CI 1.16

“Did you sleep well? You slept so prettily. It made me think a fairy had descended into my car.”

Boss Wondidn’t ask why Son Yeo-il had wanted to come to such a place. It felt not like indifference, but rather like he was being especially considerate. Son Yeo-il straightened his clothes, retrieved the flower basket from the back seat, and got out of the car. It was a flower basket with a different mood from those exchanged for celebrations, mostly consisting of white flowers.

“Actually, today is the 49th day memorial service for my mother.”

Son Yeo-il spoke in deliberate calm tones. Whether Boss Won already knew about Son Yeo-il’s circumstances from Representative Bae, or whether he was just trying to respond comfortably, he replied quietly without showing either surprise or bewilderment on his face.

“I see. I’ll wait here, so take your time.”

Son Yeo-il nodded with his mouth tightly shut until his lower jaw protruded like a walnut, trying not to cry, then entered the columbarium.

Just as during the funeral, Son Yeo-il still couldn’t get used to these procedures. He hadn’t even properly adjusted to the fact that his mother was no longer in this world, so how could he get used to something like this?

Following the staff’s instructions, Son Yeo-il awkwardly offered flowers and prayed in the prayer room, then moved to where the repository was located. In the innermost room of the columbarium, at a neither high nor low height, a space about the size of a small locker was his mother’s place. As soon as he saw the photo placed in front of the urn, the tears he had been holding back streamed down his face.

I shouldn’t cry too much.

Son Yeo-il wiped his eyes with his sleeve cuffs and swallowed his breath several times. His mother had wished only for Son Yeo-il to be well until his last moment, so he wanted to show her that he was doing fine as much as possible.

Mom, I’m much better now.

Could he really say this to her? Honestly, his mood still fluctuated, and there were days when he had to pour alcohol down his throat because he couldn’t sleep, but he seemed somewhat better than a month ago. He managed to eat his meals regularly and even laughed quite a bit on some days.

While reporting the events of the past month to his mother in his heart, Son Yeo-il realized that one particular person had contributed significantly to the improvement in his life.

The share of that man who was now greeting him cheerfully with a half-melted lollipop in his mouth as Son Yeo-il came out of the columbarium.

“Should we head back now?”

Son Yeo-il nodded and got back into Boss Won’s passenger seat. When passing through Seoul, the traffic was quite heavy, perhaps because it was late afternoon. Despite what must have been boring and stifling, Boss Won merely glanced at Son Yeo-il’s complexion occasionally without saying much.

There was only calm silence between them, with no upbeat music playing or silly jokes. But the atmosphere wasn’t awkward or cold. The air in the car was lukewarm yet cozy and tranquil.

“I’ve lived alone with my mom since I was young.”

Son Yeo-il was inwardly surprised at his own abrupt opening. Son Yeo-il often heard complaints from people he considered close that he didn’t share his inner thoughts with them. Bringing up his family history without being asked was definitely not like him.

Yet Son Yeo-il just wanted to talk. He never dreamed that he would feel this way in front of, of all people, Boss Won.

“My mom was first diagnosed with cancer when I was in ninth grade. Cancer is truly frightening. I had just felt relieved thinking she was cured, but then it recurred two years ago.”

How their reasonably manageable financial situation had crumbled, how he felt guilty about struggling to go to college and continuing law school in such circumstances, and yet how passionately his mother had supported Son Yeo-il.

He had much more to say but didn’t know how much to share. Only one thing that remained as the biggest regret in his heart suddenly burst out.

“The attending physician said a new drug would be available soon. I really wanted to earn a lot of money and try every possible treatment without worrying about medical expenses…but opportunities don’t come just because you want them to.”

The future always veered away from Son Yeo-il’s expectations. His mother, whom he thought would recover her health and stay by his side indefinitely, suddenly deteriorated and couldn’t leave the hospital room again.

As if bad things came all at once, Son Yeo-il’s law school life also fell into the mud around that time. Son Yeo-il had tried to endure somehow. He had planned to hold on until his mother recovered, no matter what finger-pointing he received at school. But despite his resolve, his mother left this world without even having a chance to try the new drug.

“Still, Mom said it was fortunate that she got to see me pass the bar exam. But I’m not sure if it really was fortunate…”

“Of course, it was fortunate. If your mother said it was fortunate, then it truly was.”

Boss Won was in such a state that he would have said it was pretty even if Son Yeo-il had pulled his own hair out, so such an answer was expected. Son Yeo-il felt pathetic for wanting comfort even this way, but his heart melted at the predictable words.

He exhaled deeply and then forced himself to swallow, but it was difficult to control the emotions surging in his chest. After pointlessly looking out the window and clenching and unclenching his fists several times, Son Yeo-il tried to change the subject, while pretending to have his emotions under control.

“Boss Won, shall we listen to some music?”

The end of Son Yeo-il’s voice trembled faintly. Boss Wonresponded with equal composure.

“Sure, I’m the DJ of Yongju City after all.”

The playlist from those days started playing again, and coincidentally, a song about raising one’s head with tears welling up on such a good day flowed out. Unlike the girl in the song, Son Yeo-il, whose tears had already spilled over, just turned his head and looked out the window.

“Hic, hmm, khuh.”

Son Yeo-il made awkward fake coughs trying to hide his crying sounds. Boss Won, seeming to understand Son Yeo-il’s feelings completely, naturally turned up the volume.

The increased sound of the song soaked into Son Yeo-il’s chest, making him shed tears more intensely. Whether they were tears of sadness or regret, or perhaps his heart was overwhelmed by something, he sobbed quietly for a long time without even realizing it.

After crying until the song ended, he felt slightly relieved. It was strange that nothing had changed, yet he felt better now than he did before.

“Phew…”

The next song was a dance track again, and the light, thumping beat filled the car. Sighing in time with the bass sound and then sniffling again, Son Yeo-il slightly turned his head to steal a glance at Boss Won.

Feeling the gaze on him, Boss Won immediately turned his eyes to Son Yeo-il and smiled lightly. Son Yeo-il had expected him to tease, ‘Are you done crying now?’ but surprisingly, he said nothing.

Thinking that at his age, he must have seen plenty of people crying so it wouldn’t be anything new, a hazy memory crossed Son Yeo-il’s mind right then and there.

<Is the world always this shitty?>

Had Son Yeo-il ever said such a thing to Boss Won? Perplexed, as he tried to recall more, he also remembered Boss Wons face looking at him with an inexplicable expression.

<Who treated you like shit to make you cry so sorrowfully?>

Though not certain, this seemed to be from when Son Yeo-il first met Boss Won. Son Yeo-il’s eyes must have been brimming with tears, as the face of Boss Won in his memory appeared a bit blurry.

“Boss Won.”

“Yes?”

“The day we first met. At that time…did I cry?”

The moment he asked amid his now-pounding heartbeat, another scene came to mind: a large hand patting the back of Son Yeo-il, who was sitting hunched over, and a low voice.

<That’s right. When tears come, you should cry. What else can you do?>

Son Yeo-il had wondered why Boss Won had kept following him around when they had only rolled around once while drunk. Was the sex that good? Even trying to think that way, Son Yeo-il, inexperienced and completely out of it from the alcohol, couldn’t have been that impressive.

Furthermore, Boss Won was putting in an excessive amount of effort just to try and sleep with him once or twice more. The rough man was being so careful and attentive that it seemed unfair to simply call it ‘putting in effort.’

There are no set rules for how a person’s heart moves. Many people were just fascinated by smooth and shiny things, but some people’s hearts tilted the moment they discovered small, vulnerable gaps in others.

Did Boss Won’s heart move at the sight of Son Yeo-il crying so miserably that day? Was that why he was generously overlooking Son Yeo-il who would sharpen his edges and snap for no particular reason, and who would frequently stagger around drunk?

Ah, no. I think I’m going to cry again.

His chest bottom felt ticklish somehow, and something was about to well up. At that moment, when Son Yeo-il began to bite his lips firmly, feeling that tears would flow again regardless of how Boss Won answered—

“Ah, on our first night? Yes, you cried!”

“…What?”

“Oh my, our compatibility was so amazing, I thought our baby was going to pass out completely. You were moaning ‘It’s good, it’s good’ so intensely that I had to clench my cock head tightly, afraid your bottom would get completely torn…”

“W-When did I ever do such a thing?!”

Son Yeo-il’s cheeks instantly turned red as he glared fiercely, and the restaurant owner giggled as if finding it incredibly amusing.

“Oh my, I find our husband the cutest when he gets feisty like that.”

“I’m not getting angry so that you can find me cute, you know?”

“And do you know when our Attorney Son is the most arousing? When you cry.”

“Oh, really!”

“Yes, yes. When those prim eyes turn rabbit-red and tears drip down, this Won Hee-yeon’s cock stands right up. So it’s okay to cry!”

“I’m not going to cry!”

Son Yeo-il was dumbfounded. He felt like a fool for having momentarily indulged in tender sentiments toward that man.

Whew, my tears are completely gone now.

Son Yeo-il turned his eyes away from the grinning face of Boss Won and pouted his lips. 

Afterward, Boss Won’s playlist continued to play upbeat old songs released before Son Yeo-il had turned ten.

As they left Seoul and entered the expressway, the car began to speed up. The sight of the sun gradually setting, dyeing the low sky orange, looked cheerful.

We should arrive around seven. Dinner…will he ask to eat together again? What should we eat?

While casually thinking about dinner menus, as they were about to exit the expressway, Son Yeo-il suddenly realized something. Perhaps Boss Won’s strange joke earlier was also meant to comfort him. After all, he no longer felt like crying now.

It wasn’t just a temporary feeling—Son Yeo-il’s mood had definitely improved much more than when he had left home this morning. He wasn’t shameless enough to insist that it wasn’t thanks to Boss Won.

While Boss Won was clearly a man with a habit of sexual harassment, what he had done for Son Yeo-il today was undeniably kind. He had driven a long distance that took about five or six hours round trip, and even silently provided a space for Son Yeo-il to cry.

Honestly, it’s definitely not an easy thing. I don’t know why he’s doing all this for me.

After stopping at an udon restaurant on the way into Yongju City for a hearty dinner, the two arrived in front of the studio apartment building only after the night had completely fallen.

Son Yeo-il had been trying to find the right moment to thank Boss Won. Although he had been indebted to him several times before and had expressed his gratitude on many occasions, he found it harder to speak up precisely because he was so grateful.

If I just say thank you…No. Today, that doesn’t seem enough.

Son Yeo-il thought about what he could do for Boss Won. Since he always said the only thing he had left was money, he probably didn’t need money, and allowing skinship was out of the question.

Only when they got out of the car and were about to go up to the second floor of the studio apartment building where their rooms were located did Son Yeo-il come up with something.

“Well then, Attorney Son should go in now.”

“Yes, Boss Won. Um, about how I address you.”

“Hmm?”

On the stairs going up to the second floor, Son Yeo-il nervously brought up the subject, mustering his courage to continue speaking.

“Since you said you don’t like being called Boss Won…what should I call you?”

Boss Won, who had been leading the way up the stairs, stopped abruptly and turned to look at Son Yeo-il. His dark, intense eyes began to burn with fiery heat.

“Oh my, whatever Attorney Son calls me, I’d immediately turn into a flower. It’s fine to call me by my name, or ‘hyung’ is good too.”

Despite his obvious excitement, he tried to respond calmly, perhaps afraid that Son Yeo-il would take back his words if he went too wild. For his part, Son Yeo-il was also trying to maintain his composure. “Hyung” seemed too embarrassing no matter how he thought about it, so his name would be better.

As he was clearing his throat to load the new form of address, the sensor light on the staircase conveniently turned off. In the dim darkness, Son Yeo-il carefully called him.

“T-Then, Hee-yeon…ssi.”

A brief silence followed Son Yeo-il’s timid voice. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t complete silence, as the sound of Boss Won—that is, Won Hee-yeon—gulping down his saliva echoed quite loudly.

Though he couldn’t remember, they had already gone all the way, so why was merely calling his name so embarrassing for both of them? Son Yeo-il fanned himself to cool his suddenly flushed cheeks and changed the subject.

“Phew. Now you should go in…hmm?”

Coming up with an excuse, Son Yeo-il hadn’t particularly intended to look there. Because Won Hee-yeon was standing two steps above, and Son Yeo-il, too embarrassed to look him in the face, had lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze happened to land on an unfortunate spot.

When the sensor light turned back on with a click due to Son Yeo-il’s fanning, the first thing that caught his eye was Won Hee-yeon’s lower body. His crotch visibly bulged and was swollen down there.

“Y-You, p-perverted old man…”