Dual Persona

After exchanging pleasantries, Sungjun pulled out a bunch of thick red envelopes, as thick as 2 cm, and handed one to each of his nieces and nephews. "Here, a small gift for you all."

As per tradition, these were meant as goodwill gifts. However, when they peeked inside, astonished gasps filled the room. Each envelope contained a stack of 50,000 won notes, a lot of them.

"Woah, how much is in there?" Han Minji opened the first, her eyes widening by the sheer number of notes.

"Judging by the thick stack of these big bills and rounding it off to the nearest possible figure, I say ten million." Her identical twin, Han Eunji commented, adjusting her glasses as she calmly observed the notes. She raised her head to look at Sungjun, her lips turning into a pleasant smile. "Thank you, uncle, for the gift. It's the highest I got."

Han Minji, Han Eunji

Age: 17

Profession: Idol trainees.

Net worth: minus 780 million KRW (debt to agency)

*

"Ten million?" Seol-ah was the first to react among the adults. Her pitch involuntarily rose in surprise. "Sungjun-ssi, that's too much."

"Me too?" Little Na-young, Han Ji-hyun's 8-year-old daughter, also had her face frozen in shock. "Can I buy the limited edition Barbie Dream House with this?" She couldn't help but tilt her head, everyone finding her expression cute.

"Of course, sweetheart." Sungjun bent to her eye level, his lips turning into a smile. "If it isn't enough, I would buy it for you."

Na-young clutched the envelope and shook her head. "But my dad always told me that I could only buy things I wanted with the money I received as monthly pocket money from him and festive gifts."

"Then, how about I gift you one for the new year?" Sungjun blinked.

Na-young blinked in surprise, and she immediately looked at Ji-hyun. "Appa?"

Han Ji-hyun crossed his arms to the chest. "No." He said firmly, turning toward his brother. "Sungjun-ah, I don't want to sound harsh after reuniting with you again like 15 years, but please don't spoil her."

"C'mon, Hyung. Consider this my way of making up for all the birthdays, holidays, and milestones I wasn't here for."

Han Tae-jin, the second eldest, leaning back in his seat. "You must be doing quite well for yourself, considering you splurged 60 million on red envelopes."

Seol-ah added. "Oh, yeah. I forgot that you are a lawyer."

Sungjun shrugged modestly. "I merely invested a lot of my savings in stocks over the years. My fortune has accumulated over time, that's all."

Before anyone could respond, Saeri interjected, "He is actually a legal consultant for Egmor Group."

Sungjun's smile faltered for the briefest moment before he gently corrected her. "I was. I've already resigned. I have no ties with that company anymore."

An air of curiosity settled over the table at his words.

*

After a while;

Tae-jin scoffed, swirling the whiskey in his glass before taking a slow sip. "That's exactly my point. The whole country will talk about it—for all the wrong reasons. It's ridiculous. You have degrees in law, an established career, and international recognition as an Olympic gold medalist, yet you want to waste it all running around after celebrities?"

Sungjun leaned back in his chair, unfazed by his brother's sharp words. His fingers tapped against the armrest, slow and deliberate. "It's not a waste if it's something I want to do."

Tae-jin exhaled through his nose, clearly unconvinced. "If you need a job, I can make a few calls. My company—"

"No," Sungjun cut him off, voice calm but firm. "I appreciate it, but I don't need a handout."

Sae-ri, who had been quietly observing, smirked. "Oppa, only that exterior of his changed. His stubbornness hasn't changed a bit. I was already tired of convincing him. He has already decided to change his career. So, we came to an arrangement."

Tae-jin's eyebrow raised slightly. "What is it?"

"What else, Oppa? He works with me for Gravity." Saeri smiled, taking a sip of soju.

Han Ji-hyun considered this, nodding slightly. "It makes more sense to follow you."

Tae-jin, however, scoffed, shaking his head. "It's ridiculous. Do you even understand how people will see this? A three-time Olympic gold medalist, a former legal consultant for one of the most powerful conglomerates in Russia—now running errands for celebrities? How does that make sense?"

Sungjun took a slow sip of his coffee before setting the cup down with a quiet clink. His expression remained calm, unreadable. "And yet, I don't see an issue with it."

Tae-jin let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Of course, you don't. You were always like this—making spontaneous decisions that make no sense to anyone else and sticking with them because you chose that path. When Dad wanted you to study at an international school, you chose a public school that wasn't even in the same neighborhood. You then chose the path of an unpopular sport like archery and quit the baseball team in your middle school."

"Well, to be fair, I did become a pro, Hyung." Sungjun shrugged.

The room went quiet for a moment. Tae-jin looked like he wasn't pleased with Sungjun, the kids stayed as silent spectators as they were. Ji-hyun was about to speak something, but before he could open his mouth, Kim Seol-ah, the second eldest brother's wife, swiftly changed the subject. She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "By the way, Sungjun-ssi, are you seeing anyone these days?"

"Eh?" Sungjun was momentarily caught off guard by the change of topic. It wasn't just him. The others were also taken aback. They couldn't help but glance at Jihyeon, his daughter sitting right there.

Jihyeon immediately rolled her eyes, responding to her aunt-in-law instead of her dad. "It's good that you bring it up, Sukmo-nim (aunt-in-law)." She groaned, crossing her arms. "I've been begging him to date someone. He doesn't listen. He's so stubborn about it. He even turned down my friend's aunt!"

Everyone looked at Jiyeon in surprise. Sungjun felt his face redden.

"Oh, yes," Jiyeon continued with a dramatic sigh. "She's highly educated, runs a business, has twenty million Instagram followers, and, guess what? She likes him. But noooo, Dad won't even give her a chance! Why? Because she's not a Korean. I was so flustered when I played the matchmaker."

Jiyeon gave Sungjun an exaggerated look, and everyone chuckled.

Sungjun rubbed his temple. "She is not a Korean indeed. She was a Japanese. She's not my type."

"I mean, come on," Jiyeon said, her voice raising in complaint. "Then, when Uncle Vlad secretly arranges a blind date with a former Korean actress—what did you come up with the reason? Yes, 'She's too short.' Dad, she is 5' 7". How is that too short?"

Even the adults became silent spectators, watching Sungjun in amusement.