Chapter 63 Part 1

The place the two chose to have their conversation was in the car. There were secrets that couldn’t be discussed in an alley, and it was also Lee Jun’s choice so he could return home quickly. However, he had to take into account that it meant sitting close to Chaeheon.

Lee Jun sat awkwardly upright on the seat and looked around the car. It wasn’t an unfamiliar space, but perhaps because of the conversation they were about to have, his body just wouldn’t relax comfortably.

“There’s something I need to tell you before we make a deal.”

Chaeheon made it clear he wasn’t going to tell just a fragmented story. Because the misunderstandings that had accumulated so far were ultimately due to their poor communication.

“I moved schools when I was fifteen, and from then on, I never told anyone who I was. I just acted as if I was born into an ordinary family.”

Lee Jun thought of asking why, but for now, he listened intently to Chaeheon’s words.

“When I was young, I hated those uncomfortable attentions, those forced smiles from people who didn’t know me. My siblings thought I was being difficult, but I just couldn’t stand it anymore, so I left.”

As he recalled his childhood, Chaeheon already wore a bitter smile, even though he hadn’t explained much yet.

It seemed his childhood was filled more with memories of being swayed by others than of happy times. Then, suddenly wondering if Lee Jun had understood, Chaeheon turned to him and spoke.

“You don’t understand any of this, do you? How others are desperate to be born into a family like mine, but I hated it and hid it.”

For an ordinary person, Chaeheon would be right. It was true that Lee Jun couldn’t understand him because he hadn’t grown up in the same environment as Chaeheon. But…

“I don’t intend to understand you. I’m just going to accept you as you are.”

Lee Jun didn’t think Chaeheon would understand his own circumstances, which he hadn’t yet revealed. So, Lee Jun gave the answer he could and waited. For Chaeheon to explain how he had lived his life.

“Uh… well…”

Chaeheon stammered at Lee Jun’s nonchalant reply. He scratched the back of his head, then glanced at Lee Jun’s face before looking away again.

Then, at some point, he turned back to Lee Jun with a weary smile.

“Why didn’t I tell you, Lee Jun, until now? If I had known you’d react like this, I would have said something earlier.”

Then I would have unburdened myself much sooner.

He regretted the time he hadn’t told Lee Jun. Lee Jun didn’t open his mouth, even as he watched Chaeheon’s smile. Right now, he wanted to hear one person’s story more than a conversation between them.

Chaeheon, realizing the meaning of Lee Jun’s silence, opened his mouth with a pleasant sigh.

In a time that was neither long nor short, just fifteen minutes, Chaeheon’s life was laid bare.

“Brother.”

Haein, who had been waiting, quickly approached and hugged Lee Jun. Lee Jun, wondering if they had hugged like this since childhood, lowered his suspended hand to her shoulder.

She seemed very startled earlier.

“I’m sorry.”

At Haein’s tearful voice, their mother, Yoon Gyeong-hwa, also approached and stroked Haein’s back.

“What on earth happened? I asked Haein, but she just kept crying and couldn’t say anything.”

Yoon Gyeong-hwa, who had thought Haein was at a friend’s house, seemed very flustered by Haein and Hae Sol, who had arrived under the protection of unfamiliar men.

“You should calm down first, Haein.”

As she patted her, Haein’s crying gradually subsided. Later, Haein, who was only sniffling a little, wiped her reddened eyes with the back of her hand, feeling embarrassed.

Lee Jun sat Haein on the sofa and offered her a glass of water.

“Drink this and calm down.”

Haein awkwardly reached out for the glass of water and swallowed several times with a gulping sound. Her eyes darted around so much that it was worrying whether she was even drinking properly.

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

At her fidgety reaction, Lee Jun told her she didn’t need to say more, but Haein quickly shook her head.

“It’s something I have to say anyway, so why delay it? And I think both you, Lee Jun, and Mom will feel relieved if I explain what happened.”

Haein blinked her large eyes, then straightened her hunched shoulders.

“Well… Han Jeong-min kept coming to find me. Last time, I saw him talking with you, Lee Jun, so I intended to handle it by myself.”

Lee Jun had already heard this, but he remained silent, knowing Haein was explaining in as much detail as possible for their mother’s sake.

“So, I was going to stay at a motel for a while and look for a place to live, but I didn’t expect him to show up there.”

“A motel? You were in that dangerous place with a baby?”

Yoon Gyeong-hwa, who had thought Haein was at a friend’s house, gasped and shook Haein. Haein stammered, unable to pull her arm away from the strong grip.

“I thought I had to. And what’s wrong with a motel? It wasn’t dangerous, and it was fine. It was practically falling apart, so hardly anyone came and went there.”

Haein argued that she had looked into it herself, but neither Lee Jun nor Yoon Gyeong-hwa could just let it go.

“So, not completely nobody.”

At Lee Jun’s calm retort, Haein flinched and couldn’t meet his eyes. And Yoon Gyeong-hwa, unable to compose her shocked emotions, reproached Haein.

“Even if people don’t come and go, you should never set foot in a dangerous place. Didn’t you think about Hae Sol’s crying being heard through the walls?”

“Ah… I didn’t hear anything from the person in the next room. That means Hae Sol’s crying wasn’t heard. How good is motel soundproofing these days, anyway…”

Haein was speaking as if it was amazing, even knowing she’d be nagged, so Lee Jun sighed deeply. Regardless of where she stayed, she was safe, so he let it go.

“So, what do you want to do now?”

“That…”

In conclusion, Hae Sol was discovered by Han Jeong-min, and everything was revealed to Chaeheon, who appeared later.

Haein clasped her hands on her knees, pretending to ponder, and glanced at Lee Jun for his reaction. Lee Jun, guessing what she was about to say, first let out a sigh.

“You saw just now. Even if I try to raise Hae Sol alone, if Han Jeong-min acts like that, it’ll be hard to stop him. So…”