A chill crawled up the back of Yi Kyung’s neck.
Had I really not……?
Perhaps he hadn’t.
He simply found it difficult to believe that alone had been enough to put Seung Jae in such a sharp mood. Maybe something else had displeased him. Or perhaps something had happened at the office that afternoon.
"I was thinking about the paintings we saw at the exhibition."
Yi Kyung wasn’t lying. Was it merely his imagination, or did Seung Jae’s gaze soften slightly?
"We’ll go again next time."
Would there even be a next time? Yi Kyung gave an almost imperceptible nod. He supposed it wouldn’t be so bad if someone were there to guide him through the paintings again. More than anything, contrary to all his worries, it had arguably been the most peaceful time he had experienced in the past several days.
Im Jeong Yoon’s explanations had been that good. Her voice had also been pleasant to listen to. That was why he had been able to disregard everything around him and lose himself completely in the paintings.
Holding his fork in his left hand, Yi Kyung stared silently down at the plate before him. Perhaps because he had agreed automatically with whatever Seung Jae said while his mind was elsewhere, the steak had arrived barely cooked, with blood still seeping from it.
"What is it?"
"Oh, nothing."
Yi Kyung hurriedly moved his fork. When he pressed it firmly into the meat, the blood welled an even deeper red. He put the piece into his mouth, then, urged on by Seung Jae’s gaze, ate another. Yi Kyung chewed mechanically. He had no room to notice what it tasted like.
Haseon Hospital.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
A hideous scream flooded the VIP hospital room.
Seo Dong Hoo, his head and both hands wrapped in bandages, thrashed on the bed. Summoned by a nurse, his attending physician rushed in and administered a painkiller.
After burying his head in the pillow for some time, Seo Dong Hoo turned his face. His eyes were bloodshot. Blood had also seeped through the bandage around his forehead.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, the physician reached toward Seo Dong Hoo’s head. Dong Hoo kicked him away and shouted.
"That bastard hit me over the head first!"
The physician had already heard the story thousands of times. Whenever the painkiller began to wear off and the agony surged back, Seo Dong Hoo repeated the same words.
"Vice President Seo, you’ll bleed even more if you keep this up. Please calm down first—"
"Do I look like I can sit still right now?"
He slapped away the physician’s hand once again. The man finally retreated from the bed and kept his distance. He waited for Seo Dong Hoo to calm down, but there was no sign that he would.
"My hands! My hands!"
Broken bones would knit together with time, but Seo Dong Hoo’s eyes burned with fury and grievance.
As though venting his rage, he kicked and smashed the furnishings in the room. No one knew how long it had been going on when the door opened and President Seo Young Hwan appeared. Neatly dressed in a suit, his graying hair disheveled from his haste, he rushed inside.
"Dong Hoo! My son."
President Seo barely managed to calm Seo Dong Hoo and sit him down on the edge of the bed. Only then did the attending physician look around. His face fell at the sight of the room, which resembled the aftermath of a disaster. This scene had already repeated itself more times than he could count.
The physician first sent everyone else away. The door opened and closed until only Seo Dong Hoo, President Seo Young Hwan, and the physician remained.
"That bastard hit me over the head first!"
Raising his bandaged hands, Seo Dong Hoo repeated himself yet again. The words spilled from his mouth without pause, as though he were expelling all the pent-up rage inside his chest.
"He told me to come, so I went! He told me to sit, so I sat down! Then he suddenly hit me over the head and asked which hand it was! I told him to listen to me, but that lunatic wouldn’t hear a word I said! He only believed Yi Kyung and did this to me without even asking questions! Look at my hands! Look at what state they’re in! Whose fault do you think this is?"
President Seo turned his head. The deep wrinkles across his forehead extended to the corners of his eyes.
"I’ll compensate you for everything, so you may leave us now."
The attending physician, who had remained there until then, cleared his throat and excused himself. Once he left, only the father and son remained in the room.
"Do you know what Yi Kyung said to me? He told me to go kneel in front of Director Han."
"That boy did?"
President Seo listened with a puzzled expression. He trusted every word spoken by his eldest son, an alpha, but even he found that difficult to believe. Hadn’t Seo Yi Kyung always been reluctant to voice what he truly thought?
"I’m telling you, he did! You don’t believe me now? He got married, and now he thinks he can act like that because he has Director Han behind him!"
Seo Dong Hoo’s voice rose as his fury flared again.
"He didn’t look at me the way he used to! He stared at me like I was some kind of insect."
Late that night, Seo Yi Kyung tossed and turned in bed.
The only light in the darkened room came from outside the window.
Sitting up, Yi Kyung drew the curtain aside slightly.
The terrace was empty. Although they had visited the art exhibition and eaten dinner together, Seung Jae had not come home with him. He had merely told Yi Kyung to go to bed first.
Yi Kyung stared out into the cold darkness. Rain had fallen until late in the evening, leaving the sky heavy with dark clouds. Suddenly, he remembered the painting of the view beyond the window at the exhibition.
The warm scene in the painting had held the languid glow of sunlight. It had looked comfortable and peaceful, a stark contrast to the overcast view Yi Kyung now saw outside his window.
Yi Kyung turned away, his expression subdued. Perhaps he could ask Butler Do tomorrow if they could visit the exhibition again.
He looked down at the cast around his right hand. He was scheduled to receive physical therapy during the day. It might be nice to take the opportunity to see the paintings once more.
Once the exhibition ended, he would not be able to see them again.
"……Young Master Yi Kyung, you’re awake already?"
Yi Kyung came downstairs early the next morning. Butler Do, who had been speaking with the housekeepers, noticed him and approached.
"Breakfast isn’t ready yet."
Butler Do glanced behind him before looking back at Yi Kyung. He even seemed strangely excited.
"After we go to the hospital today, I’d like to visit the exhibition from yesterday again……"
That was hardly a difficult request. Butler Do readily nodded, and a rare smile spread across Yi Kyung’s face.
Yi Kyung ate a hearty breakfast earlier than usual and headed upstairs. Butler Do watched him go, then slowly turned his gaze toward the painting studio.
After seeing the studio that day, Yi Kyung had not gone anywhere near it. Yet perhaps yesterday’s art exhibition had appealed to him greatly. It was even possible that he was beginning to have a change of heart.
Knock, knock.
After a brief knock, Secretary Park opened the door.
The office commanded an expansive view, though the blinds had been lowered to block the sunlight. The shelves were crowded with gifted ceramics, ornaments, and documents. Secretary Park passed the long sofa and table, then reached the desk. Setting down documents for approval and a white envelope, he spoke casually.
"The driver reported a short while ago that he had taken him to the hospital."
Han Seung Jae, who had been reviewing a report on a financial investment product currently being developed within Myungjun Group, stilled his pen. Only then did he lift his head and look at Secretary Park.
"Which hospital?"
"Haseon Hospital. Apparently, today is the day he is scheduled to receive physical therapy for his injured wrist."
Seung Jae looked at the metal watch around his wrist. It was 2:25 p.m. After checking the time, he turned the page of the report.
"Thank you."
Secretary Park considered saying more, then decided against it. Perhaps because Seung Jae had spent the entire night sitting at his desk, his gaze looked unusually sharp.
After Secretary Park disappeared through the door, Seung Jae leaned deeply back in his chair. Light filtering through the blinds fell across his face.
He reached out and picked up the white envelope. He did not feel like looking inside. After all, the person Seo Yi Kyung had gone out to meet yesterday had been him. There was no need to check.
He opened a drawer. A row of identical envelopes stood inside it. Seung Jae casually tossed the latest one on top.
Seo Yi Kyung stepped out of the sedan and entered Haseon Hospital. Wearing a jacket over his shirt, he quickened his pace to follow Butler Do.
Yi Kyung took off his jacket and rolled his shirtsleeve up to the elbow. Throughout his physical therapy session, his expression was brighter than usual. Watching him, Butler Do cautiously spoke.
"I’ve been worried because you haven’t seemed interested in painting at all lately. Seeing you enjoy it again makes me happier than I can say."
Restlessness and anxiety had alternated within Yi Kyung all this time. He had been forced to watch Seung Jae’s moods while also struggling to adjust to his changed surroundings.
But yesterday, he had finally felt at peace for the first time in days. That was why he wanted to experience that feeling once more before the exhibition ended.
After completing his physical therapy, Yi Kyung had the cast placed back around his arm and stepped outside. As he walked beside Butler Do, his face looked peaceful for once.
"Why, you—"
Butler Do stopped abruptly and turned his head. Yi Kyung watched him hastily bow, then slowly looked back.
An older man with graying hair stood there. With a gesture, he dismissed the employees around him.
It was Seo Young Hwan.
"Yi Kyung."
"……?"
Even then, Yi Kyung did not immediately understand the situation. Butler Do quietly murmured to him.
"Young Master Yi Kyung, shall I speak to your father on your behalf?"
Only then did Yi Kyung look properly at the graying man.
President Seo Young Hwan.
He was Seo Yi Kyung’s father.
"Does it make you feel better, seeing what you did to your brother? Just what in the world……"
What did you tell Director Han for him to leave the boy in that condition?
President Seo clicked his tongue and swallowed the rest of his words. He could not ignore the people passing through the hospital corridor.
Yi Kyung could not make sense of what he was saying. Then he remembered the slight change in Seung Jae’s demeanor when they had met on the terrace after Seo Dong Hoo’s visit.
Had Seung Jae done something to him?
"Follow me."
Seo Young Hwan turned away. Butler Do started to follow, then stopped and opened his mouth to say something.
Before he could, Yi Kyung silently followed his father.