Chapter 167
“Don’t feel pressured. I know how tough it is to live abroad.”
“Thank you for understanding, but you really don’t have to go that far….”
“Son!”
“…….”
It was wrong.
His tongue didn’t seem that twisted, but the words didn’t make sense.
I decided to check Kang Ji-woo’s father’s condition first.
His face, despite having four children, was unbelievably smooth and handsome, but it was very flushed.
His mood, seemed really good.
The smell of alcohol, overwhelming.
Conclusion: This man was very drunk.
Kang Ji-woo’s mother seemed to think the same as she frowned and said,
“You’re embarrassing the kid. Stop saying weird things.”
“Honey….”
“What?”
“I love you.”
Just like Kang Ji-woo often did for his fans, his father made a big heart over his head. Then, after receiving a scolding from the grandmother to go inside and sleep, he finally trudged off to a small room, still sending hand hearts until the end…
In the meantime, the children, including Kang Ji-woo, couldn’t lift their heads and were chewing the last pieces of cucumber solemnly.
They seemed quite embarrassed by their father.
Even so, why was Kang Ji-woo reacting like that? Was he unaware of himself?
The longer I stayed in this house, the more I felt like I was finding out how much Kang Ji-woo resembled someone here, to a terrifying degree.
No, it wasn’t just a resemblance, it felt like this brother was born from the same mold as his father.
“It’s chaotic, right? Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. He seems like a really good person.”
“He is a good person.”
“And he’s very handsome.”
“He’s handsome, though not as much as you, Raon.”
“If he’s good and handsome, that’s it. You married the best husband!”
“Oh dear….”
Fortunately, Kang Ji-woo’s mother, who had a friendly yet determined demeanor, didn’t seem offended by my random words.
Well, by tomorrow, she would probably forget about the son talk and everything.
“Try this too. I made it myself.”
Kang Ji-woo’s mother offered me a cool plum tea.
“Thank you.”
“How is it?”
“Wow, it’s delicious.”
One sip, and it felt like the slightly greasy and oily taste in my mouth was completely refreshed.
“Mom, can I turn on the TV?”
Kang Bo-ram, who had been glancing at the cuckoo clock, asked.
“Is there something to watch?”
“Oh! Right. That show is airing today.”
* * *
### [M-Gen] Hey guys, your idol… “Is Pure” The crazy entertainment sense that turned Aidae upside down, ORCA’s Highlights on the 2018 Lunar New Year Idol Entertainment War｜MBS 18×××× Broadcast
– The thumbnail is Wet-On-Raon (+Pure-Yo-han), how could you not clickㅡㅡ everyone, this friend is the future of K-pop, ORCA’s On Raon
┗ Agreed, if the thumbnail is On Raon, you have to click.
┗ Not a fan, but got drawn in…
There weren’t many people who could ignore the thumbnail of On Raon showing off his blooming beauty while promoting himself and Ban Yo-han declaring his purity with a holy halo behind him.
‘My friend said these guys are hilarious….’
A girl, who often heard stories about ORCA from her friend Airy, clicked on ORCA’s video, which had climbed to the top of YouTube’s real-time trending videos with over a million views.
For reference, Ban Yo-han’s “I am pure” had already been shared thousands of times on SNS right after the broadcast, and the girl had seen those posts, so her expectations for the video were high.
The video started with a conversation between Ban Yo-han and Han Ki-joon before the role play began.
[Honestly, how many times have you gone on dates while attending college?]
‘Why does he talk like that?’
– Yo-han is genuinely hilarious, but Han Ki-joon is really annoying. I wish he didn’t appear on the show.
The girl, who added another like to the comment that had received 2,000 likes, continued watching the video.
In the meantime, Ban Yo-han’s gem-like comments continued.
[I think it’s good to try everything at least once. But does this really matter?]
[Don’t worry. My body is still pure.]
[Wait, what is this person doing in a sacred idol entertainment battle…? (Flustered)]
– An idol talking about purity, lololololol
– Haha, I’ve seen this part multiple times and knew Yo-han was going to say it, but still laughed uncontrollably when he said it without any shame.
– His tone and manner of speaking + the halo CG are just insane, lololololol
┗ Plus, Kang Ji-woo twirling his fingers + Gyun Seong-ha and On Raon looking disdainful, lolololol
┗ And Seo Moon-gyeol looking serene, makes ORCA complete.
– But really, people who have tried everything once never stray down the wrong path or cause major trouble because they already know it’s nothing special.
┗ He said he’s still pure… so does that mean…
┗ Do you think he’ll stay pure forever? Idols are human too, they’ll do everything eventually, lol.
┗ True, they can confidently say that now because they’re newbies who debuted less than a year ago, but honestly, in an entertainment industry full of pretty and handsome people, they’ll definitely fall for someone.
(omission)
┗ Ba-yo-han, a business major at S University, really knows how to cater to fangirls, lol.
┗ Why talk like that;
– The reactions of the other idols, lolololol, shock + awe + admiration, lolololol
Ignoring the comments that would only upset her, the girl focused on the video.
Starting with the legendary sibling date, showcasing Gyun Seong-ha’s exceptional athletic abilities, On Raon’s surprising agility and self-promotion, Kang Ji-woo’s cooking drama, and Seo Moon-gyeol’s cooking show, ORCA’s activities unfolded one by one.
– Sibling date, lolololol, if that happened in real life, it would be an unforgettable embarrassing memory.
– Ban Yo-han and Bina, at this level, they’re real siblings, lol.
– Is Gyun Seong-ha crazy? He’s supposed to be in a race, but it looks like he’s filming an action movie. I can’t believe this; what about those arm muscles? Can someone who’s just twenty exude that much mature charm?
– 7:15 7:15 7:15 7:15
15:33 15:33 15:33 15:33
The part where Seong-ha lifts Eun-jae and then quickly ascends, jumping down, and then holding both of them simultaneously while maintaining his stance is always spine-chilling no matter how many times I see it.
It’s not an easy task, especially seeing other idols attempting the same and failing due to lack of arm strength.
Also, waiting patiently for Eun-jae to come even when she’s a bit slow is really touching.
– How is Gyun Seong-ha’s name also Gyun Seong-ha?
┗ How is Seo Moon-gyeol’s name also Seo Moon-gyeol?
┗ How is On Raon’s name also etc.
┗ How is Ban Yo-han’s name also etc.
┗ Kang Ji-woo is just… Kang Ji-woo.
┗ Our Kang-ju princess…
– Honestly, seeing On Raon running much better than I expected was quite thrilling, but when he fell into the water at the end, he just became incredibly adorable again. It’s like he personifies mischief.
– Doesn’t only our Gyeol look like a sculpture from the Louvre Museum while calmly claiming to be part of ORCA? It’s not just me, right?
– Seo Moon-gyeol is so good at wordplay, but terrible at cooking, yet he’s excellent at fruit carving. It’s so extreme, why is he like this, lolol.
– The way he overturned the scene with senior Cherrystin and his highly praised cooking… (omission) ORCA has completely taken over this year’s Aidae. I’ll only accept rebuttals with photos of someone more handsome than On Raon.
‘These guys are funny.’
Once she found something amusing, the girl couldn’t be satisfied until she watched all the other videos of the related individuals, so she surrendered herself to YouTube’s algorithm.
The edited versions of ‘Get Closer, ORCA’, stage crossover videos, and videos from their Pick Heart days greeted her.
……
And thus, five hours of the girl’s life disappeared.
* * *
Lunar New Year morning, or rather… lunchtime.
“……!”
Someone shook my body as if trying to wake me up.
After watching the Idol Entertainment War broadcast with Kang Ji-woo’s family yesterday, we went for a walk with Dae-bak and So-bak, played board games with the kids, then played Go-stop all night with his grandmother, grandfather, mother, and Kang Min-seo until we fell asleep, I couldn’t seem to fully wake up.
I lazily thought it would be nice to sleep a bit more since it was a holiday.
“Son! Get up!”
“?”
I was instantly wide awake.
Opening my eyes, I saw Kang Ji-woo’s father waking me up.
‘Why am I his son…?’
Kang Ji-woo’s father, however, left the room naturally as I woke up and said,
“If you’re up, come out and eat. Grandma made delicious tteokguk. You need to eat too to age a year.”
Son, huh.
Maybe he still hadn’t sobered up from the drinks yesterday, or was he drinking again from the morning…?
I recalled Kang Ji-woo’s father’s face from earlier.
‘He seemed fine.’
So, did he mean what he said yesterday even while drunk?
“Did the son wake up?”
Even Kang Ji-woo’s mother, who had criticized her husband yesterday, called me son when I went out to the living room.
I looked it up on Naver, and it said that in Korea, it’s common to call a close friend’s child “son”.
So, I decided to accept this strange title.
The tteokguk made with garaetteok from the rice cake shop was nicely seasoned and delicious.
I even had seconds after finishing a generously portioned bowl.
Watching me eat well seemed to collectively raise the adults’ favor towards me.
Indeed, this family, which raised the official food-crazy guy of our dorm, Kang Ji-woo, was fitting…
After eating, we did the major event of the holiday, the New Year’s bow.
“Son, come over and bow too.”
“Can I do it too?”
“Of course. You’re a son too, it would be a shame if you didn’t.”
“Ji-woo, isn’t it time you stopped receiving New Year’s money?”
“Mommmm.”
“Ji-woo is still twenty-two, let him receive it until this year.”
“Grandma, you’re the best.”
I hadn’t bowed since I was very young when my grandmother was alive, so I worried it might be awkward, but thankfully, I could adequately follow along by watching Kang Ji-woo.
As a reward for the big bow, elementary school kids received ten thousand won, middle school kids got twenty thousand won, and high school kids got thirty thousand won.
Kang Ji-woo, who received fifty thousand won alone, lamented that he had always received just ten thousand won until high school, but his mother firmly shut her wallet.
* * *
Muk Hye-sung’s phone, left behind at his home in the countryside, received a message.
**ORCA On Raon [Teacher]**
**ORCA On Raon [(Emoji of three dogs bowing) Happy New Year]**
**ORCA On Raon [(Video)]**
Curious, Muk Hye-sung played the video and saw On Raon, nestled between two well-behaved dogs, wishing him a happy new year with a deep bow.
Muk Hye-sung chuckled and replied.
**Me [Yeah, you too, have a happy new year.]**
**Me [Muk Hye-sung has sent you a money packet.]**