“Is Yiyeon not here yet.”
Jeong Jinhyeok quietly set down the tablet PC he’d been using to review documents.
An unexpected family gathering had thrown off his schedule, so he was taking care of urgent work in his home study rather than at the office. Since it was a modest get-together among family, dinner was also planned to be had at home.
“…That’s correct.”
Secretary Park gave a short answer, as though he’d swallowed something he’d meant to say.
The study was quiet enough that it seemed like no one else was in the room, but besides Jeong Jinhyeok seated at the head, two others were already settled on the reception sofa — his attendant secretary and his eldest son, Jeong Suyeon.
The one who was missing was Jeong Yiyeon himself, the very person who had called the family gathering.
“He’s late.”
In the silence that followed, Jeong Jinhyeok absently tapped the armrest of the sofa. Having just finished dealing with the most pressing tasks, boredom was beginning to creep in.
“He isn’t late yet. There are still thirty minutes until the agreed time.”
“…Is that so.”
At Secretary Park’s words, Jeong Jinhyeok glanced at his wristwatch.
“You’ve been waiting since an hour before the appointed time, so I imagine it must feel like time is moving slowly.”
Jeong Jinhyeok gave an unhurried nod.
“Perhaps.”
His youngest son, who rarely ever reached out first, had been the one to set this appointment — of course it was only natural to clear his schedule and arrive early.
Jeong Suyeon, the eldest, seemed to feel the same way; he’d arrived around the same time and was also waiting. That confirmed he hadn’t been wrong in his own thinking, either.
Just then, Suyeon, who had been quietly tapping at his phone, held out the screen — a long message displayed on it.
“Yiyeon really does care about his one and only hyung, doesn’t he. Who sends a wellness check message this long….”
Suyeon tried to act casual, but the pride on his face was plain for anyone to see.
Jeong Jinhyeok didn’t respond, and instead sifted through his memory. Had his youngest ever sent him a long message like that? The further back he reached into the past, the deeper the furrow between his brows grew.
Then a moment came to him. Jeong Jinhyeok took out his phone, moved quickly through it, and quietly set it face-up on the table — a call log on the screen.
[Beloved Youngest Son | Incoming Call 52 min 48 sec]
It was a shame it hadn’t quite reached the full hour, but the considerable call length was satisfying enough.
“It seemed like Yiyeon had a lot he wanted to talk about — he just wouldn’t let the call end.”
This time it was Suyeon’s brow that furrowed slightly. Jeong Jinhyeok smiled with easy leisure and drove the point home.
“One could argue that a long call is a more intimate form of connection than a mere message.”
He was confident he could parry back whatever Suyeon might say in rebuttal — but Secretary Park stepped in, shaking his head.
“It looks like Yiyeon has arrived.”
With those words, a screen lit up. A notification from the garage system linked to his phone appeared. The license plate number on the display was a familiar one.
“He’ll come straight up to the study.”
At Secretary Park’s words, everyone in the room turned their gaze in unison toward the door.
The family home, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was as quiet as always. Secretary Park’s message said my father and hyung were in the study, so I headed straight up to the second floor.
I knocked softly and opened the study door, and immediately a wave of gazes fell on me. Sensing the solemn atmosphere, I glanced around cautiously and quickly took the seat beside hyung.
“Sorry for making you all wait.”
I hadn’t technically arrived late, but being the last one there was still on my mind. Fortunately, the question I’d thrown out nervously was met with generous answers.
“Not really.”
“Same.”
My father’s and hyung’s replies came back, but Secretary Park’s expression was pinched in some indescribable way. What’s that about? Did something happen?
“It’s been a while for you, too. Have you been well?”
“Of course. Have you been well, Yiyeon?”
Secretary Park answered warmly, as if he hadn’t just been making that face. I was about to keep the small talk going when a cheerful voice cut in from beside me.
“Yiyeon, it’s been a while for me too, you know.”
The sight of hyung’s face — wearing that effortlessly relaxed smile as always — made something I’d been holding off on suddenly rise to the surface.
“Hyung!”
“Ha ha, yeah. Guess seeing me after so long has you pretty happy.”
“What are you talking about. That’s not it — stop sending me allowance money.”
It was the kind of thing that drove people up the wall, and the shameless grin on hyung’s face just wouldn’t quit.
“That’s actually what I wanted to say. When I send you allowance, why not just accept it? Why do you keep sending it back?”
Does he genuinely not know? My expression toward hyung sharpened on its own.
“You’re a university student — you must have plenty of things you need money for. That’s why I gave it to you. It hurts when you reject my good intentions every single time.”
He looked absolutely not hurt at all, wearing that sly grin through it all, and heat flared up in me without warning. I’d held it in long enough — I finally burst out.
“Who gives ten million won as university student allowance?”
I had sent him a long message about it and made things very clear, but he didn’t seem to grasp at all where he’d gone wrong.
He even seemed to take what I’d said as a genuine question, because he actually provided an answer.
“Hyung does.”
A smile spread across his face with easy confidence, and all I could do was sigh. I swear I could spit at that smiling face. I was too exasperated to say anything, and Secretary Park added a word.
“You see — didn’t I tell you it was excessive?”
“That’s why I only sent half later on. So why didn’t you accept that either?”
He looked genuinely baffled. That was when I gave up on answering entirely.
“You’re definitely quitting the part-time job, right?”
My father’s question cut in abruptly. I looked at him where he sat at the head of the room, then gave a slow nod.
I didn’t have much reason left to keep working the part-time job, when it came down to it. I’d started it in the first place because I wanted to buy gifts for my family and Lim Suha with money I’d earned myself, not with allowance.
Thinking back on how I’d spent nearly an hour on the phone wrestling with my father to get him to agree — since he was firmly opposed to me working a part-time job — I found myself shaking my head without even realizing it.
Getting his approval had been harder than the job itself. If I ever do it again, I’ll have to do it in secret.
But now I don’t need to buy Lim Suha a gift anymore…. I’ll use the money I made this time to buy my family something nice.
For some reason, the hand resting on my thigh clenched tight. I decided to forget about it. So I’m fine.
“Wait — what do you mean? Yiyeon has a part-time job?”
“…….”
“And you didn’t even tell hyung. See, I knew it. You did need the allowance money. Hyung will give it to you.”
Leaving hyung’s loud fussing behind me, I turned to answer my father.
“I already quit the part-time job. School’s starting up again soon too, so….”
“Good. Well done.”
Because of my father’s insistence, I hadn’t been able to keep the job going into the semester — which was why I’d looked for a short-term position from the start. My last shift had been the day I witnessed Lim Suha making his wish….
I quietly swallowed the feeling that couldn’t be said aloud, in front of my father’s satisfied expression.
My family didn’t know about Lim Suha. I had wanted to brag about him, but Lim Suha didn’t like letting others know about our relationship. That’s why I hadn’t introduced him.
At first, it had felt thrilling and exciting — like a secret romance.
But from the start, there had been no need to worry about anyone finding out about my relationship with Lim Suha. We simply didn’t see each other often enough for that.
“So — what was the reason you wanted to meet up today?”
My father’s question sliced through my brief reverie. Hyung went quiet too at that. I sat with a hint of nerves, reading the room, and finally parted my lips.
“Well, it’s….”
But the moment I started, both my father and hyung took every chance to speak away from me.
“Don’t tell me you’re sick somewhere.”
“What? Where does it hurt?”
“Or has something gone wrong.”
“Is it money? Do you need allowance?”
“Is there something you’ve been too afraid to say?”
“Why can’t you say it? Just tell me — hyung will take care of it all.”
Well, if you won’t give me a chance to speak, how am I supposed to say anything? I let out a quiet breath.
But even as I sighed, I couldn’t deny that somewhere in my chest, a warmth was quietly spreading.
This was it. The reason why thinking of my family made me feel a deep tenderness — the reason I wanted to become someone they could be proud of.
Because I had been given such immense love, I wanted to give it back.
When I was young, I practically lived at Cha Hyunwoo’s house — but even then, I had been able to get through those days because of my father’s and hyung’s care. And that care had continued without pause, right up until now.
I had long wanted to become a family member they could be proud of, but the reality was that I was never as sharp as my father, nor did I have hyung’s physique. And now, at last, I finally had something to be proud of.
Both my father and hyung tended toward overprotectiveness, so they would surely worry when I told them about the manifestation — but even so, they would rejoice with me. It had always been obvious, really. I’d just been worrying needlessly on my own.
It’s probably because I want to do better in front of my family. Because I want them to only ever see the best of me.
“I wonder what our Yiyeon could possibly have called us here for. Hyung was so curious he couldn’t sleep last night.”
“……?”
The warm, tender feeling I’d been sitting in alone began to scatter at hyung’s words.
“I said to meet today — so why couldn’t you sleep last night?”
“Well, maybe I somehow knew Yiyeon was going to ask to meet? Hyung thinks about Yiyeon so much that our hearts must be in sync even without saying a word.”
That makes no sense. I was too baffled to respond and just sat there in a daze, and then my father joined in.
“I had a good dream last night — I suppose that was a sign I’d be seeing my youngest today.”
A smile came to my face despite everything.
Last night had clearly been one spent submerged in grief — but now, somehow, everything felt like it might be all right.
“I think I’ll have a good dream tonight too. Because I got to see Father and hyung after so long.”
The soft smile on my face was met with expressions full of joy from both of them.
My beloved family — so precious to me, and for that very reason, the ones I feel most sorry toward.
