As True as a Dream Chapter 100

“No… I don’t know if there’s one more futon, but suddenly….”

 

Yi Ho raised an eyebrow at her, then stood up as if convinced.

 

‘Is he going to leave?’

 

“Okay. You don’t have to drive me. Get some rest.”

 

She stood there for a moment, watching the back of Yi Ho’s head as he walked away without looking at her.

 

‘…Did he leave because he had a goal? Because she didn’t put him to bed? But isn’t this house too cozy for him to sleep in?’

 

Even with a futon, it wasn’t as fluffy as a bed or couch, and washing up would be quite uncomfortable, as she’d have to fetch water from the yard.

 

She felt a little tight in her chest, wondering if she had hurt his feelings by thinking about the things that would make him uncomfortable.

 

It was then.

 

The wind was blowing outside, and she heard a dog barking in the distance.

 

The moment she was alone in the room, she stiffened and stared out the window.

 

It was then.

 

Thump, thump, thump!

 

There was a pounding on the door.

 

Hae-Joo reflexively went to the door and flung it open.

 

There stood Yi Ho, who hadn’t left yet.

 

‘I knew it,’ she thought, ‘I can’t sleep when the wind rattles the window.’

 

She couldn’t say anything to the relief that washed over her as soon as she saw his face.

 

“Am I really going?”

 

“…I’ll give you the thick futon, your bed is better than it, but it’ll be okay.”

 

It was only now that Hae-Joo realized what he meant by staying.

 

His thoughts were obscene.

 

A few moments later.

 

Hae-Joo squatted in front of the courtyard water fountain and did a quick wash, then came in and spread a thick quilt in the room and placed a mug on it.

 

Then, with an arm’s length or so between them, she spread a thin quilt on the floor for covering and rolled up a thick piece of clothing and placed it in the center as a pillow.

 

Soon, Yi Ho entered the room, wiping his face with a towel.

 

Hae-Joo glanced at him as he ruffled his hair.

 

Yi Ho immediately sat down on the thin futon.

 

“Uh, boss, not there, but here…” she said.

 

“I can lie here, or you and I can lie over there, just pick one.”

 

While she hesitated, he took off his suit jacket and set it aside, then lay on his side in his seat, propping his head up with his hands and looking at her.

 

“Lie down, we’re not going to do anything more today.”

 

She turned off the light and lay down on the thick futon, stunned by the power in his demeanor.

 

She was plunged into darkness, except for the faint moonlight streaming in from the cloth-covered window.

 

Hae-Joo lay with her head in her hands, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes.

 

She felt no movement near him, so she turned away.

 

She could only make out the vague outline of Yi Ho, but she couldn’t tell if he was still looking at her or if he had turned over.

 

Her eyes darting around, Hae-Joo quietly turned over and lay on her stomach.

 

Then she quietly looked toward Yi Ho.

 

After a while, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she could see her surroundings a little more clearly than before.

 

He was lying directly toward the ceiling.

 

The sight of his face, white and glowing in the darkness, reminded her of the day she first saw him in the empty cemetery.

 

He was the man she’d said goodbye to as she shoved his old money into her pocket, unaware that he would become the most important person in her life.

 

One thing after another filled her mind.

 

The reunion at his house, in the grassy yard, the moment he appeared in the spare room wearing a fox mask, and the help she received on the train…

 

Hae-Joo didn’t know how long she stared at Yi Ho’s beautiful face, mesmerized.

 

Suddenly, his voice broke through the silence.

 

“Happy birthday, Hae-Joo.”

 

She was stunned by his unexpected words.

 

For the longest time, she thought he was asleep.

 

He hadn’t moved after staring at her for so long.

 

Slowly, he opened his eyes and turned toward her, staring into her unfathomable depths and smiling wistfully.

 

“June 2nd. That’s the day you were born.”

 

Hae-Joo blinked stupidly.

 

It was midnight.

 

“Happy birthday! Hae-Joo, you little girl, your father is sad! I’m a year older!”

 

She remembered her stepfather, Yangbu, banging the door open and shouting at the top of his lungs.

 

He’s been like that since she was a little girl.

 

He would keep her up until midnight and only let her sleep after he wished her a happy birthday.

 

When Hae-Joo was very young, she thought his behavior was annoying, but as she grew older, she laughed because she understood his desire to be the first one to make her happy.

 

After Yangbu passed away, Hae-Joo thought it wouldn’t happen anymore.

 

It was there.

 

Someone who would say these things to her as soon as the clock struck midnight.

 

Once again, this man made the tip of her nose twitch.

 

“Thank you for surviving all this time, for showing up in front of me, for being born.”

 

“How… did you know?”

 

She’d never told him about her birthday before.

 

It wasn’t intentional, but it just happened.

 

So his words made her heart swell inside her chest.

 

“Because Mister Hongo is competent.”

 

Hae-Joo’s mouth dropped open, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sudden presence of Mister Hongo.

 

That’s when Yi Ho grabbed her hand from where it lay on the futon.

 

When she flinched, he groped her fingers roughly, then slipped something onto her ring finger and let go.

 

She glanced down at her own hand at the feel of it against her fingers.

 

She could see the jewelry, glinting brightly in the darkness.

 

“Is this…?”

 

“You like shiny, expensive things.”

 

Turning toward her and supporting her head with his hand, Yi Ho said with a smirk on his face.

 

Hae-Joo caressed the gem on the ring.

 

If her eyes were right, it was a diamond.

 

Sometimes, when she was looking for jewelry, she would wander through the accessories section of the department store.

 

She had seen this ring there before.

 

“This… this is too expensive….”

 

“It’s a bribe.”

 

When she mumbles in disbelief at the diamond on her finger, Yi Ho adds.

 

“Now, no matter what happens, you can’t run away. Do you understand?”

 

“Why would I run away?”

 

“…Because you don’t know what happens to people.”

 

Yi Ho’s voice softened slightly, but Hae-Joo didn’t notice.

 

Unable to decipher the meaning behind his words, Hae-Joo looked at the ring and Yi Ho alternately as if mesmerized, then asked Yi Ho.

 

“When’s the boss’s birthday?”

 

“I don’t know. I forgot.”

 

Hae-Joo, who had been wondering what gift she should get him, was dumbfounded.

 

‘He forgot his birthday? Was he too busy? Or had he lost all of his blood relatives to celebrate his birthday?’

 

Hae-Joo fiddled with the ring in her hand and then asked cautiously.

 

“What were your parents like, do you remember?”

 

Just yesterday, she had realized she knew less about him than she thought.

 

She opened her mouth, thinking this was her chance, but no matter how long she waited, there was no answer.

 

Instead, he just looked away from her.

 

Hae-Joo felt strangely uncomfortable.

 

‘Was this really a topic that deserved this much time?’

 

“…I don’t remember. I’ve never seen either of them.”

 

Hae-Joo was speechless again.

 

“…What do you mean, you’ve never seen them? But Song Yue has…”

 

“Yes. The woman who gave birth to me died shortly after I was born, and as for my father… I only heard about him through rumors.”

 

Hae-Joo was dumbfounded, his words not making sense.

 

The truth was that the Ban clan, the owners of Song Yue Pavilion, were shrouded in mystery.

 

Its roots were said to be traceable back hundreds of years, but in recent generations, it had been shrouded in secrecy.

 

He’d never met his parents.

 

‘Wasn’t his illness supposed to be hereditary? Could it be the disease?’

 

The more she listened, the more questions filled her head.

 

She wanted to ask him what he meant, point by point, but her jaw dropped again when she saw his complexion sagging slightly.

 

But she was curious.

 

About this man, Ban Yi Ho.

 

Hae-Joo pursed her lips again and again.

 

She was torn between wanting to ask and hesitating for fear of hurting his feelings.

 

‘Would he tell her someday, when their relationship grew deeper, when they spent more time together?’

 

“…Did you really forget about your birthday?”

 

“You want to know?”

 

Yi Ho asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement, and Hae-Joo nodded with a look that said it was obvious.

 

“I want to tell you too.”

 

“Tell you what?”

 

“Boss, happy birthday, thank you for being born, thank you for surviving this long and showing up in front of me, and…”

 

The smile on Yi Ho’s face faded as she finished her sentence.

 

For some reason, his brow tightened, and then he averted his gaze from her, silent as if he was thinking about something.

 

Hae-Joo was dumbfounded.

 

She wondered if she had said something wrong.