A Long-Overdue Reunion
I am an orphan.
A complete orphan.
A child with not a single blood relative to look after him.
I had been in the orphanage since before I could even remember.
I was five years old when I first entered the orphanage.
I have absolutely no memory of what my life was like before then.
The same goes for my parents' faces.
Because of that, thinking about them never made me sad.
To me, they were simply strangers.
There was only one thing I knew about my parents.
That they were both dead.
And that was why I grew up in an orphanage.
That was all.
'And now, of all times...'
Grandparents?
It was an incomprehensible development.
"We ran a check on our end, and they really are your biological grandparents."
Kang Mina brought up the subject cautiously.
Indeed.
I hadn't agreed to meet them right away.
Before anything else, I needed a fact check.
I had to know if they were actually my biological grandparents, or just scammers who had caught wind of my orphan status and decided to try their luck.
"They said they desperately want to meet their grandson," she added.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I conveyed your stance to them, Hunter Lee, but they were incredibly persistent..."
I let out a dry chuckle at Kang Mina's words.
"How amusing."
"Pardon?"
"I have them to thank for growing up as an orphan, after all."
"..."
"Refusal of custody by the grandparents."
"Ah..."
Eighteen.
That was the age I found out, right as I was leaving the orphanage. It was written in the various documents I had to review.
Parents: Deceased.
Admitted to the facility following the grandparents' refusal of custody.
Even so, I hadn't resented them.
I simply assumed they had circumstances so dire they couldn't even take in their own grandson.
It was easier to think of it that way.
But now?
After twenty long years.
Grandparents who hadn't looked for me even once were suddenly seeking me out?
And they had come all the way to the Hunter Administration Office to do it?
"..."
To be honest, I didn't feel glad. I felt suspicious.
Well, some might say I was being too cynical.
But still.
In situations like this, one had to keep a cold head.
The moment you let emotions take over, you were ruined.
Even if they were blood relatives, even if they were the only family I had left in the world.
There was no need for tearful embraces.
"Should we decline the meeting, then?" Kang Mina asked.
I slowly shook my head.
I had no intention of refusing.
In fact, I actually wanted to meet them.
Out of affection?
Out of loneliness?
No.
I wanted to confirm something.
I needed to find out exactly what their intentions were in approaching me now.
Only by making that clear could I prevent any future headaches.
"I'll meet them."
"...Will you be alright?"
"Is there any reason I wouldn't be?"
I stood up with a smile.
My nonchalant attitude seemed to surprise Kang Mina instead.
"Then..."
"Yes. Please schedule it as soon as possible."
"Understood, Hunter Lee."
"Oh, and Ms. Kang."
"Yes?"
"If they happen to cross the line."
"..."
"Don't hold back."
"Ah..."
"There's no need to go easy on them for my sake."
"I understand. I'll keep that in mind."
"Good. I'll be taking my leave now."
I left the room with a casual smile.
"...You met your grandparents?"
Do Sangjin, who was peeling a pineapple, looked at me with a surprised expression.
Impressive. To think he could peel a pineapple as easily as peeling an apple.
"No, I didn't actually meet them. They apparently came looking for me while I was eating at the cafeteria."
"You mean they came to the Administration Office?"
"Yeah."
"And the reason you didn't meet them..."
"It's exactly what you're thinking."
"...You found it suspicious."
I nodded silently.
Slice.
Slice.
Slice.
Do Sangjin began to slice the pineapple with a serious expression.
"Indeed, the timing does not seem ideal."
"Right? It's weird that they'd suddenly show up now."
"Are you certain they are actually your blood relatives...?"
"They are. Ms. Kang verified everything."
"I see..."
"Still, we can't let our guard down."
I picked up a bite-sized piece of pineapple and ate it.
"The reason I'm telling you this is because I think they might try to approach you too, Sangjin."
"Understood. I will keep that in mind and avoid contact."
"Yep. If you see a suspicious old man and woman, avoid them at all costs."
"Though I suspect they might be the ones to avoid me..."
Do Sangjin laughed sheepishly.
Well, true.
Even if he was my housekeeper—no, secretary—there was no way they would willingly approach a massive, muscular man standing nearly two meters tall.
"Still, it doesn't hurt to be careful."
"You are correct. I will also caution Jumin separately."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
"Then, as for meeting them..."
"I'll probably meet them within the week."
"That is soon. Would it not be better to avoid meeting them altogether...?"
"No, it's better to deal with these things as quickly as possible."
"..."
Do Sangjin looked at me with a worried face.
He hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"If there is anything I can do to help you, Hunter-nim..."
I let out a soft chuckle.
I knew he would say that.
"Don't worry. I've been an orphan for twenty years."
"..."
"I'm completely fine."
"Yes, I know. You are the strongest person I know, Hunter-nim."
"So don't worry—"
"But even strong people have times when things are difficult."
"..."
Tsk.
Is that so?
Maybe.
I scratched the back of my head.
"...Alright. I'll let you know if anything happens."
"Yes."
Do Sangjin smiled in relief and handed me the plate piled high with pineapple.
"Well then, please finish eating. I shall get to cleaning..."
"Got it."
I munched on the neatly sliced pineapple.
It was crisp, sweet, and perfectly ripe.
Do Sangjin's fruit-selecting skills were getting better by the day.
Haha.
"Hmm..."
Do Sangjin's suggestion to avoid them entirely made sense.
If nothing happened and we just lived as strangers, that would be for the best.
But what if I swept it under the rug and it blew up later?
That would be even more troublesome.
Especially if they started playing media games.
Would I be able to hold back then?
To prevent such a disaster beforehand, it was right to meet them now.
'Am I thinking too negatively?'
Maybe I was worrying too much.
Well.
If they turned out to be decent people, I could figure things out then. It wouldn't be too late.
Two days later.
As requested, Kang Mina quickly arranged the meeting.
The venue was a restaurant that Go Juhee had rented out entirely.
She assured me that the staff here were trustworthy, so there was no need to worry about any leaks.
'Hmm...'
Still, now that the day had arrived, I felt a bit of tension.
I suppose it was only natural.
No matter how I looked at it, this was the first time I was meeting anyone who could be called 'family.'
I had even put on a suit to show some decorum—the same one I wore to the press conference.
"Are you..."
"Taepyeong! It's you, Taepyeong!"
"Oh my, you look just like our son...!"
"Come here, our grandson. Let me hug you!"
The moment I opened the door and walked in, two elderly people tried to embrace me with tears streaming down their faces.
"I'm fine."
I calmly rejected their touch.
Honestly.
It was weird, wasn't it?
We were strangers who had lived apart for twenty years.
There was no way I could feel any affection for them now.
"O-oh, I see..."
"Haha, we're still strangers to you, aren't we?"
The two of them looked at me awkwardly before taking their seats.
"My, this place looks really expensive."
"Of course! Our grandson must have booked a nice restaurant for us!"
"Is that so? Hohoho. I've never been to a place like this before."
"We've suffered so much, Taepyeong."
The two of them flipped through the menu.
"I don't even know what any of this is."
"Please bring us the best items on the menu," I told the server.
I quietly watched them.
"..."
For some reason, Kang Mina looked more anxious than I did.
"You have no idea how shocked we were when we saw you on TV, Taepyeong."
"Yes! But we recognized you immediately. You look so much like our son..."
"I thought my son had come back to life!"
"Whenever I think of our son... *sob*!"
The grandfather let out a deep sigh, while the grandmother wailed, pounding her chest.
"..."
I simply watched them, completely unmoved.
"I'm so glad we finally found you!"
"Yes, now that you have us, you don't have to worry about a thing!"
"..."
While they made a fuss, the food arrived.
Just as ordered, the 'best' dishes were served one after another.
"Please, eat."
"Yes, yes."
"We're living like royalty thanks to you!"
Chomp, chomp.
Gulp, gulp.
I watched the two of them devour the food as if they hadn't eaten in days, then quietly spoke.
"I heard you've been looking for me all this time?"
"Mph, yes, yes, we looked for you so much..."
"Your mother, *chew, chew*, was such a wicked bitch..."
The two of them didn't even look at me, their mouths stuffed with food.
"That's strange."
"Strange? You bet it is! Those ungrateful children... *gulp*!"
"*Belch*... That's why they shouldn't have gotten married in the first place... *hic*."
This was ridiculous.
I couldn't tell if the beings sitting in front of me were my grandparents or pigs.
"From what I know," I said.
Chew, chew.
"After my parents passed away,"
Chomp, chomp.
"the two of you refused to take custody of me."
"..."
"..."
A sudden silence fell over the table.
Stopping their frantic eating, the two of them exchanged looks.
"T-that..."
"We tried to find you! I told you, we tried!"
"Are you really bringing that up now?"
"Instead of being grateful that we found you...!"
The two of them began to shout, spitting food as they spoke.
Why were they getting so worked up?
Like people with a guilty conscience?
"That's quite different from the facts I've gathered."
"I don't know what you saw, boy, but you've got it all wrong!"
"Don't you feel any pity for us? We lost our child and have lived in poverty ever since!"
I let out a chuckle.
Then, I spoke.
"Ms. Kang, you said you investigated my parents, right?"
"Yes. The investigation into Hunter Lee Taepyeong's parents, Mr. Lee Daepyeong and Ms. Choi Eunyoung..."
Before Kang Mina could even finish her sentence,
Crash!
The grandfather slammed his water glass onto the floor.
"What do you mean, investigation?! We aren't criminals!"
Well, well.
What a temper.
"Continue, Ms. Kang."
"Yes. The father, Lee Daepyeong, entered the Babel Tower due to financial difficulties during the early days of the tower's appearance and went missing..."
"And?"
"The mother, Choi Eunyoung, also entered the tower due to financial difficulties and passed away."
"And what was the reason they faced such financial difficulties?"
"At the time, Lee Daepyeong's father had accumulated a massive amount of debt..."
Scrape!
The grandfather stood up, his face flushed red as he roared.
"Shut your mouth!!!"
He glared at me, trembling with rage.
"You... you insolent brat! Is this how you treat your grandfather?!"
Why wouldn't I?
"Where on earth did you learn such atrocious manners...!!!"
"So," I cut him off immediately.
"..."
"Did you think I would shed tears and hand over my bank account?"
Grandfather.
If I were that kind of gullible fool, do you really think I would have made it this far?