Uncle and I

Chapter 06 —

[Breaking News!! This afternoon, a trespasser broke into the hospital room of group B1’s member Seo Hajin’s nephew and was caught on the spot… According to Ain Entertainment, the intruder entered the child’s room around noon and was arrested. As many already know, a few months ago, Seo Hajin’s older sister and her family suffered a tragic accident, leaving only her young son alive but unconscious. Fortunately, he recently woke up and, after tests showed improvement, was moved to a regular hospital room this morning.

Around lunchtime, when the guardians briefly left the room, an intruder sneaked in, caused a disturbance, and was caught by hospital staff before being handed over to the police. What shocked everyone even more was that the intruder turned out to be a journalist from a certain media outlet.

Ain Entertainment released an official statement promising to respond firmly to the incident.

Official Statement from Ain Entertainment:

Hello, this is Ain Entertainment.

Today around noon, an intruder broke into the hospital room of group B1 member Seo Hajin’s nephew.

The man entered when the guardians stepped out for a short time and tried to threaten and harm the three-year-old child.

Thanks to the hospital’s quick response, he was caught on the spot, and shockingly, the intruder turned out to be a journalist.

Fortunately, the attempt was stopped quickly, so there was no major physical harm. However, the child fainted from the shock and is currently in need of rest.

We have handed the journalist over to the police and are taking this matter very seriously. Ain Entertainment will do everything possible to ensure this never happens again.

We will also take strong legal action, without leniency, against all physical crimes, false rumors, and malicious comments directed at our artists or their families. We are already collecting related evidence and will soon file lawsuits against those involved, including the journalist and his media company.

We promise to do our utmost to protect our artists and their families.

Thank you.]

“What the… did I just read that right?”
“Wow! That guy’s insane.”
“Of course, it’s another trash reporter.”
“No, calling him a ‘trash reporter’ is too nice. He’s just garbage that can’t be recycled.”
“Yeah, total waste material.”
“The kid fainted? Is he okay?”
“He did that to a three-year-old? Is he crazy? Which media company is it?”
“Stop bothering my oppa already!!”

After the agency’s statement was released, the news spread everywhere, and the public’s attention focused on the case.

Not only idol fans but also regular people were furious.

It would’ve been horrible even if it had happened to an adult—but the fact that it happened to a three-year-old child who had just woken up after six months in a coma made everyone even angrier.

While the public waited for more details, Sejin and Hajin had calmed down a bit and were welcoming visitors in the hospital room.

It was the members of B1 who had come to see them.

They had heard about the incident on their way and were furious but made sure to calm down in the underground parking lot before coming up so Sejin wouldn’t get scared.

As it was a planned visit, they came with both hands full of gifts.

“Wow!”

“It’s Sejin!!”

“Hey! Keep it down. You’ll scare him.”

“Hi, Sejin! We’re uncles who work with Uncle Hajin. Nice to meet you!”

It was the first time the members saw Sejin awake, and they all fussed over him with bright smiles.

Sejin giggled and bowed politely.

“Hello~ I’m Lee Sejin.”

It had been a long time since he’d seen them, and he was so happy.

“Sejin, I’m Ihwan. You can call me Uncle Hwan!”

Ihwan said cheerfully and handed over his gift.

“This is from me! It’s a teddy bear so you won’t feel lonely at night. It’s soft, so hugging it will make you feel good!”

The bear was half Sejin’s size, with shiny brown fur and a red ribbon tied around its neck.

“Wow~~ thank you!!”

‘Whoa! My first teddy bear ever! No, wait… my first toy that’s truly mine!’

In his previous life growing up in an orphanage, Sejin never had anything of his own—not even toys. Everything was shared, and usually, the stronger kids took them first.

So, holding this bear was an emotional moment.

Since he now lived in a child’s body, his emotions were also more childlike. He hugged the bear tightly, rubbing his cheek against it with joy.

Seeing that, everyone smiled warmly.

“Hi, Sejin. I’m Uncle Jumin. You like teddy bears, huh? But I think you’ll also like my present!”

Jumin pushed a large box toward him.

“What’s that?” Sejin asked curiously.

“This? It’s a car you can ride in! You can go ‘vroom vroom!’ Let me open it for you.”

Jumin tore open the box, revealing a bright yellow toy sports car.

“Oh~~ that’s a Lambo**, right? So cool!!”

Even Roi got excited at the sight of it.

“I want to ride! I want to ride!” Sejin shouted, eyes sparkling.

Jumin laughed, lifted him up, and placed him in the car.

“Alright, Sejin. Uncle will push you!”

Jumin gently pushed the car around the room.

‘In my last life, I didn’t even have a used car, and now I’m riding a luxury one!’

Sejin waved his tiny hands, squealing with delight.

“This competition’s tough. You guys really came prepared,” Roi said, half-jokingly.

When Sejin loved Ihwan’s and Jumin’s gifts, Roi felt a little nervous and quickly brought out his own.

“Sejin! I’m Uncle Roi, and I brought you this transforming robot!”

He handed over a cool-looking toy robot, currently popular among kids.

Sejin loved it immediately.

“So cool!! Thank you!!”

Seeing his reaction, Roi smiled proudly.

The last one, Jaewon, scratched his head awkwardly.

“Hi, I’m Uncle Jaewon. The others brought fancy stuff, but mine’s a little different. I brought you some clothes and shoes to wear. I’ll give them to Uncle Hajin to try on later, okay?”

“Okay!!” Sejin said brightly.

He was happy with that too—since he’d been wearing only hospital clothes since waking up. And Jaewon, known for his great fashion sense, surely picked good ones.

While everyone laughed and played with Sejin, Chulhwan quietly called Hajin to the guardian’s room.

Once the door was closed, he updated Hajin about the case.

“The agency already released the statement. The CEO’s furious and ordered full lawsuits—every malicious commenter, every journalist involved. The reporter caught today is being questioned at the police station.”

“Yeah, I saw the news. But what about the CEO’s health? His blood pressure—”

“Forget that. What matters is you and Sejin.”

Hajin gave a weak laugh. “We’re both okay now. Thankfully, Sejin seems fine too.”

“That’s good.”

Then, Chulhwan’s phone rang.

“Yes, this is Manager Kim Chulhwan. Yes, please tell me. Alright, understood, Detective. We’ll handle the legal side through our lawyer. Thank you.”

When he hung up, his expression darkened.

“Hajin… the detective just called. Apparently, that guy—the reporter—had a recorder on him. They found it during questioning.”

Hajin frowned. “And?”

“They checked the recording. That bastard said awful things to Sejin. Stuff like, ‘You look fine for a kid who lost his parents,’ and ‘Did your parents really die?’”

Hajin’s heart dropped. He staggered, and Chulhwan caught him before he fell.

Unable to cry out, Hajin sobbed silently, clutching his chest.

“How… how could he say that to Sejin? To a three-year-old?”

He beat his chest in agony. Chulhwan fought back his own tears and tried to calm him.

“Hajin, listen. That man will pay for what he did. But we need to check on Sejin—if he heard that, he might have realized his parents are gone. And he’s acting too normal for that.”

Sniffling, Hajin wiped his tears. He couldn’t just sit and cry—he had to make sure Sejin was okay.

“Hyung, I’ll calm down a bit here. Please go and check on Sejin first.”

“Got it. Wash your face, take a breath, and then come out.”

After Chulhwan left, Hajin splashed cold water on his face and looked in the mirror to make sure he looked calm again.

On his way back, he saw Sejin laughing and playing with the members. Relief and pain washed over him at once.

He joined them, forcing a smile.

“Hey, guys! Aren’t you getting hungry? It’s almost dinner time.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, yeah. Should we order something?”

“Hajin, Sejin—what do you two want to eat?”

“I’m fine. Order whatever you want. Sejin’s dinner will come from the hospital anyway.”

“Oh, come on. He can have a little extra, right?”

“Me! Me! I want chicken!!”