F Side Story 18

Yeonho’s father responded calmly. Only then did Siwoo’s father seem to realize the disgrace of his behavior in a public setting. As he glanced around at the eyes on him, he sneered and shot Yeonho a sarcastic look.

“I must have gotten a little too worked up after seeing the face of the person who ruined our family.”

Yeonho met his gaze squarely, not blinking once, and replied,

“President Kim, I don’t think I’m the one who ruined your family. Wouldn’t the real cause be something inside your own household?”

The man’s fists clenched again in anger. But before he could act, Yeonho’s mother arrived, holding hands with Siwoo’s mother in what seemed like a surprisingly warm and friendly mood. Yeonho politely greeted Siwoo’s mother.

“Hello, President Woo.”

He no longer wanted to call them father or mother. From now on, he would refer to them by their professional titles as co-CEOs of Namyeon Construction. He trusted they would understand his intent.

“Yes,” Siwoo’s mother replied briefly, then turned her head with a stiff expression. Yeonho’s mother gently rubbed the back of her hand and said,

“I ran into President Woo in the restroom.”

Watching them, Yeonho got a sense of how his mother intended to steer the conversation today. That meant he too would avoid taking an aggressive stance for now.

Sitting face to face with them like this, he could see just how much Siwoo resembled them both. That only made it more horrifying. How could they be so cruel and relentless toward a child who shared their features? It was something Yeonho would never understand, and probably never forgive.

In the presence of the two people who had given birth to Siwoo, Yeonho’s desire to possess him grew even stronger. He was clearly jealous. These two were rivals for Siwoo’s love, and even if Yeonho told himself he had rescued Siwoo purely for his sake, he couldn’t deny that his own selfishness had played a part.

He should have been in their place from the beginning. He had said it to Siwoo many times, and he had meant every word.

Yeonho’s parents took turns speaking gently and persuasively to Siwoo’s parents.

“We’re taking good care of Siwoo. We’ll also guide him well in his work. You don’t need to worry about us blaming him for the death of our first son. We’ll never do that,” his father said.

Listening to his father, Yeonho held his tongue. If I were you, I never would have done what you did to Kim Yeonho. So just step aside and give up being his parents now.

His mother then poured a drink for Siwoo’s mother and added,

“We’ve done so many wrongs to Yeonho. If we hadn’t eventually admitted our mistakes, Yeonho would be gone by now. He would have left, far away, to somewhere we could never see him again.”

With a sigh, she lowered her head. Siwoo’s mother drank in silence, her face troubled. Yeonho’s mother continued in a sorrowful voice.

“This may sound presumptuous… but I believe the first thing a parent must do is admit their wrongdoing and make amends. Ask Siwoo for forgiveness. Give him time to heal. Time to understand and forgive his parents.”

Yeonho knew this was the best his parents could offer. They were subtly placing the blame for the broken relationship on Siwoo’s parents, while giving them hope that he might return one day. It was the only way to protect Yeonho from them and keep Siwoo from going back.

His mother continued,

“And maybe someday, Siwoo will come back to you. I know you must miss him dearly, but please trust Yeonho to take good care of him until then. If there’s anything you want to say to your son, you can always contact me. I’ll be sure to deliver the message.”

Of course, Siwoo would never go back to them. With this, Yeonho’s parents had done all they could. What remained now was up to Yeonho and Siwoo.

After the meeting with Siwoo’s parents, they planned to spend the evening at Yeonho’s family home. Siwoo had been invited as well. While Yeonho’s parents prepared dinner together, Siwoo was led by the hand into Yeonho’s room.

“This feels strange. I never thought I’d be allowed in here.”

The fact that he once rented a place across the street to stalk Yeonho was a secret he would take to the grave. Back then, Siwoo had believed Seong Junyoung was Yeonho’s lover. That time was long gone, but watching Seong Junyoung enter Yeonho’s room every night had been almost unbearable.

Even after confirming their love, Siwoo had never imagined he would step foot into this room. It had always felt like a forbidden space. Yeonho’s family home and Kim Siwoo felt like incompatible things.

Yeonho, lying on the bed, gently pulled Siwoo closer. As Siwoo lay down beside him, Yeonho placed his palm on Siwoo’s cheek.

“It feels strange to me too. Having you here in this room.”

He whispered softly.

It was more suffocating than even being alone with Yeonho’s mother. Probably the most nerve-wracking moment in Kim Siwoo’s life.

Sharing a meal with Yeonho’s father, the biological father of Seong Junhee and Seong Junyoung, was unsettling. Siwoo had vaguely assumed their only interactions would be limited to company affairs.

But now, Yeonho’s father personally set down a bowl of soup he had made and said,

“Please enjoy.”

“Thank you… Father.”

Was that the right thing to call him? The father of the two men Siwoo had every reason to hate, who deserved worse than death?

The fact that he had met with Siwoo’s parents on behalf of Yeonho, and was now offering him a meal in his own home, felt like pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit. Their relationship had been one of tragic enmity. Was this really okay?

Throughout the meal, Siwoo listened to what Yeonho’s parents had said during the earlier meeting. They emphasized that whether or not he chose to return to his family was entirely up to him, and that they would support whatever choice he made. Siwoo expressed his gratitude.

After the meal, Yeonho’s father stepped outside, saying he would take out the trash. Siwoo felt he had to resolve this lingering feeling that something didn’t sit right between them. So he followed after him.

He joined him in the elevator and took the trash bag from his hand. He hadn’t prepared anything specific to say, but he wanted to start a conversation somehow. He felt they needed to exchange some kind of words.

“Thank you for going through so much trouble because of me.”

“It’s no trouble. Not at all.”

It was far more awkward than he had expected. When they reached the first floor, Yeonho’s father pointed out where to dispose of the trash, then asked, seemingly feeling the awkwardness too.

“Do you smoke? Times like this are perfect for a cigarette.”

“I quit, but I’ll have one now.”

After tossing the trash, Siwoo accepted a cigarette and tried to break the silence.

“Are you really okay with me being with Yeonho? I imagine you must hate me.”

He started from the reality that existed between him and this man, separate from Yeonho.

The man whose son I killed, and the father of the man I killed.

Yeonho’s father looked slightly surprised by the question, but then smiled faintly.

“You didn’t kill Junhee.”

Siwoo’s heart dropped. He tried to play dumb.

“Sorry? I don’t know what you mean…”

Yeonho’s father gave him an amused look, then took a long drag of his cigarette before continuing calmly.

“I knew from the moment I heard Junhee had died at the ski resort. Once I heard Yeonho was there too, I was certain. So it finally happened.”

After saying that, he glanced around briefly. Siwoo, refusing to acknowledge Yeonho’s involvement, denied it firmly.

“No, Yeonho wasn’t involved. It was my mistake.”

Confirming there was no one around, the man ignored Siwoo’s denial and kept going.

“That’s why I never hated you. I only ever felt sorry. Even though I knew who did it, I kept my mouth shut and let you go through it all alone. I’ve always felt guilty about that.”

Only then did things start to make sense for Siwoo. Back when he applied to the resort after Yeonho was assigned there, it had seemed strange that his employment was so easily approved. At the time, he just thought the man was someone who knew how to separate business from personal matters.

But now Siwoo knew that even until the very end, he couldn’t admit Yeonho’s actions with his own mouth.

“You’re misunderstanding. It was my mistake, not Yeonho’s.”

Understanding Siwoo’s intention, Yeonho’s father gave a bitter smile and let out a puff of smoke.

“I think you’re the one misunderstanding. I don’t resent Yeonho either. I warned Junhee a long time ago. Told him to stop treating Yeonho that way. Junhee got down on his knees crying, promising he’d never do it again. He was always an obedient son, so I believed him.”

“…”

“I regret it. If I had just told Yeonho’s mother everything Junhee did… if I’d reported Junhee to the police… or even just made sure Yeonho didn’t move into Junhee’s apartment. Then none of it would’ve happened. I was stupid. I trusted him too much.”

Siwoo let out a shaky breath. When Yeonho was brought into the conversation, the nature of his relationship with this man shifted. Through the lens of his love for Yeonho, this man became a bystander deserving of Siwoo’s hatred.

Yeonho’s father continued,

“I was terrified that Yeonho’s mother would leave if she ever found out the whole truth. So I just buried it and avoided it. In the end, it means I’m the one who killed Junhee, not Yeonho.”

He let out a hollow laugh, his face twisted in pain.

“It would’ve been less shameful if I had just killed Junhee with my own hands. I’ve sinned too greatly against Yeonho.”

His voice, heavy with remorse, went on.

“And I’m sorry for that accident with you, too. It wasn’t because I wanted to help Junyoung get what he wanted. I was just… blinded by a woman.”

He hung his head in shame after saying that.

“Junhee died, and I thought at least that would put an end to my child’s sins. But now Junyoung is following the same path. I was terrified that Yeonho’s mother would find out what he did and leave me. My mind just went blank. I lost all judgment.”

“I understand. I know exactly what it feels like when your head goes blank like that.”

Siwoo truly did understand. The moment you think you might lose the person you love, rational thought becomes impossible.

“I never meant for you to get seriously hurt. I just wanted to scare you a little. I’m glad it didn’t go too far.”

As the man stubbed out his cigarette, Siwoo did the same. He continued,

“I’ll spend the rest of my life atoning to you and Yeonho. I have too much to be sorry for. From now on, I’ll think of you as my own son and do everything I can for you. I lost both of my sons in terrible ways… but now, thinking of it as gaining two new sons, I realize I haven’t lost anything after all.”

Siwoo took a breath and said,

“You don’t have to speak so formally with me.”

“We’ve got time. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

Just then, the man’s gaze shifted past Siwoo’s shoulder. Siwoo turned to see where he was looking and spotted Yeonho standing in the distance.

He walked with him toward Yeonho. Once they reached him, Yeonho spoke to his father.

“Go ahead inside. I’ll come in after I talk with him.”

“Alright. Do you want to stay over tonight?”

“No. That would make him uncomfortable.”

Yeonho clearly drew a line and turned down the offer. His father gave an awkward smile and nodded.

“You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”

He turned and walked away. Once Yeonho saw him get into the elevator, he cupped Siwoo’s cheeks with both hands and asked,

“What did you talk about?”

“He said he’s sorry. About the accident.”

“You finally got an apology. That’s a relief.”

Yeonho was finally able to let go of some of the discomfort he had felt about their relationship. He pulled Siwoo into a tight embrace and buried his nose in his shoulder, sniffing him. Siwoo, knowing he was probably checking for the smell of cigarettes, said,

“Stay here with me tonight.”

“Here?”

Yeonho was surprised. He had assumed this house would be uncomfortable for Siwoo. He had been thankful enough that Siwoo accepted the invitation.

But when he looked up at Siwoo’s face, he immediately understood. Siwoo had the expression of a child, like a small boy who had finally found safety, resting in a place where he was loved and protected.