From every angle, it appeared Cheon Gyu-ri was involved in Ham Jin-pyeong’s withdrawal from the ministerial candidacy.
If she hadn’t gone to the RP Dungeon and come back with a head injury, there must have been someone’s hand behind it.
On Su-hyeong was certain that the one who had moved the piece was his son.
“The Brom Guild took Ham Hong-gi to the RP Dungeon and suffered greatly for it. There were quite a few injured on Brom’s side, but Guild Master Cheon Gyu-ri is former military, so she’s especially protective of her people. She cherishes her guild too.”
As expected, his conviction hadn’t been wrong.
He must have placed a blade in Cheon Gyu-ri’s hand and struck a blow against the Ham family.
Seeing how easily he had extracted classified state documents tied to Ijo, digging up information to bring down Ham Jin-pyeong wouldn’t have been difficult.
The reason he had gone out of his way to use Cheon Gyu-ri would first be that an insider’s attack deals a stronger blow.
Second, by not stepping forward himself or having Su-hyeong step forward, he could keep Geuru out of controversy.
“Did you threaten Cheon Gyu-ri with her guild?”
Cheon Gyu-ri shouldn’t be rash enough to point a blade at his family simply because a mere Ham Hong-gi had interfered with her RP Dungeon raid…
At that, Ju-rim turned his head immediately and narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t know why everyone only thinks of me that way.”
Hadn’t Geuru said he looked like someone who would commit fraud?
“Ahem.”
Su-hyeong cleared his throat with an awkward expression.
Su-hyeong hid his deliberately surprised expression as he watched Ju-rim choose his words quite carefully.
Normally, he was the type to shrug it off whether someone saw him as a thug or a gangster.
“But…… you knew Geuru had been scammed, didn’t you?”
“*Cough!* *Hem!*”
“So that’s how you knew I brought down Ham Jin-pyeong.”
A sharp-witted guy.
On Su-hyeong desperately thought of a topic to change the subject.
“Ah, ahem. I’m curious why Geuru calls me ‘Chairman’ instead of ‘Grandfather.’”
Ju-rim turned his gaze back to Geuru and tapped the table.
“Well……”
If even “Dad” was difficult, “Grandfather” would be even more unfamiliar.
Not that he wanted to bring up the child’s abandonment history.
“…The kid watches a lot of dramas featuring a chairman.”
It wasn’t a lie. After meeting On Su-hyeong, Geuru had watched chairman dramas with incredible enthusiasm.
At a glance, there seemed to be not only ordinary plots about being recognized by a chairman and becoming their successor or overcoming a chairman’s interference to find love, but also shocking variations where chairmen waged a battle royale against each other or even dated each other.
Ju-rim learned for the first time then that “chairman” was such a popular trope in dramas.
“Video media these days is so harmful to children. You should make him cut back.”
On Su-hyeong grumbled needlessly and expressed regret, but he didn’t seem inclined to force the matter.
“Right. A chairman battle royale is a bit much.”
Just then, Geuru came bouncing out of the ball pit and held out both hands in front of Ju-rim.
“Geuru, bag pwease.”
“Bag?”
Ju-rim picked up a small quokka doll bag from the seat beside him and handed it over.
Geuru rummaged through the bag, pulled out a wallet, and stood before the two with sparkling eyes.
“I’m taking dwink orders. Geuru will buy them for you!”
Geuru was a dignified nouveau riche! Those who possessed must know how to give.
The little nouveau riche huffed through his nose.
Su-hyeong let out a low laugh, and Ju-rim, smiling, stood up.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? Geuru was gonna buy.”
“You buy. But you have to carry them back with me. How were you going to carry three by yourself?”
“Ah-cha!”
“What would you like, Father?”
At the term “Father,” On Su-hyeong quickly raised his head.
Ju-rim pondered for a moment before speaking lightly.
“I’m maturing a bit too, so I’m sorting out my forms of address.”
On Su-hyeong laughed lowly.
“Then I’ll have an Americano.”
“Yesh! For the Chaiwman, an ah-ah-meh-ee-no!”
Ju-rim approached Geuru, who was running off with short steps, and corrected him.
“Americano.”
“Ah-ri-meh-no-ka.”
“Isn’t that harder?”
“Hm?”
At Ju-rim’s question, Geuru put a question mark over his head.
Saying that “Ah-ri-meh-no-ka” wasn’t a harder pronunciation than “Americano,” Ju-rim left with Geuru to place the order.
In the meantime, Su-hyeong propped his chin on the table and covered his mouth with his hand.
“Who says with their own mouth that they’ve matured. That guy, really……”
Even while scolding him like that, the corners of his mouth remained curved upward long after.
*
Ham Hong-gi struck the classroom wall hard.
Bam!
“Why are you sorting recyclables like this!”
A cold silence swept through the classroom.
At Ham Hong-gi’s absurd shout, the students exchanged glances, sharing wordless questions about why he was acting that way.
Regardless, Ham Hong-gi emptied the classroom trash can with a clatter and began sorting the garbage properly.
“Why’s he like that? The cleaning helpers will come do it anyway……”
“Leave him. That bastard’s completely lost it these days.”
“Since when does going crazy make you nice?”
He flushed bright red as he heard the snickering whispers from behind him.
Even under obvious ridicule and mockery, his hands never stopped sorting the recyclables.
This was not voluntary.
But if he didn’t act, his hands trembled more and more as time passed.
It wasn’t withdrawal from drugs. It was withdrawal from good deeds.
Ever since that incident……
“Hang-hang-gi.”
Ever since that baby flying squirrel’s command fell.
“Be a good boy from now on.”
It was as if he had been put through terrible brainwashing. The command was stuck in his head and wouldn’t fall out.
The obsessive notion that he had to go out and pick up trash wouldn’t disappear.
The funny thing was that, unlike his tormented self, his family at home welcomed his change all too much.
When he helped with housework and threw away cigarettes and drugs, his mother had suddenly burst into tears, saying her child had grown up.
His stoic father had even patted his shoulder, telling him to keep doing just that.
They seemed to think he had come to his senses after his father lost his ministerial position because of him.
The truth was for a completely different reason, but……
Like he was doing this because he wanted to!
‘Damn it!’
Crouched in front of the trash, Ham Hong-gi ruffled his hair wildly.
That was when.
“Ham Hong-gi, someone’s out front looking for you?”
“What? Who?”
“Over there.”
Ham Hong-gi got up. He walked out the door in the direction the other person pointed.
“Someone’s looking for me……?”
“Who else. It’s me, Dani.”
“Huh……!”
Gi-dan, standing right beside the classroom door with his hands behind his back, smiled brightly.
“Hello, Senior Hang-hang-gi.”
“Hang-hang-gi……”
The face of the one person who called him that flashed across his mind.
“First time meeting? I’m Geuru’s oppa.”
Immediately, the classroom door closed, and Ham Hong-gi crashed into it, struck in the solar plexus.
Bang!
“Krrgh! Cough! Cough!”
Gi-dan took a step closer.
Despite being younger, Gi-dan’s eye level was slightly higher.
Smiling, Gi-dan looked down at him briefly and grabbed him by the collar.
“Senior, please just admire Geuru from afar. We dote on him so much; how could you scam a baby like that? Geuru must be so upset.”
“Urk……!”
Frowning, Ham Hong-gi grabbed Gi-dan’s wrist.
He put strength into his hand, but it was like grabbing a lump of rock.
“Don’t talk to him, don’t approach him, don’t make him cry. You understand what I mean, right?”
“Krrk!”
Despite having grabbed Gi-dan’s wrist, Ham Hong-gi was pushed back with even greater force and groaned.
“I got it, I got it!”
He was the one who wanted to cry because of that tiny brat. He hadn’t even wanted to approach him in the first place, with or without this threat.
It was then.
“Gi-dan……?”
A boy wearing large glasses called his name, and Gi-dan turned his head.
“Oh! Hello, Senior Woo-gyeong. You were in this class?”
“Yeah, hi…… Is something going on with Hong-gi?”
“It’s nothing. I just had something to tell him briefly.”
Gi-dan released Ham Hong-gi’s collar and straightened his wrinkled shirt with a bright smile.
“The third-year building’s facilities are really amazing.”
“Right. Because it’s the new building……”
“Sorry for causing a disturbance. I’ll take my leave.”
Ham Hong-gi and Seon Woo-gyeong’s eyes met.
Damn it. Ham Hong-gi clutched his neck and turned his head.