PIA 125

“The instructions were to not let anyone in right now.”

“Manager Lee, are you crazy? It’s me, Jeong Han-joo. The grandmother’s grandson.”

“There’s a guest here.”

“What kind of guest!”

A commotion broke out in the outer courtyard beyond the sliding door. At the sound of her grandson’s voice, Myeong Hyun-sook, who was brewing tea inside the room, clicked her tongue. She pressed her temples, which had been throbbing from as she had been suffering from severe headaches for the past few days due to lack of sleep.

She cleared away the tea set and reached for the stack of documents she had placed nearby. Just then, the door burst open.

“Grandmother!”

Her youngest grandson, Jeong Han-joo, rushed in like a rolling ball and knelt down, prostrating himself. Seeing Manager Lee fidgeting nervously beyond the open door, Myeong Hyun-sook heaved a deep sigh. She waved her hand at Manager Lee, telling him to withdraw, and the door closed with a soft thud.

Myeong Hyun-sook’s eyes sharpened momentarily as she noticed a glimmer of small victory in Jeong Han-joo’s expression as he glanced back.

“What’s the matter? What business do you have with me that you cause such a commotion?”

“Grandmother! Why are you trying to send me away? No matter what my brother does, you’re on my side, aren’t you?”

“……”

Did he ask because he didn’t know what was going on? She had hoped for a slightly different answer, but now she felt even more frustrated. Myeong Hyun-sook placed her hand on her chest, feeling suffocated.

“Han-joo. Have you ever thought that Hee-seo has been so lenient with you because he has been on your side?”

“Why would my brother be on my side!”

Tsk, Myeong Hyun-sook clicked her tongue. She picked up the stack of documents she had been fiddling with and slammed them down in front of Han-joo with a loud thwack. Still, being her grandson, she couldn’t bring herself to throw the papers directly in his face. Whether this grandson would understand her restraint was doubtful.

“You foolish child. Did I put you in that position to learn the job, or to create factions and stir up the employees’ hearts with such pranks?”

“…This, this is a misunderstanding, Grandmother. I know nothing about this.”

Jeong Han-joo tried to back out even after seeing all the evidence in front of him.

“The personnel committee has already pieced together the whole story. Do you think that’s an excuse?”

“I only had drinks with Director Kang once. Please believe me. Those people are exaggerating, I really…”

“How did I end up with such dense boys? Do you really not know why they sided with you? They clung to you because Hee-seo wouldn’t give them the time of day.”

“But Grandmother—”

“No buts. I thought I shouldn’t meddle in young people’s romance, so I just watched, but look what happened in the end.”

When Myeong Hyun-sook mentioned Seo Ji-hyuk, Jeong Han-joo avoided her gaze like a dog with its tail between its legs.

“I overlooked you lavishing gifts on your lover beyond your means, thinking it was cute, but this time you’ve gone too far. You need to keep your greed in check. You need to reflect on your actions.”

“Haven’t you considered that this might be a trap set by my brother? He could have talked to me first, but instead he gathered evidence and tattled to you. What do you think his reason was?”

Myeong Hyun-sook narrowed her eyes.

“Is that really what you think? Would anyone else have let you off this easily? Think about why people respect you. Is this how I raised you, Han-joo?”

“……”

“If that’s truly how you feel, I’m very disappointed.”

“Grandmother—! I can’t leave, no, I won’t leave. Don’t abandon me. Rather, rather send me to a regional branch. The factory in Cheonan or—”

Despite her cold, sunken eyes, Jeong Han-joo remained stubborn. He crawled on his knees, grabbing Myeong Hyun-sook’s arms and shaking them. The small old woman’s body shook violently. She stared down at Jeong Han-joo’s hands gripping her arms. His grip was unusually strong.

“Fine, then.”

When did he grow so big? From within the shadow of her grandson who now towered over her, Myeong Hyun-sook spoke coldly.

“Then continue living in Korea. But leave without the Jeong surname. I’ll give you one house out of the affection I’ve cultivated for you all this time.”

“Grandmother!”

“If you want to kick away the chance Hee-seo gave you, do as you please!”

At the mention of his brother’s name, a spark flashed in Han-joo’s eyes. At that moment, the middle door connecting to the adjacent room opened, and Ji-an entered. His hesitant entrance made it seem as if he had been pushed in without knowing anything, but there was no way he hadn’t heard the shouting.

Jeong Han-joo looked disapprovingly at Ji-an, who stood firm with no intention of leaving immediately. When their eyes met, he let go of Myeong Hyun-sook’s arms and stepped back a span.

“Did I come in at a bad time? I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation.”

At Ji-an’s nonchalant words, Myeong Hyun-sook let out a deflated laugh. She rubbed her sore wrists and called Ji-an over.

“No, it’s alright. Did you bring the tea cakes? The tea has gone cold, what should we do?”

“Shall I bring fresh hot water? …For Han-joo hyung too.”

“Oh, no. We can’t make a guest do such things. Let’s just have the cold tea. It’s still delicious.”

As the atmosphere eased, Ji-an came and sat down. Glancing sideways, he noticed Han-joo’s eyes were red. Whether from anger or genuine hurt, he seemed quite upset. Ji-an was startled to see him silently shedding tears.

“I kneaded this dough myself. Aren’t the shapes pretty?”

Myeong Hyun-sook said as she paid no attention to her grandson’s tears. As Ji-an hesitated, unsure whether to comment, she picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth.

“Grandmother…”

Ji-an awkwardly called out to Myeong Hyun-sook, trying to change the mood, but to no avail. She turned her body away, deliberately ignoring her grandson.

“If that’s truly your wish, Grandmother… then I’ll take my leave.”

Jeong Han-joo abruptly stood up. He looked down at Ji-an, snorting like an angry bull, then turned and ran out the door. The door slammed shut, making Ji-an’s shoulders jump, but Myeong Hyun-sook’s face remained peaceful.

“Excuse me for a moment, I’ll go talk to Han-joo hyung.”

“Go ahead.”

Leaving her sipping the cold tea, Ji-an went after Han-joo. As he hurriedly put on his shoes, he saw Jeong Han-joo standing in the middle of the inner courtyard, as if expecting Ji-an to follow.

Ji-an approached, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

“Hyung, I’m sorry about how the engagement ceremony turned out.”

“Ha…”

Jeong Han-joo roughly ran his hands through his hair and wiped his wet face.

“Are you mocking me now? You’re similar to him even in that way. It’s annoying.”

Ji-an once again confirmed what a twisted person Jeong Han-joo had become. He couldn’t even remember when he had last thought of Jeong Han-joo as perfect. His upright character, his bright smile from growing up without want… What a huge misconception that had been.

He only realized again how unrealistic his simple wish for a happy ending for the main couple had been.

Jeong Han-joo glared off into the distance with a frown, then turned his gaze back to Ji-an.

“I can’t reach Ji-hyuk. His phone, everything… They say he hasn’t come home, and he’s not showing up at work.”

Jeong Han-joo suddenly grabbed both of Ji-an’s hands. It seemed to be a habit of his to threateningly grab others’ wrists.

“I can’t leave like this. I need to apologize to Ji-hyuk… I need to do something, I can’t go anywhere like this. So Ji-an, please talk to Hee-seo hyung for me. Ask him to help me… At least ask him to postpone the departure schedule, please. I’m begging you, Ji-an.”

Ji-an stared into Han-joo’s bloodshot eyes for a long moment, somewhat taken aback.

“Hyung, please let go of my hands first.”

As Ji-an looked down at his hands, Jeong Han-joo seemed to realize what he was doing and quietly let go. Ji-an saw Manager Lee, who had been standing nearby, start to move but then stop.

Ji-an took a deep breath and stepped back.

“You know hyung isn’t the type to be swayed by things like this, don’t you?”

“Are you kidding me? Everyone knows you can do it. You know it too. Don’t pretend to be righteous…”

Jeong Han-joo stopped mid-sentence and clamped his mouth shut. His gaze shifted to Ji-an’s wrists. The realization that he had almost used force on a pregnant person after doing the same to his grandmother seemed to cool his head instantly.

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence fell between the two.

Ji-an found it a bit strange that Jeong Han-joo seemed to genuinely like Seo Ji-hyuk, given how desperately he was pleading. He was biting his lip, feeling awkward about refusing again, when fortunately, Han-joo gave up first. He let out a long, broken sigh.

“…I’m sorry. For everything.”

“For what?”

Ji-an shrugged.

“For various things, for speaking carelessly…”

“It’s fine. Nothing affects me anymore, no matter what comes my way.”

Jeong Han-joo couldn’t lift his head, ashamed of having slandered Ji-an in front of his brother when he had lost his senses. He hadn’t thought his brother would relay those words, but he felt ashamed for having uttered them himself. Why had he done that back then?

“Con-congratulations. About… the baby, I mean. Have a healthy delivery.”

Jeong Han-joo, who was about to turn away, hesitated as he offered his congratulations. He started to point at Ji-an’s stomach with his finger but felt this was rude too, so he clenched his fist in embarrassment. Seeing this awkward gesture, Ji-an smiled more brightly than ever.

“Thank you, hyung. I hope everything goes well for you too.”

“…”

For a moment, Jeong Han-joo was at a loss for words. His face subtly contorted as he stood frozen. It was a familiar sense of defeat he had felt throughout his life. It seemed that everything Jeong Hee-seo chose always turned out to be the right answer.

“Tch, how annoying,” Jeong Han-joo muttered something barely as he turned away from Ji-an. Watching him leave quickly while waving his hand, it seemed this might really be goodbye. Though he was walking away kicking pebbles irritably, it was still the end.

Ji-an stood still, waving his hand, then slowly smiled.

Watching Jeong Han-joo throw what was close to a childish tantrum made Ji-an realize that perhaps he had always envied that kind of privilege. As the youngest in his family, he had always longed for affection and indulgence.

As Ji-an stood there unable to leave, Manager Lee approached and draped a cardigan over his shoulders. Having come out wearing only short sleeves must have bothered someone who had been in management for half their life.

Ji-an bowed in gratitude, and Manager Lee smiled warmly as if they were old acquaintances. Most people around Myeong Hyun-sook were like this. They found Ji-an both endearing and fascinating.

“The General Manager is on his way back,” Manager Lee whispered, apparently having received word from the entrance.

“Really? Then I should wait.”

The trees planted around the edge of the courtyard had already changed into colorful autumn hues. Fall was deepening.

The voice had once told Ji-an this world was nothing more than a construct of Seo Ji-hyuk’s creation, but he felt it couldn’t be that simple. Still, for the parts he couldn’t understand, he decided to accept them as fate—it made everything feel oddly poetic.

Suddenly feeling as if he could smell Jeong Hee-seo’s scent, Ji-an turned his head to see him walking from afar. He could feel all traces of Jeong Han-joo being pushed away. Ji-an habitually rubbed his belly as he walked towards Jeong Hee-seo.

‘Seo Ji-an’ had thanked him for protecting the two of them, but Ji-an felt like thanking the voice instead.

Where could it be? He hoped it was doing well too.