Episode 621
Lee Jae-heon’s room was full.
“Why is this happening?”
“I finally came here after hearing the rumor that the manager was adopting Seo-ah!”
“The adoption was done right away.”
“Instead of taking that dark route, go in a sunny way…!”
“Hey, get out. “Employee Kwon, leave.”
Seo-ah hugged Kwon Yeon-hee’s legs to prevent her from leaving.
“….”
“cute.”
“You should just shut up… no, you should stand.”
“It’s so cute.”
“Listen to what Mr. Seo Aya says.”
Jang Seo-ah muttered in response to Lee Jae-heon’s clumsy conciliation.
“On my side…”
“Huh? what?”
“…Someone who will take my side….”
“How on earth should I explain this first?”
Lee Jae-heon took a deep breath and calmly continued speaking again.
“I guess you’re still young and don’t know much…”
“I know everything.”
“I’m saying this because I think you really don’t know, Seo-ya. Everyone is on your side now. There is no one on your side. Do you see those guys with their arms crossed over there and the girls glaring at me? Can you see it?”
“But you can’t go, Yeonhee. “You have to be here.”
“It’s hard to make a living.”
Indeed, Jang Seo-ah, who had experienced all sorts of prenatal hardships at the young age of 6, was not an easy opponent. Lee Jae-heon could sense an unusual atmosphere as he gathered together at least one more ally to support his opinion.
Lee Jae-heon, with his mouth gently licked as if holding back a sigh, looked at the people gathered in his room.
“…What on earth is this, so many people gathered together? Is this the meeting square? Did I turn on some hotspot? “Wouldn’t it be too inefficient to gather in one room without enjoying this vast space that ordinary people will never be able to enjoy?”
“Oh, manager, ban efficiency.”
“Why is even Boss Yoon doing this?”
It was a situation that showed that the public’s dissatisfaction had been considerable. It had been a long time since the time had come to legally criticize Lee Jae-heon, so it was clear that everyone was flocking to it.
‘I guess I’m not good at parenting after all.’
I’m sorry honey.
Jaeheon Lee nodded obediently.
“Do you think you should make me a spectacle?”
“We only came because we were worried that Seo-ah might be persecuted by the manager. “If you’re just a spectacle, can you please stop criticizing our warmth like that?”
“Director Jeong, you go out too. “You go out too, man.”
“Looking at Seo-ah, who is small and fragile, I can’t bear to lose my footing.”
“You’re accusing someone of being a bad father.”
Kang Min-ah let out an exclamation.
“uh.”
“uh?”
“He said dad.”
“….”
“He admitted it with his own mouth.”
Noh Yeon-seok pleased his lover like a ghost.
“The manager also acknowledged it, so isn’t this story over?”
“Yeonseok will be good at dating.”
“thank you. “I will live happily ever after.”
“Oh, I will see your society. Just wait and see. “I’ll see you at the real wedding.”
“Wow, the manager is even the emcee…!”
Lee Jae-heon was dumbfounded at how much he liked it.
“Aren’t you uncomfortable? “A manager from the same team said he would preside over it?”
“Why should I feel uncomfortable…?”
“I could have ruined it on purpose.”
“There’s no way the manager would do that, right?”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon exchanged glances with Park Min-jun for a moment.
‘Isn’t this the host we know? I guess the culture is a little different.’
‘There seems to be an unwritten rule that the atmosphere of a wedding should never be ruined.’
‘I’m going to be amazed.’
The wedding that Jaeheon Lee and Minjun Park knew was a kind of business event. In particular, as the marriage was according to the destiny determined by God, it was more like a social party where money and strings were exchanged rather than full of blessings.
The host at such an event was synonymous with corruption and was also the main culprit in ruining the wedding. Such shadyness was similar to what Lee Jae-heon, the manager of a fourth-generation old chaebol, knew, and he felt a strange sense of disconnect from the chicks’ pure trust.
“…Yes, the world we live in is a bit different.”
“Why do you suddenly say such hurtful things?”
“The wounds are terrible. Anyway, I was surprised at how pure your thoughts were.”
At that point, Eunwoo Jeong intervened.
“I think the one who is pure is Manager Lee Jae-heon.”
“Please why are you doing this to me?”
“Compared to my brothers and other board members….”
“No, the comparison target is poor.”
“is that so? “Excuse me.”
Jaeheon Lee let out a deep sigh.
“Okay, so why is everyone like this?”
“You’re not asking because you really don’t know, right?”
“I tried rebelling once. What should I do?”
That doesn’t mean he couldn’t understand the situation.
“….”
“….”
Jaeheon Lee rolled his eyes.
‘Should I lose?’
He scratched the back of his head and said.
“…Okay, so everyone, except Seo-ah and Park, go out.”
At Lee Jae-heon’s words, Seo-ah, who was holding on to Kwon Yeon-hee’s leg, widened her eyes, and Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon, who had been paying close attention to the sensitive topic, exchanged glances.
Taking advantage of that opportunity, another Park family man, Park Min-jun, raised his hand and asked.
“Jaeheon Lee, can I stay too?”
“Will you stay?”
I don’t know how they can pretend to be part of the Park family when they don’t even have a body. What confidence do you have?
“Stop talking nonsense, Park Min-joon, get out too.”
“Yes, have a good time.”
As Park Min-jun left, Kwon Yeon-hee noticed Seo-ah holding her leg.
“Uh, leave us standing… How can I get out…?”
“Oh yeah, I did the adoption, right? I did it right? “Employee Kwon didn’t adopt him, right?”
“Hey, this is an abuse of power…!”
“They say it’s all about power. “Stop talking nonsense and go out.”
Lee Jae-heon continued speaking with a sigh, with his characteristic frown.
“There won’t be anything to worry about, and I’m just trying to talk properly….” “
….”
“I’m asking you to avoid the seat.”
“…yes.”
“If you understand, should I pay attention?”
“Hmph… Manager only says something to me…”
As Kwon Yeon-hee trudged out, following her new friend Park Min-jun, Kim Yeon-woo raised her hand.
“I have a question.”
“That doesn’t matter, but why does everyone in my family raise their hands before asking questions?”
“Everyone is saying that, so I think I should do the same… Anyway, isn’t there something you might be curious about regarding adoption? “I think the police should stay in case you need them.”
“When the time comes, I’ll just hire a lawyer myself.”
“Yes, I understand. I hope you can have a good conversation.”
As expected, the wonderful police officer, Police Officer Kim, backed down without hesitation. Kim Yeon-woo clenched his fist once to signify fighting and then left.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was looking at her back, bowed his head as if he had figured it out on his own.
“Take care.”
“Yes, thank you.”
At this point, the other survivors began to leave the room one by one, perhaps deciding that they were no longer in the mood for teasing or light-hearted teasing.
It didn’t take long until Jang Seo-ah, Park Da-young, and Park Da-hoon were the only ones left in Lee Jae-heon’s room.
“….”
“….”
There is silence for a moment.
Lee Jae-heon wiped his face and opened his mouth.
“Okay, I think we’re both a little tired of avoiding each other, so let’s talk about it openly.”
“…Well…”
“To be honest, I’m very unstable.”
Jaeheon Lee’s voice was quite dry.
The three children looked at each other and Jaeheon Lee. There was something dry and cold about his voice, which came out as if it were not his story.
Jaeheon Lee noticed that he was a little uncomfortable and waved his hand.
“Shall we sit down first?”
“Ah yes. “I’ll sit down.”
“The chair…”
Lee Jae-heon called Seo-ah.
“Seo-ah, come here.”
“…yes.”
So Jang Seo-ah sat on Lee Jae-heon’s lap while Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon brought separate chairs. Jaeheon Lee slowly blinked his eyes at the sight of them facing each other and continued speaking.
“I told you before…”
The smooth and neat tone continued as if explaining an insurance product.
“The situation is very bad.”
“…It was always like that.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What about that family? “You don’t make a decision based on the original situation.”
“But now we have a choice. We are not part of a family that was determined from the moment we were born, nor is anyone already listed on the family register. Do you know what this means?”
“It’s not like that…”
“You can run away if you have time. “We can pretend we don’t know each other.”
“….”
“That’s pretty important.”
Lee Jae-heon’s voice was still firm and clear.
“You can blame yourself and wonder why you picked it up and are now throwing it away. I know, that feels dirty. “Even if you criticize me for being without conscience, I really have nothing to say.”
“….”
“Yes, but….”
“….”
Blink.
Lee Jae-heon looked at the ceiling for a moment and continued speaking.
“When I picked you up… there was no particular reason why I accepted you.”
“…What is it?”
“I thought you would just drink sweet water and run away.”
Park Da-young’s face distorted.
“Why do you talk like that?”
“I heard you don’t like talking in circles.”
“Why did you think we would do that?”
“Well, is it fate?”
“Don’t say anything weird.”
“If I were to explain it so that you can understand, survivors in the underworld are inherently people who can only think about themselves, and when you consider the absolute majority, that is much more common.”
“…is it so?”
“Everyone I’ve ever met has been like that.”
Wow.
Park Da-young gritted her teeth and asked.
“Did that damn ‘princess’ do that?”
“…uh?”
“You said that at the aquarium, too.”
Park Da-young was not looking at Lee Jae-heon, but a voice full of explicit hatred flowed from under her lowered head, as if she was blaming herself.
“I said princess.”
That was completely different from a weak emotion like self-blame.
“I don’t think there was some kid that you used to call princess.”
“…Did you even say that? “I’m sorry I forgot most of what happened back then.”
“So, did she do that to you?”
His face, which had been smiling throughout the trip, was stained with venom and he glared at Lee Jae-heon.
“I’m asking you if you took only what you could and ran away. Like a quiet person.”
“….”
It’s a little scary.
‘…Save me, baby….’
Our children are being scolded.
Lee Jae-heon, who was feeling anxious on the inside, sighed softly and continued.
“…No, I did wrong to those kids. So I ran away.”
“….”
“This isn’t what’s important.”
Lee Jae-heon said while touching Jang Seo-ah’s soft cheek. It was quite effective in stabilizing the mind and body. The child enjoyed being touched like a stray cat.
“Anyway, that’s why I felt comfortable letting you in. There was no need to think deeply. Anyway, I think what you want from me is Ilshin’s safety and ample financial resources… As long as those things are provided well, there is no need for anyone to get hurt. Right?”
“That’s not what we want.”
Park Da-young, who said that, changed her words again.
“No, no, of course… Of course we wanted that in the beginning. That’s why I was really happy when he spoke to me. But that wasn’t everything.”
Park Da-hoon, who was looking at his older sister, spoke with a hint of nervousness.
“That’s right, we just…we were glad that you were the first person to reach out to us.”
“okay?”
“…No one has done that for us until now. So I was very scared of the adults, but we just… because you were such a good adult to us…”
“I see.”
“I never thought of myself as being that obedient. Really. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting help from my sister or me for my safety or anything else, but even if I hadn’t, I would have just stayed next to you. “You really are to us…”
Park Da-hoon lowered his head and muttered.
“…Like my parents…”
“….”
“…Yes.”
As soon as the gibberish ended, Park Da-young opened her mouth.
“I know there’s nothing strange about you thinking that way. If all the people you’ve met so far have done that, then of course you can’t help but think that way. We all know it too. But they say no.”
“Yeah, I guess not.”
“…Then what’s the problem?”
“Rather, that was the problem.”
Jaeheon Lee shrugged his shoulders.
“You see me as a person.”
“…That’s natural.”
“I could be a real monster.”
Jaeheon Lee explained kindly.
“Not everyone who wears a human mask is the same. Being kind and kind is something that even Song In-myeong, who has no answer, can do out of necessity. And apart from that, although I act quite like you guys…”
“….”
“I could be a completely different being on the inside. You’re a monster with a way of thinking you will never understand and whose very existence is unacceptable. “If you think about it, it’s like an alien that shouldn’t exist on Earth.”
“I know it’s not.”
“When you judge like that, you get hurt.”
“….”
“This is natural for me, but it’s natural for you to think differently from me.”
Jaeheon Lee thought to himself as he looked at the speechless minors.
‘Did I go too far?’
But how can you be sincere?
I couldn’t talk any further than this. The current situation was the result of that kind of avoidance in the first place, and Jaeheon Lee decided that he had avoided it enough. I was really tired and like a dog, but it was a time when I needed to make a decision.
“….”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon continued speaking after being interrupted for a moment.
“I’m having a hard time.”
“…i know.”
“I can’t afford it, I’m not sane, and my family is a mess. There’s a lot of work to be done, but I don’t know what to do. It’s a reality, a secret world, and it’s a shitty situation for me from all directions. I’m very tired. That’s why it’s difficult.”
“I said I knew.”
“You will regret it.”
“It’s better than having bigger regrets.”
“You have a good sense of humor.”
he said with a smile.
“I told you yesterday.”
“…What.”
“I won’t run away.”
“yes.”
“You have to catch it.”
“I did.”
“yes.”
The clear voice softened.
“I guess so.”
Distorted from fatigue.
“There won’t be any problem.”
“….”
“I’m making it that way.”
“…There are already a lot of problems.”
“….”
Short silence.
Jaeheon Lee opens his mouth.
“So, what do you mean?”
He took his hand off Seo-ah’s cheek. The heavy air suddenly became lighter due to that indifferent action.
Jaeheon Lee said.
“It takes some time.”
“….”
hour?
Park Da-hoon asked back.
“…yes?”
“Things got a little messy.”
“What are you saying?”
“So…”
Jaeheon Lee had no intention of running away from the beginning.
“listen.”
How many times have I told you that I never thought of abandoning you?
There was not a single lie in Lee Jae-heon’s oath.
“If you’re disappointed after hearing it, then let’s continue talking.”
“….”
“got it?”
(Continued in the next part)
