MIM 44

The sun had fully risen before he knew it. He needed to leave soon, but he found it hard to bring up the subject. Shin-woo finally withdrew his arm after delaying as long as he could.

“Just keep the clothes. They were bought with your father’s money anyway.”

“…Thank you.”

Jae-seung mumbled in a faint voice, hesitating while clutching the hoodie. It was evident from his tone that he wasn’t used to saying thank you. Shin-woo pretended to adjust his appearance while casually dropping the information he had learned from the gardener.

“They’re putting small amounts of poison in your food. Every Friday dinner.”

Jae-seung raised his chin, eyes wide. Realizing his mistake, Shin-woo quickly added, “Not to kill you.”

“I know. It’s to build up my resistance and make me stronger.”

Either the assumption that he wouldn’t know was too naive, or Jae-seung was well aware of not only the poison experiments but also the reasons behind them. Though he knew he should speak gently to an abused child, Shin-woo couldn’t help but feel outraged. He unconsciously sharpened his tone.

“You knew? You ate it knowing?”

“I didn’t know Friday dinner was the issue, but I knew it had to do with what I ate.”

“If you knew, don’t eat it anymore. Not if you don’t want to die.”

“They wouldn’t give me enough to kill me.”

Anger welled up at his words defending those who had no right to be defended. Though the emotion was aimed at the parents who gaslighted and abused their son, the directionless anger was poured entirely onto Jae-seung, who stood right before him.

“Does that make it right? Poison is poison. What kind of deranged parents feed their child poison?”

“Watch your mouth! It’s necessary to become the master of Ma Family. They say I need to become stronger. It must not have been easy for Dad to reach that position either.”

“Your parents don’t love you. So stop trying to meet their expectations.”

The cold words created a rift between them. Shin-woo regretted it as soon as he spoke, but it was too late to stop. Jae-seung stood up, his cheeks flushed red, breathing heavily.

“That might be true for you! You grew up on the streets without parents, right? That’s why you don’t understand.”

“Who’s born without parents? Was I delivered by a stork or something?”

The air felt sharp as nerves were on edge. By the time Shin-woo realized what he had said, it was a moment too late. Jae-seung was looking at him, trying to stifle his rough breathing with the back of his hand. Meeting the boy’s eyes, which reflected a complex light of shock and regret, Shin-woo let out a bitter laugh.

Why did he meddle? Why did he come all this way for this kid? Not wanting to guess what Jae-seung might be thinking, Shin-woo averted his gaze and turned around. He was about to hurry towards his car when:

“Next Friday is my birthday.”

The quiet voice stopped him in his tracks. Instead of asking “So what?” Shin-woo stayed in place for a moment.

“That evening… it should be okay, right? Since it’s my birthday after all.”

He couldn’t bear to listen to those foolish words any longer. Shin-woo turned around sharply and sneered.

“Why don’t you try eating it? Then you’ll know whether your parents love you or not.”

As he strode down, Shin-woo never looked back once. The further he got from Ma Jae-seung, the more his mood plummeted. More than regret for saying unnecessary things to a child, an emotion beyond that gnawed at him.

Shin-woo ran as soon as his car came into view. Then he quickly stepped on the accelerator and left the place.

* * *

For the first time in his life, Shin-woo went to a department store. Correction. He had been there to catch someone before, but never to buy anything. Let alone a birthday gift – he had never given one to anyone in his life.

After the incident at the mountain villa, Jae-seung no longer lingered around the annex. He heard the boy had returned to the mansion, but whether his body hadn’t fully recovered or he was thoroughly angry, he didn’t show his face even in the garden. Finally, on Friday, Jae-seung’s birthday, Shin-woo made a decision.

Apologize. Apologize cleanly and leave this place. The gift was just an excuse to ease his own conscience.

Work had finished relatively early, so he had plenty of time. What should he buy? Shin-woo thoroughly examined the food court in the basement first. Thinking of buying something to eat, he looked at snacks for a while, but then decided something Jae-seung could keep for a long time might be better, so he headed upstairs.

Should he buy clothes? The handsome kid would probably look good in anything. Maybe pajamas he could wear comfortably at home. He imagined Jae-seung wearing the clothes on each mannequin his eyes fell upon. The boy was so tall and slender that he could probably just buy the exact clothes off the mannequins.

But if Jae-seung walked around in unfamiliar clothes, Ma Jin-seong would surely notice. He didn’t think the man would make a fuss over just one gifted outfit, but if possible, Shin-woo didn’t want to draw his attention. What gift wouldn’t be too noticeable and would still be fine even if Jae-seung grew bigger? As Shin-woo was pondering hard, a mannequin in a neat suit appeared before his eyes.

What caught his eye wasn’t the suit or shirt, but the tie. Its well-chosen olive color matched Jae-seung’s eye color beautifully. A tie could be worn now, in college, and even as he grew. Shin-woo immediately called over an employee.

“I’d like to buy just this tie.”

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t for sale.”

The employee looked Shin-woo up and down before flatly refusing. Then, without giving Shin-woo a chance to respond, they turned and walked away.

The treatment he received at the marketplace wasn’t any different here at the department store. He was so used to it that he didn’t even feel particularly upset. Shin-woo spat on the floor and turned away. He had cleaned up and wasn’t wearing rags, yet nothing had changed. They say people from Mangwol District stand out anywhere, had they really seen right through him? Shin-woo chuckled and held his head high. All the store employees were trying their hardest to avoid eye contact with him. It seemed like an order had been given to avoid the madman who had just spat on the floor.

After being refused entry three times in a row, Shin-woo finally left the department store. There might be things to apologize for, and he had stopped by thinking he’d spend some money on what could be a farewell gift, but there was no need to buy the gift here specifically.

“Should I just buy some steamed buns?”

As he strolled leisurely down the street for the first time in a while, street food caught his eye. He’d never seen steamed buns at the mansion, would Jae-seung even like them? He probably wasn’t expecting anything grand from me anyway. Shin-woo bought three steamed buns and ate them all before they could even cool down.

After walking aimlessly for a while, Shin-woo spotted a small clothing store with men’s clothes nicely displayed. If they kick me out this time, I’m really buying steamed buns. Having made up his mind, he stepped into the store and stood blankly at the entrance, giving the owner time to look him over.

“Welcome!”

The owner simply greeted him briefly without making excuses about time limits per customer or restrictions on people wearing black clothing. Only then did Shin-woo click his tongue and enter, looking around at the hanging clothes. No matter how much he looked, nothing really caught his eye. Without mannequins, he couldn’t even imagine how they’d fit.

Only those who’ve bought clothes before know how to buy them well. Giving up, Shin-woo asked the owner for help.

“Do you have any ties? I’d prefer a somewhat dark olive green.”

“Ah, we don’t have ties.”

“Then do you have anything pretty in dark olive green?”

“Pardon?”

“As long as the color is pretty. Like olive oil.”

For a split second, the owner looked at Shin-woo as if thinking “What kind of request is this?”, but then seemed to recall something and disappeared to the back of the store. What they brought back was underwear – specifically, olive-colored boxer briefs.

“Haha, not bad.”

Shin-woo squinted, turning them this way and that before smiling with satisfaction. They could be worn starting today without anyone noticing, and the color matched Jae-seung’s eyes perfectly. Though he wondered what use it was for underwear to match eye color.

Gifting underwear seemed a bit funny, but there was no time to look further. Ma Jae-seung would like it anyway. He’d probably like anything given to him. He was the type to lean his head on you just for patting his back. When you’re curled up alone in a room, any warmth becomes precious.
Enough. Shin-woo sharply cut off his consciousness as it began to flow in a familiar direction. As he roughly guessed the size, the owner skillfully wrapped it in plastic and asked the owner.