Chapter 351: Family Affairs (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 351: Family Affairs (4)
‘It’s quiet.’
Choi Je-ho leaned his back against the glass wall.
For all his worrying, it was surprisingly still. Even when he’d stolen a glance inside the meeting room, Kim I-wol was just sitting there with his usual expression.
Then again, Kim I-wol was always strong during the main broadcast. He’d whine every time he opened his mouth during practice, yet he was always perfect on stage.
If all that frantic behavior lately had been a preparation process for today, Je-ho could certainly understand it.
The family members he’d encountered in front of the meeting room looked ordinary. They didn’t smell of alcohol like his own father, nor did they wear clothes that made him wonder if they ever bothered with laundry. Not that their appearance made their actions any more forgivable.
Maybe he didn't need to follow them after all.
Choi Je-ho looked down at Jeong Seong-bin standing beside him. Seong-bin was restless, yet he was trying his best not to peer inside out of politeness.
“Why don’t you go in first?”
At Je-ho’s words, Seong-bin’s eyes widened. Je-ho thought he’d spoken quietly enough, but Seong-bin’s head darted around as if worried the people inside might have heard.
Je-ho lowered his voice even further.
“It looks like nothing’s going to happen, so even if it’s just me staying here…”
The sound of a heavy table being roughly shoved aside cut Je-ho off. His gaze reflexively snapped toward the source of the noise.
“Jeong Seong-bin, go get the managers.”
Choi Je-ho pushed open the meeting room door and lunged inside. The sight of the displaced table and Kim I-wol, who had one knee hooked over it as he grabbed his father’s collar, was shocking enough.
But all Choi Je-ho could see was the man’s hand reaching for Kim I-wol’s head.
‘Not the head.’
Je-ho grabbed the man’s arm with one hand. With the other, he wrapped his arm around I-wol’s head, pulling him away from the man. Beneath his fingertips, he felt the uneven texture of a scar.
“Are you people even human?”
Kim I-wol gasped for breath.
Choi Je-ho shook off the man’s arm and pulled I-wol down from the table. The moment his feet hit the floor, I-wol lunged at his father again. Shouts and the sound of people rushing in erupted from all sides.
“How do you manage to make a worse choice than I expected every single time? Why the hell do you live like that?”
As Choi Je-ho grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, Kim I-wol used his arms to try and push Je-ho away.
“Let go.”
“Once you calm down.”
“Why should I?!”
Je-ho tightened his grip. Even with both arms pinned, Kim I-wol remained defiant.
Technically, Choi Je-ho was the one prone to anger. It wasn't that he didn't understand how I-wol felt.
But he couldn't just let I-wol charge forward.
If he injured his head again… He couldn't help but think that way.
“Just leave them be. If they hit us, we won’t stay still either. We’ll call the police immediately.”
Kim I-wol’s parents remained nonchalant. Brushing off their crumpled clothes a couple of times was the extent of their reaction.
“For people so quick to think of the police, you sure had no problem abandoning your own child. How did you live all this time, too scared to face the music until the statute of limitations ran out? Was it because you already had a taste of that blood-drying experience that you couldn't abandon me?”
Kim I-wol screamed. Even then, Choi Je-ho didn't fully understand everything I-wol was saying.
“The important thing is that we kept raising you.”
“And? You want me to be grateful?”
Kim I-wol’s body trembled. Seeing the veins bulging on the back of his hand, Je-ho thought he was holding him too tight and loosened his grip, but the veins were bulging all the way up to I-wol’s temples.
“You should have just abandoned me instead.”
“…”
“Do you know what Noona did for you? Noona…”
Unable to continue, Kim I-wol clutched his throat and muttered in a hollow voice.
“Why…”
“…Kim I-wol?”
Choi Je-ho leaned down to check I-wol’s complexion. The two eyes meeting his were staring into empty space.
“Why… why won’t you let me say this either…”
“Hey, Kim I-wol.”
“If I don’t, it’s only Noona who gets the short end of the stick. Noona is…”
His fingertips dug into his neck, turning white with the force. Long, red marks were left wherever his fingers passed.
“Why! Why?!”
Filled with resentment, Kim I-wol let out a scream. Droplets of blood began to seep out from the skin of his throat as he choked out the words.
“Hey!”
“I can at least say this much. I have to let them know what they’ve done!”
Choi Je-ho grabbed I-wol’s wrists. Even though his hands had lost their autonomy, I-wol didn't relax his strength.
As Je-ho forcibly dragged him away from his family, I-wol’s body shook. His voice cracked pathetically. His breathing had long since become irregular.
“It wasn't just once, it was twice. How am I supposed to accept this?”
“…”
“After all those years of devotion. After working so hard without ever hearing a single kind word.”
Words poured out without a subject. At the sound of him seemingly about to hyperventilate, Choi Je-ho looked for a bag.
Je-ho quickly picked up a paper bag and stood up. However, he couldn't approach I-wol immediately.
Choi Je-ho’s footsteps faltered as he looked at I-wol.
“At least… you shouldn't have done that to Noona…”
Over Kim I-wol’s flushed face, tears were streaming down.
Jeong Seong-bin appeared late. Upon seeing I-wol’s state, Seong-bin’s face turned deathly pale.
“Chan-yeong Hyung, get these people out of here.”
“We’re not finished talking yet.”
At Je-ho’s words, I-wol’s family protested. The managers forcibly pulled the two of them to their feet.
“What more is there to say? Look at the state he’s in. Please, leave.”
“Decide right now. When are you giving us the money?”
“I said, that’s enough!”
Im Chan-yeong raised his voice.
“I’m not giving it to you.”
Kim I-wol spoke as he wiped his tears with the back of his hand. His skin turned red from the rough gesture.
“I can’t. Why would I give that to you?”
Despite his dazed expression, I-wol’s pronunciation was clear.
“To me, that’s money Noona gave me. I have no reason to give it back.”
“Do you know that acts of depravity are subject to severe punishment?”
“Sue me if you want. I’m not afraid.”
As he said this, Kim I-wol didn't look like someone used to such situations… he looked exhausted.
The woman clicked her tongue as she watched I-wol curl into himself, his heavy breathing audible to everyone.
“They say becoming a celebrity is a shortcut to mental illness.”
Pyeong Dae-yeon, who had entered with the others, shoved the two intruders toward the exit.
As soon as the outsiders were gone, Jeong Seong-bin rushed over to Choi Je-ho and Kim I-wol.
“Hyung, are you okay?”
“…Headache medicine, please.”
Kim I-wol clutched his head.
“My head hurts. I need… some medicine…”
“Go get the medicine he takes. And some dressing bandages… no, just bring the whole first aid kit. We have water here.”
Seong-bin looked at I-wol’s neck, then at Je-ho’s face, and hurriedly stood up.
As if his legs had given out, Kim I-wol slumped to the floor. He was still pressing one hand against his temple.
I-wol’s other hand fumbled across the dusty floor.
“Medicine, I… medicine…”
“Seong-bin said he’s getting it.”
Fearing he might break his fingernails scratching the floor, Choi Je-ho had no choice but to firmly grip I-wol’s wrist.
“He probably… can’t find it. Maybe because… it’s hard to see.”
I-wol spoke haltingly.
Just as Choi Je-ho was about to stand up to get him a glass of water.
“That’s because… I hid the bottle.”
Kim I-wol said something nonsensical.
“Because the Department Head hates it… I put it behind the calendar, where it can’t be seen. You won’t find it right away. I… I should go find it…”
When Je-ho first heard that I-wol had been badly hurt, he was angry.
When I-wol collapsed clutching his heart, he was shocked.
And now…
“Supervisor, please… just to my seat… please…”
…He was terrified. Watching Kim I-wol speak gibberish with unfocused eyes.
Kim I-wol fainted before Jeong Seong-bin could return with the medicine. While the returned Seong-bin covered I-wol with a blanket and applied a bandage to his neck, Choi Je-ho couldn't say a word as he supported I-wol’s limp body.
“I can’t concentrate.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon sprawled out on the practice room floor.
“My mind is all over the place…”
Park Ju-woo and Kang Gi-yeon didn't argue with Cheong-hyeon’s words. Instead, they turned off the music and sat quietly beside him.
“Nothing bad happened, right?”
Kang Gi-yeon nodded at the question with a predetermined answer. Cheong-hyeon let out a sigh.
“Yeah, what’s worrying here going to change?”
Cheong-hyeon brushed off his pants and stood up. Almost simultaneously, the practice room door opened without warning. Park Ju-woo, who was about to restart the music, dropped his phone.
Im Chan-yeong spoke as he caught his breath.
“Guys, let’s stop practice for today and head home early.”
“Pardon?”
Kang Gi-yeon blinked. Lee Cheong-hyeon, who had been standing with a blank expression, muttered, “Kang Gyeon,” as he lightly nudged Gi-yeon’s arm and started packing his things.
The atmosphere was restless all the way to the parking lot. Lee Cheong-hyeon swallowed hard.
“…What about I-wol Hyung?”
Park Ju-woo, sitting in the passenger seat, asked as soon as he buckled his belt.
“He went back to the dorm first with Je-ho and Seong-bin.”
The fact that Im Chan-yeong was choosing his words carefully was clearly conveyed to the three of them.
After that, no one dared to speak during the drive. There was much they wanted to ask, but they held it in.
After parking the car, Im Chan-yeong called out to the members.
“Guys.”
“Yes.”
“If anything happens, don’t worry about the time and call me immediately. Got it?”
Park Ju-woo, Lee Cheong-hyeon, and Kang Gi-yeon rarely heard such things. Most announcements were handled by Jeong Seong-bin or Kim I-wol.
The implication of Im Chan-yeong’s uncharacteristic behavior was clear. It meant the two people mentioned were in a state where they couldn't even listen to a simple request.
With stiff faces, the three entered the foyer. As if he had been sitting on the sofa, Jeong Seong-bin walked out with a pale face.
“…You’re here?”
Whether he looked exhausted or simply out of his mind, Seong-bin’s face was half-vacant. Park Ju-woo called out his friend’s name.
“…Seong-bin.”
“…”
“Are you okay…?”
Seong-bin abruptly looked up. Then, he immediately covered his face with one hand and lowered his gaze.
“I’m sorry. I… should explain, but I think I’ve lost my mind right now.”
Seong-bin spoke with difficulty, his head still bowed.
“I-wol Hyung is sleeping, so please don’t make too much noise. Ju-woo… if it’s okay, could you give me a moment?”
“…Yeah.”
Park Ju-woo wrapped his arm around Seong-bin’s shoulder. At a nod indicating they were going in, Lee Cheong-hyeon and Kang Gi-yeon gave small nods in return.
Before the bedroom door could even close, Jeong Seong-bin burst into tears.
“…He’s so pitiful, what are we going to do?”
In a voice that made the listener’s heart ache, Seong-bin spoke while stifling his sobs.
“I know I shouldn't pity him carelessly. But, to Hyung, it’s just too…”
Seong-bin ultimately couldn't finish his sentence. Once the door closed, silence enveloped the living room.