Ch 63

Ji-an briefly pouted, but the moment he put the neatly deboned, thick, spicy braised short rib into his mouth, melting into the warm yet plain bean sprout soup, he forgot all about it. Since when had his palate become so sensitive, and when had he cared so much about food? Still, thinking about anything else while eating such delicious food would be disrespectful.

Even if he had received a proposal, there was no proof. There was nothing more to say.

After finishing a bowl of rice in no time, Ji-an rubbed his stomach, feeling overly full. Come to think of it, he hadn’t even asked if his grandmother had eaten. Ha, seriously, Seo Ji-an. You’ve outdone yourself again in getting on her bad side today. At this point, that grandmother was practically a saint. A saint. How could she put up with all this?

“It seems it suited your taste.”

“Oh. Uh. It’s really, really delicious. Why else would I have come here to eat, knowing full well I’d get caught? The problem is that I got caught much faster than I expected.”

Ji-an spoke honestly. He had already laid everything bare from the first meeting, and by now, there was nothing left to hide. If it had been his Ahjussi’s parents, he wouldn’t have dared to speak so freely. But in front of this broad-minded grandmother, he felt completely disarmed.

“If you’re done eating, come here and take a look at this.”

As the table was cleared, Ji-an saw an elegant wooden box on the tea table in front of the grandmother. He shuffled forward on his knees.

“I don’t know what youngsters like these days, but if you find something you like, I’ll give it to you.”

“…….”

When the box on the tea table was opened, Ji-an’s eyes widened at the sight of its neatly arranged contents.

Excuse me, grandmother?

“Secretary Lee, come open the box properly and show this rascal. Now that it’s out, it seems there’s quite a lot.”

Surrounded by the suddenly fully opened wooden box, Ji-an was convinced the moment he saw a golden toad bigger than his fist. That… wasn’t just gold-plated or hollow inside. It was a solid chunk of real gold. And at the center of the well-crafted gold necklaces beside it lay a jewel larger than his thumbnail, transparent and dazzling—it was undoubtedly a diamond, something he’d only ever heard about.

“What’s the point of having so much if there’s nothing to give? This young one wouldn’t even wear such things.”

Ji-an, eyes darting between the brilliant gold and silver treasures, lifted his head at the grandmother’s words. True, he wouldn’t wear a pearl necklace, nor would he stack thick jade rings on his fingers when they didn’t even fit properly. He didn’t have pierced ears, so earrings were unnecessary, and he had no need for flashy brooches or hairpins either.

“Grandmother, I’m fine. You don’t have to give me anything.”

The moment the grandmother turned to glance at Secretary Lee beside her, Ji-an hurriedly waved his hands in refusal. This grandmother had a habit of giving things away at the slightest word. She had even offered him money, and now she was suddenly telling him to take whatever he liked. If he converted all this to cash, how much would it even be…?

“I’m giving it to you in place of my useless grandson, so pick something. Secretary Lee, start with the toad and the ox.”

Watching Secretary Lee lift a toad as big as his fist and an ox bigger than both his hands put together, Ji-an grew even more flustered. No. There was a joke about having a golden calf at home, but that toad was no ordinary toad, and that ox… that wasn’t just any calf—it wasn’t even just an ox, but one that looked like it had won first place in an ox-wrestling competition for ten years straight.

This wasn’t 18K gold. It was 24K. If converted into money, how much would it be? How was he supposed to carry it home without fear?

“So, what did you say?”

Huh? Say what? As the grandmother spoke while inspecting the gold and silver treasures around her, Ji-an bit his lower lip. This wasn’t why he had come.

“You said that rascal proposed without a single piece of gold. So what did you say?”

“Uh…….”

What had he said? Ji-an scratched his cheek, struggling to recall his own words. He didn’t think he had given an answer. Did he? Oh, he had said he would marry.

“How will you manage, being so naive?”

“……But, grandmother, are you really okay with me marrying Ahjussi? You know all about my situation.”

“If two young people have fallen for each other and even had a child together, they should live as a family. What, should they live apart?”

It wasn’t just the grandmother’s words that left Ji-an speechless—it was also the way she lifted the radiant diamond necklace and placed it beside him. Fallen for each other… well, they had certainly gotten physically involved. A child… a child… A child? Uh, how did the grandmother know about their little snake? No, she couldn’t know.

“I mean, still… You wanted Ahjussi to marry into a good family. But why don’t you get along with him?”

She had wanted to match him with someone from a good family, yet now she was allowing their marriage. More than anything, Ji-an couldn’t understand why the grandmother and Ahjussi didn’t get along. She seemed like the kind of person who would listen to anything Ahjussi said.

“I lack virtue, that’s why. If only Ideun had been half the man you are….”

So, was the issue with Ahjussi rather than the grandmother? Ji-an had indeed seen how Ideun responded to her—cold, dismissive, and curt. He wasn’t a rebellious teenager anymore, yet he handled the marriage issue the same way. If he didn’t want to meet potential matches, he could have just explained it properly—Grandmother probably would have understood. But instead, he had stubbornly refused, making her push harder.

Having no interest in selecting gold and silver, and feeling it was time to leave, Ji-an pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had been out all day, eaten a full meal here, and now, sitting on the warm floor, sleepiness was creeping up on him. He couldn’t openly yawn like before, so he had to suppress it as best he could.

“If you stay too late, you’ll be tired. Head back for today. I’ll call you over again in a few days.”

Had she noticed his drowsiness? Ji-an smiled at receiving permission to leave before having to ask. And when she said she would call him over again, he felt… odd. Honestly, the meal had just been an excuse. Curiosity had been an excuse.

Or rather than an excuse, it had been a pretext. The truth was, he had nowhere else to go. No friends to meet, no one to contact. Nowhere to pour out his feelings, no one to seek advice from. And this was the place that had come to mind.

She was the most difficult and intimidating person he knew, yet strangely, from the beginning, he had never found her hard to approach. Well, maybe the first time he had eaten with Ahjussi here, when he had seen her with Haneul. But after that, he had been out of his mind and barked like a mad dog. And later, he had come looking like a beggar, demanding food… Yet he had wanted to come here.

The grandmother had been the one to hire Secretary Baek, who had tormented him. She had likely been the one to make Ahjussi undergo treatment for his illness. If anyone, he should resent and despise her the most.

But he didn’t.

“Ideun’s parents were just like that. They wanted to get married, but I stopped them. I was worried—they were too young. They should at least graduate college and have a stable job before starting a family. I regret it now. What’s so hard about letting people who love each other be together? What’s the use of all these gold and treasures if there’s no one to pass them to?”

As the grandmother sent Secretary Lee away to fetch snacks for Ji-an, she spoke as if reminiscing. Ji-an straightened his posture—he knew almost nothing about Ideun’s past. They had never had a chance to talk about it.

“I thought I’d give it some time to think, but then those brats suddenly ran off to America. I left them be, thinking they’d struggle and return. But they never showed up. I had Secretary Baek check on them occasionally, and then one day, I heard a baby had been born. How could I ignore them after that? I told Secretary Baek to bring them back… Who knew it would turn out like that.”

Ji-an placed his hand lightly over the grandmother’s wrinkled one as she touched a small gold ring on the tea table.

“Car accident, they say. Left behind just a newborn and both went far away. I should have gone myself to check, but I was too blinded by money to do so. I was a mother, yet I didn’t even know how my child was living. I always just sent someone else. Come to think of it, the last time I saw them was when they left the house crying. They were kneeling before me, begging to be allowed to marry, and I threw them out. But how could I make the same mistake again? So do as you wish. What does it matter to an old woman who has lived her life? This was made for Ideun, but I still haven’t given it to him. Even if you leave everything else behind, take this with you.”

As Ji-an gently stroked the back of the elderly woman’s hand, she suddenly clasped his hand tightly before letting go, placing a small gold ring in his palm. At first, he wasn’t sure what it was, but soon realized it was a baby’s first birthday ring.

“This… You said it belonged to Sir.”

It was only after speaking that Ji-an realized he was crying. It should be the grandmother who was sad and in pain, yet she was smiling instead.

“Give it to your child.”

Barely holding back his tears, Ji-an finally broke down and sobbed at her words.

***

Should I have just killed him?

Emerging from the basement with an unsettled and unpleasant feeling, Ideun tore off his mask, gloves, and jacket, throwing them into a trash bin. Even then, the filthy, repulsive stench clinging to him made him gag. He headed to the nearest motel and took a shower first.

“Is the villa matter settled now? Anything else to report?”

Changing into fresh clothes, Ideun frowned upon realizing more time had passed than expected.

“Seo Ji-an is currently at the chairman’s residence.”

The words made his head throb. Who is where?

“Seo Ji-an went there voluntarily.”

He hadn’t even asked, but the additional remark unsettled him further. What reason did Ji-an have to go there? He turned on his phone, which had been switched off to avoid distractions, and a flood of unread messages filled the screen.

As he exited the motel, he checked the messages, his expression remaining tense. A pharmacy. A drink. A movie… A series of small transaction records tracing Ji-an’s movements popped up. The security report from the person guarding him matched these purchases from the moment Ji-an left the hotel room.

So, he played nicely on his own. Not only that, but he even stopped by the bank and handled his errands. Then why the hell did his last stop have to be that damned old woman’s house?

Dismissing all his men, Ideun drove himself to the one place he never wanted to set foot in again. As he walked in, people bowed their heads upon seeing him, but he ignored them. Why does this keep happening?

The old woman hadn’t summoned Ji-an himself, so he would have to speak with him. He needed to make it clear—never come here again. Did he even know what kind of person that old woman was?

That man had mercilessly killed his own parents. If he found out about Ji-an’s child, he would harm him too. The mere thought was unbearable. A sickening fear clawed at Ideun’s chest, making him quicken his pace.

Seeing the people nervously guiding him made his expression grow even colder.

Again, this place…

As the sliding wooden door opened, the moment Ideun saw Ji-an lying on the floor, fury ignited in his eyes.

“Be quiet.”

Even before he stepped inside, the old woman’s quiet voice rang out. Ideun’s jaw visibly clenched.

Ji-an was clearly unconscious, yet there were only the two of them in the room. Last time, at least Dr. Kang had been called. Not that Kang would come after what happened. But there were plenty of others who could have been summoned.

“Right now—”

“He just fell asleep. Let him rest a little, then take him with you.”

The old woman cut him off. Ideun turned his gaze toward Ji-an, who was using a folded cushion as a pillow. He wasn’t in as much of a mess as last time, but his eyes, nose, and lips were flushed red, clear signs of crying.

Even after crying like this, why does he keep coming here?

If the old woman intended to let him sleep, he could have at least put him in another room or on a proper mattress. Yet here he was, lying diagonally by the window, resting his head on a mere folded cushion instead of a pillow. The sight was beyond ridiculous.