Chapter 03
At Doha’s soft voice, Yewon opened her sleepy eyes.
Doha, holding Yewon—who was still half-asleep—walked forward.
Yewon obediently looked around while being carried.
They were in an underground parking lot filled with expensive cars.
‘…So this must be the building where Uncle Doha lives.’
Doha, as if it were familiar, headed for the elevator.
The elevator rose without pause and stopped at the penthouse floor. With a cheerful click, the door lock released, and the heavy door swung open.
“Let’s go in.”
Doha awkwardly put Yewon down.
Yewon didn’t hesitate and confidently stepped inside. She was curious about what kind of place Doha lived in.
It must be well-decorated, of course.
‘He’s a top idol… right?!’
But the scene that met Yewon’s eyes was different from what she had expected.
A living room as large as a sports field, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows showing Seoul’s nightscape glittering like jewels.
But that was it.
…Is this even a house?
The interior was entirely colorless. Furniture aligned with surgical precision.
The space was like a huge icebox, devoid of any warmth from a human presence.
‘It really looks like a model house.’
For a successful top idol, the house felt too barren and quiet.
It was as if the owner’s state of mind had been transplanted into the home.
“Come in. There’s… not much.”
Doha scratched the back of his head awkwardly and turned on the living room light.
The bright light revealed the house’s barrenness even more starkly.
On the living room table, there was only an unopened container of supplements and a half-drunk bottle of water.
“Wow…”
Yewon feigned amazement. A seven-year-old would naturally be fascinated by such a grand house.
“The house is like a sports field, Uncle!”
“…Really?”
At Yewon’s innocent exclamation, Doha’s tense expression softened just slightly.
Doha seated Yewon on the sofa and headed to the kitchen.
“Do you want something to drink first? Let’s see… what do I have at home?”
Doha opened the fridge, paused for a moment, and then closed it again.
‘…Wasn’t there only alcohol in the fridge just now?’
From what she glimpsed, the fridge contained only water, alcohol, or sparkling water—nothing suitable for a seven-year-old.
…What kind of life is this person living…?
Yewon began to feel uneasy.
She had managed to escape the fake uncle, which was good, but…
‘It feels like I just walked into another tiger’s den.’
“W-Water! Can I have water, Uncle?”
Unable to bear it, Yewon asked first. Doha turned around, looking flustered.
“Oh? Uh… yeah. I’ll get it for you.”
He fumbled to take a cup and poured water from the purifier, handing it to Yewon.
Embarrassed even to himself, he blushed.
“…Sorry. No child ever comes here, so there’s no juice or anything.”
“It’s okay. I like water.”
Yewon sat quietly on the sofa, holding the cup with both hands.
“….”
“….”
And then, another awkward silence fell.
‘This is driving me crazy, really.’
Yewon tried hard not to appear awkward while sweating nervously.
…I have no idea what to say…!
‘Even now… it still doesn’t feel real that this person… is my uncle.’
That top idol, Lee Doha, is my uncle? Really my family?
It would take a long time to truly grasp it.
Just as she was feeling flustered,
Beep beep beep beep beep.
“!”
The door lock’s sound announced a savior’s arrival.
“Doha, I’m here…!”
It was that manager uncle from before…!
Yewon’s face brightened. It would be less awkward with three than two…!
“You’re here?”
Doha, clearly relieved, greeted Young-oh.
Young-oh rushed in, wiping sweat.
“Haa, haa… I had a hard time dodging the reporters who sniffed me out. I spoke with the company PR team, and they blocked all the articles for now. I asked them to treat it as a simple incident.”
“…Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It’s naturally my job.”
Young-oh entered the living room and noticed Yewon sitting obediently on the sofa, holding the cup.
“Oh, Yewon. You were really scared, weren’t you? Are you okay?”
“Hi….”
Yewon smiled shyly and bowed. Seeing a young child, frightened but not crying, greet politely, Young-oh’s expression softened.
“She’s amazing. Our Yewon… must have been so scared. Doha, you were shocked too, right?”
“…….”
Doha simply washed his face, too drained to reply.
Young-oh clicked his tongue and glanced at the fridge.
“But you only gave her water? Nothing to eat?”
“Nothing. You know.”
“Right… what would you even have in your fridge? You barely eat properly yourself.”
Young-oh sighed deeply, hanging his coat over a chair.
Again, silence filled the living room. Yewon observed the strange atmosphere, her eyes scanning.
For the leader of Korea’s top idol group, this house was unnervingly quiet.
Normally, he’d live with other members or at least have visitors, but no trace of anyone else was visible.
‘…I know Uncle Doha is having a hard time right now because of what happened with Glit.’
…Could it be that he isn’t on good terms with the other members?
She knew it. She knew this was the worst time for Lee Doha.
Probably, everyone in the country knew it.
TV, internet, SNS—all were buzzing about Doha. At this point, he was taking hits from every direction.
‘I should ask when I get the chance. Where are the other members?’
But before that…
‘There’s something I absolutely have to ask.’
A question she needed to ask to accept him as her real family.
“Uncle.”
Yewon clenched her hands tightly and called out to Doha.
Doha and Young-oh stopped talking and turned to look at her.
“Uncle… you’re really our uncle, right?”
“….”
Doha’s expression darkened slightly, as if he had expected this question.
Even so, it remained a difficult question for him. He continued to hesitate.
“Y-You’re really… my mom’s family?”
But Yewon couldn’t leave it there.
She had to hear the answer from him directly.
‘The cotton bundle that turned back time couldn’t have lied. But I… I heard it for the first time. That Lee Doha of Glit is my real uncle.’
Her mother had never mentioned Doha even once.
‘Just once.’
She had briefly spoken about the existence of an “uncle.”
“You know, Yewon. If someday… you meet your uncle…”
Her mother’s expression had been so sad when she said it, Yewon remembered.
‘…Tell him that Mom is really sorry, okay?’
Yewon had thought her mother’s sorrow came from owing a lot of debt.
So when the fake uncle said that because her mother owed a lot, he had to work hard to pay it off, she accepted it quickly.
…Even I would have to pay Mom’s debt.
That’s what she had thought back then.
But now that she knew he was a fake uncle, that debt must have been a lie too.
Then the meaning of her mother’s words changes.
So, she wanted to hear it herself.
If he’s truly her family,
why had there been no contact with her mother all this time?
“…Yes.”
“!”
Doha’s confirmation made Yewon’s heart skip a beat.
“I’m Yewon’s mother’s… younger brother.”
Doha said this and added, struggling,
“But I… haven’t seen your mother for a very long time. The reason is…”
He trailed off with a sigh.
“I’ll explain later.”
It wasn’t a full explanation.
But for Yewon, it was enough.
She could feel how hard it was for him just to say that.
“Anyway, that’s why I had no idea about your existence. I only learned about you after finding out your mother… had passed away.”
Doha stopped speaking.
At that moment,
“!”
As if waiting for his words to finish, a message window appeared before her eyes:
[Adjustment complete!]
[Contractor ID: Lee Yewon (14 years old, child actor)]
[Guidance will be provided according to the contractor’s age and occupation!]
[▶Main Quest: Private]
Currently in tutorial; will be revealed after completion!
‘What is this…?’
As Yewon was processing the message window,
“On the other hand, Yewon… sorry, but I… no, Uncle has to ask too.”
Doha brought up a question he had been holding back.
“How did you… know that I’m your uncle?”
“!”
Yewon’s face froze.
