64.
What kind of man is this? Even as she thought this, Seo Miso reminded herself that she shouldn’t be unnecessarily harsh like the others. Even a man like this was the father of someone Mujin cared about. While Miso held a belief that children and parents were separate entities, she knew that human emotions couldn’t be neatly compartmentalized. So she began the conversation gently.
“Let’s see. Mr. Lee Jeongin.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Our company has taken over all of your debts.”
“What?”
Lee Jeongin blinked slowly, seemingly not understanding what Seo Miso was saying. This was because he had never agreed to have his debts transferred.
“Of course, we didn’t have your consent, but you know how debts are easier to manage when collected in one place, right? And look at that? The interest rate has even gone down.”
“T-then how much is the interest?”
“Hey!”
When Seo Miso shouted, the man standing beside her handed Jeongin a piece of paper. The paper was filled with text, but the only thing Jeongin could understand was that the monthly interest amounted to tens of millions of Won.
“I-is this the reduced interest?”
It was an amount he could never pay, no matter how many construction sites he worked at.
“I told you it was reduced. Who told you to accumulate so much debt?”
Debts incurred outside officially registered financial businesses all had insane interest rates. It was fortunate they had caught him while his mind and body were still intact; otherwise, he would have torn himself apart trying to cover the abnormally increased debt.
Knowing he couldn’t pay, Jeongin began to tremble more intensely. Then he suddenly started mumbling in a small voice. Listening to what he was saying, it seemed he was claiming his health was poor and that no one would buy his organs even if they were removed.
“Sir, that’s for us to decide.”
When Seo Miso said this, Jeongin’s expression darkened. Deciding she’d teased enough, Miso put on an artificial smile and brightened her expression.
“But you’re lucky! Fortunately, you don’t have to pay the full interest every month. Why, you ask? Are you curious about the reason?”
Seo Miso pulled out a photo she had kept in her pocket.
“Do you know this person?”
Jeongin stared blankly at the young man in the photo and answered.
“H-he’s my son.”
“That’s right. The reason you’re in this situation is all thanks to your son. Our director has taken a liking to him. So he decided to bail you out too. But we can’t just rescue you without conditions.”
Seo Miso nodded, signaling the two large men standing nearby to move.
“First, let’s correct your personality a bit.”
“C-correction?”
Running and hiding in rough places had made Jeongin somewhat timid. But his inherent temperament hadn’t changed, and he often caused trouble by failing to control his temper wherever he went.
‘Since we’re handing him over to the director, we need to make him obedient.’
The men dragged Jeongin into an inner room. Inside were an iron tub filled with water and various strange tools arranged in a way that was chilling just to look at.
“W-what is this place?”
“This is the education room.”
Seo Miso smiled brightly as she put on gloves.
“A place to make you more virtuous.”
What followed was a hellish time for Jeongin. But the woman who delivered this hell was quite skilled at controlling pain, so Jeongin survived, intact. And, neatly groomed, he stood before Choi Mujin.
Jeongin recognized the man before him as the one who had been with his son, Haseo. Had the other side recognized him too at that time? But how? As his son’s lover, there would be many ways to exploit him, but Jeongin remained docile. No matter how crazy someone was, most became this submissive after passing through Seo Miso’s hands.
“Mr. Lee Jeongin.”
Mujin called Jeongin’s name.
“Yes, yes.”
“I’ll explain what you’ll be doing from now on.”
What to do? As he hunched his shoulders, wondering what task he would be assigned, the large man standing next to Mujin handed him a piece of paper. It seemed they didn’t even want to explain verbally.
The contents of the paper were less complicated than expected. Unlike the first paper filled with incomprehensible words, this one was clearer.
“1. ‘Party B,’ Lee Jeongin, will become a good father to Lee Haseo. The criteria for a ‘good father’ are determined by ‘Party A’ below.”
“You’ll be given a script. You can act well, can’t you?”
A script? He didn’t understand what it meant to act in front of his son. But Jeongin didn’t resist at all.
“Yes, yes. I’ll try my best somehow.”
“You must do well.”
“2. ‘Party B’ must visit Kim Sukja at OO Hospital daily. The words to be spoken during the visit are also determined by ‘Party A.'”
They treated him as if they only needed the shell of the person named Lee Jeongin, not the person himself.
“Kim Sukja is my mother.”
“So you haven’t forgotten your mother’s name.”
How could he forget? If Kim Sukja had just paid off his debt at the end, Jeongin wouldn’t have abandoned his son and run away. It was just 2 million Won. But she said she couldn’t pay it. He searched the house just in case, but even her bankbook was nowhere to be found, presumably hidden.
‘Useless old woman.’
Some people were born to rich parents and lived well, flaunting their wealth, but for Jeongin, his parents were only objects of resentment.
“T-then who will give me the script?”
“I will, sir.”
Seo Miso answered with a strange smile. Though she wasn’t a large woman, after going through “education,” his head automatically lowered.
“T-thank you.”
“You’re welcome!”
Seo Miso treated Jeongin like a borrowed sack of barley and conversed with Mujin. From that conversation, Jeongin couldn’t glean any information. After that bizarre meeting, she handed Jeongin the actual script.
“From now on, you’ll become a reformed father.”
Don’t express dissatisfaction or plead with your son. No anger or shouting. She also warned that if he raised his hand, he would be dragged back to the education room.
“Or it might be somewhere else. The education room is relatively the safest place. The next place might not guarantee your life.”
How could he rebel after hearing such words? Jeongin diligently memorized the script. Since he had delved into fraud to raise money for gambling, he wasn’t completely incapable of acting. In this way, Jeongin became accustomed to acting, and finally met his son, Lee Haseo.
It felt like walking alone on a thin line. Seeing his son after so long, the emotion that surged wasn’t joy. It was closer to hatred and resentment. Nevertheless, Jeongin didn’t reveal these emotions and smiled as best he could.
“Well done, sir. You’ll do well tomorrow too, right?”
“Of course.”
After leaving the large building called the villa, the two entered a nearby warehouse. From the outside, it looked small and shabby, but inside, it had everything needed. The only difference was its size, which was smaller compared to the villa.
“You’ll be staying here for the time being. Along with Team Leader Park Dongsu.”
Park Dongsu was the bulky man who had been by Mujin’s side. He glanced at Jeongin and then turned his head away.
“The only room you can enter is that one. If you enter any other room, sir…”
“I won’t enter them!”
That education again! Jeongin answered quickly.
“Team Leader is even worse than me, so be careful, okay?”
With that, the incredibly wicked witch disappeared. But remembering her final warning, Jeongin had no choice but to behave.
“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to the hospital. You’ve memorized what you need to do, right?”
“I have memorized it!”
Jeongin answered promptly. Then he entered the room as instructed and stayed awake all night. He might not die right away, but he couldn’t fully trust them either. It seemed things were going according to his son Haseo’s wishes, but he couldn’t tell how Haseo felt about him.
The emotions in the last expression he had seen weren’t welcoming, which made it even more uncertain. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared about such feelings. Jeongin greeted the morning with a deep sigh.
* * *
“Haseo, Haseo.”
At the sound of someone calling, Haseo quickly raised his head.
“Huh?”
After meeting his father, Haseo had eaten in a daze. The memories of his father kept coming back whether he was showering or lying in bed. The father who had abandoned everyone and left. After meeting him again, it was difficult to manage the tumultuous emotions. But he didn’t want to show these emotions to Mujin.
Because he knew that Mujin could dispose of his father for even trivial reasons.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes, I’m up.”
Haseo rubbed his eyes and got out of bed.
“Don’t rub your eyes with your hands. What if they get damaged?”
Mujin scolded Haseo in an affectionate voice.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Good. Then shall we get ready to go to the hospital?”
Haseo nodded and went downstairs with Mujin. Breakfast was already laid out on the table. After barely eating it, he washed up and changed clothes immediately.
Opening the villa door and stepping outside, he saw his father waiting for him alongside Park Dongsu.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
