“...Then excuse .”
With no choice, I sat across from him. The perceptive chef placed a al before , gave a subtle nod, then withdrew. The neatly prepared food was warm rice and bulgogi.
Kwon Yido glanced at the plate set before . In front of him, unlike mine, were well-toasted bread, eggs, and salad. The difference in nu caught my attention, but he didn’t seem inclined to comnt.
“....”
“....”
Only the clink of utensils broke the silence. The atmosphere was so awkward it weighed on my chest like a swallowed stone. No matter how I tried to ignore it, his presence was overwhelming. Throughout the al, I couldn’t help but be conscious of him.
“I’ve been aning to say this...”
Halfway through the food, Yido set down his utensils and spoke. When I looked up, his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied . His well-shaped lips moved slowly.
“There’s no need to act like you’ve seen a ghost every ti you run into .”
“....”
That was unexpected. Was that why he’d told to sit? While I was wondering, he tilted his head.
“Unless you’re trying to stage so kind of protest.”
A protest? Did I even have the right to do such a thing?
“Sorry. If it looked that way...”
“No.”
“....”
“It didn’t look that way.”
For a mont, I almost lost control of my expression. Then what does he want from ? A sense of absurdity washed over . Yido’s eyes carried a flicker of displeasure as he added,
“But it still bothers .”
“...I’m sorry.”
It didn’t feel like I had done anything wrong. But even if that were true, there was nothing else I could do. If he said it displeased him, then I would have to be careful not to do it again.
“....”
Yet even after my apology, he didn’t relax his expression. He looked as if he were about to say sothing, then clicked his tongue briefly and turned his head away. Soon he rose from his seat, and I reflexively offered a farewell.
“Please have a safe day.”
His gaze lingered briefly on my face. He didn’t answer, but there was plenty in his eyes. Then he turned away, and the short al ended there.
I thought for sure my stomach would be upset, but surprisingly, even on the way to work it felt calm. As always, the driver and Mr. Kim ca to collect , and I sat in the back seat while Mr. Kim reviewed the day’s schedule. Other than an internal eting in the morning, it was nothing too busy.
“And...”
After finishing the briefing, Mr. Kim hesitated. He still had sothing to say. I turned toward him, and what he said was completely unexpected.
“You’ll need to visit the main house soon.”
“....”
The main house? My heart sank like a stone. Father rarely summoned there. Even when he ordered to marry, it hadn’t been at the house but in the chairman’s office.
Had Minjae caused trouble? Or had Yido finally decided to send back? While only bad possibilities filled my mind, Mr. Kim explained reluctantly.
“He said the family should... have a al together.”
“...A al?”
“Yes. And since you’ll be there, he said you should stay the night.”
That was even more surprising. There was no reason to include in a family al. When Father said “family,” I was never part of that word.
As expected, the next words confird I hadn’t been mistaken.
“...It seed he had sothing to say.”
“Ah.”
Of course. There was always a purpose. It just wasn’t sothing to be delivered through Mr. Kim’s mouth.
“Is it urgent?”
“No, he said to co at your convenience.”
Surprisingly lenient, for him. Normally, he demanded I co imdiately, regardless of circumstance. Perhaps Yido’s marriage had eased his mind.
“Tell him I’ll co next week.”
“Yes. I’ll suggest the weekend.”
Should I tell Yido? He had said I didn’t need to report my daily life, but if I stayed away overnight, I probably should. Even if he didn’t know whether I was ho or not, disappearing without a word was different.
“I’ll co pick you up that day.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Maybe... he would ask how married life was. Or whether there were plans for children yet. Most likely, it would begin with the forr and lead into the latter.
Whatever it was, I only hoped it would pass quietly. At the very least, that it wouldn’t make my life any worse. That was all I could wish for.
***
The days passed busily. During that ti, I ended up sharing several breakfasts with Kwon Yido. Not by design—he simply happened to be at the table each ti I went down. Since he had told not to act as if I were avoiding him, I could only sit and eat.
And Minjae called often. Always for pointless reasons (“The fuck, you get married and can’t even show your face?”), usually slurred with drink. The problem was that almost every ti Minjae called, Yido happened to be nearby.
'Why drink wine when you can’t even hold your liquor...'
It was because the calls ca around his commute ti. I took them on my way upstairs, thinking no one would be around. Of course, I hadn’t expected Yido to be standing at the second-floor landing.
'Father will worry, so hurry and—'
My forced smile almost froze. Even the softened tone I’d barely managed to maintain nearly broke. Seeing him there, I almost stumbled down the stairs.
'...Hurry, you should go ho.'
I finished the call sohow, but Yido just stood there, watching . As if telling not to mind him and go on. But then Minjae shouted through the phone, his voice carrying clearly.
'....'
It was mostly childish whining. Cursing, accusing of worrying about him for nothing. His voice was half-sobbing, full of leftover attachnts and frustration with nowhere to go.
'...Minjae, I’m busy. I’ll call you later.'
I ended the call quickly, but Yido passed without a word. Still, similar things happened several more tis, and each ti he gave that look—a mix of distaste and contempt.
It was painfully awkward. He knew Minjae’s feelings, and he knew I knew. Seeing soothe Minjae’s tantrums could only be unpleasant.
In any case, ti passed, and before I knew it, the promised day arrived. At the appointed hour, I left Yido’s house in the car Mr. Kim drove. Rain was forecast for the afternoon, but the sky was still clear.
'The main house?'
When I told him, Yido didn’t react coldly as before. His face still showed disinterest, but he checked his watch, as if calculating dates. Tapping the glass with his finger, he murmured,
'That’s the day before my business trip.'
He was attending a Citigroup shareholder eting as an outside director. He’d be gone about a week, so he told to stay at the main house as long as I wanted. It sounded like permission, but really it ant 'Do as you like'.
'You’ll see your family after a while.'
“Yes... I suppose.”
Since when did he make small talk? The thought lasted only a second. Blinking slowly, his expression unchanged, he said,
'You’ll see your brother too.'
“....”
It felt deliberate. Sha swept over , as if so hidden weakness had been exposed. Whether he knew or not, he changed the subject casually.
'I’ll give you a gift. At least that much courtesy is due a business partner.'
He handed a bottle of wine worth over fifty million won. When I refused, saying it was too much, his reply was cutting.
'If you don’t like what’s excessive, you shouldn’t have accepted this marriage.'
He was right. The most excessive thing in my life was not the wine, but Yido himself. A bottle of wine worth tens of millions didn’t even compare.
'Tell them it ca from that alpha bastard.'
Maybe the topic hadn’t really changed after all. He had claid he didn’t care about Minjae, but perhaps it had bothered him. Otherwise those words wouldn’t have stung the way they did.
“We’ve arrived, Director.”
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice until the car pulled up to the gate. The gray walls were just as tall as they had seed in childhood. Yido’s house was bigger, but this place felt far more suffocating.
“Are you all right?”
Mr. Kim’s voice ca carefully. I tore my eyes from the wall’s top. Pretending calm, I said I was fine and stepped through the gates first.
“Young master, you’re here? Goodness, you’ve lost weight.”
The butler greeted as I entered. My mother appeared soon after, telling Father was in his study. I handed the wine to the staff and made my way there.
At the door, a twisting unease knotted my gut. Call it instinct—it told what I was about to hear would not be good. But choice wasn’t mine, so I knocked.
“Father, it’s Jung Sejin.”
'Co in.'
The kindly tone sounded like a death sentence. Through the opened door I saw him practicing putting with a golf club. Taking a quiet breath, I wetted my lips. I had no idea what words I was about to hear, or what effect they would have on .
“You asked for .”
***
By evening, the rain began. From the pitch-black sky, water poured as if through a hole. I watched it until dinner, then left the main house imdiately afterward.
“To the officetel, please.”
Mr. Kim turned the car without protest. He already knew I hadn’t cleared out the officetel. I stared blankly at the drizzle outside, until he asked gently,
“...Do you need more sleeping pills?”
“Ah.”
A low sound slipped out. He was right—the supply was nearly gone. I collected them in months-long prescriptions, but I always finished them much sooner.
“Yes. I forgot to ntion it.”
“I’ll see to it soon.”
With that, silence returned. I watched the raindrops slide down the window, replaying Father’s words in my mind. Questions about progress, about children—and then, after all the humiliations, the real order.
'Bring a file.'
There was no real choice. Only whether I would agree readily, or nod reluctantly.
'It’s not stealing. Just speeding things up.'
His words were sophistry. It was theft, betrayal—sothing that would make Yido furious if he learned of it.
'Think carefully. Do you think a divorce won’t happen if you refuse?'
“....”
'No, he’ll definitely throw you away.'
I couldn’t deny that. How long would Yido keep an oga he didn’t love? Once I had no more use, he would discard .
'Family is all you can trust.'
Father who had raised , or Yido whom I had only just begun to live with. The choice was obvious. We were strangers anyway; no matter what I did, he wouldn’t feel betrayed. At most, he’d think, So that useless oga caused trouble.
'...Does that bastard treat you well?'
As I sat in the lounge, Minjae returned ho. With his hair dyed dark, he looked even more like Mother today. Seeing him, I forced the smile I’d been practicing so hard lately.
'He treats well. He even gave a gift for visiting ho.'
Treats well? We barely spoke at all. The sum of our conversations wouldn’t fill a single page—and most of those words were his ridicule.
'...So you’re satisfied? With that marriage?'
If I wasn’t, what other path did I have? Words from soone who knew nothing—those were the most cruel. He didn’t even know what that wine ant, or what my marriage was like.
'As expected, only my little brother worries for .'
It was the only way I could deflect him. A convenient way to change the subject. Sure enough, Minjae left the lounge with a twisted expression.
“We’ve arrived.”
When the car stopped at the officetel, the rain still hadn’t let up. Mr. Kim parked in the outdoor lot, opened an umbrella, and held the back door for .
“You shouldn’t get wet today.”
The firmness in his tone made laugh faintly. No one knew better than him that I liked standing in the rain. Cruelly, he told not to get wet, only to watch it. Of course, it was only worry for .
“Young master, your complexion... I really don’t think it’s wise today.”
Even the butler had said sothing similar. Despite eating regularly, I must still have looked poor.
“You’ll catch the cold, not .”
I stepped out and took the umbrella from his hand. He likely ant to walk to the entrance, but I had no such intention.
“Go on. Thank you.”
Thankfully, Mr. Kim wasn’t the sort to push. With lingering eyes, he said he’d pick up tomorrow, and stressed once more that I mustn’t get wet. Instead of answering, I only smiled.
The car drove off, leaving alone in the lot. I let my hand fall slack, and the drizzle soaked from head to toe.
“....”
The reason I liked standing in the rain was because it ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) felt like it washed away the heaviness inside. And because in the damp air, scents mixed—the sll of wet earth, fresh grass, the faint trace of trees.
At least it was late. If soone had seen , they’d think I was insane. A young man in a neat suit, standing in a parking lot, letting himself be drenched. Even I thought it pathetic.
I stayed there a long ti, until the cold seeped through and Father’s words played on repeat. Until at last I admitted to myself that I could not disobey.
Perhaps that was why, the next morning when I woke in the officetel, it was inside a vicious fever.
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