The House of Three Chapter 5.1

The next day, Heeyoung woke up to an ordinary morning, just like any other. If there was anything particularly different, it would be that his stomach was sore, and his memory of yesterday had been cut off abruptly.

He vaguely remembered talking to Cheonghyun about workbooks, but after that, the film was cut, and he could not recall anything. What conversation he had with Gyojin, how he even got home.

He was filled with worry, but Heeyoung quickly regained his composure and started his day. If something had happened, Team Leader Jeong would have called him in separately to give him a warning, or he would have been summoned by Gyojin to get an earful. But since both of them were quiet, it seemed he had thankfully not caused any trouble while drunk.

Having washed up cleanly and gotten dressed neatly, Heeyoung left his room at 9 AM sharp.

Today was the weekend, so it was a day Cheonghyun did not go to school. Unlike the hectic weekday mornings, his days off always began lazily like this.

When he came out into the hallway, Cheonghyun, who had commendably woken up on his own, was standing there looking neat. The child, whose shirt was soaked with water as if he had washed up by himself, spotted Heeyoung and waved brightly.

“Hyung!”

“Cheonghyun, you’re up early?”

“Yup. Because I’m hungry. I wanna go eat breakfast quickly!”

It seemed he was very hungry. Cheonghyun went down the stairs with energetic steps. Heeyoung followed behind him, not sparing his affectionate worry, saying, ‘Cheonghyun, you’re going to fall.’ It was a peaceful morning.

However, unfortunately, that peace did not last long.

Cheonghyun, who was entering the dining room as usual, spotted someone and came to a dead stop.

Heeyoung, who was following with a curious face, also froze on the spot upon encountering the bewildering sight.

He should definitely be asleep at this hour. Lee Seowon, who should have been stretched out languidly in bed, was sitting squarely at the well-set dining table.

While fastening his beige cardigan, he was scanning the side dishes with a picky eye, then he felt a presence and shifted his gaze. Soon, a seemingly feigned warmth gently spread across Lee Seowon’s previously cold, stiff face.

Heeyoung, who had been standing there blankly in surprise, hurriedly bowed his head in greeting, but he naturally ignored Heeyoung’s presence and opened his mouth.

“Cheonghyun, come here. Shall we have breakfast with Hyung today?”

His voice was two tones higher than usual. As Lee Seowon bestowed an unfitting kindness, Cheonghyun was unable to adjust and just fidgeted. He seemed to want to retort with something, but the words would not come out, and Heeyoung could even hear him mumbling, “Eee, eee,” through his clenched teeth.

Heeyoung did not know what this sudden behavior was about, but he could not rashly step in. If Lee Seowon had been openly tormenting the child, he would have stepped in to stop it at any cost. But right now, he had no intention of harming the child.

On the contrary, he was even pulling up the corners of his mouth, trying to bestow gentleness upon the child, so how could he possibly interfere.

“I don’t wanna eat with you!”

“That’s upsetting. I want to get closer to you, Cheonghyun. Aren’t you hungry? Just sit down for now.”

“Eek…”

Even when Cheonghyun, who had been showing his wariness for a while, snapped at him, Seowon did not get irritated. The child, bewildered by his uncharacteristic behavior, just stomped his feet.

Growl.

Just then, Cheonghyun’s stomach clock rumbled loudly. The child, who had been standing his ground to protect his pride, did not know what to do and looked up at Heeyoung. His eyes clearly showed his inner thoughts that he was hungry, but Lee Seowon was uncomfortable.

Heeyoung, who was in a difficult position as there was nothing he could do, cautiously observed the situation. As he was thinking of a way to get Cheonghyun out without getting on Lee Seowon’s bad side, a stern command was suddenly issued.

“What are you doing? Pull out the chair for him. So the kid can sit.”

Lee Seowon had made the first move, trapping the child by the ankle so he could not get away.

Since he could not defy his instruction, Heeyoung cautiously pulled out the chair.

At that, Cheonghyun, who was pouting with his lips stuck out, approached with a sullen gait and plopped onto the chair. Worried that the child might get an upset stomach, Heeyoung secretly patted his small back.

Fortunately, Cheonghyun only looked at the retreating Heeyoung with a wistful expression and did not ask him to eat together as he usually did. He wanted to be coddled, but he held it in, thinking that it would make Heeyoung uncomfortable.

Thankful for the mature and thoughtful child’s action, Heeyoung remained silent, thinking that he must repay him later.

The table where Seowon and Cheonghyun sat was indescribably awkward and bleak. Lee Seowon, in his own way, tried to get closer to the child by asking trivial questions, but each time, Cheonghyun put up a wall.

“Are you doing well in school these days? I heard you kept giving Mr. Gyojin a hard time after you started. You’re not a kindergartener anymore, you’re an elementary school student, so you need to listen well.”

“I’ve never given Dad a hard time!”

“I mean, you should do well from now on. You know, you have to be good to get presents from Santa, right? If you keep being so rude, you’ll just get punished instead of presents.”

“Hmph, what do I care. You believe in Ssanta? There’s no such thing as Ssanta in this world. And even without Ssanta, my dad buys me everything I want.”

Actually, it was less like putting up a wall and more… to the level of provoking Lee Seowon. The way he said, ‘You believe in Ssanta? My dad buys me everything,’ was so cocky it could be said he was a carbon copy of Gyojin, so honestly, Heeyoung was a little surprised too.

Lee Seowon let out a hollow laugh at the child’s astounding manner of speaking. Ha, he laughed with one corner of his mouth curled up cynically, and it was visible that he was barely swallowing the curse words that were about to burst out.

While the two’s conversation continued precariously, Heeyoung had to be on pins and needles. It felt like holding a bomb that could go off at any moment.

Was he biting his innocent lips in frustration? From a distance, a familiar footstep began to approach. It was a footstep that felt more welcome than ever before.

Shh, shh, Gyojin, who appeared dragging his slippers, furrowed his brow the moment he entered the dining room.

“I believe I told you to avoid overlapping our paths as much as possible. Do my words not sound like words to you?”

His attitude toward his lover was still callous. As the atmosphere turned frosty due to his appearance, the kitchen staff stopped observing the situation and held their breath. Heeyoung also stood among them with his lips tightly sealed.

This was because the expression of Lee Seowon, who had lost face in front of others, was gradually sinking. If he were to make eye contact with him in this situation, he did not know when or how he would be tormented.

“Daddyyy…”

The only one who could quell the explosive atmosphere even a little was Cheonghyun. As his son whined and reached out his hands, Gyojin chose peace instead of a petty argument.

He swiftly lifted Cheonghyun’s body and set him down from the chair. It was a fleeting moment, but he also glanced at Heeyoung, who was standing in the corner with his head bowed.

“Son, you go on up.”

Gyojin lightly patted the child’s back so it would not hurt and gestured towards the stairs with his eyes. If the child went up to his room like this, and Gyojin also left the dining room, the situation would be neatly resolved.

However, Lee Seowon threw a thorny question, and the air at the dining table froze once again.

“Did you come in late… yesterday?”

“…”

“I went to Mr. Gyojin’s room because I had something to talk about for a moment, but you weren’t there. It was 12 o’clock then, I think. It wasn’t an early hour, so I thought about calling but decided against it.”

At those words, Heeyoung felt his heart drop. 12 o’clock, it was when he and Gyojin were sitting in the room, sharing a drink. Lee Seowon, who was strictly Gyojin’s lover, must have been worried and waiting for him who had not come home.

Thinking about that made him feel as if he had committed a great sin. He had only sought out Gyojin to make an appointment because he had something to say, but Lee Seowon’s loaded remark made his blood run cold.

Heeyoung clasped his trembling hands together. The trembling still did not stop, so he pressed the flesh of his palm hard with his fingernails. He felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat on his forehead.

As he was trembling alone in anxiety, a familiar jeer was heard. Gyojin was speaking in a confident voice, without a single thing to feel guilty about.

“Whether I come in late or not, what business is it of yours.”

After confirming that Cheonghyun was quickly disappearing towards the stairs, he replied with annoyance and sat in the seat opposite Lee Seowon. He had acted as if he would not dine with him, but now, as if he had changed his mind, he was calmly pulling out a chair.

However, he did not pick up a spoon and start eating. Instead, Gyojin continued the conversation with Lee Seowon. No, to be precise, it was closer to him reluctantly exchanging words.

“Am I not allowed to be concerned?”

“Stop asking the obvious. What was it you wanted to talk about.”

It was a reply that could have been plenty hurtful, but Seowon was not discouraged and instead wore a satisfied smile.

“Let’s have a meal with Chairman Baek sometime soon. Golf would be nice too. Oh, should we bring Cheonghyun too? The Chairman, no, my uncle, said he wanted to see Cheonghyun.”

His face was happy at the thought of making an appointment with Gyojin. Lee Seowon pulled the corners of his mouth into a pretty smile and, with an excited voice, anticipated the answer that would come from Gyojin. It was a 180-degree different appearance from when he had slapped Heeyoung’s cheek and spewed abusive words on the first day.

He was only difficult with the employees who worked in this house; in front of his lover, he was neat and gentle. It was certain that in Gyojin’s eyes, Lee Seowon would only look pretty.

But for some reason, Gyojin expressed his displeasure without any reservation.

“Why do you keep crossing the line? Don’t include the kid, alright? If the Chairman really wants to see him, I’ll make a separate appointment for that, so don’t butt in unnecessarily and interfere.”

His attitude of pushing his opinion without stuttering a single word was coercive.

Before Lee Seowon could even reply, he whipped his head around and suddenly glared at Heeyoung. Then he gave him a look as if to say, do not stand there awkwardly, get out.

“Everyone, get out. You won’t gain anything by standing there eavesdropping.”

His gaze was fixed precisely on Heeyoung, but the order was given to all the employees. The employees, who had been standing like ghosts and holding their breath, left the dining room as if this sort of thing was familiar. It was almost amazing how they disappeared quietly, as if they were not there, without making a sound with their footsteps.

Heeyoung also quickly bowed his waist in greeting and followed them out of the dining room. He felt a prickling sensation on his back for some reason, but he dismissed it as just a feeling and gently stepped onto the stairs leading up to his room.

As he closed the door and came in, he replayed the scene he had just seen, inflating all sorts of stray thoughts.

Cha Gyojin and Lee Seowon, what were those two? They were said to be lovers, but they did not seem that close, and whenever they just talked, a cold wind would blow fiercely. Today, the tension exchanged between the two was particularly taut.

They’re not going to fight, are they? As his thoughts branched out, Heeyoung suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and felt the hair on his head stand on end.

‘Did you come in late… yesterday?’

Lee Seowon’s chilly voice echoed in his ears, and an unidentifiable sense of crisis washed over him.

He had casually dismissed the fact that he had returned home after drinking and blacking out yesterday, but thinking about it again, it was not something to be taken so lightly.

What if last night, Gyojin had supported a drunk him into the house, and Lee Seowon had witnessed that scene…?

It was terrifying just to imagine. Heeyoung shook his head vigorously, erasing the chilling assumptions that popped into his mind. He just hoped that he himself was not part of the reason Cha Gyojin and Lee Seowon’s relationship had become distant.

“How did I get home yesterday. Remember, please…”

To feel even a little bit of relief, he had no choice but to recall what happened yesterday, but despairingly, his memory did not return. The memory of myself was gone, and only his temples were throbbing, to the point where deep sighs kept bursting out.

Finally losing his will, Heeyoung lay on the floor and closed his eyes. It seemed his body tired easily as the hangover had not yet subsided.

I was supposed to draw with Cheonghyun today. To play with the child all day, he had to stop worrying and store up his stamina first.

Tick, tock. In the room filled with silence, only the sound of the clock’s second hand echoed. Heeyoung took a rest, using that small noise as a lullaby.

Was it because he had worried too much in an instant, or was it because of the whiskey he drank yesterday? The headache did not subside. The pain, starting from his temples and traveling up to his eyes, made his brow furrow on its own.

He thought it would be difficult like this, and was thinking that he should go out later and buy some hangover medicine.

Knock knock!

Someone knocked on the door cheerfully. Heeyoung was startled and sat up.

Before he could even ask who it was, the door swung open.

“Hyooong, let’s go buy workbooks!”

The one who jumped in as soon as the door opened was none other than Cheonghyun. Heeyoung, while familiarly catching the child who threw himself into his arms, could not take his eyes off the doorway.

Because Gyojin, who had finished getting ready to go out, was standing there.

He was already suffering a headache because he could not remember what happened yesterday, so it was a relief that Gyojin had come to find him just in time.

“Hyung, hyooong, do I have to solve math problems every day now?”

“Huh? Uh-huh, you’ll just solve a little bit. Just enough so Cheonghyun doesn’t get tired.”

“If I do well, you’ll give me a prize, right?”

“Of course, I must give you a prize. Hey Cheonghyun, but could Hyung just for a moment, go talk to your dad?”

Anxious because he had a lot to say to Gyojin, Heeyoung was busy asking the child for his understanding.

He deliberately moved to a spot far away so the child could not hear his and Gyojin’s conversation and took out a snack for him. Cheonghyun, who got an unexpected prize, giggled and jumped up and down.

“Yay, it’s a Homenun-ball!”

While Cheonghyun sat on his bed eating the snack, Heeyoung hurriedly went and stood in front of Gyojin.

“Who told you to give him a snack. Did I tell you not to give him junk food or not.”

“Uhm… Boss.”

“Boss what. Speak.”

Unlike himself, who was serious with a mountain of worries, Gyojin’s attitude was just sly and playful. When he was sitting at the dining table talking to Lee Seowon, he acted like a couple who had a bad fight, but now he was playing dumb as if nothing had happened.

Heeyoung, who was hesitating and observing him, cautiously uttered the words he had carefully chosen in his mind.

“You brought me home yesterday, Boss, that’s right. I’m sorry…”

He wanted to ask directly, ‘What did I do yesterday?’ or ‘How on earth did I get home? Surely the younger Boss didn’t misunderstand our relationship, right?’, but Heeyoung did not have the guts for that.

As a result of apologizing first like a milksop, one of Gyojin’s eyebrows rose, forming a crooked mountain.

“You’re sorry? For what.”

He asked back with a genuinely uncomprehending expression. Heeyoung, flustered by the unexpected reaction, tilted his head.

“Pardon? Well, because I was a nuisance…?”

It was a flimsy reason to be sorry, but he had no other words to express it. He had made Gyojin drag his drunk self home, and although he was not sure, he had likely made Lee Seowon feel uncomfortable because of it. Technically, it meant he had troubled Gyojin twice.

However, Gyojin still could not understand what Heeyoung meant. He stiffened his facial muscles as if he detested the word nuisance itself, signaling that his mood had soured.

“You don’t remember yesterday?”

“…”

“Don’t even think about playing word games with me. You really don’t remember anything? Huh?”

Word games. Heeyoung could not even make a faint voice right now, let alone play word games. He was thrown into a panic by the single question of whether he remembered yesterday. For a moment, all sorts of embarrassing imaginations muddled his mind.

Since he did not say anything, I just thought I came home quietly, but maybe that was not it. Seeing Gyojin’s reaction, it seemed he had done something he should not have done yesterday.

Pale-faced, Heeyoung asked, trembling like a dying goat.

“I, I do vaguely remember talking about Cheonghyun. By any chance, did I make a big mistake…?”

When he asked with a purely innocent expression as if he really knew nothing, Gyojin’s expression twisted even more menacingly.

In a way, it was not an exaggeration to say that this was a situation where God had helped Gyojin. Since Heeyoung had cleanly forgotten that sordid act of yesterday, if Gyojin himself just kept his mouth shut, it could become something that never happened at all.

But now that he was faced with Heeyoung who remembered nothing, his mood turned strangely bad. He wasn’t some kind of pervert. Gyojin could not overcome his own contrarian nature and went astray.

He bent his waist to be eye-level with Heeyoung. His son was diligently munching away, dropping snack crumbs on the bedding that Lee Heeyoung must have diligently tidied as soon as the morning sun rose. Glancing at that sight over the boy’s delicate shoulder, Gyojin whispered into Heeyoung’s ear, which was gradually turning red.

“Yeah. You made one hell of a big mistake yesterday.”

“…”

“We slept together.”

Heeyoung was horrified and pushed Gyojin’s body away at the voice that made it hard to tell if it was sincere or just a joke.

Slept together?

He wanted to wash his ears. He wanted to conclude that he must have misheard, that Gyojin had spoken nonsense. This was ridiculous.

His face flushed bright red, Heeyoung instinctively looked around. Cheonghyun was still engrossed in his snack. It was a huge relief that the child had not heard those vulgar words.

However, just because the child had not heard did not mean his startled heart calmed down. Heeyoung, unable to calm his pounding heart, glared at Gyojin.

He was grinning. Not content with cleverly crinkling his sharp eyes into an eye-smile, he was laughing so wide his mouth formed a cave. Seeing that expression, what he just said was undoubtedly a vulgar joke.

“Please don’t make jokes like this. Do you know how, how startling it is for the person hearing it.”

Heeyoung sternly pointed out the joke that had gone too far. Even as he pleaded with his eyebrows drooped in an eight-character shape, Gyojin showed no sign of remorse.

“Does it seem like a joke?”

Instead, he only gave a reply that was both puzzling and chilling.

Heeyoung was scared. It seemed like a joke, it really seemed like a joke, but looking at Gyojin who asked back while looking him straight in the eye, his words felt real. Confusion set in, and it felt like his vision was spinning.

“No way, it can’t be true…”

As he muttered, half-sobbing, Gyojin finally gave an answer that would reassure Heeyoung.

“Right, it can’t be true. You and I,”

“…And you?”

“What.”

“You didn’t finish your sentence.”

“Do you really need to hear it? You want to hear more of this fucking trashy joke?”

It’s not like you’d kiss me sloppily and roll around with me in a mess. Unable to finish the rest of his sentence, Gyojin cut himself off, and Heeyoung dug in with a suspicious look.

Could there be something more, Heeyoung thought, about to probe further, but at the threat of whether he wanted to hear more of the trashy joke, he quietly shook his head. While thinking, at least he’s aware that he made a trashy joke.

The conversation ended on an unsettling note. He was curious about what happened yesterday, but Heeyoung decided not to ask. It seemed it would be better to know nothing.

Gyojin, who had taken a step back, took out the car key from his jacket pocket and spun it on his finger. Clink, clink, a goblin character keychain that kids would like knocked against the car key, making a cheerful sound.

“Come out.”

Soon, he beckoned Heeyoung out with a nod of his head. Come to think of it, there must have been a reason he had come to this room with Cheonghyun.

“Why? Are you going somewhere?”

When Heeyoung asked urgently, Gyojin mimicked his tone teasingly.

“The workbooks or whatever, don’t we have to go to the bookstore to buy them? You grabbed me by the collar and explained it so earnestly yesterday.”

“When did I ever grab you by the collar, th-that was because you kept talking about something else, Boss…!”

“Oh, so you do remember grabbing me by the collar? I’m so very honored.”

This was practically mockery. However, Heeyoung, who clearly remembered grabbing Gyojin by the collar, could not really refute it. He could only talk back timidly.

“You said you’d give me your card and for me to handle it myself…”

“Didn’t you tell me to pay some attention to my kid’s affairs. I am now, paying attention.”

Everything he said was right, so Heeyoung felt himself shrinking endlessly. Gyojin ordered him to change his clothes, giving him five minutes, and attended to his son who was playing alone.

“Wow! Dad, are we going to the bookstore now? Buy me something yummy on the way back! A hamburger! A hamburger!”

“Listen to you, a hamburger. We’re going to buy a book for you to study, and all you think about is playing.”

“It’s delicious if you eat it with onion rings, Dad. And you know what, they sell slime at the bookstore too.”

“Ohh, is that so? I see.”

“Nooo. That’s not what I mean, buy it for meee!”

Cheonghyun, who had already finished one snack, was busy pestering his dad to buy him slime. It was a tantrum Gyojin had heard to death, so he skillfully ignored it. He was the type who, if anything, would not buy those things called slime or whatever it was.

“Green slime!”

Still, as the pestering continued, Gyojin listed the things he had put up with until now and showed his annoyance. Heeyoung could not even think of stopping the two and had to watch their childish fight.

“I definitely told you that the moment you play with it roughly, I would never buy it for you again. But how did you play with it. You smeared that snot-like thing all over the car seat, and you also slathered it all over your dad’s documents. You spilled it all over your bag too and ruined a few textbooks. I oughta just.”

Even to his ears, it was quite severe. Cheonghyun, at a loss for words, looked up at Heeyoung with a pitiful face, asking for help. At the same time, Gyojin’s gaze also landed on him. It was a look that said he would not let it slide if he took the kid’s side and said something foolish.

Ahem, Heeyoung let out an awkward dry cough and deliberately pretended not to notice the child’s heated gaze.

“I’ll, I’ll go change my clothes.”

The sulking Cheonghyun pouted his lips like a duck and left the room. It was obvious that he would act like that for a moment and then, once in the car, he would be smiling brightly and singing as usual.

Gyojin looked at his son, who was deliberately making loud footsteps as he went down the stairs, as if he found him exasperating. Tsk, tsk, he who had clicked his tongue also turned his back to leave.

Heeyoung, who ended up going out with the two of them, was in a daze. He was changing because he was told to change his clothes, but a corner of his heart felt uncomfortable. No matter if he was the child’s caretaker, how could he go out with the two of them with a peaceful mind when Lee Seowon was at home.

“Uhm, Boss, I think maybe…”

No matter how much he thought about it, it did not seem right, so he stopped Gyojin. As he hesitated to follow readily, Gyojin threw out a meaningful remark as if he had seen right through Heeyoung’s thoughts.

“There’s no one home.”

The funny thing was that with that one remark, his uncomfortable feeling completely vanished. Heeyoung, who had closed the door, relieved without even realizing it, noticed that his chest was pricking when he took off his shirt to change into his outdoor clothes.

It was because of a thought that kept surging up whenever he had a conversation with Gyojin alone, and kept getting entangled with him like this.

The dangerous and shameless thought… that he was having an affair with him.

Heeyoung, who had been standing there blankly, shook his head wildly and shook off the dirty and vulgar thought. It seemed that because he had heard a strange joke from Gyojin earlier, that vulgarity had rubbed off on him.

At times like this, it was best to empty one’s mind and focus on the task at hand. Heeyoung finished changing his clothes and even properly put on a jumper. He also did not forget to put the paper with the workbook purchase list in his pocket.

He opened the door and was just going down the stairs when he saw Gyojin’s back below. It was a broad and reliable back, no matter when he saw it.

He was giggling while playing footsie with his son. His side profile, caught in a glimpse, was handsome. Starting from his coolly exposed forehead, to his high-bridged nose and masculine jawline. His face, which flowed beautifully without a single flaw, was particularly striking.

With the gentleness alone filling his face, which had shed its characteristic cold aura, he was looking at his son with eyes full of love.

Heeyoung could not take his eyes off that sight the entire time he was going down the stairs. No, he did not even realize the fact that he was scrutinizing Gyojin in such detail.

Gyojin, who had been laughing and joking for a good while, felt a presence and looked up at the stairs.

In that moment, their gazes became deeply entangled. Just like last night.

Engulfed in a strange feeling, Heeyoung bit down hard on the soft flesh inside his mouth.

Gyojin’s expression as he looked up at him was the same. It was filled only with gentleness, without a trace of a cold aura. He did not feel any of the wariness or awkwardness that anyone would equip when dealing with others.

If it was not a delusion, the gaze of someone adoring another was also still there.

It could not be. And it should not be.

Something spread in his heart, he did not know if it was discomfort or displeasure, or if it was an unspoken emotion that could be expressed differently. However, Heeyoung pretended to be nonchalant and smiled as usual.

“Cheonghyun.”

He called the child in a soft voice, and Gyojin’s body flinched.

🌿

The Daehyung Bookstore in the middle of the day was bustling with people. Perhaps because the weather was nice, it seemed everyone had come out for a change of mood.

Cheonghyun, who was thoroughly excited about the outing after a long time, trotted after Heeyoung before quickly getting distracted by something else. He must have found the children’s science comic books interesting, as he properly settled in one spot and opened a cover.

Heeyoung, who had headed for his destination as soon as he entered the bookstore, stopped at the corner where workbooks were shelved by type. Among them, he instantly found the workbook he had picked out in advance and scanned through the problems.

“Hmm…”

As if the difficulty level was just right, he nodded his head, then scurried over to Cheonghyun, who was absorbed in a comic book, and asked.

“Cheonghyun, how about this? Look. Do you think you can solve it?”

He could have just bought it and told him to solve it, but he thoughtfully asked for the child’s opinion as well.

Cheonghyun, who was checking the problems with eyes that already looked tired of solving them, nodded his head carelessly as if it did not matter. Without even looking properly, he answered, “Yeah, it’s good,” and quickly turned his gaze back to the comic book.

Watching that, Gyojin thought it was a lost cause. That kid, that kid, he had clearly followed along without even knowing exactly what a workbook was. There was not even an ant’s eyeball worth of will to study…

“Really? Then I should buy this one. Cheonghyun, you can look at more books there. Hyung will go look at some other things and come back, okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

In reality, Heeyoung alone was burning with motivation. Heeyoung, who had returned to his spot, took out and placed the workbooks according to the list he had written down in advance, and naturally moved his feet to the corner where the ‘Parenting’ sign was placed.

Getting Closer to Your Elementary School Child. 100 Ways to Raise My Child into a Proper Child. There, books with titles that would attract the attention of parents raising children were piled up.

Heeyoung did not have a child and was not married, but thinking only of Cheonghyun, he began to look through them one by one, slowly. He carefully opened a book, checked the table of contents, and after turning the page, he read down the densely printed text with a very serious face.

What on earth was he reading. He even opened his mouth as if he had gained a great realization, tracing the words with his finger.

“Ah, in times like this, I should discipline him like this…”

He really looked like a young father raising a child. At least in Gyojin’s eyes, he did.

Why did Heeyoung’s appearance of trying to take care of the child so meticulously look so commendable and pretty.

Gyojin, who had not even glanced at a book after entering the bookstore, was staring intently only at Heeyoung.

He wondered anew if there had ever been anyone who had been so devoted to his son. His younger sister and older sister, who doted on their nephew, would not have been able to think of the child as much as Lee Heeyoung.

They were all busy showering him with toys, but no one had advised him to have the child solve workbooks. Lee Heeyoung, in a short time, had pinpointed exactly what the child needed right away.

If you looked closely, he had aspects that were better than him, the child’s own father. No, Heeyoung was treating the child as if he were really his biological father.

At that thought, the corners of his mouth pulled up. Gyojin quietly watched Heeyoung’s side profile for a while, then feigned innocence and looked around at the books.

The gesture of picking up and putting down a book that happened to catch his eye was particularly awkward. Gyojin, who had been distant from bookstores since he was young, did not feel very comfortable in such a space.

He had brought Cheonghyun here a few times in the past, but it was at a level of maybe coming once a year. If Heeyoung had not said he was going to buy workbooks, he probably would not have even set foot in a bookstore this year.

Still, Gyojin fitted himself into this unfamiliar atmosphere. As he was forcing himself to scan the displayed books, there was one title that particularly stood out.

[The Proper Way to Educate a Father]

The moment he saw it, a scoff burst out. A proper father? What a load of crap. If you raise them just as the book says, all the kids in this world would be at the level of a classical scholar. Do they think parenting proceeds so rigidly.

He had a lot he wanted to say, but he only muttered it to himself. He was the one who had single-handedly raised Cha Cheonghyun, who was several times more restless than other kids, for 8 years.

He could guarantee that if you tried to educate a child according to the methods in the book, the parent’s insides would burst first. Speaking nicely and persuading them is fine once or twice, but if you say it a second and third time, you were bound to end up raising your voice.

Well, if they listened right away just because you said it nicely, would that be a child? That’s a grown adult.

Was he scanning the book perfunctorily while criticizing each sentence? Heeyoung, who had approached at some point, suddenly stuck his face out and spoke to him.

“What are you looking at?”

Before he even heard an answer, he checked the title of the book in Gyojin’s hand. The Proper Way to Educate a Father. Seeing the title that was quite unbecoming of him, his face brightened.

Does he think I picked this book because I really want to become a proper father.

It seemed there was some misunderstanding, but Gyojin did not bother to make an excuse and asked back.

“Why.”

As he let out a cynical voice, a smiling Heeyoung replied gently.

“How is it. Do you feel like you’re learning something? Looking at the books here, the tips on child education are well-organized.”

Learning, it was absurd. He had raised his kid just fine without reading a book like this. Gyojin thought of himself as a pretty decent father, if not perfect, so he naturally let the question he just heard slide.

“You were the one reading so diligently.”

“Me? Yes, because I’ve become responsible for Cheonghyun.”

“So, can you make him an adult?”

When he asked playfully, Heeyoung, who was fiddling with the back of his neck as if embarrassed, shook his head gently.

“Well, it would be nice if he became more mature, but isn’t a child pretty for being childlike? Anyway, since I’m referring to the book’s contents, I think I can do my job well.”

His answer was as upright as he was. While showing confidence in his work, at the same time, never being harsh with the child, he somehow chose only the words that perfectly suited his taste.

Gyojin did not hold back his leaking laughter and showed it. In his own mind, he thought it was a light, bursting laugh, but to others, it looked like he was grinning foolishly as if possessed by something. He was playing dumb, not even knowing what his own expression looked like.

“Is that so? Is parenting ever easy. You try raising a kid. See if the education goes according to the book.”

At that, Heeyoung, who had been standing there listening blankly, covered his mouth and laughed.

“What’s this, you’re laughing?”

“Ah, that, just now you sounded like a real dad…”

What was so great about sounding like a real dad.

Heehee, his face, giggling with a cute sound, looked unnecessarily cute.

No, but this, he should just laugh for a moment and be done. Why is he making an eye-smile like this. His eyelashes are long too. The atmosphere is just killer.

It was a sight he simply could not take his eyes off, so Gyojin quietly admired it and observed Heeyoung’s features. Well, he did not even have the mind to care about his pride or anything. He was laughing happily as if to say, look at my pretty face, how could he not look.

As he stared intently without avoiding his eyes, Heeyoung, who had been laughing under his breath, composed his smile. It seemed he had gotten shy at the piercing gaze.

Heeyoung quickly turned his gaze to the book and pretended to read a sentence. He has no talent for lying either. It was clearly visible to Gyojin’s eyes that he was scanning the unreadable first sentence multiple times.

Then, as if he had something to say, Heeyoung, who had been constantly twitching his lips, began to confess his inner thoughts with his eyes fixed on the book.

“You know, I saw you as a bit of a bad father, Boss. But you weren’t. You have some clumsy aspects, but… I think you’re a wonderful father.”

At the sudden shower of compliments, Gyojin’s eyebrows twitched.

“Really? I’m that wonderful?”

When he asked as if to confirm again, Heeyoung, who was facing Gyojin straight on, nodded his head up and down vigorously.

“Yes, you are wonderful. Because I can see how much you love Cheonghyun, Boss. Th-that thing called love, you can know it even without saying it, right. Because it can be seen in small actions.”

“…”

His roundly opened eyes were sparkling as before. Eyes that seemed to have scooped up the Milky Way. Gyojin realized that the shining appearance of Heeyoung he had seen before was not some passing illusion.

“Yes, for example, the way you look at Cheonghyun, or your subtly different tone of voice, well, in things like that… your love is contained, Boss.”

Heeyoung finished his words in a calm but affectionate tone. As if he had accurately seen through Gyojin’s inner thoughts.

However, Gyojin had just discovered one emotion that Heeyoung had failed to hide within the uttered sentences.

Envy for the loved Cha Cheonghyun, a sense of relief and warmth, and bitterness.

In Heeyoung’s eyes, which he was facing, opposing emotions were strangely mixed.

Gyojin, who was about to ask, Then what do you think my attitude towards you is like, held his tongue and scratched the area around his eyebrows. He had almost made the atmosphere awkward. It was a huge relief that he had not opened his mouth.

“Did I do that?”

Instead, when he asked in his usual cocky manner, a soft voice flowed into his ear. As seen from his expression, it was also a voice tinged with a somewhat bitter emotion.

“Yes, of course. I can see it all. That you truly love and think about Cheonghyun a lot, Boss.”

“You’re really flattering me, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m serious. I think a guardian who gives love to a child is the best kind of guardian. There are many parents who can’t even do that. Even though that’s the easiest thing…”

Heeyoung naturally thought of his own father. The only memories that came to mind were all bad ones. The image of him yelling every day, ignoring his family, and habitually resorting to violence.

He was a being not even worthy of being called a father, so whenever he recalled that face, his complexion would naturally darken. But Heeyoung quickly erased his expression and pulled up the corners of his mouth.

Gyojin, who confirmed the change in Heeyoung’s expression in real time, contemplated for a moment. Should I meddle in this, or not, he thought. He felt like grabbing his chin right away and interrogating him.

However, he took no action. Because Heeyoung’s eyes showed that he did not want that. He had no intention of needlessly poking into his business and extorting an answer. He was not a guy who could not read the mood that much either.

“Well, I am pretty good at this fathering thing, aren’t I?”

Soon, Gyojin’s mischievous voice followed.

Heeyoung was the one who had questioned whether he was even a father when they first met. For such a kid to now be complimenting him as a wonderful father, how could he not feel good.

If some other guy had said it, he would have cursed him for being presumptuous, but strangely, when Lee Heeyoung said it, it just felt good. Gyojin stood one step closer to Heeyoung and flirted.

“Hey, but listening to you talk, you’re practically the kid’s mother? Thank you so much for acknowledging me as a good dad?”

At that, Heeyoung, who was shaking his head as if to say, there he goes again, glanced at Gyojin and flinched.

Love that is evident in actions even without being said. A gentle gaze, or a subtly different tone of voice…

Suddenly, the words he had spoken came to mind, and his head went blank.

So why, since a while ago, for what reason… is Boss looking at me with those eyes?

The more he thought about it, the more his mind went white. Flustered by the unfamiliar sensation, Heeyoung quickly turned his body.

“What? Yes. I, uh, I’ll go get Cheonghyun.”

Gyojin watched the back of him hastily leaving the spot and chuckled.

“You said all you had to say, and now you’re shy? Are you sure you’re going to get the kid? You’re not going to hide?”

He deliberately teased him but did not bother to hold Heeyoung back. Instead, he followed Heeyoung’s movements with a gaze tinged with laughter.

Heeyoung, who disappeared with short steps, quickly found Cheonghyun’s location and approached him. As if intending to startle the kid, he moved with stealthy steps, then stood behind him and poked the child’s cheek.

The child, who reacted to that touch, turned around, and he smiled brightly. Heeyoung gently swung the basket containing the books and said something to the child. At that, Cheonghyun stretched out both hands as if asking to be lifted up.

If it had been Gyojin, he would have said, ‘A man should know how to get up on his own,’ and roughly helped him up, but Heeyoung treated Cheonghyun like a baby and lifted his body into his arms.

That was not the end of it. He squatted down and dusted off Cheonghyun’s pants, and also neatened his messy hair.

After finishing that process, he wore a gentle smile as always, and Gyojin had a great realization from that sight of Heeyoung.

Ah, so that’s what it means for love to be contained in actions even without being said.

In the eyes with which Heeyoung looked at Cheonghyun, an immeasurably deep affection was filled. That was definitely the emotion of love.

Seeing that made his chest boil hotly. Because in his eyes, they looked just like a family.

Gyojin stood in that spot and endlessly captured the two’s sweet moment in his eyes.

🌿

As soon as they returned home, a voice engaged in a fierce argument was heard. Heeyoung, who had entered the front door in a good mood, was met with the coldly sunken air and sucked in a sharp breath.

“So where did you go!”

“Yo-younger Boss. Uhm, they just came in…”

Finally, as the sound of the front door closing rang out, the employee who was being hassled by Lee Seowon turned his head towards this side. His face was pale as if he had been tormented for a long time, and even his hands, clasped together to be polite, were trembling anxiously.

Of all the timings, why this. To think that Lee Seowon, who was said to be out, would have come in before them.

At the employee’s words, he who had turned around sharply spotted the three people standing at the entrance and crumpled his face into a frown.

This side was just as flustered. As the noticeably surprised Heeyoung stood there without even being able to take off his shoes, Gyojin quickly stepped forward.

He naturally sent his son and Heeyoung behind his back and faced Lee Seowon alone. His plan was to first get rid of that nuisance by sending him to his room, and then send Heeyoung and Cheonghyun up. Given Seowon’s personality, there was no way he would see this scene and just let it pass. So, he had to wrap up the situation neatly before voices were raised.

But Seowon did not give him a chance.

He, who had been staring blankly at the entrance, suddenly ran over and threw himself into Gyojin’s arms.

At the sudden event, Heeyoung was silently shocked. It was a moment when his head naturally turned away in bewilderment.

That’s right, those two… were lovers.

They were in a relationship where they could naturally hug without a second thought. But it was not an easy thing to watch that sight calmly. It was like the feeling of a friend who happened to be caught between a couple and had to endure the embarrassment alone. No, it was more bewildering than that, and somewhat unpleasant as well…

In any case, Heeyoung instinctively felt that he should not be involved here.

“Haa.”

In the meantime, a sigh of unknown meaning escaped from Gyojin’s mouth. Was he angry because he was suddenly hugged in front of the employees? From Heeyoung’s position, it was difficult to check Gyojin’s expression, so he did not know how the situation was unfolding.

Gyojin, showed not a single flinch. He just looked down at Seowon with eerily lowered eyes. He did not hug him back like a real lover, nor did he make a sly joke.

The atmosphere was somehow tense. Heeyoung hurriedly took off his shoes and took care of Cheonghyun. The fortunate thing was that the child was still sleepy. He had been nodding off in the car, and even now, as if his mind was hazy, he was holding his hand with a dazed look.

So, he took off the kid’s shoes for him and lifted Cheonghyun into his arms. Heeyoung quickly came out from behind Gyojin’s back and passed through the hallway.

Then, without even giving a glance towards Lee Seowon, he ran and disappeared like a mouse. He was in such a hurry that he forgot to say goodbye and scrambled away.

Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps faded, and the child and Heeyoung disappeared up the stairs.

Looking at that retreating back with a sense of futility, Gyojin ruthlessly pushed away the body of Lee Seowon, who was clinging to him persistently. As he forcefully pushed his shoulders, Seowon’s body staggered and fell away.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

When he chided him in a voice tinged with annoyance, Seowon, who had been glaring at Gyojin as if to kill him, rushed at him again. He wrapped his arms around Gyojin’s neck and stood on his tiptoes. And the moment he tilted his head slightly, trying to kiss him.

Gyojin, extending one finger, pushed Lee Seowon’s forehead hard.

It was not a simple act of playfulness. It was a gesture that openly showed his displeasure. Gyojin pushed with enough force to make Lee Seowon’s head snap back.

At that, Seowon let out a sorrowful voice, as if holding back tears.

“Did I do something I shouldn’t have?”

He chattered as if physical affection was perfectly natural, but from Gyojin’s perspective, it was baffling and sickening.

“That’s enough. Stop twisting the situation into a fucking mess. How many times do I have to tell you to live like you, damn it, don’t exist. Huh? Don’t make my mouth hurt. I’m running out of patience.”

I only let you in because of the appointment with the Chairman, I have no intention of getting along with you. Live like a dead mouse. When the period is over, leave quietly. These were words that had been driven home since the day Lee Seowon entered this house.

Whether he could not understand human speech, or if he was determined to be utterly sickening to the very end now that he was already on his bad side.

Gyojin, not wanting to exchange any more words, walked past Seowon indifferently. The place his feet naturally headed was the second floor, where Heeyoung and Cheonghyun would be.

No one was left in the hallway. Only Seowon stood alone, glaring at Gyojin’s retreating back.

“Ha, haha, fuck…”

Finally, Seowon’s fiercely upturned eyes rolled back. Bright red veins stood out on the whites of his eyes.

🌿

Splash!

A frail body was plunged unceremoniously into the cold, chilling water. At the act committed without a shred of warning, Heeyoung gasped, “Huk,” and flailed his arms and legs.

Because he had fallen forward, his feet did not immediately touch the ground, and he had to flounder several times. Bleach-laced water rushed into his wide-open mouth, which was craving oxygen, like a tsunami. It was agonizing.

“Ugh, pffft!”

Having finally stepped on the pool floor, Heeyoung straightened his upper body and coughed. Cough, hack, every time his solar plexus tightened, the pool water surged up and shot out of his mouth.

He took a moment to calm down, holding his stinging nose. His body began to tremble. It was only natural to be cold enough to freeze to death, having fallen into a swimming pool, and an outdoor one at that, in this cold weather.

Haa, every time he exhaled, white breath scattered into the air. Heeyoung swept back his wet hair and looked behind him.

The sight of Lee Seowon, who had pushed a person into the ice-cold water, continuing his leisurely stroll came into view. Dressed in a thick overcoat and even a fur scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, he was holding a steaming cup and taking a lap around the area before going back inside the house.

As if he had done nothing at all. So very shamelessly.

Heeyoung took a deep breath with a resigned face. He had silently done whatever Lee Seowon had ordered him to do until now, but he had not expected the petty harassment to grow this big.

In the first place, it was because of Lee Seowon that he had to clean the swimming pool in this weather.

Behind this house, there was a small pool that Gyojin had made for Cheonghyun. He heard that it was actively used in the summer, but since it was now the middle of winter, it was said to be left unused.

Although it was called a small pool, its size was not small, so he heard that the staff only managed it minimally every day until the big summer cleaning.

But this morning, Lee Seowon had called Heeyoung in and suddenly ordered him to drain the pool and clean it.

Heeyoung, who had nothing to do after sending Cheonghyun to school, had come out to the swimming pool as he was told and was just starting to drain the water. And as he was waiting for the water to drain, crouching by the edge of the pool, Lee Seowon, who had approached without a sound, had kicked Heeyoung’s back and pushed him in.

Heeyoung, his teeth chattering, came out of the pool and retched several times while lying face down on the grass.

Hack, hack, no matter how much water he had swallowed in that short time, every time he deliberately scratched his throat and coughed, bleach-laced water flowed out endlessly.

This was too much, even for him. If he had been unlucky, it could have been a very dangerous situation. Lee Seowon could not have done this without knowing that; he was malicious.

Somehow, it feels like the intensity of the harassment is getting stronger day by day. To be precise, it had been like this ever since he met Cha Gyojin at Ignis.

Heeyoung could now be certain. That Lee Seowon had definitely witnessed him and Cha Gyojin coming in drunk that day.

This kind of excessive harassment was carried out thoroughly only when the two of them were left alone. After watching for a while, Lee Seowon maintained a certain decorum in front of the staff. Although he acted picky and abused his power, he did not threaten him like he just did.

It was the same in front of Gyojin. In the first place, when Lee Seowon was with Cha Gyojin, he treated the staff like they were invisible. He neither harassed them nor asked for anything. Even if he called Heeyoung to his room during the day and ordered him around like a dog, when he was with Gyojin, he would feign innocence and act as if he were a stranger.

How could he be so two-faced.

Heeyoung, a mere employee and debtor, kept his mouth shut and endured whatever happened to him, but it was not that he was staying quiet because he wanted to be silent.

When Seowon, who was tormenting him, smiled brightly in front of Gyojin, he, being human too, would feel a surge of anger.

And even now, he could not suppress the welling emotion.

Heeyoung, his water-soaked body drooping and trembling, clenched his fists. Because he clenched his hands, scratching the grass forcefully with his fingertips, dirt got stuck under his fingernails.

It was dirty, and miserable.

Heeyoung suddenly recalled what Gyojin had said to him the other day. The words he had said as he arbitrarily took his phone and left his number.

‘What else would it be but to call if something happens? I’m saying I’ll solve it if you call.’

‘You can tattle on anything.’

A single teardrop fell onto the grass, which had turned yellow in places due to winter. Heeyoung, like a man possessed, fumbled in his pocket and slowly took out his phone.

When he tapped the screen twice, the lock screen thankfully appeared normally. He had thought it would be broken from being wet, so it was a relief.

Yes, today I’m going to tell the Boss. No matter how much of a ‘younger Boss’ Lee Seowon is, this was going too far. Since it was also clearly workplace harassment… it would not be strange to tell him everything.

However, Heeyoung, who had Gyojin’s number displayed on the screen, hesitated in front of the call button. Facing the eleven numbers that were utterly unfamiliar, it felt like his reason, which had escaped, was returning to its place.

Will anything change if I tell him. It’s not like I’m in any kind of relationship with the Boss. Putting everything aside, tattling that this happened, that happened, by going so far as to make a call is a little.

“Childish…”

In that moment, he suddenly lost all his strength, and all the will remaining in his body drained out through his feet. Heeyoung pushed his heavy body up.

If he sat there crying any longer, he would only make himself look more pathetic. Suppressing and locking away the wounds piled up in his heart was nothing to him. Heeyoung swallowed the humiliation he suffered today along with a heavy, lumpy sigh.

His throat tightened and his eyes stung, but after calmly swallowing his emotions, even that subsided.

Was it because he was hit by the wind while soaking wet? It was bone-chillingly cold.

🌿

The inside of the house was quiet. Lee Seowon seemed to be in his room, and Team Leader Jeong seemed to have gone out grocery shopping with the kitchen staff.

Heeyoung, who had quickly brought out a towel, wiped the trail of water that stretched from the entrance and headed to his room. He went straight into the bathroom, showered in warm water, and changed into new clothes. He thought he had warmed his body enough, but his skin was still cold.

Heeyoung, sitting with his knees drawn up, looked wistfully at the picture frame placed on the drawer. He never got tired of looking at the picture of his mom and younger brother every day. The more he looked, the more he just missed them.

“Cough!”

Even while coughing and rubbing his arms, his gaze was still fixed on the picture frame. In the past, he used to talk to himself a lot in front of the picture, but Heeyoung had long since stopped doing that. Because it was bitter to pathetically talk to it, knowing no reply would come back.

And sometimes, just looking at it quietly would make him feel lonely. It was a feeling of being comforted and lonely at the same time, a feeling of never being filled no matter how much you fill it.

It was when he was forcing the corners of his mouth up to soothe his melancholy.

Knock, knock.

The door opened at the same time as the knock. He could see Team Leader Jeong, holding a shopping basket in one hand, poking his head through the open doorway.

“Mr. Heeyoung, did you wash up? It’s almost time for Cheonghyun to come, and I didn’t see you, so I came to let you know.”

“Ah, I didn’t wash up, I just, haha… Has it gotten that late already?”

Heeyoung looked up and checked the clock on the wall. As Team Leader Jeong had said, Cheonghyun’s school dismissal time was approaching.

When Mr. Dongjae, who drove the child to and from school, arrived, he had to pick up Cheonghyun from the front of the house and bring him up. If the traffic was not bad, he could arrive more than 5 minutes early, so he had to hurry and get ready to go out.

“Thank you for letting me know, Team Leader. I’ll head out right away.”

Heeyoung, who got up from his spot, took out another thick shirt to wear, and over it, he put on a padded jacket whose down filling had deflated. It was because his body was shivering even though he had changed his clothes right after falling into the water. At least wearing clothes like this seemed to bring some warmth to his body.

After finishing his preparations within a minute, he immediately left the room. At that, Team Leader Jeong, who had been quietly watching Heeyoung’s preparation process, smiled benevolently and moved away from the door.

“Have a good trip.”

“Yes. Then I’ll be off!”

Heeyoung, who bowed his head in greeting, quickly left the hallway. Soon, the regular sound of footsteps going down the stairs faded, and not long after, the front door closed.

“…”

Meanwhile, Team Leader Jeong had not left from in front of Heeyoung’s room. Despite having a lot of work to do immediately, he stood in that spot like a stone statue.

The door to the room, which Heeyoung had not managed to close in his hurry to leave, was wide open.

Team Leader Jeong took in the scene of the room, which was laid bare. He was not just scanning it out of curiosity about how a person named Lee Heeyoung lived.

It was because something had been subtly bothering him for a while.

“Why is that…”

Where he looked, there was a mountain of laundry piled up. It was unlikely that Heeyoung, who was neat at housework, would pile something like that in his room.

Looking closely, the clothes and towel that Heeyoung had been wearing in the morning were soaked as if they had just been dipped in water and taken out.

Team Leader Jeong, after glancing around, outright invaded Heeyoung’s room and headed straight for the pile of laundry without hesitation.

When he picked up the wet clothes, he could feel a chill. It was not that a part of it was wet, but the entire garment was at a level of being completely soaked in water.

To say it was hand-washed, the clothes reeked of a fishy water smell. He could also vaguely sense something like a bleach smell. Looking closely, there were also remnants of crumbled leaves stuck to it.

Could it be…

Team Leader Jeong, frowning, put Heeyoung’s clothes back as they were and quietly left the room.

His hand naturally went to his back pocket. It was an act that had been trained into him by someone’s command and was completely ingrained in his body.

What he secretly took out was a cell phone.

“Yes, Boss. It’s not for any other reason, but…”