GMC 154

Family…….

Come to think of it, the three people who shared no blood with him had given far more for his sake than his biological father, who had only sought to deceive and use him. Knowing that he had written only the bad things in his diary, Yeon-rok felt a twinge of guilt for having blindly suspected and distrusted them based solely on those entries. As if reading Yeon-rok’s mind, Yeom Cheon-ho spoke with a smile.

“Above all, those two committed many wrongs against the past Yeon-rok-ssi. They should take responsibility in whatever way they can.”

Yeon-rok let out a small, breathless laugh. It’s true that those two did commit some wrongs, didn’t they?

“I understand. I’ll give it some thought.”

“We should thoroughly investigate and find out what Assemblyman Yoo Young-taek’s intention was in approaching you. Until then, how about keeping your distance from him?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to see him anymore anyway.”

Even after the conversation ended, Yeom Cheon-ho meticulously checked if he needed counseling [[visit our site]style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content]or if he was suffering from sleep disorders or anxiety. Yeon-rok was quite grateful.

Yeon-rok returned to his room carrying the new box of cookies Yeom Cheon-ho had handed him. He lay on the bed and quietly thought about what family really meant. One does not need to be connected by blood to become family. In that sense, having three name partners felt like a great stroke of luck to the current Yeon-rok.

That evening, during dinner time when everyone gathered.

Yeon-rok explained to the anxious Choi Hwan and Moon Gyeon-woo about the contact he had received from his biological father and the subsequent meeting. The faces of the two men, who had been fretting that Yeon-rok might only be recalling bad memories, brightened. However, given the nature of the matter, their expressions soon hardened as they took his side.

“So that was why. I wondered why you seemed to be in a bad mood lately. It must have been very hard for you.”

“What kind of shameless human does that? He abandons you as he pleases and then thinks he can just find you now?”

Seeing Moon Gyeon-woo offer sincere comfort and Choi Hwan get angry as if it were his own problem made Yeon-rok feel much better. And he recognized his own twisted heart. It was a truly apologetic thing to say, but honestly, he liked that they all had a deficiency regarding family…….

“I thought it was because of something else.”

Yeon-rok tossed a comment toward Choi Hwan, who was secretly sighing in relief.

“What other thing? For example, like throwing away the doll I gave you long ago, or ignoring me when I spoke to you? Or maybe leaving me neglected until I collapsed from contact deficiency? Or perhaps leaving me at a club or kidnapping me?”

Choi Hwan dropped his utensils with a clatter. Moon Gyeon-woo’s face also turned pale, and he froze in place. Trembling, Choi Hwan asked.

“Do—do—do you remember? Have your memories returned?”

“No.”

Moon Gyeon-woo whipped his head around to look at Yeom Cheon-ho. Seeing the expression that suggested he thought the other had tatted on him, Yeon-rok sighed and spoke.

“I have a diary I write in whenever I’m stressed.”

“Yeon-rok… was writing… a diary.”

“Everything was written in there.”

“It was all written down…….”

Seeing Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan so shaken, Yeon-rok couldn’t help but laugh. He had been quite furious when looking at the diary, but now he felt indifferent. Even the matter of his biological father, which had bothered him so much, now seemed trivial. Yeon-rok spoke in a deliberately nonchalant voice.

“You’ll be good to me from now on, right? That’s enough for me. The past should stay in the past. I don’t even remember it anyway.”

“Of course! I’ll be really good to you from now on!”

The restless Choi Hwan shouted impulsively. Moon Gyeon-woo also nodded, his face moved by the generous understanding. As for Yeom Cheon-ho, since he seemed to have been good from the start, he was the only one who simply smiled. Thus, they finished dinner in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

Because his head was cluttered, Yeon-rok went up to the rooftop garden, but was chased back down to the indoor garden by mosquitoes. While lying quietly on the sofa lost in thought, his phone vibrated. Checking it, he found a text message.

[Son, if you have time, let’s meet once more to share the long-overdue feelings between father and son. Furthermore, I want to hear firsthand if CEO Yeom Cheon-ho is treating you well. Since my son is a flower name bearer, shouldn’t I meet him as well?]

Yeon-rok looked at the message with a sour expression. The thought flashed through his mind that, beyond risk management regarding an illegitimate child, the connection to Yeom Cheon-ho might be the target of the approach. He didn’t know much about corporate affairs, [stolen stolen contentcontent]but just looking at this house, he could tell how wealthy Yeom Cheon-ho was.

Soon, Yeon-rok snorted. Far from replying, he blocked the phone number and logged out of his social media accounts entirely. Yes, he didn’t need a father who had abandoned him in his life. He had his name partners. Because they… called him family.

He vowed to completely ignore the man who was his father from now on. He didn’t have enough time even to focus on his real family. However, Yoo Young-taek was a more ill-fated connection than he had imagined.

A few days later, Yeom Cheon-ho visited Yeon-rok’s room. After knocking politely, he asked Yeon-rok.

“Yeon-rok-ssi, I have something important to discuss. Do you have a moment?”

“Of course! Please come in.”

Because the other’s atmosphere was serious, Yeon-rok grew tense. It felt as though something ominous was about to be said. The two sat side by side on the sofa. Yeom Cheon-ho hesitated for a moment before carefully opening his mouth. Sure enough, it was just as Yeon-rok had expected.

“While investigating Assemblyman Yoo Young-taek, I discovered circumstances suggesting that he is connected to the Heavenly Truth Ming Cult.”

Yeon-rok nodded with a stiff face. It wasn’t that surprising stolen contentstyle="display:none;" aria-label="visit our site">visit our sitestolen content -->of a story. However, the content that followed was different.

“Twenty years ago, Yoo Young-taek was one of the collaborators who supported the name manifestation experiments conducted by the Heavenly Truth Ming Cult. And…….”

Yeom Cheon-ho trailed off for a moment. The name manifestation experiment referred to the dangerous human experimentation that had resulted in the four of them sharing the same name. Yeon-rok felt as if he already knew what was coming next.

“In that process, he offered his illegitimate child as a price for loyalty.”

Even though he had already decided to act as if he had no father, this was certainly a shock.

Until he became an adult, Yeon-rok had thought many times about why his parents never came for him. As is often the case with children left at orphanages, he assumed they simply didn’t want to raise him or were in difficult circumstances, and every time, his heart felt empty.

It would have been better to just believe that. Yoo Young-taek had offered his child to a cult and had lived all this time having completely forgotten about him. He was a human being not even worth calling a father.

“He is a more dangerous figure than expected, so I thought it would be better for you to know, even if it causes you heartache.”

A large, warm hand rested on the shoulder of Yeon-rok, who had lost his words from the shock. As Yeom Cheon-ho patted him with [Read on Read BL Novels]Read on Read BL Novels -->sincerity to comfort him, a secretly satisfied [Read on Read BL Novels]glint lingered in his eyes. He quietly watched as Yeon-rok grew to despise his own flesh and blood and gradually detached himself, then asked.

“Do you want retribution? If you wish, I will make your revenge a reality.”

It was a proposal delivered with utmost kindness, tenderness, and temptation, while perfectly concealing his own cunning intentions. Unaware of this, Yeon-rok quietly clasped his hands together. Did he want retribution against his father? After thinking for a long while, he shook his head.

“I just want to continue living as strangers, as I have until now. I never want to see him again.”

“I understand. From this day forward, I will make sure he never appears before your eyes again.”

However, the nuance of Yeom Cheon-ho’s answer sounded like a declaration to wipe him off the face of the earth. Just in case, Yeon-rok spoke carefully again.

“I meant… just that if he contacts me, please ignore it for me…….”

Although he despised and hated the man who was his father, he didn’t want Yeom Cheon-ho to overextend himself. After all, the man wasn’t an ordinary person, but a politician—even a big shot connected to the Heavenly Truth Ming Cult. Removing such a person would surely be a difficult and dangerous task. Yeom Cheon-ho smiled and said.

“Yeon-rok-ssi, in truth, I also wish for the removal of Assemblyman Yoo Young-taek.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Since he’s connected to the Heavenly Truth Ming Cult, it would be better for you as well, CEO Yeom Cheon-ho, to clear him away quickly.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed that he had mistakenly thought Yeom Cheon-ho was trying to remove Yoo Young-taek for his sake, Yeon-rok answered quickly. Yeom Cheon-ho slowly shook his head.

“No. I cannot say I don’t have such a purpose, but it is because of you, Yeon-rok-ssi.”

“Because of me?”

“Isn’t it only natural? Because he is the person who made you suffer. Therefore, I too wish to take revenge.”

Yeon-rok’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer. Heat surged over his face, which had been pale since the start of the conversation.

“Anyway, please don’t worry about Yoo Young-taek anymore.”

At Yeom Cheon-ho’s [unauthorized copy]style="opacity:0;font-size:0;">stolen content-->words, Yeon-rok’s heart fluttered so much that he could barely manage to say thank you.

“Lately, things keep happening that make you sad, and it makes me feel bad. …So, if you’re okay with it, how about we go on a date this weekend?”

“A—a date?”

“We’ll eat delicious food and see good things to recover your mood.”

At Yeom Cheon-ho’s request for a date, Yeon-rok now half-forgot the matter regarding his biological father.

“I’d love to! Let’s… go on a date.”

“I’m already looking forward to the weekend. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Ending the conversation, Yeom Cheon-ho rose from his seat. He then kissed Yeon-rok tenderly on the cheek before leaving the room. With his face burning hot, Yeon-rok sat dazed for a long time before slowly collapsing onto the sofa.