Chapter 118
*
Thanks to Do-heon staying by Cheong-yeon’s side without leaving for even a moment as he had requested, dinner ended smoothly.
Perhaps due to Do-heon’s subtly different attitude compared to before, the family members couldn’t completely exclude Cheong-yeon from conversations or blatantly ignore him as they usually did.
For the first time, Cheong-yeon sat comfortably eating among the JT family. Though not as relaxed as when he was alone, at least he wasn’t anxiously reading the room, dreading what they might say next, as he had in the past.
“Grandmother, your embroidery skills seem to have improved. Is this a flower stem?”
As they were getting up to leave after finishing the meal, Moon Hee-jin pointed to Grandmother’s embroidery hanging in the dining room while speaking.
Inwardly, Cheong-yeon thought how people’s perceptions were similar. He too had asked whether it was a flower stem when he first saw the embroidery Hee-jin was pointing at. The atmosphere had briefly turned awkward when Grandmother answered that it was a flower petal.
“That’s a flower petal.”
“Come on, Cheong-yeon. How could this be a petal? It’s clearly a stem.”
“It is indeed a petal.”
At Grandmother’s answer, Hee-jin’s mouth, which had been slightly open in a suppressed laugh, snapped shut.
“Is that… so?”
“Is it that strange? I thought I did a pretty good job. For an old woman’s handiwork, I’d say it’s decent.”
Grandmother tilted her head, examining her own embroidery.
“True art is understood by few. To my eyes, it looks like a petal!”
Cheong-yeon sided with Grandmother, smiling smoothly. Hee-jin’s eyes narrowed and twitched slightly, as if disturbed by the sight.
Sly fox. Grandmother secretly poked Cheong-yeon’s back and smiled softly.
“How can this possibly look like a petal? I just don’t understand. Do-heon, does it look that way to you too?”
“If Cheong-yeon says it’s a petal, then it must be a petal.”
When even Do-heon chimed in, Hee-jin pressed her forehead with an expression that suggested she was used to this.
“These two are driving me crazy…”
“Honey. Why are you getting so worked up over whether it’s a petal or a stem? Grandmother must be tired.”
Park Jong-wook approached to mediate. Following him, Moon Tae-jin, who had been standing by and watching, also cut off the conversation as if to say enough was enough.
“That’s right, Hee-jin. Grandmother needs to rest now. Grandmother, we’ll be going now. We’ll visit you once more before you depart.”
“Yes, it’s already this late. No wonder my eyes feel dry. Take care on your way back, and the lawyer will probably contact you once more. Thank you all for coming to spend time with this old woman.”
“Please don’t say that. We were happy to see you after so long. We enjoyed the meal too. Take care of your health, Grandmother.”
“We’ll head home early. See you again.”
After Tae-jin’s wife and Jong-wook exchanged farewells in turn, the four of them left together as a group.
They seemed to be leaving quickly to discuss today’s events among themselves.
Do-heon himself didn’t care whether his relatives left or not. He simply remained silent until the end, watching Cheong-yeon and Grandmother chatting.
“Do-heon should go too. Thank you for making the effort to come here.”
“We should. But… when exactly are you returning to America?”
Once the room had finally quieted, Cheong-yeon moved closer to Grandmother and asked what he had been curious about.
“I’ll go back as soon as the paperwork is ready. They say the rehabilitation equipment is only available in that country.”
“Ah, I see. Then you should definitely go soon.”
“Why? Do you have something to tell this old woman? Why are you squirming like a puppy that needs to pee?”
Grandmother laughed as she asked, noticing Cheong-yeon’s unnatural tone.
“Grandmother. Well, I… actually…”
“Yes?”
Perhaps because he hadn’t made up his mind yet, his thoughts were in disarray.
Should he reveal the divorce now? If he couldn’t speak here, it would mean lying to Grandmother until the end.
But what if the shock worsened Grandmother’s health? Besides, was it right to impulsively speak without discussing it with Do-heon?
Cheong-yeon hesitated, glancing at Do-heon who was already near the entrance. If he confessed here, no matter how quietly he spoke, Do-heon would hear it from such a close distance. He was afraid of how he might react.
“What are you hesitating to say? And why is your face so pale?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
Having concluded that he shouldn’t speak rashly, Cheong-yeon shook his head, avoiding Grandmother’s gaze.
“I’m sorry for acting strange suddenly. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen you in a while, my heart feels a bit…”
“If it’s because of what Hee-jin said, don’t take it to heart.”
Grandmother took his hand, as if she thought Cheong-yeon was troubled by the documents he had received today, telling him not to worry.
The warmth of her wrinkled hand touched his heart. When he first married Do-heon and attended a family gathering, Grandmother had spoken to the then-23-year-old Cheong-yeon, who didn’t know how to act, with the same affection as now.
He felt guilty, as if he were betraying her kindness and affection. But even the extremely calculating and selfish Tae-jin and Hee-jin had kept the divorce a secret out of concern for the shock Grandmother might receive. Do-heon seemed to have similar thoughts.
In the midst of all this, it would be presumptuous for him, now unrelated to this family, to speak independently.
“Besides, you have nothing to be sorry for. If it’s about the inheritance, that was your share from the beginning. It’s remarkable enough that you lived with that indifferent fellow for three years.”
Grandmother raised her cane, pointing at Do-heon.
“No, I should be grateful to Do-heon. He married a Recessive Omega like me who had nothing.”
As Cheong-yeon smiled bitterly, Grandmother quietly observed him for a moment.
“You two looked good sitting side by side today.”
“I was glad I could join the conversation too.”
“It’s getting late, so you should go now. I’ve been awake for too long and my body feels weary.”
“…Alright.”
Cheong-yeon had to leave Grandmother’s house without revealing what was on his mind.
Quite some time must have passed, as the sky outside was already completely dark. Looking at the crescent moon hanging in the dark sky, Cheong-yeon slowly headed toward the parking lot.
Perhaps due to his unsettled mood, the envelope of documents in his hand felt heavy.
‘It’s remarkable enough that you lived with that indifferent fellow for three years.’
Just as he was stepping onto the stone stairs, Grandmother’s words from earlier suddenly echoed in his ears.
“…”
In retrospect, it was a peculiar phrasing. Why had Grandmother used the past tense, saying “lived”?
Could it be that Grandmother already knew about the divorce from Do-heon?
“Did you leave something inside?”
Do-heon was now opening the passenger door, looking at Cheong-yeon. Seeing him standing still for a long time without getting into the car, he seemed to think Cheong-yeon had forgotten something in the house.
“No.”
Cheong-yeon, awakened from his thoughts, shook his head. Then he pushed away his suspicion and got into the car.
*
“Thank you for today, Director.”
When the car stopped in the officetel parking lot, Cheong-yeon spoke.
“For what?”
“For everything. For not leaving me alone, and for being good to me…”
Thanks to him, he had even seen Moon Hee-jin so irritated she couldn’t maintain her composure. It had been an exciting and enjoyable day, something he couldn’t have imagined before.
While he felt regret, wondering why they couldn’t have done this sooner, he also thought it made sense. Back then, he was too young, and Do-heon, who could have been his only shield, was always busy and indifferent.
“I promised, didn’t I?”
“That’s true. Still, thank you for keeping your promise.”
An awkward current briefly flowed through the car interior.
Cheong-yeon looked down at his hands resting on his knees. The wedding ring he shared with Do-heon, still on his ring finger, was shining brightly. Just like when he first proposed.
Only their relationship had faded. And now it was time to return the ring. Cheong-yeon removed it and held it out to Do-heon.
Do-heon stared at it for a few seconds before taking it back.
“…Well, I’ll be going then.”
As Cheong-yeon rose to open the door, Do-heon grabbed his arm.
“You said not to leave you alone today.”
Surprised, Cheong-yeon froze with his hand on the door, wondering what he meant.
“What?”
“You said it yourself.”
“…”
“‘Today’ still has three hours left.”
The quiet voice resonating in his ears dropped into Cheong-yeon’s calm interior, creating ripples.
Cheong-yeon turned his gaze to check the time. As Do-heon said, there were still three hours left before “today” would be over.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
