“Do you happen to have a memo pad?”
Seok-ho, who had paused his meal, went into his room and brought out a memo pad and a ballpoint pen. Kang-woo had repeatedly tried to stop him, saying he could just finish eating first and hand them over afterward, but Seok-ho didn’t listen.
What ingredients did we need again?
Thinking hard, Kang-woo picked up the pen. Potatoes, carrots, onions… Starting with the most basic ingredients, he also wrote down additional things like fruit and instant foods.
He didn’t want to bother Seok-ho multiple times, so it seemed better to just buy a lot at once. Ah, right—sausages and seasoned seaweed would be good too. Hmm… but maybe this is too much. As he kept writing one thing after another, the list became endlessly long.
After some deliberation, he finally completed the grocery list.
“Here.”
Seok-ho accepted the memo and paused for a moment as if surprised.
Even if someone claimed it was a shopping list for emergency supplies before a disaster, it wouldn’t have seemed strange. Even a squirrel preparing for hibernation probably wouldn’t stockpile this much food.
He seemed to question the excessively long list, but true to his heavy, reserved personality, he didn’t comment on it.
“I’ll buy it tomorrow on my way back from jogging.”
Watching Seok-ho place the paper on the table and calmly continue eating, Kang-woo smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
It felt as if a pile of homework had finally been cleared away. In truth, the thought that he needed to ask this favor had been weighing on Kang-woo’s mind all morning, making his shoulders feel heavy. But now that he had actually said it out loud, it turned out to be nothing.
“If you’re done eating, you can go ahead to your room. I’ll clean this up.”
The moment Seok-ho finished his meal and set down his chopsticks, Kang-woo sprang into action as if he had been waiting. He carried the dishes to the sink and slipped on rubber gloves. Before going into his room, Seok-ho added a comment.
“From now on, you don’t need to say it. Just write the list and leave it on the desk in my room.”
“Ah, okay.”
Turning back, Kang-woo nodded.
After hearing his answer, Seok-ho immediately closed the door to his room.
Once he finished washing the dishes, Kang-woo went into his own room and lay down on the topper. As he let his body sink into the soft mattress, drowsiness gradually crept in.
His eyes, which had been staring at the pitch-black ceiling, slowly closed.
Today as well, peaceful time quietly accumulated within the comfortable space Seok-ho had given him.
***
“You worked hard again today, Assemblyman.”
Speaking in a cute, slightly nasal tone, Moran slipped her arm through Assemblyman Baek’s as he stepped through the front door.
“Right. Where’s Gu-jun?”
“He went out earlier. Said he had plans.”
With her lips coated in light pink lipstick curving smoothly upward, Moran replied. Each time she walked, her thighs crossed beneath the short skirt she was wearing.
The pairing of a wrinkleless woman and a thoroughly aged man was truly unsightly. Even to a stranger, the two appeared to have at least a twenty-year age gap.
“Father.”
At the call, they stopped walking.
But only for a moment.
Assemblyman Baek glanced briefly at Kyung-wook standing on the stairs, then resumed walking. Unbothered by the fact that his father had essentially ignored him, Kyung-wook followed him into the living room.
“You heard the news, right? About Kim Kang-woo.”
“Yes. I heard.”
Assemblyman Baek removed his suit jacket and handed it to Moran. Sitting in the head seat of the sofa, he placed a hand around his young wife’s waist and whispered.
“Go into the room first.”
“Okay. Finish talking and come in soon.”
Pressing her lips deliberately against Assemblyman Baek’s thick cheek, Moran then winked at Kyung-wook before swaying her hips as she walked into the master bedroom.
What a pathetic act.
Letting out a quiet scoff, Kyung-wook sat down beside him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was planning to talk about it today anyway.”
That was nothing but an excuse.
He had probably completely forgotten about it until now. If something wasn’t particularly important to him, he had a habit of forgetting it easily.
He had always been like that. He once forgot his wedding anniversary with Kyung-wook’s mother and provoked one of her hysterical outbursts.
This time was no different.
A man skilled in lying made another shameless excuse. Even though he hadn’t remembered it at all until now, the moment Kyung-wook brought it up he pretended as if he had been keeping it in mind all along.
Loosening his tie, Assemblyman Baek rumbled low in his throat and muttered,
“I heard Kang-woo went to Australia for a language study program. Apparently he insisted strongly on going.”
“Do you really believe that?”
At Kyung-wook’s pressing question, Assemblyman Baek let out a dry laugh.
For a moment, the words Why the hell are you laughing? nearly slipped out. Kyung-wook barely held himself back, clenching his teeth to keep from saying something reckless.
“Well. No one knows what the real story is.”
His tone suggested he didn’t particularly care what the circumstances actually were.
“I’m not so idle that I’d meddle in a friend’s son’s affairs, Kyung-wook. You know that.”
In other words, whatever had happened between the two of them, he had no intention of getting involved.
“And you shouldn’t go poking around either.”
As if reading Kyung-wook’s thoughts, Assemblyman Baek cut him off sharply.
What a damn ghost of an old man.
How did he already know Kyung-wook wouldn’t stay quiet?
Cursing inwardly, Kyung-wook let out a dry chuckle.
“What are you talking about, poking around? I’m just worried as a friend. Isn’t it strange? Sending your child overseas right before the CSAT.”
“Whatever the reason, it’s their family matter. There’s no need for you to get involved. If you have that much free time, focus more on your studies instead.”
“How can you say that, Father? Kang-woo is my closest friend.”
“What nonsense.”
Assemblyman Baek snorted at him.
“Do you even have such a thing as a real friend?”
Clicking his tongue in displeasure, Assemblyman Baek casually struck Kyung-wook’s Achilles’ heel with perfect precision.
For a moment, Kyung-wook forgot to manage his expression and stared at him with a cold face.
The gaze was chilling enough to send a cold shiver down one’s spine, yet Assemblyman Baek returned it without backing down.
A sharp tension filled the air between them.
There was no affection for his son in Assemblyman Baek’s eyes. Only a deep distrust toward his own blood.
“Well, of course.”
After a brief silence, Kyung-wook slowly stretched his lips into a lazy grin.
“Kang-woo is my precious ‘real’ friend more than anyone.”
Assemblyman Baek stared at him for a moment before issuing a warning in an irritated tone.
“Stop doing pointless things and stay quiet. If you cause any more trouble, I won’t overlook it.”
Kyung-wook found that laughable. As if the man had ever overlooked much to begin with.
Naturally, a mocking remark slipped from his mouth.
“Yes, Father. Just like always, don’t overlook anything. And just like always, I’ll keep stirring things up however I want.”
Smack!
A sharp cracking sound split the air. Without warning, a thick hand struck Kyung-wook across the face.
“You insolent bastard!”
“What’s going on?”
At the raised voices, Moran hurriedly opened the master bedroom door and rushed out. She quickly ran to Assemblyman Baek, who was breathing heavily, and rubbed his heaving back.
“Please calm down. Your blood pressure can’t go up. You’ll collapse again like last time.”
Assemblyman Baek sank onto the sofa, receiving Moran’s attention as he glared at Kyung-wook.
Kyung-wook ran his tongue along the inside of his throbbing cheek.
The blow had been strong enough to tear the inside of his mouth; a metallic taste of blood spread across his tongue.
Ha ha.
Letting out a low laugh, he met his father’s furious gaze.
“This son will take his leave now. Sleep well, Father. Have a nice dream—one where your troublesome son doesn’t appear.”
After glancing at both of them in turn, Kyung-wook rose from the sofa and walked up the stairs.
“That brat—”
“Assemblyman, please don’t. Let’s just go back to the room and rest, okay?”
Moran stepped in front of Assemblyman Baek, cutting him off before he could say more.
“Kyung-wook must just be upset because his friend suddenly went far away.”
Her coaxing, syrupy voice clung unpleasantly to Kyung-wook’s ears.
***
Unlike most office jobs, tattoo artists usually didn’t have fixed days off.
Therefore, Seok-ho hadn’t set any specific day as a holiday either. Instead, whenever there happened to be a day without reservations, he treated that day as his break.
Today was one of those days.
A rare day off.
Recently, appointments had been packed both on weekdays and weekends, so a day without work was uncommon.
Of course, staying home to rest didn’t mean he spent the entire day sprawled on the sofa watching TV. Most of the time he worked on designs, or if not, he went to the gym to make up for workouts he had missed.
Today, however, he decided to focus on his main profession rather than his health.
After lunch, Seok-ho shut himself inside his room.
With all his concentration focused on the tip of his tablet pen, he immersed himself in his work.
At that same moment, Kang-woo stood staring at Seok-ho’s bedroom door, steeling his resolve.
Today was his chance. A perfect opportunity to try having a deeper conversation with Seok-ho.
So far, all his attempts to get closer had ended in failure, but Kang-woo hadn’t given up yet.
Somehow, his stubbornness had started to grow. With the determination he once poured into studying now having nowhere to go, it seemed to have activated in a completely unexpected place.
How could he start a conversation naturally?
After pondering for a while, Kang-woo abruptly peeled an apple and knocked on Seok-ho’s door. He waited in front of the quiet door, but no answer came.
Leaning closer to listen through the door, he knocked once more.
“Yeah.”
Only then did a reply come from the other side.
“Can I come in?”
“Come in.”
With permission granted, Kang-woo carefully turned the doorknob.
It seemed Seok-ho had been working on a design—he was holding his tablet.
“Hyung, have some apples.”
“Leave it there.”
Seok-ho answered without looking at him.
Normally, faced with such indifference, Kang-woo would have quietly set down the fruit plate and left. But today was different.
Following Seok-ho’s instruction, Kang-woo first placed the plate of apples on the table, then slowly edged closer to his side.
“Are you working on a design?”
Anyone could see that he was working, but Kang-woo asked the question on purpose.
Drawing Seok-ho’s attention wasn’t easy.
After much thought, he decided to start with something that might interest him.
