Lately, I’ve been in a good mood.
I heard from the U.S. that Madam’s rehabilitation process is going better than expected.
We still need to monitor her progress, but based on what we’ve seen so far, it seems unlikely there will be any issues.
“…I feel somewhat relieved. It’s a strange feeling.”
Suddenly, I’m reminded of events from the past.
The memories of the Demon Queen’s passing come flooding back.
When it was argued that the only possible treatment for the Demon Queen would be a forced rebirth through complete transformation, the leadership of the New Religion was thrown into deep thought.
This was because a supreme master at the Choma (Super Demon) level would be required to achieve such a transformation.
‘Choma,’ an unparalleled realm that no one had reached since the first heavenly demon.
Truth be told, under such conditions, giving up would have been the normal course of action.
Because it meant there was absolutely no possibility.
However, at that time, there existed within the New Religion a super-genius who was capable of surpassing the Talmar level and reaching Choma.
That was Lady Heavenly Demon.
The First Heavenly Demon had taken her life force and left it behind in the form of a pearl, preserving it as one of the treasures of the New Religion: ‘The Heavenly Demon Spirit.’
It was also noted that anyone who could assimilate this spirit would be able to ascend to the Choma level.
But no one had been able to melt the spirit.
The cost of failing was death.
At the tender age of twenty-three, having already ascended to the Talmar realm, Lady Heavenly Demon willingly challenged the Heavenly Demon Spirit.
Her plan was to reach Choma, melt the spirit, and perform a forced rebirth to save the Demon Queen.
Despite opposition from the previous Heavenly Demon and the Demon Queen herself, Heavenly Demon proceeded with her plan.
– Siwoo, I trust you. Please take care of mother until I come back.
Lady Heavenly Demon entrusted the Demon Queen to me and secluded herself in meditation.
But Lady Heavenly Demon never got to see the Demon Queen again.
On the one-year anniversary of her seclusion, the Demon Queen’s condition suddenly worsened.
As the Demon Queen’s condition deteriorated, the Former Heavenly Demon undertook a final attempt.
After consuming countless medicinal herbs, the Former Heavenly Demon attempted the forced rebirth.
However, the result was a catastrophic failure.
The Former Heavenly Demon fell victim to madness and became an invalid, and the Demon Queen eventually passed away, leaving behind her last words, entrusting the young Heavenly Demon to me.
Six months later, Lord Heavenly Demon emerged victorious from seclusion, having attained the Choma realm.
But all that greeted her were the Demon Queen’s tomb and the invalid Former Heavenly Demon.
Soon after, the Former Heavenly Demon transferred the title of Heavenly Demon to her and quietly passed away.
Young Heavenly Demon thus became the new ‘Heavenly Demon.’
– Why?! Didn’t you promise me?! To protect mother! Why?!
There wasn’t much I could do.
But I didn’t feel wronged or anything. I understood her.
All she needed was a place to vent her frustration.
As a semi-divine being, the Heavenly Demon of the New Religion had no one who could fully absorb her frustrations.
Especially since both the Demon Queen and the Former Heavenly Demon had passed away, leaving her even more isolated.
I just… felt a little sorrow.
After this incident, my relationship with the Heavenly Demon deteriorated significantly.
The only confidant of the Heavenly Demon, Former White Siu, disappeared that day.
As her first royal guard, he followed her until his death, but they never resumed their previous relationship.
Probably not even until the day I died.
“Alright, it’s fine. It’s all in the past now.”
Though revisiting this memory leaves a bitter taste, ultimately, it’s a good thing.
After all, Heavenly Yuah’s mother will regain her health.
That’s all that matters.
It feels like the wounds in my heart that only I know about are healing just a little more each day.
“And another reason I’m in a good mood is…”
-Hey, our shop has completely changed!
“Is that so?”
– S&M. They’re truly great people.
“Thankfully, you seem to like it.”
While our father was in the U.S., S&M remodeled the entire interior of our shop.
They offered a substantial amount of money in return for donating hematopoietic stem cells, but Father felt it wasn’t right and declined.
The agreed-upon compromise was to renovate the shop’s interior.
The once tattered ‘Chicken Baek’ became incredibly sleek and clean, much to Father’s delight.
He was particularly fascinated by the new deep fryer he brought during this visit.
He added a high-value fryer he’d long admired and seemed very pleased with it.
-A low-frequency deep fryer! Who would’ve thought I’d really use this thing.
Well, apparently S&M spent some money here and there.
Father seems pleased which is undeniably a good thing.
Of course, there are things that irritate me too.
Like the scandal involving me and the Mother-Daughter Moron?
There will be no way to resolve this scandal unless we reveal our familial connection.
Naturally, the music video we filmed together inevitably became a topic of controversy.
But, if you really dig into it, it wasn’t truly a controversy.
The power of business money was such that we were made to look like lovers, even though we were siblings, leaving people in awe.
However, the world is more corrupt than I had imagined.
What started as people questioning how siblings could shoot something like that eventually spiraled into several stages, culminating in the ridiculous conclusion that “The Bai siblings must be close.”
-Aren’t these two kind of subtle in their affection?
-Not all siblings are alike, right? What if your younger sister were Hayoung?
-Totally different from our family pig.
-I think this level of chemistry cannot be faked by acting. They must do this regularly, which is why it looks natural.
-That’s correct.
-Their playful antics seem quite practiced, suggesting a close relationship.
“Really drives me up the wall.”
While it’s a truly nauseating notion, it’s somewhat ambiguous to deny.
After all, entertainers have an obligation to show the public what they wish to see.
Given the familial warmth, both my image and that of the Moron improved, making it hard to outright reject such notions.
The PMC seems to be accepting of this without much resistance, so it feels somewhat strange that I alone would deny it.
It’s not like we deliberately deceived anyone. They simply fell into delusion themselves, so what can be done?
The silver lining is that this Moron is likely feeling the same unpleasantness I am.
If it were just me, I might have pushed back hard on image and everything else, but because it’s not, I’ve simply decided to endure.
“Grrrrrrgh!!!”
“You need to spread your legs a little more here.”
“Ow, that hurts.”
“Still a bit stiff, isn’t it? Will this do?”
“Damn, this is too much.”
As usual, I visited the gym in the early morning.
There, Moon Suyeon and Heavenly Yuah were enjoying their early morning workout together.
To be precise, Heavenly Yuah was the one enjoying it.
She was pushing Moon Suyeon around to relieve stress.
Since Madam’s hospitalization, the bond between Moon Suyeon and Heavenly Yuah seems to have grown closer.
Before Heavenly Yuah returned from the U.S. to donate hematopoietic stem cells to our father, she went through a somewhat shaky period.
Although Heavenly Yuah originally intended to remain in the U.S. until her treatment was completed, Madam forcibly brought her back.
Madam didn’t want her daughter to witness her weakened state due to chemotherapy.
Unwilling to defy Madam’s wishes despite her concern, Heavenly Yuah had no choice but to board a flight back to Korea.
After returning, Heavenly Yuah’s mood was unbearable.
Of course, I tried to comfort her as well, but there were times when I, being male, couldn’t be there for her.
At those times, it was Moon Suyeon who was there to comfort her.
I’m not sure how these two, who used to treat each other with disdain, became companions.
Was it because Moon Suyeon, with her strong attachment to family, couldn’t stand to see Heavenly Yuah, who was at risk of losing hers?
Despite never truly having a real family, Moon Suyeon seemed to empathize enough to bring Heavenly Yuah into her fold.
This situation where Heavenly Yuah was embraced was surprising even to me.
Thanks to this dramatic improvement in their relationship, Moon Suyeon also joined our early morning exercise routine.
Lately, she has been learning the Flexible Immortal Art too.
Since there’s no concept of secret manuals or forbidden martial arts in this world, Heavenly Yuah eagerly taught it to Moon Suyeon.
Although it’s a grueling exercise routine, its efficacy is undeniable, resulting in a lot of complaints at dawn.
Even the Moron of our family mastered this art and her beauty seemingly upgraded by a level.
Though the focus might not be the face as much as it is the body, it’s an exercise that boasts impressive efficiency.
“These two getting along is a sign things are improving, isn’t it?”
Moon Suyeon’s psychological treatment continues to show improvement too.
With Moon Suyeon back to normal, Heavenly Yuah no longer feels threatened by the relationship between me and Moon Suyeon, as she did before.
Time truly is the answer, it seems.
I wanted to commend myself for silently enduring their past conflicts without making a fuss.
“Only… the workout attire of these two is still quite distracting. To be fair, it’s not that out of the ordinary, but they are… just so fit.”
Clad in black leggings, top and bottom, Heavenly Yuah and a pink dolphin shorts and bra top-clad Moon Suyeon make for an impressive sight.
Neither looks particularly strange in their outfits, but when combined with their incredible physiques, it truly creates a spectacle.
Frankly, I am considering changing the workout time these days.
I keep coming at this time because missing even one day brings chaos with these two, but given their growing closeness, it’s time to start thinking about an exit strategy.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“…Yes? What’s the matter?”
“We have something to discuss.”
“Hold on, I also need to talk to you, Siwoo.”
As usual, after our light workout session, just as I was about to leave, both Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon called out to me simultaneously.
I don’t know what they are planning to discuss, but what can I do?
If two people call, I’ll dutifully run to them.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major. It’s about our next project.”
“…Next project?”
“Yes, it’s my turn.”
At first glance, it seemed like no big deal, but it wasn’t a light issue.
The conversation was about the next work I would star in.
Why both of them were concerned about this, I didn’t know, but I decided to listen first.
“I’ve reviewed part of the script, and there’s a decent project I want to work on with you, Siwoo.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“In fact, I also have the same reason. There’s a project I’d like to work on with Siwoo.”
“But shouldn’t you be focusing on your album next, isn’t that right, Senior Suyeon?”
“That’s correct. Suyeon, your album should be your priority. It’s better to tackle a drama project later.”
“Not really. You can’t squeeze a song out with brute force. You need inspiration. I plan to gather inspiration while shooting the drama and use that to compose some songs.”
Huh, what’s going on?
Apparently, Heavenly Yuah and Moon Suyeon both selected their next projects and wanted me to co-star in both.
“One project at a time might be better. How does the schedule look?”
“From a scheduling standpoint, it’s in about a month.”
“Next month.”
“Ah, the schedules overlap? Even if we work together, I can only be involved in one of the two projects.”
As we confirmed the overlapping schedules, a shift started to appear in both their expressions.
It was becoming a rather awkward situation.
Could they…
“Shooting with me would probably be better, right? While I acknowledge Suyeon’s acting talent, Siwoo needs someone more solid to lean on.”
“Won’t that be counterproductive? The Heavenly Yuah brand is so strong that it might overpower Siwoo.”
“The Luna brand is just the same.”
“Singers and actors are different. I’m not up to par with Siwoo as an actor.”
This is getting confusing.
We were just laughing together moments ago during our workout.
Moon Suyeon had even dropped the formalities.
Why the sudden tension?
All I want right now is to run away as fast as possible.
