Chapter 89
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89
"Han-byeol, let's eat."
Yeon-ju, having finished preparing dinner, stepped into Han-byeol's room. She found him sitting in his desk chair, lost in thought, and her eyes widened slightly.
"Son, what are you thinking so hard about? You need to eat."
"Where's Grandma?"
"She said she'll be a bit late. I think we should eat first."
"Okay."
As Han-byeol stood up and left the room, Yeon-ju tilted her head. Something about him felt different than usual.
"I fried up some pork cutlets, your favorite. Sound good?"
"Yeah. Pork cutlets are always good."
Yeon-ju cut the pork cutlet for him, watching his reaction closely. The boy ate in silence, but something felt strangely off. As a mother whose entire life revolved around her child, she couldn't miss even the slightest change in his demeanor.
"Han-byeol, did something happen at school today?"
"Not really. Just got into a little fight with the other kids playing soccer."
"Really? Why?"
"Probably because I was too good."
Han-byeol spoke nonchalantly, but his mother couldn't take it so lightly. Had it been a big fight? Was he being bullied? Her imagination was already running wild.
‘Actually, I used to do very dangerous work.’
But Han-byeol's mind was elsewhere, completely filled with thoughts of Eun-seong. He was preoccupied, endlessly replaying the story Eun-seong had told him in the car just before sunset.
‘That's why I traveled to different countries. I had to protect my family.’
‘Like in the movie we filmed?’
‘Exactly. There's someone who actually lived through the story of our movie.’
Eun-seong had explained that he was someone who did incredibly dangerous work, which was why he’d had no choice but to live far away from his family.
‘I had to, if I wanted to protect my family, right? Because bad guys were trying to hurt them.’
‘Yes, I understand. But what about now? Are you not doing that dangerous work anymore?’
‘Not anymore. I've eliminated all the bad guys. That's why I can finally find my family.’
At the mention of finding his family, Han-byeol squeezed his eyes shut. As a fan of hero movies, Han-byeol pictured a cool hero rescuing his family from hostages, and he easily believed Eun-seong had done just that.
He was even convinced that the "Filial Piety is Money" mister was more than capable of such a feat.
"Han-byeol, you need to eat."
"Huh? Oh, right. I'm eating."
Han-byeol, who had been staring blankly at his rice bowl, picked up his spoon again. But his mind continued to revolve around his conversation with Eun-seong.
The mister had said he was only now able to find his family. But because they had lived apart for so long, he also said his family seemed to have forgotten him.
‘Then you can just tell them, mister. Tell them you're family.’
‘Would they believe me? If someone who had been away for ten years suddenly showed up and said he was your dad, would you believe him?’
‘Of course! Definitely. I'm sure they'd believe you.’
He had answered from the heart, genuinely wishing for the mister to find his family.
...The shocking part came next.
‘Han-byeol.’
‘Yes?’
‘The family I found is you and your mom.’
As his thoughts reached their climax, Han-byeol set down his spoon. Wow. No matter how many times he replayed it, the shock was immense.
"Han-byeol, what's wrong?"
To think the mister is my real dad.
"Han-byeol?"
To think we were family all along.
"Go Han-byeol, can't you hear me?"
He heard his mother's voice, but his brain couldn't formulate a proper response. He stared blankly at the pork cutlet, then squeezed his eyes shut as if to organize his thoughts.
The moment he realized the mister was his real dad, he had been so shocked he couldn't speak, only blink. Goosebumps had erupted from his toes to the top of his head, a chill like the dead of winter washing over him.
After agonizing over what to say, simply staring at Eun-seong, who waited patiently without another word...
Han-byeol had gathered his courage and spoken.
‘I think I already knew. Because I used to wish you were my dad.’
‘Ah...’
He didn't remember what happened next very clearly. The mister had gotten out of the car, come over to his side, dropped to his knees, and hugged him tightly.
The mister was crying.
‘Taek-heon, overwhelmed with a flood of emotions upon finding his son.’
Han-byeol suddenly recalled a line of stage direction from the script. Taek-heon, overwhelmed with a flood of emotions upon finding his son. Taek-heon, overwhelmed with a flood of emotions.
What did it feel like to be overwhelmed with a flood of emotions? Was it happiness? Sadness? Or some other feeling he didn't know yet?
The mister had cried just as much as he had during the final shoot. He couldn't be sure, but it felt like a flood of emotions. The sound of his crying was so sad that Han-byeol found himself crying too, without really knowing why. As he cried, he felt sad; his heart ached with a sorrow he couldn't name.
They wept endlessly and held each other tight, as if putting an end to a long separation. Needing to confirm it one last time, Han-byeol had asked his remaining questions.
‘Am I really your son? Are you really my dad?’
Tears choked his voice, and Eun-seong simply nodded.
‘Did you... miss me?’
He only nodded again.
‘Then from now on, we won't be separated?’
At the final question, he nodded for a long, long time. Han-byeol loved his broad chest, his large hands, and his scent—so different from his mother's. Slowly, he had wrapped his arms around Eun-seong's neck.
Snapping out of his reverie, Han-byeol raised his head and looked at his mother. She was staring at him, her expression silently asking, What is wrong with him?
"Mom."
"Han-byeol. Something is going on, isn't it?"
"Mom. Mom."
When Han-byeol called out to her several times only to hesitate, Yeon-ju's expression grew tense. Convinced that something major had happened at school, she decided she would call his teacher tomorrow.
"Yes. Tell me. You can tell me anything, Han-byeol."
"I have something to say, but I need you to promise you'll listen."
"Okay. I'll listen to anything."
"Promise?"
Wondering what on earth he was going to say that required a promise, Yeon-ju hesitated for a moment. She worried he might ask for something impossible, but she decided to trust him.
"Okay. I promise."
Having secured his mother's promise, Han-byeol took a deep breath.
‘But... does my mom know?’
‘I think your mom is very angry because your dad couldn't contact her for so long. Han-byeol, could you talk to her for me?’
"Mom. Let's live with my dad now."
"W-what?"
Yeon-ju's chopsticks clattered to the table, her eyes wide with shock. Swept up in a sense of duty, Han-byeol repeated himself, emphasizing every word.
"With Dad Eun-seong! Let's live together!"
Dad!
Don't worry, just trust me!
* * *
"What on earth did you say to him?"
It was nearly midnight when Eun-seong returned to Yeon-ju's house.
"You have no idea how shocked I was. I stopped eating mid-bite—wow, seriously, my heart is still pounding."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Yeon-ju pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh. Eun-seong turned the steering wheel, driving out of the alley.
"Well, I tried to explain it at a ten-year-old's level."
"So, what exactly did you say?"
She had planned to use Grandma's absence to have a serious conversation with her son. In fact, she had intended to bring it up naturally after dinner, but Han-byeol had beaten her to it.
Mom. Let's live with my dad now.
What kind of explanation had he given to win the boy over so completely that the word "Dad" came so naturally from his lips?
"Didn't Han-byeol tell you?"
"He won't. He said something about a non-disclosure clause and that promises must be kept, so he won't say a word."
At her reply, Eun-seong burst into a hearty laugh. It seemed the boy intended to keep the secret about his father's dangerous work around the world.
"No matter how much I ask, he won't tell me. He just told me to forgive his dad. He said there was a good reason for everything, and isn't it enough that he came back healthy?"
"Wow."
"Can you believe this?"
Yeon-ju held out her palms, looking utterly baffled, while Eun-seong chuckled.
"In any case, it's a relief. Isn't it a good thing that Han-byeol is accepting it so quickly?"
"Of course it is, but it's just so absurd and bewildering. You could have given me a heads-up. Do you know how foolish I looked in front of him?"
"I didn't expect Han-byeol to act so fast."
"He's impatient, just like his dad. Reckless, too."
Having muttered that without thinking, Yeon-ju looked slightly embarrassed and stole a glance at Eun-seong. He pulled the car over in a quiet spot and turned to look at her.
"We called each other 'Dad' and 'Son' countless times during filming..."
...He hadn't planned on crying. He had no intention of crying.
"But when Han-byeol called me 'Dad' today, it drove me crazy. The feeling was completely different."
"I guess Han-byeol is happy. To have a dad."
"I'm so grateful. I was lucky to meet him through filming first. We already bonded."
"Yes."
Yeon-ju let out a long breath, feeling as though they were smoothly clearing a hurdle she had once thought insurmountable.
Relaxing, she rested her head on his shoulder. She had been frantic and bewildered, with no time to calm her startled heart, but now she finally felt at ease.
"I need to sort out my affairs quickly. Rumors spread fast in this industry, so the story will break soon."
"Will you be okay?" Yeon-ju asked, keeping her eyes fixed ahead, not yet having the courage to look at him.
She had asked out of pure anxiety, but his reply was incredibly simple.
"I told you. Success requires many things, but to be happy, you just have to keep it simple."
At his words, Yeon-ju slowly closed her eyes.
...There was a time when she didn't know how to calmly erase her anxiety.
A time when it was hard to believe in a distant happiness based on simple words that everything would be okay.
Right. Let's just focus on now. We live in the present.
"I'd like you to hold my hand."
"I'd love to."
The present.
The near future.
* * *
After dropping her off, Eun-seong drove home. With one hand on the steering wheel and his elbow resting on the open window frame, his thoughts continued to churn.
The filming was nearly finished and could be wrapped up on schedule, but he still needed to sort out the remaining details. The issues that would arise from abruptly changing agencies were daunting enough; he had no time to waste.
The scandal would break soon. He was well aware that the number of reporters tailing him had already increased significantly. Dodging them was only a temporary fix.
The thought of it all made him anxious. He had to find a way to keep Yeon-ju and Han-byeol safe, and quickly.
"Whew..."
A heavy sigh escaped him. Although he had told her to keep things simple, his own mind was more cluttered than anyone's.
He was worried she might get hurt. Worried she might not be able to handle it.
How could he reveal the absolute truth to the world? How could he navigate the process of going public without anyone getting hurt?
Eun-seong pulled the car over. No matter how he looked at it, there didn't seem to be a way to get through this unscathed, and a sense of helpless fear washed over him.
"I can do this. I can do this..."
With his head bowed, he chanted the words to himself like a mantra, clinging to the faint hope that they would make it through safely.
Just as his chest rose and fell with another heavy sigh, his phone rang. It was Tae-gon.
...It's time.
Eun-seong straightened his back and answered the call. His voice was steady, betraying none of the anxiety he'd felt moments before, as if he'd never once bowed his head in doubt.
"Go ahead."
He had been waiting.