CEL 26

The boss’s house was about twenty minutes on foot from the subway station, in a much richer neighborhood than expected. There was a suspicious guard at the apartment entrance, he had to be reassured before they could go in, and the elevator went up to the 50th floor. It was only then that he understood why Kim Hyunwoo always grumbled about envying the wealthy boss.

The moment he rang the doorbell, the boss popped out like a spring.

What would he have done if they had collided?

He looked at the boss with a slightly dumbfounded face, then quickly put his expression back in order.

“Hamin-ah! Ah, now that I’m your employer I can just call you Hamin, right?”

“I look forward to working with you.”

The boss had already spoken casually from the very first meeting, but Hamin didn’t bother to point it out. When he bowed, a friendly remark came back saying there was no need to be so formal between them.

Isn’t this exactly the kind of relationship where formality is required?

Contrary to his thought, he nodded.

“Sit, sit. I sent our kid on an errand. I suddenly had this craving for chocolate cake, you know? He’ll be right back.”

When Hamin sat down, a pale green teacup was placed in front of him. Into the cup, which looked expensive, familiar barley tea was poured generously.

But is it okay to already be sending an elementary schooler on errands?

He looked around the house with that trivial thought. From wallpaper to furniture, everything was a bit excessive and fussy. The interior clearly reflected the owner’s taste, to the point where one could believe two women lived there. While he was looking around, the boss kept glancing at him with half-closed eyes.

More precisely, at his hair.

“Hamin-ah, you should get your hair done. Come to the salon tomorrow, we’ll just trim it.”

“I think it’s still fine.”

“You’ve got some curl, so you need frequent trims. Otherwise it’ll get out of hand fast, you know?”

While he fiddled awkwardly with the teacup handle, the sound of the lock opening came at just the right time. Both their gazes turned toward the front door.

Hamin blinked quietly.

“Uncle, from now on can you just use a delivery app…?”

The voice stopped after noticing Hamin. Their eyes met in the air. Hamin tilted his head slightly.

Is that… the kid?

“He doesn’t look like a kid.”

He murmured blankly as he looked at the burly man well over 180cm, with a body about twice his size.

The other man’s face gradually flushed red. Watching his ears heat up and his mouth open and close wordlessly, Hamin sent a look demanding an explanation. The boss shrugged lightly and answered.

“To me he’s a kid.”

Normally no one would call a high schooler, with thick arms like radishes and ears full of piercings, a kid… but if the one paying said so, then so it was.

Hamin gave up thinking and stood up. The closer he got, the man’s broad shoulders twitched. To an onlooker it might look like he thought Hamin was coming to devour him.

“Nice to meet you, kid. I’ll be in your care for the next two months.”

In your care…? Two months?

The other man didn’t take his hand, and didn’t get annoyed at the word kid either. The reply came from somewhere else.

“Didn’t I tell you? I found a tutor for you.”

“What kind of tutoring?”

“You said you didn’t want to go to school, but you still need to study. I asked him to come quickly… didn’t I tell you that?”

The boss laughed loudly without the slightest embarrassment.“Guess I didn’t!” Hamin’s face turned slightly troubled.

Nothing matched what he had expected. It wasn’t just different, it was practically fraud.

And what he heard next from the boss’s mouth wasn’t encouraging either.

“He doesn’t have a target university, and if he’s just going to a physical education college, would tutoring even be necessary?”

Sizing up the situation, Hamin subtly tried to back out. What started as a side job for pocket money would become a problem if it turned into stress. A third-year just beginning exam prep? The thought alone was heavy.

And judging by appearance, the boy didn’t seem like he could keep up with lessons, nor did he look motivated… better to quit here than get angry teaching him.

“No, he needs it. You don’t understand.”

What exactly don’t I understand?

The living room was spacious, but with two grown men and him squeezed together, it felt cramped. As he wiped his face with his hands and sent a look asking why he was still silent, the boy stammered out words.

“I… I think I need it?”

“You said your name was Kwon Doyoung, right… yeah, Doyoung. What was your grade on the last mock exam?”

“I didn’t take it.”

The corners of Hamin’s mouth curved up. Everyone present could tell that was not a good sign.

“But our kid lived abroad, so at least he’s got some English! So you only need to cover Korean, math, and social studies!”

“So basically, everything except English.”

“Uh… yeah, that’s right.”

Realizing something had gone wrong, the boss looked around furtively. Just as Hamin was about to speak again, the boss quickly stood up and pushed Doyoung and him into a room. It was so sudden, there wasn’t even time to resist.

“At least try one lesson first!”

As he had felt before, the boss had an extraordinary knack for shoving people into rooms. If there were a contest in locking people in, he’d win first place for sure.

While Hamin glared at the tightly shut door in disbelief, a mumbling voice reached him.

“Th… the lesson….”

He turned his head. Kwon Doyoung, whose cheeks were still flushed, looked completely lost as he asked.

Seeing the big, tanned boy unable to keep his hands still, fidgeting with his clothes and messing up his hair, didn’t feel very good. But if he truly knew nothing, then he was in the same victim position as himself.

Since he said it like that, maybe it was worth a try.

“Do you have a computer?”

“Huh? Yeah… but even if you help me, it won’t work.”

“What do you mean?”

He asked again, baffled at Doyoung speaking like he was truly imprisoned. The boy’s innocent eyes wavered without focus.

“You can’t lock the door from outside.”

When he didn’t understand, Hamin added, we’re not locked in. Only then did the big head nod quickly.

For some reason, Doyoung hurriedly pulled out a laptop. Looking at the laptop laid carefully on his big hands, Hamin’s eyebrow lifted slightly.

“Put it on the desk. I need to make problems, so you just rest.”

He sat on the chair and turned on the laptop. The moment the computer booted, more than three game clients popped up at once. For a second he wondered if this would even be meaningful time, but he quickly brushed off the thought and searched for some exam questions.

“Sit down. Or lie down.”

“L-lie down, why…!?”

“If you sit behind me watching, what’s the point of me making problems?”

Keeping his eyes fixed on the screen, Hamin answered, and Kwon Doyoung let out another “Ah…” then shuffled around and sat on the floor with his back turned.

Hamin didn’t know why he would do that when there was a comfortable bed, but he didn’t comment and quickly wrote down ten problems. Since Doyoung wasn’t aiming for a top university, a decent score would be enough. This level of test was sufficient to gauge his ability.

“Sit here and try these.”

“Uh… okay?”

Kwon Doyoung scratched his head and picked up a mechanical pencil. In his broad hand the pencil looked like it was crying out for help.

The problems were easy on purpose, with even a few at middle school level mixed in, so he should at least get half right.

Up until then, Hamin thought this would be simple.

Was this a dream?

He blinked as he marked wrong answers with strokes of his pen. On the simple test of ten problems, there wasn’t a single correct answer, not even one with a proper solution process.

But he hadn’t given up hope yet. He thought, even if none were correct, once he actually started teaching, the boy’s skills would improve quickly. That was what he thought, but…

“Here, one should be one half.”

“Why?”

“From here to here, r squared is multiplied, and one fourth is multiplied. So one equals one half. Since the common ratio is positive.”

He explained kindly enough, but Doyoung’s face showed no understanding. Looking at his eyes strained with effort, he asked,

“From where do you not understand?”

“Exponent.”

He stared silently at the troubled face. Then, avoiding his gaze, Kwon Doyoung corrected himself.

“T.”

As the silence dragged on, he bit at his thumbnail and Hamin quietly packed up. Putting his pens and printouts into his bag, the flustered Doyoung asked,

“What are you doing?”

Hamin opened the door and stepped out. The expensive door swung smoothly without a squeak.

The boss, still absorbed in demolishing the chocolate cake, looked puzzled to see him coming out only twenty minutes into the lesson.

“Do you need something?”

“I only tutor high school students.”

“Doyoung is a senior. He just looks a little young.”

“Sorry, but your kid is at elementary school level.”

“Does he really look that young?”

Seeing his wide-eyed look, Hamin answered firmly.

“I mean it would be better to find an elementary school teacher.”

“Shouldn’t you say that when he’s not here?”

“A nineteen-year-old needs to face reality.”

From what Hamin saw, Kwon Doyoung couldn’t even solve middle school problems, let alone high school ones. Even if he spent all his remaining time studying through the nights, it was doubtful he could reach even the third tier.

“I can’t tutor him for this amount of money.”

“Not enough? Then how much is right… five hundred?”

“It’s not too little, it’s too much.”

Even with no shame, Hamin couldn’t take four million won a month to teach a student the basics of equations. He shook his head firmly, and the boss looked troubled.

“I already bragged to my brother that I found a tutor….”

“For that amount of money, there will be a line of people willing. Just tell them the student is at elementary level.”

“Excuse me.”

“He was thrilled when I said it was a Korea University student….”

“A middle schooler would end up with the same result.”

“You do know I can hear all this, right?”

Hands in pockets, head tilted, Doyoung’s pose was anything but proper. Now Hamin could see why the boss had hired Kim Hyunwoo and doted on him so much. Kwon Doyoung and Kim Hyunwoo resembled each other like twins, not in looks but in personality and style.

Looking at the five piercings in one ear, Hamin sighed inwardly. Why were the people around him always obsessed with putting holes in their bodies?

“It doesn’t have to be me, does it?”

“My brother is unusually particular… if I tell him the tutor changed, he’ll throw a fit….”

“There are more Korea University students than you think.”

The boss averted his eyes, as if he had already given away detailed personal information. Even for an eccentric guardian, this was excessive. While Hamin was still puzzled, the boss carefully added,

“If you keep making trouble, he’ll use the college entrance exams as an excuse to send him to America. If this tutoring falls through, the kid might have to leave right away.”

Hamin had nothing to say to that “I can’t live without my kid.”

Wouldn’t that be a good thing? Studying abroad was something others longed for but couldn’t have.

Perhaps realizing he had said enough, the boss switched to whining.

“Can’t you just do it? It’s hard to find another tutor now.”

“I don’t want to. I’ll get stressed.”

A job that began as easy pocket money couldn’t be allowed to turn into stress. Better to eat and spend less instead. Once he got hired, he’d earn more than enough, so saving for just four years was nothing.

Seeing him shake his head, Kwon Doyoung bit his lip. Pulling his hands from his pockets and lowering his head, he murmured after a long pause.

“…I will.”

“What?”

“I’ll work hard. I won’t make it stressful for you.”

Now his dark face was red all over. His big hands clenched until veins stood out, and his breathing was rough. His expression was filled with injustice and bitterness, making Hamin laugh faintly.

“How could you stop me from being stressed if I agree?”

“You’re only going to do it for two months anyway. Can’t you just do it?”

“Do you actually want me to tutor you?”

By now Hamin was a little confused. Why would he insist on being tutored by someone openly dismissing him? If it were him, he would have kicked the tutor out already. Yet all Kwon Doyoung did was frown slightly and relax again, never showing anger.

In a voice barely audible without close attention, he whispered,

“…I’m going to Korea University too.”

“You said you had no goal.”

“I just got one now. So teach me.”

“Find someone else. A star instructor or someone like that.”

“I want it to be you.”

At that earnest expression, he remembered a sentence from old memory, one that had never faded.

‘But I really want you to be the one to handle this trial, Lawyer Seo.’

“Are you really not going to do it?”

“Are you really not going to help me?”

His looks, his atmosphere, his personality. Nothing was alike, yet just those two sentences made Hamin think of someone.

Before he knew it, he was staring at Kwon Doyoung, who had come close and was sending him an anxious look.

Hamin had never once in his life thought of himself as emotional or easily swayed. He was born that way, and he had never felt a reason to be otherwise. His reason and his emotions rarely acted apart.

So why did it keep…

Over the face unable to hide its anxiety, another face overlapped, wearing a faint smile. His tense muscles twisted and relaxed at each of his reactions.

He knew it wasn’t the same situation, yet the feelings he had back then resurfaced. It wasn’t a good sign.

After holding silence for a long time, a long sigh finally came out of Hamin’s mouth.

“Go inside and open your book.”

It was a deeply impulsive choice.

Fine, maybe Korea University was impossible, but at least he could get him into a university in the capital region. And the pay was good….

Convincing himself, he led Kwon Doyoung back into the room. Though he didn’t say anything aloud, the boy’s face shone bright, like someone seeing sunlight for the first time in years.

Back then, if he had agreed to defend Han Jaeha, would he have worn the same expression?

He recalled the clear smile on that mature face, then shook his head to cast out the thought. There was something more urgent at hand.

He picked up a pen and pointed seriously at the number 5.

“Now, this is a number.”

It was only natural that after a short moment of puzzlement, once he understood, Kwon Doyoung shouted in protest.