Love Born of Pity Chapter 130

Led by Chairman Do Seungtae, everyone headed toward the dining room. Kwon Heeyeon let out a giggle, finding it amusing that a scene she had only occasionally seen in morning dramas was playing out in reality. Kwon Jiho, flustered, grabbed Kwon Heeyeon.

“Heeyeon, why… why are you doing that?”

“No, brother. I think I’ve seen this on television. You know, like families being dragged one after another to the dining table following a chairman. It’s so fascinating. Do rich people really live like this?”

She had meant to whisper, but because her voice was so loud, Do Yeonjae heard it clearly. Stupid, tactless, can’t tell time or place, and can’t distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said. Even so, Do Yeonjae liked Kwon Heeyeon’s behavior immensely. Her vulgar and frivolous conduct stood in stark contrast to the cautious and earnest Kwon Jiho.

“Please, eat a lot. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I prepared a bit of everything; I hope it suits your taste.”

“Thank you for the meal. Wow, there’s so much food.”

Kwon Heeyeon held her spoon and stared intently at Do Seungtae. It seemed she was waiting for the elder to pick up his spoon first. Seeing the traces of home education that remained, Do Yeonjae raised one corner of his mouth slightly.

“Please, eat comfortably.”

Starting with Do Seungtae, everyone picked up their cutlery. Kwon Jiho kept an eye on Kwon Heeyeon, picking up a bit of the food he found delicious and placing it on her plate.

“Just eat your own food, brother.”

Every time he did, Kwon Heeyeon would laugh and make Kwon Jiho feel embarrassed. Do Yeonjae, who had been watching with displeasure, tapped Kwon Jiho’s arm and signaled with his eyes for him to put some on his plate as well.

“What’s good?”

“…The braised short ribs.”

Kwon Jiho hesitated before placing a large chunk of meat on Do Yeonjae’s plate. Jang Hyunsu watched this with a satisfied expression. He couldn’t find a trace of his son’s past self anywhere—the son who would stop eating entirely if someone else placed food on his plate with the chopsticks they had been using.

“Does it suit your palate, Ms. Heeyeon?”

“Yes, it’s a bit bland, but it’s edible.”

Contrary to her words, Kwon Heeyeon moved her spoon a few times and then put it down. To a worried Kwon Jiho, she smiled, saying she was fine, and asked where the restroom was.

“I’ll show you the way.”

Do Yeonjae grabbed the shoulder of Kwon Jiho, who was about to stand up hurriedly, and moved himself.

“Keep eating. Come this way.”

Do Yeonjae guided her. Kwon Heeyeon left her seat with a haughty expression. The dining table, which had been filled with silence, regained its noise with voices recommending food to Kwon Jiho. Everyone, without making it obvious, watched with pitiful eyes as he hadn’t been able to eat his meal properly because he was too busy fretting over his sister.

“Why couldn’t you eat much? Let’s eat properly. We prepared things based on what you liked, does it not suit your taste?”

“It’s very delicious. It is delicious, but…”

Kwon Jiho didn’t know how to offer an apology because Kwon Heeyeon seemed to be behaving so ill-manneredly. He was worried that if he just blurted out an apology, the atmosphere would become even worse than it already was.

“Your sister is quite lively, isn’t she? She seems honest, too. It’s much easier for us to deal with than someone who is shy.”

At Jang Hyunsu’s warm reassurance, Kwon Jiho relaxed his stiffened expression. He only thought that he would apologize after Kwon Heeyeon left, and that from now on, he had to stop her from acting any more impolitely. He was eating his rice resolutely when Do Yeonjae returned first.

“You’ve eaten quite a bit? Are you okay?”

“It’s delicious. What about Heeyeon?”

“I showed her where it was and came back. It would be even stranger if I just stood there waiting for her.”

“Ah…”

Do Yeonjae laughed, saying he probably should have waited. Kwon Jiho knew it was a joke to relieve his tension. Kwon Jiho smiled lightly and picked up his spoon again. The conversation flowed warmly. Kwon Heeyeon didn’t appear until everyone had finished their meal. When offered that they would reheat her food, she firmly refused.

“Don’t you think you should eat more? It seems you haven’t been able to eat much.”

“No, I’m fine. I had a late lunch. I came because I had something to talk about with my brother…”

“We were so glad to hear you were Jiho’s sister that we almost kept you here. My apologies. There’s a suitable place to talk while drinking tea if you go out to the garden this way, isn’t there? We have many types of coffee and tea; what would you like?”

Jang Hyunsu was very accustomed to hosting people. He treated Kwon Heeyeon with a soft and polite attitude the entire time.

“I’ll have coffee. Brother, let’s go. I have something to tell you. You must listen to me.”

“Hmm?”

“Quickly, it’s urgent. I have an appointment, too. I’m going to go quickly after just talking to you.”

In the garden, where they were led almost as if being pulled by Kwon Heeyeon’s hand, the two moved along the subtle lighting. As they walked along the curved deck and entered inside, a glass greenhouse appeared. The space, surrounded entirely by warm light, was green with various plants and trees, unlike the season outside.

“I guess this is it. Oh my, why is it so cold here, too. Let’s go in quickly.”

Kwon Heeyeon pushed the door open and went in first. As soon as she opened it, warm air rushed in, melting their bodies that had chilled for a moment. It felt like being in a small botanical garden. Rich houses are good, I suppose, she thought, walking straight toward the center where a wood-burning stove was placed while sneering. She spread her palms to warm herself by the fire and flopped down onto the soft sofa right next to it.

“I think there’s a blanket around here; would you like to cover yourself?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s warm because I’m close to the stove. More than that, brother.”

“Yes, Heeyeon.”

“I want to study abroad.”

Kwon Heeyeon, who cut to the point without any introduction, tilted her chin up sharply.

“I died and came back, didn’t I? But I feel like I’m wasting my life. You know what I mean, right?”

“…”

“It’s a waste of time. I’m this young. I’ve been looking around at study abroad agencies lately because I have nothing to do and I’m bored. There’s really a lot to do overseas, right? They say these things are experiences, too. The teacher who consulted me said that once I go and come back, my eyes for seeing the world will definitely change. California would be nice, and ah, London! I think London would be great, too.”

She babbled in an excited voice, saying that New Zealand or Canada would be fine, too. In fact, when Do Yeonjae first told her it would be good to go abroad, she wondered what the point of going abroad was when she didn’t even know the language, but the more she looked into it, the more her anticipation grew that she could have new experiences in a new country. She didn’t want to live a dull life in Korea.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? You were going to go to Germany, too. Our parents said they’d send you, and you really left. It was only because you had an accident that you couldn’t go. If you hadn’t injured your hand, you would have gone. Isn’t that right?”

“Heeyeon, but still…!”

“Then shouldn’t you support me fairly, too? I’m telling you I want to go! I don’t want to live this miserably in Korea. I want to start anew. It feels like I’ll live under your shadow forever here. Send me? Huh? Send me. You have money, brother.”

“Where would I have money, money? And what kind of study abroad all of a sudden? You can’t even speak English, how are you going to go to America?”

Kwon Jiho reached out. He grabbed Kwon Heeyeon’s hand and lowered his head, choosing his words for a moment. He pondered how to speak without hurting her feelings, but Kwon Heeyeon’s mouth opened faster.

“Are you ignoring me now? I didn’t even graduate from school properly, I haven’t learned anything. Are you ignoring me now, saying I can’t do anything? Who is all this because of? Huh? If you look into it, it’s all because of you, brother. If it weren’t for you, I would have graduated from high school safely, wouldn’t I? Isn’t that right?”

“Heeyeon…”

“If you hadn’t gone to study abroad, our family would have been safe! We would have been living happily. Isn’t that right? If only you hadn’t asked to be sent abroad to play that piano! It’s true, isn’t it? Did I say anything wrong? So you have to send me, too! Send me!”

Kwon Heeyeon brushed Kwon Jiho’s hand away as if shaking off something dirty. Seeing Kwon Jiho stand up and begin to tremble all over, she drove a wedge into his heart with words that would cause nothing but wounds.

“I heard that Mister is your sponsor. Seeing you even greeting his family, is it social climbing? Cinderella? Isn’t that what you’ve become? Since your fortune has changed, don’t be stingy. I died and came back. You haven’t forgotten who I’m living like this because of, have you? I have to go now. Ah, and I’m going to attend a language academy. Pay for the tuition. Since I can’t speak the language, I’m saying I’ll learn. Huh?”

Kwon Heeyeon wondered if she had been too harsh as she looked at her brother, who was only shedding tears piteously, but she thought there wasn’t a single thing she said that was wrong. It felt as if her brother had forgotten who had ruined her life.

If it hadn’t been for the accident, she would have lived a completely different life. Even though anyone could see that her current state wasn’t decent, and she had no family left by her side, she felt a bitter envy at the affectionate gazes the people living in this huge, spacious house were directing at Kwon Jiho, as if he were their own child. She wanted to be compensated generously—no, excessively, even now.

“…Heeyeon.”

Kwon Jiho managed to open his mouth, but Kwon Heeyeon turned her body away, pretending not to hear. As she crossed the greenhouse and reached the entrance, she found Jang Hyunsu standing there with a stiff expression. What’s this? If he’d come in, he should’ve made his presence known. Had he been gloomily listening to everything? Kwon Heeyeon scrunched up her face in annoyance.

“Goodbye.”

“Yes, goodbye.”

Jang Hyunsu didn’t bother to see her out. He was more worried about Kwon Jiho, who was left alone, than the guest who had visited his house. As he rushed in past Kwon Heeyeon, Kwon Jiho was crying with his body curled up as tightly as possible.