KISS THE SCUMBAG Chapter 42

Yujin could not answer Winston’s question and simply hung his head. He might start crying again. Suddenly flustered, Winston hurriedly shouted.

“I’m here with you!”

Yujin, who had lowered his gaze in gloom, looked at Winston with wide, startled eyes at the sound of the young boy’s high-pitched voice. Encouraged by that look, Winston repeated the same words as if pledging them to himself this time.

“You can just be friends with me. Let’s do that, that’s all we need.”

Yujin felt bewildered by the boy, who even tapped his chest as if to tell him to trust him. However, Winston grabbed both of Yujin’s hands tightly, as if he didn’t care about Yujin’s reaction. Winston, who grasped Yujin’s hands even tighter when he tried to pull them away reflexively in surprise, looked into his face.

“From now on, I am your friend—your only one.”

He added the last part quietly. Winston didn’t want to share this beautiful angel with anyone. Affection tends to shrink when shared. Friendship is no different. He had learned that it, too, was a form of love.

“Friend…”

To the word Yujin repeated, Winston nodded and quickly continued.

“I’ll even teach you how to study. I can teach you everything, from math to Latin and Spanish. How about that?”

“Oh…”

Everything Winston said was enough to take Yujin’s breath away. Study? Me? When I can’t even go to school? Seeing Yujin’s evident confusion, Winston persisted.

“Many kids do homeschooling, so you can do the same. When you’re ready, you can take a high school equivalency exam. Then it’ll be no different from graduating from school.”

His logic was plausible. Very plausible. Yujin hesitated before opening his mouth cautiously.

“Um, but aren’t you going to study? You have to study, too…”

“Don’t worry. We can do it together.”

Winston tilted his head and smiled as if he had been waiting for that very question. Yujin’s heart began to thump and race. He had never wished for anything before. He had lived his life thinking that the mere act of having a desire was being greedy.

“Is it… really okay? Even if you teach me?”

“Yes, I told you it’s really okay. Trust me.”

Winston smiled brightly as he said that. Yujin no longer hid his joy and smiled along with him. What an incredible event this was. He had gained a friend who was even going to teach him to study. Could there be any greater joy? His heart swelled, and a natural flush rose to his cheeks. Yujin impulsively hugged Winston’s neck.

“Thank you, thank you… I will never forget this, thank you so much!”

Winston laughed happily and hugged him back at the excited shouting of Yujin, who repeated his thanks over and over. That was how it began for the two of them.

∞ ∞ ∞

With a loud thud, Yujin and Angela, who had been fast asleep, were startled and nearly fell out of the bed. Feeling relieved that no untoward accident had occurred, Yujin sighed and looked toward the front door a moment too late. The moment he saw the man standing in the doorway, Yujin’s eyes widened.

What is happening right now?

Something utterly unbelievable was unfolding before his eyes. This was a man who always wore perfectly tailored suits, complete with a vest. His hair was always neatly combed back without a single strand out of place; he usually wore egg-toe straight-tip dress shoes, and his demeanor was always overflowing with composure. With his tall height, handsome face, and confident attitude, he appeared completely flawless. He was the man who never made a mistake in anything, who was cautious and cool-headed—the very definition of perfection. Despite being the youngest, he had inherited the empire, and even the favoritism of his mother, who cherished him uniquely among all the children she had borne, was understandable. He was the man who had always seemed impeccable.

Surprisingly, that man was nowhere to be found. Yujin blinked blankly, his upper body half-raised from the bed. The man facing him was barefoot, and his legs, visible beneath a casually tied lounge robe, were also bare. His dark hair was a mess, a thick beard had grown quite long on his chin, and his sharp eyes—which had always calmly surveyed situations to reach optimal conclusions—were wide open in shock. The relaxed attitude that had always drawn admiration was nowhere to be found; instead, he stood panting, looking at Yujin with a deathly pale face. It was nothing short of a disaster. Who on earth was that?

Yujin swallowed hard and opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Winston, what… what is happening all of a sudden?”

He stuttered because he was so surprised. The shock was that great. Could someone have kidnapped Winston overnight and be impersonating him? Even such an absurd thought crossed his mind.

He waited nervously, and Winston, who had been blank for a while, finally came to his senses. Seeing his expression turn menacing, Yujin hurriedly covered the ears of the still-sleeping Angela with both hands. Then, Winston spat out in a rough voice.

“What are you doing in a place like this right now?”

Yujin was left with a blank expression at the unexpected words. It was surprising enough that the man appeared in such a state, but what on earth was he talking about?

“You’re the one who’s doing something—showing up out of the blue.”

Yujin asked in a low voice, careful not to wake his daughter. However, Winston glared at Yujin as if he didn’t care at all and hissed threateningly.

“Sneaking off without permission—don’t you remember what the contract says? Do you want me to remind you of each and every detail?”

Yujin didn’t understand why he was so angry. Unable to hold back his rising frustration, he snapped back.

“Isn’t it enough that I have sex with you? Do I have to sleep with you, too?”

Winston paused for a moment. Suddenly, silence fell. Winston opened his mouth at the sight of Yujin, who was glaring at him with his emotions laid bare, but instead of saying anything, he let out a short, incredulous gasp.

“Fine, let’s leave that aside for now.”

Yujin wanted to ask why he was glossing over it, but Winston spoke first.

“How on earth did you find a storage room like this? I didn’t even know there was a space like this in my house. Did you think I wouldn’t be able to find you if you hid in here?”

Yujin was nervous that his daughter might wake up and see this, but there was no way Winston would consider such a situation. I suppose that’s true. He thought to himself. Who in the world would dare stop Winston Campbell from doing what he wanted?

“Hide? Me?”

When Yujin asked back in disbelief, Winston furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes.

“Am I wrong?”

Winston surveyed the small room as if to emphasize his point. Even so, the cramped space didn’t require much time to observe. His gaze returned to Yujin’s face in less than three seconds, filled with accusation. As if to say, “Say something if you have something to say.” Of course, he had plenty to say.

“We’ve been staying here since the first time we came to this mansion. So why are you saying such things now?”

For the first time, Winston paused.

“…What did you say?”

He opened his mouth after a silence. Winston’s expression looked innocent, as if he truly knew nothing. But Yujin wasn’t fooled.

“We’ve been staying in this room since we first arrived here. So it’s only natural for us to come back here, isn’t it? Oh, did you not know? Well, now that you know, that’s that. Goodbye.”

It was his way of telling him to leave, but Winston didn’t budge. His gaze swept the room again. This time, he took a little longer, but even then, it only took a few seconds.

“You’re not implying that I deliberately shoved you both into a storage room like this, are you?”

Even if not deliberate, wasn’t he at least turning a blind eye to it? The thought crossed his mind, but he decided it didn’t matter. Angela was what was important right now.

“I’m not interested.”

“Not interested?”

Winston repeated Yujin’s cold remark. Yujin nodded, “Yeah,” and went on with a grimace.