Chapter 04
Heat wrapped around my entire body again.
I let out a long breath. If I didn’t release it now, from today onward I wouldn’t be Chanran anymore—I’d just be dull and lifeless.
‘What can I do, you ask?’
I moved the things on the long glass table onto the sofa.
Then I climbed up and sat on top of the table.
“Well, I can start with something like this. They say seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times, right?”
I stretched both legs straight out.
Then I tightened my stomach and began thrashing my legs wildly.
“Give me money! Give me money! Chanran wants money!”
I rubbed my entire body against the glass table.
“If you raised your kid like trash, then the parents should take responsibility! Chanran wants money! Money! Money!”
How long had I been thrashing around like that?
The grandfather, who had shown no expression until now, finally spoke.
“Stop.”
Even throwing a tantrum like that counted as labor.
I was sweating.
I stood up and brushed my hair back.
“Ah, that was tiring. So? I tried throwing a proper childish tantrum.”
“You look insane.”
Wow. That’s harsh.
You really don’t hold back with your grandson.
But you’ve got the wrong target.
“The crazy ones are my mother and father. Of course, they probably don’t realize they’re crazy. Crazy people never know they’re crazy.”
I straightened my shoulders and smiled.
“I’ve had a pretty hard time, haven’t I? So please give me money.”
Grandfather’s brows furrowed again.
I stepped down from the glass table and sat on the sofa.
“At your age and in your position, money is the easiest thing, right? If you give me money, I’ll shut up.”
“After all that talking?”
“What talking? I just threw a quiet little tantrum.”
I let out a long sigh.
“If you don’t give it to me, I’ll really cause trouble.”
I winked playfully.
“Who knows? I might put on a red headband and protest in front of your company.”
“What?”
This time, Grandfather looked genuinely surprised.
I waved my arm casually.
“Your grandson is starving! President Grandpa, give me money! You have money, so why won’t you give it to me? Take responsibility!”
Something like that.
“If someone posts it on social media once, the whole world will know.”
I shrugged.
“Forget the embarrassment. Your company’s stock price will probably swing wildly. Even if people say it’s just a small incident, the higher-ups probably won’t like it. It’ll be a family scandal.”
So give me money.
Grandfather’s lips twitched.
I placed my hands under my chin like a flower pose.
After a moment, he spoke.
“You’re shameless.”
I smiled brightly and negotiated again.
“Where else can you find such a reasonable kid like me? Give me a house, a card, and a car. If you give me all that, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”
Grandfather closed his mouth.
I kept smiling calmly and waited.
Silence passed.
Eventually, he spoke first.
“The house you’re living in now—I’ll put it in your name. I’ll give you a car when you become an adult. Take this card.”
He tossed a credit card from his wallet toward me.
“Five million won per month.”
Not bad.
But I shook my head.
“I’ll take it… and one more.”
You can’t settle it with just five million.
Let’s add another.
Grandfather, honestly, ten million a month is nothing for you.
Grandfather frowned and tossed another card to me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Wow. This is pretty funny.’
At that moment, the Fairy of the Starting Point, who had been quiet until now, spoke.
<What’s so funny? There’s nothing amusing about this situation.>
‘How is it not funny? This is the most fun I’ve had since becoming Oh Chanran.’
<Chanran… do you enjoy chaos like this? How pitiful.>
‘Fairy, the most fun thing in the world is winning in the middle of chaos. Look at that wallet. What does it mean when someone has that many cards?’
It means they have many people to give cards to.
Who exactly were those people?
It smelled suspicious.
But I ignored it.
There was no point opening a dirty toilet lid.
Still, one thing surprised me.
‘Oh Chanran… you’re impressive.’
I revised my earlier judgment that Oh Chanran only ate and used the bathroom.
‘Living a normal life in a family like this—going to school, doing homework… maybe he wasn’t weak after all.’
Of course, that was about it.
Anyway, I got almost everything I wanted.
So I spoke again.
“Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll quietly live my life from now on. Oh, right!”
I smiled brightly.
“I need a guardian.”
I smiled again.
“I still go to school. I’m at the age where I need a guardian. Unless you plan to meet my homeroom teacher every time, please assign someone.”
“I’ll assign you a secretary.”
Simple.
He handled it efficiently.
Suspicious old man, but now wasn’t the time to dig deeper.
“Thank you.”
I carefully pocketed the two cards.
Just as I was about to leave, Grandfather suddenly spoke again.
“You’ve completely lost your mind. You used to be unable to say a word in front of me.”
“If both your parents suddenly disappear overnight, wouldn’t anyone change, Grandpa?”
I straightened my shoulders.
“At first I wanted to deny it. But this is reality. The first step to overcoming something is accepting it. Though… it was extremely difficult.”
That part was true.
The real Oh Chanran couldn’t handle it.
He died after being beaten.
“Goodbye. Just in case, Grandpa… please act as if I don’t exist from now on. Of course, I’ll act the same way.”
Just try making trouble later by claiming I’m your grandson.
I stood up and walked out.
I could feel his gaze on my back, but I didn’t turn around.
As soon as I closed the president’s office door, the secretary I had greeted earlier rushed over.
“Young Master, do you have a moment?”
“Young Master? Just call me by my name. I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Please come this way.”
The secretary led me to the break room.
Coffee machines and tea bags lined the counter.
There was also a small table.
The secretary even pulled out a chair for me.
I told him it was fine and sat down.
He spoke carefully.
“Young Master, I’ve been assigned to assist you with part of your daily life for the time being.”
Ah, I see.
“Nice to meet you. And please speak casually. You’re basically my guardian now.”
I smiled brightly.
“I don’t want to cause trouble, but I’m still only a middle school student. So we’ll probably see each other sometimes. And as you can see…”
I poked my cheek with one finger.
“My face looks like this. I used to hide it, but from now on I’m going to show it. So my life probably won’t be quiet anymore. Things might get noisy. Please take care of me.”
The secretary’s eyes shook for a moment.
And in his eyes I saw pity.
It seemed he had overheard enough earlier to understand the situation.
‘He’s a good person.’
He genuinely felt sorry for Oh Chanran.
‘Well, that’s natural.’
A child suddenly abandoned by his parents.
Even though I had just negotiated quite a lot from the president, it was still a tragic situation.
The secretary gently lowered the finger I had placed on my cheek.
“You don’t look well. You should eat properly.”
Is that so?
I chuckled.
“Well, things are a little hard, but I’m okay. Even if life is painful, people eat when they’re hungry and sleep when they’re tired. Eventually you get used to it.”
Perhaps those words made it even sadder.
The secretary’s eyes trembled again.
Still, he seemed like a decent person.
“Please give me your smartphone. I’ll save my number.”
I handed it over without hesitation.
He saved his number and returned it.
“You can call me anytime.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
I could feel that he was trying to reassure me.
So I kept smiling.
“For now, please take care of the house. I received these cards. Use them to pay someone to manage the house. I’ll need someone to clean and cook.”
The secretary quickly wrote everything down.
I smiled softly.
“And one more thing.”
He pushed his glasses up, confused.
“Yes?”
“Ask for a raise.”
“What?”
“You’ve been given a troublesome job. You should get paid more. If Grandpa refuses, tell me. I’ll pay you myself. Though it might be goods instead of cash since it’s a card.”
It would be nice if cash advances worked.
As I stood up, the secretary hurriedly stood as well.
“I’ll be going now.”
“I’ll escort you, Young Master.”
“That’s okay. And please don’t call me Young Master. I’m basically an orphan anyway.”
Young master, my foot.
“Just call me Chanran. Alright, secretary. I’m really leaving now.”
I opened the break room door and walked out.
Again, I felt eyes on my back.
But I didn’t turn around.
I kept walking until I was completely outside the building.
When the wind touched my face, a sense of satisfaction filled me.
I felt great.
‘I got everything.’
A house in Seoul.
Ten million won a month.
And no taxes to pay.
It was luck that most young adults could only dream of.
‘As expected, I’m lucky.’
<Is that really luck?>
‘Of course. How many middle schoolers in the world have family members they can squeeze money from?’
Most unhappy families only offer violence and poverty.
Nothing to take advantage of.
‘Fairy, there are far more unfair things in the world than that. I got money, so it’s fine. And anyway, that’s all in the past now.’
I looked down the tree-lined street and straightened my shoulders.
‘Now it’s time to move forward.’
My goal had always been the same.
‘Take back my award.’
To do that, I had to become a superstar again.
‘No matter how I think about it, being a star suits me.’
I wanted everyone in the world to know me.
I wanted to be surrounded by people wherever I went.
Honestly, I wouldn’t even mind if it happened in a bathhouse.
‘People call me an attention seeker.’
But that’s because they don’t understand me.
‘I’m not just an attention seeker… I’m someone completely crazy about attention.’
When you’re truly obsessed with something, nothing is more effective.
‘Seriously, there’s no one like me.’
I smiled and patted my own shoulder proudly.
So.
‘Let’s think.’
How could I become a superstar in one shot?
Preferably quickly and easily.
‘Wait a second… he’s fifteen, right?’
Too young.
At that age, most roles were child actor roles.
And that market was controlled heavily by parents.
Besides, most handsome teenagers were already in idol agencies.
Casting offers would probably go there first.
‘Still, if I push through properly, there should be opportunities.’
How many dramas were produced in Korea every year?
Surely there would be at least one role for me.
‘First, preparation.’
One thing I learned after reaching the top.
Opportunities only belong to those who are prepared.
I thought realistically.
‘If a child actor doesn’t have a guardian… he needs a company.’
I needed a good agency.
And a manager.
