The Baby Seizes Fortune - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 34

 

“The child is… my daughter.”

 

It was just a short sentence, but the moment those words fell, the atmosphere changed.

 

The audience that had quieted down began murmuring again.

 

Junho slowly opened his mouth again.

 

“She doesn’t share my blood, and I’m not the child’s biological father, but that child is…”

 

Junho’s eyes shone with conviction.

 

“My precious daughter, whom I gave birth to with my heart more than anyone else.”

 

A sigh could be heard from somewhere in the audience.

 

The host stared blankly at Gu Jun-ho, unable to continue speaking for a moment.

 

Junho was still gazing at the camera. His eyes held clear determination and responsibility with unwavering resolve.

 

Eventually, Junho looked at the camera and spoke.

 

“Are you… watching this?”

 

Though he couldn’t call her name, it was clearly a message for Chaea.

 

Tears suddenly welled up in Junho’s clear eyes.

 

“Maybe I was afraid all along. Not that you would get hurt, but that I would get hurt.”

 

Junho took a breath, his shoulders trembling slightly, then parted his pretty lips.

 

“The moment you called me Father, I began to think that maybe there could be meaning in my life, which had never been given meaning by anyone… a life that was actually abandoned by my parents from birth.”

 

A long silence followed Junho’s shocking confession about his family history.

 

“That’s why I think I was scared. If I revealed the fact that you’re not my biological daughter, it felt like you, who had become the only meaning in my life, would disappear.”

 

“…”

 

“In the end, I’ve revealed in front of everyone that I’m not your biological father, but I still want to live as your father, now and in the future.”

 

The host who had been listening to Junho’s words stood up from his seat. Then, he raised his hands and began to applaud.

 

Clap clap clap clap-

 

Starting with that applause, all the audience members stood up from their seats and began giving a standing ovation.

 

The host shook his head and spoke with a moved voice.

 

“Ah, in Korea in 1998, full of only cold news, could there be another story this touching? This is truly amazing!”

 

“…”

 

Junho’s eyes, captured in close-up again, seemed to be looking at me beyond the screen with warm love in his tender heart.

 

At the same time, a pink status window flashed.

 

[Calculating recognition points for Main Quest ‘Guardian’s Awakening’!]

 

[Villain’s Exit – 100 points]

 

[Public Confession – 150 points]

 

[Wave of Emotion – 50 points]

 

[Total Score 300/100 points]

 

[Upgrade pack proceeding from Level 2 > Level 3]

 

[Asset increase reward changed due to excessive score achievement.]

 

[Held assets increased by 3 times.]

 

[Current assets are 630 million won!]

 

* * *

 

[A Father Who Wasn’t the Biological Father – Actor Gu Jun-ho Shows ‘Adult Courage’]

 

…Gu Jun-ho willingly took on the role of the child’s guardian and stayed by the child’s side even while enduring social disadvantages. Particularly surprising is the fact that even after debuting in the entertainment industry, he didn’t try to build his image using this fact.

 

An entertainment industry insider said, “Gu Jun-ho’s choice was even more remarkable because it was a decision that could have meant giving up his career.”

 

Public reaction is also changing rapidly. Public opinion that had been boiling with criticism and suspicion turned to evaluations like “a rare adult these days” and “someone whose actions came before words” after the truth was revealed. Some newspapers and broadcasts commented on this incident as “not an exposure of private life, but a verification of humanity.”

 

[The End of Exposure Without Fact-Checking… Can Actress Im Su-yeon Avoid Responsibility for Distorting the Gu Jun-ho Controversy?]

 

Public opinion toward actress Im Su-yeon is rapidly cooling.

 

Now that the full story of the ‘single father controversy’ surrounding Gu Jun-ho has been revealed, the focus is no longer on Gu Jun-ho but shifting to Im Su-yeon, who criticized him and made exposures in an interview with 【Weekly Entertainment News】.

 

After leaving 【Typhoon Internal Medicine】, Im Su-yeon exposed that “single father Gu Jun-ho was disrespectful to seniors and ruined the filming atmosphere” and “for that reason, she could no longer continue filming and left.”

 

However, the truth revealed afterward is completely contrary to Im Su-yeon’s claims.

 

Gu Jun-ho became the child’s guardian despite not being the biological father, and he thoroughly hid even this heartwarming story considering the hurt the child might receive.

 

Also, an anonymous informant who identified as staff from 【Typhoon Internal Medicine】 belatedly spoke up: “It’s true that Im Su-yeon left due to conflict with Gu Jun-ho, but this was entirely Im Su-yeon’s fault. Im Su-yeon constantly bullied Gu Jun-ho and got thoroughly beaten when she tried to frame him.”

 

In addition, multiple production staff members are giving similar testimonies. One staff member said, “Gu Jun-ho was quiet and polite, respectfully took care of senior actors and staff, and was the type to endure and overlook problems.”

 

Nevertheless, immediately after leaving, Im Su-yeon gave interviews treating unverified aspects of Gu Jun-ho’s private life and character evaluations as facts, and those statements were consumed with sensational headlines, leaving Gu Jun-ho with a difficult-to-wash stigma.

 

Currently, Im Su-yeon’s side is not making additional position statements, but public opinion is not expected to calm down easily.

 

[Investigation into Actress ‘Forced Drinking Companion’ Allegations Intensifies, Tips Pour In]

 

As investigative authorities have begun full-scale investigation into the allegations that became a hot topic through the ‘Want to Know’ broadcast, related tips from victims who had been forced into silence are pouring in, rapidly expanding the case.

 

This case is drawing attention as it could serve as an opportunity to expose hospitality practices that have long existed implicitly in the industry and prevent additional damage in advance.

 

At Dongcheongje, Chairman Kang Un-san closed the newspaper he had been reading.

 

The afternoon sunlight was settling across the dark wooden desk.

 

“This person, the actor named Gu Jun-ho.”

 

Hee-jae, who was sitting on the opposite sofa, had his hands placed neatly on his knees.

 

“This is true strength.”

 

“…”

 

“He didn’t do it to be praised, and he didn’t make a fuss asking for recognition. Rather, he kept his mouth shut even while being criticized.”

 

Those sharp gazes must have been terribly unfair to the young man who had just emerged into the world, yet he endured it all.

 

“To protect what was most precious to him. That child named Gu Chaea.”

 

At this, Hee-jae’s fingertips trembled slightly.

 

The most precious thing…

 

“People can’t live by reason and brain alone. Even if it’s an irrational choice, sometimes doing what your heart tells you is the right answer.”

 

“…I don’t understand.”

 

In Hee-jae’s mind, the round eyes of the girl who had handed him gloves came to mind. Along with her voice that had tried to change the subject when the teacher asked him about family.

 

Interfering in the affairs of others who don’t show gratitude is quite an irrational choice.

 

Is the reason that child has irrational aspects because her father is irrational?

 

He still didn’t understand.

 

“Hee-jae.”

 

Unsan called Hee-jae.

 

Hee-jae couldn’t draw his grandfather’s face in the family picture.

 

Because he had never recognized his grandfather as family.

 

Just a mountain-like adult who would pass on the enormous responsibility of the family business to him, that’s all.

 

“…”

 

Hee-jae looked up at Unsan’s wrinkled face.

 

He continued speaking with a thoughtful expression.

 

“Sometimes it’s okay to act spoiled.”

 

At this, Hee-jae’s eyes wavered.

 

“Saying I want to pass on Tomorrow Finance doesn’t mean I want you to become a robot. Rather, I hope you have warmth. I hope your soul burns a little brighter.”

 

“…Grandfather…”

 

Until now, Hee-jae had never had such a conversation with his grandfather.

 

Eventually, a gentle smile that didn’t match his stern impression flowed across Unsan’s face.

 

“I’m saying this because I think of you as precious.”

 

At this, Hee-jae’s shoulders trembled again.

 

Wind blows across the desert.

 

In the child’s mind, light pastel tones began to be gradually applied to the black picture where no one existed.

 

Hee-jae, who had been looking at Unsan for a while, bowed his head and said.

 

“…Yes, Grandfather.”

 

* * *

 

“Father!”

 

“Chaea!”

 

When I fiercely hugged Junho who opened the rooftop apartment door and came in, Junho immediately lifted me up.

 

I could feel Junho, still in the same outfit he wore on the live broadcast, breathing heavily.

 

It seemed he had rushed over busily right after filming ended.

 

“….”

 

A long silence passed as we held each other in our embrace.

 

Neither I nor Junho could bring ourselves to speak carelessly.

 

In the end, I was the first to gently pull away from his arms. Junho looked at me with a face that seemed ready to cry at any moment, then knelt down slightly to meet my eye level.

 

“Chaea… Father is… Father is sorry.”

 

What eventually flowed from his lips was none other than an apology.

 

“Father wanted to become Chaea’s real father…”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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