That day, the Seo couple who ran the samgyetang restaurant had gone to a 70th birthday celebration for an acquaintance living nearby, leaving only Soo-hyun, Seo Min-jun, and Min-jun’s sister Seo Yoon-kyung at home. Yoon-kyung had quit her job and had been helping her parents’ business since the beginning of the year, while Min-jun attended university in Seoul and came home on weekends.

Min-jun, who had entered law school at the top of his class, was the pride of the Seo couple. They were probably bragging about their son to the neighborhood people right now. Soo-hyun found Min-jun impressive and admirable, and also harbored deeper feelings for him.

That day too, Soo-hyun was solving math problems under Min-jun’s supervision.

“No, that’s wrong here.”

Unable to understand no matter how much he looked at it, Soo-hyun started biting his fingernails with his front teeth, and Min-jun grabbed his hand. Don’t bite them. His words were stern but his eyes were warm. As Soo-hyun stared at his face, Min-jun gave him a puzzled look.

“What?”

“You’re handsome.”

Min-jun laughed at Soo-hyun’s bold remark. He carefully reached out and touched Soo-hyun’s earlobe with its soft downy hair. Soo-hyun rubbed his cheek against Min-jun’s hand like a cat wanting affection from its owner. A moment later, Min-jun’s lips approached. Soo-hyun parted his lips slightly, like he was familiar with the gesture.

Their lips touched, then separated with a soft sound.

Soo-hyun blushed. The two had been secretly doing things that would make the Seos faint if they knew, for about a year. Min-jun had initiated it. You’re pretty. Soo-hyun. You’re so pretty that I kept thinking about you even while I was in Seoul. When I graduate, I’ll take you to Seoul. Let’s live together there.

Soo-hyun believed those words completely.

As they were smiling, holding hands and touching each other, suddenly there was a noise from outside. At first, they thought something had fallen in the winter wind. When they heard a piercing scream that followed, the two jumped up from their seats and rushed out like they had planned it.

The sound had come from Yoon-kyung’s room, which was separate from the main house.

Min-jun ran into the darkened room, immediately shouted, and then there was the sound of something breaking.

Arriving late, Soo-hyun was startled by the scene before him and stepped back. In the darkness, two people were grappling, clutching each other’s collars and arms. Books, cups, and other items were scattered on the floor, and in the corner sat Yoon-kyung, her upper clothes undone, trembling like an aspen leaf.

Coming to his senses, Soo-hyun tried to help Min-jun by grabbing the intruder from behind. The man swung his arm hard, striking Soo-hyun’s chin. Ugh, while Soo-hyun fell holding his face, the struggle between the two men grew even more intense, now rolling back and forth on the floor.

At that moment, a knife fell out of the man’s pocket with a thud.

Min-jun spotted it first. He reached out and grabbed the knife, then plunged it straight into the man’s side. With a stabbing sound, the man screamed and reached out to grab Min-jun’s neck. Even as his neck was being strangled, Min-jun raised the knife again. Yoon-kyung, who had finally come to her senses, tried to stop him, and Soo-hyun crawled over to hold him back, but it was difficult to overcome his strength.

Die, you son of a b*tch!

The knife was now embedded in the chest. Aaaagh! Consumed by rage, Min-jun, howling like a beast, was not the person Soo-hyun knew. Once, twice, three times, bl＊＊d gushed like a fountain as the struggling man’s strength drained away. The hand that had been strangling Min-jun fell limply.

Soo-hyun backed away, terrified. In the darkness, Soo-hyun realized that Min-jun’s eyes were shining strangely. A Min-jun he had never seen before. A side he had never imagined. Soo-hyun was paralyzed with fear, and Yoon-kyung too was too shocked to say anything.

With a gurgle, the man vomited bl＊＊d, his pupils gradually rolling upward. Min-jun, breathing heavily, looked down at the dying man and his own bl＊＊d-covered hands. Slowly, his expression distorted. Haa, haa, his breathing gradually slowed, and his face was shadowed with despair.

[Is Min-jun here? Why is the yard in such a state?]

Voices could be heard from outside. The Seo couple had returned from the celebration. With a thud, the knife finally dropped from Min-jun’s hand, as if he had just come to his senses. He slid off the man’s body and collapsed onto the floor with a vacant expression.

“Do as I say, sir.”

“But… how can we…”

“This is frustrating. Soo-hyun is young, so his sentence will be reduced. Plus, if we say it was an impulsive accident, the judge will be lenient. We’ll submit petitions and everything. Frankly speaking, after taking in a parentless child, feeding and clothing him, he should repay this much.”

“My goodness, how can you say that…”

“Then what would you do? Are you going to let your only son go to prison like this?”

The Seo couple weren’t the only ones who had returned home that day. The village head, who was like family to the couple, had come with them. The village head tried to persuade them, saying he would handle everything if they pinned it on Baek Soo-hyun.

Soo-hyun, who had been secretly listening to the conversation from behind a wall, looked at Min-jun sitting on the porch. He was covered in bl＊＊d, in shock, his body trembling. Bl＊＊d was flowing from a wound between his thumb and index finger, where the flesh had split open from gripping the knife, and Mrs. Seo was trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

Watching this scene, Soo-hyun went around the wall to Mr. Seo. Seeing Soo-hyun, he sighed first.

“Why did you come out? Go back inside.”

“Uncle…”

Soo-hyun’s lips were still trembling, not yet recovered from the shock.

“It wasn’t hyung. I stabbed him…”

Mr. Seo’s eyes widened. The village head nudged Mr. Seo and gave him a look. Mr. Seo, who was about to say something, clenched his molars and turned his head away.

He remained silent, and the village head approached and grabbed Soo-hyun’s arm.

“The poor boy must have been so frightened. When someone who’s like a sister to you is being attacked like that, you had no choice but to act. Right, Soo-hyun?”

Instead of answering, Soo-hyun nodded slowly. Relief was evident on the village head’s face. Mr. Seo, who had turned his head away, still couldn’t look at Soo-hyun. The village head’s gaze moved past Soo-hyun’s shoulder.

“Min-jun! Pull yourself together, boy! Your uncle will be here soon!”

Soo-hyun turned around.

The focus had disappeared from Min-jun’s once-intelligent eyes.

Soo-hyun smiled sadly at Min-jun.

Don’t worry, hyung. I’ll protect you.

***

“You should have sweet-talked him and kept him around.”

“Sweet-talked? Every time I saw him, I wanted to kill him. I barely held back because grandfather asked me to.”

Tsk, tsk, that temper of yours.

At Chairman Yang’s rebuke, Ho-beom took out a piece of gum and put it in his mouth. Chairman Yang made another comment.

“You quit smoking, and now you’re addicted to gum.”

“Does it bother you? Would you like to give me some land now instead?”

At Ho-beom’s words, Chairman Yang snorted and called him shameless. But despite his words, Ho-beom had always been Chairman Yang’s weak spot. To others, Ho-beom might appear mature for handling business at his age, but to him, he was still his young grandson.

Chairman Yang first met Ho-beom when he was five, after his son and daughter-in-law died in an accident. He had cut ties with his son for going against his wishes, so he thought he wouldn’t feel any attachment to his grandson either, but he was wrong. Seeing his grandson, who looked exactly like his son when he was young, he couldn’t deny the pull of bl＊＊d.

Maybe I could give everything I have to this child. Maybe he could protect it all.

But Ho-beom didn’t speak for nearly a year after losing his parents that year, perhaps due to the shock. Chairman Yang was distraught. He worried that his grandson might be deaf and mute like his daughter-in-law. He searched for every reputable hospital and eventually even brought in a famous acupuncturist from China.

So when Ho-beom finally started speaking a year later, his joy was incomparable. After that, Chairman Yang saw even Ho-beom’s back-talk and rudeness as endearing antics.

“Are you sure about Seo Min-jun doing that?”

“The police station chief at that time was Seo Min-jun’s uncle. He was the first to respond. According to the detective in charge, there were suspicious points. The signs of struggle, and while Baek Soo-hyun was holding the knife, Seo Min-jun’s hand was cut. You know how it is with knife users. If you hold it wrong, you get cut somewhere.”

Ho-beom replied brazenly. How would I know that?

Chairman Yang gave Ho-beom a sidelong glance and continued.

“But the dead guy turned out to be from a family in Seoul. He came to visit with friends and developed feelings for Seo Min-jun’s sister, which led to the incident. Later, pressure was put on the prosecutor in charge, and what should have been a simple case was completely turned upside down. In that situation, Seo Min-jun must have given false testimony to avoid punishment.”

Ho-beom recalled the contents of the statement.

“That’s how it is in the countryside. Everyone knows everyone through someone, so it’s easier to cover up incidents.”

Ho-beom stared at his teacup.

The image of Baek Soo-hyun’s face, dropping tears while looking at him, briefly flashed through his mind.

Does he feel wronged? Resentful?

“So find him and bring him back.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Beom-ah,”

Irritation showed on Ho-beom’s face.

“I don’t know where he is. And I don’t care. Who knows? He might have gotten angry and gone to stab Seo Min-jun with a knife.”

Just imagining it was thrilling. If he did that, f*ck, I’d give Baek Soo-hyun not just my d*ck but even more. Of course, I don’t know if that pretty idiot has the guts for it. Didn’t he tremble and vomit and make a scene just from cutting off one ear?

And contrary to the old man’s concerns, Baek Soo-hyun will definitely return. Hasn’t he already tasted it? Cutting off the ear of an ex-lover who saddled him with debt, wearing an expensive watch, putting on nice clothes, holding money in his hands, how sweet all that is…

So unless he’s dead somewhere, he will definitely come back.