Joker 2 (Side Story) Ch 1

Kwon Jaehee had only become close with his younger brother, Kwon Taeha, a few years ago. Considering the small age gap, one might expect them to have been close since childhood, but Kwon Jaehee was actually closer to other relatives.

This was because the attention of his mother and those around him had diminished after his younger brother was born. At first, he had looked forward to his brother’s arrival more than anyone else, but once his brother was born, he felt like he had become an outcast. So, he deliberately showed more affection to other relatives, as if to make a point.

As Kwon Jaehee grew, so did his brother, but with each passing year, Kwon Jaehee became increasingly displeased with Taeha. What made his brother even more off-putting was that no matter how much he showed his dislike, his brother treated him as if nothing was wrong.

He resented the fact that he was being ignored by his younger brother. Still, he had no choice but to live in the same house until he entered boarding school as a middle schooler, but the decisive rift between the two occurred much earlier than that.

In the mansion’s garden, there was a cabin that Eva had gifted to her young children. The cabin, perched atop a large tree, resembled Tarzan’s house from the books.

Beneath the cabin, there was a swing, and they could climb up and down the house using ropes. Of course, Eva valued safety above all else, so she had also installed stairs leading up to the house.

“This is mine, so don’t touch it.”

Kwon Jaehee stood in front of the cabin door, looking down at his brother triumphantly.

“Do you understand?! This is mine!”

“Okay.”

Kwon Taeha, who was six years old that year, smiled, acknowledging his words.

His brother showed no interest in the treehouse, but Kwon Jaehee felt resentful. His brother never coveted any of his possessions.

Eva would occasionally bake Stollen and split it in half for them, but Kwon Jaehee always coveted his brother’s share. Kwon Taeha would easily give up his portion, and Kwon Jaehee would often get stomachaches from eating the food he had taken in that way.

That little devil is feeding it to me on purpose. He knows I’ll get a stomachache, but he’s still giving it to me.

From that moment on, Kwon Taeha became Kwon Jaehee’s enemy, not his brother.

Kwon Jaehee would gather his favorite robots and pretty leaves in the small cabin, taunting Kwon Taeha several times, saying, “Don’t you want to see it?” “Don’t you want it?”

“It’s yours, hyung.”

Kwon Taeha’s answer was always the same.

That evening, Kwon Jaehee, feeling spiteful, made a sign that read ‘Kwon Jaehee’s House’ to show his brother. As he was attaching the sign to the treehouse, his small body faltered, and Kwon Jaehee fell straight to the ground from a height of 3 meters.

It happened to be raining that day, and the maids didn’t come outside to check. While he was sobbing for a long time, it was his brother who finally came out. His brother found Kwon Jaehee crying with one of his legs bent in an unnatural direction.

“Taeha! Hyung is in so much pain. Waaah, hyung’s leg is weird. Don’t just look at me, call Mom…! Sob, Mom. Mom!”

Kwon Taeha stared blankly at his wailing brother before going back inside the house. Kwon Jaehee was greatly shocked by his brother leaving him, and he had no memory of what happened next, perhaps because he had fainted from the excessive pain.

When he returned home a few days after surgery on his broken leg, Kwon Jaehee screamed.

“Kwon Taeha! Come out! You bad kid!”

Kwon Taeha, who was on the second floor, came out of his room and stood on the stairs at the harsh words. While the maids supported the fuming Kwon Jaehee, Eva, who had followed them in, scolded Kwon Jaehee, asking what was going on.

“Why are you only doing this to me! Mom doesn’t know what he did! He saw me hurt and just went back inside!”

“What are you talking about? Don’t you know that Taeha called people and that’s why you were found quickly?”

Eva held Kwon Jaehee’s shoulders, telling him to calm down. Even if that was the truth, it didn’t register in Kwon Jaehee’s ears. He felt like he vaguely understood the identity of the unsettling feeling he had whenever he saw his brother.

“It’s weird! If Taeha got hurt like that, I, I think I’d want to cry with him, even if I hated him! He doesn’t care about me at all! Did Mom see his expression?! He just left me and went inside! Why does Mom keep telling me to take care of Taeha?! I hate him!”

Slap! All the servants in the mansion were horrified by Eva’s slap. Eva was someone who never got agitated, no matter how angry she was.

“Ich hoffe, Thea stirbt! Ich hasse ihn! Alles wäre perfekt ohne ihn, also warum musste sie geboren werden?!” (I hope Taeha dies! I hate him! Everything would be perfect without him, so why did he have to be born?!)

Eva shook Kwon Jaehee’s shoulders, which she had been holding, telling him to come to his senses. The rules in the STA family were firm. Because family affairs could become weaknesses, the servants should be composed of those who do not know Korean. That was a family tradition that continued even after his great-grandfather died.

“Are you really going to be like this? You’re going to break the rules and say things that will hurt Taeha and Mom!”

“Then what about my feelings! What about me!”

What did Taeha say to him then, as he was shouting at the top of his lungs?

“He’s just in pain.”

Kwon Jaehee refocused his dazed eyes and shook off his thoughts.

“Hyung is, just in pain.”

He had said something similar back then.

The reason Kwon Jaehee recalled his petty past after so long was because of Kwon Taeha in front of him. In the studio, which had a faint smell of turpentine, bottles of alcohol that Kwon Taeha had drunk were scattered haphazardly.

When he asked why he was drinking so much, his brother surprisingly said it was because he was in pain.

Kwon Jaehee’s villa, built on a private mountain on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, was a legacy left by his father, Hyun Jungwon. It was also where Eva had spent her honeymoon with Hyun Jungwon, and in the basement, there were still sketches that Hyun Jungwon had drawn during his lifetime.

He had to take care of his own food, clothing, and shelter here, but Kwon Jaehee found this villa more comfortable than a hotel. It was a space that gave him a sense of coziness, like the old cabin. But Kwon Taeha had suddenly barged into that hideout and had been doing nothing but drinking.

The amount of alcohol Kwon Taeha had drunk was more than the paint mixed on several palettes.

“Taeha. Do you, remember?”

“What.”

“When I fell from the Tarzan house.”

“What’s that?”

“Why, we had a cabin in our garden that I cherished.”

Kwon Taeha frowned, saying he was bringing up unnecessary things. He had to check if the alcohol was water because he wasn’t getting drunk no matter how much he drank, and his head was just throbbing.

Kwon Taeha, who was sitting on the desk, was holding Killer Whale’s financial statements. Kwon Jaehee tried to snatch the paper from Kwon Taeha’s hand, but he lifted it higher faster.

“Do you think you can see it properly if you look at it so drunk? Just talk to me.”

Had he slept three hours since he came here? Kwon Taeha’s eyes, who hadn’t slept, were bloodshot.

“Do you remember me saying harsh things to you?”

“I don’t know.”

“When I fell from the Tarzan house and had leg surgery, I asked you why you were born. I… I said I wished you were dead.”

“I don’t even remember what I said when I was a kid.”

“The one who’s been hit sleeps soundly, and the one who hit lies curled up, and I keep remembering that.”

“I guess I can sleep soundly from now on.”

As he spoke, his bloodshot eyes were on the documents.

“Do you even remember what you said to me back then?”

“I said I don’t remember.”

“You said hyung was just in pain. You were saying that hyung was angry at you because he was in pain, and you were telling me to understand and move on. That’s why I became even weirder.”

Kwon Taeha finally turned his gaze to Kwon Jaehee, who kept talking.

“You… you burned down the treehouse back then.”

“Why are you talking about things from so long ago?”

His face was full of annoyance.

“Why did you burn it down?”

“I don’t know.”

“No, you did. You said that hyung got hurt because of that house, so you wanted to punish the house. But… you knew I had all my favorite things in there, right?”

Kwon Taeha put the documents he was holding on the desk.

“You were taking revenge on me.”

“If you’re bringing this up to tell me to apologize even now, when I’m not even sure,”

“You don’t even know why Hawon hyung is acting like that, do you?”

Kwon Jaehee cut him off, and after mentioning Joo Hawon, Kwon Taeha’s lips closed.

“Is the reason you’re drinking like this really because you’re in pain?”

Kwon Taeha, who had lowered his gaze back to the documents, pointed to a certain part.

“Why is the entertainment expense 300 million won in November?”

Kwon Jaehee stopped himself from saying, “Is that what’s important now?” and asked back.

“What? Entertainment expenses?”

Kwon Taeha threw the documents he was holding in a fluster.

“…Huh? What is this? The place of use is the General Affairs Department?”

Kwon Jaehee’s eyes widened as he confirmed the excessive entertainment expenses.

“I told you. There would be bastards stealing company money.”

It was a matter for the accounting department to handle, but Kwon Taeha was absorbed in something that didn’t require him to distract himself. Kwon Jaehee openly let out an annoyed breath.

“Kwon Taeha, I know you don’t want to talk about me and Hawon hyung, but then why did you come to me? If you’re going to be like this, you might as well go and stick by Hawon hyung’s side. Why are you bothering me for no reason?”

Kwon Jaehee ostentatiously picked up the bottles of alcohol rolling on the floor and placed them on the table one by one.

“If I did that, Joo Hawon would die. He doesn’t drink or eat anything when I’m around.”

“Does he hate seeing you that much?”

“Is that all?”

He also told him to get out of his life. Kwon Jaehee had asked if he was really in pain, but if Joo Hawon had verbally butchered him and he wasn’t in pain, that would be even weirder.

“Hawon hyung’s feelings might not be good right now, but as time passes, he’ll think this was the right thing to do.”

“Don’t pretend to think about Joo Hawon.”

Ha… Kwon Jaehee just tilted his head back, looking like he really meant it.

“The problem isn’t Hawon hyung, it’s you. Did you apologize?”

“Will Joo Hawon change if I apologize?”

“To be blunt, if you look at it with all emotions excluded, you didn’t do anything that wrong. But aren’t you two a couple? Couples nitpick and fight over things that happened twenty years ago when they didn’t know each other. To be blunt, let’s say the person who will become my wife met you before me. Let’s say she originally had feelings for you. Even if she says she likes me now, I’ll definitely be a little sad and resentful in one corner of my heart. But if my wife says to me, ‘I didn’t know you back then.’ ‘Then what do you want me to do about the past?’ I think I’d be even more upset.”

“Did hyung see how I talked?”

Kwon Taeha drove Kwon Jaehee away with a fierce look.

“I knew it without looking. I clearly said that people’s feelings aren’t as clear-cut as business.”

“Then should I kneel down and beg? Should I say, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you back then, I was an idiot,’ would that solve it?”

“…I shouldn’t have said anything. I know, so get some sleep for an hour or two.”

“How do you explain that a drunk person is better than a sane person?”

“Should I go see how Hawon hyung is doing?”

“You’ll be hated too.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re on my side.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Just think about taking down the General Affairs Department.”

He was annoyed with his brother, but on the other hand, he was relieved that Kwon Taeha was living like a human being. Kwon Jaehee thought it was a good sign because he often showed his emotions when Joo Hawon was involved.

After Kwon Taeha’s kidnapping, Kwon Jaehee became even more distant from his brother, and after being pushed out of the heir battle, he spent most of his time in Korea.

The only reason they became brothers was after Kwon Taeha asked him to peel off a certain painting. If it hadn’t been for Joo Hawon, Kwon Taeha probably wouldn’t have even let his brother set foot in STA.

“Taeha, I’m only being nice to you because I did a lot of terrible things to you when you were young. If that wasn’t the case, I would have kicked you out.”

The reason Kwon Taeha came here was probably to grab at straws, hoping there would be a breakthrough. He himself probably wasn’t even aware of it.

Kwon Jaehee turned his back on his brother, who was having a terrible marital fight, and went to the kitchen to pour water instead of alcohol. Then, he widened his eyes when he saw an envelope that had fallen under the table. He picked up the envelope of medicine that was rolling around like a bottle of alcohol and put his hands on his hips. He’s really crazy. He strode out and threw the torn envelope on the desk where Kwon Taeha was.

“Are you crazy? You’re eating this with alcohol?”

“I already digested it.”

He thought that Kwon Taeha’s actions were slow, unlike the way he was talking normally. He thought it was just because of the alcohol, but it was because of the psychotropic drugs.

“Don’t you know it’s poison if you drink alcohol and eat this?”

Kwon Jaehee snatched the envelope of medicine again and threw it in the trash. He had taken it to calm his seething thoughts, but instead of resting, his brain was constantly thinking about Joo Hawon. The image of him crying sadly kept lingering like an afterimage and wouldn’t leave.

“I’m going to take down the General Affairs Department, so please, please eat something. Don’t just drink all the alcohol in the pantry.”

Kwon Taeha got off the desk and plopped down on the chair. He couldn’t even close his eyes, which were aching from lack of sleep.

He opened his laptop and checked the files he had requested from the strategic planning secretariat team. It was evidence of Felix’s stock manipulation. The letters were flickering on the white screen, but he pressed his eyes hard with his hands and then took them off.

He could see a way out of all the other problems, but he couldn’t see the way to Joo Hawon. He felt like he was standing in a desolate field, waiting for Joo Hawon, who might not come.

“Take all the car keys upstairs.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m afraid a crazy bastard will do something crazy.”

Because he was afraid that he would go to Joo Hawon tomorrow and do something rash. Because he was afraid that he would say harsh things, asking if he hated him so much that he would throw away his life.

“Isn’t that why you came here anyway? I’m just leaving the car keys.”

Kwon Jaehee, who had collected the last empty bottle, raised his head.

“And contact your mother because she’s worried.”

Suddenly, Kwon Taeha became curious.

“The letters your mother gives you every year on your birthday.”

“Hmm?”

Kwon Jaehee leaned the canvas he had taken off the easel against the wall and finished preparing to go out.

“What did you do with those letters?”

“What do you mean?”

“What did you do after reading them?”

“What else? I think they’re in the German house?”

“Did you collect them?”

“I didn’t really collect them, I just left them there.”

“Why didn’t you throw them away?”

“Ha, so you’re throwing away that sincerity? My mother practiced Korean so much because she wanted to show her children only pretty writing.”

Kwon Jaehee’s smiling face froze as it was at Kwon Taeha’s expressionless reaction.

“Did you throw them away?”

“Can’t I throw them away?”

“You can, but… I know you’re not very sensitive in that way, but your mother would have been quite hurt if she knew. Imagine you wrote a letter to Hawon hyung with all your heart, and Hawon hyung threw it away. How upset would you be?”

Even if he imagined Joo Hawon reading and throwing away the letter he wrote, he didn’t feel any particular emotion. Wouldn’t it be enough if he read it well?

Kwon Jaehee shook his head at the continued silence.

“Conversely, let’s say Hawon hyung wrote you a letter. Would you throw it away?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s precious.”

“Then why isn’t the one you wrote precious?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then think about it. What’s different?”

Kwon Jaehee left the space that was used as a living room and studio with only the documents to show to the General Affairs Department. The house built on the hill consisted of three buildings in total, one was a warehouse, one was a studio, and the other was a living space.

Kwon Jaehee, who had moved to the annex and finished preparing to go out, started the car. Soon, the sound of the engine that echoed through the quiet mountain faded away, and Kwon Taeha held his cell phone in his hand.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at the surveillance cameras placed throughout the house. Still, he was relieved that he was eating and drinking.

There were only a few days left until he had to return to Germany. He imagined the worst-case scenario that he might have to go back alone. He said he needed time. Would Joo Hawon really accept him after time passed?

Joo Hawon said he couldn’t breathe when he was around, but if he thought about Joo Hawon not being in his life, he also had a hard time breathing. How could I kill you to save my own life?

That’s why he couldn’t peek at Joo Hawon.

Suddenly, Kwon Taeha almost dropped his cell phone as it vibrated in his hand.

Joo Hawon

He couldn’t believe his eyes after checking the sender. A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind in that instant. There was no way Joo Hawon would have called himself, so something must have happened.

“What’s wrong.”

Kwon Taeha spoke as soon as he pressed the call button.

-……Do I have to have something wrong to call you?

“……”

Kwon Taeha pressed his eyes hard again and then took them off. It felt like the alcohol was disappearing from Joo Hawon’s voice.

-Should I hang up?

“No, don’t hang up.”