Chapter 2
The first thing Hyungoh did after leaving the airport was take a deep breath while gazing up at the cloudless blue sky. He stretched lightly and smiled brightly with anticipation, his expression carefree.
He’d finally arrived.
This place, eleven hours away, was America—the land of opportunity with that famous saying about how whatever you do, happiness awaits at the end. Having grown up in a family of educators, Hyungoh considered himself somewhat fortunate to have decent conversational English after being subjected to intensive language education for eighteen years.
Still, he’d never once imagined he’d end up coming to America so suddenly like this. Hyungoh stroked the large carrier beside him and sighed.
His mother had passed away. Among the numerous mourners, not a single person volunteered to take in Hyungoh, who was still in high school. Having vaguely anticipated this, he’d been anxiously worrying alone about his money-hungry relatives potentially stealing his mother’s inheritance.
That’s when his uncle appeared like a comet. He readily agreed to take Hyungoh in and sent him a ticket to America. Though Hyungoh had never met this uncle before, he hurriedly packed his belongings, lacking the courage to stay alone in Korea facing those cunning relatives.
Hunter Kim. It was a somewhat unusual name.
It felt a bit unsettling that while his uncle had volunteered to take him in, he’d only sent a plane ticket without providing any contact information or even a home address.
Hyungoh stood blankly at the airport exit, wondering what to do next. Was it possible his uncle wouldn’t even come to pick him up? As the sun began to set, Hyungoh grew increasingly anxious.
“Are you Hyungoh?”
A Western man climbed off a motorcycle, chewing gum as he approached. Hyungoh turned his head at the sound of his name pronounced with an awkward accent.
“Hyungoh Choi, right?”
When Hyungoh looked at him with a puzzled expression, the man roughly scratched his short buzz cut. “Are you really Hunter’s nephew?” His irritated voice grated on Hyungoh’s ears. Hunter? After pondering for a moment, Hyungoh suddenly remembered his uncle’s name and answered.
“Are you talking about my uncle?”
“Well, you catch on quick.”
What’s this big thing? The man nudged Hyungoh’s carrier with his foot.
“Who are you?”
“Theodore Cooper. Just call me Theo.”
“Ah… yes. Nice to meet you, Theo. I’m Choi Hyungoh. I mean, who are you to my uncle…?”
“Ah, don’t interrogate me like that.”
Hyungoh closed his mouth quietly, staring at Theo with a dumbfounded expression as he suddenly got irritated. What’s with this guy? Hyungoh slowly backed away, catching a glimpse of an elaborate cross tattoo visible beneath Theo’s black short-sleeved shirt.
“Get on, quickly. If we’re late, Hunter might throw another fit.”
Theo tossed a helmet that had been hanging on the motorcycle handlebar to Hyungoh.
Is he an acquaintance of my uncle? Still eyeing Theo suspiciously, Hyungoh reluctantly climbed onto the back seat under his continued nagging.
“Wait, what about my carrier…?”
“You don’t need that crap.”
“What? Hey, wait! Stop!”
The motorcycle began to accelerate, leaving the carrier abandoned. What the hell? Is he really just going to leave it? What about my luggage? Startled, Hyungoh quickly wrapped his arms around Theo’s waist as the speed increased. Theo flinched, stiffening his body, and muttered with a grimace.
“Damn old geezer, I’ll get him for this.”
***
“How could you leave my carrier behind!”
“Shut up. If you keep chirping, I’ll sew your mouth shut.”
Theo, after getting off the motorcycle, made a gesture of zipping his mouth shut in front of Hyungoh. Hyungoh dismounted with an incredulous expression.
My laptop was in there too. It contained precious information that couldn’t be bought with money. Hyungoh’s face fell. All the malicious code analysis data he’d diligently recorded flashed before his eyes.
Glaring at Theo’s back, Hyungoh kicked the motorcycle with all his might. It wobbled momentarily before falling over with a loud clatter.
“…Do you have a death wish?”
“Who in the world actually wants to die?”
Hyungoh shrugged nonchalantly. He considered this minor retaliation cheap compared to the valuable data he’d never see again. Theo glared fiercely at him before striding over and whispering:
“You’re not even a handful, yet you’ve got no fear.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“What? That you’re not even a handful?”
“Uh… that’s not unfamiliar either, of course.”
“Right. Just looking at how you touched my motorcycle shows how damn bold you are. You’re not afraid of anything in this world, are you?”
“That’s not exactly true.”
“Ha. The kid talks back to everything.”
Just like Hunter’s nephew. Theo roughly grabbed Hyungoh’s collar and dragged him into a house surrounded by withered reddish-brown weeds and trees. Despite trying to break free, Hyungoh couldn’t budge from Theo’s strong grip and eventually gave up, allowing himself to be dragged along limply.
“…Where is this place?”
Hyungoh hesitated at the eerie scenery. Thick bushes covering the walls, a headless scarecrow standing in the garden, and slender trees rotted to their roots. It looked even more sinister than a haunted house at an amusement park.
“Where else would it be? The fucking millionaire’s house.”
Theo pounded on the front door. It trembled precariously, as if it might break at any moment. A millionaire’s house? Hyungoh watched Theo’s actions blankly, still unable to grasp the situation.
Surely, that millionaire couldn’t be referring to my uncle.
“Tsk, the door’s open, why don’t you just come in?”
Hyungoh perked up at the welcome sound of Korean. The door opened with the sound of old wood and rusty nails colliding.
“Are you Choi Hyungoh?”
A middle-aged man leaning against the wall, holding a steaming mug, glanced at Hyungoh and asked.
“Uncle…?”
“Yes.”
Hunter grinned and took a sip of cocoa from his mug. Oh, well, pleased to meet you. Hyungoh, who’d been gaping, quickly collected himself and bowed respectfully.
“Hey, Hunter. I brought the kid, so now…”
“You must be tired from your long journey. But where’s your luggage?”
“I couldn’t bring it because of this person.”
“Well… he has quite a nasty temper. You’ll have to understand.”
“No, damn it Hunter, don’t have a conversation excluding me!”
“We have most of the things you’ll need at home, so don’t worry too much.”
“Yes…”
“Hey!”
“Hmm?”
Hunter shrugged. Theo, who seemed furious and was grinding his teeth, pulled Hyungoh toward him and shouted:
“I brought the snot-nosed kid you wanted. So delete the video as promised, got it?”
“Hmm. I don’t like your attitude. My answer is ‘no.'”
“What? That’s not fair!”
“Well, who told you to do such things in someone else’s garage?”
“Argh, fuck!”
Unable to contain his anger, Theo punched the wall a couple of times before running off and leaping over the fence in one bound. Hyungoh’s mouth fell open at the impressive display—clearing a fence that had to be over two meters high in a single jump. Hunter leaned in and whispered to the astonished Hyungoh with an amused voice:
“Remember him well. He’s our neighbor and adorable slave.”
***
Hyungoh threw himself onto the soft bed like a diver. Unfamiliar air swirled around him. How could he feel so tired when he’d barely done anything? Whether it was the suddenly changed environment or the unconscious tension he’d been feeling, all the strength had drained from his body.
His uncle seemed like a good person. At least he didn’t openly dislike Hyungoh the way his other relatives did. Well, to be precise, it was probably his mother they disliked more than him. Hyungoh thought as he buried his face in the pillow.
That damned money. Unlike his father, who came from an ordinary middle-class family, his mother’s family was quite wealthy and harbored desires and jealousy toward money more than anyone else. His mother, born with artistic talent, was a very famous actress known even internationally, and naturally, her wealth and fame only increased with time.
But what did it matter? It was all meaningless anyway. Hyungoh laughed coldly.
His mother, who’d seemed like she would soar to the heavens, was now peacefully buried in the cold, dark ground after tasting death. Various media outlets mourned her passing, but even that didn’t last more than a month. A month was hopelessly brief to console a life lived for several decades.
“Getting gloomy again.”
Hyungoh abruptly sat up and slapped his cheeks. Pull yourself together, Choi Hyungoh. You don’t like being down like this. Looking out the window at the reddening sunset sky, Hyungoh forced an awkward, bright smile. Since things have come to this, I might as well make a fresh start.
“Yeah… let’s think positively.”
“About what?”
Hyungoh, startled by Hunter’s sudden appearance without any warning, lost his balance and tumbled off the bed.
“I scared you, sorry.”
“Oh, no. Haha.”
Is something the matter? Hunter, who was looking at Hyungoh with a somewhat pitying gaze as he got up, replied:
“I looked, but I couldn’t find any clothes that would fit you. All my clothes would be the wrong size.”
Hunter slightly shook the cake box he was holding.
“So, there’s a house two blocks from here where someone about your age lives.”
Would you go and get some clothes from there? I’ve already called ahead. Hunter gently placed the box in Hyungoh’s hands. Hyungoh stared blankly at it before carefully asking:
“Um… you want me to go? By myself?”
“I’m a bit busy right now.”
Hunter made a typing gesture with his fingers, making a sad face. Laptop? Is he busy with work?
“Well… I guess I have no choice.”
After pondering for a moment, Hyungoh nodded. Right. He even went through the trouble of asking the neighbors for my sake, so I shouldn’t bother him further.
“It’s a pure white house. It’s eye-catching, so you’ll find it easily.”
“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”
Hyungoh went out the door with a cheerful smile. Hunter, who’d been standing with his arms crossed, smiled back and waved. As the front door closed and Hunter watched Hyungoh walk across the yard through the window, his smile gradually faded. Without it, his face was chillingly cold—enough to freeze the surroundings.
***
Hyungoh, trudging along while holding the cake box like it was a precious treasure, suddenly stopped when he spotted a house completely covered in white in the distance.
It really is all white, like some kind of White House or something.
Both fascinated and unsettled, Hyungoh unconsciously gulped. Well, I guess that’s possible. With shoulders squared confidently, Hyungoh approached the white house that emanated an ominous atmosphere.
“Hello? Anyone home?”
Hyungoh, who’d been knocking on the front door, chuckled at his sudden realization. Oops. I unconsciously spoke in Korean. As he raised his hand to knock again, he heard a rustling sound from the flowerbed beside him.
Hyungoh turned his head. A dark shadow briefly appeared beyond the flowerbed on the path leading to the garage, then quickly disappeared. Tilting his head in confusion, Hyungoh followed the shadow. What was that? It looked like a child.
“Hey, wait a moment.”
The darkening sky made it difficult to see clearly ahead. Hyungoh chased the child who was running around the house, but eventually gave up and stopped. The child, who’d been running smoothly, abruptly stood still and glanced at Hyungoh. What’s going on? Hyungoh frowned. When he started to move again to approach the child, the child also resumed running away.
What is this about? Are we playing tag or something? Hyungoh sighed and called out:
“Kid. Aren’t your mom and dad around?”
The child ignored him and continued to flee. Ah, really. Hyungoh scratched his head with a tired expression and then tripped over a rock and fell. With his typically poor coordination—second to none—Hyungoh had no time to react and face-planted into the mud, crushing the cake box, which became covered in mud.
“Ah, my nose…”
Clutching his throbbing nose, he felt warm liquid trickling down. Oh no. A nosebleed. Hyungoh, wincing intensely, looked up at the slender pair of legs that had somehow approached him.
“You…”
Just as Hyungoh opened his mouth to scold the child, the child slowly crouched down and faced him directly.
Huh?
Hyungoh forgot everything he was about to say and couldn’t take his eyes off the child’s face, which glowed in the soft moonlight.
“Uh… hello.”
Hyungoh uttered, his face blank. The child’s blonde hair gently swayed in the breeze. Porcelain-like skin, dreamy blue eyes, and lips that looked soft and warm. Oblivious to his streaming nosebleed, Hyungoh was busy observing the child’s face.
“…What’s your name?”
Hyungoh whispered in a small voice. He wondered if he was bewitched by a ghost. Why do I feel so dazed? The child’s gaze shifted from Hyungoh’s eyes to the nosebleed that continued to flow.
“…El.”
“Huh?”
What did you say? In response to Hyungoh’s inadvertent Korean, the child smiled sweetly and replied:
“Michael… Michael Gostin.”
Footnotes:
- “Hunter Kim” – A Korean-American name combining an English first name with a Korean surname. This naming pattern is common among Koreans living abroad or in international contexts.
- “Not even a handful” – An English idiom meaning someone is small/slight in build or stature, often used to describe someone who looks physically unimposing.
