Boy Monster Chapter 53

Although he didn’t want to spend any more time on the children’s make-believe games, it was essential that the boy didn’t seek Eunho out at any time other than the once-a-week romance consultation. Since Jae Eunho was now planning to secretly avoid the pills and sleeping medicine, it was better to eliminate any annoyances.

“Is this a serious feeling this time?”

“Of course. I really want to know what kind of girl she is.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Jae Eunho accepted Jang Hwonwoo’s second romance consultation. As the next week’s session approached and he was about to sit on the veranda, the boy, dressed in a white suit shirt and trousers, entered the courtyard early.

Before sitting next to him, Jang Hwonwoo respectfully extended both hands. On the boy’s hands was a box decorated with a gorgeous pattern.

“This is a token of my gratitude for your profound teachings on youthful romance. I bought it at a Western-style confectionary.”

It was a small wagashi set shaped like flowers that bloomed in each of the four seasons. Jang Hwonwoo smiled brightly and, with a childlike, innocent tone, prompted Eunho for a reaction.

“You said expensive things are good for winning favor, right?”

He probably had no shortage of money, so he didn’t know the value of it. Jae Eunho shook his head, refusing the gift.

“Like you said, give it to the Yeonri you’re going to have. I don’t need it.”

“…Why…?”

“No matter how expensive it is, it only works on Yeonri who like this sort of thing. There’s still much to teach you.”

“Ah, you don’t like it….”

“I hate sweet foods like sweets or ice cream. The world isn’t that sweet, you know. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a wicked and heartless person.”

Because even now, I’m preparing to bring your father down to ruin. I’ve skipped the pills for a few days and am preparing for the moment I can bow my head before the family head and plant dark thoughts in his mind. Nodding, the boy smiled playfully.

“Then what do you like, you wicked and heartless Sa Yeonri-nim?”

After a moment’s thought, Jae Eunho gave his answer.

“A lunar eclipse.”

“A lunar eclipse…?”

“I like the moon.”

“I know that.”

“……?”

“I don’t know what a lunar eclipse is. What is it?”

The boy dropped his inscrutable black eyes and fiddled with a plum blossom wagashi, as if to try one.

His gaze went to the back of the child’s hand, which was marked with various scratches, but he looked away. I must not give him any affection. He is the son of the enemy I must kill. There is nothing to be gained by getting attached.

Besides, it was this kid’s own decision to enter the Sashimcheon mansion early and undergo heir training. He could have played freely until he was thirteen, but he came in early and is now bothering Jae Eunho.

Jae Eunho answered in a half-hearted tone.

“Ask your tutor.”

“I will. Then, Sa Yeonri-nim, what kind of food do you like? I hear the sandwiches and omurice they sell at the café are delicious, how about those?”

His pride was wounded at the thought of admitting he’d never tried them. Jae Eunho shrugged and looked into the distance, crossing his legs. Beneath the hem of his light-colored robe, Eunho’s ankle and bare foot were revealed. As he yawned, swaying his crossed leg lightly, he heard a flustered voice from beside him.

“Ah.”

When he turned, Jang Hwonwoo had spilled wagashi all over his clothes. Jae Eunho chided the boy with an annoyed expression.

“Did you get distracted while eating that precious thing?”

“Yes, I was looking at something else….”

“Good grief… What were you looking at?”

Jang Hwonwoo’s face reddened, and he didn’t answer. He was probably embarrassed about soiling his clothes by being clumsy. Jae Eunho took out a handkerchief and dusted off the boy’s white shirt. The boy held the remaining wagashi in one hand and watched blankly as Eunho straightened his front.

“You’re not a baby, spilling food like that.”

…Wait, he is a baby. He realized it after he said it, but he didn’t want to take it back.

Unaware that Jang Hwonwoo’s gaze had blurred faintly at the sight of Eunho kneeling with his head bowed before him, Eunho suddenly blurted out.

“Jjajangmyeon.”

“Pardon?”

“The food I like.”

“Ah….”

After dusting off his clothes and getting up, he saw Jang Hwonwoo slowly tear his gaze away from him.

He looked as if he didn’t know what kind of food Jae Eunho was talking about. It was an unfamiliar dish that could only be eaten at a Chinese restaurant, so it was understandable that he wouldn’t know. It seemed he didn’t know about jjajangmyeon, despite frequently wandering around Gyeongseong with his father to places like Honmachi or the department store. Jae Eunho sat down again and said, tapping his crossed ankle up and down.

“I heard that when my parents tried it for the first time, it was so delicious that they took all the Hwelju there and treated them. But they couldn’t take me. Because they passed away early.”

“…….”

After stroking his own neck and ear for a long time, the boy asked.

“May I ask… why they passed away early? It’s okay if you don’t answer if it’s difficult….”

Jae Eunho secretly clenched his jaw. Could he possibly know that his own father had my parents executed? For a moment, he hated the child who knew nothing. Jae Eunho did not answer.

The boy, accustomed to Eunho’s lack of response and disregard, said, “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.” Jae Eunho retorted that it was good he knew.

What would a little kid know? Even if he discussed the future state of Northeast Asia and Japan with his father, it would be a superficial understanding. He was just a child who didn’t know the ways of the world and had come to ask how to win a girl’s heart.

“So, what does the girl I mentioned like?”

“That girl is very interested in the new culture. She especially likes coffee. She’s also very interested in the Western-style dresses and attitudes of the young ladies who gather at outdoor cafés to drink coffee.”

“……Then, teacher, if I want to have that Yeonri, I guess I need to know a lot about coffee.”

Jang Hwonwoo said, lost in deep thought. Jae Eunho nodded.

“That would be helpful.”

“Then… could you take me to a café tomorrow?”

“Take who? You? Me?”

“Of course. Who else would I ask? My father is busy taking care of the nation’s affairs.”

Jae Eunho shook his head from side to side. The boy clasped his hands together and pleaded with Jae Eunho, who was signaling his refusal.

“There are no adults I can trust enough to ask for dating advice. And I’m careful because I’m afraid of rumors spreading. I trust you, teacher. More than anyone else in this mansion.”

“…….”

Trusts me…? Thinking about what would happen to this little kid if he knew about the condemnation, ridicule, and scorn he held inside, Jae Eunho let out a dry chuckle. The kid, his eyes sparkling, raised his thick eyebrows.

“Please take me to a café tomorrow. Okay?”

Jae Eunho, who had only intended to deal with him moderately, had no intention of granting this request. During the long persuasion, the boy brought this up.

“They say there will be a full moon in Gyeongseong tomorrow. The kind you like.”

“…….”

It was a commendable remark, but it didn’t change Jae Eunho’s decision. Eunho hammered the final nail in his refusal with an excuse the boy could never overcome.

“Well, I wonder if the family head would permit my outing.”

At those words, the boy’s face fell, and he shut his mouth. Throughout their side-by-side consultation, the boy looked dejected. Seeing his slumped shoulders, Jae Eunho felt a brief moment of pity, but he quickly shook off the uncomfortable feeling. Pity, especially for this child, was forbidden.

‘Don’t do anything useless, Jae Eunho.’

Repeating this to himself, Jae Eunho forced the image of the boy’s sorrowful face out of his mind.

It was time for a private meeting with the family head, with a map showing Japan, the Russian Far East, and even distant Western regions spread out before them. Jang Hwonwoo took advantage of a moment of silence to ask casually.

“Are the outings of Hwelju and Yeonri usually strictly controlled?”

“No. As long as the time or place isn’t too dangerous, I usually permit outings. Why do you ask?”

“I was surprised to hear that Sa Yeonri-nim has never been to a café.”

“Eunho is a bit special. I rarely let him go out.”

“…….”

Suspecting that asking directly would arouse suspicion, Jang Hwonwoo held his tongue for the moment. As he was quietly examining the secret letters exchanged between the provisional government and various secret bases in Joseon, the family head put down his liquor cup and made small talk.

“Cafés. Teahouses. They’re good places…. You went there often to meet the financiers of the independence army, didn’t you? There probably isn’t another ten-year-old in Gyeongseong who’s been to as many cafés as you!”

“Yes.”

Jang Hwonwoo asked, staying within the bounds that wouldn’t arouse the family head’s suspicion.

“Is there a reason why a Sa Yeonri’s outings must be strictly controlled?”

“He stands out too much. It would be a hassle if men with a taste for boys started clinging to him. It’s already busy enough screening the bastards lined up asking for a ‘practice’ session….”

As Jang Hwonwoo looked up at the family head’s face, his eyes, without him even realizing it, turned chilling. Sensing his own cold demeanor, Jang Hwonwoo lowered his gaze. He was surprised at himself for momentarily failing to hide his murderous intent.

Fortunately, the family head seemed not to have seen Jang Hwonwoo’s ghastly expression just now, as he was busy refilling his cup.

“That one, he’s the gold mine of our family’s gold mines. If you discovered a diamon—d, what would you do? Would you just toss it in a safe?”

“…….”

“It is my job to process it perfectly for the one who will pay a fortune to buy it. It must be crafted into the gemstone the king desires. Sometimes it is crafted with a knife, with a fist, and sometimes with appeasement! You’ve seen it, right? How that Sa Yeonri kneels before me and unconditionally obeys my every word.”

“Yes, I have.”

“You learn from me too. How to make such a person submit and crawl beneath you with the fear of power and death. If you can’t do that, you have no reason to be in this mansion.”

Jang Hwonwoo hid his convulsively trembling hands under the table. He smiled brightly and spoke politely.

“It will be difficult, but I will try my best to be like you, Father. But that Sa Yeonri is a bit….”

“A bit?”

“He has so little experience with the new culture, should I say he seems lacking? Or perhaps younger than me? I’m worried that if he knows too little of the world, it might interfere when he tries to enter people’s minds.”

“…….”

“I’m saying this because I was curious about the Sa Yeonri belonging to our family and tried talking to him, and it was frustrating. But well, I suppose a Sa Yeonri doesn’t need to be worldly, right?”

The family head stroked his beard, lost in thought.

“Hmm…….”

Jang Hwonwoo smiled secretly and lowered his gaze back to the secret letters.