Chapter 17
“Ye-won feels uncomfortable because of you. Get out.”
“What kind of nonsense are you spreading now? Hey, if you’ve got eyes, open them properly and look. Don’t you see this tiny fern-like hand? Ye-won is holding onto my clothes, telling me not to go!”
That was true.
Before anyone even noticed when she came over, Ye-won was standing beside Woo-yeon’s chair, tightly clutching the hem of his shirt.
“Uncle, don’t go.”
And she even said something so heartbreakingly cute and precious like that!
“Did you see that?! Huh?! Did you see it?!”
“……”
Watching Woo-yeon puff out his chest in excitement, Doha’s forehead vein bulged.
“…Ye-won, come here.”
Suppressing the intense urge to smack Han Woo-yeon on the back of the head, Doha called for Ye-won.
He wanted to prove that no matter what, he was still Ye-won’s favorite.
But then—
“I don’t wanna.”
“!!!!”
Ye-won betrayed Doha’s trust far too easily.
“Y-you don’t want to…?”
“If I go, you’re gonna kick Uncle Woo-yeon out. I don’t want that.”
“…….”
“Ahahahahahahaha!!!”
Seeing Doha fall into instant despair, Woo-yeon laughed joyfully and scooped Ye-won up, bouncing her in the air.
“Hey!! Ye-won!!! Let’s really live together forever!! Please!!!”
“That’s kinda… no.”
Whatever Ye-won said, Woo-yeon ignored it lightly.
I found it. My personal soda.
Woo-yeon shed tiny tears in his heart.
I’ll never let go now. My tiny baby soda.
Meanwhile, at Time Entertainment…
CEO Park had been feeling strange lately.
To think Doha, that kid, finally had something like a real family.
As someone who had practically raised Doha since his trainee days, it made him genuinely happy.
Of course, aside from that fact, none of the other circumstances were good.
CEO Park let out a sigh.
Glit’s future was impossible to predict.
…At times like this, I, as the most adult one here, need to keep my head straight and hold things together.
Just then—
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Rubbing his aching head, CEO Park spoke.
“C-CEO…”
Young-oh timidly peeked through the crack in the door.
“What is it?”
“…That person contacted us.”
“That person?”
What person?
CEO Park looked at him in confusion.
“The one who claimed to be Ye-won’s dad’s relative… the one we were going to entrust Ye-won to.”
“…What?”
That bastard?
“He contacted us first? The one we almost filed charges against, but left alone because Ye-won begged us not to? He has no shame. Why? Is he asking for money?”
“Yes. Th-that is…”
Young-oh hesitated for a long time before speaking.
“If we don’t give him money… he says he’ll expose that Ye-won is Doha’s daughter… That’s what he said.”
“!”
CEO Park’s expression hardened instantly.
Time Entertainment Headquarters — CEO Office
Doha, Woo-yeon, and CEO Park gathered in one room.
The reason was simple:
Ye-won’s fake “uncle” had threatened to reveal Ye-won and Doha’s relationship.
Meanwhile, Ye-won was staying at the dorm temporarily with a babysitter CEO Park had arranged—someone “absolutely trustworthy.”
“Normally, we’d ignore a threat like that because no one would believe it. But not now. The situation is too unstable.”
“……”
“Before we even decide how to respond, Doha… you need to make your position clear first. Only then can we decide what to do next.”
In the end, they were back at the starting point.
Would Doha raise Ye-won or not?
“I…”
Doha opened his mouth, intending to say:
‘I plan to send Ye-won to a good family.’
But—
“I… I mean…”
The next words wouldn’t come out.
It had been such a short time.
Not nearly enough time to prepare himself to let her go.
Besides… they hadn’t even found a good family yet.
To find a truly perfect family he could trust with her…
It would take a long time.
At least a year.
Maybe… two.
Right. Then…
Let’s stay together just for that long.
One or two years would pass quickly.
After settling his thoughts—
“I’ll take care of Ye-won until we find a place to entrust her. Just for about one or two years.”
“Rejected.”
“Rejected.”
“…Huh?”
What was with these reactions?
Doha frowned at Woo-yeon and CEO Park, who responded at the exact same time.
“Just raise her. You’re an excellent uncle. Seriously. I watched you for three days—there’s no uncle like you. And there’s definitely no uncle like me either. I want to build a picture-perfect house on a green meadow and live with our Ye-won for a hundred years.”
“If there are four uncles, that’s basically like having two parents. Four halfwits multiplied together is about the same as two normal people. Just raise her. You only need to do it for thirteen years until she grows up. Thirteen years is nothing in a hundred-year life. Let’s raise Ye-won first and think later.”
“…….”
For the first time, Doha genuinely hated the fact that he even knew these people.
“You can’t solve this by throwing tantrums and insisting.”
Barely holding onto his sanity, Doha spoke.
“A child needs a good family—”
“Ye-won says you are a really good family.”
That was Woo-yeon.
“A family that can spend lots of time with her—”
“You’ve been in the industry seven years already. If you adjust your schedule, it’s fine. Our company isn’t that greedy. We guarantee the environment and work-life balance for raising a kid. Isn’t that what being a big company is about?”
“…….”
“So? Are you convinced now?”
“…….”
Honestly, it was infuriating…
But he was convinced.
“…Alright.”
“!!!”
“YES!!! Doha!!! This is the only good decision you’ve made all year!!!”
“…….”
At Doha’s hard-won answer, everyone practically jumped up in joy.
“Good. Then we’ll respond to that bastard immediately. And we’ll also think about how to announce Ye-won’s existence first, before things explode.”
Doha nodded heavily.
Even to him, announcing it first seemed like the least painful option for everyone.
“Then… please take care of it.”
Doha stood up.
Even as he said it, everything still felt overwhelmingly uncertain.
That Evening
Doha returned home with complicated feelings.
He sent away the babysitter CEO Park had arranged.
Ye-won was sleeping soundly, unaware he’d even come back.
Doha looked down at her.
Was this really the right decision?
To raise her?
“……”
This tiny child…
My family.
A family who truly needs me.
A family who wants to live with me.
It felt strange.
All his life, so many people had needed “Lee Doha of Glit.”
From the moment he entered Time Entertainment as a trainee, Doha became the company’s ace.
Other agencies had contacted him dozens of times.
After debuting with Glit, he received more love than he deserved.
Wherever he went, attention and affection poured onto him.
Sometimes, Doha almost wondered if maybe…
he was someone worthy of love.
But those thoughts always shattered after schedules ended, when he returned to the dorm and saw his own face in the mirror—
a face that looked exactly like his father’s.
“……”
The moment the word father crossed his mind, Doha’s expression twisted.
He remembered the headlines from right after debut:
[Hot Topic Right After Debut! Glit’s Lee Doha Resembles Famous Director Yeon Tae-jung?]
[Netizens Say “He Reminds Me of Yeon Tae-jung”]
[Warm and Handsome! Lee Doha Gains Attention for Similar Looks]
[“Face Genius” Lee Doha Draws Attention for Resemblance]
[Will Lee Doha Follow in Yeon Tae-jung’s Footsteps?]
Each time he read them, Doha swallowed bitterness.
What did that man think, seeing those articles?
The son he wanted to hide so badly had entered the world…
And the moment he did, became famous for looking like him.
Doha didn’t know.
But he hoped it hurt.
That was what he wished with all his heart.
Maybe that was why—
When Ye-won had said:
“Uncle… can’t I live with you?”
Doha felt like something inside his chest tore open.
As if, in a childhood he could barely remember,
he must have said those same words once.
Doha rubbed his chest.
Ever since Ye-won came, his chest kept aching.
Not exactly pain…
More like—
Something else.
As he searched for the right word—
Ye-won opened her eyes.
“Uncle…?”
“!”
Yawwwn.
She looked up at him, rubbing her eyes.
“When did you get home…?”
“Mm. A while ago.”
“You should’ve woken me…”
“I wanted you to sleep well.”
“Where’s Uncle Woo-yeon…?”
“He went to pack. He’ll come later.”
“Ohhh…”
Ye-won smiled, looking relieved.
Did she really like living with Han Woo-yeon that much?
Doha felt oddly sulky… and let out a small laugh.
“You like living with Uncle Woo-yeon that much?”
“Yes. Because my family came back.”
“!”
At her answer, Doha felt as if he’d been struck in the head.
