The elderly man, with his fierce eyes and brutish appearance, had gold jewelry flashing on his hands and around his neck.
“Looks like you’ve gotten a lot healthier since I last saw you, Grandpa. You’re standing just fine without a cane now. As your grandson, I’m really happy to see that.”
“Why the hell are you my grandson? Get out of my house right now, you little bastard!”
“I will leave—but is it okay if I graduate first, work some part-time jobs, save up a deposit, and then move out?”
“Y-You…!”
The old man’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly before he clutched the back of his neck. A moment later, hurried footsteps thundered down from the second floor, and a woman rushed over, grabbing Han Jun by the wrist and dragging him away.
“You dare bring the bloodline of that brat who devoured Mi-yeon into my house? Are you that desperate to get thrown out too?”
Pointing angrily at the two climbing the stairs, the old man’s neck veins bulged.
“Dad, honestly. You need to watch your blood pressure, so calm down. Let’s talk about it tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow.”
As Yi-hyeon went up the stairs, his eyes caught sight of photographs of actress Joo Mi-yeon plastered all over the house. She was the ill-fated actress who had passed away not long ago. Yi-hyeon didn’t usually follow entertainment news, but the case had been covered so extensively that even someone uninterested in celebrities like him knew about it.
Actress Joo Mi-yeon was always accompanied by modifiers like beautiful, serious actress, advertising goddess, top star. Then, at some point, she stopped appearing on television, and rumors began circulating—she’d gotten married in Hawaii, she was carrying a chaebol’s child, things like that.
Then, not long ago, she was found as a cold corpse in Korea. Since there were no signs pointing to murder, no concrete suspicions could be uncovered. In the end, the case was closed with the conclusion that she’d been unable to overcome her slump and had made a tragic choice.
Yi-hyeon suddenly lifted his head and looked at Han Jun.
From him, Yi-hyeon sensed the chic, refined aura that had been Joo Mi-yeon’s signature.
“Tomorrow my ass! Drag that bastard’s kid out right now! That damn Han Cheol-woo’s son definitely killed my daughter, and you dare bring his bloodline into my house? Have you lost your mind?”
“He’s half my sister’s blood too. It’s cold today—are you trying to freeze your grandson to death?”
“Who the hell freezes to death in spring? And don’t talk about freezing to death—who’s my grandson?!”
“Auntie, I think my hand’s getting frostbite.”
It felt like one of those moments where if you’d just stayed quiet, you’d have at least broken even.
Han Jun’s face, as he blew warm air into one hand and looked up at the woman tugging on his wrist, felt pitiful—yet also a little infuriating.
“Shut your mouth.”
“See? You really are the only one for me, Auntie.”
Reacting to her scolding as if it were praise, Han Jun grinned shamelessly.
The woman who brought Han Jun up to the second floor was Joo Mi-yeon’s younger sister, Joo Mi-jin. She had quit acting, started a shopping mall business that became a huge hit, and even founded her own apparel company—a gold spoon who’d also made it on her own. Seeing such an accomplished woman utterly defenseless against her nephew’s jokes was rare enough to be surprising.
As soon as they reached the second floor, Mi-jin shoved Han Jun into Joo Mi-yeon’s old room and slammed the door shut with a bang. Then, without even pausing to catch her breath, she unleashed a torrential downpour of nagging at him.
“Are you stupid? Why are you getting chewed out when I warned you ahead of time? I told you Grandpa wasn’t asleep yet and to wait just a bit!”
“I did wait. Ten whole minutes.”
“Ha… you’re seriously draining me dry. My blood’s drying up because of you. Why are you acting like such a damn thug lately? Is this puberty?”
Startled by her sharp voice, Yi-hyeon whimpered and burrowed into Han Jun’s arms.
“Don’t yell, Auntie. Louis has been really sensitive to loud noises lately.”
“Have you already forgotten the promise you made with my sister?”
“Mom didn’t keep her promise with me either.”
“What?”
“She promised she’d be with me on my birthday this year. But…”
Han Jun pressed his lips tightly together and gently stroked Yi-hyeon’s back. Normally, he was confident and quick with his comebacks, but this time, he couldn’t manage it. Beneath his densely lashed eyes, his dark pupils dimmed with shadow.
Mi-jin’s razor-sharp gaze gradually softened. With a sigh, she lowered the corners of her eyes and gestured toward the sofa with her chin.
“Just sit down for now.”
Han Jun placed Yi-hyeon atop the plush sofa and then flopped down onto the floor. He lightly tickled Yi-hyeon’s soft, squishy chin with his fingers. Wiggling as if it tickled, Yi-hyeon flailed his front paws and grabbed onto Han Jun’s hand.
“Jun… if you keep getting into trouble and running away like this, how sad do you think my sister would be watching from the sky?”
At Mi-jin’s words, Han Jun lifted his head slightly and let out a long sigh.
“And Mom would be sad seeing me homeless too. So please, Auntie—try persuading Grandpa for me.”
At that, Mi-jin pressed a hand to her forehead, muttering about how a smart, capable sister could’ve given birth to such a hopeless kid, and let out a low groan. Having inadvertently heard yet another piece of Han Jun’s personal circumstances, Yi-hyeon’s anxiety grew, his large eyes darting back and forth. It felt like the weight on his heart was getting heavier by the second.
***
Chairman Joo seemed to dislike Han Jun’s face because it resembled Assemblyman Han, not because he hated Han Jun himself. If he truly despised him, he would’ve kicked him out long ago instead of allowing him to boldly sprawl across the bed in the room Joo Mi-yeon once used.
“Whiiine, whiiine.”
After all the chaos, Han Jun hadn’t slept a wink the night before. Early in the morning, he came out into the garden so Yi-hyeon could relieve himself outside.
The moment Yi-hyeon was set down on the lawn, he sprinted behind a massive decorative rock installed as part of the landscaping and freely took care of his bodily needs there. Afterward, determined to erase his tracks, he kicked dirt backward with his hind legs—pat, pat. While diligently flinging soil around, he suddenly locked eyes with Chairman Joo, who had been weeding the flowerbed and was staring right at him.
Seeing the old man’s deeply wrinkled brow twist in displeasure, Yi-hyeon panicked and bolted straight for Han Jun, leaping into his open arms and clinging to him tightly.
“Haha. Louis, that’s not a goblin—it’s Grandpa. Your maternal grandpa.”
Han Jun laughed heartily as he patted Yi-hyeon’s back. Yi-hyeon heard Chairman Joo muttering irritably about that damn Han family bastard as he glared at the back of Han Jun’s head while they went back inside.
***
Since Han Jun was a senior in high school, he and Yi-hyeon had to be apart for well over ten hours. Yi-hyeon looked up at him listlessly as Han Jun washed up, got dressed, and put on his school uniform.
“Ugh, I don’t wanna go to school.”
Han Jun muttered with no enthusiasm as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
“Whiine.”
Yi-hyeon, who also hated being left alone in this huge house full of unfamiliar people, nuzzled gently into Han Jun’s chest as he held him.
“I’ll try to get out of night study somehow today—”
“Cut it out already. Anyone watching would think you’re breaking up with your lover.”
A cushion flew through the air, smacking the back of Han Jun’s head before dropping to the floor. Mi-jin, who loved animals but couldn’t stand watching her nephew dithering about whether to go to school, snapped that he didn’t even check the time and pointed at the front door, saying he’d be late.
“Leaving Louis with someone this violent really makes me nervous.”
“Then don’t leave him.”
“But our Louis is a genius, so please take good care of this immature Auntie.”
Mi-jin’s company had already surpassed its break-even point by a wide margin last month. Even so, when her nephew seriously suggested that she might as well close the shop for now and rest until his vacation to take care of Louis, she couldn’t help but sigh.
“…Aren’t you going to school?”
“I am, I am. But you absolutely can’t leave him with Grandpa, okay? Our Louis is picky about people. And he’s constipated, so he can’t really poop unless it’s outdoors. So if he whines and scratches at the door, you have to open it. You have to open it within one second. If he holds it in too long, it’s bad for his health.”
“I’m the one whose health is about to go bad from stress because of you. What are you dumping on me, your ex-girlfriend or something? Can you just half-ass it and go already?”
“And our Louis—he’s a genius dog, so put on educational TV channels for him.”
At Han Jun’s words, Yi-hyeon flinched involuntarily.
“Say something that makes sense. What kind of dog watches educational TV?”
“It’s true. He even knows how to use the remote.”
“Unbelievable. Stop lying and just go to school.”
“I’m serious—I saw it on the home cam.”
Yi-hyeon knew there were CCTV cameras installed in Han Jun’s garden. But he’d never once imagined there’d be a home cam inside the room. The thought that Han Jun might’ve been watching his every move made his face burn with embarrassment, and he covered it with both front paws.
“Anyway, until we find a suitable daycare for Louis, Auntie, please suffer a little for him. You’re the only one I can trust.”
“Fine, fine, I get it, so please shut up and go to school already.”
Pushed out the door by Mi-jin, Han Jun looked genuinely regretful that he hadn’t been able to finish praising his beloved pet. He started walking toward the stairs, then turned back. Standing pressed against the living room’s floor-to-ceiling glass door, he silently mouthed words to Yi-hyeon, who was watching him.
