Chapter 41: Caught by Family

When I arrived at the hotel, there were still reporters and fans waiting.

Thankfully, the bodyguards were holding them back, so I could enter the hotel.

Not as many people as before.

Of course, I meant fewer than in the morning, but there were still quite a few.

Following the bodyguards’ guidance, I went inside and headed straight to the room.

“Oh, Uncle.”

“Uncle? Did you finish your work?”

As I entered the hotel room, I saw the kids relaxing in their own ways.

Hye-yeon and Yuri were studying, pulling textbooks from their bags, while Jiyu was sleeping on the sofa.

“Yeah, I’m done for today. Are you all studying?”

“Yes, a little…”

“It’s so boring!” Yuri interrupted.

Yuri found this place maddeningly stifling.

Back at the house in Saskatchewan, the language barrier didn’t feel as strong, but here it was different.

Everything was in English, which made it feel suffocating.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes! I want to go to the pool! And the spa! But I don’t know how to get there!”

Even if they tried, not knowing English would make them hesitate.

So, they decided to stay in until their uncle, Yongsu Kwon, returned.

“Shall we go grab some food then?”

“Food!?”

At that, Jiyu’s eyes shot open with a flash from where she was sleeping on the sofa.

“Yawn…”

Stretching with a long yawn, Jiyu blinked sleepily and stared at me.

“Oh! It’s Uncle! Jiyu missed you so much!”

“Did Jiyu miss Uncle? Uncle missed Jiyu too.”

“No way! Jiyu missed you more! Heehee!”

Still groggy, Jiyu slowly got up from the sofa, waddling over to me.

She tightly hugged my leg.

“Jiyu, aren’t you hungry?”

“Mmm… I’m hungry.”

I came as quickly as I could, but it was already nearing 2 p.m.

The kids must be starving.

“Jiyu, want to go to the buffet?”

“Buffet?”

“Yeah, the place we went to for breakfast.”

“Mmm…”

We had gone to the hotel buffet for breakfast.

Everyone enjoyed the morning meal, and since we didn’t know who might follow us if we went outside, staying in felt more comfortable.

“Jiyu wants to eat kimchi jjigae.”

“Kimchi jjigae?”

“Yes! Kimchi jjigae!”

Jiyu loves Korean food.

She often eats chocolate for snacks, but for meals, she usually prefers Korean dishes.

Hmm…

This is LA, and there’s a Koreatown nearby.

Worst case, we could buy ingredients and cook in the room.

The problem was having to go outside.

“Hang on.”

I thought for a moment.

How could I take the kids out without being noticed?

As I was pondering, Hye-yeon spoke up softly.

“Um… Uncle.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Well… You see…”

“Oh, the autograph? Of course, I got it. Hold on.”

“No, no! That’s not it!”

Hye-yeon hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s nothing big, but… After we hung up earlier, Yuri told me. That you’re Adele Louis.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes…”

How shocked she must have been when Yuri told her.

Back when her mom only let them watch movies based on Adele Louis’s works, she wondered why, but now it made sense knowing her uncle was Adele Louis.

“So… the people waiting outside the hotel to meet you are all fans, right?”

“There are reporters too.”

“Yes, yes! So… wouldn’t it be okay to just let people know about us?”

Her words caught me off guard.

Let people know?

“No way. You know how relentless reporters can be.”

“We could just clear up what they’re curious about. Then they might stop paying attention to us…”

“They could dig even deeper.”

“We union, we’ve lived honestly, so it’s fine.”

The kids looked at me with bright, innocent faces.

Was it naivety? Or consideration?

For a moment, I wavered at her words.

…No way.

I shook my head, steadying my resolve.

In the past, I didn’t care about reporters.

In fact, I even felt good when they showed up.

It meant I was getting famous, after all.

That was a mistake.

As I released more works and became more famous, the number of reporters grew.

Some cheered me on, but others hoped I’d mess up.

Paparazzi.

Reporters who exaggerated every little thing forced me to hide myself.

I have to protect the kids, at least.

Our home is in rural Canada.

If reporters swarmed there, I wouldn’t be able to shield the kids.

So, I wanted to keep them hidden from reporters as much as possible.

“Just… we don’t need to hold a press conference or anything. Can’t we just go out normally?”

At Hye-yeon’s words, I shook my head.

We might feel stifled now, but I didn’t want to risk the kids’ future because of that.

“That… would probably be tough.”

“Okay…”

At my firm response, Hye-yeon nodded in understanding.

I placed a hand on her head.

“Thanks for thinking about it, though.”

“No, it’s okay. We were just… feeling cooped up and thought we’d mention it.”

“Anyway, I talked to the hotel. We’ll stay here today, but tomorrow we’ll move to another hotel.”

Some reporters might follow, but many will give up.

Once we switch hotels, we should be able to move around more easily.

“Shall we eat for now?”

“How?”

I gave a slight smile.

“Delivery.”

***

After ordering food from a nearby Korean restaurant, I explored the hotel with the kids.

We checked out the pool and spa in the basement, the café in the lobby, and the hotel garden.

Even if we couldn’t go out, there was more to do in the hotel than expected, and the kids had fun.

Ring ring ring ring ring!

While playing with the kids, my phone suddenly rang.

Who could it be?

Since I wasn’t expecting any calls, I glanced at the phone curiously.

“Oh!”

It was Nicole.

I quickly answered.

“Hello?”

“Writer-nim!” Nicole’s voice came through.

“Nicole, you must have arrived in Canada?”

Nicole and I talk on the phone at least once a day.

Until yesterday, she was in Japan.

“Yes, I’m here! Hehe! I’m heading home now! What are you doing, Writer-nim?”

“I’m playing with the kids.”

“Have you eaten?”

“We’ll probably eat at a restaurant tonight. What about you?”

“Hmm… I’ll probably eat at home. Vancouver restaurants are too expensive.”

“Haha, it’s pretty pricey here too.”

Especially the tip prices—they were insane.

When we ordered delivery earlier, I was shocked at the cost.

Even though I’ve made a lot of money, one meal felt outrageously expensive.

It’s not just expensive… We could cook at home for cheaper, so ordering out feels even pricier.

Cooking at home would be affordable, but ordering delivery with America’s tip culture made it feel even more costly.

“Writer-nim, I miss you,” Nicole said.

“I miss you too, Nicole.”

We live so far apart.

From Saskatchewan to Vancouver, we’d need to fly to meet.

Being in a long-distance relationship made me want to see Nicole even more.

“So, I took some time off! I want to see you, Writer-nim!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I want to visit your house! Your writing studio! The garden you think about! The kitchen where you eat! I want to see it all!”

Talking with Nicole is always fun.

I want to keep talking, always enjoying it, but there was one issue.

When it comes to writer talk… she gets a bit intense.

Even so, she’s still my beloved girlfriend.

“Well… my schedule wraps up in two days.”

“I’ll come to the U.S.!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly?

Flustered, I pressed the phone closer to my ear.

“Yes! I’ll come to LA! To the hotel where you’re staying!”

“Uh… Well.”

I was already stressed about the reporters hounding the kids.

If Nicole came, dating rumors would spark, and it’d be tough for her too.

So, I decided to be honest.

“Things aren’t great here right now. It’d probably be better to meet in Canada.”

“Oh… Really?”

Nicole’s voice was filled with disappointment.

She must have been excited to take time off to see me, so I felt bad.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay! Then I’ll pick you up at the airport when you get back! Saskatchewan airport!”

“Uh… Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Of course!”

“Then I’ll let you know the exact schedule tomorrow evening. I’m not sure how things will go yet.”

“Got it! Hehe!”

After the call with Nicole ended, I felt eyes on me and turned to the side.

“Uncle…?” Yuri was staring at me with sparkling eyes.

I got caught.

I’d been keeping my relationship from Yuri.

Back then, she was asleep, and when she woke up, I was passed out, so it got brushed off.

Well, she’d find out eventually…

Since she said she’d visit our house, I needed to tell them.

“Uncle! You’re dating, right? Right? That was your girlfriend on the phone, wasn’t it? Right?”

“How did you know? It was in English.”

“Your voice was dripping with honey! So sweet it could rot my teeth!”

This is exactly why I didn’t want Yuri to find out.

“She said she’ll pick me up at the airport when we get back to Saskatchewan. You’ll meet her then.”

“At the airport? To see you?”

“Yeah.”

“Kyaa…! So romantic!”

Yuri clutched her cheeks and bounced in place.

Was that really worth getting so excited over?

“Uncle! Uncle! We need to go shopping! Clothes!”

“Clothes? Why?”

I looked down at my outfit.

It’s perfectly fine.

Yuri wagged her finger and shook her head.

“No way! Those clothes aren’t for meeting your girlfriend! They’re worse than a neighborhood bum’s!”

Even coming from my niece, those words stung a bit.

“Just trust me! I’ll style you head to toe!”

“No… I’m good. This is enough. A puffy jacket hides it anyway.”

“You have to! They say early in a relationship, it’s all about looks! Your girlfriend’s expecting that!”

At Yuri’s words, I pressed my throbbing temples.

She’s not even Mijeong.

She was even more of a hassle than Mijeong.