#62
All parents have a duty to raise their children. The common sense that “if you give birth, you should raise them” was natural, but this society was one where even such natural things weren’t properly carried out. Parents abandoned their children all too easily, and such immorality was the same in the world where Ha-seong had lived.
The Republic of Korea where Ha-seong had lived was much more backward and had worse economic conditions than this place, so every year the number of children who were abandoned and became orphans increased, and following that, a strange phenomenon occurred where the number of orphanages increased more than the convenience facilities or public facilities that should have increased.
Ha-seong also had no parents. But he wasn’t abandoned. From what he heard, his mother passed away giving birth to Ha-seong, and his father went out alone to another region to earn money, worked only and collapsed from overwork, then never opened his eyes again.
Actually, since he lost both of them when he was too young, he couldn’t even remember their faces well. But the fact that he wasn’t abandoned, that the two of them had tried to raise their child anyway – Ha-seong wasn’t greatly hurt by that.
But those who were abandoned are different. When he was getting used to hunter work, he had gone to volunteer at an orphanage for charity… The eyes of the children he encountered there still came back to him vividly. Wounded, empty pupils. Even at their young age, the children knew they had been abandoned by the hands that should have loved them.
And Cha Do-hyeok was one of those children.
“……An orphanage?”
“Yeah. His parents abandoned him. The kid.”
Ha-seong fell into silence for a moment. Now he understood why Dal-pyeong had said he didn’t know whether Do-hyeok’s parents were dead or alive.
“Then Cha Do-hyeok, until he met grandfather, all along……”
“He must have lived moving from orphanage to orphanage.”
Any orphanage had the common point that they couldn’t easily receive government support. When one new one was created, places that couldn’t receive support went bankrupt, and children with nowhere to go went to other orphanages. Naturally, like water mixing with water. To another scene of abandonment.
“Are you feeling sympathy?”
Hearing those words, one side of his heart did feel a bit heavy, but that wasn’t something like sympathy. He didn’t think Do-hyeok was pitiful. It’s just that his feelings were a bit strange. He had accepted his proposal for help thinking he was someone standing in a lonely position.
But Cha Do-hyeok had walked a much more solitary path than Ha-seong had thought.
“No. I don’t have such thoughts.”
Then Dal-pyeong also nodded. And then, as if he wanted to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere, he also told stories about Do-hyeok’s childhood. He said there was a time when he thoroughly beat up an orphanage director who embezzled money, committed fraud, and made the children’s lives miserable, making it go under, and told him that guy was a troublemaker from birth.
Anyway, hearing Dal-pyeong’s words made him a bit curious. When he heard Do-hyeok talking about revenge and such last time, Do-hyeok had definitely said that. That he lost something precious because of that incident. He naturally thought it would be family. Usually those who lose family in such big incidents suffer for a long time.
But if it wasn’t family, what could Do-hyeok’s precious thing be referring to? He was a bit curious. Did he lose a safe with money in it like Ha-seong?
“Grandfather. Do you know what’s precious to Cha Do-hyeok?”
“……”
Dal-pyeong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Well. What would I know about what’s precious to that guy. If you’re curious, ask him directly.”
It was a somewhat ambiguous attitude. Whether he knew but wouldn’t tell, or really didn’t know. Dal-pyeong said he had to go in to work now and stood up from his seat. After Dal-pyeong went into his room with words not to disturb him unless it was urgent, Ha-seong stayed in his seat a bit longer.
* * *
“Hey, Cha Do-hyeok. How could you do that to me?”
After conquering a gate that had urgently opened in the morning and returning to the office, Kang Won-hyeok suddenly came looking for him and asked. Just how ridiculous was he going to sound today?
“I was the one who suggested going to the beef soup restaurant! Why won’t you go with me!”
As expected, it was completely useless talk. He had heard that hunters frequented that restaurant, and it seems the rumor had reached Won-hyeok’s ears too. Exactly a few minutes after Do-hyeok left the restaurant that day, numerous posts titled <Cha Do-hyeok Beef Soup Restaurant Sighting> were uploaded to various social media.
“Bad guy.”
“Noisy.”
“Vice Guild Leader-nim, shall I go with you?”
Shin-woo, who had entered at some point, smiled and patted Won-hyeok’s shoulder.
“You’re the only one, Shin-woo.”
“What nonsense.”
Do-hyeok shook his head seeing that sight. After that, Shin-woo and Won-hyeok settled into the guild leader’s office and started having a cozy conversation. It was when he was about to scold them asking if this was some street café.
“Huh? Isn’t this male actor a famous person?”
SNS addict Won-hyeok suddenly showed his phone to Shin-woo.
“Yes. That’s right. But why this actor?”
“Hey, there’s an affair scandal before his wedding? Look at this. They say he was photographed entering a hotel with someone else.”
“Wow, incredible.”
Who would see those guys as members of the #1 guild? It was when Do-hyeok’s anger gauge was gradually rising. Shin-woo tapped the desk and shook his head.
“He really worked hard on image management as a lover boy. I guess celebrities really can’t be trusted.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“No, why can’t men manage their lower halves properly and always cause trouble? I’m a man too but I really don’t understand.”
Do-hyeok reacted precisely to the word ‘lower half.’ And the phrase about not being able to manage also strangely stuck in his ears.
“Hey, our Shin-woo speaks well. There are definitely guys like that. Really getting hard even in weird situations? Huh? Those kinds of guys are the problem, really.”
Really weird situations? Do-hyeok’s eyebrows twitched. For instance, would yesterday’s situation when he almost got hard while applying ointment to Ha-seong’s body also count as ‘really weird’?
And with that, the two people began excitedly chattering about ‘men managing their lower halves.’ The more their story continued, the stranger Do-hyeok’s mood became. He had already put so much effort into cooling down in the bathroom yesterday and tasted self-loathing, and now those guys were reminding him of it once more.
Bang-
“Ah, what a shock.”
Finally Do-hyeok slammed the desk hard with his pen-holding hand. The two people who had been chattering excitedly were startled at the same time and looked at him.
“Noisy. What is this, a playground?”
Then the two people shut their mouths tightly as if they had coordinated it. Had they talked too much? They were busy reading Cha Do-hyeok’s mood.
“No, we were just casually exchanging a few words about living in the world……”
“Why are you having casual conversations in a workplace?”
Won-hyeok was busy avoiding Do-hyeok’s gaze, which seemed angry for some reason.
“Kang Won-hyeok. I clearly said I’d dock your pay if you open the door without knocking.”
“Hey, that’s……”
“Han Shin-woo, are you chattering after finishing all the meeting reports?”
Then Shin-woo shut his mouth tight.
“Get out. Both of you.”
“Yes.”
Won-hyeok also answered formally along with Shin-woo and disappeared from the guild leader’s office like a shot.
“Is he in a bad mood about something?”
As soon as they came out of the guild leader’s office, Won-hyeok whispered quietly.
“I’m not sure…… Why was he angry……”
Cases where Do-hyeok acted emotionally like that could be counted on one hand. In the first place, Do-hyeok was someone who didn’t express emotions like being angry or feeling good outwardly. But just now was, how to put it. He seemed a bit angry.
They tried to recall if they had made any slip of the tongue, but there wasn’t anything like that. They had just cursed a bit about guys who get hard anytime, anywhere.
“Shin-woo, you probably have the most hardships.”
Won-hyeok patted the shoulder of the poor executive secretary who had to work under the moody guild leader.
* * *
Do-hyeok came home after work that day in a very bad mood just as it was.
“You’re back? Grandfather says he’ll make spicy braised chicken for us. Go wash up.”
“Yes.”
As Ha-seong said, the smell of food was wafting from the house. It seemed like this house was the most bustling since Do-hyeok bought it. Though it was only two more people added. Leaving behind the scene he couldn’t quite get used to, Do-hyeok changed into comfortable clothes and entered the dining room.
“Come quickly.”
“What, spicy braised chicken here too.”
“Just eat what you’re given.”
After Dal-pyeong shot sharply at the grumbling Do-hyeok, dinner began like that.
“Wow, grandfather. This is really delicious?”
“Right? Our house became famous as a restaurant. Come visit the shop later. I’ll make it even more delicious for you.”
It was just two more sets of chopsticks added to the seat where he had always been alone, on top of the huge table. But strangely, it felt full. Do-hyeok watched Ha-seong and Dal-pyeong laughing and chattering for a bit, then slowly ate his meal.
After finishing even the dishes, Dal-pyeong said he had all-night work and went into his room, leaving only Ha-seong and Do-hyeok.
“Why did you leave so early this morning?”
“……I woke up early.”
“You’re more diligent than you look.”
“Is that a compliment?”
Well, he couldn’t say he just left because he didn’t have the confidence to look Ha-seong straight in the face due to yesterday’s incident. But Do-hyeok regretted leaving early a bit. Because he felt something was missing when he left without receiving Ha-seong’s send-off.
“What did you do today?”
“Just. Had lunch with grandfather. Had various conversations too.”
“You talked bad about me.”
Then Ha-seong laughed saying he couldn’t deny it. Since Dal-pyeong had excitedly badmouthed Do-hyeok, it honestly wasn’t wrong. But Ha-seong also learned new facts about Do-hyeok from Dal-pyeong today.
It was somewhat unexpected, but it was a story that wouldn’t greatly affect the current situation. Just Do-hyeok’s private matter.
“Weren’t you tired today?”
“What’s tiring about it. It’s the same work I always do.”
Do-hyeok’s weary voice could be heard. Right. To Do-hyeok it was just natural and the same thing. Probably solitude and loneliness were also just natural things to him. Such thoughts just suddenly occurred to him.
“Then rest.”
“Hey, Cha Do-hyeok.”
Ha-seong called out to Do-hyeok who was getting up to go in.
“Do you like alcohol?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
