Chapter 79
Chapter 79
"......!"
Kim Sanho, who had spotted me with his head lowered, stopped abruptly as if a brake had been applied, then started waving his arms wildly in an X shape.
Was he happy to see me? In this situation?
"What were you just......!"
But at the very moment I was about to open my mouth, Kim Sanho flinched and put his index finger to his lips.
'Be quiet?'
I immediately shut my mouth and quickly took out my phone.
And I hastily installed the neon sign app. The one often used instead of placards at concerts, yes, that one.
'As short and concise as possible.......'
Ah shit, I must have pressed something wrong because flower petals started scattering.
Since it was urgent, I left them fluttering however they liked and finished typing the message.
Then I held up my phone high so Kim Sanho could see it clearly.
[What are you doing]
It looked peaceful, like asking how someone was, but it really was a desperate situation.
Kim Sanho, after checking my message, moved his lips earnestly.
'......What was he saying?'
I wrote another message.
[No memo pad?]
Kim Sanho, who had been nodding confidently, stopped moving.
Then he spun around and disappeared.
"......."
He had left the window wide open like that, so it seemed like he would reappear, but I didn't know how long I'd have to hang around like this.
Just as I was blankly watching a passing grandmother and her dog, Kim Sanho reappeared.
With... calligraphy spread out in both hands.
'Why did he write that so carefully for no reason?'
But I had no time to pick a fight.
Because what was written inside was much more important.
I'm trapped
I took a while to grasp the content.
The letters were readable, but I couldn't understand the meaning at all.
'Trapped?'
In the end, I decided to ask directly.
[Where]
Kim Sanho turned his back and disappeared again.
And a moment later he reappeared. Again holding calligraphy.
In the room
In the room.......
[By your father?]
Kim Sanho, who saw my message, nodded.
'So he was trying to escape through the window?'
I blankly measured the height from where Kim Sanho was to the ground.
"......No, um."
I had almost let out a sound without realizing, then shut my mouth.
The floor Kim Sanho was on was exactly the 6th floor.
Because of the height of the walking path, the distance between me and Kim Sanho was closer than that, but the distance from the 6th floor to the ground... if he fell, it would be at least a fracture.
Even looking up from below, one could feel how high it was; there was no way the guy looking down from above couldn't feel that.
'So he was in a state where he couldn't make rational judgments.'
That meant... this wasn't the time to be leisurely playing family parlor games like this.
I immediately typed a message.
[Wait]
Kim Sanho nodded vigorously.
Then suddenly he stopped nodding, turned his back, and disappeared again.
And he didn't come out for a long while.
'......Was it over?'
Or perhaps his family had caught him whispering.
But around then, Kim Sanho reappeared.
Again, calligraphy was spread out.
Romeo and
like Juliet
"......."
He looked at ease, so at least my worries were somewhat relieved.
* * *
Now, what was I supposed to do?
You might be curious, but before that, I needed to go over the situation with Hyun first.
The date Kim Ha-rok moved here would be roughly similar to the posting date of the community cafe post I saw earlier, so probably around the end of the year before last.
Seeing that even someone from the church who seemed close to Kim Ha-rok mistook me for his son, it seemed the residents didn't know the faces of the three brothers at all.
That meant that by the time Kim Ha-rok moved here, the brothers had already left home. Including Kim Sanho.
But.
—He asked me to tell you to come straight home if your son ever showed up. So why did you come so late! Your father has been waiting so anxiously.......
Although I had never had a child myself, if it were me, I wouldn't particularly want to talk about a child who ran away from home.
Even more so if the reason they left was because of oneself.
On top of that, a celebrity whose every move gets posted online just from moving house was personally spreading his potentially shameful family affairs.
'Isn't he a psychopath?'
At first, I thought so.
If he was truly a person lacking something and didn't even realize his own faults, and thus considered himself a father abandoned by his heartless son... then it was entirely possible he would go around blabbing about it himself.
But, it didn't seem that way after all.
'The conversation was too strange.'
No matter how striking Kim Ha-rok's family's appearances were, and even granting that I was too, it was weird for him to immediately call me his son when there was no resemblance at all.
It was even weirder to blurt out the home address as soon as he confirmed I was his son.
So, clearly Kim Ha-rok had been dropping hints.
Like that his son might come by anytime, or to tell him to come straight home if he did...... things like that.
This... felt completely different from missing his son.
He had something on his conscience.
"Hoo......."
Now I was standing in front of the common entrance of Building 107.
It was a little past 5 o'clock. As expected for an ambiguous time on a weekday, there weren't many passersby.
But if I kept loitering like this, I'd get reported soon, so I decided to act as quickly as possible.
And finally, the moment when everyone around had disappeared.
I entered the unit number on the intercom.
[Who is it?]
It was Kim Ha-rok's voice.
"I'm Sanho's friend."
Lying was dangerous.
Because this was a place where Kim Ha-rok had more allies than I did.
If things went wrong, I might not be able to set foot in this neighborhood again, and worse, it could blow up into a controversy for Seo Cha-gyeom.
So instead of trying any tricks, I just.......
"I can't reach Sanho!"
I decided to just tell the truth.
Just, a bit loudly.
"I can't get in touch with Mr. Kim Ha-rok's son―!"
[.......]
"Mr. Kim Ha-rok's son......."
As I was shouting diligently, I abruptly turned my head.
And I spoke to the empty space where no one was.
"Ah, I'm a friend of Mr. Kim Ha-rok's son. Suddenly my friend isn't answering......."
Then, a voice came through the intercom that had been quiet.
[Sanho is at home.]
"Then can I see Sanho?"
.......
[Come up.]
At the same time, the common entrance door opened.
'......He's not sending him down right away.'
Still, I had achieved half of it.
Usually intercom screens are just big enough for one face, so I figured he'd be fooled even with just this much.
Since there was definitely someone who knew Kim Sanho had been here, it would be impossible for him to feign ignorance.
From the cafe posts, he was crafting a gentle image, so he wouldn't be able to give his son's friend the cold shoulder in front of residents.
'Let's do some warm-up exercises first.'
I ignored the elevator and went up the stairs.
While pushing bicycles, discarded electronics, and other illegally stored items as far into the corners as possible, I made my way up to the 6th floor.
Finally, in front of Kim Ha-rok's door.
Even I was starting to get a bit nervous now.
And the special remedy I used whenever I got nervous was.......
[Knock knock knock.]
To just do it first and see what happens.
"I'm Sanho's friend!"
I heard a rustling sound from inside, and then a moment later, the sound of the doorknob turning followed.
And.
[Yank!]
"......."
......It wasn't Kim Sanho. And that killed the thrill.
I retracted the arm I had readied and greeted him politely, as if that had been my intention all along. To Kim Ha-rok.
"Hello."
"You're Sanho's friend?"
"Yes, I came to see Sanho."
"......Hmm."
Kim Ha-rok looked me up and down and spoke in a reluctant voice.
"Wait a moment."
"What's Sanho doing right now?"
"He's washing up."
Why did he have to wash up again.......
Thanks to that, an awkward silence flowed.
No, beyond awkward, it was dizzying. To the point where my face, which Kim Ha-rok was staring down at, felt like it was being pricked by needles.
"You're also a kid who wants to be an idol, right?"
"......."
I didn't even wonder how he knew.
It was a question everyone who saw me for the first time asked.......
"Why do you want to be an idol?"
Hmm, this was a rather unfamiliar question.
'Is he setting the stage for me to convince him?'
I didn't want to settle it peacefully, but it was still true that conversation was always the best. I started things off first and saw how it went.
"I......"
And after organizing what I wanted to say, I spoke.
"......Why don't you want Sanho to become an idol?"
I decided to skip the useless talk since it would come back to this topic anyway.
Kim Ha-rok, perhaps not expecting a question in return, frowned, then sighed.
"That music, I mean... it's called K-pop."
Was it because of the genre difference after all?
"That is really cool music."
"......."
It wasn't a tone of reluctant acknowledgment.
I had thought he was the typical artist type who hates commercial music, so this was unexpected.
"If you really like that kind of music......."
"......."
"Aren't there many other paths where you can keep your own values?"
......Hmm.
Something seemed greatly omitted, but I understood what he was trying to say.
I erased everything I was about to say and craned my neck, saying,
"Sanho came out."
It was true.
Actually, Kim Sanho had been hovering awkwardly near the inner door for a while. I just pretended not to notice because I was curious what Kim Ha-rok would say.
Kim Ha-rok turned around and faced Kim Sanho.
"Say goodbye and send him off."
Saying that, Kim Ha-rok distanced himself from me and stood blocking the inner door, as if watching us.
Kim Sanho, who had been glancing at him nervously, came closer to me.
"Hyung―."
I grabbed Kim Sanho tightly by the forearm.
"Let's go."
And I pulled him out the door.
[Bang!]
The door closed with a loud noise. Naturally, since I shut it forcefully.
[Thud, thud, thud!]
Leaving behind the sound of Kim Ha-rok frantically climbing over the shoe cabinet, we ran swiftly toward the stairs.
'He can't be persuaded.'
So I decided to stick to the original plan.
That is, grab and run.
The sound of pounding footsteps on the stairs echoed through the apartment floors. Since I heard a door click open just then, it seemed even the residents could hear it.
My legs gained momentum going down the stairs, and I was unconsciously leaping two or three steps at a time.
A strained voice came from behind.
"Hyung, I think I'm going to fall......."
"......I even told you in advance, why can't you run properly?"
In the end, from the 3rd floor we just walked down.
A moment later, we peacefully escaped the apartment building.
'For a rescue operation, there was no sense of urgency at all.'
Well, he was the type who was only a tyrant at home and outside couldn't even speak casually because he was wary of others' stares, so it was expected.
I took a deep breath and took out my phone.
"Who are you calling......."
"Who do you think."
Before the dial tone even rang twice, the person answered immediately as if they had been waiting.
I raised my head and looked up at the 6th floor.
"I'm taking Sanho, so don't look for him. If you contact us, I'll post about it online immediately. Saying you're a domestic abuser."
[.......]
Why hadn't I just threatened him like this from the start?
[......There are all kinds of weirdos.]
"......."
[Go ahead and post it. Let's see what happens.]
Right, I hadn't done it because I was afraid he might respond like this.
That's why threats should always be a last resort. Because if it failed, I wouldn't have even been able to get in.
Now that Kim Sanho was on this side, I didn't care how he reacted from up there.
[Click.]
"......."
The call ended.
I didn't hang up; he hung up first.
'Hmm.'
Was it settled then?
I put my phone in my pocket and checked Kim Sanho's condition.
Perhaps because I had given him a heads-up that we'd be running away together and to be ready, Kim Sanho looked fine for someone who had been locked up for three days.
"......."
".......
No, actually he looked a bit gaunt.......
I stared at Kim Sanho's face, which was dreary even under the summer sky as bright as midday, and suggested,
"......Let's go eat."