By Zephyria 
The woman gave up on dissuading me and focused on quietly clearing the table. Having tidied up efficiently, she placed six teacups on a tray and skillfully brewed the tea. Once again, there seemed to be no portion for the Omega father.
“Is there anything else after tea?”
I asked in a slightly exhausted voice, and the woman replied softly, “No.”
“You’ll leave after the tea time, so please bear with it a little longer.”
“That’s one relief.”
As I let out a hollow laugh, my pocket vibrated. As expected, it was Lee Kyung-jin.
—Young Master, I’ve bought it.
“Ma’am, please open the main gate slightly. Mr. Lee, the gate will be open, so please come to the front entrance.”
The woman hesitated for a moment, but at my urging, she secretly walked to the intercom and opened the gate. I slipped out the front door and waited for Lee Kyung-jin.
“Young Master. Young Master?”
He called out to me happily, but upon seeing my face, Lee Kyung-jin looked shocked.
“Your face, your nose, why is it…….”
“Something happened. Sorry for calling you in the middle of this. The thing I asked for?”
“Here it is.”
I took what Lee Kyung-jin handed me, put it in my pocket, and said, “Thank you.”
“Did something happen?”
“Now isn’t the timing to talk about it; I’ll tell you later if I get the chance. I’m in a hurry, so I’ll head back in. Sorry.”
“Ah, yes.”
Leaving a bewildered Lee Kyung-jin behind, I went back inside. The woman was just bringing the tea into the living room. I followed her toward where the family had gathered.
I scanned the situation. Grandfather was sitting leisurely in the master’s seat, the family members were seated on either side just as they were at the dining table, and the Omega father… he was kneeling obediently on the floor, having prepared a washbasin of water and a dry towel at Grandfather’s feet.
This is really too much. What is wrong with the family members watching this? I’ll give the eldest and second brothers a pass since they are children of the first wife. I’ll give the sister-in-law a pass since she’s not of this house’s bloodline and can’t easily speak up. But I have no idea what the Alpha father is thinking, keeping his mouth shut in this situation after desperately clinging to the Omega father just to share a bed.
“Wow, Grandfather is doing a foot bath.”
I approached Grandfather with a vacant smile. The moment I opened my mouth and spoke, the family’s faces stiffened again. What is that brat trying to pull now? While that sentiment was vividly conveyed, I strode forward and approached Grandfather.
“Why haven’t you dragged this brat out yet?”
Grandfather spoke in an angry voice toward the Alpha father.
“Oh, why are you like this? I’m a blood relative of this house and a child of this house. If you act like this, strange rumors will spread outside. That’s just a disgrace to the family.”
“Look at the way he talks. This is why they say you must be born from the right womb. Born from a womb with no roots, how could the child from that womb be normal?”
I don’t know who decides those “roots.” If you go back far enough, we’re all descendants of Grandfather Dangun. I guess he grew up without hearing those songs.
“My, Grandfather’s personality is so refreshing. He just blabs away regardless of who’s listening. You should have gone into politics; why didn’t you? You’re better at shouting than most politicians. Your voice is quite strong.”
I pulled the kneeling Omega father up and took his place. Sitting comfortably cross-legged, I briskly rolled up Grandfather’s pant legs.
“The youngest grandson will give you a foot bath today. Grandfather must be so happy. To have a grandson who does a foot bath for him. Right? Who does this these days? Everyone’s too busy making a living.”
I praised Grandfather and myself, talking busily as if playing drums and gongs. I grabbed Grandfather’s foot, which was resisting with strength and disapproval, put it in the water, and scooped water with my hand to splash it over his leg.
“I mean, why is everyone acting like this? The tea will get cold. Drink your tea. Father, please sit too. Is this the first time you’ve seen a grandson being filial? I guess the children of this house have lived their whole lives without being filial. Why are you staring as if it’s so amazing? As if you’ve never washed Grandfather’s feet once.”
I turned my gaze and looked at the family, and they turned their heads away as if afraid of making eye contact. From above, I heard the sound of a groan being swallowed.
“Oh, Grandfather. The dead skin is just bubbling up. Our Grandfather is rich in dead skin, rich in dead skin. You should wash often even if it’s hard; if you don’t wash because it’s tiring and annoying, you’ll get sick. I’ve prepared something to wash you cleanly, knowing this would happen.”
I took out from my pocket the item I had asked Lee Kyung-jin to prepare for this moment. These days they come in various colors, but it was the green Italian towel I specifically told Lee Kyung-jin to buy. I put it on my hand, soaked it in water, and scrubbed Grandfather’s foot rapidly.
“Ack! What is this!”
Startled by the sting, Grandfather struggled with his leg. I hugged his leg tightly with both hands and scrubbed his foot vigorously with the hand wearing the towel.
“This is the instant cure for removing dead skin. Wow, look at this callus. Grandfather, you won’t even need insoles in your shoes. How many centimeters is this on the heel?”
“You damn brat!”
When he couldn’t shake me off his leg, Grandfather lifted his foot and kicked the washbasin. The water from the overturned basin drenched me. Hit by the water splash, I shook my wet hair and held up the Italian towel on my hand.
“Are you not in the mood for a foot bath today? I prepared this specially; you should have endured it even if it stung a bit.”
Actually, since I scrubbed with all my might, it probably wasn’t just “stinging a bit.” As evidence, red streaks were drawn all over Grandfather’s leg.
I gave a silly smile, and Grandfather kicked out at me. Hit by the strong old man’s foot, I rolled once on the wet floor and fell.
At this untimely flood, the family members scrambled to one side to avoid the water. As they stood there staring down at me and Grandfather, I laughed imagining what they were thinking. The only word that would come to mind is ‘psycho.’
“From now on, make sure that brat can’t even set foot here.”
“No. I’m coming back next time. Next time, and the time after that. I’ll keep coming until Grandfather passes away.”
“Never open the door. If you let that brat in, don’t think you can come here either.”
Grandfather spoke firmly, and I smirked while lying on the floor.
“Even if you shake me off, I know where this place is. I’ll find my way here alone and scream outside the gate for you to open the door. Because I’ll miss Grandfather so, so much. If rumors spread that the Chairman of Hosan Hospital treats his grandson coldly by leaving him outside the door, oh, that would be truly embarrassing. Everyone who knows will know anyway, but there’s a whole different dimension between ‘knowing through the grapevine’ and ‘having definitive evidence spread.’”
“What on earth are you trying to do!”
Eventually, Grandfather screamed at me. He had been speaking to the other family members as if I weren’t there, but it seemed he could no longer endure it.
Do you see me now? Do I look like a human to you now?
“Why are you so angry? I served Grandfather’s meal and even gave him a foot bath today. You’re too much, getting angry at a filial grandson. I don’t know how to cater to Grandfather’s whims.”
“Still, this brat…!”
As Grandfather strode toward me as if to step on me, the Alpha father held him back.
“Father, please calm down. This is just a foolish child acting out, so I will speak to him in a way he understands.”
“You! You didn’t listen to me and brought in that rootless thing, and this is the result? What a disgrace!”
“I’m the one who got hit and I’m the one who got drenched in water, so why is it my disgrace? This is Grandfather’s disgrace.”
“Cha Soo-kyung!”
As I stood up and spoke, the eldest brother intervened as if he had found his timing, calling my name in a stern voice.
Hey, you think you’re helping, but you’re out of luck. You’ve kept your mouth shut until now, so even if you step in now, you won’t hear anything good from Grandfather or me, so just back off.
“Grandfather. Treat people like humans. You’ve learned well, aged gracefully, accumulated wealth, raised children, seen grandchildren, and even own a respectable hospital; if rumors spread that this kind of thing happens at home, everyone will rise up. If it’s posted on the internet, people might say it’s fake. Where would such a thing happen these days? Once it’s confirmed as true, a hundred thousand antis will be created overnight.”
“That, that… that mouth!”
“Is there anything left? I’m looking forward to what’s left. What comes after tea time and the foot bath?”
Fluttering my clothes, which were completely soaked in foot-washing water, I smiled with a refreshed face. When I tilted my head and looked at the eldest brother, he stepped back with a completely appalled expression. He looked like a child afraid of getting poop on him if he stayed close.
I turned to look at the second brother, but his expression wasn’t much different from the eldest’s. I thought the younger one had a bit of a volatile personality, but in this situation, he seemed to have a timid streak, unable to utter a single word.
“Grab him and throw him in a hospital immediately. He’s completely lost his mind; throw him in a psychiatric ward right now.”
“There are many exposé programs these days. What if I actually lose it and send my story there? You know that chaebol family issues are incredibly popular, right? So don’t say things you don’t mean.”
Grandfather took a deep breath and strained his wide-open eyes. Lasers don’t come out of your eyes just because you open them wide. Don’t pass out from high blood pressure and just relax.