“Then please take care.”
Moon Jeonghun, who greeted Euiju respectfully, quickly disappeared.
J Entertainment building. Standing in front of the massive and splendid building, Euiju finally faced the important problem he had been putting off. A long sigh burst out from between his dry lips.
After learning about Roun’s illness, he had gone around with Euiyeon to raise funds in order not to rely on Jeong Gwangho. On top of that, because of the child’s condition of losing consciousness for several days and barely regaining it repeatedly, he didn’t even have the time to contact the company, let alone the mental capacity to come to work.
Euiju, who had been looking at his phone with hundreds of missed calls, closed his eyes.
‘What should I do……’
He had pondered endlessly all the way here. How to speak to that child without hurting him.
If it were just an ordinary relationship, it would be a matter of saying circumstances arose and he had to quit. But to Haeseong… it wasn’t an issue that could be spoken of so simply.
“Ahjussi. I’ve never been first to anyone until now.”
Haeseong was a child pushed to second place by both parents. A father who chose Haeseong’s younger brother instead of Haeseong, a mother who only looked at her husband instead of Haeseong.
How could he tell a child with such wounds that he was leaving him behind because of his younger sibling?
“Ahjussi. Don’t you like me more now too?”
It was a question Haeseong often asked when they spent time together just the two of them. There was no subject, but the target was always the same. Asking if he liked him more than his family, asking if he had become first place now too.
‘I have to leave.’
Euiju is leaving. Haeseong will be left alone, and right now there’s no one around the child to embrace the wounded child.
Euiju, who had been immersed in anguish, raised his head. He clenched his fist as if making some kind of promise to himself.
Passersby looked strangely at Euiju standing in the middle of the street. Only after letting out a deep, long sigh did he move his steps.
“Lee Euiju-ssi. Are you joking right now?”
Park Hyeonju, who faced Lee Euiju after several days, had a terrifying face. Four days of unauthorized absence was naturally something that would anger a superior regardless of the circumstances, so Euiju’s head naturally dropped.
“I have no excuse.”
“Even so, this isn’t right. After working so well, does it make sense to suddenly notify us like this? Are you saying Lee Euiju-ssi doesn’t even know business ethics?”
“……”
“What on earth is the reason? It’s not like we gave you poor compensation, so how can you come out like this? You know Haeseong follows Euiju-ssi well. You know best that it’s an important time with a movie coming up soon, so why are you doing this?”
It was sharp and harsh scolding, but there was no change in the expression of the one listening to it. He just silently bowed his head with a detached face.
After a brief silence, Euiju took out what he had prepared. He carefully placed it on the desk.
“Please process this.”
It was a resignation letter contained in an envelope. Park Hyeonju’s face crumpled drastically.
“No. You have to at least work until the movie filming is over—how can you suddenly quit like this? It looked like you cherished Haeseong, but was it all a lie? I had such a good impression of you.”
Park Hyeonju’s nagging continued endlessly. As much as he had worked sincerely and meticulously, her disappointment seemed great.
“The kid follows you so well, yet you’re so cold-hearted……”
That’s when it happened.
Bang—!
The door opened violently and made a loud sound. Park Hyeonju’s head instantly turned.
It was the actor and manager meeting after several days. Haeseong, who they thought would be extremely angry, seemed calmer than expected. No, emotions didn’t show on his face. As if he were doing his main job.
“Get out.”
“Oh my, Haeseong-ah. Calm down a bit. Okay?”
Kim Jaeho, who had followed in together, was restless.
“Everyone get out except ahjussi.”
At those words, Park Hyeonju and Kim Jaeho’s gazes intertwined.
From several days ago, Haeseong hadn’t eaten meals, hadn’t slept properly, and yesterday he didn’t even go home but waited for Lee Euiju throughout the dawn. He had been continuously waiting for Lee Euiju and went to wash briefly when Euiju arrived, so it was understandable that he’d be extremely excited.
When Park Hyeonju made a small chin gesture, Kim Jaeho nodded slightly. Knowing Haeseong who had been waiting only for Euiju since yesterday, they gave him space without saying more.
In the interior left with just the two of them, heavy silence hung.
Haeseong approached Euiju closely and grabbed his arm, forcefully turning him around. Euiju’s body turned powerlessly.
Their gazes intertwined for the first time. Now the difference in their eye level wasn’t as great, so Euiju’s head didn’t lower like before.
Euiju silently looked at Haeseong’s eyelids that were clearly swollen.
Had he cried all night? Since he had never seen them swollen like this before, pain as if his heart were being squeezed passed through. Moreover, what was with the state of his lower lip? There was a wound with a large scab formed on it.
“Why does ahjussi’s face look like this?”
With a surge of emotion, Euiju momentarily bit his lips.
That was exactly what he should be saying. Asking why his face had gotten so gaunt, asking if he had really slept well, asking why his lips were injured.
With unauthorized absence and no contact, he must have been very angry, but as soon as Haeseong saw his face, he first gave words of concern.
Euiju felt like crying.
“Why is your face so damaged? What on earth happened?”
“……”
He felt like tears might flow if he couldn’t hold back. Because he was breathing heavily, Euiju couldn’t answer. Haeseong’s eyes, watching Euiju standing silently, gradually changed.
“What’s the reason for quitting?”
“……”
“Are you sick of me? Because I… treated ahjussi carelessly.”
Again, Haeseong seemed to be blaming everything on himself. Euiju urgently opened his mouth.
“It’s not like that.”
When Euiju kept not making eye contact, Haeseong moved his body to where Euiju’s gaze was directed. However, Euiju just turned his head to the opposite side.
When this unfunny trickery was performed several times, Haeseong finally got worked up.
“Ha, fuck.”
“……”
“What do you mean it’s not when you can’t say one proper reason? It’s because of me. Because I, because I cursed that time, right? Because I ignored ahjussi in Jeju Island, because I avoided ahjussi! Say the reason for leaving properly. Just say that I became shitty like other people!”
Euiju, who had been avoiding Haeseong’s gaze, slowly raised his head. From his eyes where bloodshot faintly spread, only a whirlwind of the emotion called despair poured down.
Haeseong’s eyes, which met those eyes, began to widen.
“It’s not because of you. Just, just know that circumstances arose. When it’s resolved… I’ll come back.”
Euiju’s powerless voice, cracked with emotion, pierced into Haeseong’s ears.
“It’s not because of you. I have some matters… I need to go abroad temporarily. I’m not going forever. I’ll come back. So… wait for me just a little.”
Euiju truly didn’t want to leave Haeseong behind. He knew well that this child needed him right now, that the child had become deeply attached to him. He didn’t want to cruelly abandon him like his parents did. He truly, sincerely wanted to embrace him for a long time…….
But he couldn’t say he was putting him behind because of his younger sibling and leaving. He couldn’t give him a bigger wound.
“…I’ll go and come back. Wait for me, Haeseong-ah.”
At Euiju’s low words, Haeseong’s body instantly stiffened.
His manager was truly trying to go somewhere, leaving Haeseong behind.
Thud—!
Suddenly Haeseong pushed Euiju’s body violently. Euiju powerlessly stepped back several steps. The child’s face flushed as if about to burst with anger. Veins stood prominently on his neck and temples.
“Don’t talk bullshit. You said you’d keep staying. You said you’d stay with me until I’m all grown up! We even promised, so why are you suddenly acting crazy? What is it? Don’t beat around the bush and say the reason properly, fuck—!”
Thud, thud—!
Haeseong, unable to contain his excitement, struck Euiju’s chest wildly. Euiju just helplessly swayed at the rough touch. With bloodshot eyes, Haeseong’s chest violently swelled and deflated, clearly revealing his anger.
“What’s the reason? Why won’t you say it!”
Reaching the limit of his anger, Haeseong picked up a small flowerpot placed on one side of the desk and threw it strongly toward the wall.
Crash—!
His bad habit appeared again. At the sound of the flowerpot breaking, Park Hyeonju and Kim Jaeho, who had been waiting in front of the door, couldn’t wait any longer and burst in, opening the door.
“Do you think I’ll let ahjussi go just because you say you’re leaving like that? Not at all. Where are you going? I can just go. I can just follow you, so why won’t you say it!”
“Haeseong-ah. Calm down!”
“What on earth is the reason? Don’t keep your mouth shut and speak. Where are you trying to go! Fuck, move aside!”
Kim Jaeho blocked him, but Haeseong pushed strongly, causing him to roll powerlessly onto the sofa.
His head grew colder and colder with Haeseong’s rampage. If he didn’t act properly here, Haeseong might truly lose his reason and follow, or act extremely. Euiju, whose thoughts reached that far, coldly turned his body.
“…I’ll be going now.”
“Where are you trying to go?”
Haeseong roughly grabbed the arm of Euiju, who was turning away.
However, Euiju threw that arm off with all his strength.
At Euiju’s cold action, the noisy office interior was instantly enveloped in silence.
Haeseong’s hand, firmly rejected, dangled in midair. His eyes, as if he couldn’t believe it, were instantly stained with emptiness. Like a person who never expected Euiju to do this to him.
Haeseong, who had been quietly looking down at his rejected hand, raised his head. Euiju couldn’t bear to look at that face and turned his body, heading toward the door.
“…Don’t go.”
As if receiving a huge shock, Haeseong’s voice trembled like an aspen tree. At that voice, Euiju flinched. Haeseong took a step, trying to follow the departing Euiju.
“Ahjussi. Don’t, don’t go.”
Haeseong’s voice trembled miserably.
