Side Story 16

Before the cold winter arrived, Siyeon and Ijun moved into a detached two-story house. The house, built with meticulous attention to detail by a famous architectural designer, was located in a neighborhood close to Suwon and relatively near the Baekya Foods headquarters. 

The building had a predominantly white tone and an elongated shape. Large windows on all four sides provided a sense of openness with a clear view from any angle. On one side of the spacious lawn, as large as a soccer field, there was an outdoor swimming pool.

Ijun, who fell in love with the house at first sight, persuaded the owner, the chairman of a certain company, to make it his own. The previous owner had only used the house occasionally, leaving it mostly under the care of a caretaker, so there wasn’t much that needed to be done.

Ijun redecorated the interior design and added a small annex next to the main house. This was to ensure that both sets of parents could stay comfortably when they visited. As expected, the person who used the annex the most was Ijun’s grandfather.

The following spring, Siyeon and Ijun’s second son was born. To save Siyeon the trouble of choosing a name, Ijun’s grandfather carefully and thoughtfully came up with the name ‘Chayoon’ which had an urban feel to it.

While he was at it, he also chose the name “Sammy” for their third child, confidently assuming that it would be a granddaughter. Considering the global era, the grandfather was satisfied with the English names he had chosen.

“Simoon-ah, walk slowly. What if you fall?” 

Ijun’s grandfather had been closely following behind Simoon. Simoon, who had started walking after turning one, loved to stroll around the yard. He was already so assertive that he enjoyed walking alone without holding the hand of his guardian. His great-grandfather was anxious, watching over him to ensure he didn’t fall.

“Simoon-ah.” 

Hearing Ijun’s voice, Simoon stopped walking and turned around. Ijun, dressed in a suit, was striding over, stepping on the broad stepping stones. He had just returned from an overseas business trip and was on his way home from the airport. Seeing Ijun, Simoon smiled widely and stretched out his short arms, asking to be held.

“I’m back.”

Holding Simoon in one arm and kissing his cheek, Ijun greeted his grandfather. While Ijun was away on his business trip, his grandfather volunteered to take care of Simoon. He believed that Siyeon would be too exhausted just taking care of Chayoon, so he stepped in as Simoon’s caretaker. Despite having a babysitter, his grandfather thought it was essential to have a family member at home.

“How about your Father?”

“He went to Suwon. He said he would come back with Mom and have dinner here.”

“Yes, I suppose your mom misses her grandsons. I often see her smiling to herself while looking at photos of Simoon and Chayoon. They are her first grandsons, so of course, she finds them adorable, even if she doesn’t show it much because of Gwihyeon. Anyway, Gwihyeon’s family should have some news soon… He’ll be thirty-five soon. In the old days, he’d already have grandchildren by now.”

Grandfather sighed deeply. For a couple to have good marital harmony, they should have children, but he had heard the rumors that Gwihyeon and Ra-yoon were like strangers. In fact, given the current situation, he shouldn’t be hoping for a great-grandchild from them but rather hoping not to hear news of their divorce.

“I’ll go inside and wash up first.”

“What about Simoon?”

“I’ll wash him and bring him out. He must be tired from all the walking.”

Ijun laughed as he gently massaged Simoon’s chubby calves. Simoon, who had inherited Ijun’s build, was taller than other children his age, but he was still just a baby. His short, chubby legs were incredibly cute. Seeing him waddling with his short legs always made Ijun’s fatigue disappear.

“Between Simoon and Chayoon, who do you find cuter?”

“How can I choose between them?”

“Then, what do you think it will be like when Sammy is born?”

Grandfather slyly glanced at Ijun while asking. To him, the third great-grandchild, a granddaughter, was a given. He just wanted to hasten the day of her birth.

“Take it easy. Chayoon hasn’t even turned a hundred days old yet, Grandfather.”

“I don’t have much time left, you know. You youngsters don’t know how quickly the days pass for us old folk. I feel like I’ll only be at peace if I see the third great-grandchild. I want to give my share to the third one as well, so I can rest easy.”

“Are you worried that my brother and I might fight over the management rights of Baekya in the future?” 

At Ijun’s question, his grandfather hesitated for a moment before sighing and revealing his true feelings. 

“…Yes. Gwiheyon will never give up on Baekya until the end. If the day comes when I have to choose between the two of you, your mother and father probably won’t intervene. They can’t take sides since you’re both their children. I’m trying to set things up so that my great-grandchildren don’t get caught in their parents’ fight and miss out on their rightful shares. If I establish a place for Simoon and Chayoon, won’t it be easier for you as well?” 

He intended to strengthen Ijun’s position as the future head of Baekya Foods by granting shares to his children. Despite everything, the fact that Gwihyeon was the eldest grandson and that his maternal relatives were still influential within the company couldn’t be ignored.

“If my brother has a son, that child will become the 19th head of the family.”

“The head of the family has his own role, and the business has his own. Simoon has a wise mother and a determined father, so he will protect Baekya well.” 

“Why are you so sure about Simoon?” 

Ijun often wondered why his grandfather was so certain that Simoon would inherit Baekya Foods. Before Gwihyeon’s true nature was revealed, his grandfather had intended to pass everything to Gwihyeon, the eldest grandson. But once he deemed Gwihyeon unfit, he had no hesitation in expelling him from Baekya. That same grandfather had now anointed the still-young Simoon as the next leader, which piqued Ijun’s curiosity.

“When you reach my age, you start seeing things you couldn’t see before.”

“What did Monk Jeongseon say?”

“…This kid. What do you take your grandfather for? Do you think I’d be swayed by just a few words?…”

Grandfather averted his gaze and trailed off. Seeing this, Ijun felt certain.

“So, you did hear something.”

“It’s not that he said anything special… He just mentioned that Simoon was born with Baekya’s spirit. He said the ancestors from both sides are watching over Simoon.” 

“Is that all?” 

At Ijun’s persistent questioning, his grandfather huffed and responded curtly. 

“Yes! He said Simoon would make the name of Baekya Foods famous, not just in our country but also in the overseas markets. Considering all this, I even thought of the global name Sammy for my great-granddaughter…” 

Realizing he had said too much, his grandfather trailed off, but Ijun didn’t miss a thing. 

“What about Sammy?” 

“Simoon and the third granddaughter will be handling Baekya’s business, and the third one will even be working overseas. Let’s stop talking about this now. Go inside and wash Simoon. He’s yawning because he’s sleepy.” 

Grandfather waved his hand dismissively, signaling he wouldn’t discuss the matter further. 

“I’m going in. And don’t call her Sammy. Siyeon and I will decide the name of our third child, whenever that happens.” 

With that, Ijun strode towards the main house, determined to give his third child a distinctly Korean name that foreigners would find difficult to pronounce.

* * *

It was the end of a bright and sunny summer. Siyeon lay on a white sunbed by the pool, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and large sunglasses, dozing off. 

In the blue pool, the three men were having a great time. Ijun held Chayoon in one arm while Simoon excitedly paddled around in a baby tube. 

“Daddy, push (me)!” 

Ijun gave the tube a gentle nudge forward, causing Simoon to wiggle with excitement.

“Again, again!”

With a playful grin, Ijun gave the tube a stronger push. As the tube, with Simoon on it, spun and drifted away quickly, Ijun laughed heartily while Simoon’s face turned pale. 

“Waah!” 

Siyeon, who had dozed off, was startled awake by Simoon’s crying. She quickly sat up and saw Simoon spinning around in his tube, her eyes widening in surprise. 

“What are you doing right now?” 

“Oh, I’m playing with him vigorously.”

“Why is Simoon all the way over there by himself?”

“I pushed him.”

“What!” 

As Siyeon huffed and approached the pool angrily, Ijun, quickly understanding the situation, handed Chayoon over to her and went to “rescue” Simoon. Seeing Ijun swim freestyle towards the drifting tube, Siyeon couldn’t help but laugh.

Simoon, having been pushed nearly to the edge of the pool by his father, was still spinning and crying, albeit a bit slower. He seemed both scared and sad. 

“Son, Daddy’s here to rescue you. Were you very scared?” 

Ijun laughed as he took Simoon out of the tube, holding him close and patting his back to soothe him. Simoon clung tightly to Ijun’s neck, crying loudly, but Ijun found his son’s distress endearing and couldn’t help but smile. 

“Daddy hugs Chayoon but sniff, pushes Simoon.”

“No, Daddy pushed you far away to make it fun for you.” 

“No. Daddy only loves Chayoon, sniff, and doesn’t love Simoon anymore.”

Simoon mistakenly thought that his dad favored the younger Chayoon more because he was hugging him and had pushed Simoon away. Since his younger sibling was born, he had felt a shift in his parents’ attention and had built up some resentment. 

Seeing Simoon like this reminded Ijun of his own childhood, secretly crying in a corner, feeling that his grandparents and mother loved his older brother more. Realizing that Simoon felt the same sadness he once did made Ijun’s heartache. 

“Daddy loves Simoon the most. Simoon will always be number one.”

Ijun whispered this into Simoon’s ear while stroking his back. 

“…And Mommy?” 

“Mommy loves you the most too.” 

“…What about Chayoon?” 

“Chayoon is number two.” 

Only then did Simoon stop crying and look up, reassured. 

“Daddy loves Simoon very much.” 

Ijun smiled, looking into Simoon’s eyes, and kissed his chubby, tear-streaked cheeks. At that moment, Ijun thought he understood the depth and extent of his love for his children. That was until the third child, a girl, came into his life.