By Zephyria Kim Chun-sam was glaring disapprovingly at his wife and Choi Won-joon, who were laughing and chatting away. The two were looking at Lee-eum’s childhood photos from an album, and Choi Won-joon couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration every time a new photo appeared.
“This was when Yi-eum was in kindergarten. It looks like he was secretly eating something.”
In the photo, Kim Yi-eum was wearing a round, yellow kindergarten hat and overalls, his cheeks bulging as he pressed his lips together and stared straight ahead. Won-joon, finding him adorable and cute, asked if he could have a copy of the photo. Lee-eum’s mother readily took one out and handed it to Won-joon, who carefully put it away.
As Kim Yi-eum grew up in the photos, his pretty face transformed into a handsome one. There was even a photo from his high school days where he was surrounded by girlfriends. Which one did he date? The thought made Won-joon feel a surge of anger.
And there was also a familiar man in the photos. It was Roh Seon-gyu, the friend he had seen when he had amnesia before.
“Yi-eum was gentle since he was little and never gave us any trouble.”
“He still has a very kind heart. When I’m with him, I feel like I have a lot to learn.”
“Thank you for saying that. You’re handsome and speak so beautifully. Your parents must be proud.”
“Haha, not at all.”
“Actually, all three of my children are a bit taciturn. I sometimes feel a little left out.”
Lee-eum’s mother subtly lowered her voice to blame her husband, saying they took after their father. As the two whispered and laughed, Kim Chun-sam’s mood grew increasingly sour.
“Aren’t you going? You should go and sort things out or do something.”
Shin Young-hee interjected.
“Tell him to stay for dinner since he’s here. I marinated some ribs, so it works out perfectly.”
“Dinner, my foot. How can I eat with that guy around!”
“Darling.”
“Go, quickly. I let it slide because you said you’d only be here for a moment, but you’re trying to settle in. How many hours has it been?”
As Kim Chun-sam got angry, Won-joon looked at his watch and smiled.
“I was enjoying talking with Madam so much that I lost track of time. I apologize, Father.”
“Goodness, he speaks so beautifully.”
Kim Chun-sam snorted.
“Swindlers are always good with words.”
“I like hearing it, so why are you like this? You should learn from him.”
Leaving the bickering couple behind, Won-joon said he would go to his car for a moment and went outside. Kim Chun-sam took the opportunity to lock the door completely. His wife tried to stop him, but she couldn’t change his mind.
“Darling, don’t do this.”
“Are you going to keep doing this? I’m never going to consider that guy as Lee-eum’s partner, so don’t have any false hopes. I’d rather bite off my tongue and die than become in-laws with that Choi.”
Shin Young-hee sighed at her husband’s firm stance. Just then, Choi Won-joon came and tried to open the door, and after confirming it was locked, he went to the window. He knocked twice and then shook something against the living room window. Kim Chun-sam’s eyes wavered when he saw it.
“What is that…?”
“It looks like infused liquor…”
As his wife murmured, Kim Chun-sam swallowed hard. In that moment, his wife quickly went and opened the door, and Choi Won-joon came inside before he could stop her. Kim Chun-sam’s gaze was fixed on the bottle of liquor that Choi Won-joon was holding.
Choi Won-joon placed it gently on the table.
“Father, this is Wild Ginseng Wine. It’s not much, but please accept it.”
Kim Chun-sam unconsciously smacked his lips, and Won-joon smiled inwardly. In fact, this was something his father, Chairman Choi Seung-gil, had been carefully keeping. It had been infused for 30 years, and the wild ginseng inside was over 150 years old. The price was whatever you asked, but Madam Lee had readily given it away, saying she was saving it for medicinal purposes. Even though they treated each other like enemies, they seemed to have similar tastes, as they both liked infused liquor.
Kim Chun-sam turned away abruptly and gestured.
“Take it away. Who would accept something like that?”
“It’s my gesture, so I’ll leave it here.”
When he said he had to leave immediately for work, Lee-eum’s mother looked disappointed.
“I wish you could stay for dinner.”
“No, Madam. I’ll visit you formally with Lee-eum later.”
Choi Won-joon straightened his jacket and bowed politely. He then disappeared outside without complaint, and Lee-eum’s mother followed him to see him off. After Won-joon left, she returned home. Her husband was already sitting in front of the liquor bottle, arms crossed, examining it from every angle.
“Why are you like that? You should have let him eat before he left.”
“Leave him be. He said he’s busy.”
Shin Young-hee sat down opposite him.
“He’s a better person than I thought. I had a prejudice because of his father, but he grew up very upright. He’s friendly, easygoing, and handsome. He’s a good match for our Lee-eum. Don’t you think?”
Hmph. Kim Chun-sam snorted. Meanwhile, Shin Young-hee was carrying a flower basket, moving it around to find a place to put it. Kim Chun-sam stared at his wife’s face as she smiled brightly at the flowers, then sighed softly and smacked his lips again as he looked at the liquor bottle.
❖ ❖ ❖
After a late night at work, Lee-eum stopped by a convenience store and bought beer and ice cream before heading out. He put his hands in his pockets and trudged through the apartment complex when his phone rang. It was Choi Won-joon.
【Where are you?】
Lee-eum looked around to make sure no one was there.
“I’m working overtime…”
【How’s your leg?】
“It’s fine…”
【When will you be done? Should I come to your place?】
“I think I’ll have to be on stakeout for a few days.”
【Again?】
“It might take longer. Oh, the suspect is here. Gotta go!”
Lee-eum pressed the end button and put his phone in his back pocket. Where are you coming? He had just found out that Choi Won-joon had visited his parents’ house in the countryside today. He had given flowers to his mother and Wild Ginseng Wine to his father.
He was worried that his father might have used violence against Choi Won-joon, but that didn’t happen. He was relieved, but at the same time, Lee-eum told his father not to drink the Wild Ginseng Wine. It might sound crazy to others, but Choi Won-joon was the kind of person who would put something in the liquor if it got in his way.
“You’ve done so many crazy things.”
As he muttered to himself, he heard footsteps behind him. He moved towards the flower bed to let them pass, but an arm was placed over his shoulder. He turned around and saw Choi Won-joon. He was so surprised that he couldn’t speak, and Choi Won-joon smiled brightly.
“You work here? Where’s the suspect?”
Then he gestured towards a stray cat on one side. Is that it? A cute criminal. Should I catch it for you?
“Wh, when did you get here?”
“About an hour ago.”
Won-joon’s gaze went down to Lee-eum’s ankle. He asked if he should give him a piggyback ride, but he declined and took his arm off his shoulder. He was about to leave when Choi Won-joon snatched the bag and carried it for him instead.
“Detective Kim. You’re a bad person. Lies just come out of your mouth automatically. Are you even a guardian of the people?”
“So go home. Why did you come here when I said I didn’t want you to?”
“Because I missed you.”
When he pretended not to hear, Choi Won-joon whispered in his ear. I came because I missed you. He frowned and tried to get away, but he grabbed his head and repeated it clearly in his ear. I missed you. Lee-eum pushed Won-joon’s face away, disgusted. Then he laughed and tried to hold his hand, and when he dodged, he immediately put his arm around his waist.
“Hey, get off me. My Hyung will kill us if he sees us.”
“Is your Hyung that scary?”
He should have denied it, but Choi Won-joon laughed at that moment, and he lost his words. His smile seemed even more intense under the streetlight tonight. Embarrassed, he turned his head away, but Choi Won-joon walked alongside him.
“I met your parents today.”
“I know.”
“What did your parents say? Did they say they liked me? Did they say anything about setting a wedding date?”
Lee-eum scoffed in disbelief. What drugs did you take?
His mother said that after Choi Won-joon left, his father poured buckets of coarse salt at the front door and gate. It was like exorcising evil spirits with salt. He thought his father was going too far, but at the same time, he could understand his feelings. Sometimes, when he saw Choi Won-joon, he wanted to throw salt at him too.
“I heard you gave my father infused liquor.”
“Yeah. Because he said he liked it.”
Lee-eum parted his lips. You didn’t put anything in the liquor, did you? He hesitated to ask directly, wondering if he was portraying Choi Won-joon as a piece of trash. Then Choi Won-joon noticed his hesitation and spoke first.
“I didn’t put anything in it.”
Phew, that’s a relief. Choi Won-joon smiled eerily, noticing the relief on his face.
“Actually, I thought about it.”
“……”
“But he’s your father, how could I do that?”
Lee-eum frowned. He scolded him, saying that he shouldn’t do that to anyone, not just his father, and Choi Won-joon nodded in agreement and suddenly held out his finger.
“Promise me. I won’t do bad things anymore.”
Lee-eum turned on the recording on his phone and subtly tested him.
“So you’ve been doing them until now?”
Choi Won-joon answered shamelessly. No. Just as he thought. He clicked his tongue and turned to leave, but he heard Choi Won-joon’s voice from behind.
“It’ll be difficult, but I want to become a good person for you.”
“……”
“I’ll try, so can’t you look at me kindly, huh?”
Lee-eum’s ears turned red at the sweet voice, and he quickened his pace. He didn’t completely believe Choi Won-joon’s words. How many times had he been deceived and tricked by those lies? But still, he wanted to believe that this time it was real. It seemed like he had been brainwashed by that guy.