“Jin Haeseong, you… do you even know what you’re saying right now?”
Until now, he’d made things difficult for many people with his tremendous temper, but not once had he ever said he would quit acting. Even when his younger brother abandoned his child and fled to America, even when his mother died and was placed in an ossuary, he’d been in despair, but he’d never said he would quit acting.
He was a child who received the public’s love and openly enjoyed it. And yet, for the first time, those words came out of his mouth—that he would quit.
“I’m quitting everything and following ahjussi. Can’t you understand what I’m saying?”
The arrogant and disrespectful attitude of her nephew seemed even more insolent now that his body had grown. His posture with his chin raised and arms crossed was not the way to treat an adult, no, a family member.
“Are you throwing this tantrum right now just to follow some manager?”
“That ahjussi is someone who’ll leave no matter what it takes. I need him too, so I’m just following him.”
It was undoubtedly a thoughtless idea and statement. Jin Yeongseol, who hadn’t thought Haeseong—who usually acted shrewd and cunning—could come out acting so stupidly, pressed her forehead as if tired.
“Stop with that ridiculous idea. Quit acting and follow him? When his younger brother is sick, do you think he’ll have time to pay attention to you? I thought you were smart, but how can you act so stupidly?”
“……”
“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear you say you’d quit. Hey, Team Leader Kim. Reschedule the meeting with Director Kim Seongwon. I’ll go myself and……”
“Hahaha.”
Laughter burst from Haeseong as his head slowly lifted. The surrounding noise that had been unsettled subsided and the air around them became calm. A pleasing arc slowly formed on his handsome lips that now exuded masculinity.
“If I leave, you’re worried you won’t be able to make money off me. Aunt.”
“……What?”
“You used the excuse of letting me meet my dad to get a kid in the door and worked him this hard—you should know when to let go now.”
“……”
“You didn’t really think I’d naively listen to you like before, did you? Those good times are long gone.”
Haeseong’s sharp gaze swept past as if piercing through Jin Yeongseol’s inner thoughts. Jin Yeongseol’s body instantly tensed up with nervousness.
As if he’d said everything he needed to, Haeseong turned around. Jin Yeongseol, who’d been stunned by her nephew’s sharp words, suddenly snorted derisively.
‘That young bastard dares……’
He was a child who would have lived as an orphan if his mother died, since his own younger brother had abandoned him and flew overseas. She’d brought in and raised a child who couldn’t even be called a bastard child, made him into a great actor, and this was how he treated his aunt in the end.
“Jin Haeseong. You seem to have forgotten that you’re still a minor. Without my consent as your guardian, you can’t even leave the country, and you won’t have free access to funds either. What will you do?”
At those words, Haeseong let out a scoffing laugh as if he’d been waiting for it. It was a laugh as if he’d anticipated Jin Yeongseol would come at him like this.
“Is that so? Then……”
Haeseong only turned his head and muttered something toward Jin Yeongseol. The faces of Jin Yeongseol and Kim Jaeho, who heard those words clearly, began to be colored with shock.
“When the article comes out, please handle it well.”
“What did he just…… Hey, Jin Haeseong, you bastard, stop right there! I said stop!”
Jin Yeongseol’s scream, as if tearing, filled the spacious living room. Haeseong walked toward the entrance without hesitation. The remaining Jin Yeongseol and Kim Jaeho stared blankly with dumbfounded faces.
***
“…Yes. Then I’ll do that. Thank you for all your hard work.”
[Not at all. I’m honored to be able to help Euiju-ssi like this. I look forward to working with you in the future. Have you packed all your luggage?]
“I just need to go home today and finish organizing the rest.”
A week had passed. Since Euiyeon and Euiju ran around on foot to solve the urgent paperwork issues, they were able to finish organizing quickly, and they resolved the complicated and laborious parts like emergency passport issuance through Moon Jeonghun.
“Whew……”
In the end, Euiyeon and Euiju decided to accept Moon Jeonghun’s help.
Although Euiju’s education level was high, his English skills weren’t enough to live proficiently locally, and Euiyeon had also only studied briefly when taking the civil service exam, so the language problem weighed heavily on them. To smoothly resolve Roun’s hospital issues and the children’s school matters, it was an unavoidable choice. And.
-Euiju-ya. Don’t you remember?
When he told her that Moon Jeonghun had visited and mentioned Jenam Orphanage, Euiyeon was greatly surprised. After thinking about something carefully, as if she remembered, she asked Euiju if he didn’t remember instead.
-You liked him so much. You cried so much when that friend was going to be adopted overseas.
When they were young, their parents preferred to volunteer while going around various places in the area. Jenam Orphanage was one of them, and at the time, Euiyeon and Euiju became so close with the children at the orphanage that they went there often.
-I don’t remember, but…….
Euiyeon, who learned that he was someone they’d known in the past, recommended to Euiju that they accept his help, and Euiju also accepted somewhat reluctantly when he saw Euiyeon’s wariness dissolve.
Euiju took off the clothes of Roun, whose energy was increasingly depleted and who slept more and more. When he removed the clothes, a height and build smaller than the average for his age was revealed. He carefully handled the thin, slender body and meticulously wiped it down with a wet towel. It was a routine performed diligently twice a day.
“Euiju-ya.”
“Hm?”
He heard Euiyeon’s flustered voice from behind. Euiju, who’d been wringing out water, turned around with a puzzled look.
“Jin Haeseong called you?”
“Ah……”
He’d turned it on briefly for the call with Moon Jeonghun, and a call had already come. At the mention of Jin Haeseong, Euiju’s complexion changed rapidly and he turned his head in confusion. Euiyeon’s eyes narrowed as if gauging the situation.
“Answer it.”
“No.”
Now wasn’t the right time. After leaving Korea and settling down in America, once Roun’s treatment began, he would contact Haeseong. To say he was sorry, to ask him to wait just a little, to tell him not to be hurt because he hadn’t abandoned him.
The current Haeseong wouldn’t understand. Cutting off the child’s lingering attachment came first.
Euiju pretended not to notice and wiped Roun’s body, but Euiyeon tapped his back as if urging him.
“Lee Euiju. Answer it. You should say goodbye properly, shouldn’t you?”
“……”
“Tsk. Hurry up.”
At Euiyeon’s firm action, Euiju’s hand holding the wet towel dropped. After being lost in thought for a moment, Euiju eventually accepted the phone as if unable to resist.
He shouldn’t answer it, but seeing that Haeseong had actually called made his heart soften. After wavering over whether to answer or not, Euiju eventually pressed the call button.
“…Hello.”
[……]
“……”
As if he hadn’t expected him to answer, a surprised voice came from Haeseong on the other end. An awkward silence passed between the receivers.
Then.
[I’m sick.]
“What?”
[I said I’m sick.]
“……”
His voice, which was usually low and gentle, was completely cracked to the point where it didn’t even sound like his own voice. Shocked, Euiju dropped the wet towel he was holding on the floor.
“…Where does it hurt? Did you call the Team Leader?”
[I’m sick to death, so come to the house right now.]
Click. The call disconnected just like that.
Euiju’s hand, which had been blankly holding the disconnected phone, began to gradually tremble. Euiyeon, who had been silently watching the entire process from the side, pushed Euiju’s back.
“Euiju-ya. I’ll watch Roun, so go.”
“No. It’s okay.”
Euiju, who picked up the fallen wet towel, wiped Roun’s body with a hardened face. It wasn’t the gentle touch from before but somehow clumsy and stiff.
“Does that make you feel better? You couldn’t even say goodbye properly. Go, Euiju-ya.”
“……”
At Euiyeon’s persuasion, Euiju, lost in thought, eventually straightened his bent waist. Soon he quickly gathered his wallet and phone and said.
“S-sorry, noona. I’ll be back shortly.”
Euiju, who rushed out of the hospital quickly, went out to the main road and caught a taxi. He recited the address of Haeseong’s house, which he’d been coming and going to every day until recently, and nervously bit his lips.
Haeseong’s words might not be true. It might be a lie to call him out. However, he couldn’t ignore a child appealing to him like this. Like Euiyeon said, he wanted to say goodbye properly before leaving.
Euiju, who got out of the taxi, started running without delay. He passed the entrance, reached the elevator that required a card key, and pressed the numbers, sweating with nervousness. During the ride up, his heart pounded as if it would burst.
“Haeseong-ah!”
As soon as he entered the house, he called the child’s name. When he left the hallway, the living room was dim because the lights weren’t on, obstructing his view. Despite it being midday, all the windows were covered by blinds. Euiju relied on the faint light from the hallway and turned on the lights.
Then, a figure leaning against the sofa was revealed. It was Haeseong.
“Haeseong-ah. Are you okay?”
As Euiju approached, Haeseong’s head, which had been staring into space, lifted. Euiju’s eyes, facing Haeseong under the bright lighting, opened incredibly wide.
“You, your complexion……”
A face pale enough to be pitiful. Haeseong’s appearance had changed far too much from a week ago.
He’d lost a noticeable amount of weight in that time. It had been a face with some baby fat remaining due to his youthful features, but because he’d lost weight, his jawline had become noticeably sharp. Whether he hadn’t slept, his skin was more haggard than ever, and his lips were pale and chapped.
Flustered, Euiju sat next to Haeseong and placed his hand on his cheek. Haeseong’s gaze stickily followed Euiju’s face.
“Have you been sleeping properly all this time? Why have you lost so much weight. Hm?”
Euiju sadly caressed Haeseong’s cheek. Haeseong, staring at Euiju without blinking once, slightly rubbed his face against Euiju’s hand. Then, he let out a scoffing laugh.
It was unmistakably a sneer.
When Haeseong smacked away the hand that had been attached, Euiju’s hand fell limply.
Haeseong stood up from his seat as is and passed Euiju, heading toward the entrance to the hallway.
Like a person guarding a post, he leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms.
“You can’t leave from here now.”
“……What?”
“I said ahjussi can’t leave now.”
