68.
That was just how Lee Jeongin was as a person. Addicted to dopamine, unable to stay still for even a moment—it hadn’t changed with age, and lately he had been suffering. Though he’d been forcibly brought here, his life afterward wasn’t bad. They fed him every meal and let him sleep properly. He no longer had to run away panting, and there were no bugs or rats in his room. Yet he simply couldn’t be satisfied with that.
Cards. He wanted to hold cards in his hand. The usually bustling gambling halls would fall silent when players checked their cards and read each other. Perhaps because one’s fate was determined by the cards that came up. A good hand meant a windfall; a bad hand meant more debt. Knowing this, his heart would race madly when checking his cards. And Jeongin loved that feeling.
More than anyone else.
Without realizing it, he squeezed his mother’s hand that he was holding.
‘Damn old woman.’
Why didn’t she just die? Then he wouldn’t have been forcibly brought here. By now, any thought of benefiting from his son had disappeared. Looking at Haseo’s gaze, such thoughts couldn’t help but vanish.
‘Is that how a son looks at his father?!’
Eyes filled with a mixture of hatred and loathing. Sometimes seeing those eyes sent chills down his spine. While Choi Mujin currently held Jeongin’s lifeline, Haseo stood beside him with that look.
Jeongin shuddered and released his mother’s hand. It had turned red from being held too tightly, but he hid it by pushing it under the blanket. She was half a corpse who couldn’t express herself anyway.
“Mother, I’ll come again.”
After saying appropriate words, he stood up. Immediately, Park Dongsu came to Jeongin’s side.
“Can I, can I smoke a cigarette for a moment?”
At this hesitantly uttered request, Park Dongsu gave Jeongin a cold look.
“I know I should quit, but just one cigarette, please. I’ve been smoking all this time—how could I quit all at once?”
As he pleaded with trembling hands, Park Dongsu let out a small sigh.
“Just one cigarette.”
Jeongin bowed repeatedly with a servile expression. After lighting a cigarette for the first time in a while and inhaling, his body gradually relaxed.
‘Yes, that’s the taste.’
This taste was why he couldn’t quit smoking. As he smoked as slowly as possible, a man walked over from a distance and stood beside him. He fumbled in his suit pocket and took out a cigarette.
Since it was a smoking area, there was nothing particularly strange about it. Park Dongsu was nearby, and they had already taken over all his debt. So Jeongin didn’t feel anything unusual and focused on his cigarette. The man did the same. One cigarette ended faster than expected.
“That’s a shame.”
But what could he do? Jeongin threw the cigarette butt with only a short end remaining into the trash. As he left, the man beside him nodded in greeting. Though wondering who he was, Jeongin nodded back and turned around.
* * *
After meeting his father, Haseo seemed more listless than usual. He spent more time shut up in his room rather than coming down to the living room, and he ate perfunctorily.
“Haseo.”
Mujin gently stroked the cheek of Haseo, who was sprawled on the bed. Haseo, who had been dozing until just now, slowly blinked his eyes and spoke.
“You’re back?”
Instead of answering, Mujin began stroking his hair. Haseo quietly accepted Mujin’s touch. Mujin knew Haseo wouldn’t have good feelings toward his father, but he hadn’t expected him to be this stressed. Wouldn’t it be better to just get rid of that father figure?
“Haseo. Do you dislike your father?”
“…I don’t like him. But he’s a necessary person.”
Haseo responded as if he had read Mujin’s thoughts. Though his grandmother’s condition hadn’t changed, right now he was desperate enough to grasp at straws.
“That may be, but.”
Mujin put his hand under Haseo’s armpit, who was still sprawled out, and lifted him. Caught off guard, Haseo blinked in surprise as he was pulled up.
“My schedule is clear today.”
“And?”
“Let’s go have some fun.”
“What?”
“Wash up and get dressed.”
Mujin didn’t provide any further explanation. Still, since it was an order, Haseo dutifully washed up, got dressed, and went downstairs to find Mujin in a different outfit than usual. He was wearing exactly the clothes Haseo had picked out for him before.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
Haseo looked at Mujin with suspicious eyes. That man was truly incomprehensible. Did this kindness stem from the belief that he could manipulate Haseo freely? Such thoughts crossed his mind.
And so the two traveled by car. The route was familiar at first but became increasingly unfamiliar. It seemed they were leaving Seoul. After driving for some time, Haseo began to see a colorful structure in the distance.
‘No way?’
The car headed there without hesitation.
“Are we going to an amusement park?”
When Haseo asked in a dazed voice, Mujin smiled brightly. Two adult men going to an amusement park? Haseo couldn’t understand what Mujin was thinking.
“You’ve never been to an amusement park before.”
That was true. There were times when schools organized field trips to amusement parks, but Haseo hadn’t participated. He couldn’t afford to waste money on an entrance ticket. As an adult, he’d been too busy earning money for his grandmother’s hospital bills. No, he’d never had the courage to go to an amusement park alone either.
“Choi Mujin. I mean, hyung, have you been here before?”
“It’s my first time too.”
Mujin answered nonchalantly.
“So let’s find out what kind of place it is today.”
Since it was a weekday afternoon and the weather was turning chilly, there were many empty spaces in the parking lot. Mujin parked the car, led Haseo, and bought tickets.
“Two adult all-day passes, please.”
Only after receiving the tickets did it feel real that they had come to an amusement park. Cheerful music played, and employees with friendly smiles welcomed Haseo. After inserting their tickets and entering, a beautifully decorated fairy-tale world greeted him. Looking around and going further inside, he saw a massive tree.
“Here, stand here.”
Mujin positioned Haseo in front of the tree and took out his phone.
“Wait, just a moment!”
Take a picture here? With all these people watching? As Haseo waved his hands in panic, Mujin took the picture without hesitation. Then he showed the freshly taken photo to Haseo.
“What is this! Delete it!”
He looked so foolish in the picture. Haseo tried to snatch the phone in horror, but when Mujin held it up high, he couldn’t reach it.
“Why?”
“I look strange!”
“You don’t look strange.”
“I do!”
They argued for a while, but Haseo couldn’t win against Mujin. In the end, he had no choice but to give up on the photo, breathing heavily.
“They say there’s a zoo here too. Shall we see that first?”
Haseo still kept an eye on Mujin’s phone.
“Then I want to see the pandas first.”
Though he’d never been here in person, he’d seen a few articles about the famous pandas here. So that’s what he was most curious about.
“Alright, let’s see. The pandas are that way.”
Mujin didn’t leave Haseo alone even on the way. Passing by a stall, he saw a headband with perky rabbit ears, bought it, and put it on Haseo.
“I don’t want it!”
“But I like it.”
Despite Haseo’s resistance, Mujin insisted. Feeling so wronged, Haseo picked up another identical headband and placed it on Mujin’s head.
“Pfft.”
It really didn’t suit him at all. Even the employee selling them seemed to know this, making an indescribable expression. But Mujin alone remained unfazed. He paid for both headbands and walked on proudly.
“Aren’t you going to take off the headband?”
“Everyone wears them here, they say.”
Certainly, there were people wearing cute headbands here and there, but most of them looked young. Above all, with Mujin wearing rabbit ears, he looked like a maxed-out rabbit from somewhere—threatening, like those muscular rabbits from Australia.
“Yes, right.”
Haseo decided to endure the embarrassment. When they reached the panda enclosure, they saw two young pandas. The pandas seen in real life were cuter and more lovable than those seen on phone screens. How could baby animals with fluffy fur be so adorable? After watching them in a daze for a while, Haseo said to Mujin:
“Can I borrow your phone?”
Mujin lent his phone without saying anything. Haseo immediately pressed the camera button and carefully took a picture of the pandas.
‘So cute!’
At first, he wondered why they were coming here, but he was satisfied just to have seen the pandas. After watching the pandas for a long time, they looked at other animals too. Today the sun was high, making it warmer than expected, and there weren’t many people, making it perfect for walking around.
“You like animals.”
“They’re cute, aren’t they?”
Cuteness is truth. Only after looking at all the animals did Haseo turn his attention to the rides.
“Shall we try that?”
What Mujin pointed to was a carousel.
“That?”
Haseo looked at Mujin with a peculiar gaze again. He might understand it for himself, but Mujin riding that? Though he couldn’t imagine it, he also wanted to see it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
