Three Years Old, Saving the Family
Choi Deok-bae, nodding and singing his own praises, stood before Choi Yoon-gi, who had now reached the age of three. "A proxy exam?" At the response from Yoon-gi, whose development of his vocal organs now allowed him to speak properly, Choi Deok-bae wore a look of immense satisfaction. It had taken some time for Yoon-gi to master the use of honorifics when speaking to Deok-bae, but Deok-bae’s persuasive efforts had played a significant role in that. Having changed his mind immediately after that conversation, Yoon-gi had been able to use honorifics with Deok-bae without much difficulty ever since. Of course, deep down, the thought that it was still 'a hassle' remained firmly rooted in his mind.
"You could just take the exam yourself, you know." A bitter expression flickered across Choi Deok-bae's face. "Would treating someone to a meal really break the bank?"
"But why did you become a government official, Grandfather?"
"I see."
"Because I never had the opportunity to study."
Choi Yoon-gi recalled his former self from his days as Kim Chanyeol. Back in elementary school, the books he brought home were torn to shreds by his father—a man who drank like a fish—while he shouted, 'What use is this crap!' The next day at school, he was beaten to a pulp by his homeroom teacher for 'eating' his torn books. Afterward, he only ever encountered trashy teachers who hit the children because their parents didn't provide kickbacks, so he naturally grew up with a wall between him and his studies. "Life was hard enough, and living soaked in alcohol meant I couldn't even think straight."
Just as he finished answering, Choi Deok-bae suddenly turned his head and gestured for him to clear away the books spread out on the floor. Yoon-gi, too, struggled to lift the books, which were as large as his own torso, and tucked them into the bookshelf on the floor.
Creak!
"Oh my, our little prince. Were you playing with your toys?"
Park Yeon-ji appeared in the room, gazing at her son playing with blocks with a warm expression before sitting down in front of him. "Mom, play with me too!"
The tutoring session turned into playtime in an instant, but Yoon-gi didn't have a single complaint. Even if his mind was that of a forty-year-old, receiving love he had never experienced before was a truly pleasant feeling.
"Yes!"
The Yoon-gi who spoke like an adult in front of Choi Deok-bae vanished, and in his place, only a lovely three-year-old child remained. Ever since he had received the explanation from Deok-bae, Yoon-gi had been thoroughly acting the part of a young child in front of his parents and the rest of his family. It was, quite literally, advice worth its weight in gold.
Having said this much, Choi Deok-bae seemed to want to leave the mother and baby to their own space, sliding along the wall and vanishing. However, returning in less than three minutes, Deok-bae opened his mouth with a slightly troubled expression. When Yoon-gi reacted as if he had heard him by giving a slight cough, Deok-bae continued.
Sure enough, the sound of the doorbell rang, and a moment later, a housekeeper entered the room to cautiously announce a visitor. "I'll go see who it is. Yoon-gi, can you play nicely by yourself?" Park Yeon-ji stroked her son's hair a few times, offered a benevolent smile, and left the room.
Having said this much, Choi Deok-bae closed his mouth as if he had finished his job and lay down in mid-air with his legs crossed. Unlike Deok-bae, however, Yoon-gi wore a very serious expression. Even if he were destined to become the Chairman just by sitting still, he didn't want to let trouble befall the Samwoo Group, which he intended to make his own.
'What can I do... If only one condition is met...'
Yoon-gi asked Choi Deok-bae, who was lying down with his eyes closed. "Is that guy coming into this room?"
When an impish expression appeared on Yoon-gi's face upon hearing the answer, Choi Deok-bae let out a 'ho-ho' sound, observing the situation as if he found it quite interesting.
"This is my son, Yoon-gi."
At Park Yeon-ji's words as she opened the door and entered, the con artist mentioned by Deok-bae, Kim Shin-ju, burst into a hearty laugh and stroked Yoon-gi's hair. "He looks so sharp, just like his mom and dad. I'm sure he'll look great in a judge's robe later."
"Ho ho ho, I'll go make some coffee, so please wait here with Yoon-gi for a moment."
"Take your time. I'll play with Yoon-gi."
As soon as Park Yeon-ji left, Kim Shin-ju, acting as if he had no interest in Yoon-gi, rummaged through his jacket. Deciding that he probably shouldn't smoke here, he smacked his lips in disappointment. It was just an indifferent gaze. However, unlike the indifferent Kim Shin-ju, Yoon-gi had a mischievous plan.
"Mister, Mister."
Kim Shin-ju smirked as he watched Yoon-gi toddle toward him, calling out with the pronunciation of a young child. "He's a completely different creature from that tiger-like old man."
But soon, Kim Shin-ju's expression turned to annoyance.
"What, what is this!"
Seeing the liquid soaking his pants and socks a wet yellow, along with Yoon-gi's white inner-wear pants that had turned yellow, Kim Shin-ju couldn't help but shout out loud. And at that moment.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
It was the first ear-piercing cry he had let out since Park Kyung-ja had held him. The cry was so loud that it carried past the closed door and reached Park Yeon-ji, who was making coffee in the kitchen.
"Yoon-gi!"
Crash!
She almost suffered burns because she dropped the boiling teapot she was holding, but the housekeeper was startled and caught the falling teapot with her hands, preventing Yeon-ji from getting burned. Instead, the housekeeper, who had reflexively grabbed the teapot, burned her hands, and the teapot she dropped due to the extreme heat hit the wall, spilling boiling water all over the floor with a loud noise. But Park Yeon-ji was not in a state of mind to notice such a situation.
'Father-in-law told me never to leave Yoon-gi alone!'
The fact that she had let her guard down because nothing had happened since the first birthday party was the root of the disaster.
"Yoon-gi!"
As soon as she opened the door to the baby's room, the situation in the room hit Park Yeon-ji's eyes at a glance. Her son was crying like a madman, clutching his head, and Kim Shin-ju was hunched over, his hands reaching toward the boy's head. In particular, because Kim Shin-ju had taken off his hat, his flattened hair combined with his sharp, slanted eyes gave him the look of a sinister roasted chestnut vendor from an alleyway, making the sense of crisis feel even more intense.
"N-no, this is, I really..."
"Get out of the way!"
Park Yeon-ji was busy holding and comforting Yoon-gi, who was clutching his head and sobbing with tears streaming down his face. "Yes, Yoon-gi. Mommy's here. That man was bad, wasn't he? Don't cry, okay?"
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Clearly, Choi Yoon-gi's head was perfectly clean, without a single scratch or red mark, but there was no way such a thing could be visible to a parent's eyes. With her child clutching his head and crying while in the presence of a third party, wouldn't anyone be able to picture the situation?
Even while crying in his mother's arms, Yoon-gi never smiled or relaxed his expression, continuing to wail. While Choi Deok-bae floated around, Yoon-gi was busy acting out his tears, and at the same time, Kim Shin-ju was busy trying to explain himself.
"No, I really didn't do anything!"
"Well, a child might make a mistake and pee, so why are you hitting him!" Kim Shin-ju pounded his chest, feeling wronged. "No, I really didn't do anything. Please believe me."
"Then why is the child crying for no reason? You must have been angry because he peed and hit him on the head! How could you hit such a young child's head? What are you going to do if he ends up brain-damaged!"
Park Yeon-ji, shouting at the top of her lungs, was not the frail woman standing before a sturdy man, but a strong mother standing up against external pressure. Because of this, Kim Shin-ju, feeling suffocated, made the worst mistake of his life.
"No! I'm the real victim here! I stayed still even when the kid peed on my pants, so if you blame me just because the kid cried on his own, what does that make me!"
"What is all this noise!"
At the appearance of the murderous Choi Ki-hyun, Kim Shin-ju's pupils froze in an instant.
"Father! Sob, sob!"
With a reliable reinforcement appearing, Park Yeon-ji burst into tears and ran toward her father-in-law, still holding her crying