“Yes…”
What? How did Hyeol become a rival…?
“Dad, aren’t we going?”
Such puzzled thoughts were brief. At Hyeol’s urging voice from outside the door, I rubbed Kkotsu’s cheek once and went outside.
*
“Brother-in-law.”
When we took the elevator and came out to the entrance, the young master who had been waiting approached. Hyeol got in the car on his own without even greeting properly.
“I didn’t expect you to call me first.”
The young master showed a gentle smile as if he was happy about my contact. Whatever else, it was nice because it was bright. Maybe this is what Hyeol would look like if he grew up to be affectionate?
“You called me because you have business with me, right?”
He was quick-witted like Hyeol.
“Ah… actually… I have something I want to ask the young master…”
I had actually obtained information from Chae Seungyeon’s diary the night before that the young master, who was frequently mentioned, had helped him a lot among the family members. So I definitely wanted to get help if I could obtain even small information about my current situation, Hyeol’s future, and even the mother-in-law’s schemes.
“Something you want to ask? I’ll tell you anything I can answer within my limits. Get in the car first, it’s cold outside.”
“Yes, excuse me.”
Click.
When I got in the car, Hyeol was sitting in the back seat with his seatbelt on, quietly just fiddling with his kids’ phone.
“So today Hyeol… is withdrawing from kindergarten?”
The information must have already reached the young master.
“Yes, that’s what I decided.”
“You could have just told me… If you had left it to me, I would have handled it without you having to visit directly…”
The young master gently turned the steering wheel and adjusted the heater. Despite his appearance, he seemed very skilled at driving.
“Is this intensity okay? Many people don’t like wind blowing on their faces.”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Unlike other people from the Gwak family, the young master seemed to have very polite and delicate aspects.
“So what you wanted to ask…?”
That’s when the young master asked with curious eyes. He seemed very curious.
“Well…”
I paused a bit before speaking.
“I’m curious if mother wants to take Hyeol away…”
“Ah.”
The young master nodded as if he understood what I meant.
“First, I’ll apologize on behalf of what mother did… Brother-in-law, as you know, our mother is absolutely not someone who would apologize first…”
The young master seemed to know well what had happened before and who was at fault.
“Anyway, she won’t do that to brother-in-law anymore. She’s receiving psychiatric treatment in various ways now…”
“Psychiatric treatment?”
“Yes, she’s been reflecting a lot because of this incident…”
“……”
Reflection? It was hard to believe just hearing it. I thought that was probably just a show too. I vividly recalled the mother-in-law’s bad acting on the sofa.
Well… even if that were the case, I had absolutely no intention of letting it slide like this. As I confirmed in Chae Seungyeon’s diary, the mother-in-law was absolutely not someone who would back down like this.
I decided to steel my heart.
“No, I won’t accept the apology the young master gives on her behalf.”
The young master looked at me with surprised eyes at my sudden declaration.
“I think people should apologize directly for what they did themselves. Please tell mother that when you meet her.”
“…You’re right.”
The young master readily agreed with my words and suddenly smiled. His refreshingly laughing lips definitely showed he was blood-related to Hyeol.
“Brother-in-law, I’m sorry to say this…”
“…?”
“I felt it yesterday too… but you seem to have changed a lot somehow.”
I swallowed nervously for a moment. Did I act too much like someone other than Chae Seungyeon? Unlike Baek Woojin, the young master had probably lived in the same house for several years… so it was natural for him to feel that way.
“But it’s not bad. I always wondered how much brother-in-law could endure. Ah, of course this is separate from big brother’s matter…”
Saying that, the young master glanced toward where Hyeol was and whispered quietly.
“And about what you said earlier… As you guessed, mother is desperately trying to take Hyeol away.”
“……”
As expected… The mother-in-law wasn’t someone who would give up so easily.
I was about to immediately ask the young master what I should do, but hesitated.
Let’s not be mistaken—he’s on the mother-in-law’s side. He shares no blood with me. Chae Seungyeon was completely an outsider to them.
“Still, since Hyeol’s custody rights belong to his biological father, you don’t need to worry too much. However, since brother-in-law remains on the family register, legal relationships might get entangled and cause difficulties.”
“……”
When I looked at him as if asking how he knew such things so well, the young master looked troubled.
“Hey, I’m a law student after all, barely avoiding failing grades though.”
Ah, so that’s why…
I knew the young master was a 25-year-old college student, but I didn’t know he was studying law.
Clunk.
Then the young master opened the console box and took out a business card.
“Here, I have a senior who knows this field well. Try contacting them.”
“Ah, thank you.”
When I expressed my gratitude and put the business card in my pocket, the young master glanced at me and muttered.
“Definitely… your face has brightened up a lot since leaving that house…”
Really…? I thought I looked haggard from experiencing all sorts of things like a whirlwind right after possessing this body… No, I wondered just how bad Chae Seungyeon’s condition must have been.
“Um… brother-in-law, you know.”
The young master paused and fidgeted with his hands on the steering wheel.
“You won’t be associating with our family members anymore, right? You won’t in the future either…?”
“…Probably not.”
At my answer, the young master’s face brightened. What was he trying to say?
“Then now, instead of brother-in-law… can I call you hyung?”
Hyung…?
Thud!
Right after that, Hyeol kicked the driver’s seat where the young master was sitting hard.
“You should call him brother-in-law, third cousin.”
Hyeol used exactly the same speech pattern as mother-in-law while sending a cold look.
*
Clunk.
As soon as we arrived in front of the kindergarten main gate, I got out of the car with Hyeol.
“Then please contact me if there’s anything else I can help with. I have a lot of free time.”
The young master said with a good-natured laugh.
“Yes, thank you so much… You must have been surprised when I contacted you so suddenly, but you came so readily…”
“Dad, let’s go.”
Just as I was expressing gratitude toward the young master sitting in the driver’s seat, Hyeol pulled at my clothes and urged me.
“Then… take care.”
Thinking this was enough, I gave a final greeting and was about to walk away when the young master rolled down the car window and shouted loudly.
“See you again, hyung! Seungyeon hyung!”
“Oh…”
Vrooom, as I watched the car driving away, I sneakily glanced at Hyeol.
“……”
Sure enough, Hyeol was glaring as if he would burn the car with just his eyes.
“L-let’s go… Hyeol.”
I took Hyeol’s hand, who was standing there until the car disappeared, and quickly headed to the kindergarten.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
