IPSTDS Chapter 85

Chapter 85

The quiet moment with Lee Kangil didn’t last long. Kim Daon, who always woke early, had also risen and come downstairs to the first floor.

The instant Nahyuk saw Daon’s face—or more precisely, his lips—everything from the night before rushed back to him.

Daon’s gentle comfort, and then the sudden heat of his lips brushing his cheek. Just recalling it made his face burn.

“…”

Somehow, it felt impossible to meet Daon’s gaze.

Whether he knew about Nahyuk’s state or not, Daon sat right beside him and spoke.

“Hyung, your face is really red this morning.”

You… you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?

Nahyuk couldn’t say a single word back to Daon’s teasing. Not with Kangil nearby—and not when he couldn’t even bring himself to ask why that reckless kiss had happened.

* * *

Kim Daon rushed out right after breakfast, saying he had to prepare his brothers’ meals. Once Nahyuk also saw Kangil off to work, he was finally able to breathe easy.

The very first thing he did with his free time was merge with the bed.

After being hounded all morning by the two men, he felt drained of energy. Resting under the covers was essential for recovery.

Thanks to the air conditioner, the room was pleasantly cool, and the sheets were soft and dry… paradise itself. For once, Nahyuk felt like he could forget about death.

He didn’t know how long he had lazed in bed when his phone suddenly rang after being quiet for hours.

He assumed it would be Kangil or Daon, but the sender was someone unexpected.

—Hey, I met your grandfather yesterday, and he praised you a lot. I don’t know what trick you pulled… but you’ve actually been of some use to us for once.

The message didn’t read like it was meant for family. It was from Jang Mi-ae, Noah’s biological mother.

So what was this about Taesik praising him?

He hadn’t done anything worthy of praise.

In fact, he had long ignored the suggestion to work with Hansan Group. After visiting Seo Dowoong’s executive office once, he had never mentioned it again.

Shouldn’t he have been scolded instead?

We gave you a chance, but you turned out to be useless to the company after all… That would have been more fitting.

Of course, such words wouldn’t have wounded Nahyuk deeply. Useless, a burden, out of place—those were things he had heard endlessly from his original family.

He hesitated to reply to Mi-ae’s message, just tapping his phone idly. Then, before he could think further, a call came through—from a number he didn’t recognize.

“Hel… hello?”

A stiff voice answered on the other end.

—Hello, Young Master Yoon Noah. I don’t know if you remember me, but I am Kang Seunggyu, Chairman Yoon Taesik’s secretary. I was the one who gave you a tour of the company.

Nahyuk remembered him immediately.

“Ah, yes! Of course I remember, Secretary. But what’s the matter?”

—The Chairman wishes to have dinner with you this evening.

“…Me?”

—Yes.

“Is it… possible to decline?”

—That’s not for me to say, but… I’d strongly recommend you attend.

Nahyuk hesitated for a moment.

Should he avoid meeting Taesik and risk earning his displeasure? Or should he maintain at least a cordial relationship with the man who, out of all of them, felt most like family?

He thought it would be a long, difficult decision. But unexpectedly, his answer came easily.

“All right. Please let me know the time and place.”

Though Nahyuk had precious people now, he still didn’t have a family.

Long ago, when an old acquaintance spoke happily about family memories, he had sat silent, like someone with their mouth sewn shut.

That was why he couldn’t cut ties completely with Yoon Taesik, who treated him like a grandson.

It wasn’t that he desperately wanted a doting grandfather.

He simply wanted someone he could call family—even if it was only one person.

Mi-ae, who only reached out when it benefited her, and his father and older brother, who had never contacted him once, were hopeless cases.

—I’ll send you the details by message. Thank you for accepting so positively. Then I’ll let you go.

“Yes.”

When the call ended, Nahyuk stared at the phone in silence, then a chilling thought crept up on him.

Don’t tell me Seo Dowoong will also be at that dinner.

He told himself it couldn’t be—but goosebumps prickled down his arms all the same.

* * *

Dinner with Yoon Taesik was held at an extravagant Korean traditional restaurant, the kind Nahyuk had never stepped into before.

Inside the tall stone walls stood countless tiled-roof houses, more than he could count. Employees in formal hanbok bustled about in every direction.

If I go to the bathroom, I might not be able to find my way back.

Fidgeting with his collar awkwardly, Nahyuk regretted not dressing more formally. If he’d known he would be dining somewhere this grand, he would have prepared better.

But it was too late; he was already inside. There was no time to run home and change.

He followed Taesik’s secretary, who had come to greet him in advance. After walking along the stone-paved path to the deepest part of the grounds, a quiet tiled house came into view.

“Here we are, young master. Please go in.”

The moment Nahyuk stepped inside, a familiar fragrance hit his nose. He had smelled it many times before.

Even though the scent was pleasant, his expression soured. He knew exactly who it belonged to—the faint mix of cologne and natural body scent.

“Hello, Grandfather.”

As he greeted Taesik, Nahyuk glanced sideways at Seo Dowoong, who sat across from the chairman.

So he really had come.

Nahyuk let out the faintest sigh, careful not to make it obvious.

There was nothing he wanted to say to Dowoong, nothing left between them. Even his ties to Kim Daon were already severed.

In other words, there was no reason at all to face him.

So why was Seo Dowoong here?

He didn’t even care enough to wonder. Asking would only stir up trouble. Better to treat him like thin air—that was the best way to deal with someone who loved to act superior.

“Noah, I’m glad you came. Wasn’t too inconvenient, I hope?”

Taesik greeted him warmly.

“No, sir. The driver dropped me right at the entrance.”

“Haha, good. Come, sit down.”

Taesik seemed in unusually high spirits. Maybe, as Jang Mi-ae’s message hinted, something good had happened that Nahyuk simply didn’t know about.

Nahyuk sat beside Seo Dowoong, doing his best not to look at him.

But the burning weight of that gaze was unbearable.

Seo Dowoong was staring straight at him, as though waiting for Nahyuk to return the look.

As if.

Instead, Nahyuk fixed his eyes solely on Taesik, refusing to give Dowoong even the satisfaction of acknowledgment.

“Thank you for inviting me somewhere so nice, Grandfather.”

“My grandson has done something remarkable, unexpectedly. Of course I had to invite you.”

“Something remarkable?”

Just then, a procession of dishes began to arrive, interrupting the conversation.

Without explaining what he meant by “remarkable,” Taesik started eating in silence.

Nahyuk picked up his chopsticks with a faintly unsettled heart.

Still, the sight of the feast before him was enough to make his mouth water.

And since Taesik didn’t seem to be the type to chat while eating, Nahyuk thought it best to fill his stomach first, then ask questions later.

As the meal went on, though, it was Seo Dowoong’s behavior that stood out.

He kept placing certain dishes in front of Nahyuk. Sometimes he even laid food directly on top of his rice, as if he were carefully minding his meal.

Nahyuk believed people could be guilty, but food was innocent.

So he didn’t refuse, eating whatever Dowoong offered.

And, strangely enough, everything suited his taste. Perhaps his palate really was close to the original Noah’s.

But he never once looked at Dowoong.

No matter what the man did—even if he suddenly started dancing in front of Taesik—Nahyuk had resolved not to look.

That was how determined he was.

And then he heard it: a small, mocking chuckle.

“…”

The laugh was clearly derisive. It meant Dowoong had noticed his deliberate avoidance.

For a moment, Nahyuk nearly turned his head to glare at him.

But he held back, thinking instead—

This bastard really must be insane.