79.
Choi Mujin clicked his tongue softly as he watched the children move away. He had deliberately chosen a house in a location where people wouldn’t easily find it. It seemed he would need to go down to the village and talk to the children’s parents about this. If the parents were in their right minds, they wouldn’t be happy about their children coming here alone.
When the children were no longer visible, Choi Mujin went inside the house and headed to Haseo’s room.
After Haseo’s grandmother passed away, Haseo had been severely ill for a while. The doctor had said that since he hadn’t consumed a large amount of the drug and it had been well-detoxified, he should be fine. But Haseo’s condition was much worse than the doctor had predicted.
He would writhe in inexplicable pain, curl up, and cry. Just when it seemed he might stop crying, he would pound the walls with his fists or bang his head against them. He didn’t eat properly or sleep well. There were times when he tried to run outside calling for his grandmother. Yet occasionally, he would act as if he were normal again. But that was only on the surface—inside, he was already rotten and crumbling.
His memory had gaps, and during those times, he even forgot his grandmother. The fact that he still remembered and called for Choi Mujin was because Choi Mujin had always stayed by his side.
“No, this can’t be right.”
The doctor who was kept at the house was bewildered seeing Haseo in such a state.
“I think it would be better for him to see another doctor than me. I don’t dare to touch the psychological aspects.”
The doctor wasn’t wrong. He was good at treating physical wounds but weak with other matters. Originally, what business did gangsters have with mental treatment? It was like exposing their weaknesses. It didn’t suit those who always needed to appear strong.
“If it’s alright, my junior works in that field.”
“No, let’s wait and see for now.”
Except for times when he acted crazy like during seizures, Haseo was improving, albeit slowly. That’s not to say it was a normal recovery, though. Perhaps this was what Choi Mujin had wanted all along.
‘Yes, I’ve always wanted to have Haseo in my grasp.’
And suddenly he had such a premonition. Would Haseo still be alive like this if he received proper treatment and recalled everything? Having lost his beloved grandmother in vain and being betrayed by his father. Sometimes people were surprisingly resilient, but not everyone was. To Choi Mujin, Haseo seemed infinitely fragile. So he chose to cover the wounds instead of exposing them, even if they festered.
* * *
“Jisu, Lee Jisu!”
A few days after returning home, Jisu was scolded by his mother for his dirty clothes. But it wasn’t the first time Jisu had been climbing mountains for fun. Most kids these days were well-behaved, playing nearby or going to taekwondo academies a bit further away, but Jisu was different. With abundant energy and curiosity, he ran around everywhere. The problem was that he wouldn’t be a concern if he did it alone, but he always dragged a friend along.
“You took Seyoung where last time!”
His mother glared at him with her arms crossed.
“Um, just here and there.”
“Where is ‘here and there’?!”
Jisu rolled his eyes and then smiled obediently. He was trying to appease her anger with some cuteness, but it wasn’t very effective.
“Jisu. Sit down here.”
“Yesss.”
“What did I tell you last time? Seyoung has a weak body, so he shouldn’t be going on difficult outings.”
After the day they visited the house on the mountain, Seyoung had been sick in bed for days.
“But Seyoung said it was fun too.”
Still, his mother’s stern gaze didn’t soften.
“No. Do I have to keep hearing this from Seyoung’s mother because of you? And what? I heard you ate snacks from a stranger’s house?”
“Yes! It was delicious.”
“Oh my, you silly boy. What did I tell you about what to do if a stranger offers you snacks?”
“Don’t accept them.”
“And yet you did!”
“But he didn’t seem like a bad person.”
“Do you think bad people walk around with labels on their foreheads? This won’t do. I’m so worried about you that I’ll have to go there myself.”
Knowing her son’s friendly nature and his tendency to cling to people, the mother expressed her concern. Some people might like it, but it could also be a nuisance.
“Me too, I want to go too!”
“Fine.”
She had already heard from Seyoung’s mother about who lived there. The reason she still wanted to go was to prevent her son from causing more trouble in the future. Once Jisu got fixated on something, he would cling to it.
‘This adventure must have been quite fun for him.’
She planned to take preemptive action before he ran off and caused trouble on his own. So, the two mothers and one father drove a truck to find the house in the mountains.
“Wow, it really is in a remote place.”
The road wasn’t properly paved, making it bumpy. Still, the house at the end looked quite nice, like a villa. It couldn’t have been easy to bring electricity and water all the way up here. As they parked the truck in front and stopped, the door opened, and someone peeked their head out.
“Oh, hyung!”
Jisu immediately waved his hand upon seeing him. In response, the person waved back lightly. Jisu, seemingly without caution, ran toward him.
“Jisu! Jisu…!”
Oh dear, his mother placed her hand on her forehead again. As Jisu approached, the door opened wider, revealing a young man. He had fluffy brown hair and a gentle impression, appearing to be in his early twenties.
“What brings you here again?”
“Today I came with mom and dad!”
“Your parents too?”
The young man poked his head out to look at them.
“I told them you were okay! But they said they had to come and see!”
“Why?”
Jisu’s father, Lee Gyeongcheol, quickly stepped forward before his son could say anything strange.
“Hello. I’m Lee Gyeongcheol, Jisu’s father.”
“Hello.”
“Jisu told us he came up here to play the other day. We came by to see if he might have caused you any trouble.”
“Oh, he wasn’t particularly troublesome.”
“Still, he’s such a spirited child.”
“Being spirited is a good thing.”
The well-mannered young man said his name was Lee Haseo. Just as they had finished these brief introductions, a man slowly walked out from behind.
“What’s this?”
Upon seeing him, Lee Gyeongcheol unconsciously closed his mouth. The man was unusually tall with a solid build and a cold impression. Despite being handsome, there was something strange that made it difficult to meet his eyes.
“Who is it?”
“You know, the child who came to play the other day.”
“It’s Jisu!”
“Yes, he says he’s Jisu’s father.”
The man stepped forward and moved Haseo behind him.
“What brings you here?”
Lee Gyeongcheol repeated the same incoherent explanation he had given to Haseo. Only then did the man nod as if he understood.
“I see. Understood. I was actually planning to visit you, so this works out.”
“P-pardon?”
“Isn’t the village quite far from here?”
“Y-yes?”
“Then is it appropriate to let a child come this far alone?”
“No, it’s not.”
“In today’s world, who knows what dangerous things could happen.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“Please be more careful in the future.”
“I will. I’ll definitely caution him!”
“Then, goodbye.”
That was the end of the conversation with the man. After fumbling through his responses, the door was already closed, and both of them had disappeared.
“Huh?”
Belatedly trying to calm his surprised heart and just blinking, Jisu looked at Lee Gyeongcheol with a strange expression.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing. By the way, you little rascal! Look what you’ve made your father go through!”
“What did I make you go through?!”
“Ah, forget it. From now on, don’t come here alone! And don’t bring your friend either!”
“Whine.”
“What’s with the whining!”
Jisu got into the truck again, his ear pinched by his father.
“Well, they’re quite peculiar people, aren’t they?”
“I suppose that’s why they live in a place like this.”
“Is that so?”
The two women whispered, speculating about the two.
“I wonder what relationship they have?”
Jisu chimed in.
“He said they’re brothers.”
“Brothers? Who’s the brother?”
“The big person.”
“Ah, that man. He looked scary.”
“But he gave me milk and snacks.”
Despite pouting his lips in defense, it didn’t have any effect.
“What are we going to do with our Jisu? Not listening to mom. Didn’t I tell you not to eat food given by others? Especially strangers!”
“Aren’t they acquaintances now?”
“Again, talking back!”
“Hoho, Jisu is always so spirited, which is nice.”
“Oh dear. Nice? He’s just spirited on his own and always bothers Seyoung.”
“Not at all. Seyoung likes it too. As long as it’s not too much.”
As they chatted with laughter, Jisu turned his body forward.
“Don’t ever go to that house again.”
His father firmly instructed, but Jisu didn’t answer. He wanted to meet the hyung called Haseo again.
‘Making new friends is always fun.’
The distance was far, but not impossible to travel. So he planned to visit secretly when he had time next. Just as he always did.
The child did not listen to his parents.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
