Yoo Jay returned to the dorm after finishing his schedule and sat back against the sofa, quietly lost in thought.
“…….”
No matter how much he thought about it, there was something about the earlier situation that didn’t sit right with him.
The general consensus among the Prism members was that there was no use speculating and that it would be better to wait until they could hear from the person directly. After all, they’d already had their fair share of misunderstandings in the past from jumping to conclusions without actually talking things through.
But Yoo Jay didn’t want to just let the situation pass like that.
‘It’s not like waiting will make him explain anything.’
Seo Yutae was the type of person who usually chose silence over lying when faced with a difficult question. He knew he wasn’t good at lying, and unless it was something trivial, he didn’t particularly enjoy doing it either.
‘Normally, he would’ve just explained.’
“I’ll call you back later. I’m too busy playing with Jack right now.”
Lee Saehwa’s son … no, that was just Seo Yutae’s strange misunderstanding, wasn’t it? Even back when he was completely smitten with Nicholas Hwayoung Lee, who turned out to be Lee Saehwa’s nephew, not son, he still used to give some sort of explanation before hanging up. But this time, something felt noticeably off.
‘He was too flustered.’
Seo Yutae was the kind of person who would bluntly answer even if you asked him something as outrageous as whether he had possessed Han Seungbeom’s body. Even if it meant putting himself at a disadvantage, he was someone who hated deceiving those he held dear. If he was trying to hide something, it was probably for their sake.
But of course, there was no chance he’d ever reveal it of his own accord.
‘If we were to find out, we’d either be put in danger … or be deeply shaken. It’s got to be one of the two.’
If it were the former, Seo Yutae would’ve kept a close eye on Prism’s condition. But lately, there hadn’t been any sign of that. If there were even the slightest chance of things turning dangerous, Seo Yutae would’ve definitely been restless on his own, constantly checking in and asking if everything was okay.
So, the more likely scenario was the latter.
‘What kind of thing could be so shocking for the Prism members?’
What he’d heard over the phone was a child’s voice.
Could that child possibly have some harmful influence on Prism?
But they hadn’t even seen that child in person. They just heard his voice for barely three seconds. Trying to figure out who or what he was based on that alone didn’t seem easy.
“What if … what if Kang Hyukwoo had someone he loved?”
While Yoo Jay was still wrestling with the thought, he suddenly recalled something Seo Yutae had let slip during the Water Festival.
‘Why did he say that in the first place?’
It definitely didn’t seem like something he said without meaning. Seo Yutae wasn’t the kind of person to say things without purpose. He was extremely pragmatic by nature and hated wasting time on things that had no real chance of happening.
Someone who only ever used words like ‘what if’ in practical questions, like “What if we swap this prop for that one, will it go over budget?”, suddenly asking something like that? And with that expression and tone? It felt a little out of character.
And for someone as perceptive as Yoo Jay, pretending not to notice simply wasn’t an option.
It was as if Kang Hyukwoo really did have someone he loved, and then there was this child whose existence Seo Yutae was so desperately trying to keep secret. The more he thought about it, the more he felt there was an undeniable connection between the two.
“No way, could that child really … be someone precious to Kang Hyukwoo?”
No way. That’s ridiculous.
He let out a dry laugh at the thought.
The Kang Hyukwoo he had known up until now was the last person you’d associate with the idea of ‘family‘. And yet, he had a family he loved? If that were true … it was something he could never forgive.
‘If that child really is someone precious to Kang Hyukwoo … then why are you keeping him, hyung?’
Just the thought of it was so unpleasant, it made his stomach turn.
“…….”
There was no hard evidence, only a strong hunch.
But his intuition wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
‘…I should see for myself.’
Yoo Jay stared down at his phone with cold, emotionless eyes, then slowly rose to his feet. As he headed straight for the front door, Lee Chise, who had been sleeping with his door open, groggily sat up, half-awake.
“Where are you going? It’s so late.”
Unlike the other Prism members, he had returned late after finishing his individual schedule. He must have been exceptionally exhausted, as his voice was unusually hoarse, with a trace of irritation in it. Yoo Jay had been careful to make as little noise as possible, and yet somehow, he’d still woken up. It was strangely impressive.
As the bloodshot eyes stared straight at him, Yoo Jay pulled his cap down low to hide his expression and said, “I’m just going out for a little while. I’ll be back soon.”
He gave a vague answer to avoid confrontation, but all he got in return was a low, insistent, “Yeah, but where to?”. Maybe it was because he was still half-asleep, but his tone was firmer than usual, unlike his typical self.
Lee Chise had already laid back down, so his face was out of sight and only his voice reached reached him. However, Yoo Jay still turned his gaze away and replied in a dry tone.
“Convenience store. I’m out of cigarettes.”
“…….”
Lee Chise didn’t respond right away and simply fell silent. Yoo Jay, suspecting his lie might’ve been caught, quietly tightened his grip around the car keys in his pocket. Even without much being said between them, the tension in the air felt sharp, like their nerves were clashing.
“All right. Be careful.”
But contrary to his worries, the reply that came after a long pause was one of quiet acceptance. Yoo Jay gave a slow nod in return, then silently stepped out the front door.
‘I have to see it with my own eyes.’
***
“I’m going out with Chaeyul. Want to come along?”
As soon as Choi Jeokhyeon opened the front door and entered the house, the very first thing Seo Yutae said, in a rather indifferent tone, was that. The moment he heard it, Choi Jeokhyeon froze mid-motion, halfway through taking off his shoes, and looked down at Seo Yutae’s face in silence.
Taking into account the tension in the air, the sudden plan to take the child out at such a late hour, and the fact that Kang Hyukwoo didn’t have much time left, Choi Jeokhyeon finally voiced the one possibility he had been most wary of.
“Kang Hyukwoo called you.”
To his surprise, Seo Yutae nodded and admitted it far more easily than Choi Jeokhyeon had expected.
“I know you’ll probably hate it if I say I’m going meet him. But Chaeyul wants to … and I want to let him see Kang Hyukwoo one last time. I feel like if I do that, I won’t have any regrets.”
“…….”
“So, you give in. I don’t want to lie to you.”
The furrow between his brows, which had been slightly wrinkled, smoothed out again. His eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, and his wide, round eyes stared straight at Seo Yutae, as if he’d just heard something completely unexpected.
“What’s with that expression?”
“…I thought you’d just sneak out without saying a word.”
“What do you take me for, an idiot? I’m not about to walk straight into the hands of someone who’s clearly planning something against me while I’m completely alone and defenseless. And if I had snuck out, what exactly were you planning to do?”
”…….”
Choi Jeokhyeon simply smiled brightly at Seo Yutae’s question without bothering to answer. He was certain that the moment he revealed the plan he’d built in his head, Seo Yutae would freak out and start avoiding him. Still, he had no real intention of changing it.
“…I’m running late. The meeting’s already set, so we need to get going right away.”
Though he couldn’t quite guess what bizzare plan was forming in Choi Jeokhyeon’s head, Seo Yutae instinctively sensed a looming threat. He flinched and, without pressing further, glanced around aimlessly for a clock, despite holding a phone in his hand that could tell the time in a second.
Seeing that, Choi Jeokhyeon smiled brightly once more and nodded, saying nothing more.
***
The place Kang Hyukwoo called me out to was a stretch of sea with hardly any sign of people and no CCTV in sight. It wasn’t the same sea where Seo Yuseong and my father had died, but looking at the pitch-dark sky and water, it didn’t feel all that different.
Why had he chosen a place like this, of all places?
As I kept that question to myself and pretended not to notice the growing chill in my chest, Kang Hyukwoo appeared.
“…Seo Yutae.”
The moment I saw Kang Hyukwoo, I was so surprised I lost my words.
The deep dark circles under his eyes, the sunken cheeks, the rough skin from lack of care, the noticeably increased gray hairs, the worn-out suit that looked like it hadn’t been washed in ages, and the stubble sticking out like pencil lead all made him look like a picture of someone utterly fallen apart. It hadn’t been that long since I last saw him, and yet his condition had deteriorated this badly. It was truly shocking.
“…….”
The child holding my hand seemed frightened, perhaps because his father’s condition was vastly different from what he had imagined, and he instinctively shrank back. I tightened my grip on his hand and spoke first.
“I brought Chaeyul because he said he wanted to see your face. This might be the last time, so say your goodbyes properly.”
At the words, ‘This might be the last time‘, Kang Hyukwoo’s fingertips gave a slight tremble. Then came the sound of his teeth grinding, and his eyes, filled with hatred, turned toward me.
“This was all your doing, wasn’t it? You did all this to kill me, to get your revenge!”
Instead of a greeting directed at the child, his resentment came pouring out at me first, and strangely, it calmed me. I slowly blinked.
I had no intention of denying it. In truth, I had interfered with everything Kang Hyukwoo did and exposed his wrongdoings to the world, all for the sake of revenge. I was fully aware that it could put his life in danger, yet I hadn’t hesitated in the slightest. I had no intention of denying any of it. Even if I tried, it wasn’t as if Kang Hyukwoo would believe me anyway.
“So?”
When I responded with nothing but a blank, emotionless face, Kang Hyukwoo sank to the ground and started to shed tears, as if he were the victim
“You rotten bastard … after everything I’ve done for you. If I hadn’t found you, you’d still be rotting at the bottom, and yet you betray me like this?”
”…….”
“He said if I don’t die, he’ll kill Chaeyul. Chaeyul is innocent ……. How could you drag such a young child into this? Don’t you ever think about how much it’ll traumatize him if I die? Sure, he’s cold to me now because he’s upset, but that’s something time would have fixed anyway. I won’t make the same mistake again. If you hadn’t taken Chaeyul away in the first place, I never would’ve hit him. You’re the one who made it turn out this way. I was a good father.”
”…….“
“You, more than anyone, should know how painful it is to live without parents.”
My breath hitched for a split second at his words, and in that fleeting instant, Kang Hyukwoo’s eyes seemed to glint with something fierce. But as if it had all been an illusion, he soon put on a sorrowful expression and began to whisper in a voice heavy with sadness.
“Are you planning to ruin Chaeyul’s life too?”
“…….”
“Are you trying to make him grow up without ever knowing a parent’s love, just like Seo Yuseong did until the day he died?”
Ah, hearing those words, I finally understood why Kang Hyukwoo had chosen this place as the meeting spot.
“Don’t you remember? What kind of expression did you have at your family’s funeral…….”
So, once again, you’re trying to survive by tearing open my deepest trauma.
You’re trying to use my guilt to get out of this situation.
You can support this translation through Buy Me a Coffee or Wishlist!
Translator’s Corner:
Kinda want to have 200 chapters from Choi Jeokhyeon’s POV … I want to know what’s exactly inside his head….
But put aside everything, thinking about how Yutae welcomed Jeokhyeon home when he finished his work, or vice versa …. how this is practically their routine for years when Yutae isn’t in Prism’s dorm …. wow it makes me delusional. Like, let’s try to imagine what it was like when Yutae first lived with Choi Jeokhyeon …. he wake up to a breakfast ….. he, who never had a proper meal after his mother died, suddenly wake up one morning being sweet talked to eat a pile of healthy food …. Historians would call them a very close best friends ….
Anyway, guess I failed my resolution in finishing this arc before July …. It feels like it was just yesterday that I wrote about how May ended ….. and not June is already over …. I’m so scared asdfghjkl It’s so scary how time races ahead while you remain stuck in the same place …. I wish I can just turn everything back to the old days …. like, I don’t even wish for anything grand in this life, I just really want to live as a good person … but somehow it’s really hard to be a good person to others when you’re always in hard situation
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter