Goldensun Who Even Reconciles Families
Hakhoon's long story finally came to an end, and Seong-muk responded calmly.
"Alright, I get it. I understand what happened to you."
"...What do you think about my story, then?"
"I could tell you, but right now, there's someone more qualified to judge."
"You mean...?"
"Dojin, you can come out now."
"...Yeah, hyung."
"............!"
Dojin emerged from behind the rooftop door.
Hakhoon's eyes went wide.
"You said we should talk alone...!"
Hakhoon glared at Seong-muk with a sense of betrayal, but Seong-muk had already arranged for Dojin to follow them on the way there.
"This is the best way. Dojin figured there might be some circumstances on your side. If even he can't be convinced, there's no way Doyeon noona would ever be—I'm sure of it."
"......Ugh."
In the end, Hakhoon stood face-to-face with Dojin.
Though the size difference between them was huge, Hakhoon looked shrunken and subdued.
Dojin met his father's eyes steadily, then spoke with a heavy voice.
"Honestly, it's hard to believe now, after all this time?"
"Yeah, I suppose it is..."
"So make me believe it."
"Wh-what...?"
"Show me proof. I want to believe."
"...Alright, I will."
Hakhoon opened his thick briefcase.
As if prepared for this, he pulled out a binder and handed it to Dojin.
"........."
Dojin flipped through the pages rapidly.
How much time passed?
Thud!
After a long silence, Dojin closed the binder.
He let out a deep sigh.
"This doesn't feel great... learning a side of Mom I never got to see."
".........!"
Dojin seemed convinced after reviewing Hakhoon's documents.
He lowered his gaze, then dropped a bombshell.
"Dad, I tried to kill myself earlier this year."
"...Wh-what did you just say?!"
"Back at Jinseong High, I got bullied relentlessly. By the baseball team seniors and those thugs targeting noona."
"Those bastards—I'll kill them right now!!"
Hakhoon looked furious, ready to explode.
Dojin grabbed his shoulder to calm him.
"Calm down, Dad. It's all in the past, and I'm not telling you this to get you mad."
"R-right..."
"Anyway, when I was ready to give up on everything, Seong-muk hyung saved me."
"You did...?"
Hakhoon stared in astonishment.
"So that's why you suddenly left Jinseong High for Munhyeok High... you followed him."
He stroked his chin, nodding as if it made sense.
"If it weren't for hyung, I probably wouldn't be here. And noona would've been ruined beyond repair."
"...My sin is great."
It was something a father should have done.
Yet a mere high schooler like Seong-muk had stepped in. Hakhoon felt ashamed as an adult—and grateful.
"I'll forgive you. You must've been suffering too, and it seems like you've reflected."
"Kuhk...."
"I'll help convince noona too, but I can't promise it'll work. Unlike me, who was just a baby back then, the darkness she went through was far deeper."
"...Yeah, I suppose so. That's more than enough."
With that, father and son shared a brief embrace. Dojin then turned to Seong-muk.
"We're going to see noona right now. Wanna come, hyung?"
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You might play a key role in convincing her."
".........?"
Seong-muk wondered if his involvement was needed now that Dojin was on board. Curious, but he agreed anyway.
"I don't know what it is, but if you need help, sure."
And so the three headed off.
To talk with Doyeon—the biggest obstacle.
"Hmph, hum hum...♪"
Doyeon was in a great mood.
Seong-muk and Dojin had said they'd drop by the office briefly to see her.
I should treat them to something tasty.
She'd heard about Munhyeok High's festival today but hadn't gone, worried about the stares for crashing a high school event like some lovesick fool.
Of course, she desperately wanted to see Seong-muk. And now he was coming right to her office.
Dojin smartly excusing himself would be ideal, but just seeing them lifted her spirits.
Her sky-high mood crashed to the ground with a thud.
".............."
Doyeon froze, breathless.
She'd come out to meet Seong-muk and Dojin—why was that man here?
"Doyeon-ah..."
"I have nothing to say to you. Go home."
Doyeon whipped around.
And started walking away fast.
"Doyeon-ah...!!"
"...Noona! Wait, just talk for a sec!"
As Hakhoon and Dojin called out in surprise,
Seong-muk bolted after her without hesitation.
"Noona."
"............!!"
Seong-muk hugged her tightly from behind.
Her whole body tingled like an electric current was running through it. Her mind screamed to shake him off, but her body wouldn't obey.
"Th-this won't do! Let go...!"
"Whatever you decide after hearing him out is up to you, noona. Just listen first. Please."
"......Ugh."
Seong-muk's thick, bulging arm muscles pressed starkly against her skin as he held her tight.
A honey trap numbing her reason.
Caught like this by the man she loved, she had no choice.
"...Hoo, fine."
Doyeon finally relented with a sigh.
Only then did Seong-muk release her.
"Let's go to the café nearby. We can talk there."
"...Okay."
The four headed to a nearby café.
There, Hakhoon began his long tale.
Things he couldn't tell her before, things she never knew. Doyeon couldn't accept it easily.
"......Impossible."
"It's true, noona. I checked it myself."
"How could..."
Each shocking revelation was backed by Dojin, lending credibility.
Quite some time passed, and Hakhoon's story ended.
".............."
Doyeon stared blankly.
Tears soon welled in her eyes.
"...I still hate you."
".........!!"
Everyone's eyes widened.
Only Hakhoon wore a bitter expression, as if expecting it.
"Yeah... I suppose so."
He resigned himself to unforgiveness, but Doyeon's tears weren't from that.
"Why tell me now? You should've been honest sooner...!"
"........."
"Why suffer alone like an idiot...!"
"Doyeon-ah......"
"Hic, sob. Money and status never mattered to me. I just wanted you by my side..."
She broke into sobs.
He crumbled too.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault..."
The father and daughter reunited in a sea of tears.
Once she calmed, their relationship reached some resolution.
"...Dad."
"......!"
Hakhoon flinched.
The long-lost title warmed his chest again.
"I'll forgive you. Now I know you suffered just like us..."
"Ahh..."
Forgiven by both children, Hakhoon's eyes welled up once more. Seong-muk watched warmly from the side.
...Good thing.
Seong-muk was glad he'd helped.
As Doyeon, Dojin, and Hakhoon dove into their unfinished talk, Seong-muk quietly slipped away.
Time passed. When Hakhoon emerged from the café, he thanked Seong-muk sincerely.
"...Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without you, I couldn't have even apologized properly."
"Just doing what needed doing."
"Is there nothing I can do for you?"
"Pardon?"
"Embarrassing to say it myself, but I'm the president of the Korea Baseball Association. Surely I can help with something."
".............."
Seong-muk pondered briefly.
Then he met Hakhoon's eyes.
"What I want is......"
In the spot Seong-muk left.
Association President Hakhoon chuckled heartily.
"Heh, well now."
It was a first for such a request.
Seong-muk's words were simple.
For this national team selection, please make it fair. Purely on merit—no backgrounds, origins, blood ties, or regional biases.
"Smart kid."
Hakhoon thought it a clever ask.
He watched all his son's away games religiously, so he instantly knew who it referred to.
Probably that North Korean kid, Ri Donghyeok.
Seong-muk was a lock anyway, so excluding him, Ri Donghyeok was the only Munhyeok High player worthy of national team contention.
Having secretly followed Dojin to watch every Munhyeok High game, Hakhoon knew Ri Donghyeok's skill well.
He has the stuff for the national team, but his background will hold him back.
Ri Donghyeok's public label as the "son of a North Korean elite official" was fine for playing in the Korean league, but fatal for the national team.
Without someone of Hakhoon's stature intervening, Ri Donghyeok had no shot at South Korea's roster, dead or alive.
Of course, if Seong-muk had bluntly asked to "pick Donghyeok," he'd have been disappointed.
He'd honor the debt, but no deeper ties.
Despite his looks, Seong-muk seemed serious about baseball—with monstrous talent and brains to match. Hakhoon approved.
He grinned at Doyeon, just exiting the café.
"Doyeon-ah, you've picked a fine man."
"......!?"
"This dad's cheering you on."
"Wh-what are you saying all of a sudden...!!"
"The women in our family always matched well with younger guys, after all."
"Awaawa......"
Doyeon short-circuited from a few words.
Hakhoon tugged his tie, gazing skyward.
...Alright, time to grant my son-in-law's request.
The national team selection meeting tomorrow.
Not usually his place, but Hakhoon planned to attend. For Seong-muk alone.