Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 63

What he pulled out after loosening the clasp was a tiny pouch that could hold just two chocolates.

“I sometimes get low bl00d sugar. I carry these around to eat when I suddenly feel faint. It’s silly, but… useful, you know? Want one?”

Maybe it was the way he looked like he was reluctantly sharing something precious, Kim Sejin’s face softened as he held out the chocolate. And when Hyun didn’t refuse and actually took one, Sejin smiled through the remnants of his earlier tears and popped one into his own mouth.

“God, I really cried for the first time in ages, and now my sugar’s crashing. Crying on cue for acting gigs doesn’t drain me as much as this… wow, low bl00d sugar is such a pain, you know? The first time it hit me was right after my debut—”

While he rambled on, Muk-hyun sat staring blankly at the chocolate in his hand.

[My favorite food is chocolate. The first time hyung gave it to me, I was so happy I almost cried. But these days he doesn’t give me any. Says it’s because I don’t eat real meals. He’s mean.]

He had read those words in Irang’s notebook so many times he had practically memorized them. Scrawled down as if written carelessly, and yet the more he read them, the heavier his chest grew. That tiny hand clutching a pencil, the round back of her head, lips parted slightly in focus—Muk-hyun had never imagined he’d ache for those details.

[Choi Hyun is a good person. The person I love. I love him much, much more than chocolate. Dummy.]

The spelling was a mess, like she hadn’t learned all the final consonants yet, but the entire notebook was filled with nothing but him. And Muk-hyun, blind to it all, had teased him—asking what she was scribbling so seriously, if she was planning to go to college. That round-eyed gaze that turned bright whenever she picked up a pencil, those sparkling eyes whenever she learned something new. He wanted to see them again.

“Is this your house?” That face, with its wide, teary eyes staring up at him.

“…What if I hug you?” That guileless face, reckless enough to tempt him without hesitation.

“Thank you.” That face, straining to smile as if she knew the end was near.

All those images—just looking at them in his memory made his chest ache.

Are you thinking of me too? Or are you resenting me? Maybe it hurts this much because you hate me so deeply. I shouldn’t have let you go.

The name stuck in his throat like a thorn, too painful to call out loud. Muk-hyun shoved the chocolate into his mouth instead. The sweetness was almost laughably bitter. Meanwhile, Kim Sejin was still spilling his worries to no one in particular.

“I’m not doing this just for myself, you know. I’ve got family to feed, plus staff at the company… It’s not like I did everything right, but if I just disappeared, my friends wouldn’t sit still. One of my closest friends, his father’s a prosecutor.”

Muk-hyun rubbed his tired eyes.

“Not just any prosecutor either, a chief prosecutor! At the Western District Prosecutor’s Office, I think? Anyway, this guy treats me like a real brother, so if anything ever happened to me—”

Muk-hyun’s eyes snapped open.

“What did you just say.”

“Huh? I said I have a friend who treats me like family—”

“You said chief prosecutor. Western District?”

“Yeah, his dad. From what I know, he’s the top guy there.”

“What’s your friend’s name.”

Perhaps sensing the danger in Muk-hyun’s clenched jaw and hardened face, Sejin’s eyes darted nervously as he replied.

“Kim Soohwan. You’re not… you’re not thinking of doing anything to him, right? Don’t. He’s a pitiful kid.”

Yes. Kim Deokgyu and Moon Heesook’s son, Kim Soohwan. The only child listed on their family register carried that name. Unlike Irang, who had been abandoned in the sticks, this girl had grown up in comfort under a respectable roof.

Come to think of it, Jung Yoon’s reports hadn’t included much on Kim Soohwan. Had he made a mistake in brushing that detail aside?

“Why do you call him pitiful?”

“Well… he had some kind of rare disease when he was little. Went through multiple surgeries, his stomach’s all scarred up. Honestly, it’s a miracle he’s alive. Just… leave him be, please. I shouldn’t have said anything. I won’t breathe a word about him to anyone, I swear…”

Why was it? The uneasy feeling that had nagged at Muk-hyun all along seemed to snap into place the moment he fit “Kim Soohwan” into it.

“That bastard’s been sick again lately… wonder if he’s doing any better.”

***

The next day, Choi Jung-do attended a luncheon gathering of business leaders and influential lawmakers. It hadn’t been long since these meetings had become regular, but they were crucial for the future he was building, so he had been paying close attention.

“Chairman Choi, you must be under a lot of stress. Postponing a wedding… your vice-chairman must be quite seriously injured.”

“Yes. Unfortunate timing, right before such an important event…”

“Well, they say mishaps before a big occasion ward off greater misfortune. Don’t take it too hard.”

“Of course. I’d rather believe this means the kids will have a blessed marriage.”

Inside, his heart was burning black, but outwardly he laughed it off with a genial air. At least President Han Min hadn’t shown up today, Choi Jung-do silently thanked the heavens for that.

“In that case, today’s gathering will be on me. You all carved out precious time, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

He was furious with his son for mishandling such an important moment, but his daughter, who had provoked Han Min’s wrath, pushed his irritation to the brink. It was far too early to hand down the family legacy, but he hadn’t realized just how foolish she still was. Instead of helping her father’s path, she scattered thorns across it.

That boy is better.

Thanks to his teaching, Choi Hyun could understand ten things from a single word. He anticipated moves several steps ahead and acted without being told, reliable in any situation. Even when tasked with dangerous work, he never dared to covet the family inheritance, and that was especially reassuring.

He hadn’t expected him to rebel, claiming he would leave. But since his closest men were still under his hold, it was only a matter of time before Hyun returned to his place. Yes. That’s how it had to be.

“By the way, Congressman Cho, regarding the Ministry of Finance—” Chairman Choi was just broaching a subject when sudden commotion broke out beyond the door.

Something shattered, followed by dull thuds, screams, and then—bang!—the door slammed open.

“Excuse me.”

Muk-hyun strode in without hesitation, aides scrambling in behind him. But none dared rush him; the balance of power had already shifted.

“T-that man just barged in—!”

“I apologize for the intrusion. But I have something to say. May I borrow a moment of your time?”

As if by silent agreement, the seated figures gestured to their aides to step back. Straightening his disheveled clothes, Muk-hyun stood at the center.

“Shall I introduce myself first?”

The room fell into tense silence, his presence pressing down on everyone. Glancing around at the wary faces, Muk-hyun let out a dry laugh.

“You’ve all heard of me. I’m Chairman Choi Jung-do’s bastard.”

“Khmm!”

Some flinched at the raw profanity in his clear, mad-tinged voice, but no one dared respond.

“I haven’t met most of you before, but I’ve delivered plenty of bribe money to your hands. How was it? I’m quite good at deliveries, never once caused you trouble, right?”

Choi Jung-do, stunned speechless, finally erupted in a roar.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing! Do you even know where you are? Apologize this instant!”

“Where should I start? With apologizing for crashing an uninvited? Or should I start by reminding you that every one of those ‘gift boxes’ I delivered is neatly logged in your ledgers?”

The weight of his words crashed over the room.