Chapter 157
“…It sounds like you’re reading to a child.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just pleasant to listen to.”
“……”
“The timbre, the clear and precise pronunciation, the smooth flow of breath.”
Hyeon-woo felt embarrassed, as he had only worried about the content of the book and hadn’t expected commentary on his reading. It seemed his habit of reading storybooks to Jerome had become ingrained. As he was biting his lip awkwardly, not knowing how to respond, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
The person who entered was Scott, wearing a chef’s hat. A sweet potato aroma wafted from the trolley he was pulling.
Scott was inwardly surprised, as this was the first time Tae-geon had requested snacks to be made during the not-so-short time he had worked at the mansion. In fact, he still felt a bit dazed.
As it happened, a batch of high-quality fresh sweet potatoes had arrived the day before, so Scott had showcased his skills by making crispy sweet potato chips and candied sweet potatoes glazed with honey, among other treats. As the carefully prepared snacks were being nicely arranged on the table, Scott could sense Ian, who was sitting in a chair next to the young master, glancing this way with expectant eyes.
As I thought. I was wondering why the young master suddenly asked for snacks…
Scott was certain that the subtle tingling in the air he had felt upon entering the room was not his imagination. Feeling he shouldn’t linger, he quickly finished setting up and left tactfully after saying, “Please enjoy.”
The room was filled with a sweet aroma. Hyeon-woo stood up from his seat and headed to the table.
“What’s all this?”
“While you were gone getting the book earlier, I asked Scott to make some snacks. I thought we might get hungry while reading.”
As Hyeon-woo showed interest in the food on the table, the corners of Tae-geon’s mouth lifted proudly.
“Please eat a lot.”
“Let’s eat together. It’s too much for me to eat alone.”
Hyeon-woo sat across from Tae-geon at the table and offered him various items. Tae-geon put down his fork after just a few bites, seemingly not fond of the sweet potatoes. Nevertheless, he didn’t leave his seat until Hyeon-woo finished eating, and then asked an unexpected question.
“Christmas is coming soon. Do you have any plans?”
While bringing a bite-sized piece of sweet potato cake to his mouth with a fork, Hyeon-woo replied:
“Yes.”
“…With whom…?”
The voice asking sounded strangely anxious. When Hyeon-woo unintentionally didn’t answer immediately because he was chewing and swallowing, Tae-geon, unable to bear even that brief silence, hastily asked again.
“A lover?”
At that, Hyeon-woo frowned.
Why is he asking this?
Although it didn’t seem like an appropriate conversation between an employer and employee, Tae-geon’s face, waiting for his answer, looked quite solemn, so Hyeon-woo reluctantly opened his mouth.
“No.”
“…Are you… perhaps married?”
“No.”
Tae-geon’s shoulders, which had been frozen with tension, finally relaxed gently.
“Then what plans? I suppose you’re going to have a party with friends?”
Hyeon-woo thought of the faces of the people he shared precious moments with at this time of year. Fortunately, this Christmas fell on a weekend, so they would be able to spend time together this year too.
“There are people I’m planning to be with. They’re important to me. Like family.”
“…Family.”
Tae-geon’s expression was somewhat subtle as he slowly repeated the word Hyeon-woo had uttered. His face suddenly sank into dark despair, as if he had abruptly woken from a sweet dream.
“When you say ‘like family’, it sounds like they’re not actually your real family…”
Tae-geon’s eyes, asking this, were deeply sunken unlike before, but Hyeon-woo didn’t notice as he was putting the last piece of sweet potato cake in his mouth.
“That’s right, they’re not blood-related.”
“Then, your real family…?”
“They’re all in heaven.”
Unlike Hyeon-woo’s matter-of-fact reply, Tae-geon’s voice, his face turning pale, had a faint tremor.
“…Don’t you miss them?”
“I do miss them. But I can’t see them anymore.”
“……”
“I can’t keep clinging to the past and longing forever, can I? I have to live the life I’ve been given diligently. That way, when I meet my parents later, I won’t feel ashamed.”
Tae-geon gave a faint smile at Hyeon-woo’s brave answer. It was a bitter smile that would break the heart of anyone who saw it, but Hyeon-woo’s gaze was still directed at the table, not at Tae-geon.
“…You’re brave. I’m curious about what kind of life you’re living.”
“……”
“Are you happy?”
Hyeon-woo’s hand, reaching for a sweet potato glazed in malt syrup with his fork, stopped abruptly. He finally turned his gaze to Tae-geon, who was asking the same thing as Kwon Hak-gyu had.
It was strange. Tae-geon’s question about whether he was happy seemed entirely tinged with resignation, like the last words of a convict facing execution.
‘Yes, I’m happy.’
Those words that had come out without hesitation to Hak-gyu somehow wouldn’t come out readily to Tae-geon. He couldn’t understand why uttering that one phrase made his heart ache so much.
Hyeon-woo thought of Jerome, whom he loved more than life itself. Jerome’s face, smiling brightly at him.
Only then did the oppressive feeling in his chest ease somewhat. Hyeon-woo cleared his throat once and slowly said:
“…Yes, I’m happy.”
*
Hyeon-woo took the bus to the city with Jerome.
He had received a long week-long vacation from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. All the employees buzzed with excited voices at the butler’s surprise announcement of paid leave, telling them to spend meaningful time with their loved ones. It was an unprecedented event, so their excitement was understandable.
Scott, responsible for Tae-geon’s meals, would take turns with Carol for the vacation. The same applied to the butler and manager.
He thought the already quiet mansion would become even lonelier. He felt uneasy thinking about Tae-geon spending time alone in the empty mansion.
As if sensing Hyeon-woo’s mood, Jerome cutely acted aegyo while pulling on their clasped hands.
“Dad~.”
“Yes, Jerome.”
Hyeon-woo forced himself to push away thoughts of Tae-geon and smiled at Jerome.
The streets, filled with the sound of carols, were in full holiday spirit. Jerome, excited by the vibrant streets decorated with brilliantly lit Christmas trees and bustling with people, looked around curiously. Worried about losing his dad in the crowd, Jerome gripped Hyeon-woo’s hand tightly and suddenly began fiddling with his palm.
“Dad, it’s hard here.”
Jerome wiggled his fingers over the callused areas.
“It’s weird. Why is it hard?”
It seemed that since it had been a while since he’d held his dad’s hand, he now noticed an unfamiliar sensation he hadn’t felt before. They were calluses formed from years of labor. Even though he no longer did such physically demanding work, they hadn’t easily disappeared.
Hyeon-woo spread his palm wide for Jerome to see.
“These are medals Dad earned from working hard. They’re proof that we’ll be even happier together in the future, Jerome.”
“……”
“What? Do you dislike Dad’s hands because they’re hard?”
“No, I like them. I like them even more.”
Jerome hugged Hyeon-woo’s hand to his chest, acting cute.
“What about Dad?”
“Hm?”
“Your hands got hard because of Jerome, don’t you dislike Jerome?”
Noticing a flash of fear on Jerome’s face as he looked up at him, Hyeon-woo felt a lump in his throat.
“Of course not. Come here, my puppy.”
Hyeon-woo scooped up the lovable Jerome. Jerome’s weight had become even heavier in the meantime, almost too much to carry with one arm. Hyeon-woo planted kisses on Jerome’s cheeks.
“Dad will love our Jerome forever, even if my hands turn into hard stones.”
“Me too. I love you too, Dad. I love you the most in the whole world.”
“Dad loves you more.”
“No, Jerome loves you more, more!”
Jerome hugged Hyeon-woo’s neck, smiling brightly as if he was the happiest person in the world.
They entered the department store, which was packed with people. They had plans for dinner tomorrow evening at Director Jangmi’s tutoring center. As they did every year, they planned to gather on Christmas Eve with Yejun, Mrs. Kyung-ae, and Director Jangmi for a gift exchange.
He planned to give snow goggles to Yejun, who had recently gotten into snowboarding, and a waterproof functional hiking backpack to Mrs. Kyung-ae, who had taken up hiking as a hobby.
The toy department was not far from the hiking equipment section on the 6th floor. After selecting and paying for the backpack he had looked at online in advance, he took Jerome to the toy department.
Unable to contain his excitement, Jerome ran ahead on his own, leaving Hyeon-woo behind.
“Jerome! Be careful not to fall!”
Hyeon-woo hurried his steps to follow Jerome.
Seeing children his age weaving between the displays to choose toys they liked spurred Jerome’s excitement.
Jerome recalled making a spaceship with blocks together with his dad not long ago. It was much more fun and enjoyable than playing with toys alone. Every time he saw the completed spaceship, he felt proud, and he liked it even more because it brought back memories of putting the blocks together with his dad.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
