There were barely ten mourners. They were all residents from the neighborhood who had come upon a call from the laundry lady, who had cared for Grandfather’s meals for a long time.
Yet, despite not being many, all the residents who had lived in the neighborhood for a long time mourned together, shedding tears and comforting Yigyeom. To the elderly residents of the neighborhood, it seemed even sadder that Yigyeom, who had just turned twenty, was left alone with the burden.
Watching the laundry lady, embracing Yigyeom and crying, Kwon Taejung felt fortunate that there were still people worrying about Yigyeom.
After the meal and spending a long time, when all the mourners had left, the hall became silent again. Yigyeom kneeled in a corner near the altar, staring blankly at the portrait.
“Would you like something to eat? You haven’t eaten anything today.”
Kwon Taejung brought a small bottle of grape juice and opened it, offering it to Yigyeom.
“Thank you.”
Yigyeom, who intended to refuse and not drink, took a sip of the juice considering Kwon Taejung’s concern. Both Yigyeom and Kwon Taejung hadn’t been eating properly for the past few days. Yigyeom had collapsed and received IV fluids, but Kwon Taejung had it even tougher without such help.
“Chief, please have something. If you continue like this, it’ll be a problem.”
“Okay, then let’s eat together. Even a few spoons. Okay?”
Yigyeom nodded, offering a faint smile. To hold it together and not fall apart, to not worry Grandfather solely in sadness, they needed strength.
Yigyeom got up and headed to the reception room with Kwon Taejung. Seeing the funeral company employee and asking about meal preparation, Kwon Taejung requested something mild. Soon, a meal was set with white rice and dried pollack soup in front of both of them.
“It might be too spicy. Eat slowly. Only what you can eat.”
“…Sure. Chief, please eat too.”
“Yeah.”
Though not having much appetite, Kwon Taejung knew they had to eat to encourage Yigyeom. So, they mixed some rice into the soup and took a few spoonfuls, encouraging Yigyeom to eat.
Fortunately, Yigyeom was also eating a little, mixing the rice into the soup. Kwon Taejung felt relieved seeing Yigyeom showing the will to eat.
Having visited funeral homes a few times during social activities, spending this much time with the altar and spending time with Yigyeom was a first. Although there had been family elders who had passed away when they were very young, Kwon Taejung hadn’t experienced organizing a funeral like this, so this place and atmosphere felt quite unfamiliar and challenging.
To others, his actions might be incomprehensible. They might perceive it as him arranging the funeral of a resident from a slum. No one dared to ask why he was doing this, but the residents who came to the funeral hall earlier could certainly feel that curiosity.
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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The funeral company employee tried to offer help at the awkward action, but Kwon Taejung assured them it was okay and asked everyone to leave for the day. Carrying two cups, he headed back to the funeral hall. He wanted to do at least this much for his beloved person who was locked in grief.
“Drink this.”
Yigyeom was still sitting there, staring only at the portrait. Kwon Taejung sat beside him and offered a paper cup.
“It’s hot, be careful.”
Taking the cup cautiously, Yigyeom hesitated for a moment, then took a sip of the hot coffee. It was sweeter and stronger than expected, perhaps because there was too little water.
“Did I put too little water? Isn’t this supposed to taste better when it’s stronger?”
“It’s good.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Nodding at Yigyeom, who took a sip of the coffee, Kwon Taejung felt somewhat relieved. The coffee was stronger than anticipated, but it wasn’t bad.
“You seem tired.”
“Well, to be honest, a bit. We’ve been like this for several days now. It’s only natural to feel tired.”
“Thank you for making Grandfather’s way easier, Chief. This excellent hospital, the room, treatment… and even the funeral, I couldn’t have managed any of this alone. Thanks to you, Grandfather was able to be comfortable until the end.”
Hearing Yigyeom’s sincere words, Kwon Taejung couldn’t help but sip the coffee. His actions didn’t seem significant enough to receive such gratitude.
“I care about you, and you’re someone important to Grandfather, whom I care about.”
“…”
“If Grandfather was struggling, it would be tough for you too. So, willingly doing this… it’s embarrassing to receive your thanks. I’m someone who does everything as long as I have money. I didn’t do much personally.”
“Even if you have a lot of money, if you don’t have the heart… you can’t do certain things. And even if you care… taking care of that family like it’s your own is really challenging.”
The fingertip holding the cup quivered. It was partly due to the hot coffee and partly because of Yigyeom’s sincerity. Kwon Taejung listened closely to Yigyeom’s voice spreading through the silent funeral hall after everyone had left for the day.
“I received good family education.”
Kwon Taejung shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. Seeing him like that, Yigyeom chuckled softly. After not seeing Yigyeom’s laughter for days, Kwon Taejung patted his head and lightly kissed Yigyeom’s reddened eyes, not finding anything odd about it.
“Oh, sorry for running the good mood.”
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed, startling Yigyeom, causing the cup in their hand to fall, splattering coffee everywhere. Kwon Taejung turned to see the source of the voice entering the funeral hall. It was Goo Daebom.
“Still, it’s fortunate I came not too late. Our debtor, who only piles up debts, came to pay his respects alone.”
Kwon Taejung stood up, buttoning his suit, and approached Goo Daebom.
“I didn’t expect you to come this far.”
“I didn’t expect to end up visiting a debt-ridden elderly person’s funeral either.”
“Hyung, watch your words a bit. It’s showing your lack of education.”
“Really? My bad. What can I do, learning from loan sharks. Isn’t that right? Taejung, I didn’t come here to see you. Mind stepping aside?”
“I don’t want to.”
Goo Daebom laughed sarcastically, blocking Yigyeom’s way and grabbed Kwon Taejung’s shoulder. In that moment, Kwon Taejung, with a face void of any laughter, grabbed the hand touching him and twisted his arm.
“Don’t you dare touch me.”
Shoving Goo Daebom to the ground, Kwon Taejung brushed off his hands as if repelled. Then, grabbing the trembling Yigyeom, he helped him up.
“Go to the room.”
“…And you, Chief?”
“I’ll clean up and come in later, so go ahead.”
Reassuring Yigyeom, Kwon Taejung gently guided them towards the reception room. Seeing this, Goo Daebom rose from the ground and approached threateningly.
“Hey, you! I heard you quit the cafe? Who shut it down without telling me? Changed your number too? Damn it. Playing games with me? Seriously? What the hell!”
Goo Daebom’s furious voice echoed through the funeral hall, his hand poised as if ready to strike at any moment. Looking at Goo Daebom, Yigyeom realized they had completely forgotten about him all this time.
He hadn’t thought about Goo Daebom when leaving the cafe, leaving Daramdong, or changing his phone. He hadn’t even considered that he might be upset if he couldn’t be contacted.
“…I’m sorry. I had something going on, so I didn’t think that far.”
“You didn’t think? You really can’t think, huh? You like playing dumb. Hey, what’s with you? What’s the deal? Now that you have Kwon Taejung, you’re all high and mighty? If that’s the case, you should have sold your body properly and paid off your debts. Can’t even use a chaebol’s son properly, huh?”
“…A chaebol’s son?”
Yigyeom’s eyes shook at the mention of a chaebol’s son. He couldn’t understand what Goo Daebom was saying. A chaebol’s son? Who?
“Hey, Yeon Yigyeom. Pretending you don’t know now? I’ve already said everything about cozying up to the youngest son of Taesung Corporation. Yeah, you should drop that half-and-half act.”
“…Taesung Corporation’s youngest son? Who is it?”
“Who else? Kwon Taejung, hanging around you. Hey, Yigyeom. Act better. You act damn well.”
As Kwon Taejung watched Goo Daebom’s appalling behavior, he took a step closer. Suddenly approached by Kwon Taejung, Goo Daebom hesitated and stepped back.
“Hey, if you’re gonna shout, at least know what you’re shouting about.”
“What? Hey?”
“It’s not Yigyeom I’m after, but what can I do about it?”
“…What?”
“If you’re upset, you’ll climb up the ladder to me, huh? It’s not just a one or two-time thing, is it?”
Kwon Taejung’s eyes, which had been contemplating whether to hit Goo Daebom, turned icy.
🫢🫢