Chapter 181
“You don’t like it either. Me treating you with a sense of debt.”
“Yeah, I hate it.”
Tae-geon smiled slightly at Hyeon-woo, who responded immediately with disgust.
What would your reaction be if you found out that I’ve already shouldered a debt, a sin, far heavier than this towards you?
Tae-geon stood up, put on his coat that he had taken off on the side, and adjusted his clothes. It seemed his business was finished.
Hyeon-woo’s mind was in turmoil as he followed Tae-geon towards the entrance.
As Tae-geon put on his black leather loafers and prepared to leave, he turned to Hyeon-woo who had come to see him off and said,
“Think carefully about which side would benefit Jerome more.”
There was nothing to consider. Hyeon-woo glared at Tae-geon’s annoying face. He must be so confident in his persuasive voice because he knows this fact well himself.
Tae-geon, standing face to face with Hyeon-woo, gazed at him intently before shifting his gaze over Hyeon-woo’s shoulder to carefully scan the interior of the house.
Hyeon-woo felt Tae-geon’s gaze lingering particularly on one spot on the floor. He unconsciously followed Tae-geon’s gaze and, with a startled face, rushed over to pick up a discarded stuffed animal.
It was a rabbit doll with both ears unpleasantly torn off. It was Jerome’s comfort toy that he had been chewing and sucking on since he was a newborn, and they couldn’t bring themselves to throw it away even though it was now in tatters. They couldn’t find a replacement doll with the same fluffy texture.
Hyeon-woo hid the worn-out, unsightly doll behind his back and approached Tae-geon, who was standing at the entrance, with a look that said, “Won’t you leave now?”
It was strange. Hadn’t he been disgusted by the unfamiliar smell of a young child emanating from Hyeon-woo not too long ago? But Tae-geon couldn’t understand why he couldn’t take his eyes off Hyeon-woo’s clumsy hand-stitching visible where the doll’s ears had been torn off. He felt a part of his heart breaking.
‘It was really tough after losing my parents, but I was able to endure thanks to Jerome. He’s the only light in my dark life and the reason I live.’
The reason Hyeon-woo’s face wasn’t entirely desperate when talking about the most painful part of his life must be because there was a precious existence that filled the empty space. The salvation that pulled Hyeon-woo out of the despair he had fallen into, the being that was everything to Hyeon-woo.
His feelings towards him were as complex and difficult as a tangled skein of thread. But one thing was clear. That this feeling he was experiencing now wasn’t so bad. This space filled with Hyeon-woo’s affection, and the sight of Hyeon-woo seeing him off while wearing an apron.
Rather than trying to untangle his complicated emotions, Tae-geon decided to be more faithful to his current feelings that were clearly felt, and spoke again.
“And it would be better not to dispose of this house.”
*
“Wow!”
Jerome exclaimed in admiration at the scenery unfolding outside the car window. The dense forest of trees, probably hundreds of years old, created a mysterious atmosphere. Jerome’s body bounced up and down due to the poor ride quality of the car on the dirt road. Even that seemed enjoyable as Jerome’s laughter kept bursting out.
Unlike the excited Jerome, Hyeon-woo’s face was overcast with gloomy clouds. He still wasn’t sure if this was the right choice, accepting Tae-geon’s proposal.
It must have started about two weeks ago. Large vans carrying outsiders began frequently coming in and out of the mansion. The butler and manager Okhee seemed extremely busy, putting their heads together with these people and making various decisions.
The mansion, which had been as desolate and gloomy as the Beast’s castle in the fairy tale, gradually transformed into a brighter place through the workers’ efforts.
The marble fountain, once unsightly with moss, now boasted a brilliant luster and sprayed clear streams of water. The forest, which had been so eerie it seemed ghosts might appear, now sparkled with life after careful management. The blackout curtains that had completely isolated the mansion from the outside were replaced with chiffon that allowed soft light to filter through. The broken statues lining the corridor of the east wing were all repaired to look like new. The walls and floors, which had been damaged all over, were the same.
He had thought that the mansion was going through a normalization process because its owner had regained his sight, but when he heard Tae-geon’s words, Hyeon-woo was dumbfounded.
‘I’m thinking of making a new pool next to the swimming pool. The current depth is too dangerous for kids to play in.’
Only then did he realize that all these changes in the mansion were for Jerome.
“Dad! It’s like a jungle expedition!”
Jerome’s excited voice broke Hyeon-woo out of his thoughts. Hyeon-woo restrained Jerome, who was vigorously bouncing his bottom up and down.
“That’s enough, Jerome. You need to sit properly.”
“Let him enjoy it~ The off-road part will be over soon anyway.”
“What?”
Hyeon-woo asked in confusion at Driver Yoon’s sudden interjection, to which he replied with a smile,
“You didn’t know? There’s construction going on for a nice entrance road connecting the mansion and the mountain entrance. You’ll probably be using that road from next week.”
The car turned around a corner of the dense forest. The white mansion began to appear beyond the steep mountain landscape.
“Wow!!”
An exclamation much louder than before burst from Jerome’s mouth.
Finally, Driver Yoon’s car arrived in front of the mansion.
The butler, who had come out to greet them, anxiously watched the opening rear door. Ian, who got out first, noticed the butler and gave a brief nod. Then he spoke to the child who was still in the seat.
“Jerome, come down carefully.”
“Okay.”
The responding voice was lively and cute. The child’s adorable shoe peeked out and touched the ground. Thump thump. The butler, trying to calm his racing heart, watched intently as the child emerged, and a gasping breath escaped his lips.
“Jerome, say hello.”
“Hello.”
The child’s sapphire-blue eyes turned to the butler. The butler’s eyes shook violently as they met the child’s gaze.
…It wasn’t the young master’s child.
The butler’s heart sank to the floor at the sight of the startlingly clear blue eyes that couldn’t possibly come from the Taeryeong family.
The butler had long noticed that the relationship between Ian and Tae-geon was unusual. He knew there was something between them that he didn’t know about, but when the young master mentioned the existence of a child born to Ian, even he, who had been through thick and thin, couldn’t help but be surprised.
A child…? Ian had a child? And he’s telling me to prepare a room for that child in the east wing…? Am I going senile?
The butler glanced sideways at Okhee standing next to him. Seeing her face also frozen in shock, it seemed he hadn’t misheard.
The child’s room was prepared on the ground floor not far from Ian’s room. It was a sunny room with a view of the garden from the window.
Then the butler gathered all the employees from both the west and east wings. While the east wing staff might be less confused by Tae-geon’s appearance as they knew of his existence, the west wing employees were not. They only guessed that someone was staying in the east wing, but had never heard of or met the actual person.
Although the young master was still confined to the east wing as he hadn’t fully regained his sight, it was necessary to give advance notice in preparation for when he would soon leave his sickbed and move freely around the mansion, living a normal life.
‘Soon, the young master will be staying at the mansion, so I hope you will serve him without any lack.’
Then, hesitating for a moment, the butler slowly continued.
‘And, from next week, a young master will be staying here. He is a child directly sponsored by the young master, so I hope everyone will treat him with care.’
The butler formally introduced the child Ian would bring to everyone. He laid the groundwork so that the employees wouldn’t treat him carelessly, and used the term ‘sponsorship’ to create a smokescreen to prevent gossip about the relationship between the young master and the child. He was so careful because he firmly believed that Ian’s child was of Tae-geon’s bloodline.
But… it wasn’t. It wasn’t the young master’s child.
Manager Okhee approached from behind the frozen butler. She had rushed over upon seeing Driver Yoon’s car arrive, but when her eyes met Jerome’s, she too couldn’t hide her surprise. It was because she had been unconsciously thinking the same thing as the butler.
Quickly composing herself, she said, “Please follow me,” and led Hyeon-woo. Unaware of their inner turmoil at seeing Jerome’s eyes, Hyeon-woo was inwardly displeased.
The interior of Jerome’s room was near perfect, making Hyeon-woo’s internal resolve to not stand for any mistreatment of Jerome seem unnecessary.
As if someone had entered his mind, everything he had wanted to provide for Jerome was perfectly implemented. The sunlight pouring in through the large windows made the cozy interior look even brighter.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
