“What do you think would be most needed when a younger sibling you raised like your own child falls ill? For a poor person who lived as the lower class of society, I mean.”
Haeseong seemed uninterested in whatever his aunt was blabbering about. He simply lifted his bleeding hand indifferently and just watched with interest as blood droplets fell drip, drip onto the floor.
“Lee Euiju demanded money from me.”
As soon as Jin Yeongseol finished speaking, a fishy sneer hung on his handsome lips. It was an indifferent attitude as if it wasn’t even laughable.
“Shut up.”
His rude speech habit was the same as 2 years ago and now, but even if the tone was the same, his voice was now no different from that of an adult man. Jin Yeongseol, as if she knew he would react that way, turned her head and gestured with her chin to the person standing behind.
“Secretary Kim.”
At Jin Yeongseol’s call, he took out a document from the envelope he was holding and placed it on the table in front of Haeseong.
“Check it. It’s written in detail how much Lee Euiju received from me, when, and how.”
Subtle cracks began to appear on Haeseong’s unchanged face. At the cruel words piercing into his ears, a chillingly sharp coldness gradually began to emanate from Haeseong’s face.
“At that time, you were following that friend excessively. Smart you would have followed him by any means. As a guardian, I had a duty to stop that.”
“…”
“I wanted Lee Euiju to leave your side immediately. He demanded money, and I had the ability to resolve that. The contract was naturally concluded.”
Haeseong, who had bolted up from his seat, approached Jin Yeongseol threateningly. His eyes, concentrated with murderous intent, unaware that glass shards were embedding in his bare feet, turned toward his aunt. Secretary Kim quickly blocked Jin Yeongseol’s front at the threatening behavior.
“Shut that mouth.”
“Why? Do you think everything I say will be a lie? Do you think that bastard is some kind of saint? From the beginning, you were the one who excessively followed a manager who came in to earn money. That bastard’s purpose was money from the start, and you were the one who knew that nature well. When you’ve been threatening managers with leashes all this time, what’s so different about that bastard that you’re living in this state, this mess!”
The confrontation between Jin Yeongseol, red with heat, and Jin Haeseong glaring menacingly at such an aunt continued for some time. The sharp air that had reached its peak enveloped the surroundings.
“If you’re going to pull tricks, go act crazy somewhere else.”
A low voice pierced the silence. Terrible murderous intent, as if about to tear apart the person before him at any moment, threatened Jin Yeongseol.
Jin Yeongseol picked up the paper on the table and held it out to Jin Haeseong. Haeseong didn’t even glance at the extended paper and just glared at her.
“I’m curious if you can still babble that bastard is different from other bastards even after seeing this.”
“…”
“Fine. Don’t look if you don’t want to. But I want to ask. You, can you contact that bastard?”
“…”
An unintentionally long silence continued. Jin Haeseong, who had been quietly glaring at Jin Yeongseol, roughly snatched the document she held out. The stiff paper gradually turned red, stained by his blood-covered hands.
Haeseong’s pupils began to rapidly scan the contents. Jin Yeongseol keenly noticed his fingertips gradually trembling finely.
It had been almost 2 years since Lee Euiju abandoned the child and cut off contact. Even if unconditional trust had been formed, a long time had passed, and Jin Haeseong thought he had been abandoned by Lee Euiju.
A cruel smile hung on her lips.
Since she had shoved evidence in his face, no matter how stubborn a person might be, there was no way he wouldn’t waver.
“Isn’t it a waste to be like this because of such trash-like person?”
Darkly rippling pupils looked directly at Jin Yeongseol. Thanks to Haeseong’s stature that had now grown superiorly, Jin Yeongseol had to crane her neck considerably and look up at him, but there was no way the experienced Jin Yeongseol couldn’t notice the sense of betrayal, anger, and deep sadness gradually filling his pupils. She didn’t miss the opportunity and continued speaking.
“You must have heard the news that World Pictures recruited Charlie last month. The tiger has gained wings, and gloriously, the actor that director wants for his next work is you, Jin Haeseong. You know well what I mean.”
World Pictures was one of the most successful film production companies in Hollywood. It was famous for sparing no expense in production costs once film production began, so the quality of the movies released was exceptional. If a film was produced there, it could become one of the globally noticed films.
“…”
“Start working again. I’m saying to properly give a blow to the person who abandoned you and went to America. What will improve if you continue in this shabby state? I’m saying don’t show the sight of being ruined because of that bastard.”
The red blood that continued to flow without stopping stained the corner of the document Haeseong was holding intensely red. Jin Haeseong, whose bloodshot eyes had lost even the light that had at least existed, stared at the document with unfocused pupils.
Seeing her nephew collapse again was not a particularly pleasant scene, but Jin Yeongseol acted shamelessly. She continued to list reasons why he should return and cursed Lee Euiju, pouring out her discourse.
Haeseong couldn’t hear any of that at all.
The emotion of loneliness that he realized only after it disappeared, that he faced belatedly, gnawed at Haeseong. The only person who patted him, who hugged him, had disappeared. He had broken down because the person he had properly liked for the first time in his life, the only person he could lean on, had disappeared. He suffered from insomnia, became even more sensitive than before, and his wickedness worsened day by day.
Haeseong had been stuck in his room for nearly 2 years, thinking and thinking again.
‘Why did he abandon me?’
—Now don’t be anxious and trust me. Ahjussi also likes Haeseong now. Haeseong said he couldn’t live without me even though I’m not family, right? Can’t you think of me as being the same?
Why did such a person cut off contact and leave so coldly? Wasn’t there a separate reason he couldn’t contact him? No matter how precious family was, because he wasn’t the type of person to unilaterally cut off contact with him, for 2 years Haeseong endlessly threw at himself questions he could absolutely never answer alone.
—I’ve already solved the money problem myself, so you don’t need to worry, Haeseong.
Lee Euiju was poor. After losing his parents, he struggled alone to feed his young siblings and disabled noona. He understood leaving unavoidably because of his younger sibling, but cutting off contact completely was something he couldn’t understand no matter how much he thought about it.
He always had doubts. He wasn’t someone who would joke around with family, so how did he manage to prepare such a large sum of money?
Haeseong raised his head and stared at Jin Yeongseol, who was saying something. He recalled again what she had said earlier.
—Lee Euiju demanded money from me.
In the end, Lee Euiju had exchanged him for money. No different from other adults.
“Haha…”
Haeseong’s appearance, letting out a derisive laugh as if his soul had departed, seemed like someone who had faced what they expected, and also looked futile like someone who had faced a truth they’d been avoiding. Seeing it right before her eyes, a smile of victory carefully hung on Jin Yeongseol’s lips.
‘It worked.’
Jin Haeseong bit the bait exactly as thrown. The faith that had wandered without a place to stay for 2 years was properly wavering at just a few sheets of paper and a few words.
‘A young child is a young child.’
Anyway, even if Lee Euiju entered Korea, she had piled threat upon threat so he wouldn’t appear before Jin Haeseong, so it didn’t matter how he was slandered. If only her nephew could come to his senses with this, she was someone who could do worse things.
Since it didn’t matter what was pinned on a bastard who wouldn’t appear in the future, it was truly a method where both sides benefited.
“If you proceed with this film, you can make your name known again not only in Korea but also in America. Then that bastard will also hear news of you. Not this pathetically pitiful appearance, but as Jin Haeseong who became an adult and successfully made a comeback.”
“…”
“Then I’ll be going. I’ll arrange a meeting with Charlie Harris sometime next week, so please come to your senses.”
Jin Yeongseol, who kicked away the miscellaneous items blocking her feet carelessly, turned around and left the room with Secretary Kim.
The child just stood there dumbfounded, surrounded by terrible despair that seemed to make him lose his mind. He stood like that for a long time, unaware that blood was seeping from his feet, thoroughly soaking the floor.
“How can you go this far?”
Having heard all the conversation inside, Kim Jaeho was reddening his face and barely suppressing his anger. Jin Yeongseol, who scanned the reddened face as if it was laughable, wore a sneer.
“Now that things have turned out this way, we need to make the line clear, Team Leader Kim.”
“…”
“I’ll raise your compensation again. You know best what happens if you run your mouth. If you received big money to skillfully manipulate the kid, somehow make him come out to the meeting next week.”
Jin Yeongseol, who spoke coldly, turned around coldly as if she had finished all her business. At the same time, a loud roar began to be heard from inside the room again.
Bang—!
At Haeseong’s rampage that had started again, Kim Jaeho’s eyes squeezed shut. Guilt, indebtedness, all kinds of things rolled around messily in his head. The roar heard from inside terribly tormented the mind of Kim Jaeho, who had become a sinner, plunging him into confusion.
Kim Jaeho recalled the letters that would be carefully kept in his home closet. Should he bring those to the child even now? Even thinking until his head burst, he couldn’t easily reach a conclusion.
—I trust you’ll do well. You know well that I only trust you, right?
Kim Jaeho, recalling the proposal Jin Yeongseol had made in the past, bit his lower lip painfully as if in agony. Heavy sins dripped from each of his footsteps as he moved away, leaving behind the room where the rampage continued.
***
The hot sunlight shining down reflected off the glass window, spreading a strange rainbow of colors into the air. The red leaves of the amaryllis planted below the window frame stretched out their stamens to absorb the warm sunlight.
The hot California sunlight made the deliberately planted flowers even more vibrant. From the gate to the house entrance, gray flagstones were laid, and on both sides of the stones, pretty flowers were planted. It was a landscape that seemed to contain a wish to make the mood of anyone entering through the gate even better.
Moon Jeonghun, who had finished parking in the garage, entered the yard through the back door. It was full of the sour and salty smell of grass as if weeding was in progress, and in the middle of the yard, three siblings were struggling with a lawnmower.
Unlike 3 years ago, the boy who had grown considerably grabbed the man’s top, pestering for something. It was a moment when the smooth nape and shoulder line of the man, more tanned than when he was in Korea, were helplessly revealed. Flustered by what happened in an instant, Moon Jeonghun whipped his head around.
He killed the sound of his footsteps to approach without being caught by them. The three siblings, unaware that Moon Jeonghun had appeared, seemed to be having a headache over the unfamiliar weeding work, discussing quite seriously.
Moon Jeonghun couldn’t hide his rising mouth corners and watched them for a long time. Seeing them struggling for a long while without realizing the lawnmower had run out of fuel made him chuckle.
It was when Moon Jeonghun, unable to watch anymore, was about to call them. The man, sensing a presence, noticed Moon Jeonghun’s existence first and turned around.
“Hyung. When did you arrive?”
Moon Jeonghun’s steps approaching them suddenly stopped.
Because on Euiju’s lips, a faint but clear arc was drawn. His brilliant smile that couldn’t be seen at all for over 3 years.
