Chapter 165 – GOY 165
#165
And anticipation soon turned into anxiety.
‘Why isn’t Secretary Ahn here yet?’
He had hoped Secretary Ahn would arrive a little late. Even if Chairman Joo had specified the clothes for today, if time were tight, he wouldn’t have been told to change.
However, arriving just in the nick of time would be one thing, but being late was another… It would be a disaster if Lee Yeon-soo got angry because he was late.
Just then, the door to the annex swung open. It wasn’t the awaited Secretary Ahn.
“You beggar brat. What the hell are you wearing?”
Ju Tae-han burst into laughter the moment he saw Joo Seung-hyuk.
“Don’t tell me you dressed up like this just to meet Lee Yeon-soo?”
“…….”
Joo Seung-hyuk usually ignored whatever he said, but today was different.
‘Did I make a mistake? Should I have picked different clothes?’
He was worried that he might look bad to Lee Yeon-soo. As he anxiously fidgeted with his sleeve, Ju Tae-han’s voice, full of irritation, reached his ears.
“Seriously, you’re such a clueless bastard. Lee Yeon-soo must be miserable right now.”
“Is he sick?”
He became worried at the thought that he might be ill. Ju Tae-han, finding it absurd, tapped Joo Seung-hyuk’s forehead.
“Is this brat actually an idiot? I don’t mean he’s literally dying; I mean it’s fucking miserable to have to be with you. Who would actually like a vulgar fake like you?”
“…….”
“Lee Yeon-soo said everything about you is fine, except that you’re a beggar. There was a truckload of people desperate to sign an exclusive contract with him, but in the end, he chose you. Do you know why? Because Seong Han offered the most money. His parents sold their child for money.”
“…….”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you too stupid to understand what I’m saying? Well, that explains why you still don’t know how to read and write Korean at your age.”
Ju Tae-han often mocked Joo Seung-hyuk for being unskilled in Korean.
It wasn’t that he didn’t [unauthorized copy]know what kind of environment he had grown up in; on the Read on Read BL Novelscontrary, he was one of the people who knew better than anyone.
In truth, it wasn’t that Joo Seung-hyuk completely lacked knowledge of Korean. Even when he first arrived in Korea, he had simply been clumsy with spelling, but he possessed basic reading and writing skills.
Furthermore, since he began lessons with a tutor, he rarely made spelling mistakes. While his vocabulary was somewhat lacking, that was a natural result of his lack of education.
He was currently studying four-character idioms, proverbs, names of people and places, and history, and his learning speed was so fast it surprised his tutor. His vocabulary was also improving rapidly.
So, the claim that he didn’t know Korean was now a thing of the past, but Ju Tae-han deliberately ignored all the facts and hurled insults.
In particular, whenever people around him expressed surprise at Joo Seung-hyuk’s academic ability or mentioned that he was smart, Ju Tae-han would fly into a fit of rage.
Every time, Joo Seung-hyuk had responded with indifference, but today, for some reason, he shrank back. Seeing that he couldn’t say a word, Ju Tae-han immediately became triumphant.
“Hey, no matter how much of an idiot you are, you know Shim Cheong, right? You’ve been reading a ton of fairy tales lately.”
He wore a sneer.
The Ability User Community, as well as the media and the public, held a profound interest in Joo Seung-hyuk.
The Center wanted to measure Joo Seung-hyuk’s rank using Jin-hwan, and guilds and ability users were curious about the skills of the youngest Esper. The media continued to request interviews with him.
As Seong Han kept refusing, many people began to suspect that Joo Seung-hyuk’s rank was a lie or expressed doubts about his abilities. In truth, Chairman Joo didn’t care whether Joo Seung-hyuk’s evaluation dropped or not. In fact, it was better than him being overvalued.
However, as people began to find [visit our site][Read on Read BL Novels]it suspicious that Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t attend school and reporters started investigating, he could no longer ignore it.
It didn’t matter if Joo Seung-hyuk’s evaluation dropped, but if a controversy over abuse broke out, it would damage the reputation of Seong Han and Chairman Joo.
Chairman Joo had planned to reveal him to the public after completing his education perfectly, but he moved the schedule up slightly. He intended to begin full-scale Esper training and external activities after securing an exclusive guide for Joo Seung-hyuk. (Though he hadn’t told him.)
It wasn’t simply because he was chased by rumors. Although the schedule was tighter than planned, he calculated that there wouldn’t be a major problem because Joo Seung-hyuk’s learning speed was beyond imagination.
But it wasn’t perfect yet. Chairman Joo ordered the academic intensity to be increased, and among those was ‘studying fairy tales.’
If a basic fairy tale like Cinderella or Snow White came up during an interview with reporters or a conversation with Center staff and Joo Seung-hyuk appeared not to understand, some people would find it suspicious.
The tutor taught Joo Seung-hyuk all sorts of famous fairy tales, including Korean folk tales.
Rather than reading fairy tales, it was more like cramming content as if studying for an entrance exam.
Ju Tae-han was mocking this.
“Shim Cheong jumps into the Indangsu Sea to save her father. Lee Yeon-soo is exactly in that position.”
“………”
“If you’ve gone as far as selling your body for your family, you should at least meet a Dragon King or an Emperor like in the fairy tales. Or a real prince like me. To end up as the guide for a filthy fake like you… Lee Yeon-soo is fucking unlucky.”
The moment he heard those words, Joo Seung-hyuk’s heart sank.
That was right. Lee Yeon-soo doesn’t know I’m a fake. He agreed to become a guide believing I was Chairman Joo’s real son.
Moreover, he was dragged here by his parents against his will. Just as I was dragged to the island…
“If I were Lee Yeon-soo, I’d rather just die than provide guiding to a filthy seed like you. How can you stand the disgust? I’d actually jump into the sea.”
“…….”
“Ah, wait. Maybe since both you and Lee Yeon-soo are beggar brats, you have something in common?”
“…….”
“Anyway, have fun, you fellow beggars.”
Without forgetting his sneer until the end, he tapped Joo Seung-hyuk’s shoulder and walked out.
As the door closed, Joo Seung-hyuk realized the reality.
There was no one in this world who would ever like someone like him.
Even his biological parents abandoned him. Chairman Joo sent him to the island once he learned the truth, and the people on the island turned on him once they found out he was a fake.
Would Lee Yeon-soo be the same? The moment he learns the truth about me, will he change [stolen content]like [visit our site]everyone else? Will that bright, sun-like smile be filled with contempt? He will, right? Of course he’ll change… Since not a single person has remained unchanged so far, Lee Yeon-soo will be the same…
He slumped into a chair and hung his head low when the door opened and Driver Kim entered.
“Are you ready?”
Joo Seung-hyuk looked at the clock. It was 30 minutes later than the original scheduled departure time, but there was no sign of apology in the man’s demeanor.
When Joo Seung-hyuk stared at him, he replied half-heartedly.
“I thought I was going with Secretary Ahn, but the schedule got a bit tangled. Let’s go.”
Until the very end, he didn’t even offer something resembling an apology.
Despite being 30 minutes late, Driver Kim drove leisurely.
“Ah, is this not the way?”
Not only did he not speed up, but he also kept driving in circles in the same spot.
He had worked at Seong Han for a long time, and the destination was the Seong Han Ability User Specialized Hospital. He must have gone there often during his employment, and the route wasn’t particularly difficult.
However, he kept getting lost, as if he were deliberately trying to sabotage Joo Seung-hyuk from meeting Lee Yeon-soo.
He was late from the very first meeting. Perhaps Lee Yeon-soo had become disappointed and left.
While Joo Seung-hyuk felt upset, he also thought it might be better this way.
He’s a kid who was dragged here by his parents anyway. He probably doesn’t even know I’m a fake.
Even if he becomes my exclusive guide, he’ll change once he finds out I’m a fake. It would be better for it to end like this, without even seeing each other’s faces.
Joo Seung-hyuk was finally able to arrive at the Seong Han Ability User Specialized Hospital nearly an hour past the appointment time.
“You’re late,” Secretary Ahn spat coldly.
She was always kind to others, such as Chairman Joo or the brothers Ju Jeong-han and Ju Tae-han, but she always maintained an irritated gaze toward Joo Seung-hyuk. Especially when they were alone, she poured out blatant contempt.
Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t mind her attitude. It was outside his interest how she thought of him. But today was different.
According to Driver Kim, the departure was delayed while waiting for Secretary Ahn. He was late because communication between the two had not been properly handled, yet she scolded Joo Seung-hyuk instead of apologizing.
However, Joo Seung-hyuk could not challenge her attitude. The same went for Driver Kim.
No matter how he was treated, he had no choice but to endure. Even if he were to feel rage and anger, there was no one who would take the side of someone who was nothing more than a vulgar fake.
Lee Yeon-soo would be the same. The moment he becomes my exclusive guide, he will be treated the same way.
Just for being on my side, he will suffer countless contempt…
“It will take time to prepare the matching rate test again. Please wait in the meantime.”
She guided Joo Seung-hyuk to a VIP private room.
‘Are they doing the matching rate test? Then Lee Yeon-soo hasn’t left yet. Seeing as he waited for an hour, maybe he likes me?’
Joo Seung-hyuk shook his head.
That couldn’t be. Since his parents forced him to come, he probably couldn’t leave even if he wanted to…
The words Ju Tae-han had said filled his mind. Not just what he said today, but every verbal abuse he had ever heard came back to him, leaving scars on his heart.
He had tried to ignore it and thought he had ignored it well. But he was wrong.
The darkness surrounding Joo Seung-hyuk deepened once again.
Joo Seung-hyuk trudged forward and opened the hospital room door. He naturally expected to be waiting alone. But inside, a boy was sitting.
‘It’s Lee Yeon-soo.’
Joo Seung-hyuk recognized him at a glance.
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