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From the morning table where the family sat gathered around, Jaekyung felt uneasy. Perhaps due to the hastily eaten late dinner the night before, his palate felt dry, making it difficult to move his spoon quickly. Still, with Chairman Noh, the Vice Chairman, and Madam Yu firmly positioned at the table, he couldn’t simply not eat, so he was making a show of nibbling bit by bit when Jang Yeonhu, sitting beside him, anxiously began placing various side dishes on top of Jaekyung’s rice.
From white kimchi to braised meat to fried eggs. The top of Jaekyung’s rice bowl, which showed no signs of decreasing, now had barely any empty space left. This was because Yeonhu’s speed in adding side dishes far exceeded Jaekyung’s eating pace. The adults, who had decided not to restrain any of Jang Yeonhu’s actions anymore, didn’t openly say anything, but they kept glancing toward Jaekyung while lifting their rice spoons, showing they were concerned. It was an uncomfortable meal in many ways.
“…Attorney Han, why does your face look like that today?”
Soon, Chairman Noh indirectly inquired about his unusual behavior based on his rough complexion. Jaekyung lightly brushed his somewhat swollen eyes with the back of his hand. It had been quite a spectacle when he checked the mirror right after waking up that morning. His naturally thin, delicate skin showed clearly swollen eyes from crying, and lips that had become plump from being bitten so much the day before.
If not for Jang Yeonhu, who had practically begged him to come eat breakfast, saying an empty stomach wouldn’t do, he wouldn’t have moved a step outside his room until the swelling had subsided. Others might think his handsome face wouldn’t be affected much either way, but to Jaekyung’s overly sensitive nature, showing such vulnerability to others was simply unacceptable.
Jaekyung vaguely answered that his face seemed a bit swollen because he had stayed up late reading a book. Thinking this was why he wasn’t eating well, the Chairman just nodded slightly and turned his gaze away. It seemed the matter would be concluded there, but then Jang Yeonhu’s bright, tactless voice was thrown onto the table.
“Grandfather, isn’t Jaekyung so cute today?”
It was an absurd statement. At least to Han Jaekyung’s ears. He immediately jabbed Yeonhu’s side saying, “Hey, Jang Yeonhu,” but Yeonhu didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of stopping.
“He says he looks ugly because his face is all swollen. But to me, he looks like his younger self, which makes him incredibly cute.”
The Vice Chairman, who was about to finish his meal, cleared his throat with a “khum-khum” and rose from his seat, using the excuse of being late for work. Even the Chairman, who had rarely been flustered in his life, couldn’t respond and only let out a faint groan. The solemn atmosphere! If there weren’t so many eyes watching, he would have immediately covered Yeonhu’s mouth telling him to shut up. Jaekyung tried again to dissuade him by quietly saying, “Stop it,” but Yeonhu paid no heed. After getting the family’s permission, he began to act like a runaway train with broken brakes.
“Oh my! Now that I hear it, Jaekyung does look like he did as a child! I thought his image had changed a lot as he grew up, but when his face is swollen like this, that soft baby face is exactly the same! Jaekyung, you’d look good if you gained a bit more weight. You look handsome now too, but don’t you think you look too sharp?”
“That’s right. Jaekyung is too thin.”
“You see it too, Yeonhu? Should I prepare some herbal medicine?”
It was clear that Jang Yeonhu’s bright, carefree manner with no regard for others’ feelings came from Madam Yu. It seemed only the mother and son weren’t uncomfortable with the current breakfast atmosphere.
Deciding it would be best to get up quickly even if it meant downing digestive medicine later, Jaekyung began hurriedly chewing large spoonfuls of the fluffy rice and side dishes Yeonhu had piled on. Given Yeonhu’s personality, he wouldn’t let Jaekyung just get up without finishing at least half a bowl.
“Sorry, sorry. I won’t tease anymore. Eat slowly. Your stomach is upset, right? You’ll get indigestion that way, okay?”
Well, what a talent for giving the cure after causing the disease. As soon as Jaekyung’s cheeks puffed up with food, Jang Yeonhu waved the white flag, springing up from his seat and going to the kitchen to personally bring a bowl of scorched rice water. It had been prepared as just one bowl to finish Chairman Noh’s breakfast, who always ended his meals with scorched rice water, but suddenly it became Jaekyung’s today.
Fortunately, the Chairman didn’t seem particularly angry. Perhaps tired of his insolent grandson’s behavior, he just clicked his tongue repeatedly while alternating his gaze between the troubled-looking Jaekyung and Jang Yeonhu.
“It seems I won’t receive proper filial duty in my lifetime. What’s the use of raising him preciously if his grandfather is always an afterthought?”
“Oh, you’re exaggerating too much. You know that even if Yeonhu doesn’t, Yeonhu’s father would do anything for your words.”
Madam Yu burst into gentle laughter as she spoke playfully. The Chairman, with his deeply wrinkled face, also smiled slightly and nodded. The previous discomfort disappeared, and soon the table was filled with warm laughter. This wasn’t an unfamiliar scene to Jaekyung. The family members could easily coat everything with sugar if they wanted to, making it impossible for anyone to predict what calculations lay beneath.
Since first coming to this house, Jaekyung, unlike other staff, sat at the same table as the Chairman’s family. It was because of Jang Yeonhu’s insistence that he wanted to eat with Jaekyung. A sumptuous feast that would have made a seven-year-old child accustomed to rationed food go wide-eyed was lavishly prepared every day, for every meal. The adults laughing harmoniously and gilding each other’s faces in front of it looked so magnificent and elegant.
Young Jang Yeonhu was also completely taken in by Jaekyung, so the child, now accustomed to his changed environment, quickly believed that he truly belonged to this family, to this splendid world. It was a dizzying misjudgment, but at that time, Jaekyung, who hadn’t even entered elementary school, couldn’t possibly have had the discernment to distinguish this.
So, around the time he became accustomed to his place at the large marble dining table, the seven-year-old child innocently whispered:
“Can Uncle eat here too from tomorrow? I want to eat with Uncle…”
The moment those words ended, a freezing silence descended. Jaekyung, wondering if he had done something wrong, just blinked and kept looking up at the adults, but the conversation that had suddenly stopped didn’t resume for quite some time. Only Jang Yeonhu, smiling brightly, chimed in saying, “If Jaekyung wants that, I’d like it too.”
“Right. So, Father, this time my brother is setting up a new business partner in the Middle East—”
“Auntie, Auntie. Our Uncle too—”
“Shhh, Jaekyung. Adults are talking.”
“…Yes.”
The decision was simple. The child’s modest request was completely ignored without a trace, and from the very next morning, Jaekyung’s dining place was set in the staff dining room in the annex, not the main dining room.
Still, even then it didn’t matter much. He was excited and over the moon because he could at least see his uncle fully in the morning, who was usually too busy accompanying the Chairman or Vice Chairman to properly show his face. And the staff’s meals were still sumptuous compared to the orphanage’s inadequate food.
The problem came next. It might have been about ten minutes into breakfast with his uncle. When Jang Yeonhu declared he wouldn’t take even a single spoonful if not with Jaekyung, the Chairman casually called Jaekyung back in. As if a child’s rebellion, crying with a sad face saying he wanted to be with his uncle, wasn’t even worth listening to.
The young Jaekyung, taking his place at the marble table, cried his heart out in distress, but Jang Yeonhu, sitting beside him, finished his meal with satisfaction. No one cared that Jaekyung was crying or upset. Even Jang Yeonhu… thought it was better for Jaekyung to cry than for Han Jaekyung not to be by his side.
From that experience, Han Jaekyung had to bitterly realize that his value in this house was merely that of a crude rattle toy, mercilessly shaken to soothe Jang Yeonhu. After that day, Jaekyung never again used the affectionate terms “auntie” and “uncle” that he had been using.
“…kyung, Han Jaekyung!”
“…Ah.”
“What are you thinking about so deeply that you can’t even hear me calling you?”
When he jerked his head up, everyone around the table was staring at Jaekyung. They wore warm expressions filled with genuine concern, as if they were really worried about him.
Tak.
“I’m full. I’m going to stop eating and get up now.”
This wouldn’t do. He really couldn’t sit there any longer. Han Jaekyung put down his spoon and immediately got up, quickly leaving the dining room. Naturally, Jang Yeonhu followed behind.
“Jaekyung! We should go together. Where are you rushing off to alone?”
“…”
Suddenly, he felt suffocated. He loved Jang Yeonhu. He had resolved to accept any criticism and steal only him away, but…
“Let me be alone for a moment.”
“Han Jaekyung.”
“Don’t follow me. If you keep following, I’ll just leave by myself.”
Right now, he absolutely couldn’t face him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
