Chapter 40: A Toast to Family

As I observed him cautiously, my grandfather spoke.

“Go to Mu-hyeok’s room and have a conversation with him.”

I stood up and headed to my room on the second floor, and he followed me up the stairs.

Once inside, I perched on the edge of my bed and looked at him again.

Without asking if he could sit, he maintained a blank expression and met my gaze directly, clearly observing me in return.

“What brings you here?”

“I was in Africa.”

“Africa…?”

His skin had a brown tint, likely from tanning in the sun, confirming my suspicion about his time in Africa.

“What were you doing there?”

“I worked as a mercenary. I received a call from Myung-hoon and returned after quitting my job.”

Mentioning Chief Ha indicated a close relationship.

“What is your relationship with him?”

“We grew up together.”

“Hmm… I see.”

He responded, yet his expression remained unchanged.

Talking to him felt like conversing with a robot.

“Will you follow my orders while you’re with me? No matter what Chief Ha or my grandfather say, you’ll listen to me first, right?”

“Yes, I returned with that intention, but I haven’t fully committed yet.”

I smiled slightly at Ma Seok-dae’s words.

“Take your time to think about it while following me. For now, you don’t need to attend school with me; just join me for other activities.”

“Understood.”

While he might not fully become my subordinate, I trusted him more because he spoke his mind so openly.

‘But as a mercenary, did Chief Ha also live that lifestyle? If they’ve known each other since childhood, maybe I can learn more about Chief Ha.’

Even while I pondered, he stood silently and straight.

“You can leave now.”

Ma Seok-dae bowed his head in greeting and exited.

* * *

Ha Myung-hoon and Ma Seok-dae sat facing each other.

“You’ve aged a lot.”

“When did you start talking like that? You look worse for wear.”

Despite their usually stoic faces, a hint of joy surfaced.

“Now you’re settling down in Korea. Stop wandering abroad; mercenary life is unpredictable. You never know when it could end.”

“Hahaha, it’s not like you can say that. You shouldn’t be telling me that!”

The two continued their conversation, exchanging pleasantries.

“Take good care of the young master. No matter what, his words come first, understood?”

“I’ll get to know him better and make my own judgment. Don’t worry about it.”

Trust was evident on Ha Myung-hoon’s face as he regarded Ma Seok-dae.

“I’ve left the room next to mine empty, so feel free to use it. Let’s gather the kids; it’s been a while since we all met. I’ll ask the chairman for permission to tell you.”

Ma Seok-dae nodded.

“How is everyone doing?”

“Same as always. They either move when I call or live their own lives.”

“Is the chairman planning to hand everything over to the young master?”

Ha Myung-hoon shook his head.

“I don’t know. Don’t concern yourself with that; when the chairman retires, I’ll disappear too. You’ll take over then.”

“Okay.”

“Just take care of the young master. I introduced you because I trust you the most.”

They exchanged smiles.

* * *

While I was spending time idly after meeting Ma Seok-dae, she suddenly called me.

“I thought about what you said last time… I’d like your help.”

It was Han Min-kyung asking to meet alone.

I welcomed her words with a smile.

“Good decision. Don’t feel pressured.”

“Thank you. I’ll finish my tutoring this month and stop. Once I graduate and start working, I’ll pay you back little by little.”

After weeks of silence, I had given up hope…

“Of course! Were you trying to cheat me?”

I joked lightly to ease her worries.

“I’ll send you 200 every month to your account.”

“Huh? That’s a lot!”

I nodded at Han Min-kyung, whose eyes widened in surprise.

“Don’t worry about household chores; focus on your studies. Take the same exams as us, and until you graduate from college, don’t stress about money. If you need anything, just ask.”

“…I’m sorry, but I can’t refuse that.”

The starting salary for new graduates at big companies was around fifty a month, even if it was generous.

So, with the offer of 200 a month, Han Min-kyung couldn’t hide her astonishment.

“You don’t have to feel sorry about anything.”

I meant it; it was nothing compared to her true value.

With everything going according to plan, a smile was permanently etched on my face.

“Oh! And let’s keep this a secret from everyone. There’s no need to mention it upfront, right?”

Han Min-kyung nodded, relief evident on her face.

We changed the topic to discuss the bar exam before we parted ways.

Next, I headed to Myeong-su’s house to meet Hyeon-seong’s father.

“Hello, sir.”

Seeing Hyeon-seong’s father after a long time, he greeted me warmly.

“You look well, Mu-hyeok. Is life in Seoul treating you okay?”

A drinking party was already underway, and I naturally joined in.

“Uncle, have a drink!”

Hyeon-seong’s father poured soju for me. After accepting it with both hands, I drank it down, then refilled his glass.

Hyeon-seong’s father laughed heartily.

“It feels like only yesterday we were drinking together. Time flies! Do you remember how much trouble you caused me? Don’t do that anymore!”

Then, he downed the drink I poured and stood up.

“And Mu-hyeok, let’s talk for a bit. Come with me.”

As Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong looked on with puzzled expressions, I followed him into Hyeon-seong’s room.

Once the door closed, Hyeon-seong’s father pulled out a cigarette.

“Remember that favor you asked me about? The case with your parents? I can’t help but feel something’s off. The investigation records are thin, almost like they were just going through the motions.”

Worry lines formed on Hyeon-seong’s father’s forehead.

“Really?”

He exhaled smoke, revealing a bitter expression as he spoke cautiously.

“With my decades of experience, I can tell there’s definitely more to this. I want to dig deeper, but it’s been almost twenty years. The detectives from then have all retired.”

“Do you know who they are?”

He nodded gravely.

“Two of them are already dead, and one immigrated abroad. I’m not sure where exactly.”

Hmm… I might need to look into that.

Hyeon-seong’s father noticed my contemplative silence and added,

“I’m not sure if I should say this, but…”

He flicked the ash off his cigarette.

“It’s fine. Please go ahead.”

Hyeon-seong’s father glanced at me, then lowered his gaze.

“A robbery-homicide usually involves taking valuables, and it doesn’t tend to be this brutal.”

He hesitated, his eyes closing tightly.

“Ugh! I’ll just say it. The number of stab wounds is too high for a robbery-homicide. It was worse on your mother’s side.”

The more I listened, the more my expression twisted involuntarily. It was hard to maintain my composure, so I raised my hand to cover my mouth.

Seeing my reaction, Hyeon-seong’s father paused.

“Please continue.”

“…In my view, it looks like your mother was targeted. In such cases, it’s usually an act of revenge or a contract killing. If proper investigations had been conducted, they would’ve focused on that angle, but it just got swept away, likely due to some known offenders nearby.”

“So, it’s not just a simple robbery-homicide?”

Hyeon-seong’s father nodded as he put out his cigarette.

“That’s my belief. I plan to dig deeper, but I’m not sure what will come of it. Still, I’ll keep looking into it, alright?”

My mind was in turmoil.

‘Living in Busan, there’s no way there could be a grudge against me. Could it be someone related to my grandfather? No, if they had a grudge against him, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to keep it from him.’

“Are you alright? Mu-hyeok!”

Snapped back to reality, I looked up to see Hyeon-seong’s father watching me with concern.

“Yes… I’m just surprised. Thank you for looking into this.”

“I should have done this sooner. If I had known, I would have looked into it right away. I’m sorry; I should have suspected that it wasn’t just a simple case of passing away. I didn’t realize there could be more to it.”

“No, I didn’t think of it either. Without you, I might not have uncovered this so quickly.”

“I should have paid more attention.”

Seeing Hyeon-seong’s father blaming himself calmed my anger, and I looked at him.

“…Please don’t tell my grandmother about this.”

“Of course. How could I tell her something like this? I’ve noticed Hyeon-seong’s mom visiting a lot lately with Myeong-su’s mom, so don’t worry too much about her. If anything happens, I’ll contact you immediately.”

I felt grateful. It was a moment of regret for not appreciating these people in my past life.

Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong’s families always treated me like this.

Even when I was causing trouble with Myeong-su and Hyeon-seong, they never said, ‘Stay away from our kid.’ Instead…

“Just stop causing trouble. Mu-hyeok, think about how upset your grandmother must be.”

That was their approach.

Hyeon-seong’s father patted my shoulder.

“I’ll look into this further, so please wait a bit longer. Let’s go; the kids are waiting.”

“Thank you.”

As he patted my shoulder, he opened the door and stepped out first.

I took a moment to glance at him before following.

“What were you two talking about for so long?”

Myeong-su asked with a slight lisp as Hyeon-seong’s father sat down, playfully flicking Myeong-su’s forehead.

“You brat!”

“Dad~ pour me a drink!”

But as Myeong-su filled the cup, Hyeon-seong’s father accepted it with a smile.

“You should have one too!”

I took a seat as Myeong-su offered me a cup.

“Dad! I love you!”

Myeong-su playfully raised his cup to Hyeon-seong’s father.

With a grin, Hyeon-seong’s father drank, and we clinked our cups together.

The next day,

Hyeon-seong’s father woke us from our slumber.

“Enough sleeping in, get up and eat!”

With bleary eyes, I stumbled to the table, where Hyeon-seong’s father had already prepared bean sprout soup.

“Oh! Dad!”

Rubbing his eyes, Myeong-su sat down and gave a thumbs-up to his father.

“You crazy kid, just eat your food!”

We all sat down and drank the bean sprout soup as if it were water.

“Huh~ Seeing how you guys live, I can’t help but worry. Hyeon-seong, what happened with the national team? Why so quiet?”

Hyeon-seong avoided his father’s gaze.

Hyeon-seong’s father tilted his head, puzzled.

“What? Did you drop out? That’s strange; didn’t you have a similar friend in high school?”

“…”

Frustrated by Hyeon-seong’s silence, his father raised his voice.

“Why can’t you speak? Is something wrong?”

“…No, nothing’s wrong.”

“You frustrating kid, just talk to me!”

Curious, I glanced at Hyeon-seong.

“What? Is something bothering you?”

“No.”

“Really? It sounds like something’s up.”

“Nope.”

Hyeon-seong’s expression showed a firm resolve not to speak.

Even Hyeon-seong’s father seemed to realize this, sighing after asking a few more times.

I lifted my bowl to drink and cast a sidelong glance at Hyeon-seong.

‘…I need to find out what’s going on.’