Kwon Taejung was driving back when he abruptly turned around and rushed inside his parents’ house.He dashed into his parents’ room, who had gone to bed earlier, and acted cutesy in front of them. Even though he was an adult but talked like a kid, he was still the family’s youngest member, so his parents patted his head and Kwon Taejung kissed the backs of their hands before leaving the room. His older brother and sister were standing in the living room, holding beers.
“You are the best at acting like this without any shame. I mean, is father and mother even okay after what you just did?”
“Shall I do it for you as well?”
Kwon Kijoong had shivers after seeing Kwon Taejung throw him a kiss and flung the beer can at him. Kwon Taejung took the beer can and climbed the stairs to the top, where there was a study-like library built on a terrace. The terrace, which was put up to let guests rest or read books, was everyone’s favorite place in Kwon Taejung’s household.
“Ah, should I come back? Everything is okay, but I miss this place. I’m also bored without you guys.”
“Go and meet your friends then.”
“They are not fun. All they say when they see me, is that they saw the news. So these days, I only play around with the residents at the demolition village.”
“Residents?”
Kijoong stared at Kwon Taejung with interest, while Kwon Yoojung sipped her beer. Kwon Taejung then opened his beer and can, took a sip, and leaned back against his chair.
“The kid I’m keeping an eye on. The 20 year old kid.”
“Ah, the one who appeared on the broadcast?”
“Yeah. I will keep an eye on him as well as try to spend my time.”
Kwon Taejung, who remembered Yigeom, who thought he was a thug, took another sip of his beer and chuckled, as if it were something funny. He turned to face his siblings, who were staring back at him.
“Do you know that I’m a thug?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like I said. That kid thought I was a thug that came to attack the residents of that neighborhood. It was the first time that I heard such a thing.”
Kwon Yoojung and Kijung shook their heads as they chuckled at Kwon Taejung’s words. They recognized how the youngest, who had strong self-esteem and confidence, must have received it even though he didn’t express it verbally.
“But, living like a thug is better than I thought.”
“What are you talking about again?”
“You don’t have to be formal and you can say whatever you want without pretending. Even if I make a fuss about something, thugs do things like that so it really doesn’t matter.”
“So, don’t tell me, you’re going to continue pretending like a thug?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“But keep your distance. Be careful not to get attached.”
“Jinwoo said the same thing too.”
“He said the right thing. It’s really easy to get attached to someone. It happens without you even being aware of it. Three months is not that short a time.”
“Sis, I’ll never be up to anything like that. I have never grown close to Goo Daejin, even though I’ve been seeing him since I was a kid.”
As he remembered Goo Daejin, Goo Daebom’s face naturally sprang to mind, and as if it had irritated him, he took a chug of the remaining beer and then crushed the empty can.
“Also, why would I, of all, get close to a young boy? I am not interested. He is too young anyways. Kids are not my type.”
Kwon Taejung felt uncomfortable, as if he were lying despite the fact that he was saying the truth.
He tossed the crushed can to the floor and closed his eyes, the pleasant wing brushing across his cheek.
“…I’ll do as you say, Chief.”
As soon as the darkness engulfed him, Yigyeom’s voice came to his mind.
“…Please don’t let me get into trouble.”
Yigyeom’s eyes and voice, which were so desperate and tangled in his mind, buried themselves in his mind. With a jumbled head, Kwon Taejung opened his eyes and captured the dark sky deep within him.
“…”
The sky was the same as viewed from the demolition village. Yigyeom was under that sky. He squatted on the stairs, waiting for him despite the fact that he was later than expected, and offered him his lukewarm hot chocolate.
He also hid behind him when he was terrified, smiled and cried since hearing what he said made him feel better.Kwon Taejung was staring at the same sky as he was before.The sky, under which so many things happened, reminded him of Yigyeom.
“…”
This is fucking nuts, really. Let’s not think about useless stuff. Kwon Taejung shook his head, shaking off his thoughts, when he noticed his sister and brother merrily speaking about something near him, close to the chair.He turned his back on Yigyeom, who was progressively infesting his mind.
***
Yigyeom arrived home early on Sunday morning and discussed different topics with the caretaker who cared for his grandfather, feeling relieved that his grandfather ate more properly than before and was not bored all day.
Yigyeom used to be concerned about his grandfather, who seemed to be lying on his bed all day, and depressed since he had no one to talk to unless the laundry lady came by, but he now feels more at ease.
Kwon Taejung readily handled his problems, however Yigyeom couldn’t because he was in desperate need of money. The same thing happened when he hired a caregiver or gave his grandfather a TV for the room so he wouldn’t be bored during his time alone. Even the room, which had previously reeked of mold and old houses, smelt nicer.
“Yigyeom, are you going to be hard at work today too? Grandpa rarely has a chance to see your face.”
“I have to meet the Chief today. Also, I work moderately, grandpa. So, don’t worry and think about your health, okay?”
“Chief? If you meet him, let him know my gratitude. He’s a savior, savior. You can’t find people like him in this world.”
“Yes…I know. I’ll let him know. Do you want something to eat? I can bring it on my way home.”
“Don’t worry about this old man and if our puppy eats well, that’s enough. Eat properly, alright?”
While his grandfather became happier than before, he caressed Yigyeom’s back with his weak hands, and the latter smiled at him before leaving the room.
“…”
Yigyeom put on his old sneakers and pressed the portion where it bent for no apparent reason. During the last two years, Yigyeom thought he needed to buy one every day, but even the cheap sneakers were too much of a luxury for Yigyeom, so he couldn’t easily buy one for himself. That was because Yigyeom’s objective was to pay off the loan, no matter how small it was.
“…”
Yigyeom felt embarrassed by the tee he was wearing that day because it showed how old it was even after washing it clean, but after wearing it for a long time, the tee became a little mottled here and there as the colors faded. He stared at himself in the mirror and considered other clothes he could wear, but the clothes that popped into his mind were not much different, so there was no other option.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Ah…yes. Please take care of my grandpa. If something comes up, please contact me. I’ll come right away.”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
Yigyeom shook his head in response to the caretaker’s greeting.He couldn’t figure out why he was paying so close attention to something he had never paid attention to before.That’s why Yigyeom didn’t want to be given the opportunity to think about anything.
“You didn’t run away today.”
Kwon Taejung’s voice was the first to cross the gate as the caretaker entered and the gate was unlocked and opened halfway.Yugyeom quickly swiveled his head towards the gate in response to the voice.Kwon Taejung’s face could soon be seen through the door. Yigyeom stood with his hands clenched together for no explicable reason and pressed his fingertips together.
“Let’s go.”
Kwon Taejung motioned for Yigyeom to come out and then vanished outside the gate.
Yigyeom crossed the gate, looking down at his sneakers once more.
“…Hello.”
“Hm, hello. Did you sleep well?”
“…Yes.”
Chief, how about you? Yigyeom needed to shout out the words that were lingering inside his lips in order for the conversation to continue, but he lacked the guts to do so. Yigyeom and Kwon Taejung walked out of the alley quietly, swallowing the words he couldn’t speak in the end.The nice aroma from Kwon Taejung felt a little stronger that day. Yigyeom kept unknowingly looking towards Kwon Taejung.
“Did you have breakfast?”
“….No, not yet.”
“I didn’t, either. Then let’s go and have some brunch. There’s a brunch palace I like.”
Kwon Taejung smiled as he gazed down at Yigyeom, who appeared unsure.The sun, which had not yet fully risen due to the fact that it was a few hours before noon, bathed Kwon Taejung in its rays. Yigyeom smiled as he glanced blankly at the bright face. As he peered into his eyes, Kwon Taejung’s smile seeped into his heart and probed here and there.
“Do you like bread?”
“…”
“Yigyeom.”
“…yes?”
Yigyeom , who couldn’t listen because he was so fixated on Kwon Taejung’s face, came to his senses and looked into his eyes quickly.
“I asked, do you like bread?”
“Oh…yes.”
“Bacon or sausages?”
“…Yes, I like it.”
“Then, let’s have those, okay? The place is not at the level of the restaurant we went to yesterday, so it’ll be to your liking.”
Yigyeom took a glance at the black car parked outside the alley. That was a different car than the one he had ridden in the day before. Yigyeom had no idea what the car was named, but it was cool and suited Kwon Taejung well.
“Get on. It’ll take about an hour so as we drive there, we can think about what we could eat and do today.”
Yigyeom sat in the passenger seat, gently turning his head and looking around the vehicle. He felt all the cars were the same, but Taejung’s was obviously cooler than the others he saw on the road.
Cooler …. And from a real handsome pay…
yes very much so :))
Thanks :))