“We need to be a bit careful.”
“Careful? Why?”
There couldn’t be a more wholesome hobby than knitting. Unable to understand, Yeonrok tilted his head, then became serious at what followed.
“The screen golf course incident last time was a bit suspicious, so the security team investigated…”
Yeom Cheonho trailed off as if giving the other person time to prepare for the shock.
“There was a low-quality scammer in that knitting group. Someone who’s harmed countless people until now, and is probably using the name ‘Lee Seongmyeong.'”
“…What? My partner is a scammer?”
Extremely shocked, Yeonrok put down his spoon. Lee Seongmyeong was a low-quality scammer? Even from the way he was talking, it seemed Lee Seongmyeong wasn’t even his real name. Yeom Cheonho asked, sending a caring gaze as if he understood the shock.
“Still, I’m curious if you plan to continue attending the knitting group.”
“I want to keep attending…”
It wasn’t simply because he liked knitting. He’d never missed a meeting because he really liked that unique warm atmosphere and the good-natured group members. Though he’d been closest with Lee Seongmyeong, he was equally close with others, so it would be very regrettable not to go. After thinking briefly, Yeom Cheonho said readily.
“Then give me one week. I’ll handle it so you can continue the meetings. And it would be good to change your phone number once.”
Still with a shocked face, Yeonrok nodded. To think someone who’d seemed so nice was a scammer—he still couldn’t believe it. As he sighed and picked up his spoon again, Moon Gyeonwoo, who’d been quietly listening to the conversation, asked.
“So what exactly is this Lee Seongmyeong person? It seems you know.”
The gaze looking at him was sharp. Moon Gyeonwoo seemed to have felt displeasure at a point Yeonrok completely didn’t know about. Yeom Cheonho, who’d paused, smiled broadly. With a face as if he’d intended to tell him all along but had simply forgotten, he said,
“That person’s real name is Yeom Cheonryul, he’s my father and at the same time someone I have considerable enmity with. So he probably deliberately approached Yeonrok-ssi.”
At the second shock that came right after hearing that an acquaintance he’d been friendly with was actually a criminal, Yeonrok put down his spoon again. Choi Hwan also opened his mouth wide and began to focus with an intrigued face. Yeom Cheonho apologized in a polite voice.
“I’m truly sorry for causing trouble with my father’s matter, Yeonrok-ssi. I apologize on his behalf.”
“Ah, no. I’m fi—”
“I’m not fine.”
Moon Gyeonwoo, who’d been so affectionate to Yeom Cheonho during their so-called something stage but had now completely erased all such attitude, spoke in a cold voice. Yeonrok and Choi Hwan’s heads whipped toward Moon Gyeonwoo.
“Those two might be ignorant of the ways of the world and trying to just let it pass, but I’m not. Why didn’t you inform us earlier about such a dangerous criminal? You’re supposed to be Name Partners, yet you hid such important information?”
“I was going to tell you when an appropriate time came.”
“Someday? When exactly is that? It’s already been over three months since we came to this house.”
“Three months, so much time has already passed. Then it’s time to tell. Right now is that appropriate time.”
The back-and-forth conversation was so tense it was suffocating. Unable to handle the suddenly hostile situation at all, Yeonrok shifted his gaze here and there. That’s when Choi Hwan tactlessly interjected.
“Hyung didn’t talk about his parents either.”
“I’m an orphan. I have no parents, so there’s nothing to tell.”
At Moon Gyeonwoo’s ice-cold voice, Choi Hwan shrank back with a squawk and closed his mouth, reading the room. Without even time to be surprised at this unexpected commonality between Moon Gyeonwoo and him, Yeonrok just awkwardly stiffened and listened to the two’s conversation.
“You’re not someone who would feel ashamed just because your parent is a criminal. So I can’t shake the thought that you deliberately hid these facts for some purpose. Perhaps you were worried your Name Partners wouldn’t choose you?”
As Moon Gyeonwoo poured out harsh words, Choi Hwan stared intently at the broccoli piece on his plate with a face that wanted to escape. Even hearing such words, Yeom Cheonho’s relaxed attitude didn’t get scratched one bit. Yeonrok suddenly thought: Wasn’t the reason the two weren’t dating simply because their compatibility was the worst, feelings aside?
“Certainly I don’t feel ashamed about the fact that he’s my father.”
Finally Yeom Cheonho also put down his spoon. His elegant attitude remained, but only his eyes gleamed darkly.
“That’s because some emotion I feel toward him is too big, there’s no room to feel something like shame.”
Unmistakable hatred and anger could be glimpsed in his eyes. However, it wasn’t because he couldn’t control his emotions, but because Yeom Cheonho deliberately wanted to show it. For the first time, Yeonrok agreed with Moon Gyeonwoo’s assessment that Yeom Cheonho was a calculating person.
“It’s a common family matter if you could call it that. A father who wielded domestic violence and the child who survived under him… It wasn’t something worth making a fuss about, so I was just refraining. However, I’ll make just this one thing clear.”
Yeom Cheonho continued in a sincere voice without any calculation.
“I want the four of us to continue being together from now on. I will do my best to take responsibility so everyone is safe and happy.”
He seemed like someone seriously confessing feelings they’d cherished for a long time. While Yeonrok was inwardly deeply moved by his words, Moon Gyeonwoo wasn’t at all and answered coldly.
“That kind of responsibility is none of my concern.”
“Originally you can’t live receiving only what you want from the other person. If you’re really worried, shall I attach more bodyguards for you?”
Moon Gyeonwoo didn’t say more but seemed quite irritated. Yeom Cheonho just smiled as if he couldn’t help it, without looking hurt at all.
After that the meal continued, but Yeonrok couldn’t tell if food was going into his mouth or his nose. As soon as the meal ended, the bodyguards collected his phone and returned it an hour later. From the phone, Lee Seongmyeong’s contact information and the messages exchanged with him had cleanly disappeared.
Returning to his room with his phone, Yeonrok became very disturbed and anguished. Lee Seongmyeong was Yeom Cheonho’s father? A scammer at that? Why did he approach me? To dig up Yeom Cheonho’s weaknesses through me? While Yeonrok was confused by betrayal and shock, there was a knock and before he could answer, the door burst open. Naturally it was Choi Hwan.
“Is there any point in knocking?”
Not even pretending to hear Yeonrok’s words, Choi Hwan came in, flopped onto the bed, and said this:
“Anyway, scammers don’t come from far away. Close people always backstab you!”
Though it was something Yeonrok experienced, Choi Hwan got angry as if he’d experienced it himself. He probably had a similar experience. Come to think of it, maybe his extreme reaction during that drug incident before was because of a defense mechanism. Had they been very close? Feeling a bit of sympathy, Yeonrok shrugged his shoulders.
“Still, it’s fortunate we found out before suffering major damage.”
Thinking about it now, Lee Seongmyeong definitely had some suspicious aspects.
‘It did feel like he was particularly prying into my family circumstances.’
Anyway, though his stomach felt a bit sour, it was over now, so Yeonrok decided not to worry about it anymore. Choi Hwan lay comfortably on Yeonrok’s bed without even asking permission and was lounging around when he exclaimed “Huh?”
“You like Marveldino too?”
“Marvel what?”
Looking in the direction Choi Hwan was pointing, a spotted dinosaur doll was sitting side by side with an old puppy doll. Not noticing Yeonrok’s gaze turning fierce, Choi Hwan chattered excitedly.
“I really like this doll too. Should I gift you some of mine? I’ve received tons from fans.”
“Hey. Don’t you remember?”
Only then did Choi Hwan notice something was strange. Though bewildered, he asked carefully.
“Remember what?”
“I gifted this to you. The next day I saw you’d left it in the living room, abandoned? So I picked it up.”
The memory of trying so hard to get along with Choi Hwan and Moon Gyeonwoo early after moving in was still vivid. But Choi Hwan had been living comfortably, having roughly forgotten about that time, which was very annoying. As if he remembered a bit now, Choi Hwan sweated profusely. He belatedly reached out slyly for the dinosaur doll to take back the gift. Yeonrok mercilessly smacked his hand away.
“Where are you touching? It’s my doll now. I even gave it a name.”
“What’s… the name?”
“Yeoneo.”
“Y-Yeoneo.”
“Yeah, Yeoneo.”
