During the four days I was in Seoul, I had many conversations with Chairman Cheon. He talked about how things could have been resolved more easily if they were handled differently this time.
Indeed, considering that Chairman Cheon had climbed to his position by stepping on many people, his advice was helpful in many ways.
In my past life, he had never given me such advice...
On the last day.
Cheon Suhan came to Pyeongchang-dong with only his daughter. I knew he did this because he specially favored Cheon Jiyoung, the youngest in the family.
"Father, we're here. I brought Jiyoung."
"Grandpa!"
Jiyoung ran over and hugged her grandfather.
"Is that so, Jiyoung? Why are you so thin? Are you trying to grow taller? Are you eating well?"
"Yes! Grandpa."
"Did you come because you were worried this old man might be lonely?"
"Dad said I should come!"
"Is that so?"
I was scratching the goosebumps on my arm while watching Jiyoung act cute to her grandfather from the second floor.
'A grown kid putting on a fox act...'
I did like her among my cousins, but I couldn't help feeling goosebumps when she put on an act in front of Grandfather and me.
"What were you doing?"
"I was talking with Muhyuk."
"Muhyuk? Is he here?"
"Yes, he's upstairs."
"Ah!"
"Go up and see him. I need to talk with your father. We'll play later."
"Yes! See you later."
As Jiyoung was climbing the stairs, our eyes met. She flinched for a moment, then ran over with a bright smile.
"Muhyuk!"
Wow... I saw your expression change.
"Long time no see."
"Brother, when did you come?"
"I came four days ago. I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Tch, you always say you're leaving tomorrow."
"Let's go to an amusement park next vacation. Oh, are you still childish enough to play at an amusement park?"
"Huh?"
"Do you want to play with the toys in the room? There are a lot of toys there."
"…No. I just want to talk with you."
* * *
Meanwhile, in the study, Chairman Cheon and Cheon Suhan were having a private conversation.
"How did it go with what I mentioned last time?"
"That... well..."
"Don't tell me you haven't taken care of it yet? Do I have to do everything myself?!"
When Chairman Cheon got angry, Cheon Suhan flinched and mumbled an excuse.
"Brother was being stubborn... so..."
"Tsk tsk. This 'brother, brother' nonsense. How long are you going to follow your brother around? Didn't I clearly give you separate authority? Why do you keep following that guy around?"
Cheon Suhan remained silent like a mute who had eaten honey.
Chairman Cheon clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Is it because you're not the eldest son? Does that matter? If you keep giving in to your brother, do you think he'll take care of you after I die? Money makes even brothers and parents forget each other. Don't you understand that yet?"
"But... Brother is so capable..."
"Don't make excuses. Think about it. If you keep this up, you might end up with nothing. I now have three options, not just two."
"Father!"
He, who had been hesitantly listening, suddenly looked up at Chairman Cheon.
Chairman Cheon smiled at the aggrieved expression on Cheon Suhan's face.
"Why? Isn't Misuk's child also my blood? Why do you think you're the only one who gets a chance?"
"But..."
"I've given you plenty of opportunities. Wasn't it you who squandered them? How many more chances do you need?"
"..."
"Go home and think about it."
Cheon Suhan lowered his head weakly.
"Go home first. Stay with Jiyoung for one night and send her back tomorrow."
"Yes, Father."
Feeling dismissed, Cheon Suhan left the study weakly.
Alone, Chairman Cheon sighed.
"The younger one is too weak, and the older one is too greedy."
After a while, he suddenly spoke to the outside.
"Min-hoon."
Manager Ha, who had been waiting outside, entered and bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Chairman."
"Find out what the older one is up to. I can't trust him."
"Understood."
"And..."
That day, Chairman Cheon gave many instructions to Manager Ha.
Meanwhile, Cheon Suhan, who had left Chairman Cheon's house, headed straight to his brother Cheon Suwan's office in Myeong-dong.
"Brother!"
"What is it? Why did you come without saying anything? Didn't you say you were going to see Father?"
"I did. Ugh... that old man, how much nagging can he do... He asked about the political funds. How did you handle it?"
Cheon Suhan slumped onto the sofa opposite Cheon Suwan.
Cheon Suwan frowned.
"How can I ask for something back that I already gave? It's been six months."
"I don't know. Anyway, he keeps asking me why I keep following Brother around. So I just left."
"Why... Why is that old man always causing trouble?"
"Will you take care of me after he dies? You won't pretend you don't know me, right?"
"Hey, you and I are the only brothers. Do you think I'd abandon you? I'll make sure you have no trouble finding food and shelter, so don't worry."
"Really, I only trust you, Brother."
The faint unease in Cheon Suhan's eyes didn't go away.
* * *
"Brother!"
"Hm."
"Are you going to stay in Busan?"
"Yeah. Until I enter university?"
"Will you come up when you enter?"
Being alone in the room, talking like this, made me think of the past.
In the past, when I was ignored and despised by my cousins and uncles, and couldn't rebel, Jiyoung approached me without hesitation.
Even after I found out she was a fox, it didn't change anything.
Even when I lost everything at the end... she contacted me once a month until I disappeared.
"Will you show me around if I come to Busan?"
"Huh? Yeah, if you come, we'll talk about it."
"Great. I'll come down soon."
"Sure, anytime. I'll introduce you to my friends. They're nice."
"Tch, fine."
"Hahaha."
I stopped my hand, which was about to touch Jiyoung's head, without realizing it.
I didn't used to do this...
Maybe because my mental age is not much different from Jiyoung's father, Cheon Suhan, I keep seeing her as a young niece despite being a cousin.
"What's with your hand? Why?"
"Stretching! Just stretching!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for dinner."
Fortunately, the aunt's voice saved me. I avoided Jiyoung's stern gaze and left the room.
The next day, when I opened my eyes, Jiyoung was already gone.
The first thing I did after arriving in Busan was to meet Prosecutor Yun Chang-ho.
When I got out of Manager Ha's car, the prosecutor's car was parked in front of the house.
As I moved to the prosecutor's car, the driver got out.
In the silent car, the prosecutor, who had been struggling to speak, finally managed to say something.
"Muhyuk, I'm sorry."
The prosecutor looked like he had been through a lot, his face was not in good shape.
"Prosecutor, please speak freely. I feel uncomfortable otherwise."
"Still... is it okay?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll do that."
His tone changed, but the uncomfortable look on Prosecutor Yun's face didn't improve much.
'Pressuring him isn't hard.'
Still, it might take some time to improve our relationship.
I spoke in a casual tone.
"Although we're involved in a bad situation, I know you're not to blame. But Grandfather isn't the type to consider such things."
"Right..."
"That's why I told Grandfather I wanted to talk to you directly. I don't want to argue over something you didn't do."
Prosecutor Yun's face brightened for a moment, then darkened again as I continued.
"But I also have something to say to Grandfather... So, Prosecutor."
"..."
"Next time, just one favor. I won't ask for anything unreasonable. What do you think?"
I pressed the point to the hesitant prosecutor.
"It won't be a bad thing for you. I might not ask for anything again in my life. I just need to have something to say to Grandfather. I want to get along with you, like an uncle or a close friend."
After some thought, he nodded.
"Alright, if it's something I can do, I'll do it."
"Then I'll tell Grandfather that. He might want a clear answer or say something else, but you'll have to accept it."
"Understood. That's fair."
Finally, Prosecutor Yun seemed to relax.
"Let's meet again under better circumstances."
"Sure. Let's do that."
"I'll go first. I need to prepare for school starting tomorrow."
"Right, you're a high school student."
"Are you a graduate of Korea University?"
"Of course, isn't that obvious?"
"I'm studying to get into that university. If I get in, I'll treat you as a senior."
Speaking naturally, the prosecutor's expression softened a bit.
"That would be nice. But, are you staying in Busan instead of going to Pyeongchang-dong? I'll keep an eye on you."
"I'll stay in Busan until the college entrance exam. But I can't use my one favor with the branch manager for such a small thing. You should get promoted soon, right?"
"Hahaha, right. Got it. See you next time."
"Yes."
When I got out of the prosecutor's car and went home, Grandma had already set the dinner table and was waiting for me.
"Are you here? How are you?"
"Grandma!"
Seeing Grandma after a few days, I couldn't help but smile.
"Come on, go take a shower. I'll warm up the doenjang stew, hurry up."
"Yes, Grandma."
The smell of Grandma's doenjang stew tickled my nose.
"Ah~ I love the smell of Grandma's doenjang stew."
"Brat, have you been buttering up your tongue lately? Only saying nice things to me."
"Let's eat quickly."
"Right, let's eat."
Dinner with Grandma was as delicious as always. Being with her made the incident with Hong Jin-pyo feel like it happened a long time ago.
The next day.
Myeong-su, who had run from far away, tapped my back.
"Hey, Muhyuk! Long time no see?"
"You've been playing with your grandma a lot, right? Thanks."
"Shut up. Your grandma is my grandma. Don't say such silly things. Let's go."
Soon, Hyun-seong joined us. The three of us were heading to school after a long time.
At the school gate, the new homeroom teacher, the snake, was there. This time, we passed through without any trouble.
"Ah~ It's so much easier without the bald eagle. Don't you think?"
"Ugh... Myeong-su has been saying that since you didn't come to school. I thought my ears would bleed."
"Hahaha."
The two of them bickered constantly, but it felt so good to be in this atmosphere.
The school, which I hadn't visited in a long time, had changed a lot. The teachers and students treated me differently.
The teachers were cautious, and the students... were even more afraid of me than before.
It's too troublesome to talk about. Let's just live our own lives.
The only person who hadn't changed was the snake, who had been my homeroom teacher since my first year.
"Muhyuk, are you okay? You need to work hard to make up for the time you missed. If your grades drop, you'll be in trouble, got it?"
"Yes."
"And since you caused trouble, you need to take the punishment. You fought, so you fought. You'll clean the second-floor bathroom for a month. Any objections?"
"Understood. Can Myeong-su and Hyun-seong help me?"
"That's up to you. Just make sure you do the cleaning and the prosecution. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Right, it's been a while since you've been to school. Study hard. I'll see you at the end of the day."
When I told Hyun-seong and Myeong-su that they had to help me clean the bathroom, Hyun-seong was indifferent, but Myeong-su was furious.
"Are you crazy? Muhyuk! You can do it alone, why drag us in? Did you really get sick in the hospital? Should we make sure you're properly admitted?"
"No, it's not that. We're friends, right? We should do it together. Don't you think?"
"Of course."
When I tease Myeong-su, Hyun-seong and I always get along well.
"Ah, damn! If I do this, I'll be the weird one again! Hey, Muhyuk, Hyun-seong! Let's go. Where are you two going!"
"Hahaha."
Hyun-seong and I burst out laughing at the same time.
A year passed, and the day of the college entrance exam approached.