Chapter 12: A Love Confession?!”
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Tuesday – 6:45 p.m. – Dae-Hyun's Tiny Apartment
Min-Ji stood barefoot in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, wielding a spatula like a samurai.
"I swear," she said, flipping the egg, "if this sticks, I'm suing the pan."
Dae-Hyun stood beside her, nervously chopping green onions like his life depended on it.
"Don't worry," he said. "This pan cost a fortune and has a five-layer non-stick coating. If it fails, I'll personally sue physics."
Min-Ji paused.
"…Wait. What did you just say?"
Dae-Hyun blinked.
"Uh… I meant it's from the discount bin. I found it in the back alley next to a haunted rice cooker."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You do realize your 'poor guy' act is getting shakier by the day, right?"
"Totally baseless accusations. I live on rice and fear."
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7:18 p.m. – Dinner Time
They sat cross-legged on the floor, eating kimchi fried rice with golden egg tops. The light was dim, cozy, and filled with that gentle tension where something's about to be said—but both people pretend it isn't.
Min-Ji took a sip of barley tea and looked at him.
"Hey… can I ask you something kinda serious?"
Dae-Hyun's soul left his body for a second.
"…Sure?"
She hesitated.
"This… secret of yours. The system, the money, the fridge that makes pancakes before dawn…"
"Pancakes are optional now," he muttered.
She chuckled, then took a breath.
"I just want to know why you don't… you know, go big. Tell the world. Use it to become famous. Or run for mayor. Or at least buy a solid gold bicycle."
He looked at her.
"…Because I don't want all this to become about me."
He set his chopsticks down.
"If people knew I had it… they'd treat me differently. I'd lose my job. Friends would start acting weird. Maybe even you…"
He trailed off.
Min-Ji leaned closer.
"Hey. I'd still call you a weirdo, even if you were the Emperor of the Universe."
Dae-Hyun smiled. "That's… comforting."
She looked down.
"And I think…" Her voice softened. "I think you're a good guy. You pretend to be clueless, but you're always helping people. Even when it costs you."
He froze.
Was this…?
Was this a confession?
She looked up again, her cheeks slightly red.
"…Honestly, I've started to like—"
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
PHONE ALERT: LIVESTREAM TRENDING #1
Dae-Hyun jumped.
Min-Ji blinked.
He grabbed his phone.
🔴 [LIVE] – Grandma Park claims to be 'Mother of the Ghost Investor'
Viewers: 274,000 and climbing.
He tapped.
On screen: An 89-year-old woman with permed hair, standing on her porch in a floral tracksuit, shouting at reporters.
> "YES, THAT'S MY BOY! THE GHOST INVESTOR IS MY SON! HE WAS BORN HOLDING A CREDIT CARD!"
> "HE ONCE PAID FOR OUR RENT USING COUPONS AND HIS MIND!"
> "AND IF HE'S WATCHING THIS—YOU STILL OWE ME FOR THAT TOFU I GAVE YOU IN 2001!!"
Dae-Hyun slowly lowered the phone.
"…What is happening."
Min-Ji burst out laughing. "Wait. Does this mean she's your mom now?"
"NO! I don't even know who she is!!"
The comments rolled in:
📱 @InvestOrphan:
> "I'm crying. This grandma is my spirit animal."
📱 @TofuSon69:
> "The fact that she called him her 'ghost baby' is sending me."
📱 @BidetBeliever:
> "I want HER to run for president."
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10:00 p.m. – Rooftop Once Again
Min-Ji and Dae-Hyun sat under the stars. The earlier moment—ruined. But somehow… even funnier now.
"Hey," she said. "Do you think she'll get a brand deal out of this?"
"She deserves it," he muttered. "At this rate, she'll be more famous than the real Ghost Investor."
Min-Ji looked at him sideways.
"Still think you're gonna keep the secret forever?"
"…Maybe."
She nudged him with her shoulder.
"Well, until you finally confess to being Mr. Tofu Baby, I'll keep your weird system secret."
They smiled at each other.
For a second, no one said anything.
Just silence.
And the sound of the wind gently laughing at them both.
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End of Chapter 12