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“Yes, Choi Eunseong… I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The jujube tea, which had been brewing strongly, had been giving off an overwhelmingly sweet scent that stung the nostrils. Choi Eunseong bowed his head quickly, saying, “Ah, hello…”
After arriving at the villa and finishing lunch, Jang Yeonhu had gone out dressed lightly, saying he wanted to look around the area after a long time. Only after Yeonhu left was Eunseong summoned by Madam Kang. For someone who had been watching his step like a borrowed sack of barley in his assigned room since arriving at the villa, it was quite a welcome development.
“Hmm…”
Though it seemed like any conversation might ease his discomfort, Madam Kang, who was just sipping her tea, remained silent for a long time. She merely examined Eunseong from head to toe like a merchant appraising goods. After doing this for quite some time, her sharp eyes curved with disapproval. There was also a clicking of her tongue.
Eunseong pretended to be calm while clenching his fists tighter. When he first heard that Yeonhu’s grandmother had come down to the villa to recuperate due to poor health, he had vaguely imagined a kind-faced elderly woman who would welcome him with a warm smile. Even if that imagination missed the mark, he had thought she would at least be easier to deal with than Chairman Noh…
“Our Yeonhu takes after me and has a good eye for people, but how did this happen? Tsk, tsk.”
“…”
“Sigh… But if he likes you, what can I do? Have some tea before it gets cold.”
It was a complete misunderstanding. The arrogant gaze that so naturally looked down on people and that sharp voice—by any measure, she was a step above Chairman Noh.
Eunseong picked up the teacup with trembling hands. Due to his violently shaking hands, the jujube tea spilled over and dampened his fingers, but he didn’t even have time to feel the heat. He suddenly wondered how this elderly woman before him had treated Han Jaekyung.
If Choi Eunseong had been as beautiful as Han Jaekyung. If he had been as capable as Han Jaekyung. If he had been by Yeonhu’s side as long as Han Jaekyung. …If he had been loved by Yeonhu as much as Han Jaekyung.
If that had been the case, would he be treated completely differently than he was now?
In truth, whether it was Choi Eunseong or Han Jaekyung, there wasn’t much difference in that they were both her grandson’s most treasured toys, but Eunseong had no way of knowing that. Suppressing his urge to run away immediately, Eunseong merely moistened the tip of his lips with the hot jujube tea.
It was then. Just as the front door opened with a bang, Madam Kang’s cold expression suddenly brightened. Yeonhu, who had said he was going for a walk, had returned. The hems of his pants were slightly wet, suggesting he might have gone as far as the nearby valley.
“Grandmother, I’m back. Hmm? Where is everyone else?”
“They all looked tired, so I sent them up to get some rest. Is my precious grandson not tired?”
“I haven’t done anything to be tired about.”
Yeonhu sat down close beside Madam Kang with an amiable smile, then slightly nodded toward the opposite side. It was a signal for Eunseong to leave. Eunseong carefully put down his teacup without making a sound and hurriedly ran up the stairs as if escaping. The sticky, dried scent of jujube tea on the tip of his tongue was nauseating.
The farthest corner of the floor. The small guest room, barely fitting a single bed, was more than adequate for Choi Eunseong, who had never had a proper room of his own while growing up. But strangely, it felt cramped and stuffy, perhaps because his body had already become accustomed to the spacious room provided by the Jang family at their main house. Though no one had imprisoned him, it was also pitiful to see himself curled up in this cramped cage.
Lying stiffly on the bed, swallowing his pitiful feelings, he could see time slowly passing outside the window. When the evening sunset was growing dim, there was a knock on the door urging him to come down for dinner, but Eunseong responded with silence to all such invitations. What was the point of going down? He wouldn’t be able to dine with the chairman’s family, so he wouldn’t even get to see Yeonhu.
After ignoring several knocks, no one came looking for Eunseong. No one cared about him. That unsightly reality pierced his heart. If only Yeonhu hadn’t lost his memory, he wouldn’t have left Eunseong alone in front of his grandmother in the first place, and upon hearing that Eunseong had no appetite, he would have come to his room with a worried face. In other words, Eunseong wouldn’t have had to chew on this freezing shabbiness.
“…”
He skillfully pushed back a sob that was about to escape down his throat.
How could there not be resentment towards a cruel lover who had whispered hopeful promises of tomorrow only to disappear like a mirage? Seeing Yeonhu, with the same affectionate demeanor that once kissed him, now whispering love to Han Jaekyung… How could the ugly selfishness not raise its head, thinking that it would have been better if Yeonhu had remained unconscious in the hospital?
But Eunseong couldn’t bring himself to reveal such unworthy feelings. Because when he traced the cause step by step, it seemed like everything had turned out this way because of him. Yeonhu’s accident happened because he was hit by a car while trying to save Eunseong. If only he had stopped Yeonhu from coming to pick him up, if only he had said they should meet inside the airport, if only he had said he would come quickly, this terrible situation would never have happened.
Having barely eaten lunch, his stomach was beyond hunger and was now burning, but Eunseong only curled up more on his side and closed his eyes. Physical pain was rather welcome compared to the sense of loss from losing a lover in an instant.
Whether they knew of Eunseong’s discomfort or not, the rest of the party had a very pleasant time. Yeonhu played the role of a charming grandson in front of his grandmother whom he was meeting after a long time, and Madam Kang was greatly satisfied by the fact that her grandson, who was said to have had a major accident, appeared before her in such good health. The news that he had lost his memory was certainly surprising, but they said there was a high probability of it returning, and even if he had truly lost his memory, as long as the chairman and vice chairman were standing strong, management training could be received again, so they didn’t see it as a major issue.
“Why don’t you stay a little longer…”
“I’ll come again. Instead, I’ll call you often, okay? And you could come up to Seoul once you’re feeling better, Grandmother.”
“This kid, if only you weren’t so good with words.”
Madam Kang had subtly been trying to gauge the atmosphere to keep Yeonhu at the villa for the night, but today didn’t seem to be the day. As soon as dinner was over, Yeonhu insisted on returning immediately, saying that Han Jaekyung was alone at the main house. The Vice Chairman, who had been secretly sighing, knowing that his mother would likely keep them until at least ten or eleven o’clock, also seemed to subtly go along with Yeonhu’s stubbornness.
“Next time, I’ll bring Jaekyung. Grandmother, you used to like Jaekyung, right? Jaekyung would be happy to see you too.”
“Hmm, well… Do as you please.”
Madam Kang nodded as she glanced at Choi Eunseong, who was standing stiffly by the car door. Whether it would still be that young man beside Yeonhu the next time he came to this villa, or whether it would be Han Jaekyung as Yeonhu said, was something to be seen.
The seating arrangement in the car was the same as when they came down. Choi Eunseong, who got into the back seat with Yeonhu, idly looked at the dark open road outside the window, then soon gathered all his non-existent courage and barely managed to open his mouth. He didn’t know what to say, but he wanted to have some kind of conversation with Yeonhu right away.
“The elder madam… What is she ill with?”
“Ah, my grandmother?”
Yeonhu answered in an indifferent voice that she didn’t have any special chronic illness. It’s just that at her age… her blood pressure is a bit high, her blood sugar levels are a bit dangerous… She’s had several joint surgeries. It’s like that for everyone, you know. His tone was very nonchalant, in stark contrast to his quick hands obsessively checking his mobile phone.
With such blatant boredom, the courage Eunseong had barely gathered quickly melted away.
“Tsk, why isn’t he answering… Is he very sick…”
Yeonhu’s plaintive murmur pierced Eunseong’s ears. He desperately missed the lover who had been especially affectionate today.
They arrived at the main house just after nine o’clock, having come straight back after dinner due to Yeonhu’s insistence. Yeonhu, who had no patience to wait for the adults to get out of the car, hurriedly flung open the front door and naturally looked for Han Jaekyung.
The atmosphere of the day, which had been going relatively smoothly despite some creaking, came to a crashing halt from that moment.
“Where’s Jaekyung? Why is there no one in his room?”
“Young master, I’m sorry to say this, but…”
“Go ahead.”
“…Attorney Han went out in the afternoon and hasn’t returned yet.”
As the servant’s words continued with evident hesitation, strangely, not a single expression crossed Yeonhu’s face.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
