NOVEL WEB Chapter 7
The creator above the landlord.
I’ve gained that great title, but my life hasn’t changed much at all.
The building is a commercial property, so moving isn’t on the table.
As expected, Dad didn’t quit his job.
Mom was admitted to the hospital right away for cancer treatment.
It was a time when medical science hadn’t developed much.
It was really fortunate that I could afford astronomical medical bills.
‘I can cover the hospital fees with the monthly rent, no problem.’
Dad doesn’t seem to have much of a business sense or greed for money.
He just seemed satisfied with owning one building.
He didn’t look like he wanted to roll more money.
Rather…
– It’s your building, so I’ll manage it until you become an adult.
After that, you’re on your own.
He was treating the property in Bundang like something to get rid of quickly.
‘Weirdly, the quietness around me is probably thanks to Dad being quiet too.’
When someone starts making money, people naturally come around to find out.
But maybe it’s because Dad is the epitome of being mute, not even cousins came to visit.
During a time when there was no privacy, making big money would usually sell your private life.
Yet that got forgotten in the hype of the 2002 World Cup semi-finals.
I had become the so-called ‘rich person that nobody knows.’
‘Yeah, there’s really no need to make more money here.’
I initially didn’t even have the skills to make more money.
In my previous life, I was just an ordinary citizen.
My understanding of investments or economic flows was very lacking.
So, ultimately, as the owner of the Bundang building, what was I doing?
“Shall we do some exercise with Sook-Sook today?”
“Yayyy!”
I was diligently following the teacher’s instructions doing Sook-Sook exercise.
At that time, I was 124cm tall.
I was about 10cm taller than the average height.
“Dong-Hoo, but you seem different somehow.”
“What do you mean?”
“Um… you look cleaner.”
The only person who noticed the change after I became rich was my seatmate, Ryu Jaerin.
Maybe because she was close by, she apparently noticed I looked different.
“But seriously, between me and Su-Jin, am I prettier?”
“Uhh…”
It was just another question she asked all the time.
Since it became known I was in [Dr. Kya-Ruk!], Ryu Jaerin kept comparing our looks.
Why is a six-year-old already worrying about how she’ll look when she grows up?
‘Oh right, she’s going to become a famous idol.’
But even objectively, Ryu Jaerin definitely had a shining appearance.
It’s still vague to comment since she’s only six, but from an adult’s perspective, Ryu Jaerin was definitely the visual center of an idol.
Anyone could see she possessed a brilliantly radiant appearance.
From what I know, she had a pretty poor childhood.
Maybe because of that, I treated Ryu Jaerin quite well.
For example…
“…But why do you always give me Pocket Monster bread?”
“Are you really giving this to me?”
“You collect these, right? But you say you only buy one a month, when are you ever going to complete it?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Maybe you could just give me some of that crazy popular Poké Bread.”
“But how do you eat Cup Ramen every day? Are you rich?”
“Uh, I manage.”
“Like when I buy you Cup Ramen on the way home from kindergarten.”
“…Donghoo, are you seriously giving this to me?”
“Yup, take it. My hand hurts.”
“How did you know I love grape-flavored ones?”
“…Kids usually just like grape flavor.”
“Like when you pack snacks for a picnic.”
I did everything I could and didn’t forget to cheer you on.
“You’re definitely going to be a famous idol one day.”
“An idol?”
“Yeah, you’re prettier than Kim Sujin.”
“Hehe… I guess so.”
But that was just as far as it went.
Nothing happened beyond that in kindergarten.
And time passed quickly, just like that.
“Son, you need to get ready for school.”
“Yes!”
I was entering middle school.
+++++
2010.
My life as a first-year middle school student hadn’t changed much.
Well, there was one special thing that got added.
“Have you ever thought about becoming a celebrity?”
“No, not really.”
“Oh, um… I’m not a weird person, but please make sure to accept my business card, okay?”
“Sure.”
On my way to school, it wasn’t uncommon for talent agencies to be throwing out business cards.
The effects of having a “face of a thousand charms” actually started working its magic from middle school.
I was developing a decent frame and my facial features were slowly coming into play.
Fat was starting to fade away.
My face was gradually revealing its power (?), but during this time, it wasn’t all positive.
“Hey, aren’t you being a bit too flashy?”
“Huh?”
It was the turbulent, romantic era.
In 2010 South Korea, school bullying was like a stone you find on the side of the road.
Common and something anyone could experience.
If you wandered into a shady alleyway, you’d get your shoes stolen or money extorted.
And because I was good-looking, I caught the eye of a trashy classmate who decided to pick a fight.
On the very first day, no less.
‘What is this…’
I stole a glance.
I looked down to see his name tag, but of course, being a delinquent, he didn’t even have one.
‘But this is kind of funny.’
A first-year middle schooler, 14 years old.
While everyone was about the same height, I stood at 170 cm.
As a result, it did start a fight, but the kids ended up looking up at me, quite literally.
‘Adorable.’
Maybe because it was my second life, watching 14-year-olds trying to act tough was just hilarious.
“Pfft.”
And laughing here was a huge mistake.
I just couldn’t contain my laughter due to their freshness.
“This punk has gone mad!”
Right after the laughter died down, a fist came flying at me.
All I could do was one thing.
There was only one reason.
A rambunctious middle schooler, the leader of the troublemakers from Class 6 of Sinbit Middle School, Kim Min-hyuk had targeted Kim Donghu solely because…
“He’s good-looking.”
What does it mean to be a bully?
It means sitting confidently in the backseat by the classroom window with your feet on the desk, occasionally throwing out curses to intimidate those around you, craving attention—a sort of superstar or idol position.
But.
From day one, Kim Donghu completely ruined that.
With just his face, he sat arrogantly in the front, stealing everyone’s gaze with his cocky demeanor.
Originally, Kim Min-hyuk had planned to stomp on him in due time, but he simply couldn’t take it any longer. He thought he’d give him a little ‘adjustment’ before the morning assembly.
However, there were two unexpected variables for Kim Min-hyuk.
“…Why is he so tall?”
The first was that Kim Donghu was quite tall, so he had to look up.
“Pfft.”
The other was that instead of being frightened, he laughed at Kim Min-hyuk.
How dare he laugh at the bully?!
This could never be brushed off lightly.
Kim Min-hyuk swung a punch right away.
Snap!
He quickly realized something had lodged into his shin.
“AAAAAAAH!”
When the blunt rubber sole of a slipper hit his shin, a scream erupted. And to add salt to the wound…
Thud!
His punch unsuccessfully hit the innocent wall instead.
It was probably due to his uncontrolled rage;
Crack!
His finger cracked.
At this point, Kim Min-hyuk had only one option left.
“Ueeeeeeeng!”
Clutching his finger and rolling on the floor in agony, he was left a mess of tears and snot.
“What the heck is happening?”
“Why is he like this…”
“Don’t just stand there; call an ambulance! An ambulance!”
Just then, the teachers arrived.
Feeling the situation was serious, a student rushed to the staff room to pull anyone who could help.
“Hmm.”
Jang Boseok, the homeroom teacher of Class 6, frowned and assessed the situation.
An ambulance was already called, so the next step was to figure out what the heck was going on.
With no name tag and a poor uniform, Kim Min-hyuk was rolling around on the floor.
From anyone’s view, it looked like he had been cornered and brutalized, while Kim Donghu seemed completely fine.
From just the situation, it could be seen that Kim Donghu was the aggressor, but that only made sense when looking at the outcome.
When considering everything, the one who threw the first punch was clearly Kim Min-hyuk.
‘Still, he looks like a broken bone here.’
Even if Min-hyuk started it, this was too serious to ignore.
So, the judgment from Jang Boseok was…
“Kim Donghu, bring your parents.”
First things first, it was time to have a talk with the parents of the relatively decent students.
+++++
It was the first day of middle school.
Whenever parents were asked to come, the reactions were pretty much predictable.
– “Did our kid do something wrong?”
Fearful reactions, or…
– “How are you, as a school teacher, handling the kids?!”
Angry outbursts.
Usually, it was one of those two options.
“…”
That’s why Teacher Jang Boseok was experiencing this kind of situation for the first time.
“Sir, um… the kids say that Kim Min-hyuk started the fight, and he got his bone fractured because he slammed into the wall while swinging his fist. So the discipline will only be on Kim Min-hyuk, and there will be nothing for Kim Donghu.”
“Yes.”
The father’s responses were just too sparse.
There’s a limit to being quiet!
‘Your kid just faced a beating, and this is your reaction?’
At first glance, it seemed like he didn’t love his child. But that was just the biased judgment of the teacher.
Meanwhile, Kim Donghu’s father, Kim Jang-ryeol, was thinking on his feet.
His first thought was simple.
‘Thank goodness he didn’t hit him.’
Ever since Kim Donghu entered elementary school, his biggest aspiration was to learn martial arts.
His primary interest? MMA, the mixed martial arts!
A 7-year-old suddenly obsessed with fighting has now been practicing for 7 years!
The instructor even insists that he should go pro.
And now, his talented son was supposed to be swinging fists?
‘Taking down a kid would be a piece of cake.’
But hearing that wasn’t the case? Seriously, what a relief!
+++++
The day after Kim Min-hyuk went off in tears, snot running down his face, loaded into an ambulance…
“….”
When I walked into class, there was only one seat left.
The one by the window at the back.
‘Why the heck am I sitting here?’
With that question lingering, I turned my head toward my usual seat.
And there, sitting quietly…
“…”
Was Kim Min-hyuk, lowering his eyes the moment he saw me.