By Zephyria 
===
“…Young Master, please don’t let it weigh on you too much. She said those things because she was upset and drunk; I’m sure she didn’t mean them sincerely.”
“…Yes.”
As he held onto the banister and climbed the stairs to his room, Butler Kang, who had followed him up, placed a slice of strawberry cake and a cup of warm tea on the desk. In the quiet room, Eun-won stared blankly at the cake. He watched it for a long time, until the tea cooled and the steam stopped rising.
‘If it had been our Yun-han, he would have gone through with that marriage.’
‘If his parents were suffering like this… he definitely would have stepped forward. Because he’s a son. Because he truly cares for his mother and father.’
‘If it’s not Eun-won, our Jun-hyeok will die…. Eun-won, please save us….’
The thought that his father might die made his entire body tremble. The cold air of the hospital room where he had sent his mother away three years ago came rushing back, suffocating him. After that, he had finally found someone he could lean on.
Although there were still unfamiliar and awkward parts, he had a family by his side who called him ‘son.’
If that sanctuary were to collapse because of his hesitation, and if his father were to actually come to harm because of it… he felt as though he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
‘If it had been our Yun-han, he would have gone through with that marriage.’
What he had to do was now painfully clear. For days, everything had been vague and bleak, which had been difficult, but now it was too clear… and that was why it was difficult.
…Was he really being this selfish? If he had been a biological son born to those two people, would he not have hesitated like this?
Staring blankly at the cake, its cream slightly dried, Eun-won took out his phone. He went to his contacts and scrolled down to find the number Cha Se-jin had saved, but there was no number saved under that name.
He was sure he had saved the number earlier….
Wondering if he had saved it under a different name, Eun-won slowly scrolled back up. When he reached near the top, he discovered a contact name he hadn’t seen before.
[Husband]
Startled by the completely unexpected name, Eun-won’s lips parted slightly, and a thin breath escaped him.
“…….”
He knew that he could only be of help if he pressed the call button and delivered his decision without further delay, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was afraid. Was this choice truly the right one?
At the same time, he felt incredibly selfish for still hesitating because of his own fear.
What should I do……
Setting the phone down on the desk, Eun-won buried his face in his knees, which were pulled up on the chair. It was a long night where he simply couldn’t find his bearings.
* * *
After finishing his morning swim, Cha Se-jin ordered lasagna for breakfast from the chef. Because he had woken up late, both of his parents had already left for work, leaving the dining room quiet.
“Young Master, did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, Woo-jae. Have you eaten?”
“I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Let’s eat together.”
Upon hearing Cha Se-jin’s words, the servant hurried into the kitchen to notify them that they needed to prepare two servings. While drinking tomato juice, Cha Se-jin watched Lee Woo-jae rummage through his bag to take out a tablet and several other items. It seemed he had found out what he wanted within two days.
“I have a younger acquaintance working as an assistant butler at that house, so it was easy to find out. He worked at TK and moved to Baum a few months ago.”
“Yeah, tell me.”
“They say the atmosphere was very good for about fifteen days after Seo Eun-won arrived. The madam of that house is originally very sensitive and picky, and it’s said that it became significantly worse after her only son, Seo Yun-han, died two years ago. However, her attitude changed completely once she brought the illegitimate son into the house, and everyone found it surprising.”
Cha Se-jin had also seen the Chairman and his wife at social events a few times. They had always approached him first to greet him, and he vaguely remembered hearing stories everywhere that the Chairman’s wife was a former famous actress.
“How did she change?”
“They said she treated him even better than she had treated her deceased son. She doted on him so much that people wondered why she was suddenly acting that way, but about ten days ago, the house went into complete chaos again.”
“Why?”
“From what I’ve heard, the details are a bit strange. There is currently an issue at Baum, but it’s an issue that has absolutely nothing to do with Se-won. However, it seems she told Seo Eun-won that it was an issue related to Se-won. And that to resolve it, he must enter the arranged marriage Se-won wants.”
Once he finished his tomato juice, a steaming plate of lasagna was placed in front of him. Cutting the lasagna into bite-sized pieces with a knife, Cha Se-jin looked at Secretary Lee as if he couldn’t understand.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It seems she’s pressuring him by suggesting that Se-won won’t stay quiet if he doesn’t marry.”
“Didn’t they say they wanted to marry him off first? So why are they selling us out?”
After taking a bite of the lasagna, Cha Se-jin seemed to realize something and poked the lasagna plate repeatedly with his fork.
“Ah, so it can’t be solved by being honest?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Since they’ve already made promises to us, they can’t stall any longer, so they’re going to break the kid down and hand him over?”
“Poor Seo Eun-won, I suppose.”
“No wonder the kid looked out of it.”
Recalling Eun-won, who had been staring blankly with a face that looked like he was about to cry, then sagging, and then trembling, not knowing what to do, Cha Se-jin shook his head.
“Ah, and I received this last night. The night before yesterday—the night you met Seo Eun-won—the madam of that house got drunk and threw a huge fit. They say she was screaming at Seo Eun-won and then kneeling and begging; it was a mess. They sent a video of it; do you want to see it, Young Master?”
“Show me.”
The video was shaky, perhaps because it was filmed by stealthily holding out a phone, but the screen clearly showed the Baum madam causing all sorts of chaos around Eun-won.
—…Madam? Yes, to you, Eun-won, I’m still the madam! I’m the only one who sees you as a son, and I’m still the madam to you.
—If it had been our Yun-han, he would have gone through with that marriage.
—Eun-won, can’t you just save your father?
Watching the woman on the screen pour out resentment and then immediately beg and plead, Cha Se-jin rewound the video. This time, he examined Eun-won’s face as he sat beside the madwoman putting on a performance.
When she resented him for still calling her ‘madam,’ he looked flustered and lost, but when she said that a biological son would have married, he froze as if he were in shock. Then, when the woman finally knelt and pleaded, he lowered himself with her to help her up, and as she collapsed again, he helped her up once more, his voice trembling.
“They’re really fucking with that kid.”
The rewound video played once more. After taking one last bite of lasagna, Cha Se-jin looked at Eun-won’s face—which looked as if he were about to burst into tears—and put down his fork.
—If it had been our Yun-han, he would have gone through with that marriage.
“I wouldn’t have. Fuck, their dreams are fucking huge, seriously. Where the hell are they trying to push that face into?”
Cursing, Cha Se-jin stopped the playback and handed the phone back to Secretary Lee.
“Good job.”
“Is it okay to leave it like this? It wouldn’t be good if some strange rumor actually spread.”
“The people working in your house are filming videos and passing them around; it’s a bit much that it’s reached this far, isn’t it?”
“That’s true…. It might unnecessarily put the younger one in a difficult position.”
“But I think it’ll be over soon. Seeing the face he’s making, like he’s dying to see me.”
At Cha Se-jin’s words, Secretary Lee tilted his head. He had clearly watched the same video, but he couldn’t understand at a glance which part conveyed a ‘face that’s dying to see’ him.
“Did I perhaps miss something…?”
“Yeah, no. There are things you can’t see even if you watch it a hundred times.”
“Yes…. If you’re leaving for work now, I’ll have the car ready.”
“Yeah. Depart in 30 minutes.”
“Yes.”
Rising from his seat, Cha Se-jin walked leisurely, thinking of the completely exhausted Eun-won he had seen moments ago. Seeing that face—trembling on the verge of tears but unable to actually cry, facing an overwhelming situation—evoked various emotions. He wondered if he should even care since it wasn’t his business, but he also thought that even that face was pretty and arousing, and seeing a young thing trembling while driven into a dead end made him feel a bit sorry for him.
I mean, it would have been easier if he’d just decided when we met. Then I wouldn’t have had to watch that psychopath-like acting.
I told him I’m fucking decent, so why the hell wouldn’t he believe it.
Tsk, Cha Se-jin clicked his tongue and shook his head. Well, the kid was out of it back then, so he might not have been able to think that far. But now, the situation would have changed.