MIM 112

As soon as Ma Jae-seung arrived at the mansion, he gave everyone in the household a week’s vacation. He smoothly recommended travel destinations while making up an excuse that he was giving them time off because his own trip had been so enjoyable, and even generously added bonuses. Though some expressed concern about leaving the mansion empty for a whole week, everyone was eventually persuaded. This was because Ma Jae-seung warned them that he, too, would be traveling for a week, and the next vacation wouldn’t be possible for another year if not taken now.

Ma Jae-seung sat in the first-floor living room, watching as people left the mansion one by one. The kind-faced cook. The child who brought breakfast every morning. The lady who walked around with armfuls of fluffy blankets and clothes. The gardener, who often talked about the weather. Woo-hee…He silently bid farewell while taking in each person’s face. Though they all seemed somewhat bewildered by the sudden vacation, they couldn’t hide their underlying joy.

“I’m going to see the ocean. Don’t worry about Maro.”

Woo-hee promised once more before leaving. He had asked her to take care of Maro, as she normally spent a lot of time with the dog, who was quite attached to her. Seeing Maro looking up at him from Woo-hee’s arms, Ma Jae-seung hesitantly approached and gently stroked the dog’s soft head. Maro flinched at first but soon grew accustomed to the touch and wagged his tail. It pained him to see how easily startled the dog had become since the shooting incident.

The image of Shin-woo, who had chosen to accompany Maro despite being cautious enough to carry a gun, flickered before his eyes.

“I’ll bring you back a gift, young master.”

Woo-hee said firmly, looking up at Ma Jae-seung, who had his fists clenched tight. “Let’s meet again for sure.” Her eyes wavered for a moment as if sensing something ominous, but quickly steadied.

Once she too had left, everything became quiet. Left alone to his own devices, Ma Jae-seung carefully surveyed the now-empty mansion. Only after everyone had gone and the place lost its vitality did he truly see the details of the mansion again. Despite repairs and new paint, traces of the fire remained here and there. This enormous prison where he had spent his whole life confined. He had chosen to stay in this tattered prison after fixing it up.

Maseong. Ma Jae-seung murmured the name he had worn out repeating. He had wanted to possess Maseong. He had wanted to inherit the company and gain everyone’s approval. He had wanted to become an adult.

Why?

The answer was clear. Those brown eyes left an increasingly vivid afterimage. Ironically, the reason he had so desperately wanted Maseong was because he wanted to escape it just as desperately. To be with the one he loved.

Ma Jae-seung stood still in front of the stairs leading to the second floor, looking up. In the darkness above where no lights could reach, he imagined his father’s pale face. He recalled in turn the two men who had held his father’s head, and Shin-woo. Somehow, he wasn’t scared and anxious like before.

It was fortunate he could empty the mansion quickly. Seeing how his mother had sent people all the way to France to attack him, she clearly had no intention of waiting any longer. For her, who knew the mansion’s internal structure intimately, this would be an easier option. Whether she intended to kidnap him or stage an accident, she wouldn’t care at all if several household members died in the process.

“Young master.”

A quiet voice echoed through the mansion he thought he had left empty. Ma Jae-seung frowned as he turned in the direction of the source of the sound. As it turned out, Butler Hwang had remained behind without leaving.

“Why are you still here?”

“I will stay with you, young master.”

Butler Hwang’s expression was grave as he said this. Since Ma Jae-seung had requested a gun and large sum of cash, and Shin-woo who had traveled with him hadn’t returned, the butler seemed to have sensed something was amiss. Ma Jae-seung patted Butler Hwang’s shoulder and called for a taxi. Then he gathered the cash and gun.

“Whether you stay or not won’t change anything. I’m leaving right now.”

“Where are you going?”

“My mother is coming to kill me. I plan to eliminate my brother before that happens.”

Despite giving only a rough summary since there wasn’t time to explain everything, Butler Hwang didn’t seem particularly surprised. Having seen and heard much while working at this mansion, his face contorted painfully along the deep wrinkles that had formed more from frowning and drooping his lips than from smiling.

“It would be safer to evacuate and hire people to handle this—”

“No. I have to do this myself.”

Ma Jae-seung shook his head immediately. He no longer wanted to hide behind someone else. He didn’t want to endlessly postpone the future just to avoid the painful present. He had to protect the one who had become battered, protecting him all this time. He didn’t care if he got stabbed multiple times.

“I’m sorry.”

Butler Hwang, who had been watching Ma Jae-seung hastily pack his things, dropped his head dejectedly. “I wasn’t good enough.” His bowed head, like that of a sinner, was completely white. Each strand of hair reminded him of the long years he had spent by Ma Jae-seung’s side.

Ma Jae-seung bit his lip silently. He had some vague idea why Butler Hwang, who was well past retirement age, wouldn’t leave the mansion. He had pretended not to know about the butler’s guilt and sense of debt toward him.

“Thank you.”

The single phrase, condensed with sincerity, was deceptively simple. Butler Hwang, who couldn’t lift his head for a long while after hearing those words, finally straightened up slowly. Once he raised himself, he couldn’t continue speaking; his eyes rimmed red with emotion.

Ma Jae-seung gave him a brave smile before turning toward the entrance. The taxi had just arrived.

“I need to go now. I’ll be back.”

“Please stay safe.”

Butler Hwang added urgently in a cracked voice. Ma Jae-seung nodded and left the mansion. His next destination was his mother’s residence.

⚝⚝⚝

Ma Jae-seung strode into his mother’s residence half-expecting bullets to fly or thugs to ambush him at any moment. Knowing his personality well, his mother would have anticipated that he would come looking for her as soon as he returned to the country. Though he knew he was walking into a tiger’s den of his own accord, he couldn’t wait any longer. Ma Jae-seung pulled out his gun, his hearing sharply alert.

For better or worse, the atmosphere at his mother’s residence was utterly ordinary. Not only the house but even the garden was brightly lit, and employees could be seen here and there. There were no suspicious characters who looked like planted assassins. Instead, there were only a few employees who turned pale and fled upon seeing Ma Jae-seung with his gun.

When he walked up to the entrance without stopping, one servant with a pallid face blocked Ma Jae-seung’s path. He repeatedly wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand while alternating glances between Ma Jae-seung’s gun and his eyes.

“S-She said to give you this if you came, young master.”

Without any other explanation, he went straight to the point and held out a large envelope with trembling hands. Ma Jae-seung took the envelope while keeping his eyes fixed on the servant. With no writing on the outside, there was no way to tell what it was just by looking at the exterior.

“What is this?”

“She said you would understand when you see it.”

“Where is my mother?”

“She’s temporarily away.”

“Away?”

“She said she was going on a trip. Not far, just nearby. She said she’d be back soon, but I don’t know exactly when.”

Every statement was ambiguous, about being temporarily away or nearby. Feeling he couldn’t leave without confirming with his own eyes, Ma Jae-seung ignored the servant’s words and walked into the house. He thoroughly searched inside, opening and checking every single room. Only after he was convinced his mother wasn’t in the house did Ma Jae-seung stop abruptly in the middle of the master bedroom.

What had his mother left for him? It was an ordinary envelope, far too flimsy to contain a bomb or poison. Ma Jae-seung stared intently at the envelope in his hand before tearing open the edge.

Inside were just a couple of sheets of paper. White paper with black text. Ma Jae-seung properly grasped the document and began reading its contents carefully.

Alpha sperm test. One normal sperm per hundred. It was a sperm test result showing infertility. After skimming through the doctor’s opinion stating that while accuracy was lower since the sample wasn’t properly collected, infertility was highly likely, along with various medical terms, there was a message scrawled in red at the bottom of the last page.

The reason you’re a failure.

Ma Jae-seung’s gaze lingered there for a long while. Failure. As he looked over the word clearly referring to him and the date on the test results, he suddenly remembered having sex right here in this room, on his mother’s bed. He could finally understand why she had tried to hire someone to collect his semen.