episode_0001

It wasn’t a metropolis, nor was it a completely rural town, but rather a high school located in a small city.

Students gathered in groups, laughing and chatting noisily in their classrooms.

Most people might think that they are currently enjoying their youth to the fullest, but unfortunately, not many can truly savor such youthful days.

This is due to the existence of invisible social hierarchies.

During school days, students are broadly divided into three categories:

There are the popular kids, the outcasts, and finally, the ordinary group that doesn’t fit into either extreme.

I belong to this last category, Kim Min-soo.

And at the top of this hierarchy,

In every school, there is always a core popular group, and in my class, the apex popular kid is Kim Ji-min, who is chatting away with her friends.

Just looking at her can be intimidating—her tanned skin, bright golden hair, and a school uniform skirt so short that her underwear almost peeks out.

Someone like me, a mediocre person, wouldn’t dare to approach her.

Rumors say she has even tamed the troublemaking thugs in our class… which might explain why she appears even more formidable.

Reality is not like an anime.

The scenario of an average guy getting involved with a popular girl doesn’t happen in real life, especially without any reason or mutual interest? At least I think I understand the situation.

Believing that I would spend another peaceful day just like any other, until Kim Ji-min approached me.

“Hey, what are you looking at?”

My heart skipped a beat in surprise.

Ji-min… It’s Ji-min, right?

I never expected her to talk to me, not even on graduation day.

“Hey, what’s up? Why are you staring?”

Suddenly approaching me, what is this… Should I respond? No, it’s risky. Ji-min’s expression is turning sour by the second. I don’t understand this situation.

“Oh… I was just looking at a profile of a singer I like…”

“Haha, do you think I’ll eat you? Why are you so nervous? We’re classmates.”

That’s right, she’s right. I haven’t done anything wrong, she’s just a girl from my class. There’s no need to be as jumpy as a hamster.

But up close, I notice a tattoo on her neck that I hadn’t noticed before, and I’m not used to the mix of her feminine scent and perfume.

As unexpected events unfold, amidst the confusion, Ji-min leans in close to my ear.

“I made a bet with my friends and lost, so I have to talk to you. Just play along and don’t think too much about it, just go along with it.”

“…..”

Well, that’s true. Now that I look back, the tough guys from the back are laughing and watching us.

“Oh, and why are you looking at a singer’s profile? Let me see, it must be boring.”

“It’s a profile of a minor singer, so you probably won’t know him. He’s not very popular…”

“A minor singer…? Hey, I also like someone among the minor singers. Let me see.”

She tries to hide her phone, but I manage to grab it after a struggle.

“Huh…?”

“Oh… You know this singer too?? Wow, you know how to appreciate music?”

“I attend every fan meeting of this singer without fail, and even when he had a modest concert last time, it was so good~ I feel like going again.”

“What’s your favorite song? I really liked his debut song.”

What’s happening… I thought I would be teased, but if she knows this singer too, suddenly I feel a surge of excitement.

“…Ahem, did I get too excited? I didn’t expect to find someone who likes this singer around me.”

“Anyway, since we share this interest, let’s be friends.”

???

Suddenly becoming friendly and rapidly getting closer.

Could it be that what I’ve hidden deep inside because it didn’t match my image has burst forth?

Finally meeting someone with similar tastes, Ji-min expresses her joy.

Starting with casual conversations, building up mutual interest, eventually leading to not just dates, but date(?) proposals.

The Date of Just the Two of Us Begins

I went to a minor singer’s concert with Jimin and realized that our tastes aligned, even in the cafes and movie theaters we visited intermittently. I was surprised at how well we got along.

Embarrassingly, it was my first time meeting a woman, but contrary to my anxious thoughts all night, we had such a pleasant time without any awkwardness.

Jimin wasn’t as fierce as I had imagined based on her usual image; she was just like any ordinary girl, enjoying good food with a bright smile and wanting to buy pretty clothes.

After that, we even went to the same university together. Since we were both studious, it made sense.

Unexpectedly during our college years, Jimin proposed that we start dating, and I couldn’t find any reason to refuse since I loved her so much.

Later, I learned from our first experience that Jimin, like me, was also inexperienced…

I still remember the moment when Jimin blushed, embarrassed, seeing the passion in my veins to the point where it could stain the sheets, asking why I was staring at it.

We enjoyed a lively campus life, managing our grades diligently while being deeply in love, but this happy time quickly came to an end after graduating from college.

When I succeeded in landing a job at a mid-sized company, Jimin revealed that she was pregnant.

My parents had passed away long ago, so Jimin went to inform her parents about the pregnancy. That day, for the first time in my life, I felt a threat to my existence.

With his intimidating appearance that could be mistaken for a gangster, towering height over 190 cm, broad shoulders, and a muscular body, I naturally thought he was Jimin’s older brother, but he turned out to be her father.

It seemed that the tanned skin and hair were genetic traits.

As he approached me aggressively upon seeing my face, Jimin’s mother intervened, thankfully preventing a potential confrontation.

Fortunately, her mother confirmed our feelings for each other and approved of our relationship, saying that as long as we loved each other, everything would be fine.

Although I wasn’t thrilled, I backed down under her mother’s watchful eye, while Jimin’s father reluctantly stepped aside.

We smiled at each other, facing each other happily.

My wife gave birth to our son Taeyang, and the overwhelming joy of holding him in my arms filled me with immense happiness.

But as they say, peaceful times come to an end quickly.

When Taeyang turned five, my wife’s health deteriorated rapidly, and a visit to the hospital revealed terminal cancer. How could this happen to my once healthy wife?

In a flash, our harmonious family life turned into a nightmare.

The vibrant image of my wife vanished, replaced by a pale, lifeless patient lying in a hospital bed.

Why us? What have we done wrong?

How should I… what should I do?

At that moment, Jimin, who had been lying motionless as if dead, woke up and struggled to speak.

“I’m sorry, Minsu… for burdening you with so much alone… But I hope we raise Taeyang well together. Our son, who is half you and half me, handsome and more lovable than anyone…”

“….”

Tears streamed endlessly from my eyes.

Even in her dying moments, my wife was thinking of me and our son, while I, the trash that I am, only thought of escaping reality…

You idiot.

I gathered my thoughts and spoke to my wife.

“Honey… no, Jimin, I’ve been so happy with you until now… I’ll take good care of Taeyang, so don’t worry.”

Jimin smiled broadly, reminiscent of her old self.

Dad… Mom won’t be able to see me anymore, right?

My wife passed away, leaving me with our barely five-year-old son, Taeyang.

With blonde hair and tanned skin resembling his mother but a face distinctly mine, Taeyang clung tightly to my leg, fearing that I might leave too.

Promising myself to raise my son well, I vowed to become a proud father without shame, honoring my wife’s request.

From then on, I really tried hard.

Growing up without parents since I was young, I knew all too well the pain of being without them. So, I raised Taeyangi twice as diligently, making up for the missing part of having a wife.

At first, it was truly difficult. It wasn’t easy to decide to raise a son alone at an age when a mother was desperately needed.

However, humans are creatures of adaptation. Each time I struggled against the wall of reality, I mustered strength to keep my wife’s last words in mind, year after year.

Starting from unfamiliar household chores to establishing a stable position in society,

Now, instead of Minsoo, the clueless newcomer to society, I had become a respectable member of society and, more than anyone else, a father who loved his son, Taeyang.

Watching Taeyang grow up well under my inexperienced guidance, I felt both sorry and proud of my son at the same time.

As he grew taller, surpassing me in height just like a master craftsman, becoming exactly like the golden sun one would see in a comic book,

But what did that matter? He was my son, deeper in filial piety than anyone else, and even if I could not bear to look at him, it wouldn’t hurt.

That’s how I thought…

Around the time Taeyang turned 23,

“Hey, Dad, I’ll be out playing with some hot girls today, so don’t bother making dinner! www”

Taeyang, what on earth does that mean…