comments
felt like a stab in the back.
People's
eyes followed me everywhere I went. Even when I was alone in my room at home, I
felt like someone was watching me.
[Heuk,
hah, hah......]
[Jae-hee?
Jae-hee!]
It
was my mother who took on the role of manager instead of my father, who was
busy with his own business. She realized the situation was serious when she saw
me hyperventilating in front of the camera.
[Mom,
I'm afraid of the camera.]
I
became the youngest actor ever to win awards at major domestic and
international film festivals.
The
media hailed me as a genius, and expectations were high. Jealousy even spawned
an anti-cafe. All of this weighed heavily on me, young Yoon Jae-hee.
[What?
They said he is a genius, but it's not a big deal.]
[Didn't
he just pouty?]
[Don't
put too much pressure on him, he's still a kid.]
[Oh,
come on, I don't have time...... Call the other kid.]
I
forced myself to follow the schedule my father had set, but in the end, I had
to turn back. When they saw the back of such a child, they gossiped.
[How
can he go out to filming when he's afraid of the camera?]
[Our
son can handle it!]
[Don’t
try to use Jae-hee to achieve your dreams! Do you know how much trouble he's
in?!]
After
the child's breakdown, the parents quickly fell apart. Young Yoon Jae-hee
thought it was because of him. If he had just lived a normal life, he would
have said he didn't want to act.
"Are
you...... Jae-hee?"
Yoon
Jae-hee, now Yoon Jay, shook off his thoughts and returned to reality. The
adults on his paternal side recognized him.
"Hello."
"Oh
my god. You’ve grown so much"
"How
are you?"
***
Park
Hyun-ah looked at Yoon Jay with curious eyes.
He'd
lived in the U.S. long enough so he may not know the Korean funeral culture,
but Yoon Jay had visited the funeral hall in the next room and perfectly
adapted to greet guests.
"I
never thought Director Yoon would have a grown-up son......"
"Mother,
could you come over here for a moment?"
Moreover,
whenever someone asked her something awkward, he would appear at the right time
to fetch Park Hyun-ah.
"He's
such a sweetheart."
"I
know right."
Even
the members of her family who were uncomfortable with him became silent.
'He's
grown up well.'
Park
Hyun-ah is also a drama writer, so she is familiar with Yoon Jae-hee's fame.
Yoon
Jae-hee's performance in <Children> was unique, and he became the
youngest actor to win domestic and international film festivals. If you
followed the news that year, you would have heard of him.
Even
now, many people are curious about his latest news.
"Look
at this. He's an early member of the Do You Know Club."
"Wow,
there's a Wiki page?"
The
twins were searching with excitement when they saw the splendid past of their
brother.
Yoon
Jay looked at them with a puzzled expression. Is it because they are still
young? Eighteen years old is not young...... Because I enlisted in the army at
that time.
"You
two, you have a weird uncle who suddenly appears to be your big brother, and
you don't mind?"
"I
already knew because father told me."
"And
oppa, you don't look like an uncle. So, it's not weird."
On
the contrary, it made their ears prickly and they wanted to see him. Moreover,
the twins were able to sit comfortably thanks to Yoon Jay taking care of all
the troublesome work.
"Honestly,
I like it. He's not like an older brother. He was just born five minutes early,
so......"
"I
don't like a little sister like you either."
"So,
oppa. Are you going to go back to the U.S. after the funeral?"
"Can't
you just stay here?"
The
twins looked bright even though it was their father's funeral.
They
insisted him to stay in Korea. To the twins, Yoon Jay felt like a wanderer. As
soon as he finished his errands, he would disappear without a trace.
Just
then, there was a commotion at the entrance.
"Oh,
my hyungs are here."
"Your
members?"
In
the morning, group members and agency employees from Yoon Dohwa’s agency came,
and now it was Yoon Dojun's turn. Several children and agency employees who
seemed to have taken good care of themselves came rushing into the funeral
home.
'They
both said they were idols.'
The
twins seemed to have a unique competitive spirit. Yoon Dojun entered Idol
Trainee first, and Yoon Dohwa, who hates to lose, also entered Idol Trainee and
debuted around the same time.
Both
groups are famous in their own right, but Yoon Jay is more focused on the
people pointing camera lenses at the funeral home entrance.
'Are
they paparazzi?'
Suddenly
he got up. He'd worked near Hollywood, so he was familiar with them.
"Excuse
me."
"Yes?"
"You're
not supposed to take pictures here."
My
siblings are more famous than I thought —first reporters, then paparazzi. I
purposely kept my voice low and gave off an intimidating atmosphere.
"This
is a private funeral, how did you know this place?"
"......"
"You
have to go."
"Yes......"
They
looked at Yoon Jay blankly, then took their cameras and retreated. Yoon Jay
tilted his head and thought, 'Did I scare them too much? I felt like their soul
was gone?'
"Hey,
that's Peach Mango."
"That
vicious homma? Are they going to step down obediently?"
T/N: Homma = a common nickname that fans use for some fans that taking high-quality
pictures of K-Pop stars with professional cameras, and sharing those photos
through their websites.
"I
guess so. Maybe they are, their face shows like they will step down."
The
agency employees who were watching the situation from the inside turned around
and took note of Yoon Jay's face as he walked back in. The manager, who had
already seen him at the cafe, asked casually.
"Dojun,
who is that?"
"My
older brother."
"I
thought you didn't say you had an older brother?"
"He
is my half-brother."
The
agency employee who was eavesdropping asked urgently.
"Hoo,
by any chance, what is your older brother doing?"
"He's
taking a break from work right now."
"Really?"
Dojun
could feel the agency employees' eyes light up. Their company also manages
actors. They all seemed to wonder where such a gem had been hiding and now came
out.
"Have
the people from your twin's agency come?"
"They
already came."
"Tsk......
Am I late?"
For
the twins, getting in as trainees was also a competition. After dozens of
auditions, they both got into big agencies and debuted.
"It's
probably too late. Like Writer Park, the Deceased Mr. Yoon was also an expert
in the industry."
"Haa,
that's right...... Let's give it a shot, shall we?"
In
addition, due to his father's and mother's connections, many industry insiders
had already exchanged business cards with Yoon Jay.
Yoon
Dojun watched the agency employee cautiously approach Yoon Jay.
'He
doesn't seem to like it very much.'
He
suddenly disappeared from this scene. The fact that he posted his name on
Sangju as Yoon Jay, not Yoon Jae-hee...... Yoon Dojun had a lot to say, but he
kept his mouth shut.
T/N:
Sangju = Chief Mourner. Someone who is in charge of preparing the body,
making sure the funeral wake goes according to Korean traditions, and
organizing everything from start to finish. Usually, the responsibility is
given to the eldest son or grandson, or the one closest to the deceased.
***
'Not
many people know that I'm Yoon Jae-hee.'
Objectively
speaking, my father was greedy and vain. I expected him to be talked about all
over town, but the only people who knew me were some people from my paternal
family.
'That's
a relief.'
I
had already searched everything about 'Yoon Jae-hee'. I didn't know there were
still many people who knew me...... I hate being bothered, so the more no one
recognized him, the better.
Late
at night, when it was quiet, a middle-aged man walked into the funeral home.
Yoon Jay recognized him and directly ushered him in.
"May
the deceased rest in peace."
"Thank
you for coming."
Yoon
Jay scooped out a bowl of yukgaejang and sat down across from him.
T/N:
Yukgaejang = Spicy beef soup, a spicy soup-like Korean dish made from
shredded beef with scallions and other ingredients.
"Please
eat."
"Thank
you."
He
still looked exactly as I remembered, except for the wrinkles on his face and
the graying of his hair. After scooping up a mouthful of yukgaejang, the
middle-aged man looked straight at Yoon Jay.
"It's
been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yes,
Director."
"Call
me uncle. Just like old times."
Director
Lee Young-chang became a recognized master in the film industry by creating many
masterpieces after <Children>. He showed longing, gladness, and joy in
his expression.
"You've
grown up a lot."
"It's been 20 years."
***
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