Chapter 195
Today’s drawing topic was “A wonderful place I’ve been to.” As soon as Jerome heard the topic, he couldn’t think of anything else but this cabin.
He had encountered this cabin on his first and last outing with his uncle. The magnificent fireplace with crackling firewood, the tapestry with intricate patterns, and the cabin still adorned with Christmas decorations as if time had stopped – all of these had captured Jerome’s heart and wouldn’t let go.
In truth, he still wanted to go there again. But he forcefully suppressed that desire. Since that day when he had begged his uncle to read him a fairy tale in the cabin, and ended up bursting into tears due to the cold and piercing gaze directed at him, he hadn’t dared to mention the cabin again.
After their trip to the amusement park, his uncle wasn’t as scary as before, but he was still difficult to approach. For some reason, it wasn’t easy to act cute or throw tantrums with his uncle. Above all, he was cautious about inadvertently causing his dad to be disliked because of him.
Instead of begging his uncle to go to the cabin, Jerome decided to be content with thoroughly examining the cabin in the picture he drew. He drew diligently, pouring all his affection into the memory of the cabin.
“Where is this place?”
“It’s in Neungra Mountain! In the forest!”
“Is all this inside the cabin too?”
“Yes! I saw it all for real when I went there!”
Just as Jerome was about to tell his friends more details about the cabin-
“Stop lying!!”
A much bigger child than Jerome stood up abruptly and shouted.
“There’s nothing like that in Neungra Mountain! I go there often with my mom, and I’ve never seen anything like that! You’re a liar!”
“No, it’s true!”
“You’re a liar, stop lying!”
“No!!”
Jerome shouted, jumping to his feet. The teachers scrambled, surprised to see the usually quiet Jerome unable to contain his excitement.
“Then bring it! Bring that stocking! If it’s not a lie, bring it!”
“It’s not a lie!!”
Jerome shouted, his shoulders shaking with anger. Tears welled up in his eyes from the injustice. The teachers separated the two children into different rooms to calm them down. However, even after returning from daycare, Jerome’s sense of injustice didn’t easily subside.
“Jerome, why did you leave so much? Didn’t you like it?”
Hyeon-woo asked, looking at the food Jerome had left. Tonight’s dinner menu was grilled short rib patties, which Jerome usually loved. Normally, Jerome would have finished two bowls of rice, but he had only eaten half.
“…I’m full, I’ll stop eating.”
“I see…”
Unable to force him to eat, Hyeon-woo got up and cleared the table. Then he set up the dessert prepared in the bottom shelf of the trolley. It was mini tarts decorated with bananas and strawberries, bite-sized.
Jerome, who had put down his spoon claiming to be full, devoured his share in an instant. Hyeon-woo looked at Jerome with an incredulous face. Pretending not to notice this gaze, Jerome held a glass of water with both hands and sipped, looking at Tae-geon with eyes that seemed to have something to say.
Noticing this, Tae-geon offered his share of tart to Jerome.
“Want more?”
Jerome nodded, but his eyes still seemed unsatisfied with something.
After placing the tart in front of Jerome, Tae-geon was about to hand him a clean dessert fork when Jerome reached out his hand to receive it. However, as if not noticing this gesture, Tae-geon simply ignored it and placed the fork he was holding next to Jerome’s dessert plate. Looking embarrassed by his outstretched hand, Jerome fidgeted with his fingers and picked up the fork Tae-geon had just put down on the table.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“…No. Nothing.”
“……”
“Thank you.”
Jerome bowed slightly to Tae-geon and ate the tart. The unspoken request towards Tae-geon that had been in Jerome’s eyes was now completely gone.
Hyeon-woo, who had been silently watching the two, cleared the table after the meal and left the room with Jerome.
Not long after Hyeon-woo withdrew, Tae-geon received a phone call. The caller ID showed it was Dr. Jung Ui-hyeon, the head of the Taeryeong Group’s Future Research Institute.
Tae-geon answered the phone as if he had been waiting for it and moved to the terrace.
“I assume you found it.”
-Yes, it was still there. But… young master, I don’t understand why you need this…
Dr. Jung’s voice was cautious and hesitant.
-Its efficacy is overwhelming, but the side effects are too severe to use. It has failed several times in clinical trials for the same reason. Moreover, due to its extremely long incubation period, by the time the side effects become apparent, it’s already too late to even identify the cause of the illness. This means treatment becomes impossible.
“……”
-There’s nothing good that can come from it being known that such a diabolical vaccine came from Taeryeong. We should dispose of it according to protocol.
“No, it seems I’ve found exactly what I was looking for. It’s very attractive.”
Dr. Jung fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words at Tae-geon’s rather cheerful response.
“And as far as I know, we already have a treatment that can offset those side effects. A very expensive one that can’t be easily replicated, using our proprietary technology.”
-…How… did you…
Dr. Jung trailed off in surprise, then strongly asserted:
-Young master! I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this vaccine must be disposed of! That treatment should never need to be used. It’s extremely expensive and requires administration over several years. No ordinary patient could bear it! Not financially, physically, or mentally!
“……”
Tensed by Tae-geon’s silence, Dr. Jung swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath as if to calm himself, he expressed his concern in a persuasive voice.
-I’m saying this just in case… but this could lead to the birth of a cartel even more vicious than the suppressant cartel you worked so hard to dismantle.
“Yes, I understand. Then, please prepare everything as I mentioned before without any issues. Thank you for your hard work.”
Tae-geon ended the call with efficient movements.
A cartel worse than suppressants… A faint smile appeared on Tae-geon’s face. This should be enough to definitively attract the attention of those who must be starving.
Tae-geon’s hair, darker than the night sky, fluttered in the wind. As he brushed it back and entered the room, his eyes fell on the dining table where they had just eaten dinner together. Tae-geon’s gaze moved to Jerome’s seat.
Jerome’s hand reaching out to him holding the fork, his small fingers fidgeting as if embarrassed by being ignored – for some reason, these images kept flickering in front of Tae-geon’s eyes, disturbing his thoughts. Just then, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door.
Tae-geon raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the knock so late at night.
“Come in.”
The person who appeared through the opening door was none other than Hyeon-woo. Tae-geon asked, unable to hide his surprise:
“What’s the matter? Come in first.”
“No, I’ll say it here.”
Hyeon-woo closed the door and spoke directly:
“From tomorrow, Jerome and I will eat separately downstairs.”
“…Why?”
Why, you ask? Hyeon-woo let out a short, mocking laugh and furrowed his brow.
“You’re asking because you don’t know? Why do you keep making the child feel uncomfortable? If you’re going to show such discomfort every meal, why did you suggest eating together? Are you trying to torment me?”
“…No, it’s not like that.”
“Then why are you doing this?!”
Hyeon-woo shouted sharply.
“I know everything. That you don’t really like Jerome! But you said he was my child, that he was important to me! Couldn’t you have shown even a little consideration, if only for my sake…?”
Hyeon-woo’s voice became even more agitated, as if overcome with anger at Tae-geon’s silence.
“You told me to try! To try for Jerome’s sake?! So I did everything you wanted! I kept my mouth shut as you said, smiled as you said, did everything you wanted! Then you should have tried too! You should have pretended to like him better, at least on the surface, so Jerome wouldn’t notice! What is this?!”
Hyeon-woo glared at Tae-geon after pouring out his words without blinking.
“Do you hate Jerome?”
“……”
“I know you have no reason or obligation to like Jerome. I’m not trying to force you. But know this. If this continues, I can’t keep Jerome by your side anymore.”
Hyeon-woo said through gritted teeth as he opened the door he had closed.
“I won’t stand for anyone hurting Jerome.”
Bang-
Tae-geon stared blankly at the empty space where Hyeon-woo had disappeared.
‘Do you hate Jerome…?’
Hyeon-woo’s voice asking this question echoed repeatedly in his ears.
Tae-geon carefully examined his feelings towards Jerome. It wasn’t that he disliked or hated him. He certainly wasn’t harboring childish jealousy towards Jerome.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
