39.
After leaving Chairman Jang behind at the tea house, Choi Mujin immediately turned on his tablet PC. He was curious about what Haseo was doing at home. During Haseo’s hospital stay, more CCTVs had been installed in the house. Originally there were none in the guest room, but now several were installed there as well.
Haseo probably wasn’t unaware of this. Still, Choi Mujin felt no hesitation. He had a convenient excuse that Haseo had tried to betray him, and somehow watching like this made him feel more at ease.
‘Let’s see.’
Haseo, who had been quietly in his room for a while, came out as if he’d made some decision. Then he went to the kitchen and began preparing a meal. At first it seemed like he was preparing food as usual, but there was a difference. Perhaps due to anxiety, he kept making mistakes. He cut his hand while chopping vegetables and broke dishes. Fortunately, Park Dongsu cleaned up after him, but the sight bothered Choi Mujin. So at an appropriate time, he called Park Dongsu.
— Yes, Director.
“Hire a housekeeper.”
— A housekeeper, sir?
Until now, he hadn’t trusted people easily, so he hadn’t readily employed housekeepers. Even taking Haseo on as a housekeeper was half done for amusement, so Park Dongsu couldn’t help but be curious.
“Yes, it seems Haseo won’t be able to do housework for a while.”
— I understand. I’ll find a housekeeper right away.
There would be quite a few people willing to step up if offered more money.
“Good, and I probably won’t be able to come home for a while.”
— Is something happening?
“The old snake has a task for me.”
Since Chairman Jang was the only person Choi Mujin called “old snake,” Park Dongsu seemed to understand.
— Do you need me?
“Kim Chunbong would be better suited for this job.”
— Is it about finding someone?
“Park Dongsu, you’ve gotten sharper.”
— Haven’t I learned much under you, Director?
“Yes, it’s about finding someone. I’ll return as quickly as possible after finding them, so keep watch.”
— I’ll keep that in mind.
After that, Choi Mujin ended the call first. Summoning Kim Chunbong wasn’t difficult. He was usually wandering around everywhere, but today for some reason he was quietly at the company.
“Boss! I mean, Director!”
Kim Chunbong approached with his usual smooth demeanor.
“You have a job for me?”
“Yes.”
“Where should I go?”
“Daegu.”
“Daegu, Daegu. That’s a shame. If it were Daejeon, we could stop by a famous bakery.”
Clicking his tongue lightly, Kim Chunbong naturally opened the car door. Despite being told several times that such actions weren’t necessary, he wasn’t one to listen. So Choi Mujin also clicked his tongue lightly and got into the car.
“Let’s go then!”
Kim Chunbong, who naturally sat in the driver’s seat, started the car.
During the few hours from Seoul to Daegu, Choi Mujin continuously stared at his tablet PC. As he kept watching Haseo moving on the screen, Kim Chunbong glanced at him from time to time. He seemed to have something he wanted to ask but didn’t immediately open his mouth.
“Director. May I ask you something?”
When Choi Mujin nodded as if to say go ahead, Kim Chunbong continued.
“About that person. Lee Haseo-ssi. Are you going to keep him by your side?”
“If I keep him by my side?”
“No, I was just wondering if you’re keeping him, shouldn’t something be done? Haseo-ssi’s family situation is difficult, and his grandmother is hospitalized. If you’re going to keep him around, wouldn’t it be better to make some arrangements? Move her to a better hospital, and think of something to hold onto Haseo-ssi.”
It was unexpected. Judging by appearances, Park Dongsu seemed like the colder person, but in reality, Kim Chunbong had lower trust in people. He often said how could one trust someone whose heart changes so frequently. So it was surprising to hear him talk about Haseo that way.
“Why do you think I’ll keep Lee Haseo by my side?”
“Well, you’re not acting like yourself lately, Director.”
Looking at this, Kim Chunbong really had no fear. He blurted out what others wouldn’t dare to ask.
“I’m not acting like myself?”
“That’s right. Watching you these days, you’re like a typical person in love. I once thought you were the same type as me, but you’re not. I’m too scared to trust or love people. But you’re more courageous than I am, aren’t you? Thinking that way and observing, I could see the situation. I’m sure Park Dongsu also knows?”
So that’s how Choi Mujin appeared to Kim Chunbong. Choi Mujin looked down at his tablet PC and twisted the corner of his mouth. Love. Isn’t it an infinitely fragile emotion to trust? Of course, he knew there were people who held onto and maintained that glass-like emotion. Seo Jaewoo and Choi Hyunjin were like that.
Even in difficult situations, the two created and continued their love. But Choi Mujin wondered.
‘Is that possible?’
Choi Mujin’s love had never been realized, not even once. Parental love, friendship, first love—they all collapsed in vain. And now, love? When no answer came, Kim Chunbong quietly closed his mouth again and drove.
A large hospital in Daegu’s urban area. A funeral home was attached to that hospital, and that was today’s destination. The woman who had parted ways with Chairman Jang had recently died of cancer, and her son was keeping watch at his mother’s funeral.
“Let’s see.”
Kim Chunbong entered the funeral home without hesitation and headed toward his target. There was no need to involve Choi Mujin in this, so he decided to just hear the important information and then step in. Since they already knew some things, finding Chairman Jang’s child wasn’t difficult.
‘Wow, so shabby.’
At the basic funeral, there was only one elderly woman as a guest. Even she was busy eating spicy beef soup and drinking soju, not paying attention to her surroundings. A bit away from there, in a corner, stood a man. He occasionally looked at a framed photo with a black band around it, his shoulders shaking. It seemed the mother-son relationship had been deep.
“Excuse me?”
Kim Chunbong adjusted his clothes and called to the chief mourner in a gentle voice. The chief mourner turned around, saw him, and looked surprised.
“Who are you?”
“I heard the news that Jeong Heera passed away and came to pay my respects.”
“Did you know my mother?”
“To be precise, I work under someone who knew your mother.”
When he naturally took out a business card and handed it over, the chief mourner’s brow furrowed as he checked it. But that reaction didn’t seem positive at all.
“Isaac Finance.”
“Oh, you know it?”
“I do. My mother mentioned it a few times when she was alive.”
Ah, perhaps this might be a bit difficult. Kim Chunbong thought inwardly. He didn’t know what the mother had said, but it probably wasn’t good. When he was young, Chairman Jang was a womanizer. Even now, he hadn’t changed much.
“Did my father send you?”
Oh, he still calls him father? That’s a good response. At this rate, it seemed possible to persuade him and bring him along. What happens after he meets his father wasn’t Kim Chunbong’s concern. Well, for an ordinary person, even with some friction, they’d likely be moved by the numerous benefits Chairman Jang would offer.
“Yes. Chairman Jang has always been thinking of Heera-nim. You parted ways when she was pregnant, so he’s been worried about what happened.”
It was all lies, but the chief mourner had no way of knowing.
“Really, he was worried?”
“Of course. After all, you’re his only child, aren’t you?”
“Child, am I the only one?”
The chief mourner took the bait at the deliberately emphasized words. Sensing that things were going well, Kim Chunbong became even more talkative. In the process, he learned the chief mourner’s name. His name was Jeong Heejun. Currently, he was using his mother’s surname. Age 24. After graduating from high school, he had been moving between construction work, delivery, and other jobs. These were all jobs where one could earn decent money by working hard, but their household was always struggling.
It was because his mother, Jeong Heera, had weak health. Most of the money went to hospital bills. Even so, Heejun had grown up to be an upright person. Even though half of him would be the blood of that rascal Chairman Jang.
‘How admirable.’
After talking with Jeong Heejun, Kim Chunbong arranged to go to Seoul together after the funeral was over. And today was the last day of the funeral.
* * *
Jeong Heejun looked with a strange gaze at Kim Chunbong, who was politely escorting him. Despite his slick manner, he was not a person to be taken lightly. He had persuaded Heejun with cleverly arranged words and finally elicited the desired response.
“Ah, come to think of it, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
Saying this, Kim Chunbong respectfully pointed to a person who had entered belatedly.
“This is Director Choi, who works with Chairman Jang.”
Only after seeing Choi Mujin did Jeong Heejun fully understand what his mother had said. She used to lament that his father did rough work. Now he understood what that rough work was. He looked again at the business card Kim Chunbong had given him.
Tier 3 Financial Company. He had heard about that sector a few times. It was just something he had looked up out of curiosity because his mother kept talking about his father, but in the process, Director Choi’s name had come up a few times. The dog who took on all of Chairman Jang’s dirty work. Although he hadn’t done anything bad to Jeong Heejun yet, he could tell just by looking at him.
‘We don’t match.’
His mother had told him to live righteously. But alongside that sentiment, there was also an emotion of revenge. While saying she loved his father, she also resented and lamented him.
‘Why did I love such a person?’
Praying for his father’s safety while also wishing for his unhappiness—his mother’s attitude was irony itself.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
