Chapter 75 – Madam’s Birthday
A little past lunchtime.
“Huuuu, I’m exhausted.”
Kang Min-hyuk returned home and flopped down against the sofa.
His face looked utterly drained for some reason.
- Sir, how about this one?
- Ah, it looks fine. I’ll take this……
- This is also a new arrival—please take a look. And this one……
The department store staff had been excessively kind and attentive in guiding him.
He had only intended to buy a reasonably nice bag, yet somehow he ended up hearing explanations about nearly every bag in the DIFF store.
They must have heard his story and gone out of their way to be extra helpful.
Still, it just didn’t suit his temperament, so he ended up completely wiped out.
‘But thanks to them… I managed to prepare everything easily.’
- Sir, is this for your mother’s birthday?
- Ah, yes, that’s right.
- If you go to the food court on B1, there’s a cake shop called Party Cherry. Their strawberry fresh cream cake is really delicious. If you haven’t bought a cake yet, you really should get that one!
He had been worrying about what to do for the cake… but thanks to that, everything was resolved in one go.
“It’s a bit… muggy.”
Min-hyuk let out a deep sigh and fanned his T-shirt, rolling his body slightly to the side.
Rustle rustle!
Because the brown sofa was so worn out, the cracked surface of the artificial leather touched his skin and stung.
A faint moldy smell lingered in the air.
Only now did it really sink in that he was home.
Naturally… his eyes took in the interior of the house.
“This place is still awful.”
The ceiling in the center, yellowed and stained from a leak in the upstairs apartment two years ago.
The yellow flooring that had peeled up in patches, making him frown just looking at it.
And the cockroach repellent patches placed here and there served as the finishing touch.
A 14-pyeong (about 46 m²) house with 40 million won monthly rent and 500 million won deposit.
Due to family circumstances, they had no choice but to live here for a long time, but Min-hyuk had always hated this place.
Comic artists don’t make money, so poor people shouldn’t become comic artists.
That one sentence had bound his life since his previous existence.
This place felt like the physical embodiment of that very statement.
‘Now it’s about time to…’
Min-hyuk put on a bitter expression for no particular reason.
It wasn’t simply that he disliked the house…
He could feel just how desperately Hong Mi-seon had struggled and toiled to somehow maintain even this much of a home—to feed and raise her immature son.
To keep the sticky emotions from rising any further, he steadied his breathing.
At that moment.
“Haaaahm. For some reason… I’m sleepy.”
Min-hyuk’s eyes began to droop.
Was it because he had been running around since morning? Or because he had been working like crazy until now?
Fatigue surged up all at once.
“Hmmnya… hmmnya.”
In the end, Kang Min-hyuk squeezed his eyes shut and drifted off to dreamland.
……
……
In Min-hyuk’s consciousness, voices came from far away.
- Mom, I told you to stop working? Why do you keep pushing yourself like this?
- If I don’t work, who’s going to pay your university tuition?
- Who said I asked you to pay my tuition? If you collapse like this, what’s the point of university?
- You… how can you say something like that?
It was there—Min-hyuk and Hong Mi-seon arguing.
Probably around his second year of high school.
After Hong Mi-seon, who had been working late into the night, collapsed at dawn and was taken to the emergency room…
That was the memory of the huge fight they had over it.
‘What a shitty day that was.’
To Min-hyuk at the time,
He couldn’t understand why Hong Mi-seon was wearing herself out working for a path he didn’t even want.
And to Hong Mi-seon,
She must have felt hurt that her son didn’t understand her wish to let him live like a proper human being.
- Am I wrong? If we need money, I can just go work at a factory or anywhere right now. Why are you so obsessed with money, Mom?
Back then, Kang Min-hyuk was still young.
His resentment over having to give up his own dream outweighed any consideration for someone else’s sacrifice.
Only after going to university, getting into a public enterprise, and securing a stable job did Min-hyuk finally understand Hong Mi-seon’s heart.
And naturally—he regretted it.
I shouldn’t have said those things to Mom that day…
“Min-hyuk?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Min-hyuk, wake up. Min-hyuk?”
Flash!
Suddenly, Min-hyuk felt his body being shaken and opened his eyes.
And there…
Hong Mi-seon was staring straight at him.
‘Was it a dream?’
Min-hyuk rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and sat up.
When he glanced toward the window, the sun had already set into a dim dusk.
He must have slept for quite a long time.
At that moment, Mi-seon asked again.
“You didn’t have to come all the way here, you know. I told you it’s fine if you don’t. You must be busy.”
“Still, it’s your birthday. How could I not come?”
“Huuuuu, honestly…”
A complicated expression crossed Hong Mi-seon’s face—happy, yet somehow frustrated at the same time.
Min-hyuk lifted the corner of his mouth into a small smile.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Mmm, well… the ladies at the restaurant treated me since it’s my birthday. If I’d known you were coming, I wouldn’t have eaten…”
Now that she mentioned it, he finally noticed the faint smell of grilled meat clinging to her clothes.
She must have had pork ribs.
Min-hyuk scratched the back of his head as he replied.
“Ah, it’s fine. I brought a cake. We can just light the candles and eat that.”
“Cake? Why would you buy something unnecessary like that…”
Min-hyuk got up from the sofa, took the cake out of the fridge, and placed it on the table as he answered.
“It’s nice, isn’t it? It’s only once a year.”
“It looks expensive, though.”
“It wasn’t that much.”
Hong Mi-seon let out a sigh and sat down across from him.
Min-hyuk stuck the candles in, lit them, and then sang the birthday song in a simple, quiet way.
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~…”
Maybe because he wasn’t used to this kind of atmosphere, it felt a little awkward and cheesy.
But strangely, as Mi-seon gazed at the flickering candlelight, her eyes seemed to hold some indescribable emotion.
When the song ended, Min-hyuk said,
“Make a wish and blow them out.”
“Huuuu!”
As the candles went out, Min-hyuk asked curiously,
“What did you wish for?”
“Mmm… That my son’s comic becomes a huge hit?”
For a second, Min-hyuk’s eyes widened, then he put on a playful expression and replied,
“Eyyy, you wasted your wish. You didn’t even have to wish for that—it’s already going to be a massive hit anyway.”
“Really? Then should I make another wish?”
“No way, if you get too greedy you’ll get punished.”
Min-hyuk stood up, went into the next room, and came back carrying a paper bag.
When Hong Mi-seon blinked her round eyes as if to ask what it was, Min-hyuk handed it to her and said,
“It’s your birthday present. Take a look.”
She pulled the bag out from inside and examined it.
“What’s this?”
“A bag, obviously. I didn’t bring the receipt, so even if you don’t like the design, just use it anyway.”
“You should’ve kept the receipt, you silly boy.”
“Then you’d just return it, Mom.”
“Haaa… This looks really expensive.”
When Mi-seon made a face mixed with embarrassment and joy, Min-hyuk spoke again.
“Don’t worry. I have a lot of money now.”
“You should save it while you have it.”
“I’m going to make even more in the future, so what’s the big deal?”
Min-hyuk shrugged his shoulders.
Meanwhile, as Hong Mi-seon opened the bag to look inside,
“Hm? What’s this?”
She found an envelope tucked inside, pulled it out, and asked.
“What else? That’s part of the present too.”
Mi-seon opened the envelope and peered inside.
“Huh?”
Her mouth fell open in shock.
Inside were ten checks, each for 1 million won.
In other words… 10 million won.
“Min-hyuk… W-what is this for?”
“I’ve been making a lot of money lately. I don’t really have an immediate use for it anyway.”
“……”
While Mi-seon blinked in stunned silence, Min-hyuk added,
“And with that money, Mom… I’d like you to move.”
“Move?”
“Yeah. We’ve lived in this house for way too long. So now, let’s move to a better place. Somewhere cleaner and bigger. Use that money toward the deposit.”
“But—”
“Mom, please.”
When he spoke firmly with serious eyes, Mi-seon hesitated, her lips trembling for a moment before she let out a long sigh.
“…Fine. I’ll do it.”
Min-hyuk shrugged again and tossed out playfully,
“So? Are you touched?”
“Yeah, I’m touched.”
“You don’t look very touched, though. Not even tearing up?”
“Should I start bawling right now?”
“I’m kidding, kidding.”
Smiles slowly spread across both mother and son’s faces.
The next day, around 10 a.m.
Min-hyuk stepped out into the alley wearing light clothes.
Perhaps because he had properly celebrated Hong Mi-seon’s birthday for the first time last night.
Or maybe because he had finally gotten a deep, restful sleep after so long.
For some reason, his steps felt as light as feathers.
Not only that—there was a strange sense of anticipation already floating across his face.
Because…
‘That Oh Seung-heon bastard… how much has his comic improved, I wonder.’
Oh Seung-heon, who had seriously declared that he was going to become a comic artist.
Min-hyuk didn’t have high expectations for his skill level…
But precisely because he was a complete beginner, he had no idea what kind of comic he would come up with—and that very unpredictability made him curious.
How long had he walked like that?
“Heyyy, Kang Min-hyuk!”
“You’re here.”
From the opposite side, Oh Seung-heon, backpack slung over his shoulder, waved his arm wildly in greeting.
When the two stood side by side, Min-hyuk gave a small smile and asked,
“Coffee shop first? Or food?”
“Coffee shop. I’ll show you the work, get your feedback, and then we can go eat.”
“What are you treating me to?”
“Depends on how good your feedback is.”
“Then I guess you’d better at least buy me Korean beef.”
“Bullshit. Hurry up, it’s hot.”
The two headed down to the main road and entered a café.
The menu they chose…
“One patbingsu, please.”
[TL Note: Patbingsu is a popular Korean shaved ice dessert featuring fine ice shavings topped with sweetened red beans (pat), condensed milk, chewy rice cakes (injeolmi/tteok), and fruit. ]
“I’ll have watermelon juice.”
Since it was summer, they went all-in on seasonal items.
After settling into their seats,
Min-hyuk clasped his hands together, put on an exaggeratedly solemn face and voice, and playfully said,
“Well then… shall we take a look at the masterpiece you’ve prepared, Mr. Oh Seung-heon?”
“Yes, sir! I’ll show you right away, Great Master David.”
Rustle rustle.
Seung-heon rummaged through his backpack, pulled out a file folder stuffed with manuscript pages, and handed it over.
Just then—
“Order for table 7, your drinks are ready!”
“I’ll get them.”
At the staff’s call, Seung-heon jumped up and hurried to the counter.
In the meantime, Min-hyuk began flipping through the pages one by one.
“Hmmmmmm…”
His eyebrows twisted.
The title of the contest entry Oh Seung-heon had prepared was [Cola! Cola! Cola!].
‘The title… is already incomprehensible.’
The real problem was that the content was even more baffling.
The protagonist, a “Cola-being” born on Cola Island.
Soda Demon King invades, destroys Cola Island, and now oppresses the entire continent with his dictatorship.
The protagonist wanders the world to grow stronger, gather allies, and take revenge…
That was the basic premise of the work.
However.
The art style felt closer to scribbles, and the concept was so over-the-top high-concept that it sent one’s mind drifting off into outer space.
‘This is going to get absolutely crushed by Han Yu-ra.’
That was his honest impression.
Letting out a shallow sigh, he kept turning pages.
Pfft!
Min-hyuk suddenly snorted with laughter.
[Soda is a drink, you idiot! A DRINK!! Pop the cap—BAM!!]
[Aaaaaah! Soda’s coming out of my head! SODAAAAA!!]
The scene where the protagonist fights a Soda-being causing trouble in the neighborhood for the first time.
The way it was staged was incredibly comedic…
The characters’ expressions and reactions, combined with that bizarre, unique art style, created a strangely entertaining effect.
As he kept flipping through the pages,
‘Hm?’
Min-hyuk’s expression slowly began to change.
How should he put it… When he first looked at the opening pages, he had simply thought it was terrible.
[SHANGRI-LAAAAA! RUSH!!]
[What the hell kind of technique is that?!]
But as he watched the characters endlessly rampaging and going berserk in the middle sections…
His thoughts started to shift.
‘Wait… is all of this actually on purpose?’
The absurd premise placed right at the front, the deliberately sloppy “just scribbled it” art style.
The over-the-top reactions every time the characters encountered each new event.
All of it… was belatedly starting to look like it had been intentionally “designed” to be funny.
And to Kang Min-hyuk, who came from the future, this was a very familiar style of comic.
‘Isn’t this… a “meme-taste” / “cringy-humor” comic?’
While Min-hyuk was blinking in realization,
Thud!
Just then, Oh Seung-heon returned and placed the drinks and patbingsu on the table.
And then…
“So? What do you think, Kang Min-hyuk? My comic… is it any good?”
He asked with the most dead-serious expression in the world.
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