#74
“What’s wrong?”
Eun Sajun looked curiously at Yeoul, whose expression had darkened.
“Ah… well…”
Yeoul found it difficult to mention that he had seen his uncle. It was because he had already received so much help from Eun Sajun. But if he missed this chance, he might never see his uncle again. Just as he was about to speak regardless of shame.
Zing.
Eun Sajun’s phone began to ring urgently. He quickly checked it as if there was an urgent matter.
“I just received an important business call. I’ll be right back after talking.”
Thinking it was devilish timing, Yeoul turned his gaze to where his uncle had appeared. But he was nowhere to be seen. Could he have been mistaken? Suddenly, he thought that might be possible. If so, he couldn’t make Eun Sajun take unnecessary steps.
“Ah, it’s actually nothing important. So don’t worry about me and go take your call.”
“Alright. Just a moment.”
Eun Sajun left the bookstore with urgent steps. Yeoul rubbed his eyes and headed back to the children’s books section. Why had he suddenly seen his uncle? It only made his heart more troubled.
His uncle, the culprit who had borrowed money from Shin Taeon at will and made him suffer. For a while, he had been putting off thoughts of his existence due to being harassed by Shin Taeon and Yeojin’s betrayal. Where would he be now and how would he be doing?
“Haah…”
Thinking about it, he wondered why everyone around him was like this. His parents who discriminated based on traits, Yeojin who pushed him toward a truck, his uncle who had fled. Could one be this unlucky in relationships? Feeling bitter, Yeoul picked up a children’s book.
It was full of bright colors and cute characters. But none of it registered in his eyes. Just as he was looking around more, with lingering regret about seeing his uncle.
“Gasp.”
In a corner filled with student workbooks, he saw the man he had just spotted. It was a back view, but as he slowly turned, his features came into Yeoul’s sight. It was indeed his uncle.
“Oh my goodness.”
Yeoul put the book he was holding back on the shelf and rushed to catch him.
“Uncle!”
At Yeoul’s shout, his uncle’s hollow eyes turned toward him.
“Yeoul, how did you…”
Looking flustered, he started running in the opposite direction again. It was natural. After all, he had sold out his nephews and run away with the money. He probably didn’t have the face to meet him. Judging that he couldn’t let him escape here, Yeoul also ran with all his might. He had to catch him. But his uncle seemed to have suffered somewhere, as his body was more emaciated than before and his movements were sluggish.
Yeoul ran with even more strength.
“Uncle! Don’t go!”
His uncle ran faster. However, it was a distance where Yeoul could catch him with a little more effort. That’s when.
A woman pulling a stroller rushed in front of Yeoul. The woman also looked surprised, her eyes widening.
“Ack!”
Yeoul urgently stopped his running feet. Fortunately, neither the woman nor the child lying in the stroller was hurt further, but it could have been a disaster if they had collided.
In the meantime, his uncle had vanished like smoke.
“Haah…”
A heavy sense of frustration engulfed him. Tears welled up from the frustrating feelings. There were things he wanted to say when they met, but for him to run away like this was too much. He didn’t know his uncle would disregard him to this extent. It was a moment when everything seemed to be a mess and he felt resentful.
“That’s too much… really.”
“What are you doing here?”
Yeoul turned his head at the familiar voice. Eun Sajun was looking at him with a startled face. Eek. When did he follow him here?
“You suddenly disappeared and startled me again. Ah… look at the sweat.”
He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Yeoul’s forehead. It was such a soft and gentle touch. He shouldn’t lean on him like this… but…
“A-actually… I saw my uncle.”
“Your uncle?”
“Yes… but… sob…”
Eventually, Yeoul shed tears. There was a sense of loss from not achieving his goal, but it was also overwhelming that after Yeojin, his uncle was also making things difficult for him.
“He… he ran away.”
At Yeoul’s confession, Eun Sajun’s pupils shook violently. It seemed as if waves of emotion were greatly lurking in his inner self.
“I understand. Wait a moment.”
“What?”
Yeoul looked at him in bewilderment. Eun Sajun immediately took out his phone and made a call.
“Secretary Kim, look for Han Jinhwan around here. He says he appeared. Deploy all available staff to find him. Yes.”
After finishing the call, he grabbed Yeoul’s shoulders with a confident face.
“Wait. Two hours is enough to find him.”
“What?”
Two hours? In such a short moment?
“Well then, shall we look at children’s books in the meantime?”
“What?”
There was no way he could focus on children’s books in this situation. He was so dumbfounded that he was at a loss for words. Eun Sajun’s eyebrows crossed when Yeoul hesitated.
“Why? Don’t you want to look at children’s books?”
“No… it just doesn’t seem like the right situation…”
“Is that so?”
Eun Sajun’s expression showed that he really didn’t understand Yeoul’s reaction. But he showed generosity as if trying his best to understand.
“Then, shall we go back home and rest?”
“Yes… let’s do that.”
He thought that would be better. In this state, it seemed like he couldn’t do anything.
* * *
So Yeoul returned to the mansion. After washing and changing into pajamas, he sat on the bed with a heavy heart. Eun Sajun sat carefully beside Yeoul.
“You look very troubled.”
Eun Sajun looked at Yeoul pitifully and stroked his cheek.
“No… it’s not…”
Though he answered as if nothing was wrong, his uncle kept appearing before his eyes. His head was complicated and his insides burned.
“Hah…”
But for some reason, his body was extremely languid. It was like becoming cotton soaked in water. Normally, he would never be like this before such an important matter, but could it be because he was pregnant now? It really made him wonder if this is what it means to carry a new life.
“Are you sleepy?”
“What?”
“Looking at your eyes, it seems like they could close at any moment.”
“Ah…”
He shouldn’t sleep… but…
“Lie down now.”
Eun Sajun took Yeoul’s hand and laid him down on the bed. His body wrapped in the cozy sheets provided deep comfort.
Rationally, he knew he shouldn’t do this, but his eyes closed heavily as if he had taken a sleeping pill. And not long after, he fell asleep. A monotonous breathing sound echoed from his small lips. Eun Sajun, who had been staring intently at Yeoul, eventually caressed his cheek.
“I want to make you look only at me.”
A destructively ominous light lingered in his eyes. Eventually, he looked at the bedside table. It was the tablet that Yeoul had been watching videos on before going out. Eun Sajun picked up the tablet. Then he opened the video app and carefully examined the video records Yeoul had been watching.
“Huh? Chocolate? Why did he watch so much of this?”
He tilted his head. And his eyes curved like a fox’s. Then he opened the calendar app and looked at the date.
“Aha. I see.”
His face brightened as if he had entered and exited Yeoul’s mind.
“How cute.”
Soon after, he left the bedroom.
* * *
In the late winter, as the energy of spring approached.
‘Hyung, take this.’
Yeojin smiled brightly and held out a small box. Plump cheeks, lovely eyes like glass marbles. Yeojin appeared to be about to enter elementary school.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
Yeoul opened the box curiously. A sweet and slightly bitter fragrance was strongly felt. It was chocolate with deliciously embedded almonds.
‘I met Dongho today.’
Dongho was a friend Yeojin often hung out with.
‘He said today is Valentine’s Day. A day to give chocolate to someone you love?’
‘But why are you giving this to me?’
‘Last time, you ate the pickles I didn’t want to eat from the school lunch. Thank you for always helping me. I love you.’
Yeojin whispering that he loved him was so cute and pretty. Yeoul’s eyes gradually moistened, deeply moved. Yeojin looked very bewildered at Yeoul’s reaction.
‘What? Why are you crying?’
‘No, I’m just so happy. Let’s eat this together.’
‘Hey, I gave it to you to eat, why would I eat it?’
‘No. Let’s eat it together anyway!’
Yeoul held out the chocolate to Yeojin with his small hand. Yeojin said this wasn’t necessary, but in the end, he didn’t refuse and ate it.
It was more sweet and enjoyable because they ate it together. Yeojin was a precious younger brother to Yeoul.
* * *
“Ah…”
Yeoul gradually opened his eyes. The dream that felt like a memory of a day dissolved away, and he faced reality.
“Why did I dream about that?”
Yeoul muttered lowly. But the pure and lovely image of Yeojin seemed like a distant star. Yeojin was truly precious. He was lovely. But… when he thought about the image of him pushing him toward a running truck, his heart tightened.
“Haah…”
Yeoul’s stomach felt like it was hurting from the pain that made it hard to breathe. This was not good. Stress during pregnancy was a sin. Yeoul hurriedly shook his head. At the same time, he saw the window where an orange sunset was setting. He quickly checked the clock. About two hours had passed.
“What? How long did I sleep?”
Just as he was urgently trying to get up from his seat. The bedroom door opened and Eun Sajun entered.
“Oh? You’re awake. Why don’t you sleep more?”
“No… I’ve already slept a lot.”
He was worried that if he slept more, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
“I see. That’s good.”
He approached Yeoul’s side and touched his cheek with an affectionate hand.
“And we found him.”
“What? Found what?”
“Yeoul-ssi’s uncle.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
