Chapter 134
Who could it be?
Hyeon-woo, cleaning the window frame of the West Wing, mentally counted the days. There were still about two weeks left until his heat cycle.
Whether by coincidence or not, he was certain it wasn’t Kwon Hak-gyu, who had been visiting on the same cycle as his heat. Moreover, wasn’t he the one who sneaked in and out at dawn?
His curiosity about the unknown guest was running wild.
When would they arrive?
As he was lingering by the corridor window, pulling a wax machine, the manager coming down the stairs noticed him.
“Ian!”
Hearing her call from behind, Hyeon-woo turned and gave a short bow.
“How is it? Is the work manageable?”
“Yes, it’s manageable.”
“That’s good. I’m grateful for your diligence and good work.”
“Thank you.”
The manager smiled warmly at Hyeon-woo, who expressed gratitude despite knowing it was just a formal courtesy.
“Have you thought about getting a landscaping certificate? The pay is much higher.”
“A landscaping certificate?”
“Yes, it’s for managing the mansion’s flowers and plants. You saw the street trees lined up on the way to the mansion in Driver Yoon’s car, right?”
“Yes.”
“Even the street trees here are directly managed by the employees of this place. Actually, there’s a very large and beautiful garden behind the mansion too.”
Hyeon-woo recalled the white fountain he had seen in the forest late at night, as the manager spoke in a low whisper as if sharing a secret.
“There’s a lake with carp swimming in it, and if you follow the magnificent stone bridge over it, there’s a serene pavilion. It’s a really beautiful garden. Since it’s been neglected for so long, it’s difficult for us to take care of it all, so we’re only managing the front garden and the entrance path for now.”
“……”
“…Someday, it’s my dream to make this garden beautiful again.”
However, the manager’s voice sounded gloomy, unlike someone talking about their dream. As if she knew it couldn’t be achieved.
“I’ve been talking to myself for too long. Anyway, Ian, let me know if you become interested in landscaping.”
Hyeon-woo was tempted by the mention of higher pay, but he was already exhausting his energy just playing with Jerome for two days, enough to cause muscle pain. The current pay wasn’t bad. He felt that if he got too greedy, he might invite unnecessary trouble.
Hyeon-woo shook his head.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m happy with where I am now.”
“I see. I understand, Ian.”
The manager nodded, told him to keep up the good work, and left.
It was when he was finishing up cleaning the corridor, diligently moving the mop in his hand. Upon hearing the exhaust sound from outside, he hastily leaned the mop against the wall and quickly descended the stairs.
A black silhouette appeared in the backlighting that poured through the widening gap of the central door, along with sunlight. He narrowed his eyes against the glare and focused on the figure.
The moment the backlighting cleared from the face of the figure who had finally entered the mansion, Hyeon-woo’s eyes widened. The other person, recognizing Hyeon-woo, also stopped in his tracks, unable to hide his surprise.
“…Han Hyeon-woo?”
“Kwon Ju-on?”
As the two stood frozen like statues, exchanging astonished looks without words, the butler manager, who had already approached, gave a nod to Ju-on.
“You’ve arrived.”
Startled by this, Ju-on hurriedly averted his gaze. Before the butler manager could cast suspicious glances between Hyeon-woo and Ju-on standing face to face, Ju-on quickly captured his attention with a somewhat exaggerated gesture of fanning himself.
“It’s a bit hot. Could I have a glass of cool water first?”
“Of course. This way, please.”
Hyeon-woo’s heart began to race madly with shock, anxiety, confusion, and a hint of possibility he could hardly imagine as he watched Ju-on disappear into the reception room with the butler manager.
There was no way he could focus on work.
A vase on the side table shattered when Hyeon-woo’s hand, while wiping, knocked it over. This was already the second time he had broken an expensive piece of furniture due to carelessness. A nearby employee rushed over to clean up the mess and sent Hyeon-woo back to his room.
No one scolded Hyeon-woo, whose complexion was pale, as he looked seriously ill to anyone who saw him.
As Hyeon-woo, dazed, was moving towards the stairs, someone forcefully grabbed his wrist.
“……?!”
Unable to even scream, Hyeon-woo was dragged around the corner to find Ju-on standing in front of him.
“Kwon Ju-”
“Be quiet.”
Ju-on gestured by putting his index finger to his lips, then cautiously looked around the corner before whispering quickly in a low voice.
“Come to the parking lot at midnight. You know where it is, right?”
When Hyeon-woo nodded, Ju-on finally released his grip on his wrist. Then, his cold and indifferent back as he stepped into the corridor without hesitation seemed unlike the Ju-on he remembered.
His attitude towards him was harsh and rough, unlike before. Rubbing his aching wrist where Ju-on had grabbed him, Hyeon-woo headed to his room.
As if his persistent questioning of Kwon Hak-gyu for the truth had been a lie, Hyeon-woo felt like stepping back from the truth that had suddenly come so close. It felt like he had discovered Pandora’s box that should never be opened.
*
He spent time sitting blankly, not even changing his clothes. Darkness fell, and the promised midnight arrived. When Hyeon-woo quietly left the mansion and arrived at the parking lot, he saw a red sports car. Ju-on, who was in the driver’s seat, noticed Hyeon-woo approaching and gestured with his chin towards the passenger seat.
The car carrying Hyeon-woo left the mansion and drove towards a secluded forest edge where deep darkness had settled.
Throughout the drive, Ju-on swallowed curses internally.
…Damn, that cunning old man.
He had made him come all this way on a wild goose chase with a pathetic lie about someone being critically ill and needing to be seen, only to have such an ulterior motive.
When he encountered Hyeon-woo entering the mansion, he thought he had seen a ghost. While searching the mansion again to confirm that what he had seen wasn’t an illusion, the sound of something breaking caught his attention, and there he encountered Hyeon-woo once more.
He had fallen neatly into his father’s water ghost strategy. It was clear that he had dragged him in because it was too difficult to handle alone.
What on earth am I supposed to do…
Only after they had driven far enough from the mansion to be out of sight did the car’s engine stop.
Ju-on sighed deeply, burying his face in his hands, then threw a glance at Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo, dressed in the uniform worn by the mansion’s employees, also had a face that looked just as confused as his own.
Breaking the long silence as neither of them could bring themselves to speak first, Ju-on asked:
“Why are you here?”
“……”
“Didn’t you immigrate to America? And what’s with that outfit?”
Hyeon-woo, who had been sitting blankly, slowly turned his head to look at Ju-on. The moment their eyes met, Ju-on’s shoulders stiffened slightly.
The lifeless, gaunt face and darkly sunken eyes felt unfamiliar, as if he were a different person from the one Ju-on had known. Even without words, Ju-on could instinctively tell that the hardships Hyeon-woo had endured in the meantime had been far from trivial.
“Kwon Ju-on, it’s been a long time.”
“Long time my ass.”
Ju-on roughly brushed up his bangs, feeling frustrated. His brown hair, bathed in moonlight, shone sweetly like caramel.
“You left without even saying goodbye.”
“……”
“You never intended to see me again in your life. And now you have the nerve to say ‘it’s been a long time’?”
“…If you felt hurt, I’m sorry.”
“What’s the point of saying that now.”
Ju-on laughed dryly, making a deflating sound.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t hurt. When he heard from his father that Hyeon-woo’s family had left for America, he probably laughed bitterly, making the same deflating sound as now.
He thought they were at least close enough to say goodbye. He thought they were close enough to cheer for each other’s futures from afar, wishing each other well, but Hyeon-woo’s sudden departure without a word had left him feeling resentful and hurt at the time.
However, understanding the position that led to such a decision, Ju-on respected Hyeon-woo’s choice. After all, he too belonged to the intersection with the Taeryeong family, so it would have been odd to exchange friendly goodbyes in the midst of deciding to immigrate due to unpleasant circumstances.
And soon, a day came when he painfully realized that Hyeon-woo’s decision had been right a million times over. Thanks to his ruthless departure without leaving a trace, he could be somewhat free from the guilt of neglect despite witnessing someone’s fall into the abyss.
If he had exchanged cheerful goodbyes with Hyeon-woo as he left for America, he might have spent sleepless nights for the rest of his life, unable to stretch out his legs due to guilt.
“Well, enough of that. Let’s get to the point. I didn’t call you here to catch up.”
“……”
“What are you doing here? What’s your ulterior motive?”
“…Ulterior motive…?”
Hyeon-woo felt a certain sharpness in Ju-on’s tone. Although he felt like he was being interrogated as if he were a suspect caught in a criminal act, Hyeon-woo responded calmly, pretending to be unbothered.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
