episode_0129

“How come you, a guy in your late twenties, haven’t changed at all? Did you suddenly spend a lot of money without any preparation?”

Yoon Hak-cheol sighed and scratched his neck.

“I’m sending my daughter to study abroad. I can’t just send my daughter alone. So, I’m trying to send my wife along as well, but it costs a fortune.”

“Has all the money you’ve earned so far gone down the drain?”

“It has. I’ve been saving up little by little to buy a house and save for my daughter’s wedding once they all grow up…”

“Ha, what a waste. Acting like you have no money when you do.”

“I can’t just withdraw the investment funds right away! What am I supposed to do without any liquid cash?”

As Baek Jung-eon tried to snatch the note he was handing over, Yoon Hak-cheol shrugged and blocked Baek Jung-eon’s hand.

“Hey, if you promised to give it to me, just give it!”

“If you don’t put money in that account, it’s all for nothing, you idiot!”

The adults bickered like high school students, then burst into laughter at each other’s absurdity.

[ Shinwoo Bank XXXX-XXXX-XXXX, 10 million won ]

Baek Jung-eon’s face paled when he saw the amount written on the note.

“Isn’t this a simple amount that could be resolved with a loan?”

“The bank limit is reached.”

“What kind of investment are you messing up the household with?”

“It all went into school scholarships. It’s not my money anymore.”

But in the end, what Yoon Hak-cheol wanted was the future of the music industry. An environment where young musicians could practice comfortably.

Is that Min Chae-won going to stand in the way of Yoon Hak-cheol’s life?

Baek Jung-eon couldn’t hold back any longer and kicked Yoon Hak-cheol’s butt.

“You’re not going home on foot today.”

“Don’t bring out your childhood violence. Are you going to report me to the police?!”

“Do you think I can’t hit you? Come here!”

“Ah, ah!”

The two of them, jumping around, soon felt the limits of their stamina and joints.

Holding his knees and bending over, Baek Jung-eon said, “If Yoon Gwan-cheol does anything strange again, report it immediately. Got it?”

Lying on the ground, Yoon Hak-cheol replied, “Why do I have to do that, hyung…?”

“Otherwise… you bastard. Won’t there be more victims…!”

“…Ugh….”

No. There’s no need for that now.

“I’ll stop him. I don’t want our family affairs to be the talk of the town.”

“What family affairs are you talking about? Don’t you know even distant relatives these days? Parents and children cut ties if they get bored.”

“We haven’t cut ties yet. So, it has to be now.”

At least, there was a chance to restore Yoon Gwan-cheol’s family. Even though Yoon Ji-yoo and Yoon Ji-chang hated their father, they weren’t ready to leave home completely.

If he was truly the worst kind of trash, they would have run away and never looked back.

The same was true for Jin Sae-byeok.

Perhaps Sae-byeok might consider Yoon Gwan-cheol with some sympathy. After all, she left a few regretful words for Yoon Hak-cheol, her mentor at the time of her bankruptcy after her divorce.

Mistakes couldn’t be undone, but they had to be corrected, even if it meant a lifetime of atonement.

It had to be done when it could be done.

“Before reporting to hyung, I’ll take care of it on my end.”

Baek Jung-eon mumbled, chewing on his lips.

“Will Yoon Gwan-cheol listen to that guy…?”

“He won’t listen easily.”

“But he won’t resist easily either. Eventually, he’ll come around. I’ve known him for a long time. I know where Gwan-cheol hyung is weak.”

Perhaps Yoon Hak-cheol’s words, from someone who had known and lived with him for a long time, would have more influence than Baek Jung-eon’s harsh words.

Unable to do anything, Baek Jung-eon let out a deep sigh and crumpled the memo he had been holding before tossing it to Yoon Hak-chul.

“Oh. Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind? Because I’m giving you money!”

“Just wait a moment.”

Baek Jung-eon handed the memo he had taken out of his pocket back to Yoon Hak-chul, along with a pen.

“Write down your wife’s account number.”

“What?”

“And detail exactly how much you need, itemized by category.”

“Why do you need to go to such lengths?”

“If there’s leftover money, you’ll just waste it on golf clubs. How can I just give it to you like that?”

“Oh, I won’t buy any!”

“You’re joking. Once your wife and daughter go study abroad, you’ll happily spend your time playing golf, that’s obvious.”

“Golfing. I don’t use my own money for that… The foundation already provides me with a place to stay, why do such a thing?”

“Oh, so you’re embezzling money from the foundation?”

“Oh, no, I’m not! It’s all from my savings!”

“You shameless guy. Unforgivable. You need a good beating.”

“Shameless?”

“Scoundrel, you! Scoundrel!”

Baek Jung-eon’s fierce kicking. Yoon Hak-chul picked up the memo and pen and quickly stood up.

“Goodness. Are you making such good use of the Taekwondo classes you took in college?”

“Good use, you say?”

“Oh, it hurts?!”

After the shoot was over, I was invited to a meal set up by Jo Jin-yeol.

I thought it would be a gathering with professors, but it turned out to be just the two of us dining in a private setting.

The interior felt like a nighttime wooden terrace, making me want to come back with Siwoo later.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“No, it’s you who deserves thanks.”

To celebrate the successful shoot, Jo Jin-yeol ordered wine, while I opted for a non-alcoholic mojito and we lightly toasted.

Clank. The glass made a pretty sound as I brought it to my lips.

Slurp. The refreshing fruit soda filled my mouth.

“So, when should we have our showdown?”

Before the food arrived, I wanted to quickly discuss our competition schedule, so I asked about it.

After checking his calendar on his phone for a while, Jo Jin-yeol said, “How about August 14th?”

It was a day with no other plans. I accepted his proposal without hesitation.

“Sounds good. And the location?”

“Let’s do it at Baek Jung-eon Hall.”

Baek Jung-eon Hall. The most familiar place. Since Jo Jin-yeol was also a graduate of Hanyang University, he chose a place that was comfortable for both of us.

“Oh, and I’m thinking of having Professor Baek Jung-eon as the judge.”

“…Sure.”

Seeing me agree so readily, Jo Jin-yeol chuckled.

“Are you accepting too easily? I could have chosen a biased judge, you know.”

Ah, right. Professor Baek Jung-eon isn’t exactly Min Chaewon’s mentor yet.

We’ve only known each other for a few months, so it’s strange to agree so quickly.

“I’m not trying to suck up to you, senior.”

At my words, Jo Jin-yeol burst out laughing.

“Haha… Right. I have no reason to suck up to my cute junior…”

“Oh. The choice of words was a bit low, but that’s how it is.”

I was just speaking based on rational reasoning.

“I really admire you, senior. I’ve watched your concert videos very often. You said I’m your fan, but I’m also your fan.”

“So if you want, we can collaborate anytime. But why compete in piano skills and then suggest collaboration if you win? And then why choose a biased judge?”

It’s too much trouble. There’s no need to go that far.

“Even though you’re busy, there’s no need to go that far, senior.”

Jo Jinyeol chuckled and gave an example.

“Then what about Yoon Gwancheol, who does such naughty things while being busy?”

“Well, he must have been neglecting his concert preparation as well. He’s so focused on unnecessary things instead of being busy playing. That’s how it goes, right?”

“Yeah, there were a lot of comments saying that his playing doesn’t have the same elegance as before.”

“Exactly. When a musician’s attention is diverted elsewhere, it naturally affects their performance.”

As humans age, their cognitive and motor skills decline. Instead of making efforts to cover that up, they resort to cunning tricks.

Being hailed as the top violinist, he is a shameful performer.

He should mend his ways as soon as possible and let go of his obsession with his children. Only then will he not be ashamed in front of the audience who come to listen to his playing.

“We’ve promised to meet again next week.”

Jo Jinyeol looked at me with a worried expression and asked, “Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you won’t accept the results. Knowing Yoon Gwancheol, he might resort to more drastic measures.”

– If Yoon Gwancheol loses to Min Chaewon: Yoon Gwancheol will create a video apologizing to Min Chaewon and the subscribers of Channel Aclert, and upload it to Channel Aclert.

I fully agreed with Jo Jinyeol’s thoughts. But since a signed contract exists, there is no room for excuses in this matter. I, too, did not write up a contract to make such burdensome requests.

“I have everything planned out, so don’t worry.”