Speak of The Devil

Dressed in a black suit with a black tie, I stepped out of the house, wearing polished shoes. My brother accompanied me, not much different in appearance. We descended to the first floor in the elevator and got into my brother’s car. The black sedan smoothly glided along the road.We didn’t exchange much conversation inside the car. It wasn’t a silent journey, but today was a day when both my brother and I couldn’t help but feel a little sunk.After about an hour’s drive, we arrived at a memorial park in a region of Gyeonggi Province. Parking the car, we walked familiar paths into the ancestral hall. The hall was filled with neatly arranged urns, and though the structure resembled a repetitive pattern of hexagonal shapes, we easily found our destination.The slots, each capable of holding two urns, were designated for couples. Our parents occupied the central slot. In front of the two urns, there was a framed photo of them smiling together.The reason my brother and I visited the ancestral hall where our parents were interred was because today marked their memorial day.“I should have prepared something for the occasion.”“Why bother?”It was a place we visited on memorial days and holidays, but our conversations lately upon arrival were always similar. It had been over ten years, so tears didn’t come flooding back.We, two unfilial sons, rough and lacking in delicacy, hadn’t even prepared ancestral offerings. In the first few years, we used to prepare simple offerings whenever we visited, but we stopped setting them up a few years ago. Since food couldn’t be brought into the ancestral hall anyway, we had to use a separate ritual room. Neither my brother nor I found meaning in it anymore.Yet we reassured each other to come more often with words. Despite our promises, since we got jobs and became busier in society, we couldn’t visit as frequently.We stood silently for a moment, gazing at the photo.Whenever I visited to pay respects to my parents, inwardly, I would talk about my current situation. There were things I couldn’t discuss in front of them if they were alive. After my last visit, I would babble to myself about what had happened in my life.This time, there was especially much to say. I had never fallen so deeply in love in my life, and although I had suffered because of people clinging to me, I had never been imprisoned. Moreover, my brother had come to my rescue, facing imprisonment himself for protecting someone from being swept away by the wind of madness. Thanks to him, I almost lost my mind. I had conversed with celebrities I only saw in newspapers and experienced many absurd things.Amidst all this, the most absurd thing was that I was still with the instigator of that turmoil.Mom, Dad. Your second son has become gay. I don’t think I can show you my grandson. I’m sorry. Maybe even if I hadn’t met Jung Yiyeon, I wouldn’t have gotten married. But for now, this is the situation, so I silently apologized to my parents.After saying what I wanted to say, I looked at my brother. He took a little more time to contemplate than I did. Eventually, he nudged my shoulder.“Let’s go if you’re done.”“Uh, yeah.”Two unfilial sons, rough as they come, don’t linger for long. I followed my brother without any lingering regret.We didn’t get straight into the car. Instead, we bought coffee from a vending machine, held it in our hands, and sat on a bench outdoors. The weather was quite chilly, but sitting on this bench for a while was like a ritual to us brothers.The place had a spacious ground since it also served as an arboretum. In spring and summer, it used to be filled with lush greenery. In autumn like today, it inevitably looked a bit bleak, but it had its own charm.“I didn’t expect you to come at all this year.”Suddenly, my brother chuckled. Whether it was because the vending machine coffee didn’t suit his taste or because of the dazzling sunlight, he furrowed his brow.“After all the airs you put on, things weren’t going well, were they?”“Not going well means going to jail, huh.”Ugh, that attitude. I didn’t know my brother was such a show-off. Of course, he might really take going to jail lightly, but I wanted to dismiss his attitude as a show-off.“If you’re really being forced by that Jung Yiyeon bastard, tell me.”“And what then?”“I’ll just cut it off if you’re really being held captive by him.”…Cut what off?I momentarily shut my mouth at my brother’s sinister expression. He smirked at me.“Anyway, you got a non-indictment. There’s absolutely no reason for you to be detained.”“I know. But it’s not like that. It was all a misunderstanding by you, Hyung.”“I know. But it wasn’t like that. It was all Hyung’s misunderstanding.”“Okay, let’s say that’s true.”Lee Won still seemed skeptical.On the day he was released, I went to the detention center with Jung Yiyeon to explain everything. Of course, even on that day, Hyung didn’t believe me. The moment he realized I came with Jung Yiyeon, he almost stormed into the detention center. It meant he wanted to beat Jung Yiyeon to death.I had to put in so much effort to stop him, and even now, the thought makes me break out in a sweat.Jung Yiyeon apologized with a stern face, adopting an attitude of “I’ll take more hits if necessary,” and I had to somehow defend him while stopping Hyung.Fortunately, Hyung’s actions didn’t escalate into a rampage. Instead, when he came home, I had to endure a torrent of scolding until Eon could understand the situation.Eventually, Hyung accepted that all the chaos was the result of Jung Yiyeon and me messing around with love. But the more he understood, the more he seemed to look at me with disdain, which made me feel deflated, to say the least.Even though we’re getting along fine since then, whenever Jung Yiyeon’s name comes up, Hyung squints his eyes in displeasure. It’s ironic considering Jung Yiyeon was the benefactor who helped Hyung by emptying his vast fortune.“But Hyung, there’s something I heard back then.”“What is it?”“Hyung, they said… your sponsor… abandoned you.”This time, Eon fell silent. With me having found out through the recent events that Hyung was suspected of being a loan shark and leading an organized crime group, what more could he possibly hide?Hyung swallowed the remaining coffee in one gulp. His face contorted sharply, as if it didn’t agree with him. Despite wearing a sleek suit, he didn’t look particularly scary, though passersby might think differently.“Is it that chairman who lent you the capital?”I remembered the conversation we had at the barbecue restaurant. When I cautiously asked, Hyung seemed to ponder for a moment before not dodging the question.“Yeah, that old man.”The chairman wanted to make Jung Yiyeon his son-in-law.“But is it okay?”“What wouldn’t be okay? It’s just pretending like nothing happened and working as usual. It’s not like we saw each other often anyway.”“There must have been a reason they abandoned Hyung. Did you get threatened by Eunha Group?”“It’s not like that…”Hyung hesitated. His words trailed off, and the next ones didn’t come out. I calmly waited for Hyung’s next words. Honestly, I wanted to urge him to speak quickly, but I held back.“I don’t want to become their son-in-law.”…Huh? What’s going on…?“…The lover of that Hyung who paints…”“That old man’s youngest daughter. She declared that she wants to marry me.”My jaw dropped. The youngest daughter? The youngest daughter of that chairman? The one that that gorilla of a man wanted to arrange with Jung Yiyeon? Marrying such a woman??Marrying into the family of Lee Won, that monstrous man… It was hard to imagine that he tempted the youngest daughter of his major investor. From what I’ve heard, it seemed more like Lee Won was the one being tempted… But whatever the case, Hyung was much more capable than I thought.“So he was trying to find a way to kick me out. But when I got into the accident, he thought, ‘Ah, perfect.’ He hoped that if I ended up in prison along with the kids for a few years, his youngest daughter would give up during that time.”“Wow, damn. Wouldn’t it be better to try convincing you to break up first?”“Old man couldn’t handle her. If even I couldn’t handle her, who else would?”“But… who is this woman exactly? Do you have a picture?”“I’ll show you next time. Let’s have a meal together soon.”“Together?”“Well, do you want to see her face separately after arranging to meet?”“No, it’s just… It’s a bit sudden, so I’m a bit flustered.”Hyung chuckled. But his face was a bit chilling and intimidating. It seemed as if Lee Won felt uncomfortable. I nervously scratched my forearm for no reason.“Um… I’m fine with it, but, um, if the chairman opposes it, can we keep meeting?”“We should meet more.”Lee Won laughed. Unlike the smile from earlier, it was a distinctly Lee Won-like, grim and sardonic smile.“We’ll get married soon.”And he threw the bombshell with a smile.Marriage. Even Hyung’s relationship was unfamiliar to me, let alone marriage. Hyung rambled on without considering the implications of that word for me.“She’ll move in first, and if we get along, she’ll bring the marriage registration form.”“But… is that… okay…?”“She knows too. Old man tried to send me to jail. When he called me out on the day I got out, he immediately handed me the marriage registration form to stamp.”No wonder we had a wrestling match that night and he suddenly went out late at night. He went to meet his girlfriend, it seems. No, Hyung… Your character… is quite something.So, because his own father opposed his boyfriend, he was going to marry him outright? So Lee Won stamped it? Ah, wasn’t Lee Won unable to handle Hyung, he said?“So, anyway, I’ll hardly be at home from now on, so you know.”“What? What kind of… crazy… talk is this, bringing it up at such a random time?”“I was planning to bring it up soon. Could have said it anytime, right?”Well, that’s true, but… Hearing things I never even thought of, I panicked again for no reason.“I’ll show you my grandson, so don’t worry about it.”It was a genuinely grateful thing to say. It was bothering me even when I greeted my parents at the memorial hall…But seriously, Lee Won having children? Knowing that I might have a nephew or niece made me feel so confused already. Why do I feel so uneasy about this already?“Now let’s go.”Hyung made me feel all jittery like this, and yet he was as nonchalant as ever. There was no trace of the slight melancholy I used to feel on our parents’ memorial days. I just felt puzzled and astonished.After having lunch with Hyung and returning home, I took a brief rest before changing clothes. I put on a pair of well-fitting jeans, a shirt, and a sweater. Since the weather had gotten quite chilly, I also grabbed a suitable coat.I didn’t used to wear glasses much when going out for leisure, but today I wore them. Lately, I’ve needed them more often for certain tasks.“Are you going out today too?” Hyung, who was still at home, asked me.“Um, yeah. Aren’t you going out, Hyung?”“Probably.”“You said you’d be living together. When are you going to start living together?”“As early as next month? We’re currently remodeling the house.”Really setting up house for newlyweds. I wonder if Chairman Jung is secretly pleased about this.Hyung, who was seeing me off, suddenly muttered a phrase in a foreign language.“What was that?”“It seems like you’re meeting him every day because you commute together.”Almost every evening between six and seven, Jung Yiyeon would pick me up in front of my house. Since I didn’t have much to do as an unemployed person, meeting him every day wasn’t much of a burden. Even though Jung Yiyeon seemed a bit tired physically, he still wanted to be with me, even if it was just for dinner.It had been almost a month since I started clocking in for work. Since his left arm was broken and he couldn’t drive alone, he even hired a driver, which made me feel a bit embarrassed.But I couldn’t fathom the connection between Jung Yiyeon meeting me every day and Chairman Jung’s approval. Perplexed, I heard an unexpected remark from Hyung.“Even if it’s the arm, breaking a rib would hurt a bit, right?”“…What do you mean, breaking a rib?”“I didn’t know? The lawyer said he was diagnosed with a broken rib.”“What…? No, they said only his arm was broken.”“Is that so? Maybe the diagnosis paper says otherwise?”Of course, if Hyung’s intention was to give him a higher disability rating, he could have used a fake diagnosis paper to make it seem like his condition was more serious…For some reason, I keep thinking that’s not the truth.But can ribs actually break and still allow movement? Feeling amazed, I went downstairs to the first floor. The car was already waiting for me in front of the apartment building.As I opened the door and got into the back seat, Jung Yiyeon greeted me with a smile.“Nan-ah. Have you been well?”It had been quite some time, and there were no signs of bruises on his face anymore, and even the cut on his nose had disappeared, but I couldn’t see any trace of pain on his face as he turned towards me. He really didn’t seem like someone with broken ribs.“You look like a student wearing that. It’s cute.”Even with the driver right in front, he was saying such thoughtless things with a perfectly normal face, but with broken ribs?While staring blankly ahead, Jung Yiyeon gently stroked my cheek.“Did you finish what you needed to do?”“Yes. I went somewhere with Hyung. But, Jung Yiyeon.”“Yeah?”“Did you break your ribs too?”The laughter disappeared from Jung Yiyeon’s face. He closed his mouth with an awkward expression. Surely Director Yoo had said that, except for the arm, there were no fractures, but just by looking at that expression, I could tell it was a lie.“Can someone with broken ribs move like that?”“It’s not completely broken, just a hairline fracture. It doesn’t hurt at all now.”It was mind-boggling. Yes, Hyung had been handling Jung Yiyeon like a maniac, and only his arm was broken, which was strange. No, even with such a body, Jung Yiyeon came to my house after ten days and caused all that commotion with me?“No, it feels a bit painful.”Suddenly, Jung Yiyeon changed the subject. His characteristic cheeky face turned towards me. “So, today, you’re going to nurse me.”What?“Let’s go eat something good for your health to get better quickly.” Despite the driver being in front, he held my hand and grinned broadly. I couldn’t help but smile back.Jung Yiyeon took me to the Chinese restaurant in S Hotel. As soon as we sat down, the food started to be served, as if the course had been reserved in advance. Since the Chinese restaurant was very famous, the taste was excellent from the appetizers.And then, inevitably, that menu came out. The menu called “Buldodang,” which Jung Yiyeon had said he wanted to eat before.The mushrooms, quail eggs, meat, and vegetables in the broth looked delicious. As soon as I took a spoonful of soup, my stomach warmed up. It was definitely a taste that could not only be good for the body but also invigorating.“Is it okay?”But why did Jung Yiyeon’s eyes look so meaningful and his face seemed innocent? What exactly was he planning to do tonight?“The taste is good, but it reminds me of when we went to eat French cuisine before.”In response to my lukewarm comment, Jung Yiyeon sensed an uneasy atmosphere.“I was actually very disappointed back then. I thought it was a date and got all excited, but then you said you brought your secretary to check out the competition’s new menu.”Jung Yiyeon, who had been enjoying the food, closed his mouth as if he had applied glue. I don’t know if he remembers that night. That evening, I was excited and disappointed alone, and the dish I suggested for next time was “Buldodang.”A perplexed expression. Even though I knew he would be embarrassed, the fact that I brought up that story from back then indicates that there’s still some lingering resentment.“Let’s go there again.”Jung Yiyeon said with a determined voice.“Let’s go on a proper date. I’ll make it up to you.”I snorted. Who said we were going together? I almost retorted but held it back.Looking at me as if feeling guilty, Jung Yiyeon’s glance pleased me somewhat. Ah, I had decided to sort out past grievances, but when memories suddenly surfaced, it was really hard to endure. Sometimes I felt the urge to be petty.But eventually, things would work out. If they didn’t, there was nothing to be done about it.“Let’s eat. This tastes pretty good.”“Yeah, you should eat a lot too. If you’re going to nurse me, you need to boost your strength in advance.”Cheeky as ever. But such behavior made him quite endearing.“So, what happened with Hyung today?”It was already the second question. Including yesterday’s inquiry about why I didn’t stay over after we parted, it was the third. If I said I had something to do with Hyung, he’d probably assume it was just household chores or something. But it seemed like he wanted to dig deeper.I knew that if I didn’t share, my lover would feel upset. Not wanting to bring up the topic of my parents’ memorial day, I chose to only reveal part of the story.“He said he had something to discuss, so we had lunch together.”“Something to discuss?”“He’s getting married.”Jung Yiyeon was as surprised as I was.I recounted to Jung Yiyeon what I had discussed with Hyung during the day – why his sponsor wanted to send him to prison, who he was planning to marry, and so on.“So, they’re going to live together first and then get married.”“Surprising. Hyung looks like he’ll never get caught. Or rather, is that type the one who gets caught by a wife?”“I was also very surprised. He said he’ll show her soon, but I’m already scared.”“The other woman is probably even more nervous. I was really nervous when I first greeted Hyung.”Jung Yiyeon was nervous? I looked at him with disbelief. When I first greeted Jung Yiyeon, he was audacious to the point of being shocking. Jung Yiyeon shrugged and brushed off my gaze.“So, you’ll be living alone from now on?”“Probably from next month. Well, if the marriage plan goes through, Hyung might come by the house occasionally.”I didn’t particularly hope for such things, but there was a slight pang of disappointment within me. Of course, if Hyung was getting married, I would bless him with all my heart.“Shall I go in and live there?”“Let’s eat quickly and go watch a movie.”I shut down the nonsense with a single stroke. Jung Yiyeon chuckled and replied, “There’s probably still plenty of time, right? Take your time and eat.”Having eaten the course meal, by the time we finished the buldak our stomachs were comfortably full, but there were still a few more dishes left.Jung Yiyeon and I continued our meal with casual conversation. Finally, after finishing the last dish, the Samseonjjambbong, we were able to leave our seats. With our stomachs satisfactorily filled, we headed to the movie theater.This was the second time Jung Yiyeon and I had gone to see a movie together. When you simply subtract eating a delicious meal and spending time together, it becomes a date. We had been dating like this lately, as lovers naturally do when they start a relationship.Jung Yiyeon was a busy person, and I knew that I tended to stay at work even after others had left. So, watching a movie during the day alone was fine for me. However, a few days ago, when Jung Yiyeon heard that I wanted to see a movie, he immediately booked tickets.Entering, we saw that one wall was filled with a huge screen, typical of a regular theater, but the seats were different from other theaters. There were few seats, and they were arranged in pairs with ample space between them. It was ambiguous to call them seats; they were clearly beds.We hadn’t planned on watching a movie in such an extravagant setting. Last time, at least the seats were sofa-like, not beds.Nevertheless, we settled into our places without much ado. The beds were firm yet cushiony enough to support our bodies comfortably. Snuggling into the contours of the mattress, it was perfect for watching a movie.It might seem strange for two men to be in such an openly intimate space. Of course, Jung Yiyeon didn’t seem to care about such things at all.Lying side by side with Jung Yiyeon on the two beds closely aligned in the completely open space felt odd. This space seemed somewhat inappropriate for couples to come.Of course, being comfortable was one thing, but…I felt a bit embarrassed for no reason. I eagerly awaited the start of the movie, wiping my glasses with the corner of my shirt.“Your eyesight isn’t too bad?”“About 0.7? 0.8? It’s not too inconvenient for daily life.”