Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 6

The son of some nobody woman who ran a shabby food shack at construction sites — they’d hooked up on and off whenever he was working out in the provinces.

If he turned his back on that kid, he would’ve just rotted away as some low-life bastard. So Choi Joong-do tossed him a scrap of mercy. Give the boy the Choi family name — and in return, get a hunting dog who’d obey him for life. Not a bad deal. That’s probably what Choi Joong-do was thinking when he saw his own bl00d for the first time in over ten years.

“There’s no footage. But I did leave someone alive. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out who I am.”

“Good. As long as there’s no direct evidence. Once they know it’s you, Kim Deok-gyu — that bastard — he’ll know exactly what he needs to do next.”

“There’s a chance this could blow back on us. We have the ledger now, but…”

“No. That guy will definitely try to make a deal with me.”

Chairman Choi sat there with a sly smile, looking oddly sure of himself. Why, though? Muk-hyun didn’t know anything yet about that woman. He’d hidden her away somewhere no one would find her, but he hadn’t dug into who she really was. And yet Choi Joong-do acted like he already knew her inside and out.

“You put her somewhere safe, right?”

“She’s under close watch.”

“If you’re gonna do it, keep her with you. Don’t stash her somewhere else. Make sure nothing goes wrong.”

That was unexpected. Choi Joong-do never bothered to micromanage how Muk-hyun did his work. Noticing Muk-hyun’s puzzled look, Choi clicked his tongue and added gruffly.

“Do you have any idea how long it took to dig that up? How much money did I burn to find just that one thing? Tsk. If we lose her now, we’re screwed. Absolutely not happening.”

Who the hell is that woman, anyway?

Muk-hyun bit down hard, trapping the question behind his teeth. He didn’t need to know. The more he knew, the more it would bother him somehow — and then he’d end up tangled in things he didn’t need to be part of. If he really wanted this to be the last time, it was cleanest to just do what he was told.

“We’ll stall for time, then trade her for the ledger. And while we’re at it, we’ll get that snake of a bastard trained to heel a bit. ‘Chaebol hunter,’ huh? What a bullshit nickname. We’ll fix that too.”

“I’ll put her back when it’s all wrapped up.”

“Good. Won’t take long.”

Muk-hyun almost asked How can you be so sure? but he swallowed it down.

“Chairman.”

There was something more important he needed to say. His pitch-black eyes, dull and cold, locked onto Choi Joong-do.

“This is the last time. Once the deal’s done, like I told you before — I’m out. I’m leaving Samun for good.”

“Oh, that… right…”

Muk-hyun knew exactly what would come next. Let’s wait and see how things play out, just handle this one last thing, make sure it’s all cleaned up properly — blah blah blah.

“I told you before I went in. When I got out, I’d be done. You agreed to that, too. You know damn well it’s already long overdue.”

“Hmm.”

Choi Joong-do didn’t bother to hide his displeasure, but Muk-hyun’s face stayed as blank and cold as ever.

Who had the thicker skin — the father who’d used a son he got for free just for planting his seed, or the son who’d spent his whole life as a hunting dog for the man who’d thrown away his mother?

Maybe they really were just father and son after all. Like father, like son.

“Anyway, for now… just focus on wrapping this up cleanly. Keeping an eye on one woman shouldn’t be that hard, should it?”

Muk-hyun pretended to agree for now, but he knew exactly the kind of man Choi Joong-do was — when this was over, he’d find some new excuse to keep him around. But Muk-hyun was done. This time, for real. Once this job was finished, he’d cut this rotten tie for good and leave. Find somewhere quiet to rest for a while. And after that…

“Oh, Il-hyun’s getting married soon. To the daughter of CEO Jung from Hanmin Daily.”

“Congratulations.”

“Hanmin! Think about it — having the press backing Samun? Imagine the things we could pull off. After Il-hyun, it’ll be Ji-hyun’s turn… What about you? You seeing anyone?”

“I don’t plan to get married.”

“Why not? When a man starts a family, he gets a sense of responsibility. Don’t just fool around with girls who are good for a night — if you find a woman who can help you build your future, you should keep her.”

“…”

Father. Do you even know today is Mom’s memorial Day?

Muk-hyun could feel the words pushing up his throat, but he didn’t say them.

“Alright then. You can go.”

The first and last time Choi Joong-do had ever cared about the woman he’d once shared a bed with was paying for the funeral. He’d never remembered her death anniversary — so there wasn’t any point in asking.

“Your father was a good man. Warm and kind.”

Maybe it would’ve been better if he’d never met him at all. Maybe it would’ve been kinder to just live chasing the fake image his mother painted for him.

“He’d love you if he could see you now. You look just like him.”

Muk-hyun left the office and headed straight for the columbarium.

A private room, large and quiet. The afternoon sunlight slid across the plaque: ‘The Late Kim Seo-hyun’.

“Mother.”

The first thing Muk-hyun did when he finally earned a proper title at Samun and started building up some wealth was move his mother’s ashes here. But money could only buy him this spacious room — nothing more. There wasn’t a single photo to put up, no memento to fill the emptiness. So the big space was always cold and hollow.

All she had, in life and in death, was Muk-hyun.

“I’m okay as long as I have my son. Really, I’m fine.”

Even when the man she loved betrayed her, even when she had to raise a child alone through all that hardship, even when her sick body withered away because she couldn’t afford proper medicine — she always said she was okay.

She gave him no last name, just the name Muk-hyun — and she made sure the generational syllable matched, just in case his father ever took him in one day. In the end, her own death made that longed-for reunion between father and son come true.

So… was she really okay?

Was she really happy that her son became the ‘Choi Muk-hyun’ she’d dreamed of?

In exchange for that family name, Muk-hyun had to give up an ordinary life. He crawled through filth and shadows, did things no human should do, and turned himself into a monster who could ignore the guilt that any normal person would feel.

He was more at home in the dark, damp corners of the world than anywhere bright or clean. No matter how much he scrubbed, the stink of bl00d clung to him like it was part of his skin.

That was Choi Muk-hyun now — a monster.

“Is this what you wanted?”

He stood there, cold-faced in front of her nameplate. Then, as soon as he stepped outside, he lit a cigarette.

“Director.”

“Thanks for the chrysanthemums, Yoon-ah.”

The caretaker had told him it was Jung-yoon who’d been bringing flowers every year. Having someone like that — someone who’d do something for him without being asked — Muk-hyun figured maybe that was the only bit of luck he had left in this life.

“If you’re that grateful, maybe cut back on the smoking, huh?”

“How’d we end up here?”

“If you don’t want to hear me nag, you could just quit altogether.”

For Muk-hyun, quitting wasn’t as simple as giving up a bad habit. He’d tried prescription meds for his nerves for a while, but they worked too slowly and were more hassle than they were worth. Why bother with something so inconvenient when there was an easier, faster fix?

Lately, he was dealing less with bl00d and guts and more with stiff suits pretending to be gentlemen — and his nerves were worse than ever. It got worse at night. Deep sleep was impossible, and sometimes the pain in his head felt like his skull was splitting open.

“I know I should cut back…” Muk-hyun murmured, letting out a long breath of smoke. Just then, a pale face came to mind.

“That… smell.”

From the moment he’d shoved her into the car and driven her away from the villa, the woman had stuck to the window like a piece of gum half-chewed and stuck back in place. She’d sniffed at him and mumbled about the smell.

If it bothered her so much, she could’ve rolled down the window or covered her nose — but instead, she just sniffed, waiting for him to finish blowing out the smoke. Didn’t make sense. He’d wondered then if something was a bit off about her.

And that wasn’t the only strange thing.