Chapter 18: Unexpected Connections and Resolutions

[Thank you for the thought, but I’ll have to decline. I can’t make time to go out right now due to my current circumstances.]

“Oh, I see. That’s understandable. Regardless, I’m always grateful. Thank you so much for your help.”

[Don’t mention it. I told you—I’m doing this because I want to.]

Rejected.

Honestly, they don’t seem that busy, but it feels like they’re drawing a boundary.

It stings a little.

Well, there must be a reason.

If they truly disliked me as a person, they wouldn’t have helped me in the first place.

I’ll find another opportunity later to repay them.

Now then, what am I supposed to do?

The only person coming to my housewarming is Moonhwa.

Just the two of us? Seriously?

A man and a woman alone in a housewarming party—it’s bound to be awkward.

Isn’t there anyone else I could invite?

I thought about it, but no one comes to mind.

Maybe the vice president?

That connection could work as an excuse.

But since we barely have any interactions, I even hesitate to send them a message.

Forget it. Whatever happens, happens.

For now, I need to move my stuff.

It’s getting late.

I have to get to the new house, unpack, set up my equipment, and clean.

So much to do.

I called a cab and started carrying my luggage out to the front gate, one piece at a time.

“Seriously? Hosting a housewarming party? And just the two of us, who barely know each other?”

If they didn’t want any compensation, they could’ve just accepted my thanks without resistance.

But Yuseong is different from other streamers—he’s persistent, demanding my number and insisting on offering a reward.

“Sorry, but it’s tough right now. Too many eyes are watching me.”

Maybe I’ll regain my freedom in about two months.

I just want to escape this suffocating oppression already.

I retired four years ago.

Now, I’m just a regular person living off small investments.

Why are they so obsessed with me?

I’m being squeezed from all sides, and it’s becoming unbearable.

“Young lady, a guest has arrived.”

The secretary’s voice came from outside my room, instantly making my brows furrow.

The one word I despise the most right now: guest.

Just hearing it makes me sick. What guest could possibly be worth my time?

“Send them away politely.”

I’m exhausted.

All I can do is sigh.

Will I ever be free from this endless cycle?

“Thank you.”

I arrived at Luxury The Hill, got out of the taxi, and unloaded my luggage: one suitcase and two boxes.

All that was left was to carry them up to the fifth floor.

With an elevator, it wouldn’t be hard—just a few steps, and I’d be done.

“Only one box left.”

The last box contained my computer tower and monitor.

Since it’s a budget setup, everything is ridiculously bulky and heavy.

Carrying it down the stairs from the goshiwon had been a struggle.

But this?

Still manageable.

“Are you okay? Can you keep carrying that?”

“Yes, it’s not that heavy.”

A young woman approached me.

Was she out jogging?

Her tracksuit, soaked with sweat, clung tightly to her figure.

Her outfit revealed enough to be distracting, with her zipper slightly down, exposing her collarbone.

But still, she looked impressive.

Why should gender matter?

Seeing someone passionate and sweating from exercise is always appealing.

I should start working out, too.

Sitting in front of the monitor for days playing games has left my body stiff and achy.

“Put it down. I’ll carry it for you.”

“No, it’s fine. Really.”

“Come on, hurry! Wow, this is heavy. Put it down before you hurt yourself carrying something like this alone!”

Why is she acting like this?

She’s even getting mad.

In today’s selfish world, people like her are rare—those who can’t ignore someone in need.

She must’ve been raised well.

Of course, from my perspective, it’s unnecessary interference.

“Well, then, how about we carry it together?”

“No, just rest. For a woman, this is—oh, wait. Why isn’t it lifting?”

She struggled, gripping the box tightly and twisting her body like she was wrestling it.

Obviously, it wouldn’t budge.

Even I had a hard time carrying it.

Still, I didn’t think she’d struggle so much to the point of writhing on the ground.

She must have really low physical strength.

Maybe she only does cardio? I couldn’t help but feel sorry.

“See? It lifts just fine! So why can’t I—ah!”

“Careful!”

Unbelievable.

She tipped over with the box, falling forward.

The box slammed onto the ground with a loud thud.

My computer… Great.

It’s probably broken now.

What a nuisance.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Calm down.

I was planning to buy a new one anyway.

Let’s just think of this as getting rid of old junk.

She was only trying to help, so don’t get mad.

“Are you hurt? I told you we should’ve carried it together.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Roll up your pant leg. Let me see how bad it is.”

When she fell, I’d tried to catch her, but her knee had hit the ground.

Pulling up her pant leg revealed her reddened, scraped knee.

It didn’t feel great to see her injured. After all, she was just trying to help me.

“Should we go to the hospital?”

“It’s not that bad. I’ll disinfect it at home—it’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure you can make it home alone?”

“Yes. Here, if you contact me later, I’ll compensate for the damaged items.”

She handed me a business card.

No reason to refuse compensation, right?

I took it and checked her name.

[Lim Gayun, Chair of the Future Strategy Committee, National People’s Party.]

A politician? What’s the Future Strategy Committee?

I have no idea.

She must be in some significant position, though.

At least she seems trustworthy.

Someone this high-ranking wouldn’t just run off without paying.

I tucked the card into my wallet and helped her stand.

“Well then, please take care on your way home.”

“Thank you. I’m really sorry.”

What a waste of time.

If she’d just walked on by, none of this would’ve happened.

What a way to start moving day.

Let’s just think of it as bad luck out of the way.

Hopefully, only good things will follow from now on.

Still, is she really okay? She’s limping so badly, barely able to take a few steps.

I guess I’ll have to escort her home.

It wouldn’t feel right to ignore her.

“Excuse me!”

“Yes?”

“Let me drop off my stuff and come back for you. Please sit and wait!”

“I can really manage on my own…”

“Wait here. Don’t be stubborn.”

I carried my battered box to the elevator.

Should I just throw it in the recycling?

But there’s a chance it might still work, so I brought it upstairs.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and I hauled my things into the apartment.

After dumping everything in the entryway, I headed back outside.

She was still struggling to walk, dragging her injured leg forward.

“Didn’t I tell you to sit and wait? Why are you limping along like this?”

“I felt bad… I heard your footsteps and pretended I was walking.”

“What?”

Her honesty made me laugh in disbelief.

Is she just bad at lying? Probably not.

It seems more like she has too much pride.

She likely admitted the truth to shut me up because she was sick of my nagging.

“Get on. I don’t have time to help you walk.”

“What? How can a man carry a woman? Even if it were the other way around, it wouldn’t be easy.”

“Ah, just hurry up. Trust me; I’m strong for a guy.”

I knelt on one knee in front of her, waiting.

After a brief hesitation, her arms wrapped around my neck.

A damp, sweaty sensation pressed against my back.

With a grunt, I supported her thighs with both hands and stood up.

As I started walking, I asked her,

“Where are we going?”

“Building 107…”

“I don’t know the address. I just moved in today. Point me in the right direction.”

“Go straight, then turn right at the fork.”

“Got it.”

I carried her on my back and walked her to her apartment entrance.

Wow, even within the same luxury complex, the buildings clearly have different grades.

The hallway was long, but the number of doors was sparse.

Each unit had to be at least 70 pyeong (around 2,500 square feet).

It felt like there was another sky above the sky.

When I signed my lease, I thought I had the world in my hands, but now I felt a little deflated.

“I’ll be off now. Make sure to disinfect and apply medicine. If you leave it untreated, it might scar.”

“Yes, thank you. Um… why don’t you come in for a cup of tea? You worked hard because of me.”

Tea?

There’s no way I could drink tea made by an injured person limping around.

That’d just make me feel guilty.

She’s probably tired and in pain.

Leaving quickly is the polite thing to do.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time. I really need to get going.”

“Still, it must’ve been hard carrying me…”

“It wasn’t hard at all. You’re so light it didn’t even feel like I was carrying someone. You should eat more. If you’re doing work for the country, you need strength.”

“I’ll consider it.”

I said goodbye and headed back home.

Ugh, I thought I was going to die.

My lack of basic fitness is apparent—I carried one woman and ended up sweating buckets.

The moment I got home, I decided to shower. I couldn’t stand the sticky, gross feeling any longer.

“Ugh! How embarrassing. What was that mess?”

If I had just gone home to shower after my workout, feeling good about sweating, this wouldn’t have happened.

Why did I step in to show off my strength and end up like this?

I made a complete spectacle of myself out there.

But something’s off. I didn’t make a wrong decision.

Helping carry something heavy for someone is just common sense, isn’t it?

If I had easily carried it over, received her thanks, and left, it would’ve been normal.

So why did things turn out like this?

Now that I think about it, he carried me so naturally.

But he’s a man. Is that even possible?

Ugh, but it felt kind of warm.

His back was so broad…

Ah! What am I even thinking?

I ended up causing trouble instead of helping.

If he calls, I’ll make sure to properly repay him.

I can’t let this slide with some vague excuse.

The election is just around the corner—only two months left.

“By the way, that man earlier… why does he seem so familiar? Where have I seen him before?”

I couldn’t see his face because he was wearing a mask, but there aren’t many men with skin that smooth and a figure that good.

I’m sure I’ve seen him somewhere.

Is he a celebrity?

I opened the internet and wondered what to search.

Should I try “male celebrity with smooth skin”?

As I pondered, a thumbnail from a popular blog caught my eye on the portal’s homepage.

[Heavenly Looks, Popular Streamer Shin Yuseong.]

Ah! It’s definitely him.

His eyes are a perfect match.

So he’s a streamer?

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last logged into Twika TV.

Just a year ago, I was blowing through my parents’ money and watching streamers with silly nicknames like “The Three Big Bosses.”

But those days are long gone.

No luck.

The PC won’t even boot, let alone turn on.

The monitor stays blank.

I’ll have to buy a new computer first thing tomorrow morning.

No choice.

I’ll download some edited videos on my phone and review them.

After all, it’s the mobile age now.

How many people still watch YouTube videos on a computer anyway?

This might even help me align better with the current trends in content review.

“They’re all just okay. I wish someone stood out.”

Why does everyone edit their videos the same way?

Is there some YouTube editing academy I don’t know about?

While the skills aren’t bad, I don’t want to hire them.

Maybe watching Dajang’s videos first raised my standards too much.

Still, I’ll keep watching.

They must’ve worked hard to send these in, so I owe it to them to at least check them all.

Please, just one person—let there be someone who catches my eye.

With that desperate hope, I clicked on the next email subject line.

Ding!

Huh? A call? This is unexpected.

And it’s from my mother.

Ah, this is bad.

My face must’ve already made the rounds on the internet.

She probably found out and called.

A son who left home saying he’d study for the civil service exam is now streaming online.

How shocked must she be?

She even sent me living expenses every month, cheering me on.

I have no excuse.

I’ll have to take my scolding.

It’s not like I can cut ties with her forever.

She’s the woman who raised me for 25 years.

I owe her that much.

“Hello?”

[Son, what’s going on? I saw your face on the internet.]

The moment I heard my mom’s voice, tears welled up.

She’s not even my real mother, but somehow, my chest felt tight.

My nose stung.

I must’ve been missing my parents all this time.

Living alone in an unfamiliar world, I had been struggling more than I realized.

“I… I gave up on becoming a civil servant. I didn’t want to disappoint you, so I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

[You should’ve told me sooner. I told you I’d be happy as long as you’re happy, even if you don’t get a government job. Were you scared I’d get mad? Or that I’d oppose what you wanted to do?]

“No, I’m really sorry.”

I had no excuses.

All I could do was keep apologizing.

Yeah, this was bound to happen eventually.

Maybe it’s better that it happened now.

It’s always better to get scolded sooner rather than later.

[Where are you living now? From what I saw on your stream, it looks like you moved into an expensive apartment. How are you affording that?]

“I’ve been making a lot of money. If you and Dad come to Seoul, I can show you the contract.”

[Really? Can Dad and I come to visit? We miss you. You haven’t been home in six months.]

Oh, Yuseong of the past, six months is a bit much.

Even when I lived in a dorm, I didn’t stay away that long.

It feels a little sudden to ask them to visit now, though.

Oh! What about the housewarming?

That’d be perfect.

“I’m having a housewarming party this Saturday.

Would you like to come?

I’ll make you a nice meal.”

[You? Cook? Alright, we’ll come early in the morning with your father. Okay?]

“Yes, I’ll send you the address. And I’m sorry again.”

[Actually, I felt proud seeing you on stream. It’ll be nice to tell my friends about my son. But next time, tell me first if anything happens, alright?]

“Yes, I will. Love you, Mom.”

Whew! That ended on a good note.

I managed to repair my relationship with my parents.

I’ll have to take better care of them now that I’m financially stable.

So the housewarming guests are going to be my parents and Moonhwa?

“What the…?”

How did it come to this?

What kind of housewarming party is this, where it’s essentially a family reunion with Moonhwa tagging along?

I’m going to feel so awkward I might choke on my food.

I’d better check with Moonhwa again.

If she shows up without knowing my parents will be there, it’ll be a disaster.

I called her immediately.