The Unbelievers Chapter 13

“Can’t you just… then, can’t you just let the succession continue? Why did my father do that? What did he hate so much that he lived in hiding, as if his life depended on it?”

“…”

He set the drip kettle down. The coffee water passing through the filter paper gradually decreased until it finally fell in mere droplets.

He turned around and chose one of the cups from a large glass display case—one that looked expensive even at a glance—to pour the coffee. He smelled it as if appreciating the scent of the beans before savoring it slowly, sip by sip.

Eunseong watched the slow movement of the man’s Adam’s apple. The glowing wolf tattoo writhed along with the motion as he swallowed.

After setting down the half-empty coffee cup, Yoo Siun hooked a finger into his tie and pulled it down to loosen it.

“What on earth is it? What kind of work is so hard that you have to run away?”

“It is a very difficult task.”

“…”

“If it were any father with a son, they would have hated forcing such work on him.”

“What kind of work is it?”

“…Work so difficult it is hard to even explain. No, it is a distasteful task.”

“Just how difficult and hard is it? No, how difficult and distasteful? Don’t tell me… don’t tell me you kill people and things like that?”

“…”

“Is it really the kind of work where you have to kill people, scam them, and hit them?”

Eunseong’s eyes, filled with immense fear, were brimming with tears and trembling. They were the eyes of a boy his age who had never experienced such things nor even thought of them—eyes for which the most terrifying thing imaginable was merely death.

It was not an easy thing for Yoo Siun to face the eyes of a child who claimed to have plenty of part-time experience and to know the ways of the world, yet looked ready to cry at any moment.

He looked at Eunseong and slowly nodded his head. He was saying that it was that kind of work—that the position of heir required doing such terrible things if necessary.

“W-when? When do you have to kill people?”

“…Hmm, in about ten years?”

“What if I don’t want to do it? What if I can’t? What if I say I won’t be the heir?”

“You can run away. Just like your father did.”

“…”

Eunseong felt he understood why his father had made that choice. With his self-loathing and pity, he might have been able to hit his own child, but he could never have brought himself to kill others; moreover, with a heart as fragile as his father’s, it would have been impossible to pass that burden onto his child. That was why his father had abandoned the family and lived as a fugitive.

“Do I have to do that too?”

“…When the time comes to handle it, whether you like it or not, I suppose you’ll have to handle it.”

“I don’t want to do such a horrible thing. To go that far… I don’t want to be an heir or anything. I really hate that kind of thing. Even when Choi Jungeon said he took revenge for me, I was so shocked. I was truly scared.”

Eunseong had lived as one of the weak. Having been exposed to his father’s violence, he knew better than anyone the pain and suffering the weak endure. Therefore, he did not want to hurt anyone, nor could he.

Because he had never enjoyed luxury, he had no greed; because he had never possessed much, he felt no desire to possess more. Eunseong rejected it, saying he could not and did not want to do such a thing.

“You don’t want to do it?”

“Yes… I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t.”

“Pardon?”

“I brought you here to make sure you don’t have to do that. So I can block it for you.”

“…”

His father had said he was the only sane person in the family. That man was claiming he wouldn’t force Eunseong to do things like killing people—that in order to prevent such things from happening, he, not the father, had to be the one protecting Eunseong.

Only then could Eunseong clearly understand the words the man had been saying all along.

“Can you really block it, Mister?”

“I will do so. I won’t force you to do things you hate.”

“…”

He did not state his assurance with fierce determination. His tone and attitude were ordinary, as if he were discussing daily life.

As he finished his coffee, Yoo Siun asked as if he had just thought of it.

“Well, shall I give you something like orange juice? Or do you drink milk? There should be milk. Manager Nam likes lattes. We don’t have any carbonated drinks.”

It was an awkward question, likely coming from someone who had never suggested something to anyone Eunseong’s age before.

“No. I’m fine.”

“You can just live comfortably. If you want something to eat, it’s in the refrigerator, so just take it. If something isn’t there, tell Manager Nam and he will bring it to you.”

“…Is that person called Manager Nam something like a butler? Wealthy people have those, don’t they? Like a servant.”

“A servant?”

Yoo Siun burst into a laugh as if it were absurd. The smile appearing on a face that rarely smiled slightly eased the tension in Eunseong, who had been stiff in this unfamiliar place.

“The Manager would be quite offended if he heard that.”

He muttered to himself and laughed pointlessly at the thought of a servant again.

“Should I just stay here?”

“Yes, all you have to do is stay.”

“While going to school?”

“Since you’re a student, you should go to school.”

“…”

He was curious about what would happen after that. He wondered if he could live without any difficult or hard tasks just by attending school diligently under his 5th cousin’s protection and simply staying there—he wondered if that was really allowed.

The words sounded easy, but the reality seemed like it wouldn’t be.

While he felt relieved by the man’s words that he wouldn’t be forced into dangerous work, a sense of unease rose simultaneously. Seeing how his father had gone as far as running away, he guessed that the elders of the family on the other side would not be simple people who could be handled as easily as the man promised.

Since Yoo Siun demanded nothing, there was nothing more to ask. Standing awkwardly and staring at Yoo Siun in a stiff atmosphere where neither had anything left to say, Eunseong bowed his head quickly and left first.

Eunseong went out to the dining room at the sound of a knock telling him to eat. It was already dinner time. On the wide dining table, a meal was set for Eunseong alone.

“…Where is my 5th cousin?”

Eunseong asked Manager Nam. He had been told to tell him whatever he needed. While he wasn’t a servant-like existence, it seemed correct that he was something like a butler. Manager Nam stood watching the helper, who was busily moving between the table and the kitchen though there seemed to be nothing more to set.

“The Representative has gone out on business. You can dine alone today.”

“Okay…”

As Eunseong sat in the prepared seat, the housekeeper approached and glanced at him. When Eunseong met her eyes, he bowed his head in greeting. The helper also offered Eunseong a light greeting with her eyes. If his mother were alive, she would be around that age.

Eunseong had kept a wedding photo of his mother alone tucked between the pages of a book. He intended to buy a frame for it later. His father had told him almost nothing about his mother. Even without his father telling him, he could tell she was beautiful just by looking at the photo. To think only one wedding photo remained of such a beautiful mother.

His impulsive and weak father, unable to endure the pain of her absence from this world, had thrown away everything that could remind him of her. Even after throwing it all away, he regretted it. If Eunseong hadn’t accidentally discovered the torn half of the wedding photo and hidden it, he would never have been able to see it. Eunseong had kept it secretly, fearing his father might throw that away too.

I wonder if my 5th cousin knew my mother.

Since he was thirty-three now, if he had seen her while she was alive, he would have been about fourteen or fifteen.

“What are you thinking so hard about? Right in front of your food.”

Manager Nam asked Eunseong, who was holding his spoon and just staring blankly at the table.

“Ah, I just thought my 5th cousin might have seen my mom. I was going to ask him when he comes back later. Whether he’s ever seen my mom.”

“He probably hasn’t.”

“How do you know that, Manager?”

“Let’s just hurry and eat.”

Meanwhile, the helper brought the last bowl of soup and placed it on the table.

“Enjoy your meal.”

She said with a smile and turned away. This kind of lavish treatment felt so awkward and shy that he felt his body twisting.

“…Thank you for the meal.”

Eunseong greeted the already-turned helper and began the meal by taking a spoonful of soup. He thought he would be eating alone, but Manager Nam did not leave and watched Eunseong eat dinner in silence.

Why is he just staring like that while someone else eats? He said he wasn’t a servant, but it seems like he is.

From the person being watched, it couldn’t be anything but uncomfortable and burdensome. Becoming the heir of a conglomerate family was not as easy as he thought. However, if it was only this much discomfort, it was worth enduring. Eunseong thought of the few pennies he had received after being slapped on the cheek a while ago.

“Does the food suit your taste?”

The housekeeper asked as she brought infused tea. Manager Nam stood stiffly, monitoring Eunseong’s meal, but he did not block the conversation between the helper and Eunseong.

“Huh? Ah, yes, it’s really delicious.”

“If there’s anything you like, please tell me. I’ll prepare it.”

“I eat everything without being picky. Thank you.”

The helper, who gave Eunseong a kind smile, went into the kitchen. Eunseong needlessly checked Manager Nam’s expression. He continued his meal quietly, spooning rice into his mouth and chewing. Only the sounds of eating, drinking, and clinking filled the empty space.