“Yes, Executive Yoon’s son goes to the same school as Taeheon. They’re in different classes, though. They say he studies well and gets along with his classmates. He brags about his son so much in private that I’ve practically memorized it all.”
“He’s a fine man. Seems well-mannered and diligent, too.”
“Just seeing that there hasn’t been any talk regarding Executive Yoon’s promotion, I figured he must have handled himself well.”
Taeheon, who had been quietly listening to the two of them, twitched his brows.
Yoon Hajin—who hung out with a bad crowd—had spoken unpleasantly about his father’s promotion almost like a threat, but it had turned out well in the end. His father, Yoon Jonggi, had been promoted to Executive Director of Yoonheon Construction, and Yoon Hajin could no longer associate with that crowd.
“Uh, Mom. I—I… Huh?”
Woo Seongmun, judging by the atmosphere that it would be hard to bring it up if not now, cautiously tried to broach the subject. But because he had recently caused a disturbance by picking a fight at a drinking gathering, no affectionate gazes looked out for him.
“Let’s eat.”
Soon, Jo Myeongseon picked up her spoon.
Woo Seongmun’s face flushed red and purple. He glared fiercely at Taejun, who was repeating things as he appeared among the family members. A nephew who had been unremarkable just a few years ago was no longer merely cute now that he had grown older and bigger. At this rate, even his own livelihood might be snatched away.
‘He’ll cause another accident at this rate,’ Taeheon keenly sensed the jealous gaze directed at Taejun and clicked his tongue inwardly. Fearing stray sparks might fly, he averted his gaze, only to collide with eyes from the front.
It was Woo Taegyeom, the son of the second son, Woo Seonggyu.
Woo Taegyeom furrowed his brows instantly and mouthed silently, *What are you looking at, punk.* Taeheon tilted his head crookedly and moved his lips even more viciously. *Eat your fucking food, you little shit.*
Woo Taeseop, the son of the third son, Woo Seongjae, who noticed the strange war of nerves, quietly lowered his eyes.
Only because his mother, Seong Eunjin, acted up fluttering around the chairman with sycophancy; Woo Taeseop himself was rather quick-witted and knew when to yield, making him easy to deal with.
Choi Taebeom, who wasn’t present, got along with Taeheon the best. Ever since enlisting in the military, he would call every so often babbling about when Taeheon would visit, which was annoying, but.
Taeheon, whose mood had only soured from the pointless war of nerves, set down his spoon and took out his phone. On the messaging app he hadn’t closed, the last conversation remained as it was.
[Did you eat the meat?]
[No.]
[Why.]
[I’m going to eat something else.]
It was strange that she hadn’t eaten what the meat-lover had deliberately sent. Had the meat gone bad in the meantime? Was something going on at home? After some thought, Taeheon sent a message.
[Where are you?]
[In front of my house.]
[Alone?]
Since it was the weekend, he had wondered if she’d gone out for a family meal, but the answer that came back was just a single word: *Yes.*
Her family circumstances suddenly crossed his mind. She had said her only family was her maternal uncle imprisoned in jail and her maternal aunt who enjoyed drinking.
That was why his appetite had faded even with a lavish feast before him. He felt sorry eating well alone when he didn’t know where she was or what she was doing.
“I’ll get up first.”
The words Taeheon had wanted to say came from Woo Seongmun’s mouth. Woo Seongmun, thoroughly offended, trudged out of the house, and Taeheon also left his seat a few minutes later. His excuse was that he had a headache.
Since Taeheon had struggled so much after Woo Haelim’s death that he received psychiatric counseling for a long time, the excuse was readily accepted. People here and there advised him to go rest.
Thud, thud. A strange sound reached Taeheon’s ears as he exited the main gate. Unable to contain his anger, Woo Seongmun was smashing Taejun’s car side mirror.
*He’s not an uncle, he’s a villain, a villain. Uncles are the enemy in this house and that house alike.* Taeheon muttered inwardly. With no intention of engaging, he only rolled his eyes around to check the CCTV locations.
Even if not, Taeheon’s car parked in the back was filming the scene well, so that was enough.
* * *
Slurp, the smooth noodles were sucked into a small mouth. The texture pressing against her teeth was very chewy and springy.
It was a udon restaurant famous as a cost-effective eatery with cheap prices and good taste, but the number of customers had increased several-fold compared to the early opening days, and another bar table had been added. The atmosphere was bustling regardless of weekdays or weekends, but with a single menu and fast turnover, empty seats opened up quickly.
“Welcome.”
The kindness of the proprietress, who never ignored incoming and outgoing customers and always greeted them, was also one of the reasons business was good.
The proprietress handled hall serving, customer service, and the register, while her son was in charge of cooking. They worked so well together that they had never raised their voices once. Even in the midst of busyness, there were many moments when they giggled and laughed as if something was so amusing.
Being able to feel delicious food and a warm atmosphere, Woo Gyeong occasionally visited this place. Today, as a regular, she even received shrimp tempura as service. It was truly a jackpot of a day.
“Huh?”
Just as she was hunching her body to avoid being touched by someone pulling the chair next to her, she glanced over because a scent that didn’t suit a udon restaurant felt familiar. She recognized Taeheon and was startled.
“…What is it?”
Perhaps because he had had an important matter, his attire looked somewhat uncomfortable. Wearing rolled-up sleeves, slacks, and a large wristwatch, he exuded quite a different atmosphere from when he was in his school uniform. He was mature, handsome, and dashing.
She, who had been staring blankly, blinked her stinging eyes after a long while.
“You said you had something to do.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you come after finishing everything?”
“Well, I guess so?”
He answered indifferently, then looked around as if he liked the atmosphere of the shop, and when his eyes met the proprietress’s, he ducked his head in greeting.
“But how did you know to come here? I didn’t tell you I was here.”
“You said you were in front of your house, and that you were going to eat something else.”
Woo Gyeong, who had been bringing the water cup to her lips, flinched and furrowed the corners of her eyes.
“Did you go around all the nearby stores?”
“Probably.”
“…”
Counting the number of nearby shops, her mouth fell open at the absurdity. While his persistence was quite shocking, Taeheon’s nonchalant reaction, as if it were no big deal, was extremely fascinating.
He was always overflowing with composure, never flustered or surprised. He was so different from her, who analyzed and worried over every moment. The thought that this was indeed the leisure of the privileged lodged itself in her mind once more.
“I gave you extra because you’re handsome. Enjoy your meal,” the proprietress cracked a joke as she placed the bowl of udon before him.
Taeheon said he would eat well and then ate heartily, truly deliciously.
Saying she was in a good mood, the proprietress gave him shrimp tempura as service too. He had obviously been about to give it to Woo Gyeong, but upon discovering her portion, he smiled awkwardly.
“Eat up. Udon is the main menu here, but the fried dishes are all delicious, too.”
“You’re right, it’s delicious. I’ll have to come again next time. Come together with me later, don’t come alone.”
“…Okay.”
Her heart trembled with a start, so her answer came a little late. She straightened her head as if hiding her flushed face and finished eating her share of udon. Dissatisfied with scooping the broth with a spoon, she lifted the bowl and drank directly. She couldn’t leave a single drop, loving the warmth and savory flavor permeating her mouth.
Taeheon, who had been pulling up the corners of his lips as if proud she ate well, suddenly hardened his expression. The back of her hand gripping the bowl was red. The wrist revealed as her sleeve slid down along her crookedly tilted arm was the same. Sensing something ominous, he busily moved his eyes to examine her.
“Did you cut your hair?”
“Ah.”
Startled, she set down the bowl. Her hair had been sheared off within a few hours, now reaching just below her shoulders. Far from an expert’s skill, the ends of her hair were jagged and crooked, looking very clumsy. On the back of her neck was a scratched mark similar to the wound on her wrist.
*Who was it, which bastard.*
Ah, she said her parents weren’t around and her maternal uncle was in prison. Then it must be her maternal aunt. *Fuck, did she go crazy while drunk and do this?*
Come to think of it, she had been reluctant to go into her house. She had said she wanted to go in slowly even if she did.
“I’ll pay for this.”
Feeling burdened by his blatant gaze, she rose from her seat first and went to the counter. Taeheon kept his eyes on her as she chatted softly with the proprietress and took out his phone to dial a number.
After a short ringtone, a question asking if he was okay flew in. Taeheon easily ignored it and got straight to his own business.
“Hyung, is the officetel empty right now? And it’s true no one’s using it? I’ll use it starting today, what’s the password?”
After finishing the call, Taeheon gulped down the water set before him to calm his excited heart. After cooling his heated emotions, he went outside.
“Let’s go somewhere for a moment.”
“Huh? Where?”
At his sudden suggestion to go somewhere without any explanation, she checked the time on her phone. Since tomorrow was also the weekend and a day off, there wasn’t much burden, but she was worried about staying out until late, so following him wasn’t entirely comfortable.
“You don’t want to?”
His question was cautious. Just as he had said she didn’t have to say anything if she didn’t want to, he wouldn’t push her if she didn’t want to. If so, they would part ways here and return to their respective homes, and she wouldn’t be able to see him at school until the day after tomorrow.
“No, I’ll go.”
She liked the time spent with him. He had searched every nearby place to find her, which meant he too had wished to spend time with her. It wasn’t easy to connect with someone heart-to-heart, so she didn’t want to create any regrets by letting this slip away.
She wanted to be with him. For as long as possible.