Chapter 207: And they say thereâs no one to trust in this world! (2)
âOrabeo-nim~~!!â (Ye-Won)
Yi Ji-Hyuk heard Yi Ye-Wonâs voice calling out to him and turned his head towards her.
âMm?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Why was this rotten girl wagging her tail all of a sudden? Now typically, in situations like this one, sheâŠ.
ââŠ.I donât have it, you dang rotten girl!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âYou donât even know what I want yet, so how can you not have it?!â (Ye-Won)
âDoesnât matter! I donât have it!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
He didnât have to be a genius to figure out that she wanted him to do something for her, wanted something from him, or just as worse, wanted him to buy her something.
Indeed, he didnât have to think too hard to figure out what was in Ye-Wonâs brain.
âBuy me a handbag, please!â (Ye-Won)
ââŠA handbag?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âNg, a bag.â (Ye-Won)
>Only allowed on Creativenovels.com
Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked after hearing that.
âSo, thatâs what you wanted, ehâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Well, only this much should be considered as adorable. Just a handbag, was it?
But then again, Ye-Won was also of that age now, where carrying around a fashionable handbag was the norm, not the exception.
Only an old fogey ahjussi would recite the cliched line of âYou donât need one before graduating from  high schoolâ, and even Yi Ji-Hyuk knew that very well.
One of the things he realised during thousand-plus years of living was that the world constantly changed. And you trying to enforce the old generationâs point of view on the new generation would be nothing more than you being a disagreeable geezer.
âAlright.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âOhhhhh!â (Ye-Won)
Yi Ye-Wonâs expression brightened in an instant when her brother agreed to it so easily, and rushed in to hug him tightly.
âWow! Really?â (Ye-Won)
âOf course.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Sure, she might have been rude, uncouth, and a nasty brat of a little sister, but still, buying a bag for her shouldnât pose a big problem. Yi Ji-Hyuk couldnât be described as an exemplary older brother either, but he could still be an older brother with abilities to her, at least.
âWhat kinda bag is it?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âOh, itâs this guy.â (Ye-Won)
Ye-Won pulled out her phone and showed the screen to Yi Ji-Hyuk. There was an orange-coloured handbag on display, but well, he couldnât really tell whether that was a nice-looking bag or notâŠ.
âDoes it matter what it looks like to me, though?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Even if the worldâs most beautiful bag was to be brought in front of him, heâd not see anything different from looking at one of those cheap knock-off backpacks sold in the flea markets, anyway.
Yi Ji-Hyuk might be number one when it came to destruction and violence, but as far as discerning eyes for aesthetics was concerned, he had built up a solid distance away from it.
âNg, okay. Here.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk pulled out his wallet from his inner pocket and gave her his card.
âThank you!! Orabeonim~~!!â (Ye-Won)
âThatâs why you gotta be nicer to your orabeonim a bit more, okay?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âYes, yes. Iâll really be nice from now on.â (Ye-Won)
âFut.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
A smile automatically broke out on his lips as he watched his little sister jump up and down on the spot in pure joy. Her orabeonim was making a killing every month, yet to think, sheâd be over the moon like that just for a single handbag.
She might try to come across as tough and jaded and all that, but at the end of the day, she was still a high-school kid, wasnât she?
âYeah, sheâs kinda cute when sheâs like this.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Was it because they shared the same blood? Probably. Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at Ye-Won still hopping about in happiness with a pleased face. He could understand just a little bit where Kim Dah-Hyun was coming from as he clung so desperately to Kim Dah-Som.
Of course, what that guy had was a sickness. Regardless, shouldnât one be able to admit oneâs younger sister acting cute as, well, being cute?
As an oppa, he could definitely say something like that.
âOrabeonim!!â (Ye-Won)
âMm?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âYou gotta approve the purchase with the phone. Can you tell me the passcode theyâll send you?â (Ye-Won)
âOh, that. Well, okay.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk nodded his head, and his phone began vibrating right away as the security passcode arrived on it. He confirmed the code and called it out to her.
Suddenly, Yi Ji-Hyukâs shoulders opened up wider than ever before.
âI see. Iâve been too inattentive towards her.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
All he did was bring home a lot of dough and not much else. Their house might be different now, but he didnât buy that, did he?
When thinking about this money being his, then it was rather obvious that his family members wouldnât have been able to spend it as they pleased. Which meant that he shouldâve proactively taken steps to buy his sister new clothes or bags or whatever, but he was just far too busy and couldnât spare any time for his family.
ââŠ.Iâve forgotten why I came back here, havenât I?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Upon his initial return to Earth, he had made a mental list of things he needed to do for his family, but then, momâs uber-powerful presence completely disrupted his thought process.
âYup, I should start taking care of them better.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
If he couldnât ensure his own happiness, he might as well make sure his family was happy, at the very least.
VrrrâŠ
His phone vibrated again to signal the arrival of a text message.
âOh, itâs been approved.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âKyaaaahk!â (Ye-Won)
Yi Ye-Won jumped around in sheer joy while holding her phone.
âItâs just one handbag, thoughâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yup, she can be simple and honest sometimes, this kid sister of mine.
Yi Ji-Hyuk smiled contently and checked the rest of the message out.
âLetâs see. The approved purchase price is 2.4 million WonâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk) (TL: Around $2,111 US)
2.4 million?
Yi Ji-Hyukâs eyes trembled softly.
Two point four million?!
What kind of  bag was this expensive?!
What the hell?? With that amount, I could probably buy a used hatchback or something. But, you wanna walk around with something this expensive around your waist?! (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
âDid she lose her dang mind?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Instead of his eyes, his entire body began trembling now.
Iâve never even bought a backpack costing over thirty grand in my life, yet what do you wanna do with a handbag costing 2.4 million?! (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue) (TL: 30,000 Won = Just over $26.00)
Yi Ji-Hyuk recalled the thoughts of only a few moments ago and held back his rising temper as much as he could. Enforcing the way of the older generation would make him come across as a disagreeable geezer.
And also, if no one sold a bag costing 2.4 million, then no one would be buying it, to begin with. Meaning, it wasnât Yi Ye-Won who was âuniqueâ, it was the world that had changed.
So much had changed in only five years! What a scary world this was!
âAs expected, progress waits for no man, does it?!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk once more felt the renewed weight of all those years he had lived so far.
âOppa!! Thank you so much!â (Ye-Won)
ââŠ.Ng.â
Yi Ji-Hyuk could only reply awkwardly. Seeing her being so happy like that, his stifled chest seemed to be softening up somewhat, too.
âRight, right. Itâs just money.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk was no longer a high-school thug who only lived off on the allowance money from his parents. In other words, there was a need to readjust his sense of financial thriftiness now. He had well over tens of billions of Won collecting dust in his bank account, so shivering over 2.4 million seemed rather uncool.
âWell, if itâs only this much.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Still, he couldnât really get rid of this bitter taste out of his mouth, so he made sure to drill this point home.
âI did buy it for you, but I have to say, itâs a bit too expensive for your age. So, Iâm telling you now, you shouldnât buy stuff like this again.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âNg! Donât worry, Imma use it for the rest of my life!â (Ye-Won)
ââŠâŠ..â
Didnât she come across as rather simple and honest just now, again?
âThatâs right. Thereâs a good girl.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âNg, orabeonim~.â (Ye-Won)
Yi Ye-Won rushed up to Yi Ji-Hyuk and hugged him tightly again and went on a full-on aegyoassault.
âHmm, hmmâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Whatâs this, this strange feeling?
Doesnât it kinda feel good? (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
His little sister was one of those nasty pieces of work, but now that she had switched on her aegyomode like this, she came across as rather adorable at this moment in his eyes.
So, this was the reason why a man would melt at the power of aegyo, then.
âKeuuuuh-mm!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk didnât want to lose this swelling emotion of pride, so he began preaching again.
âEven still, 2.4 million is too much for a student!â (Yi ji-Hyuk)
âNg?â (Ye-Won)
Yi Ye-Won suddenly began looking at Yi Ji-Hyuk with weird eyes.
D-did I come across like an old fart just now?
N-no, it canât be!
Iâve been paying so much attention to avoid being labelled âheâs so old fashioned even though heâs still so youngâ until now!
Sure, Iâve lived for over a thousand years and then some, so I canât really say anything about being called a grandpa, but at the least, I want to live like a young man, you know? (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
âTwo point four million? But, that wasnât it, though?â (Ye-Won)
ââŠ.It wasnât?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Was it only two hundred forty thousand and he saw it wrongly somehow? Yi Ji-Hyuk pulled his phone out and checked the message again, before both of his brows shot up real high.
What the hell is this?
How many zeroes⊠are there?
One, two, threeâŠ.
ââŠ.T-tw-twenty four million Won?!?!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk) (TL: Over $21,110 USD)
She had been still clinging onto his arm to carry on with her aegyo attack until then, but she began sneakily avoiding meeting his gaze with an awkward expression etched on her face.
âOh, well. I thought you knew?â (Ye-Won)
Tehee, Yi Ye-Won suddenly formed one of those cutesy giggles. Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at her and began smiling contentedly again.
âEhehehe, orabeonim~~, thank you so much.â (Ye-Won)
âOh, no. No need to say your thanks.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyukâs hand burst forth with an almighty momentum and snatched Yi Ye-Wonâs hair.
âKyyyaahk?!â (Ye-Won)
He yanked her hair down as she screamed, but he didnât lose out and yelled at the top of his lungs in pure rage.
âYouâve finally lost your mind, you crazy rotten girl!!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Adorable, my foot!!
Yi Ye-Wonâs screaming and Yi Ji-Hyukâs yelling reverberated throughout the Yi house.
âŠYet another day in this family had begun.
*
âKeep your hands up, or else!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âHingâŠâ (Ye-Won)
Yi Ji-Hyuk made sure that Yi Ye-Won remained on her knees with both of her hands raised up high, and gritted his teeth.
âYou really have grown a huge pair of balls, havenât you?? Should I perform an operation on you? Should I remove them for you??â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âWhyyyâŠ.â (Ye-Won)
âWhy?! Did you just ask me why??? You want me to beat you until you get the reason why?? Should I beat some common sense into your brain? When I was growing up, reading up on logical thinking was a must, but this?? Is the generational gap at fault here or something?! Ng??â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk glared at her with scarily-burning eyes, prompting Yi Ye-Won to lower her head.
âNo, but, other girls also carry around their own bags, you knowâŠ.â (Ye-Won)
âOh really? Do they also cost 20 million?â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
ââŠ.No.â (Ye-Won)
âHahâŠ..â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk shook his head in disbelief.
This girl wanting to walk around with twenty million plus handbag was a crazy buffoon, sure, but the ones making such bags were just as guilty as her, too.
Just whoâd want to walk around with a âcarâ hanging around their waists?
âItâs the end of the world, thatâs what this is.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
This was even more shocking than learning about monsters popping out of Gates, indeed.
Oh. My. God.
Both the ones selling it, and the ones buying. All crazy. (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
âWhatâs going on here?â (mom)
Park Seon-Duk returned home after finishing her errand outside, only to find her daughter kneeling on the corner of the living room with her hands raised up high. She tilted her head and asked her son.
âMooooom~!â (Ye-Won)
Yi Ye-Won finally found her saviour and quickly jogged over to Park Seon-Duk.
âGet your a*s back here!!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk angrily shouted at her, but she had already hidden herself behind mom and only peeked her head out like a frightened child.
âSon, youâre going overboard on this one. A child can make a mistake, you know. Besides, sheâs not a little girl anymore, so itâs not okay to punish her like this.â (mom)
âGroanâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk pounded his chest in frustration.
âOkay, so. What happened?â (mom)
âI asked him to buy me a handbag, but heâs punishing me because itâs too expensive!â (Ye-Won)
âOh, my?â (mom)
Park Seon-Duk stared at her son with a slightly sharpened gaze and addressed him.
âJust how long will you treat your little sister like a little kid? High school girls walk around with branded bags nowadays, donât you know that? If it doesnât suit her age, fine, you donât have to buy it for her, but how can you punish her for asking you to buy it? Do you think youâll get married at this rate?â (mom)
Yi Ji-Hyuk didnât bother to reply to her scolding and simply pulled out his phone to show her the price of that bag.
âMm?â (mom)
As soon as she confirmed the price, a visible earthquake erupted out within Park Seon-Dukâs eyes.
âT-twenty four million?!?!â (mom)
Grab!
Park Seon-Dukâs hand grabbed a handful of Yi Ye-Wonâs hair as she tried to remain in hiding behind the safety of her momâs back.
âKyahk!â (Ye-Won)
One of Park Seon-Dukâs brows shot up as she glared at her son to scold him again.
âWhy are you letting this girl live??â (mom)
âI was deliberating my options, mom.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
ââŠ.I see. Yes, indeed, my son is a good boy.â (mom)
Murderous intent leaked out from Park Seon-Dukâs voice next.
âYou dumb crazy buffoon of a rotten girl!â (mom)
Slaaaap!!
âKyyyahk!â (mom)
Momâs trademark palm smashing technique was unleashed on Ye-Wonâs back, and she screamed out in pain while trying to escape from this dangerous situation. But too bad, Park Seon-Dukâs grip didnât want to let go.
âJust what kind of rubbish has gotten into you?! You wanna walk around with a 20 million Won bag?! Donât you know what kind of money that is?? Your oppa put his life on the line to earn that money!! You want to walk around with the price of your orabeonimâs life hanging on your waist??â (mom)
âIâm sorry!! Iâm really sorry!â (Ye-Won)
âThatâs right, you better be sorry! So, you should be punished!â (mom)
Slap! Slappp!!
The continuous stream of spike serve landing on Ye-Wonâs back ensured that sheâd curl up like a dried squid on top of a hot grille.
ShudderâŠ.
Yi Ji-Hyuk watched this scene play out and began shuddering involuntarily, as well. Every time Ye-Won got beaten, even he began flinching uncomfortably.
âYup, I better not do anything wrong.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
He was not scared of the country, but he was definitely terrified of his mom. Yi Ji-Hyuk even treated the Lord of the Dragons as a measly lizard, but even then, heâd much prefer to be a good, well-behaved son before his momâs presence.
Or else, heâd be killed in no time at allâŠ.
Dear Readers. Scrapers have recently been devasting our views. At this rate, the site (creativenovels.com) might...let's just hope it doesn't come to that. If you are reading on a scraper site. Please don't.
Plop.
With a soulless face, Yi Ye-Won crashed on top of the couch.
Having crushed her daughterâs rebellious streak, Park Seon-Duk shot her son a very irritated glare next.
Flinch.
Although he hadnât done anything wrong, he found himself flinching uncomfortably again.
âHave you cancelled the order yet?â (mom)
âN-no, not yet, mom. I was about to.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âH-mmâŠ.â (mom)
Park Seon-Duk pondered something for a while, before whispering something to her daughter.
Ye-Won jumped up from the couch and begun hurriedly searching for something online with her phone, before showing her mom the fruit of her quick labour.
âM-mm, well, since thereâs the cancellation fee to think about, is there really a need to cancel the order?â (mom)
âM-mm???â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
âWell, it is a bit expensive for Ye-Won to carry around, butâŠ.â (mom)
âŠ.Mom?
Mom, please look at your son in his eyes.
Mom, didnât you say something about walking around with the price of my life or some such?
Mom?
Moooom!! (Yi Ji-Hyukâs inner monologue)
Park Seon-Duk, right until the end, avoided meeting her sonâs pleading eyes.
âMomâŠ.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Only Yi Ji-Hyukâs sorrowful voice wandered aimlessly into the Ether.
âArgh, what now?! Imma, really!â (mom)
ââŠ.Itâs nothing.â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Yi Ji-Hyuk was left despondent and trudged back into his room.
âAnd they say thereâs no one to trust in this world, too!â (Yi Ji-Hyuk)
Well, itâs not like I trusted mom that much from the get-go, anyway.
It was then, Yi Ji-Hyukâs phone suddenly began ringing loudly.
< 207. And they say thereâs no one to trust in this world! -2 > Fin.