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Chapter 47
Translator: Enuma ID
It was the next morning.
The moment Park Ji-hun opened his eyes, he reached for his phone first.
Dozens of unread emails had piled up in his inbox.
It was the fallout from Levinael's comeback track blowing up.
Е n ũ m̈а .i d̈
He'd flatly told everyone on stream to get in line, but overnight the inquiries had rolled in anyway, one after another: could he read for their artist too, would he sort through their trainees, would he pick a title track.
But he didn't have time to read them one by one.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Today was his father's death anniversary.
His mother would be over soon, and before that he needed to at least give the place a rough tidy.
Park Ji-hun flipped his phone face-down and headed straight for the sink.
He washed the cup he'd left out from last night and set it upside down to dry, then shoved the delivery boxes stacked on the table off to one side.
E ń ù m а̌ . і̄ḋ
He ran the vacuum over the floor once, too.
A little while later, the doorbell rang.
He opened the door to find his mother standing there.
A bag of fruit hung from one hand.
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"You're early."
"So this is the place you moved into?"
Еñ ǔm̂a .ĩ d
"That's right."
His mother gave the place a quick once-over and said,
"Nice find."
"Come on in."
Ji-hun took the bag from her hand first.
"Rest a bit before we go."
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"No need. Leave it too late and it'll just get crowded."
"Then we head out now?"
"Yeah, let's do that."
The two of them set off for the subway station together.
The morning rush was already over, but the car was still fairly packed.
Park Ji-hun seated his mother in an inner spot and stood in front of her.
Е n̄ u ṁа̃ . і̃ ḋ
How long had it been.
He was gripping the strap, idly thumbing through his phone, when it happened.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He felt eyes flicking toward him from nearby.
At first it was two young women who'd just sat down next to his mother.
One of them, who'd been looking at her phone, lifted her head and gave Park Ji-hun's face a quick scan.
She glanced back and forth between her screen and his face, then whispered something to the friend beside her.
Ẇ eb̌n̂ о̄ v̂é l̃ Еǹ úm а́
"Doesn't that guy look like PerpetualJobSeeker?"
"Huh?"
"I'm pretty sure that's him."
Park Ji-hun pretended not to hear and turned his gaze away.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But now a man standing and holding a strap started stealing glances his way.
"Is it really him?"
Ӗn̄ü m̊ а̀ .і̌ d̆_
"Should we ask?"
"If not, whatever."
This was starting to look like a hassle.
Park Ji-hun swallowed a sigh.
Just then, an announcement came over the speakers.
"The next stop is Dongjak Station. Passengers heading to Hyeonchung-won, please get off at this stop."
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Park Ji-hun said quietly,
"Mom, this is our stop."
"We're here already?"
"Yeah."
Ji-hun helped his mother up and slipped out the moment the doors opened.
Disappointed voices trailed after him.
W ѐbnо̂ v е̃l Е nũ_m̃а̃
"Aw, I really think it was him."
"If it really was, I should've asked him for a Spirit Reading."
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The doors closed and the train pulled away.
Park Ji-hun looked down at the platform floor and thought, briefly,
'Guess I'll have to start wearing a mask out, too.'
When they got off at Dongjak Station and stepped outside, the air was pretty cold.
Еnù mа̌
Side by side, the two of them made their way into Hyeonchung-won.
The place they were headed for was the columbarium.
Inside, it was quiet.
Under soft lighting, the memorial niches stood in neat rows.
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In the photo, his father wore a firefighter's uniform.
Hair combed neatly back, lips pressed firmly shut.
Е́ n̂ũ m а
It was a face that looked ready to turn and bolt off somewhere at any second.
His mother carefully set down the flowers.
The two of them bowed their heads together.
A brief moment of silence passed.
His mother spoke first.
"Honey, we're doing well. You don't have to worry about Ji-hun anymore, either."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Park Ji-hun listened without a word.
His mother straightened the flowers once and said,
"We'll come again."
Only then did Park Ji-hun speak.
"I can't live the way you did, but I'll protect what I can."
A short silence followed.
Wе b n о̆ ṽ e ĺ Е́ num а
Park Ji-hun slowly bowed his head.
"Rest easy, Father."
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The two of them quietly left the columbarium.
Park Ji-hun walked without a word, eyes fixed straight ahead.
His father's face, the one he'd just seen, kept lingering in his mind.
***
Wе̄ b̄ nóv̈ ӗl Ẽṅ û ṁ а
By the time he'd had dinner and gotten home, the sky had already gone dark.
A little over an hour left until the broadcast.
The moment he shut the door, Park Ji-hun peeled off his padded jacket, tossed it aside, and went straight into the bathroom.
After the trip to Hyeonchung-won and dinner with his mother on top of it, his whole body felt like lead.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Still, once he'd finished his shower and stepped out, a bit of his energy came back.
Drying his hair with the blow-dryer, he booted up the computer.
Eň û m̂ а̊.іd
Internet Broadcast streamer, the job he'd somehow ended up with.
He went live right on schedule.
[PerpetualJobSeeker's broadcast has started.]
The second he went live, the chat started scrolling fast.
-SseomyeonMaster : he's on
-Kkoka : it's roulette today right?
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
-PotatoTofu : hello
-Ertel : heard levinael is going absolutely nuts rn
-RampagingTransferStudent11 : when do we get in line?
-FreeTrader619 : can i get a spirit reading too?
-Azukara : so many accounts that literally just signed up lmao
-SseomyeonMaster : did somebody order them all to get in line or what, wild
Е̇n̆ u̇ m̂ ӑ
Park Ji-hun skimmed the chat and spoke up.
"Lots of talk about Levinael."
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He pulled up an article.
[Levinael's new single 'One more try' tipped to crack the Billboard Hot 100]
The chat reacted instantly.
-Ertel : heard it blew up overseas
Ê n̈.u̇ḿа̊ .і̌ d
-Kkoka : that chorus really does hit hard
-Azukara : anyone who watched this stream already knew
Park Ji-hun skimmed the article for a moment and nodded.
"Seriously impressive."
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He closed the window right away.
"That's enough chitchat. I'll spin the roulette. Sign up."
Е̌ń ū mа .ï d̈
With that one word, the chat got plastered with [Sign up].
A moment later, Park Ji-hun spun the roulette.
A flurry of nicknames blurred past, and at last the arrow came to a stop.
[PotatoTofu]
-CarefreeCommoner717 : fk
-Azukara : missed it again
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-PotatoTofu : huh?
-PotatoTofu : is that me?
Park Ji-hun said,
"Hop into Discord. I'll send the password."
A moment later, with a connection tone, a man's voice came through.
"Hello there. This is PotatoTofu."
Е ǹu m̊ а̊
The instant he heard that voice, a cold sensation brushed the back of his neck.
Park Ji-hun asked at once,
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"Buying a car?"
PotatoTofu answered, startled.
"Oh, yeah. That's right. A guy I know said he'd let me have his old car cheap."
Park Ji-hun didn't hesitate.
Еnǔm а
"Don't buy it."
"......Is there something wrong with it?"
For a brief moment, a scene surfaced across his vision.
A black stain spreading across the parking lot floor.
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Warning lights flaring up one after another on the dashboard.
A repair estimate handed over without a word at the garage.
Е̃ ǹū mа̌ . ї d̆
And a long sigh leaking out.
"That thing's a total piece of junk."
The chat stirred at once.
-SseomyeonMaster : looks like he saw something again
-Azukara : you really gotta do your homework on used cars
-Kkoka : cheap and good never go together
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Park Ji-hun added,
"Buy that and the repair bills'll cost you more than the car did."
PotatoTofu caught his breath.
"Honestly, I had a bad feeling about it too. He did say since he's giving it to me cheap, I'd have to put up with the little stuff."
"Whether you believe it is up to you."
"Right. Thank you."
Е̌ n̆u m̄а̇
Park Ji-hun cut it off there.
"Next."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The Discord connection dropped.
Park Ji-hun picked up his tumbler and took a drink of water.
Then he looked at the chat.
-Kkoka : on to the next roulette?
Е n̆ü m а.і d̄
-CarefreeCommoner717 : anyone know the secret to actually winning the roulette ugh
-HopelessExplorer881 : please let it be me this time
Park Ji-hun set the tumbler down and said,
"Free Spirit Reading first."
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The mood in the chat dipped, oddly.
-Kkoka : aw man, the free one of all things
Ẁe̊ b̂ n ŏv̀.е̄l̊ Е ṅů ṁ а
-SseomyeonMaster : the free ones are kinda scary aren't they
-Azukara : the free ones leave a bad taste tbh
"Syuyuni, come in."
***
Kim Ji-hye held her breath, eyes locked on the laptop screen.
Ever since she'd been picked for the free Spirit Reading, her heart had been pounding. The tingle ran all the way to her fingertips.
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She called out urgently to her father, who was watching TV in the living room.
"Dad, come here, quick!"
"What is it now."
Her father pushed himself up off the couch, his voice unhurried.
Remote still in hand, he came over feigning reluctance, half his face wearing a can't-be-bothered look.
"I got picked for a free Spirit Reading!"
W e b̄n̈.о́ v̇ ѐl̀ Ē n̄u m а́
"And that's worth all this fuss?"
"I showed you earlier today, remember? That stream."
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"Oh, that shaman?"
Kim Ji-hye nodded and quickly hopped into Discord.
"Oh, hi. This is Syuyuni."
Park Ji-hun spoke up right away.
W ёb̊.ñ оv̇е.l̇ Е n̈u m̊ а
"You're fine."
"Sorry?"
"For starters, you don't get sick much. Hardworking, careful. Nothing major to worry about. The road ahead of you is smooth."
Kim Ji-hye's eyes went wide.
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"Your parents are both fine, too. There's nothing really hanging over you."
She'd assumed a free Spirit Reading meant she'd get the bad news first, but to her surprise it was all good.
Е̊ǹ u m̊ǎ
She was nodding along, a little dazed, when it came.
"But your brother. If you don't stop him now, he's going to blow through the whole family's money."
Her expression froze.
"......Sorry? My brother? Why?"
Kim Ji-hye blinked.
They weren't on great terms, but as far as Kim Ji-hye knew, her brother had landed a job in the back half of the year and had been holding it down like a responsible adult.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
And now he was blowing through the family's money?
It made no sense to her at all.
Her father, listening beside her, was scowling too, waving his hand as if to tell her to cut the call.
"Your father's right there next to you, isn't he? He just waved at you to hang up."
"......H-how did you know that?"
"Never mind that. Listen carefully. Your brother, he didn't get a job."
Е ǹ u̇_m_а̃
Both Kim Ji-hye and her father stiffened at the same time.
"......What?"
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"Lately, whenever he comes home, he's brought up money. Said something urgent came up. Told you he'd pay it back once he got his paycheck."
Her father's face went rigid on the spot.
Kim Ji-hye asked in a trembling voice,
"Dad......did he really say that?"
Ĕn u.m̈ а́
"W-well, that part's true......."
Park Ji-hun went on.
"That money's not for anything urgent."
"Then what's it for?"
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"Illegal sports betting."
The other end of the Discord call went dead still.
Е nūmа. і̊ d
"Your brother kills time at a PC café during the day, and once he's home, he's up all night betting."
"R-really? There's no way my brother would do that."
"See for yourself."
Park Ji-hun said flatly,
"Go turn on his computer."
Kim Ji-hye looked at her father, her face frozen.
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Her father hesitated a moment, then finally got to his feet.
Laptop in hand, Kim Ji-hye followed him into her brother's room.
Her father pressed the computer's power button.
The desktop came up right away.
"It's on."
"Check the recently opened tabs first."
Ẁ е ḃ n̈о̂v̌ёl Е n̈u m̄ а
A string of unfamiliar sites popped up.
Soccer betting odds.
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Overseas match results.
Numbers that meant nothing to her.
And the last site that had been open.
It was an illegal sports betting site.
Еn ǔ m̌ а̀ . і d
Kim Ji-hye's breath caught in her throat.
Her father froze too, mouse still in his grip.
"......What is this."
Kim Ji-hye stood there biting her lip, thrown by it all.
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That was when her father, scanning the website, muttered in a cracked voice,
"Withdrawal request amount......under review......."
W е b́n̆ о̆v̂ e_l Ё ňú.mа̃
He scrolled the mouse further down.
"You have to deposit an additional security amount before withdrawal is possible?"
The chat exploded all at once.
-Kkoka : isn't that a scam?
-Azukara : you put money in and they just tell you to put in more, classic scam yikes
-SseomyeonMaster : wait, people actually fall for that?
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Kim Ji-hye asked,
"What does that mean?"
"He's never getting that money back."
Park Ji-hun's voice was cold.
"The second he puts in that deposit, your father's money goes up in smoke right along with it."
"......"
Е̊ n ǔ_m̄а̂
"And that's what your brother's been holding his hand out for, to scrape that money together."
Just then, Kim Ji-hye's father steadied his breathing and spoke up.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Even so......just because he did this doesn't mean he lied about the job too, does it."
"......"
When Park Ji-hun didn't answer, Kim Ji-hye asked again,
"Are you really saying my brother lied about getting the job?"
Е ñūmа
Park Ji-hun cut it off in one stroke.
"Your brother never got a job."
That was when it happened.
Clunk.
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The sound of the front door opening.
"I'm home."
Ӗnu m̀ а
In that instant, both her father's and Kim Ji-hye's eyes shot to the entryway at once.
*****
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