At Madam Seo's mention of something "painful," Eunwon remembered the news reports about Baum Group's eldest son dying after a horseback riding accident.
He had never met the man, so he hadn't felt the grief one would feel for family. Even so, he remembered spending several days reading article after article about the accident, unable to shake the strange heaviness that had settled over him.
"After losing Yunhan... it was very hard on us. We both buried ourselves in work and pretended we'd gone back to our normal lives, but it wasn't that simple."
"......"
"Once we finally had the chance to collect ourselves, both Yunhan's father and I kept thinking about you, Eunwon."
Listening to her gentle, exhausted voice left him feeling strangely unsettled.
Why did she suddenly call me here just to tell me all this?
"I know it must be uncomfortable hearing this after everything that happened six years ago. After the way we treated you..." She lowered her eyes. "I was terribly foolish back then. It was hard enough for me to accept that my husband had an older son I knew nothing about."
"......"
"So in a way... I was relieved that he chose to ignore you and your mother."
"......"
"I'm sorry, Eunwon. I shouldn't have treated you so cruelly."
The unexpected apology made his heart beat unevenly.
He had never wished for an apology.
Nor had he ever hoped they would finally accept him.
What his father and his father's wife had done six years ago had undoubtedly hurt him. But he hadn't spent those years clinging to that day in bitterness or resentment.
That was why this apology felt even more sudden.
"It's late, but... if you'll allow me... I'd like to be a proper parent to you from now on."
"...What?"
"Your father has changed a great deal as well. Losing Yunhan gave him a lot to think about. He deeply regrets turning his back on his own flesh and blood... and I feel the same."
Madam Seo looked quietly at Eunwon's hands, which rested together in his lap.
Then she gently covered them with her own.
Startled by the unfamiliar warmth enveloping his hands, Eunwon instinctively drew his shoulders in.
"Come home, Eunwon."
"........."
"Come home and let us be your family. Be my son... our son. I want you to return to the place that was always yours."
Her voice remained gentle and affectionate.
And yet something about it felt undeniably wrong.
Everything was happening far too quickly.
For six years there had been nothing between them. No contact. No relationship.
And now...
Our son.
It felt as though every step in between had simply been skipped.
He couldn't make sense of any of it.
"I'm sorry it took us so long."
"......"
"We should have done this the moment we learned about you. I'm truly sorry, Eunwon. Will you give me the chance to be your mother, even if it's only from now on? I want us to become a family."
It was sudden.
Confusing.
Impossible to understand.
And yet words like family... mother... coupled with the warmth of another person's hand kept pressing insistently against the deepest part of his heart.
Since being left alone in the world, they were things he had neither heard nor felt anywhere.
Even so...
He couldn't simply accept this unfamiliar affection.
An hour ago, he had believed these were people he would never see again for the rest of his life.
How could they become family so suddenly?
"...Thank you for saying that. But... everything happened a long time ago, and it isn't something I've been holding onto... so... you really don't need to worry about it."
For the briefest instant, the warm smile on Madam Seo's lips stiffened.
She closed her eyes once before opening them again, and the same gentle, understanding smile returned as though nothing had happened.
"I understand how you feel. I know this isn't something you can decide overnight. I know all that. It's just... seeing you again made me so happy... and so sorry... I suppose we let our emotions get the better of us. I'm sorry."
"...No... It's alright."
"But at least promise you'll think about it. It's late, but from now on I'd like to give you everything you've ever wanted. I want us to live together as a family."
Now Madam Seo clasped both of Eunwon's hands, almost pleading.
When he saw the tears welling in her eyes, something inside him softened ever so slightly.
"...I'll think about it..."
"Thank you. Thank you so much. Your father will be so happy to hear that."
Even though saying he would think about it was nowhere near the same as agreeing to move into the house, Madam Seo thanked him over and over again with radiant smiles.
The warmth of her hands...
The warmth in her eyes...
Their awkwardness...
The strange sense that something didn't quite fit...
None of those feelings blended together. Instead, each remained separate, pulling his heart in different directions.
"Your father should be home soon. Would you like to see him before you leave?"
"...Ah... No. I think... I'd better go home today."
"Of course. You've heard far too much all at once today. We'll take things slowly. The car is waiting, so let it drive you home, Eunwon."
"No... I'll go by myself..."
"We brought you all the way here, so of course we'll take you back as well. Don't feel uncomfortable. This is something you deserve, and before long, all of this will become perfectly normal to you. Ah, one moment."
Smiling at him, Madam Seo walked off somewhere.
Eunwon remained where he was, trying to sort through everything that had happened.
His thoughts refused to come together.
She returned carrying a large box.
"Take this with you. Our pastry chef makes an excellent apple pie. You hardly got to taste yours because you were so uncomfortable."
Before he could protest, she called over one of the household staff and handed over the box.
"Put it in the car."
"Yes, Madam."
Madam Seo turned back to Eunwon, smiling warmly once again, and gently patted his back.
The gesture...
It felt almost exactly like the way his own mother used to comfort him.
Heat rushed into his eyes.
The thought of his mother filled his mind so completely that he didn't know what to do with himself.
Three years had passed.
He had believed he'd become strong enough not to cry just anywhere anymore.
Apparently he had been wrong.
"Thank you for coming today, Eunwon. Let's see each other again soon. I'll be in touch."
"...Yes. I'll be going now. Goodbye."
Madam Seo walked with him through the garden to where the car was waiting, gently patting his back once more.
After bowing, Eunwon climbed into the rear seat as the chauffeur held the door open.
The countless eyes watching him...
The unfamiliar kindness...
Everything made his body tense.
Knock.
Someone tapped on the window.
As it lowered, Eunwon looked up at Madam Seo, who had bent down to meet his eyes.
"Get home safely. I was truly happy to see you today."
Unsure how to answer, he simply bowed again.
The car began to move.
Watching the darkly tinted window slowly rise between them, Eunwon let out a long, quiet breath.
"We'll take you home."
"...Yes."
His address had never been given.
Yet the chauffeur never asked for it.
Lowering his gaze, Eunwon realized there was no reason they wouldn't already know where he lived.
These were people who had found the convenience store where he worked.
Of course they had investigated him.
He knew he had every right to resent that.
Every right to say something.
But right now...
He simply didn't have the strength.
"......"
I can't breathe...
Staring out at the endless darkness beyond the window, Eunwon released another faint sigh.
***
"Hey. I'm getting married."
The casual way Cha Sejin delivered those explosive words startled Do Haejun so badly that he choked on his champagne.
Across from them, Kang Seohu, who had been eating cheese while watching the soccer match, turned to stare at him as if he'd misheard.
"You're doing what?"
"Getting married."
"Holy shit. To Han Serin? Guess her drunken rant on that private account finally paid off."
"The hell's wrong with you?" Sejin scoffed. "Why would I marry her?"
"No? Then who are you suddenly marrying?"
Tilting both his head and champagne glass back together, Sejin drained the rest before flashing an amused grin.
"No idea."
"...No idea?"
"Yeah. Haven't met them yet."
Only then did Do Haejun understand what he meant.
As he refilled Sejin's glass with champagne, he shook his head.
"So you're taking the Ki Jaehyuk route?"
"As if I'd ever take that idiot's route."
"Jaehyuk said the exact same thing before he got married. Swore nothing would change. Then he completely lost his mind over his spouse."
"Exactly. Who the hell gets married and ends up falling that hard?"
"He says marriage suits him. Says he's happier than he's ever been. I ran into him at an event last week, and he actually asked if I was still living the same way. Told me to get my life together."
"What a loser. Since when does he get to lecture anybody? We'll see how long that act lasts. Two years, tops. The second he comes crawling back, I'm never letting him hear the end of it."
Thinking about his former friend, who had become a completely different person the moment he got married, Cha Sejin clicked his tongue in disgust.
The very thought of it was pathetic.
"Damn... I already feel sorry for whoever ends up marrying you."
"Why? They should be thrilled."
Kang Seohu looked at him in disbelief.
Sejin leaned back, crossing one long leg over the other.
If he was being honest, this arranged marriage was a fantastic deal—for the other person.
Simply by marrying into S Group, a conglomerate with unmatched scale, prestige, revenue, and influence, they'd already be gaining more than most people could dream of.
And that wasn't all.
They'd also become the spouse of Cha Sejin himself.
On the other hand...
He was the one taking every loss.
Getting saddled with the title of married man before he was even thirty was a loss.
And even though he hadn't seen his future spouse's face yet, if they turned out to be unattractive, he'd be stuck looking at that face for the rest of his life.
Then what if their rut came around...
And he had to sleep with someone whose face he couldn't stand?
...Fuck.
Maybe I shouldn't get married after all.
This really isn't going to work.