The House of Three Chapter 12.1

A peaceful weekend afternoon. A cool breeze blew through the wide-open window. It was a time when the body felt languid, perhaps because breakfast had just finished.

Heeyoung pushed away the encroaching drowsiness and unfolded the low sitting table. He placed the workbooks that Cheonghyun had brought from his room on top of it, took out a red colored pencil, and began to grade them.

Swish, swish. The sound of circles being drawn was cheerful. Just fifteen pages ago, the workbook was filled with traces of red rain pouring down, but now it was a workbook where more snowflakes fell than raindrops.

“Look at this handwriting. It’s a complete mess, like a chicken scratch.”

Heeyoung, who had been grading with a sense of pride in the child’s growth, snapped his head up at the mood-ruining voice.

He did not know when he had arrived, but Gyojin was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the workbook.

He’s here again.

Lately, Gyojin would often come up to Heeyoung’s room to kill time. It seemed he felt there was nothing left to hold him back after they had spent the night together.

Since he did not dislike him coming closer, Heeyoung defended Cheonghyun while continuing to draw circles.

“Chicken scratch? This is actually pretty good. Look at his dictation too—he doesn’t even mess up tricky words like ‘kitchen’ or ‘outside’ anymore.”

His handwriting was still a bit messy, but Cheonghyun had gotten much better at spelling difficult words correctly, especially ones with tricky endings. For a kid who used to always write “kitchin” instead of “kitchen” and “outsied” for “outside,” this was real progress.

Heeyoung held the workbook out in front of Gyojin and chattered away, flipping through the pages. Look here, look at this, he said.

He gave a heated explanation of how much Cheonghyun had tried, but the reaction he received was rather lukewarm.

“Is that so?”

With a soulless voice, he said, ‘Little rascal, he’s doing well,’ while gently nibbling on the shell of Heeyoung’s ear. This was his goal all along.

Startled by the damp sensation on his ear, Heeyoung thrashed his body, but it was no use. Gyojin clung to Heeyoung’s back as if possessed by a leech. Despite his large frame, he painstakingly folded his massive body to embrace Heeyoung.

Lately, he would cling to him like this whenever he had a chance. While he liked and was thrilled by the expressions of affection that poured out at all times, Heeyoung often felt his heart pound with anxiety whenever he shared such couple-like skinship with him.

It was none other than Cheonghyun’s face that would suddenly pop into his mind, causing a baseless anxiety to surge.

How should I put it… It felt as if he had stolen the father from Cheonghyun.

Although his relationship with Gyojin had deepened, he had not yet received the child’s permission for this relationship. Whenever he was reminded of this fact, his soaring heart would often sink with a heavy feeling.

Becoming serious, Heeyoung closed the dictation workbook and opened the math workbook.

Swish, he quickly flipped through the book, found an ungraded page, and picked up the red colored pencil once again.

[What number should go between 1 and 3?]

Inside the square box inserted between 1 and 3, he could see the number 2 written crookedly by the child. Heeyoung drew a large circle over the answer and fell into thought.

Can I really fit into the world of those two…

When the red colored pencil stopped moving, Gyojin, who had been looking down at the workbook impassively, poked Heeyoung’s cheek with his fingertip.

“What are you thinking about.”

Heeyoung, who regained his senses at the gentle voice, showed a melting smile as if nothing had happened.

“I was thinking that at this rate, he’ll finish this workbook in no time. I’ll have to go to the bookstore again soon to buy a new one.”

It was a rather gloomy expression for someone who claimed to be having such a trivial thought, but Gyojin did not press further and gave a fitting response.

“He’s my son, but he’s really smart. The kid just has a very short attention span, that’s all. He does well when you make him do it, you know?”

The familiar line that any parent with a child might have said at least once made him burst into laughter. The Boss-nim is also a dad, after all. Heeyoung’s eyes curved into half-moons as he laughed, “Haha.”

At that bright sight, Gyojin deliberately encouraged the laughter, saying, ‘It’s true, I’m telling you.’

Although he was pretending to be mischievous on the outside, his hand resting on the floor had discreetly clenched into a fist. Gyojin quietly took in the sight of Heeyoung, who was lost in laughter.

Even though I told him to tell me everything on his mind, a person’s personality can’t change in a day.

He did not like Heeyoung’s attitude of hiding his expression and changing the subject, but he did not want to burden him by voicing this feeling.

“Let me see. He got everything right except for five. It’s all because you taught him well.”

“It’s because Cheonghyun did well. You were just saying your son does well when you make him do it.”

“That’s that. If it weren’t for you, it would have taken, jeez, 5 years just to teach him addition and subtraction.”

Gyojin praised Heeyoung with exaggeration and pressed their lips together.

Smooch, smooch, as he kissed him as if stamping a seal, Heeyoung, who had been laughing playfully, also puckered his lips and accepted it. Hehe, they were giggling and acting like newlyweds, letting out ticklish breaths.

Bang!

“Dad, are you here?!”

Suddenly, the door flew open, and in jumped Cheonghyun.

It happened in an instant, and they had not even managed to pull apart their cringey, pressed-together lips. The moment his eyes met the child’s, Heeyoung’s heart sank, and he flinched, shoving Gyojin’s upper body away with a hard push.

He did not know where he got such strength from. When he put force into his arms and pushed the thick torso with all his might, the large body tumbled onto the floor.

Gyojin, who was pushed away in the middle of a kiss, could only suck in a breath in disbelief. Regardless, Heeyoung began to anxiously watch Cheonghyun’s expression.

The kid must have seen everything, what if he feels repulsed by me…?

I should have thought before acting. Regret washed over him like a wave. At the same time, he also felt a sense of shame. A grown adult, showing such an unseemly sight in front of a child…

As he was on the verge of tears, Cheonghyun, who had frozen in place, slowly blinked his eyelids.

The child, who was looking at his dad and Heeyoung with eyes wider than usual, soon shouted nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

“Dad! I told you I’m going to Garam’s house to play today!”

He did not ask what the two of them were just doing, but only spoke of the main point. At that, Gyojin, who had been sprawled on the floor, got up leisurely and retorted.

“I was about to take you anyway. Look, I’m all ready.”

He showily flaunted his casually dressed attire. Now that he looked, he was wearing a tight-fitting black short-sleeved t-shirt.

Joking about how there could not be a more considerate dad in the world, Gyojin put on the jacket he had placed on the bed and fumbled in his back pocket.

“Ah, I need to get the car key. Cha Cheonghyun, are you all ready?”

“Yeah! I’m all ready! I packed Mallang-ie and Paeng-ie and Inhyung-ie and a sketchbook and markers!”

“Are you going on a peddling trip or something?”

“I’m going to pack my inline skates too! Get them out for me!”

“Why are you taking those when you don’t even know how to ride them. Ride the inline skates when you’re with Dad.”

“Nnnnnng! No! I said I’m going to pack the inline skates!”

“You can’t ride inline skates at Garam’s house. Stop talking nonsense, my son. Hurry up and come out. Go put on your shoes.”

After bickering with the child for a while, he winked at Heeyoung, who was standing there awkwardly by himself.

“I’ll go drop him off at his friend’s house and be back.”

Then, without being asked, he reported his own actions and leisurely went downstairs to get the car key.

Heeyoung, who had been staring blankly at his retreating back, spotted Cheonghyun standing at the entrance of the door and quickly came to his senses. He had even prepared snacks in advance because the child said he was going out to play, but he almost forgot and sent him empty-handed.

“Cheonghyun-ah, Hyung packed some snacks for you, I’ll get them. Shall we go down together?”

Overcoming the awkwardness, he spoke to the child, who readily nodded his head. He even held his hand tightly as usual.

While passing through the hallway and going down the stairs, Heeyoung had many thoughts. Should I explain to the child, or should I not. As he bit his lip in turmoil, he felt a sharp gaze from his side.

Cheonghyun was staring intently at him. He would go down one step, and look up at Heeyoung. Then go down another step, and look up at Heeyoung again.

As the child shot him such an innocent gaze, the embarrassed Heeyoung could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

In the end, he entered the dining room without being able to say a word. Heeyoung opened the refrigerator and took out a box of cookies he had wrapped in advance. It was a high-end cookie package that Gyojin had personally gone to a department store to buy when he heard his son was going to a friend’s house to play.

Besides this, there were two more boxes of fruit for gifts that he needed to pack, and he was busily taking them out.

Cheonghyun, who was standing in front of the island table twisting his legs, asked out of the blue.

“Hyung, you like my dad, right? My dad is cool, right?”

It was not asking ‘Do you like my dad?’ but a nuance as if confirming, ‘See, you like my dad, right?’.

Hit right on the mark, Heeyoung nodded his flushed face up and down.

“Huh? Uh-huh…”

When he answered in a voice as quiet as a crawling ant, Cheonghyun smiled with satisfaction, as if to say, ‘I knew it.’

Although it is generally difficult to know what is on a child’s mind, Heeyoung was genuinely puzzled as to what Cheonghyun meant by saying such a thing.

However, there was no time to ask for the reason, as it was time to leave.

Just before they finished getting ready and were about to leave through the front door. The child, who had fastened the velcro on his sneakers himself, straightened his back and held Heeyoung’s hand tightly. The hand, a little smaller than his palm, wrapped around his own, and he did not know how warm it was.

The child gently swung their held hands back and forth. It was as if he knew why Heeyoung had been tense since earlier and was trying to soothe his startled heart this way.

Hee, the bright smiling face showing white teeth reassured him.

It’s all okay. I like Hyung.

Even without saying it out loud, he could tell what the child wanted to say to him.

Finally, Cheonghyun rubbed his cheek against Heeyoung’s hand and said cheerfully.

“I’m off now, Hyung. Next weekend, let’s just the three of us play, okay?”

How could he not smile at such an endearing remark. Heeyoung also waved his hand with a clear smile.

“Let’s do that, Cheonghyun-ah. Have a good time. Have fun with your friend.”

At the affectionate reply, Gyojin, who was following the child out of the front door, let out a small laugh.

It was not a bad weekend.

🌿

The inside of the car on the way to Garam’s house was unusually quiet.

Cheonghyun, who would usually chatter loudly or sing along to children’s songs whenever he got in his dad’s car, was just looking out the car window today for some reason.

Did I show the kid something I shouldn’t have earlier?

Since his usually restless son was keeping his mouth shut the whole time, even the most insensitive Gyojin could not help but be concerned.

He glanced at the child in the rearview mirror and spoke to him.

“Son, why are you so quiet today.”

When he asked nonchalantly, Cheonghyun, who had been silent for a few seconds, spoke in a calm voice.

“You know, Dad. Let’s let Heeyoung-ie Hyung join our family too.”

Gyojin, who had been thinking he should seriously apologize for being caught in an embarrassing situation by his son, was taken aback by the unexpected remark.

He knew that the child particularly liked and followed Heeyoung, but he never thought he would directly say to let him join the family.

Did those words really come out of Cha Cheonghyun’s mouth? Gyojin asked again in disbelief.

“You really want to let Lee Heeyoung join our family? Is that what you said?”

“Yeah! I said let’s let Heeyoung-ie Hyung join too!”

Even when he asked again, Cheonghyun’s answer was firm. The child had genuinely said that he wanted to become a family with Heeyoung.

For Cha Cheonghyun, and Cha Gyojin, the meaning of family was heavier than for others.

Around the time when the twenty-seven-year-old Cha Gyojin was just beginning to expand the scale of Ignis, there was an omega who was a fighter who showed an excessive amount of interest in him. That omega, who used all sorts of tricks to seduce the rich alpha Boss, hit a wall with Gyojin’s firm rejection and suddenly disappeared one day.

It was a year later that that person reappeared with a baby in tow.

The guy, with whom he had never even taken off his clothes once, had caused a scene at the club, demanding that Gyojin take responsibility because it was his child, and he had sent him away with a bit of money. The next day, that garbage-like bastard abandoned the speechless newborn in front of the club and disappeared again.

The memory of the innocent newborn lying on the dirty street, crowded with entertainment establishments, and crying out was still vivid in his mind.

How could he just stand by and watch such a pitiful sight. To just leave it felt like something a human being should not do.

In the end, Gyojin picked up the newborn, whose body was growing cold, in his arms. He had taken him in with the intention of protecting him just for today and taking him to an orphanage tomorrow.

But the little child, as if thinking of him as his father, would not let go of his tightly held finger all night. If he left his side for a moment, he would start whimpering.

When he came to his senses, he found himself stuck right next to the baby, unable to leave.

He really just intended to look after him for one day. But one day became two, and two days became three. Because it’s raining today, because it’s too cold today, because the sun is too strong today.

As he spent each day making up all sorts of excuses, the child had already learned to take his first steps and was speaking well.

Gyojin gave the child his last name and a first name, and by registering his birth, he acknowledged that Cheonghyun and he had become a family.

Of course, it was a decision made after enduring a lot, and he did not regret it in the slightest.

But now, the child who had come to him like a gift and become his family had grown up and was preparing to accept Heeyoung as another family member.

It was a truly strange feeling. That the day would come when the child he had chosen would choose someone else.

Gyojin knew that Cheonghyun was not just talking about family thoughtlessly. It was the same for him. He knew from his own experience how difficult it was to let someone into the fence of family.

Until he escaped the orphanage where he had grown up his whole life and met Chairman Baek Giseung, Gyojin had always been alone. It was not easy to completely open his heart to Chairman Baek, nor to his half-brother and noona whom he had found with difficulty through his help. He did not trust, was wary, and put up his guard. He did not know how barbarically he had acted.

But in the end, Gyojin learned how to become a family through their sincerity.

That is why he, more than anyone, knew well that Cheonghyun’s heart in accepting Heeyoung as a member of their two-person family was sincere.

“My son is all grown up.”

Gyojin quietly held a smile.

An increase in family meant an increase in allies. He liked that their own world, which no one else could ever invade, was expanding.

It would be nice if Heeyoung could also know this overwhelming feeling.

“Alright, let’s let him join. Let’s not be a family of two anymore, but a family of three.”

As he agreed with the child’s opinion and sealed the deal, Cheonghyun’s face, which had been stiff the whole time, brightened up. How could that bashful smiling face be so pretty.

Gyojin kept glancing at the rearview mirror, observing his son’s expression, and then threw a mischievous question.

“But you, will you be able to call Lee Heeyoung ‘Dad’ later? That’s what becoming a family means. You know that, right?”

At that, the child, who was deeply imagining something as if foreseeing the future, answered energetically.

“Yeah! I can do that! I want to do that! I’ll have two dads now too! I really, really like it!”

Could he really like being able to call Lee Heeyoung ‘Dad’ that much. His voice, which he spat out excitedly, was full of excitement.

“If it’s Heeyoung-ie Hyung, I like everything! I like him unconditionally!”

The answer was so adamant that he was almost dumbfounded.

“Little rascal… He takes after me in being a fool for his loved one.”

As expected of my kid. He has excellent taste in people.

Gyojin stepped on the accelerator with a pleasant smile. When he turned on a children’s song and rolled down the car window all the way, a ticklish spring breeze blew in abundantly.

Was spring always such a heart-fluttering season?

The corners of his mouth drew a round curve at the scent that reminded him of someone.

“Forsythia, forsythia, plucked and held in the mouth…”

As he hummed along to the children’s song, the child’s nightingale-like voice followed.

A flock of chicks, patter patter. They go on a spring outing.

It was a sweet moment for the two who would become a family of three.

🌿

[Buyer: Cha Gyojin]

A seal dipped in bright red ink paste was stamped down hard on the signature line of the land sales contract.

As discussed on the phone last time, Gyojin bought the mountain where Heeyoung’s younger brother was buried, paying five times the price. It was something that was of no use to have, but he had insisted on buying it at a loss.

With this, the contract was cleanly concluded.

He put the seal in its case, shoved it roughly into the inner pocket of his jacket, and assumed an arrogant posture. He habitually searched for a pack of cigarettes, but even when he fumbled in his pocket, he could not feel the rectangular outline. It was because, a while ago, he had taken out and disposed of every single cigarette.

Ah, I decided to quit.

The thought of cigarettes completely vanished when he thought of the second child to be born between him and Heeyoung. However, he could not stop the unpleasant dryness in his mouth.

Was it because of the surging withdrawal symptoms that the furrow in his brow deepened?

Heeyoung’s uncle, Lee Byeongcheol, who had hit the jackpot by getting rid of the crappy land, was spouting nonsense as he tucked away the contract.

“This land may be in a remote place, but the quality is quite good. When you’re up on that peak, you can see everything below, the view is great! By the way, are you really Heeyoung’s husband…?”

The first part was bullshit, and what he really wanted to ask was likely the latter.

Looking at that smirking face, he felt the urge to leave a black cigarette burn mark on his sagging skin.

Gyojin saved his words, finding it too bothersome to even deal with him. He just sat there with his legs spread wide in an utterly arrogant posture, silently watching his subordinate take care of the contract.

Even though he gave him a clear look to shut his mouth. The tactless Lee Byeongcheol crossed the line and acted up.

Soon, he heard him muttering something as he secretly glanced at Gyojin’s gangster-like appearance. The voice he spat out was disgusting and lewd, as if he was lost in some kind of fantasy of his own.

“No, that Heeyoung fellow, he was a guy who said he’d study and become a kindergarten teacher, but to be so promiscuous…”

He did not like that face from the moment he first saw it. He had finally gotten on his nerves.

Before Lee Byeongcheol could even finish his muttering, Gyojin stretched out his long leg and kicked the table hard. At that, the heavy wooden table screeched and slid back with a horrifying noise.

The table stopped as it hit Lee Byeongcheol’s frail knees. Instantly terrified, Lee Byeongcheol had his two legs demurely together, as if he had never been joking around.

“The way you talk about your nephew, you fucking bastard, promuiscuous? Uncle, you better watch your mouth. You’ll end up in a coffin if you run your mouth carelessly.”

A bastard not even worth a dog’s testicle. He sure ran his mouth for someone who would freeze up at a single playful threat. The sight of him tightly clenching his lips and casting his eyes down, perhaps worried that the gangster’s eyes would flip and he would get messed up somewhere, was pathetic.

And that thing is an uncle. Lee Heeyoung is too nice for his own good. Now that he saw him in person, he was nothing more than an old man with no wealth or power. To think he trembled all day in fear of threats from a bastard like that.

He felt sorry for Heeyoung, who must have been tormented alone, wasting his emotions on a worthless bastard.

Should I just fucking flip out and get it over with. The more he looked at that face, the more his mood twisted and his hands itched.

Heeyoung’s older uncle, Lee Byeonghwan, who had been sitting with a heavy silence throughout the signing of the contract, cautiously interjected.

“Um, did you really… marry our Heeyoung? I do not mean anything by it, it is just that I never heard from Heeyoung that he was getting married. I have been a careless uncle…”

The man, who had politely requested a handshake from the moment Gyojin entered the real estate office and had not added a single unnecessary word, had a gentlemanly tone.

Lee Byeonghwan seemed to be genuinely worried about his nephew, Heeyoung. It was clear from the way he recited Heeyoung’s unfortunate family history before Gyojin could even offer a response.

“You know Heeyoung’s situation, don’t you? That child grew up suffering since he was young, and he also went through some bad things relatively recently. So please take good care of him… Hehe, well, I am sure you young people will cherish and live well together since you met out of love.”

As he finished his words with a kind smile, Lee Byeongcheol, who was sitting next to him twitching his lips sullenly, added a word.

“Hyung-nim, you sure are good at talking nonsense.”

He could not even comfortably relax his tightly pressed legs, and though he sat with his back ramrod straight like a disciplined soldier, he said everything he wanted to say.

Perhaps embarrassed by his younger brother’s behavior, Lee Byeonghwan could be seen nudging Lee Byeongcheol’s thigh under the table.

He was not acting that way purely because he was conscious of his gaze. It was as if he were gently reprimanding his younger brother’s wretched heart, telling him that if one is born a human, one should live by observing at least the minimum decencies.

Still, that man called the older uncle seemed to be a pretty decent human being. Gyojin suddenly chewed over the story Heeyoung had told him.

He had said that after his father and younger brother died, only his older uncle had come to the funeral to take care of him.

Lee Heeyoung, who has had such terrible luck with people, seemed to have at least one proper adult around him now, which was a relief.

Gyojin, who had maintained a thuggish attitude from the moment he set foot in the real estate office until now, showed courtesy for the first time. He fastened one button of his jacket and pulled the corners of his mouth up into a broad smile. Then, as he even curved his sharp eyes into a round shape, his unique friendly impression was complete.

“Our dear uncle? You seem like a good person. The wedding hasn’t happened yet, we plan to take our time and prepare it with care and sincerity. We will visit you soon with Heeyoung to give you the wedding invitation as well.”

He seemed flustered that a mere gangster-like bastard was acting surprisingly human. His eyes wide, Lee Byeonghwan waved his hands and even shook his head.

“Oh my, you don’t have to come all the way here. Why go to such lengths…”

“Of course we should visit. You are our Heeyoung’s uncle, how could the nephew-in-law be so rude as to not even greet you.”

While he was retorting, the subordinate who had checked and packed all the documents stepped back. Since the main business was over, there was no need to stay at the real estate office any longer.

When Gyojin stood up from his seat, the inside of the real estate office quickly became busy.

Lee Byeonghwan was the first among them to get up from his seat and continue the conversation with Gyojin.

“Why trouble yourself with greetings. It’s not like I’ve done much for Heeyoung. I’m worried I might have burdened you by bringing it up unnecessarily…”

“Ehei, why does our uncle keep acting like this. Now, wait a minute? Let’s go together.”

“Yes, yes…?”

Gyojin placed a hand on Lee Byeonghwan’s shoulder and naturally led him out of the real estate office. Lee Byeongcheol and the real estate agent were treated as complete nobodies.

He did not care whether the remaining two were standing there staring blankly at them or not, and was faithful only to his purpose.

As he walked with wide strides, Lee Byeonghwan, who was much shorter than him, barely kept up by taking small steps. He had only uttered a word out of concern for his nephew, and he wondered what this flow of events was.

Before long, Gyojin, who had been moving forward without hesitation, stopped in the front yard of the real estate office. Then, he received a thick envelope of money from his subordinate and stuffed it into the inner pocket of Lee Byeonghwan’s jacket.

“If you say you haven’t done much for Heeyoung, well, you can just help him from now on, can’t you. On the wedding day, please hold Lee Heeyoung’s hand and walk him down the aisle. So the kid isn’t lonely. You understand what I mean, right.”

Perhaps he had not expected to be handed money, Lee Byeonghwan’s mouth fell open as he fumbled with his inner pocket.

He tried to return the money envelope without even counting how many bills were inside.

“No, that’s something I can do as a matter of course, but what does it make me if you give me this kind of money… Even without this, Heeyoung almost lost his father’s and brother’s grave because of me. I feel terrible enough that I couldn’t help him as an adult. For an uncle to receive a money envelope from his nephew-in-law…”

No matter how you looked at him, he was a middle-aged man with a conscience and an excellent character. He seemed to be on a different level from a certain bastard who was stuck to the real estate office door, his greed-ridden eyes gleaming, wondering what money envelope was being exchanged.

Originally, one should treat humans like humans, and beasts like beasts.

Gyojin put the money envelope that was offered back to him into Lee Byeonghwan’s hand again and showed off his sly personality.

“You are more than qualified to receive it. My goodness, just put it in, I said? Think of it as a wedding gift, and accept it. Okay?”

“Oh my, this much money, how, thank you…”

A wedding gift, it was nonsense. Who would give a wedding gift in this way. Lee Byeonghwan held the returned money envelope tightly in his hand and did not know what to do.

The color of the bills showing through the thin envelope had a yellowish tint. On top of that, the envelope was so thick that he had to hold it with both hands spread wide. Byeonghwan could not even guess how much money was in it.

He was scared just holding it, but Gyojin, who had handed him the money, turned his back without a single sign of regret.

“Then I’ll be going now. Ah, if anything happens, don’t contact Lee Heeyoung, be sure to contact me.”

As he was getting into the luxury sedan, he motioned with his chin toward the envelope in Lee Byeonghwan’s hand.

“My business card is in there.”

With that, as if he had finished his business, he closed the car door without any lingering attachment.

Before long, another man dressed in a black suit got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The car soon left the front yard of the real estate office and began to speed down the winding country road.

Byeonghwan stood in that spot and followed the disappearing rear of the car with his eyes. And finally, when the sedan became a small dot and completely disappeared from his sight, he relaxed his tension.

Heeyoung… the kid is upright and kind, but he seemed to have a timid side to him. Where on earth did a kid like that meet such an alpha and decide to get married.

Marriage, wedding gifts, and even the fact that Gyojin had bought the land at the real estate office today. Heeyoung knew nothing about any of it.

There were many things he wanted to call and ask about directly, but Byeonghwan did not step forward and kept his mouth shut. It was not that Gyojin had specifically warned him, but he could tell by intuition.

I don’t know about other things, but I should keep my mouth shut about what happened today.

Just by seeing that Gyojin had not brought Heeyoung along with him, he could guess that he wanted to handle this matter secretly. Having lived for so many years, it was only natural for him to conduct himself accordingly without being told.

However, his younger brother, whose greed only grew with age and who had not matured a bit, seemed unable to grasp the situation.

As soon as the car left, Lee Byeongcheol rushed out with fire in his eyes.

“Hyung-nim! Is that money?! Did that, that bastard give you money?!”

“It’s not like that. He just entrusted it to me to give to Heeyoung later.”

“Ah, entrusted it my foot! He was talking about marrying Heeyoung and whatnot, so wasn’t it money he gave to make himself look good! That, that, the car he came in didn’t seem ordinary. Is he some guy who handles a lot of money?”

His eyes, scanning the plumply swollen money envelope, glistened suspiciously. Soon, Lee Byeongcheol, who had gulped down his saliva, stomped his right foot hard.

“Oh, my stomach! If I had known this, I wouldn’t have picked a fight either!”

“By the way, I wonder if Heeyoung will really be okay. He’s so young, but he’s already decided to get married…”

“Hyung-nim, is that the problem right now?!”

Tsk tsk, Byeonghwan, who clicked his tongue while looking at his younger brother, shoved the money envelope into his inner pocket. He planned to keep this money safe and give it to Heeyoung on his wedding day, telling him to use it for his honeymoon.

His nephew, who had been struggling alone after losing both his parents and his younger brother, was finally building his own family. It was a proud thing for an uncle.

Besides, hadn’t the grave problem that had been troubling Heeyoung been neatly resolved now?

Byeonghwan left his brother, who was thrashing about saying his stomach hurt from envy, and got into a taxi. The first thing he did as soon as he sat down on the seat was to take out the business card from the money envelope.

A man who looked like a gangster was taking his nephew, so he could not stand not knowing what exactly he did.

A moment later, as he looked at the business card, he let out a meaningful sigh.

“Oh my goodness…”

[Cha Gyojin, Executive Director of Baekyeon Resort & Hotel]

Indeed, one should not judge a person by their appearance. To think he was a man with such a solid job.

On top of that, being called an executive director at a young age was nothing short of amazing.

Byeonghwan smiled quietly.

The day for Heeyoung’s life to blossom is coming. And it seemed it would bloom in full. Like the field of azaleas that beautifully adorned the back hill of the countryside.