Chapter 49: The Song in the Morning

The distance to school was about a 15-minute walk.

It was the same road I always walked, but today, it marked the start of a day unlike any other.

As I passed the bus stop, I overheard the conversation of two students walking beside me.

“Hey, did you see that drama commercial? Living on rent at the Chairman's house.”

“Oh, that one, of course I saw it. Looks fun, right? Seriously. The cast is amazing too.”

Without realizing it, a smile crept onto my lips at their conversation. To think I’d now overhear people talking about my work while just walking down the street—it felt incredible.

Being recognized for your work is an honor for any writer.

The fatigue that had weighed on me from not sleeping properly while sorting through new ideas last night vanished completely.

If this is the reaction from just the commercial, I think it’s safe to have some high hopes for the drama itself.

The sunlight draped softly over the rows of trees, the children rushing to school—the scenery was just like yesterday, but today, it all caught my eye a little more.

The casual words that people pass by with, a fleeting expression—these things change me.

I walked slowly past the school gate and crossed the schoolyard.

Even the sunlight bouncing off the building’s walls felt refreshingly vivid.

“Hey, hey, hey, he’s here! Seunghyun!”

Just as I passed through the hallway and was about to open the classroom door, the students' eyes all focused on me at once. Like hyenas who’d found good prey, the kids came swarming toward me with their faces full of curiosity at having found a promising new story.

Before I could even sit at my desk, I was completely surrounded. They didn’t give me a moment to escape and started firing questions at me in rapid succession.

“I heard you got into a foreign car in front of the school yesterday! And you had a chauffeur?”

“Are you, like, a rich kid hiding your true identity?”

They didn’t even give me time to think, just bombarding me with all their burning questions.

On their faces, I saw not only curiosity, but a spark of expectation.

They looked as if they thought they might uncover some huge secret, a mix of adolescent imagination and wild curiosity.

They may not have fangs, but if I gave them any bait, they’d tear me apart.

‘So, this kind of thing finally happened, huh. Tsk. Well, you have to respect kids’ curiosity. It’s not like being rich is something to brag about, so let’s just snuff out their curiosity.’

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to let it slide at an appropriate level.

“Ah... That was just an older friend playing a prank. He wanted to tease me. Something came up, and that friend happened to be nearby, so he gave me a ride.”

A reason is easy enough to make up.

I decided to quell their burning curiosity with a mix of ten parts truth and ninety parts fiction.

“...Really? It was your friend’s car?”

“Wow. I thought there was going to be some huge secret.”

“Hah, you got us all excited for nothing. I thought we had a chaebol heir in our class or something.”

Their faces showed the disappointment they’d wanted. The ones who’d rushed up now slunk back to their seats, deflated.

“Told you. Seunghyun’s nothing like a rich kid. His family’s not well-off.”

Into the disappointment-filled classroom, a new voice cut in.

I turned my gaze and met the eyes of someone just entering the room.

His name was Seo Taejun.

Back in third grade, we were classmates.

It was a faint memory.

But, not a particularly good one.

He was the kind of kid who brought his older brother to scare me, always walking around puffed up.

He’d caused a lot of trouble back in elementary school.

‘If you think about it, I really didn’t study at all in my previous life. Even he came to this school… and me…’

I reflect on parts of my past life.

“Taejun’s right. My family’s not well-off.”

I gave a slight smile and raised my hand in agreement with Taejun.

Again, even if you do well in this neighborhood, at best you’re the son of a landlord or the owner of a small business.

Some families have a little more than others, but there aren’t any students here whose families are so rich that they buy luxury goods without looking at price tags.

If you went over to places like Cheongdam-dong or Hannam-dong, you wouldn’t even be able to hold your head up.

And once again… I repeat: having a lot of money is nothing to boast about.

Why?

Because that’s the result of my parents’ efforts, not mine.

Of course, I don’t include myself in that.

I just don’t want the dynamic between me and the others to turn into one of “the rich and the poor” because of money.

“You should be ashamed.”

Seo Taejun gave a sneering smile and moved to his seat.

Really, he’s a poor guy, full of complaints about the world.

Maybe after he’s in his mid-thirties, he’ll start to realize it.

That today’s actions only lower his own value.

I erased thoughts of Taejun from my mind and got ready for class.

Bzzzzz.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my jacket pocket.

I took it out to check.

[Chaerin: Yesterday was fun, little brother. Wink. Let’s meet again. I’ll buy you something tasty.]

After what happened yesterday, Chaerin and I had grown closer and now texted.

Maybe she thought well of me—she suggested we treat each other as siblings, and when I agreed, she sent this message first thing in the morning.

“Being young really is great. There are days like this.”

Smiling at her text, I closed my phone.

Soon, the classroom door opened and the teacher came in.

My attention shifted from my phone to the teacher.

---

A peaceful afternoon that made me wish every day could be like today.

I sat by the window and opened my sketchbook. Sitting on a creaky chair, I lost myself in thought. Until not long ago, I used to roll around and sleep in the back seat of a van, so it still didn’t feel real that I was now sitting here twirling a pencil.

Even getting one proper meal was a struggle, but now we had a home and didn’t have to shiver from heat or cold.

The house we lived in belonged to Seunghyun’s father, a brand new villa he’d let us use.

It was the most comfortable place in the world to me. My mom still worked at a restaurant, but things had eased up for her. My dad had escaped debt and was out of the hospital, focusing on resting and his recovery.

The doctor said my dad’s condition was improving rapidly.

Our family was slowly finding its way back.

There was a time when I resented the whole world.

When I saw my dad sick from the debts someone else left him, and my mom suffering, every day felt like hell.

We had to endure such an unstable life.

If it weren’t for Seunghyun, my family might still be living in that van, losing hope for the future.

That gratitude had seeped deep into my bones.

I wanted to help Seunghyun somehow, too.

Anything.

That’s what I thought was right for a person to do.

A book I loved in middle school, ‘A Genius Adopted into a Chaebol Family’, caught my eye.

It’s about Yuhan-gyeol, who grew up without parents, meeting a new family and desperately wanting to do something for them.

“How should I repay such kindness?”

Yuhan-gyeol wants to repay his family, who, though not related by blood, raised him with love. I want to do the same for Seunghyun.

In the old days, I’d have vowed to risk my life for my lord, but it’s not that kind of era anymore—impossible now.

But I had nothing to offer Seunghyun.

I wasn’t rich, nor did I have anything to help him with his future.

Seunghyun said it was fine and told me to relax, but as a human being, even as friends, I didn’t want to have such shameless thoughts.

I turned the page of my sketchbook.

Whenever I got lost in thought, I’d draw.

I’d express emotions and worries I couldn’t put into words through lines and pictures that flowed from my fingertips.

Today, I decided to draw something a bit different—my reinterpretation of a scene from ‘Lord of the Smartphone.’

The protagonist, smartphone in hand, entering the lord’s castle.

I drew the scene where the world moved at a single touch.

With Seunghyun’s thoughts in my mind, my hand continued sketching.

“Wow, I knew you were good at drawing, but what’s this?”

Suddenly, a voice called out behind me, without warning.

“Whoa! Mom!”

My heart nearly leapt out of my body at the sudden intrusion.

Pressing a hand to my startled chest, I turned to look back.

“Hey! If you’re here, say something! You scared me!!”

My heart was still pounding out of control.

I glared at Seunghyun, who was grinning mischievously.

“Me? I called out a bunch of times. The door was open, so I just came in.”

Ah…

I’d forgotten—my mom had opened the door to air out the place and gone out for a bit.

Unable to say anything, I looked up at Yoo Seunghyun.

---

My uncle, aunt, and Daesik’s family were all invited for a samgyeopsal dinner by my dad, so I headed over to Daesik’s house.

“Hello, ma’am.”

“Oh, Seunghyun, you’re here. Daesik’s home. The door should be open.”

Arriving in front of the villa, I ran into Daesik’s mother just as she was leaving.

I bowed my head and greeted her.

“Um, ma’am, my dad wants to have a samgyeopsal party tonight. Will you have time to join us?”

“I always feel sorry, you know. We ought to host you, but we never manage to…”

My parents always bought extra groceries to help out Daesik’s family, who weren’t well-off, and shared them with them.

They also helped out with living expenses, so Daesik’s family felt both grateful and burdened.

“Even if I was struggling, Daesik would have helped me however he could. Please, don’t feel burdened. And food always tastes best when shared.”

Seeing the burden on Daesik’s mother’s face, I smiled gently.

“Thank you, Seunghyun.”

“Haha, I’ll go see Daesik now.”

If I stayed any longer, I felt Daesik’s mom wouldn’t be able to leave, so I made my way toward Daesik’s place first.

“Daesik really takes after his mom.”

From looks to kindness,

He was just like his mother.

Maybe that’s why Daesik turned out the way he did.

“Daesik? Hey, Daesik. Huh? He said he was home!”

Climbing the stairs, I called Daesik’s name several times as I pushed the open door, but there was no answer.

With no choice, I took off my shoes and went toward Daesik’s room.

I peeked cautiously through the cracked door.

Daesik was at his desk, completely absorbed in something. Not wanting to interrupt his focus, I quietly entered the room and stood behind him.

‘Wow, this is… no way…’

What I saw exceeded anything I could have imagined.

My eyes went wide in shock.

This wasn’t just a well-drawn picture.

It was on par with the work of some of my favorite manga artists—the quality was that high.

“Wow, I knew you were good at drawing, but what is this?”

The admiration slipped out before I knew it. This wasn’t just a hobby.

There was a talent here you couldn’t reach with effort alone.

It would be such a waste to let it go unnoticed.

“Whoa, Mom! Hey! If you’re here, say something! You scared me!!”

Daesik, who’d been completely absorbed in his drawing, jumped in fright and shuddered violently.

“Hey, this drawing—it’s the protagonist from ‘Lord of the Smartphone,’ isn’t it?”

Ignoring Daesik’s glare, I asked what I wanted to know.

“Yeah, it is.”

As I thought…

This guy had captured exactly the image of the lord I had in mind.

“Hey, Go Daesik. What’s your dream?”

I forgot why I’d come here in the first place. All I could think about now was how to help him make the most of his talent.

If he was willing, I wanted to help this talent of his blossom.