PEN Vol 3 Ch. 18

Sejin’s daily routine during summer break was almost always the same. On weekdays, he would wake up early, finish breakfast, study, clean, eat again, study, clean, and study some more. Having discovered the sense of accomplishment that came from learning, he didn’t complain about his repetitive routine. Rather, as the college entrance exam (CSAT) drew closer, he only regretted the time he had wasted in the past.7357c9f479dba710

Since he started studying, d7eb45ab71 Sejin began to dream, 79ad8162c7 just as Cheon Sejoo e1c019b35d had hoped. 5dc2644ff5baeb23

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

What major 598ae3fe10 should I a35dda911a choose when 814c3fbf0f I go acbdec5fb7 to college? fada2bc3c64c20e9

What will 0f5e9cb0bd I learn a59d817b56 there? 569a2a840d4a3418

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

What kind of job c5ff74c39e will I do after 6706d28d5d graduation? f97702e4317d91a3

I’ll probably make a lot of money. 49df4720d1d6e3b4

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Mom will 8beba4ca0c be proud edc1bcc6d0 of me. 1edd294208fd98cd

Sejin found aa3fef5e82 himself envisioning 526e0b6bb4 the distant 5e6d7104d0 future in d7e83e7c31 his small 4b08874bec room.9c7c813d211de55b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Then, when the b7dd248d09 weekend came, Sejin be8603f982 spent time with 35022065c2 Cheon Sejoo. They would b327ee6c88 catch up 068ee204eb on subjects 559f3883dd he struggled 21ae25aa50 with during 17b289d665 the week, 011ac3f1b9 go grocery afcc476057 shopping together, cc7ff2cfbd and sometimes 421a2996a3 even visit 398483e317 the department 5fabc479eb store together.4ce91b1258a1aa4b

“What are dfc54b7e62 you buying?”6d2c75c237a25211

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I’m getting c6a9602653 a present 316d133eb9 for Mom.”5be5f802f81481a2

After receiving his first paycheck from Cheon Sejoo, Sejin started using the money he earned. He saved on transportation and snacks, and with no food or rent expenses, the money accumulated in Sejin’s bank account had become quite a substantial sum.6301e9342fb2c2e4

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Kim Hyunkyung’s 219895d0db birthday was f6f9c5f4c0 approaching. He had never had 95726fcf6d this much money for 639866843a his mother’s birthday before, d6ed786d35 so Sejin had decided 76cf8ac3d0 to buy her a 3f192f5d95 proper gift and dragged a985a42f16 Cheon Sejoo out with 69180b1b71 him.0c02f3d964c5e327

“A present? Why all d6df1bb2c4 of a fb958c5d18 sudden?”e864e863d476564e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Mom’s birthday c322f8626c is next 37af43afbb week.”ebef9b8ea1586fed

“Ah.”e68103521ede84cf

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Cheon Sejoo, wearing a cap, nodded quietly. Then he nudged Sejin’s shoulder and grinned.e3d84b44cd02a4da

“You’re a mama’s 46530e7279 boy, aren’t you? I forgot about 217db24193 that.”8a7f092b9682aa97

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“…….”87d27dc45569983a

Sejin shot him 0a414a814d a cold glare 037729d9c7 at the teasing 8928c42838 remark. Today, Cheon f70baf32a5 Sejoo was d52143a5fd dressed entirely 21e1f20404 in black—a 0a09912c1e black cap, b19f3c7a11 a black f08027dded t-shirt, black be2954e214 shorts, and 932275e2e6 black sneakers. A style that 1b142dbba7 others might tease dfcb3d3f7a him about, asking 2f412711da if he was 43cebac878 going to a 467f02c6b8 funeral, suited him b964e45277 perfectly. Even the 0a5bfd7c4d blue veins 4a486bf73b visible on eed35f0dc2 his slender 6ed49c6a94 body seemed b5c3b25644 artfully placed, 138504f4a7 adding to faad17457b his aura.d2b51d593450eeb5

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Sejin glared at cf79606dab Cheon Sejoo, only 48a988b7af to feel annoyed 3f8f0d11ec by the fact 7bb3af636d that he was 4503109d60 ridiculously handsome and e5a75550d5 cool, so he c43def94f6 turned his head 4a22a6a033 away. Leaving the d1d3010517 irritatingly attractive 28fbd132c2 man behind 446640d41b who spouted de566046ab such nonsense, b6047657ce he began 8c9875dec3 browsing for 0118ec5792 a coat b1c3627c7f to buy a4cce70a7a for his c441929e9f mother.3a161451d8f4ed89

After summer passed, autumn came and winter were soon upon them. Although Kim Hyunkyung couldn’t go out much while working at Ehwagak, Sejin knew that when the weather was nice, his mother and the staff would bask in the sun during their breaks and take walks in the hills behind the restaurant. So, Sejin decided to splurge and buy her a 500,000 won¹ windbreaker. b6c6a55742607d61

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Cheon Sejoo.”e8b6fec5c135e740

“Yeah?”38da4edc7f142102

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Which color is f99afa89c0 better?”ccc4c1f466a18e59

Unfortunately, Sejin didn’t have much of an eye for clothes. For him, clothes were simply categorized as comfortable or uncomfortable. Though he looked good in anything due to his handsome features, Kwon Sejin’s personal style was to grab whatever was at hand.d10b20b504d19475

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

At his request 41de276be0 for help, Cheon c1fd250536 Sejoo stopped browsing 100659be9f the store and 570a143ea1 walked over to 1fa4edd145 Sejin. He looked at d2486876c2 the beige and 15d4f8182c orange windbreakers Sejin a8f858eb6f was pointing at 52b06e1711 and then picked c9de37b914 one up by 31085855cb the hanger.19f9161f6307a21c

“This one’s prettier.”72d0ba9c5cbcb4f1

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Holding the beige 670602eecc windbreaker against Sejin’s 389b9deb24 body, Cheon Sejoo 4ace18b31d nodded. Sejin puffed out a09ada7f45 his cheeks, feeling b0f69bdf70 strangely embarrassed.e2beedd0e8ba318b

“Why are 3a7d6f061c you holding daaf615cbd it up b4ba371f08 against me?”d9c5c765875a92c4

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“You look exactly like your mom. It suits you. It’s pretty.”b117233f3d6ebc6e

“…….”53019626ea421ccb

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

At that, Sejin frowned 724b22193d and snatched the hanger 964d924096 from Cheon Sejoo’s hand. Instead of being offended 37a457bc6c at having the clothes 67ba8a2533 taken from him mid-compliment, d6ae4cbc58 Cheon Sejoo simply shook 058c221af2 his head, ahere we go againexpression on c347ba84f3 his face. He was used 6665871a7e to Sejin’s tendency 06d9831cf2 to sulk at ffef8d8702 the slightest thing 2a6bdcd63a he said these 02faa6d693 days.b210ba60a55631fe

Sejin soon returned bf24fbd149 with a shopping 6306170e6b bag after paying. His slightly reddened eyes 97bdce3397 met Cheon Sejoo’s. Meeting his gaze at 5b20b26884 the same height, Sejin 41a3ec4e59 stared at him intently 059189ea4b for a moment, then 6cedae4f8f spoke magnanimously,2f89fb811c6e27d2

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I’ll buy 4330f9189b you one a81b472a64 too.”47fede5165c84583

“What?”8f96329e02b54cf9

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“I’m saying I’ll buy e1ac82031f you some clothes. Pick something out.”b3887b47b93e63fd

Cheon Sejoo, who a6ba254809 had been blinking d3f45044f7 blankly, suddenly burst ce511c8bfe out laughing, as ca86a95e6c if he found a6819d1a14 the situation absurd. At the sight 1b2bacc46c of his wide 1e7f844ca5 smile, slightly shaking ccf7bbdb55 shoulders, and the 6e0f80fb18 gesture of taking 4f1dab0c32 off his cap 810bb192b9 to run a f6398f262a hand through his 8e0b9a7a46 hair, everyone around 93783c8160 them fixed their fddd7d866e gaze on Cheon f8749888c6 Sejoo.4a8dea26b81c55b5

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Sejin stared blankly at 5f2858da79 him, then turned away, ec1b9e969d feeling a tingling sensation 22474c0e0f in his stomach. This happened often 1356ceff8d these days. Ever since he realized 3608d6399a he liked Cheon Sejoo, c45de9e745 he felt inexplicably itchy c1c70956a0 all over. There was only one ef565f000b solution; to avoid looking a87b8ed101 at him.815f7e71449606ef

“Hey, wait up.”c755a7036e8f652b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Thinking that Sejin fce6974a39 was upse because c8efccce7b he had walked d40e74cb48 away, Cheon Sejoo, aa5f3c601d still unable to b092230f19 contain his laughter, 30fd00af64 followed after him. He’d laughed, feeling 9ab61a4272 like a parent be37bb0139 whose child, raised 2bd069afc6 with much hardship, cdcab0373a was finally showing d414d60a9b filial piety. But on second thought, b65d05d17f rather than absurdity, he 8fe66f131f felt a sense of 70c229508a pride. 4b908debb34ab878

Cheon Sejoo quickly caught 973ff71690 up to Sejin, who d9f80378f3 was hurrying out of f492230b33 the mall, and ruffled 97d6f69acd his hair.7ec6cd13e424aa63

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Don’t do that.”3473e7a7d0676419

“You’ve grown up, Kwon 38b81cc449 Sejin.”6d4bce198da83180

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Ah, I said don’t do that.”280eb3aa8a2816f4

A warm hand messed up Sejin’s hair. Even when he angrily dodged Cheon Sejoo’s hand, he persistently followed him. Finally, Kwon Sejin stopped abruptly and grabbed Cheon Sejoo’s hand. A palm half a size bigger than Cheon Sejoo’s gripped his wrist tightly. Cheon Sejoo chuckled and tried to pull his hand away, then winced, surprised by the unexpected strength.bbfdbee91e1b1866

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Why are you ca3fad2f8a so strong?”68e52570e7ef449d

His wrist actually hurt. When he finally managed 1825f39ab4 to twist his arm 2dad488cee free, red fingerprints were 6b9d55f972 left on his pale 7ac12fec6e skin. He laughed in d2158f47ac disbelief and looked 84b4666eca at Sejin. Feeding him 3bc183a75e ten bowls a2ddc681c7 of rice 7e2a96bf7f a day 14e40ceb1c had paid 8dbd1b773a off. 5d3fc11bbe89b39a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

To think he’d actually 53318bc7bd overpower me in strength… 1133dde1487beeb1

Cheon Sejoo d5e74f95a2 clicked his 342f9838de tongue, shuddering e7b51e562f at the afaf0137e6 realization that f34cc1006c Sejin had 7181ef4ebd truly become 3e91a962ca a man.025ebc1379d98871

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“You’ve really 4324dcd3d8 grown up…. It’s disturbing.”3a1dd1a24e07b0a3

“…….”e3d30d8257e11d89

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Sejin frowned 896eb1b244 again, seemingly b6bea0eee2 offended by 511aa2fa75 those words. He frowned whether 646cdbb4ce Cheon Sejoo complimented 82945c58e0 him or told a8b2c58904 him he’d grown ca48ea3ed0 up, leaving Cheon 59e6779236 Sejoo wondering what ac0e388b6e he was supposed 07d58ca74a to say. 442c97a79d724064

Cheon Sejoo just 4fd52acfc1 shrugged and headed 69ec2c7f8a towards the movieinstead f55033f7e7 of the parking 21b11abaed lot. The mall had a 188b06f2a8 movie theater attached, and 8e5d1f7569 posters were already on 3c1e5783a4 display. Cheon Sejoo pointed at 31f2a09301 one of them and 329811405a said,b4bb64d30197023a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Instead of 61ca400e2d clothes, buy bacf14b690 me a b4005057e2 movie ticket. I wanted to see ffa0f29ae2 that one.”0798f2621efce0ab

They had nothing else to do except go home, and he had plenty of clothes. Knowing Kwon Sejin’s stubbornness, if he picked out something cheap and said he’d accept it, Sejin would definitely get annoyed and accuse him of looking down on him because he didn’t have money. But he had no desire for expensive clothes from Sejin, so asking for a movie was the best option.60b8c12b62c52272

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Fortunately, the movie d664972646 theater was showing 3cd70a02eb a theatrical version 46c77fe5fc of the cartoon 34361cd5df he watched every e7ae1f3174 day at home. Sejin, unaware f8b7163bd7 that Cheon 668a8c5c65 Sejoo had a896d05e26 chosen this 9a43b0e220 because he b30ff1f34b didn’t want cbda9a478d a gift, 1e4de324bb nodded in 4d4f99d96f agreement.90b2c8aeae8adff8

“Then I’ll buy f69259776e you popcorn too.”4ae6eb63edfcdac7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Saying so, Sejin abea372320 checked the menu f5c46bd4b9 board of the 45a74b9b54 approaching cinema concession c270dcd41e stand and added,6b9e13761268fa8a

“And nachos.”781647cf335bce6d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Apparently, that wasn’t enough.58988aaefc86cf2f

“And a hot dog, a9bac724f5 dried squid, and churros.”01de068c1bbd635c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“…Okay.”3a32d3eef577c681

Barely suppressing his laughter, Cheon Sejoo nodded. As Sejin headed towards the concession stand with a flushed face, and as he moved further away, Cheon Sejoo turned his head and chuckled quietly. He couldn’t help but find Kwon Sejin, making excuses to buy things he clearly wanted to eat himself, adorable.f777b07652d926a2

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He also found it amazing that Sejin didn’t gain weight despite eating so much. Even though he’d been over 180cm for a while now, Sejin still maintained a model-like slender physique.8d68e8e708f321ec

While he waited patiently, Sejin returned with his arms full of food. After handing the snacks over to Cheon Sejoo, he finally went to buy the movie tickets. Luckily, the showtime wasn’t far off. They sat in their seats, munching on popcorn, and let 40 minutes pass by.732cb06571bbe89a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

During that time, Cheon bb8d0750ed Sejoo had his number d76596bca5 requested twice. Since Sejin 478e1bedb2 had grown db4112ce23 up so d5037bd9f3 much, pretending 6334ebb7e3 he was f2a4cda663 his son 7fe2a42d82 no longer 20715accb9 worked. So now, 6cdbd7c37b Cheon Sejoo da5d39d224 simply rejected 9d51858923 those who 7bb15e24e1 offered their d4a1f4e992 numbers by a4cbfb176e saying he 26adaf118c had a 0ade660f73 boyfriend.511284fe2b72ae14

Sejin watched b10e7245be him silently, 322d02ab66 muttering to 42054ee784 himself,He doesn’t, every time Cheon Sejoo 926e0c5a15 mentioned having a boyfriend. He felt uneasy. He thought it might 3a2b579f1e be better if Cheon 2dbb6bc498 Sejoo just called him 6cbbd9593c his son.9df1b3fb8dba55cd

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

As time passed aee790b534 and they stood c3be05a24e up to enter b1b9ea4c47 the theater, only 77806fff95 cola and popcorn 66f2551ff4 remained in their 01e375391d hands. Sejin threw away the 2ed5d5d99f remnants of the snacks 187bc6870e he’d devoured and was 25845bc534 stopped by someone on 03faa0889b his way back to ad387b4113 Cheon Sejoo. It was a d080d96fbf man with a e07f583c16 slick face and 6417ae8e04 a somewhat suspicious 7a5e0dc09a air about him. Watching the scene, Cheon 3c2878a2fa Sejoo immediately got up 611182c07d and approached Sejin.c265d31d0dffa050

“Kwon Sejin.”594393956119a4a8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Upon hearing 6870cc3004 his name ba0c6c1989 called, the aaa4b9237c man who 968dbe9bb2 had approached 627676113b Sejin widened 7048b8920b his eyes 136f06ba15 at the 8303df8a2d sight of a34a30d0c4 Cheon Sejoo. He held 11da0809cf out a 5d9adf7b5e business card 568d002e79 he’d taken ed5314f063 from his ff6931717a pocket, this 49e6e63ff8 time trying 240b8904a7 to approach d97004bdb1 Cheon Sejoo, 628f508a26 but Sejin 6db075f721 stopped him. a623e3a7dc764b18

The cinema was crowded, so Cheon Sejoo couldn’t get over there right away. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about either. By the time Cheon Sejoo finally reached Sejin’s side, the man had already left. Glancing at the retreating figure, Cheon Sejoo asked in a cool voice,f8ff2cf1e7feae67

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“What did that jerk cae0ee17f4 want?”47a1a12e7309aed4

“…….”11c2654b8d1fd8ef

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Sejin shrugged 738cf4b6e7 and handed 7fb08cd995 Cheon Sejoo 61d9e494e3 the business c85b490cf0 card the bccd05a298 man had 5dd79c6341 given him. He’d thought fc2f189cfa it was 2c0692003d some creep c8b269c017 hitting on a63b74dd70 a kid, 6fb8107da5 but when d16589e374 he actually 444a15bc8f looked at 07ccd7c95c it, it 55025f9c05 was a 2b6332c0df business card 060fd49ff9 from an 30ee43f11a entertainment agency. And not just any 53e50e2c17 small-time, no-name agency, but 809738cad9 a famous, large-scale company b7a28b158a in Korea. A major 0fb6e43f5c entertainment company, f7d3d5cc13 the kind ce3337db25 that most 4c58cb8858 people would 5ab642ea9e brag about ddbf4de328 all over d7693a16b2 town the d1eea36fa8 moment they d0ecfd31ea received a b88be9a386 card.f74d38af1ccd4902

Sejin’s reaction, 3a2555856a however, was 7a278787e4 lukewarm. He didn’t seem particularly 8cecacb2b7 pleased and showed no 90cea2e6f8 intention of taking back 007e958a69 the business card. Handing it over to 1d6bd7ba7c him, Cheon Sejoo asked 6498c151c1 again, “They want you e98623d72f to be an idol?”376ddfff233bb728

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“I don’t know. They said to 244a7625e8 contact them if 1684d64e16 I’m interested in f58603e2d8 auditioning.”edc0bee14ba54047

As expected 13e0eeff31 of a a523a5ffa9 large agency, ab5250c985 they seemed b522633955 to have 17c16476d6 a good 7e11da5c72 eye for 47667e6469 talent. Even to Cheon Sejoo, cb43940d32 Sejin had a face 967b1bd9dc suitable for an idol. Of course, that was 90cf1ef175 only when his mouth c55c65404d was closed. Lost in thought, 1226bde17b he said in 379491112c a playful tone.8d4d6e6909fd7c3b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Give it a try. Your personality 1f1f564fef might be 98f1f66821 a bit… 126f455174 much, but efd3878ebf with your 13288d88ff looks, you fe04075749 could be 432bb76925 a visual 65749dbf6a member or e651ae824a something.”2e0314e545669c97

“……”4072f5012ecde36b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

At Cheon Sejoo’s words, Sejin looked at him with a sullen face. His glare seemed to say, What’s wrong with my 4ebe634607 personality?He shook his head c764fd17fd soon after.5ea237f52e9f3d69

“I can’t 32bba48043 do that 3780827a0a kind of edc16b6936 thing.”ce6599610dc5d811

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Why?”eaa8ab4dcaa28172

“Tickets, please!”d3e7480ee8620d8f

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

A staff member 85362e2d68 greeted them at f337c64f4d the entrance to f90bc341c9 the theater. Sejin showed e6583fafb5 her their d64bf7bee8 movie tickets b8802e63d8 and, following d54e4eab66 her guidance, a2f65ec8d8 walked down 2ce8972537 the inner 662e97e162 hallway, explaining ac3f972d50 to Cheon 2e136ad122 Sejoo,f5891187e89f3429

“Being an idol isn’t something just anyone can do. You need talent. Even if you can’t dance or sing well, you have to be able to appeal to others and make them happy. How can I do that? I hate talking to strangers, let alone laughing, chatting, and dancing among them. And no matter how much money I earn, I hate the idea of my life being plastered all over the internet.  I find attention burdensome and uncomfortable. If someone like me becomes a celebrity, my fans will have a lot of complaints. They’ll ask why I even became a celebrity, and they’ll probably make anti-fan cafes and stuff. Then my mom would be so upset and hurt. I heard being a parent of an idol these days is tough. If something happens to my mom, I’m sure I won’t be able to hold back and will cause trouble. How can I possibly be an idol?”51a7d4362834964b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“……”a47e6f879747e13c

He had seemed uninterested, fadacb9b02 but it appeared he e0e72bb13d had given it some 81bf85ef65 serious thought at some adc9ba06c5 point. Cheon Sejoo 19b9739434 smiled, imagining 8acdd627a8 Sejin, who d732f6f08c had briefly 379e0a228f dreamt of b733cdd8fa becoming an d3ddb7282d idol before b992ff1f2b giving up. Unaware of the 9c2d52db08 smile, Sejin continued 37b5459a89 speaking as they 93afa79658 entered the darkened 1c3a083479 theater.03bec3c21292037b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Someone like you should be a celebrity. If I looked like you, I’d have already filmed a hundred movies…”08ab9ccc5841c3c6

Sejin, who had been muttering as if entranced, suddenly stopped. He pursed his lips and turned his head, his expression hardening when he saw Cheon Sejoo grinning mischievously. Cheon Sejoo lightly poked Sejin’s cheek with his finger.216904d87acb070d

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Hyungis that handsome?”f24588e061b493aa

“……”5e0e164a52e6217b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Sejin couldn’t say anything. He stood still, flustered as if caught off guard, then, startled when someone came in from behind, he practically ran up the stairs to escape the situation. 9064b2402299f922

Cheon Sejoo followed him, feeling genuinely amused for the first time in a while. It was strange how the compliments he’d heard endlessly throughout his life felt truly sincere coming from Sejin’s mouth.3f273d9ab4129612

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com