The Unbelievers

Chapter 32

Jung-eon’s mother stepped back and stood next to her husband, startled by Siwoon’s cold charisma as he burst through the door. Jung-eon’s father approached Siwoon and bowed politely.

“…I’m sorry. We should have contacted the guardian immediately, but we only listened to the child.”

“I’ll be taking him now.”

He stood quietly in the entrance, looking at Eunseong. Eunseong’s shoulders trembled as Siwoon’s gaze fell on him. Jung-eon looked back and forth between Siwoon and Eunseong, asking with disbelief:

“Aren’t you the man I saw that day? No one lives in Eunseong’s house now, and Eunseong transferred schools the next day. Eunseong and his father vanished without a trace. Right after you appeared. Who are you? What’s your identity?”

Siwoon seemed to only now notice Jung-eon’s presence. He looked at him contemplatively for a while, then recognized him as the delinquent student he had encountered in front of Eunseong’s house that day, and his brow twitched.

He ignored Jung-eon and turned his eyes back to Eunseong. It was a silent order to gather his things and come out immediately.

Jung-eon’s parents stood awkwardly, unsure what to do, watching Siwoon’s reactions. They were anxious to explain to Eunseong’s guardian about their hasty foolishness in believing the child’s lie.

“I’m asking who you are. You can’t take Eunseong. Mom, call the police. This man isn’t Eunseong’s guardian. I saw him last time. I saw him causing trouble at Eunseong’s house!”

As Jung-eon persisted in questioning, his parents also became uncertain. Jung-eon hid Eunseong behind his back. It was a warning that if Siwoon wanted to take Eunseong, he’d have to get through him first.

Siwoon’s brow furrowed wearily. He took off his shoes and entered the living room. As the tall man stepped in, the space suddenly felt smaller.

He took out a business card case from his jacket’s inner pocket and handed a card to Jung-eon’s father. As he received the card, the man’s eyes widened in surprise. Jung-eon’s mother, peering over her husband’s shoulder, also exclaimed in astonishment. Their fearful gazes towards Siwoon changed to ones of awe.

“Eunseong’s father is absent due to circumstances, and I’m currently Eunseong’s guardian. I’m his paternal uncle.”

“A relative? Don’t lie. If you’re a relative, why did Eunseong run away? Don’t you see that vicious tattoo? They say only gangsters have those!”

“If you have any questions, please contact our office tomorrow. Our legal team will respond and provide appropriate compensation for any inconvenience.”

“What? No, there’s no damage… We should be the ones apologizing. We made a mistake by believing only the child’s words. We’re truly sorry. We were rude without knowing you were the CEO of Seongha Momentum.”

“It was a situation that could lead to misunderstanding.”

“Oh my, we thought the child was really being chased by loan sharks… We were so shocked earlier.”

“It’s a lie! Mom, do you believe that?!”

“Jung-eon, come here!”

Jung-eon’s parents each grabbed an arm of their son, who was insisting that Eunseong shouldn’t be handed over.

Siwoon glanced at Jung-eon and turned his gaze to Eunseong. Eunseong hesitantly entered Jung-eon’s room like a criminal being dragged away, gathered his school uniform and bag, and came out. Too ashamed to face Jung-eon’s parents, he kept his eyes on the floor and bowed his head in apology. Siwoon took the bag and uniform from Eunseong’s hands.

He moved the luggage with one hand and gripped Eunseong’s wrist with the other. Eunseong looked down at his wrist, at Siwoon’s hand gripping his flesh. The hand with protruding tendons and veins held Eunseong tightly. The cross tattoo he had touched in his daze stood out over the tendons.

“I apologize for the late-night intrusion.”

He made a final bow and turned around. As Eunseong was being pulled along, he looked back at Jung-eon. Their eyes met as Jung-eon was still insisting that this wasn’t right, that it was all a lie. Seeing Eunseong’s apologetic look, Jung-eon stopped his commotion.

Leaving the panting Jung-eon behind, they exited the apartment. Director Nam was standing in front of the elevator. He bowed his head apologetically and received Eunseong’s bag and uniform from Siwoon. While Siwoon was working, Eunseong had been Director Nam’s responsibility, and in a sense, Director Nam had lost Eunseong. It was his fault.

Even as they entered the waiting elevator, Siwoon didn’t release Eunseong’s wrist. He held it tightly, so tight that it cut off circulation. Eunseong looked up at him, wincing slightly and pleading that it hurt. However, he didn’t forcibly twist his arm to break free from the grip.

Even in this situation, he liked being in contact with Siwoon. It was hard to even touch this person except in moments like this. His anger seemed to override his obsessive-compulsive disorder. He was holding Eunseong’s wrist tightly without realizing it.

In the descending elevator, Siwoon, who had been silently looking ahead, spoke.

“Apologize to the director as well.”

“…”

It was an unfamiliar voice Eunseong had never heard before. It was like a blade, or an axe. A voice that cut coldly against the nape of the neck commanded.

“Quickly.”

“I’m… I’m…”

As he tried to say he was sorry, something suddenly welled up inside him.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”

As his tearful voice came out, his eyes immediately heated up. Tears flowed down his cheeks. Director Nam bit his lip with a look of dismay, bowing his head towards Siwoon, not because of Eunseong’s apology but because Siwoon was reprimanding Director Nam’s mistake. Only Eunseong didn’t realize that Siwoon wasn’t making him apologize, but was blaming Director Nam.

In front of the apartment entrance, two black sedans were crouched like beasts. Two bodyguards waiting there approached as the common entrance door opened, ready to receive the luggage from Director Nam. Director Nam handed over the luggage to them and headed for the driver’s seat.

Siwoon pulled Eunseong’s weight to the car door opened by a bodyguard. He let go of Eunseong’s wrist as he put him in the car first, while Eunseong was still wiping his tears vigorously with the back of his hand.

Wiping his tear-stained face repeatedly with both palms and the backs of his hands, Eunseong turned to look at the man sitting next to him. He checked his wristwatch as if tired and leaned back in his seat.

“Let’s go now.”

Siwoon said, almost like a sigh, with his eyes closed. The car moved forward smoothly. Eunseong’s breath, shaky from deep crying, broke like hiccups.

“How… how did you know? How did you know I was here…”

“Is that important?”

“…”

It was a tone tinged with anger, telling him not to say anything more. It wasn’t the usual tone that, while brusque, had been kind. He seemed genuinely disgusted with Eunseong for doing this. Eunseong felt even more miserable and his heart sank.

“I ran away. It’s not Director Nam’s fault.”

“…”

“It’s my fault.”

“…”

Siwoon responded with a silence that suggested it wasn’t worth replying to. He was rebuking Eunseong, thinking: I provided everything for you, treated you well, explained your position as the heir and your situation clearly, so why on earth did you do this?

Eunseong had only thought he would be scolded if caught running away, but he hadn’t expected this cold response. He couldn’t expect a rational assessment of the situation, asking what had happened to make him act this way. If Siwoon had kindly asked why he ran away, Eunseong might not have been able to hide the truth anymore and would have spilled everything to him.

That he thought he liked his uncle, that he missed him, wanted to hear his voice talking to him, that he was scared because he felt sexual desire for his uncle.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I did it? Aren’t you curious about why I did it?”

“I’m not curious.”

He answered coldly. It meant to just shut up quietly now. Director Nam, who was driving, seemed to share Eunseong’s thoughts and was careful not to even make a sound of breathing. The interior of the car, where not even the engine sound could be heard, became tense with suffocating silence.

Eunseong looked at him, sitting with his eyes closed and leaning against the backrest as if he didn’t want to see anything. Half of his face was cast in deep shadow in the darkness, his high bridge of nose buried in the shadows. The tattoo, covered with a dressing band for Eunseong’s emotional education, peeked out just a bit near one ear.

“The reason why I did it is…”

“…”

“I did it because I don’t want to live with you, ahjussi.”

Eunseong, who had stopped crying, said in a voice wet with tears. His eyes, which had been closed all along, opened slightly.

“I don’t like you, ahjussi.”

“…”

“Please let me live separately. I can stay with Director Nam, right? Then nothing will happen. I’ll listen well to the director from now on and won’t run away.”

Director Nam, who had been quietly driving and suppressing his presence, checked Eunseong and Siwoon’s reactions through the rearview mirror.

He turned his eyes from the back of Director Nam’s head to Eunseong. Eunseong was facing Siwoon’s stern eyes, which he had never shown him before, for the first time today.

“So you ran away? Because you don’t like me?”

“…Yes.”

Though terrified, Eunseong answered clearly.

Because of you.