By Zephyria 
Ki Jae-eon swallowed hard in surprise.
No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t a misunderstanding.
The Ki Tae-ho of the world, no, his father!
‘Is he watching my reaction……?’
No, why?
It was when he was having confused questions.
A somewhat awkward voice broke the long silence.
“I didn’t think of you. Even after regretting it so much, I don’t change easily.”
“Yes?”
“Your friends are watching too… Well, you must have face to save.”
Friends? Did his father mention the word friends?
“……?”
“Coming to meet you in such a selfish state.”
Ki Tae-ho cleared his throat once and muttered in a fading voice.
“Your father is sorry.”
……Huh?
What did I just hear?
‘Who is doing what……?’
Ki Jae-eon was speechless and couldn’t say anything.
Because it was unreal.
‘A father who doesn’t look like a father comes and says things a father wouldn’t say.’
Is it a dream?
Or a delusion?
“I should have cleaned up to some extent before coming, but this father was ignorant.”
Ah, I see.
“I made a mistake because I rushed ahead.”
I’m hallucinating.
Otherwise, his father, Ki Tae-ho, the Head of the Gi Clan, would never apologize to me.
“Ki Jae-eon?”
Yes, everything is wrong…….
“Ki Jae-eon.”
“……Ah! I, I’m sorry.”
Ki Jae-eon was startled by the voice calling him and answered.
Judging by his pounding heart, it was definitely reality.
‘No, more than that… to be thinking about other things while Father is speaking.’
He thought he would definitely be scolded.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“……Yes?”
“You don’t have to watch my reaction. You can go in and rest if you’re tired.”
A completely unexpected curveball hit his head hard. Thanks to that, his tense body relaxed. No, was he drained? Ki Jae-eon looked at his father with a foolish expression. Then, he began to see amazing facts.
Eyes worried about missing even the smallest action, a clearing of the throat, stiff shoulders.
He looked like an ordinary parent worried about their child in every way.
‘Why does he keep doing that…….’
For a moment, he felt suffocated.
Originally, he should have been yelled at for leaving his mind somewhere.
What is this alien attitude?
‘Suddenly, why.’
……Oh? No.
It’s not sudden.
Looking back, his mother and brother were like this too.
Everyone approached him wearing a kindness he had never seen before.
Ki Jae-eon took a breath and looked at his father, Ki Tae-ho, once more. He still had an unfamiliar face. An expression that the Ki Tae-ho he knew would never make.
“If there’s anything uncomfortable, tell me.”
Ah—I see.
“If you want, I’ll call Master Young.”
He could not be kind to ‘me,’ but he could be so kind to ‘me’…….
“Don’t overdo it. You just need to live healthily.”
It’s the father that ‘I’ created.
If I were to talk about memories with my father, ten fingers would be too few, and even five fingers would be too many.
In fact, most of them were about corporal punishment.
Nevertheless, if I were to talk about the most impressive part, would it be the face of my father looking down indifferently from outside the slowly closing warehouse door?
Because I couldn’t memorize the spellcasting to memorize.
Because I couldn’t make the talisman properly.
Because I didn’t meet expectations.
He was strict and cold enough to lock his son, who wasn’t even ten years old, in a cold warehouse.
Of course, there was no resentment. No matter how cruel my father’s discipline was, I acknowledge that I was able to reach my current position because of the education I received at that time. However, the problem is that he had to remain that way for the rest of his life.
‘There should be no comparison group.’
Yes, that’s right.
He shouldn’t have changed.
He shouldn’t have shown me the sweetness of my father’s kindness. The possibility that ordinary love could exist for us should not have appeared.
Then, I wouldn’t have lived knowing any feelings of resentment.
“I’ll bring in breakfast.”
The next morning, two tables were brought into the guest room. Only the Gi Family father and son were at the meal. Of course, Kim Yeong’s consideration was included, suggesting that ‘it would be better to eat together,’ thinking of Ki Jae-eon, who would be awkward, but Ki Jae-eon refused. To him, his changed father and the main office were equally unfamiliar.
“Eat.”
“Yes.”
Clatter—the sound of spoons moving echoed.
Ki Tae-ho began eating with neat movements. However, surprisingly, his chopsticks moved quite freely. He didn’t show the attitude of obsessing over order as before. Rather, he even said to Ki Jae-eon, who was still trying to eat in order, ‘Eat comfortably as you like.’
No, not only that.
“If there’s a side dish you particularly like, tell me. You can eat my share too.”
He even subtly pushed his share of the side dish bowl forward.
And that’s not all? He even poured water and handed it to him directly.
With that creepy behavior, Ki Jae-eon naturally had the experience of completely losing his appetite, which he didn’t have in the first place.
Eat comfortably as you like?
‘It’s ridiculous. You used to educate me with a switch when I was young.’
Tell me if there’s a side dish you like?
‘You were never interested in that.’
Wasn’t he the one who didn’t even give me time to develop preferences in the first place?
My father was the one who sternly scolded me, saying that greed was the seed of all negativity, if I even showed that I wanted to eat one more sausage when I was young.
But now what?
‘Is it that adults move as they please?’
His mouth twisted involuntarily, and even an unbearable rebellious spirit boiled up.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“……No.”
Ki Jae-eon answered a beat late and lowered his head even further. He didn’t need to look in a mirror to know what his expression was like now. But he didn’t want to care. He was annoyed, and more than anything, he was tired.
“Haa…….”
Ki Jae-eon let out a cold breath and tightly closed and opened his eyes. His head was throbbing and dizzy.
‘I’d rather you get angry like before.’
Then, at least my heart would be at ease.
He could feel the poison accumulating inside him.
But no matter what the inside story was, the uncomfortable cohabitation was just beginning.
One day, two days, three days.
The repetition of awkward meals, unfamiliar attention, and interrupted conversations.
The limit came one night when stress had been building up.
He had another terrible nightmare.
It was just a dream that he would forget when he woke up… but the fear was so vivid that he ran out of the room as if fleeing.
“Ki Jae-eon?”
He ran into his father.
He was wearing light pajamas, as if he had been taking an early morning walk, and he was looking at him with a surprised face, unlike usual.
“Haa, ha…….”
“Your condition is…….”
Perhaps because he thought it was strange that his son was trembling, Ki Tae-ho quickly closed the distance without hesitation.
It was at that moment.
“Don’t touch me!”
As if he had been waiting for it, Ki Jae-eon’s resentment burst out. He slapped away Ki Tae-ho’s approaching hand sharply, then glared at him with bloodshot eyes. What the hell is this? The anger that was boiling up from his core. Like a young beast baring its teeth, a growling voice was directed at his father.
His spirit, driven to the very end, could no longer endure and exploded.
“Ki-.”
“Since when have you been so kind?”
“…….”
“Have you ever been interested in your son Ki Jae-eon, not the Exorcist Ki Jae-eon?”
Ki Jae-eon questioned Ki Tae-ho, who was silent, as if pouring out his resentment.
“Don’t you think your actions are ridiculous yourself? Surely you don’t think I’ll like it? What are you trying to do with me?”
I know I have to stop.
I know, but……
I couldn’t stop.
“Don’t play family now.”
It’s disgusting. Ki Jae-eon bit his lip tightly and turned his back.