74.
Sometimes Haseo thought of himself as a ‘dog.’ A dog faithfully guarding the house until its owner returns. As always, he would sit absentmindedly on the living room sofa, then rush out when Choi Mujin arrived. And he would greet him with a friendly smile. Because Mujin currently held too much power over him.
Couldn’t he just smile genuinely at someone he liked? He definitely liked Choi Mujin, but he couldn’t smile unreservedly. How could he even explain this feeling?
While lost in these thoughts, he heard the sound of the door opening outside. Haseo got up from the sofa and went out to welcome Choi Mujin as usual. However, the person who entered wasn’t Choi Mujin.
“Hello?”
It was Park Dongsu.
“Oh, yes.”
Haseo hesitated before continuing.
“Has something happened?”
Since Park Dongsu rarely visited on his own initiative these days, such a question wasn’t strange. Yes, something must have happened. And for Haseo, there was only one thing that could be considered an “issue.” His heart sank.
“Grandmother, has something happened to my grandmother?”
When he asked urgently, Park Dongsu shook his head.
“No. Your grandmother is doing well.”
Only after hearing Park Dongsu’s firm answer did Haseo breathe a sigh of relief. If it wasn’t about his grandmother, why had he come? As he was wondering this, Park Dongsu took a step to the side. Then, a person who had been hidden behind his large frame appeared.
“Haseo. It’s been a while.”
It was his father. After keeping them apart without a single meeting all this time, why suddenly now? Haseo looked at them both with a puzzled expression.
“Ahem. I, I said I wanted to meet you. After all, I am your father. I think I’ve been too indifferent to my child all this time.”
His father, Lee Jeongin, saying such things? Haseo glared at his father with suspicious eyes. The Lee Jeongin he knew was selfish, pathetic, and frightening. Though he held the position of a father, being with him never gave Haseo the feeling of family. For Haseo, family consisted only of his grandmother and mother. Though his mother had passed away, that didn’t mean his father could fill that void.
Haseo didn’t respond to Lee Jeongin’s words.
“May I come in for a moment?”
Come in where? Haseo answered firmly.
“No. Let’s talk here.”
“How cold. No, no. I must have done something terribly wrong. Let me say this now—I’m sorry!”
Lee Jeongin bowed deeply before Haseo.
“I failed to do what a father should do! But I’ve been thinking. After meeting your grandmother, I wondered if perhaps I’ve been living my life wrong all this time. Obsessed with gambling, I forgot what was most precious. So I wanted to apologize for that.”
“Huh.”
Haseo exhaled in disbelief. Did he think he could be forgiven just by apologizing? Considering all the trouble Lee Jeongin had caused, Haseo couldn’t forgive him.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’ve heard that apologies are meant for those who have been harmed. So expecting resolution with just one apology would be shameless.”
Lee Jeongin, who had raised his head, wore a bitter expression. The deep wrinkles, rough skin, and the face where time had melted in held regret.
“I’m truly, truly sorry.”
Though he spoke with a desperate voice, Haseo still couldn’t believe him. He looked at Park Dongsu and asked.
“Did you tell my father to apologize?”
“No. He said he would do it voluntarily.”
“Voluntarily?”
“Yes.”
Haseo rubbed his forehead with his hand. He really didn’t know what to say.
“Please leave.”
That was all he could manage to say. But Lee Jeongin’s eccentric behavior didn’t end there. Suddenly, from early morning, he would sweep in front of the villa with a broom. Wondering why he was doing this, Haseo watched, and his father waved at him. In addition, every day he would visit with Park Dongsu and continue his apologies. At first, he only said he was sorry, but later he began to talk about Haseo’s grandmother too.
Initially, Haseo thought it was just pretense to escape his situation, but as it continued, Haseo’s heart began to waver.
The old pawnshop owner used to say:
“Hey kid. Your heart is too soft. And yet you say you want to make a living through scams? How is that going to work? Someday you’ll face serious trouble.”
Back then, Haseo had retorted that it was an annoying thing to say, but now he knew it wasn’t wrong. The high dam he had built to avoid being hurt by others was gradually collapsing. And because of his father, whom he had hated so much. Watching his father doing something like a national exercise routine outside the window, Haseo unconsciously smiled.
Whatever the reason, his father was changing.
“I wish Grandmother would wake up and see this.”
His grandmother would be the happiest to see his changed father. Despite always criticizing his father, she had never been able to hate him completely. So she would be very happy to see him.
“Grandmother.”
Please open your eyes. Haseo closed his eyes, wishing for that.
After that day, Haseo even went to see his grandmother with his father. His father spoke to his grandmother with more sincerity than before. Occasionally, he would talk about Haseo, but since he didn’t know much, he often stammered. At those times, Haseo would interject to fill in the details.
One day, his father bought warm soy milk from a convenience store and gave it to Haseo. And as he awkwardly smiled, Haseo felt his heart flutter. Though he thought he had given up everything after being confined by Choi Mujin, it seemed that wasn’t the case. Haseo’s heart was still alive.
“Father.”
For the first time, Haseo spoke to his father first.
“Huh? Oh! Yes, yes. Haseo.”
His father seemed very happy that Haseo had initiated conversation.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“No. I just wanted to call you.”
Haseo concluded shyly. As such days increased, Haseo gradually became peaceful. So when Choi Mujin asked, he could answer calmly.
“I hear you’ve been meeting with your father often lately?”
“Yes.”
“And that’s okay with you?”
“It’s fine. He’s not like he used to be.”
“Hmm. If he tries anything suspicious, let me know.”
“…He won’t.”
“You never know.”
Choi Mujin seemed suspicious of his father, but given what he had done in the past, it was understandable. Moreover, what he said dispelled any remaining doubts Haseo had. He had wondered if perhaps Choi Mujin had threatened his father to act this way. Just like he had done initially.
“By the way, can I ask for one thing?”
“What do you want to ask?”
“I’d like to cook again.”
Haseo felt a bit motivated. But there weren’t many things he could do in this house. He wasn’t interested in games, and he didn’t enjoy reading either. There were other activities, but they were all similar. So he started cleaning, but that didn’t take long. As a result, he wanted to try cooking again, which was what he had done the most.
“If you want to, you should.”
Permission was granted surprisingly quickly. That day, several people came in and out of the kitchen. And afterward, it was transformed to resemble Choi Mujin’s kitchen. They even moved the tools he used there, so everything was familiar.
“Let’s see.”
He couldn’t go shopping, but Park Dongsu bought and delivered the ingredients.
“I’ll make kimchi stew.”
Usually, kimchi stew is made with plenty of pork, but Haseo’s family’s kimchi stew was a bit different. They preferred canned tuna over pork. Because it was cheaper. Although there might be fewer solid pieces, when tuna oil is added, it’s quite delicious. For some reason, he wanted to eat that today.
‘Now I can use ingredients freely.’
He added two large cans of tuna. Stirring the stew and seeing the large pieces of tuna made him feel abundant. Without needing to stir-fry meat first, he just finely chopped kimchi and onions, added them with the tuna, and boiled it.
Once finished, the quantity was more than expected. If he and Choi Mujin ate it together, it seemed like they could eat it all day. Haseo looked at the full pot and then took out a smaller one. He transferred half of the stew there.
His grandmother had always made stew with tuna, so his father probably knew the taste.
‘No, Park Dongsu will take care of feeding him anyway.’
Despite knowing this, his hands didn’t stop cooking. After setting aside the tuna kimchi stew, he also prepared rolled eggs, soy-braised meat, and seasoned bean sprouts. Then, for the first time in a while, he picked up the phone mounted on the villa’s wall.
“Is something wrong?”
In response to the question, he hesitated briefly before speaking.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“No. I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Then, I’ve made too much food. Would you like some?”
There was a moment of silence. But soon, Park Dongsu’s voice was heard again.
“Thank you, I’d appreciate it.”
Only then did Haseo feel at ease.
“Then please come. I’ve prepared everything.”
“Thank you.”
After hanging up, Park Dongsu immediately came to the villa. His father came along, probably worried about having enough hands to carry everything.
“Thank you. This will be a bountiful lunch.”
“It’s nothing. I hope it tastes good.”
Haseo handed over what he had prepared to Park Dongsu and his father.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
