SLC 73

“So. You went out today.”

“Ah, yes. I stepped out for a moment to buy some books.”

Kim Jinkyung replied in a nervous voice.

Life is full of ups and downs, bittersweet turns, or in this case misfortunes never come alone. But this sweet time was far too short.

The next day, when Chairman Choi summoned him, Kim Jinkyung felt that the inevitable moment had finally arrived.

“What books? You could have asked Secretary Kang to get them for you if you needed them.”

“I prefer to look at them and choose for myself. I also bought a few reference books for Seongha-ssi’s studies.”

“Right. And have you decided to continue tutoring Seongha?”

“Yes. That is my plan.”

Ever since he stopped tutoring, he thought it was a shame. Mok Seongha was brilliant. He absorbed information so quickly that even the word ‘brilliant’ wasn’t enough to describe him. Even if it started as a way to persuade his grandfather, it was too disappointing to end it there.

“But I heard you refused to sign the contract.”

“…Yes.”

His palms resting on his knees staring sweating. Kim Jinkyung looked at the old man, trying his best not to let his nervousness show.

“Why? I do not think those are bad terms.”

“…….”

According to the contract, Kim Jinkyung’s hourly wage was 200,000 won, adjusted annually for inflation. If he considered only the money, there was no better employment condition.

…If he considered only the money.

“The conditions are more than I deserve. However, I am still a university student, and I have not decided on a career path yet….”

“Can you not just decide this time?”

The moment he saw the contract Mok Seongha excitedly pushed toward him, Kim Jinkyung felt his vision go dark. Setting aside the sudden 6.2 billion won debt, the details of the repayment method, meticulously written over dozens of pages, took his breath away.

At first, his brain did not function properly due to the shock, but as his reason gradually returned with time, he realized that Mok Seongha was not the one who wrote that contract.

“I will pay back the damages,” Kim Jinkyung said, looking at Chairman Choi.

“As I said before, it is only right that I take responsibility for what I must. However….”

Kim Jinkyung swallowed dryly. He carefully chose his words to avoid making a mistake like before.

“But, I want my presence by Seongha-ssi’s side to be of my own will.”

The old man picked up the water glass placed next to the table. His hand was gaunt. He drank the water slowly and cleared his throat.

“Do you mean you wish to stay by your own will without following the contract?”

“Yes.”

The old man slowly raised his body from the bed.

After coming to the mansion, Kim Jinkyung learned one thing. Just as Mok Seongha said, Chairman Choi really had a loud voice. This trait was especially prominent when he scolded his grandson. He shouted so well that the sound reached Kim Jinkyung even outside the door.

I wonder how loudly he will scold me this time.

Kim Jinkyung waited for the old man’s roar.

“There, could you bring me the white file from the safe?”

“The safe? Ah, yes. I understand.”

Kim Jinkyung approached the safe.

“Press 07080913 and then the asterisk.”

…Is it alright for you to tell me the password like this?

Kim Jinkyung entered the password as Chairman Choi instructed and opened the safe.

I don’t see them. I don’t see them. There are no gold bars in here.

Kim Jinkyung found the white file buried among the gold bars and handed it to Chairman Choi. After finding something in the file, Chairman Choi gestured for Kim Jinkyung to come closer.

Kim Jinkyung pulled up a chair and sat close to the bed.

“This is a photo of Seongha when he was seven.”

Kim Jinkyung was surprised as he saw the Mok Seongha in the photo. It was Mok Seongha from the time Secretary Kang called him ‘Little Young Master’ and fretted over him.

“This one is eight. Is this one six?”

Chairman Choi handed over the photos of Mok Seongha’s childhood one by one. The Mok Seongha in the photos was small and cute. He was so thin that Secretary Kang’s words about keeping the doors closed for fear he might fly away were understandable.

“There aren’t many photos. I don’t know what I was so busy with back then that I couldn’t even think to take a single photo of the child. These were all taken and given to me by Secretary Kang.”

Kim Jinkyung was certain that he could find many more photos if he searched Secretary Kang’s room.

“This was when he first came to our house.”

The child in the photo had eyes that looked terrified and was seemingly wary of his surroundings.

“It was right after the accident, so he could not remember anything from before. It is still the same now.”

The story about the accident Secretary Kang mentioned a few days ago came to mind. Kim Jinkyung cautiously spoke.

“Before the accident, did he live with his parents?”

“Yes. The accident happened on the way to see me.”

The old man continued as he looked at the child in the photo.

“I could not look Seongha in the eyes properly back then…. When I looked at him, I thought of his father.”

Regret lingered in the old man’s red eyes.

“Do you know what I regret most in my life?”

Kim Jinkyung listened quietly to the old man.

“I hated a child just because I was in pain.”

“…….”

It was not difficult to guess that ‘a child’ included not only Chairman Choi’s daughter but also Mok Seongha.

“It was a time when I could have loved him. I was so pathetic as an adult.”

“Seongha-ssi probably knows. He knows that you cherish him, Chairman.”

“Of course he knows. But he also knows things he would be better off not knowing.”

The old man stroked the photo of young Mok Seongha as he continued.

“At this age, things like love or playing at romance are all ridiculous. Those emotions will change, so what meaning or use is there regardless of what name you give it?”

Chairman Choi wanted to build a fence to protect the grandson he would eventually leave behind.

“When he first brought you to the hospital and said he liked men, I was so dumbfounded that I was angry. I thought that fellow was doing it on purpose to make me mad.”

“Back then, that was…”

“I know. It was a shallow trick because he did not want to get married.”

Chairman Choi knew why his grandson did not want to marry or have children.

“Do you know that Seongha does not look in the mirror often?”

“Pardon? No.”

“It is because he hates his own eyes.”

This was the first time he had heard this.

“But he started looking in the mirror at some point. When he heard you were coming to the hospital, he looked at the mirror in the ward for a long time and fixed his hair before he left.”

“Ah… I see.”

He had gone to the hospital to see Mok Seongha a few times before. When he thought of him grooming himself in front of a mirror before meeting him, his chest tickled and heat rose to the back of his neck.

“When his appearance changed, he did not meet anyone.”

“…….”

“He spent his time lying in the garden alone. …That is all my fault.”

“No, Chairman. Please do not think that.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly waved his hands.

“Seongha-ssi likes looking at the flowers in the garden.”

He remembered the image of him lying quietly in the garden alone.

“Seongha-ssi told me. He said at first he was there because he had nothing to do, but at some point, he felt at peace. So, he likes the scent of flowers, the smell of grass, and things like that…”

The old man smiled as he watched the young man defending someone else so earnestly with a kind heart.

“They told me that Seongha was serene in your presence.”

Kim Jinkyung knew whose mouth that report had passed through to reach Chairman Choi.

“He studies, he goes to find you, even in that form, …and they say he even intentionally transformed and jumped in to stop you at the airport.”

“Haha…. He did.”

Thanks to that, he had to pay a debt of 6.2 billion won.

“That is why I told them to prepare the contract.”

“…Yes.”

“Because I know how easily things like love disappear.”

The institution of marriage offered certain protections guaranteed by law. Even if they were to divorce later, the Chairman thought that if a child were born, at least one person would remain in this world for his grandson to give his heart to. The thought of his grandson wandering the world alone without a single soul to care for him made it difficult for the old man to close his eyes in peace.

“As you know, Seongha cannot eat anything unless it is food given to him by someone he considers family. He cannot even choose and eat food on his own.”

“…Yes. I am aware.”

Not long ago, Jinkyung had tea with Chairman Choi. He was so nervous that he could barely tell if the expensive tea was going into his nose or his ears. For some reason, Mok Seongha picked up a piece of traditional sweets and held it out to Kim Jinkyung.

‘Teacher. This.

‘Pardon?’

‘I will feed you.’

‘It is okay. I will eat it myself.’

Kim Jinkyung tried to take the sweet from Mok Seongha’s hand, but he stubbornly insisted on holding it out. Thinking it was better to just eat it quickly and get it over with, Kim Jinkyung took a bite and swallowed.

‘You eat some too, Seongha-ssi. Hurry.‘

‘Okay.’

The moment Mok Seongha replied and took a large bite of the sweet, Chairman Choi’s eyes widened, and he looked back and forth between his grandson and Kim Jinkyung for a long time. Secretary Kang, standing behind them, watched the scene with a complicated expression.

“Do you also know that this is the first time Seongha has eaten food given by someone other than me?”

“…I didn’t know that.”

“That is why I told Seongha to make sure he gets your signature on the contract.”

The old man picked up his water glass again. His fingertips trembled as if even drinking water was a struggle. After a sip, he coughed softly and continued.

“Then, please do me one favor.”

“Yes.”

Kim Jinkyung nodded his head.

“In life, there are times when you hate and dislike even your own family. You say you like Seongha now, but the day will come when things turn ugly. Isn’t that so?”

“That is….”

When Kim Jinkyung failed to answer, the old man nodded as if he expected his reaction.

“In my eyes, you cannot even tell a proper lie. I suppose that is why Seongha likes you.”

However, Chairman Choi was a bit worried for Kim Jinkyung because of that. He couldn’t help but be wonder if such a kind and upright person could be a pillar of support for his grandson.

“Even in my eyes, my grandson has many hateful sides.”

“No. Seongha-ssi has many good points too.”

“He has as many hateful sides as he does good ones. I guarantee this. You must know this too after seeing him for a while.”

“…….”

Kim Jinkyung could not bring himself to deny it.

He wouldn’t be able to say the words ‘Mok Seongha has a good personality’ even if his life depended on it. The man was arrogant, rude, and did whatever he pleased. Recently, he even developed a habit of turning into a panther and staying holed up without eating whenever he got angry.

“It will not be easy. There will be times when you want to throw him away.”

“Haha.”

Kim Jinkyung laughed awkwardly. There were indeed moments when he wanted to smack the man’s back. He just never did because he was too scared.

“You might grow to dislike or hate him as you spend time together, but… can you at least make sure Seongha does not starve?”

The old man took Kim Jinkyung’s hand.

“I don’t care about anything else, I only want to ask you for that one thing….”

Mok Seongha did not touch food unless it was given to him by family. No matter how much people told him it was okay or safe, for some reason, his body rejected it. If forced to eat, he threw everything up. It was the same no matter how many times they tried. There was a limit to providing nutrition through intravenous fluids.

He received psychiatric consultations and underwent all sorts of tests at the hospital, but they found no specific physical problems. The psychiatrist’s opinion was that the trauma of the accident was so strong that his mind created a defense mechanism. They consistently brought doctors to the house for counseling and medicine, but nothing worked.

Mok Seongha only swallowed food given by Chairman Choi, or by those he believed were acting under the Chairman’s orders.

If so, what would happen after the Chairman died?

Would his body be able to accept food from the person who prepares it under the Chairman’s instructions even after he is gone? Just thinking about it caused the old man agonizing pain. He remembered the young beast who used to lie alone in the garden, swallowing nothing, waiting for someone to come for him. Even then, the young beast waited for him for almost a week without drinking a single drop of water.

His only hope was that if Seongha married, the category of people called ‘family’ would expand, and there would be one more person who could give him food. He could not bring himself to confess this worry to Seongha. If he did, the unconscious defense mechanism might build a higher wall and lead to a complete rejection of food.

“I am sorry. I am sorry for making such an unreasonable request..”

The old man’s tears fell onto their joined hands.

“No. I will do that. Please don’t worry.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly answered. The rough, gaunt hand slowly stroked Kim Jinkyung’s hand.

“I have lived too long to believe in words like ‘eternal love’ or ‘feelings that will never change’.”

The old man looked at the young man with kind and gentle eyes. These were eyes he had seen in this house twenty years ago. Back then, he could not even think of looking at them properly because of his excessive anger, and he cast them away; the kind of eyes only a good person can have. A young man with the same eyes his daughter loved was now looking at him.

“But perhaps it is because I do not have much time left to live.”

The old man continued slowly with a dry cough.

“…I find myself wishing that you and Seongha will live for a very long time, caring for one another. Just like a story in a fairy tale for children.”

“…I will.”

Kim Jinkyung replied, placing his hand over the old man’s. He couldn’t say anything else. The overwhelming emotion constricted his throat, and he could not say anything but those words. He simply lowered his head, let his tears fall, and repeated the same thing.

I will. I will do that. …I promise I will.

He didn’t know if the old man saw the sincerity in his words or not, he simply held Kim Jinkyung’s hand for a long time.

‎

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Chairman Choi’s condition rapidly worsened. The days when he would scold Mok Seongha at the top of his lungs felt like ages ago.

Whenever the Chairman regained consciousness, Mok Seongha went to his room to share various stories. When he was unconscious, Seongha stayed in front of the room for a long time.

Kim Jinkyung chose a book and handed it to Mok Seongha.

“What is this?”

“This is a book I bought the other day, and it is quite interesting.”

“Grandfather is not in a position to read books right now.”

“Read it to him. Even if he is unconscious, they say the ears remain open.”

These were the words of a nun who had visited to pray before Kim Jinkyung’s grandmother passed away. She told him to say everything he wanted to say because she could hear even without consciousness.

“He will be bored. Please read to him.”

“…I think he would prefer listening to the newspaper over something like this. The economy section, or something similar.”

Kim Jinkyung chuckled at Mok Seongha’s grumbling voice. He brought the newspaper that afternoon and handed it to Mok Seongha. The latter sat at the bedside of his unconscious grandfather and read the economic news.

Sometimes, Kim Jinkyung also read the newspaper on Mok Seongha’s behalf when the latter fell asleep after reading for several hours.

On the days his consciousness returned, Chairman Choi would scold the two for being too noisy without fail.

“We are reading loudly because your hearing is not good.”

“…You are so noisy that I cannot sleep. You rascal.”

“You are going to sleep forever once you die, so why do you keep sleeping like this? Stop sleeping so much.”

Mok Seongha replied bluntly to his grandfather as he folded the newspaper he was reading. The old man talked to his grandson about various things. It was mostly nagging, filled with the worries of a man about to leave his young grandson behind.

“Do not sleep with your stomach exposed. You will catch a cold.”

“You should be the one to stop sleeping with yours out, Grandfather.”

“Don’t you remember how much you suffered before from a terrible cold? Back then, of all times, you did not transform back to human form, so the veterinarian had a hard time giving you a shot.”

“That bastard of a doctor was really bad at giving shots. Do you know how many times he poked me?”

“So, that’s why you bite him? What a wicked fellow you are.”

“It’s been so long. Why bring it up now?”

Mok Seongha grumbled while looking at Kim Jinkyung, seemingly embarrassed.

“Always dress up when you meet people. Don’t crush the backs of your shoes. Your luck will run out.”

“When did I ever do that….”

“When you were young, you walked around like that every day.”

Kim Jinkyung smiled and slipped away from his seat. Mok Seongha caught his eye.

‘Let’s eat together later.’

Kim Jinkyung mouthed the words and left the room. That evening, the two sat at the dining table and ate a meal together for the first time in a while. Since Chairman Choi had been unconscious, Mok Seongha had spent almost every day eating simple meals in front of his grandfather.

“Teacher.”

“Yes.”

“Grandfather wants to enter your name into the family register.”

“……!”

Startled, Kim Jinkyung choked and spat out the food in his mouth. Mok Seongha wiped a grain of rice off his palm and asked if he was okay.

“Ah, yes. I am sorry. What did you just say?”

“The register. Ah, maybe they do not call it that these days. Adoption?”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

Mok Seongha poured water into a glass and handed it to Kim Jinkyung. The latter drank the entire glass of cold water.

“Why, exactly? Why me?”

“Since my father and mother are dead, he cannot make you his grandson. So he wants to put you in as his own son.”

“…Why?”

“To make you my guardian.”

“That…. It doesn’t have to be a family member.”

Though he did not know the details, he knew that when appointing a legal guardian, you could designate a lawyer or a trustworthy person even if they were not family.

“It serves multiple purposes. That way, inheritance taxes are also reduced.”

Kim Jinkyung was so shocked that he could not find any words.

“…My parents are still alive.”

“It is possible if we get your parents’ consent. It is just a transfer on paper, so nothing much will change.”

Mok Seongha asked, “Why? Do you hate the idea?” as he picked up a side dish. Kim Jinkyung blinked and shook his head.

“It is not that I hate it, …I have just never thought about it.”

“I suppose.”

Mok Seongha placed a side dish on Kim Jinkyung’s bowl and continued.

“Then you will be having sex with your nephew. I will be topping my uncle.”

Kim Jinkyung’s face turned bright red.

“Please, don’t say such things. What if someone hears you….”

“There is no one around. I checked everything.”

Kim Jinkyung sighed when he saw Mok Seongha point to his ear.

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

“…I will think about it. This is a very sudden conversation.”

“Do it quickly.”

Mok Seongha continued in a small voice.

“Because there is no time.”

“…….”

Kim Jinkyung nodded. After the meal, the two went to the bathroom, brushed their teeth side by side, and shared a brief kiss.

“I will go check on Grandfather and then come back.”

“Yes. I will head in first.”

After returning to the room, Kim Jinkyung finished his shower and sat on the bed to read. Mok Seongha did not return until after midnight. When Kim Jinkyung had drifted off to sleep, Mok Seongha returned and lay down beside him.

“You are back?”

“Yes.”

Kim Jinkyung reached out his arm. Mok Seongha climbed into his embrace as if he had been waiting. Holding the man, Kim Jinkyung closed his eyes.

In his sleep, Kim Jinkyung thought he heard the sound of rain and tightened his hold on Mok Seongha. Some time passed.

Mok Seongha shook his shoulder.

“Teacher.”

“…Yes.”

“Grandfather has passed away.”

Kim Jinkyung abruptly sat up when he heard the calm voice. Mok Seongha, who had already changed into black funeral clothes, looked down at him.

“When…..Just a moment ago, he was…”

“You can sleep more. There is still a lot to prepare.”

“No. I will go with you.”

Kim Jinkyung stood up and pulled back the sheets. Outside the door, Secretary Kang called the man, “Young Master.”

“I will go first. There is much to do.”

“Seongha-ssi.”

Kim Jinkyung caught Mok Seongha’s hand. Their eyes met.

“…Are you alright?”

“Yes. Grandfather told me everything I need to do.”

He kissed Kim Jinkyung’s hand that held him, said “See you later,” and left the room. Kim Jinkyung quickly washed his face and changed his clothes.

Because a doctor resided at the house, the funeral procedures progressed quickly. The young chief mourner, wearing the traditional armband, stayed at the funeral hall for all three days. Within his calm sorrow, Mok Seongha fulfilled his role. He barely slept a wink as he greeted the endless wave of mourners. Kim Jinkyung also stayed at the funeral hall with him.

In accordance with Chairman Choi’s final wishes, no one entered the room for the ritual cleansing of the body. At the crematorium, Mok Seongha waited with red-rimmed eyes for his grandfather’s name to appear on the electronic board. After receiving the remains in a small ceramic jar, he interred them where Chairman Choi’s wife was buried, following his wishes.

Mok Seongha said nothing while they dug the earth. Secretary Kang stayed by his side, holding a large umbrella.

It rained throughout the funeral. Mok Seongha didn’t transform even once.