OLT_05

Ha Ilwoo’s wife and Ha Dohoon’s mother, Lee Mihyeon.  

She was the epitome of an elegant lady straight out of a movie or drama. Raised in a wealthy family, she worked as a announcer before marrying her husband, Ha Ilwoo, after a well-timed arranged meeting. Though it was a marriage of mutual benefit, she was largely satisfied with it. Things like love or happiness were beyond her concern.  

Her happiness lay in protecting her own career and image.  

After giving birth to Ha Dohoon, she was even more content. A beautiful, clever child who took after both her and Ha Ilwoo.  

But Ha Giyeon was different. Unlike her first son, this child was completely unplanned, and she suffered through severe morning sickness and labor pains to bring him into the world. There’s a saying that a child born through hardship is cherished all the more.  

But for her, Ha Giyeon was the opposite. A child who resembled neither her nor her husband in looks, personality, or intellect. Perhaps that was why she felt no affection, and strangely, she even felt a sense of rejection. Unlike Ha Dohoon, whom she personally cared for, Ha Giyeon was left to a babysitter, neglected and ignored.  

'Mom...'

But the child kept appearing in front of her, stubbornly following her around as if begging for affection. Ha Giyeon would constantly bring tea or coffee into her room, which annoyed her. Eventually, she snapped.  

'I told you not to! Do my words mean nothing to you?'

She didn’t even remember exactly what she had said because she had a headache at the time. All she knew was, after that, Ha Giyeon stopped coming into her room. And that was a relief. She figured it wasn’t a big deal. Even if she paid no attention, or even if she didn’t care, the child was growing up in a good environment.  

At least, that’s what she thought, until the child disappeared from sight.  

At some point, Ha Giyeon stopped appearing at mealtimes altogether. She didn’t care whether the child ate or not, but strangely, she found herself staring at the empty seat where Ha Giyeon used to sit. Or rather, it was Ha Dohoon’s visible irritation that bothered her.  

'Did… he eat breakfast?'

The housekeeper always gave the same reply, that Ha Giyeon had already eaten.

Lee Mihyeon soon lost interest again. But Ha Dohoon eventually dragged Ha Giyeon down to the breakfast table. She wondered why her eldest son was making such a fuss, but she disliked the sight of Ha Giyeon picking at his food even more. Whether it was a lack of appetite or an upset stomach, it wasn’t a pleasant sight.  

Normally, she would have ignored it, but before she knew it, the words slipped out impulsively.  

"If you don’t want to eat, then stop. It’s unpleasant to watch."

"Okay."

Screech. Without hesitation, as if he had been waiting for permission, Ha Giyeon pushed back his chair and walked away. Lee Mihyeon sat frozen for a moment, staring at the empty seat where the boy had been. This wasn’t the reaction she had expected.  

He should’ve bowed his head and forced the food down like he always does...

'I'm sorry...'

That was how it should have gone.  

"......!"

When she snapped out of it, even her husband, Ha Ilwoo, couldn’t hide his stunned expression. This wasn’t the kind of child who would just leave after a single remark.  

"Hey, you...!"

Ha Dohoon abruptly stood up, ready to chase after Ha Giyeon.  

"Sit down."

But Ha Ilwoo, his expression hardening instantly, spoke in a cold voice.  

"Ha Dohoon."

"......"

Ha Dohoon bit his lip and sat back down.  

As if nothing had happened, breakfast resumed. But for some reason, Lee Mihyeon had lost her appetite.

***

Not long after Ha Giyeon returned to his room, heavy footsteps approached, followed by a loud bang as the door was flung open.

"Hey."

As expected, it was Ha Dohoon, his face stiff with tension. Ha Giyeon let out a small sigh and closed the workbook he had been solving. He stood up and looked at him.

"What?"

Tilting his head innocently, he blinked at him. Ha Dohoon let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Are you seriously out of your mind? Just storming off from the table like that?"

"Mom said it was fine to stop eating. It would’ve been weird to just keep sitting there."

His calm, matter-of-fact reply made Ha Dohoon rake a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"After I went through the trouble of getting you to come down for a meal, this is how you act…"

"......"

The moment he heard those words, a sharp pang shot through his chest, making him hunch forward slightly. His hand reached up to touch his chest reflexively, but as if nothing had happened, it returned to normal just as quickly. Then he realized.

'Even now, I was still someone who could only join meals if I was called.'

He had known it, but hearing it out loud left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Hyung."

Ha Giyeon met his gaze squarely.

His unwavering stare made Ha Dohoon twitch an eyebrow, as if waiting, maybe for an apology, or for an explanation.

"From now on, you don’t have to call me for meals with Mom and Dad."

"What?"

"They don’t like having me at the table with them anyway."

For a moment, Ha Dohoon’s mind went blank, dazed. In deep down, he already knew that their parents spoke more harshly to Ha Giyeon and kept him at a distance. He had known, yet he ignored it, treating it as unimportant. Somewhere inside, he had even accepted it as natural.

He thought Ha Giyeon was too foolish to notice such things. No, he had assumed he didn’t.

"There’s no reason I need to be at the table."

But that wasn’t it. Ha Giyeon had realized it all on his own. And despite that, he had kept showing up.

"What do you mean, no reason? You’re..."

You’re family... The words lodged in his throat. For some reason, he couldn’t say them. It felt strange to describe Ha Giyeon and himself with the word family. He pressed his lips together, then forced out something else instead.

"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You’ve been weird lately."

"…I’m not being weird. This is how it should’ve been from the start."

From the start? What the hell did that mean? Ha Dohoon opened his mouth to demand an answer, but Ha Giyeon took a step back. Then, as if exhausted, he pressed a hand to his forehead and gestured toward the door.

"I’m tired… please leave now."

"You..."

Ha Dohoon couldn’t bring himself to say anything more to Ha Giyeon’s turned back. Gritting his teeth, he slammed the door shut behind him as he left.  

Ha Giyeon sighed and sank onto his bed. Not wanting to waste any more emotions, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

***

After that incident, Ha Dohoon treated Ha Giyeon as if he were invisible.  

‘Not completely invisible, though.’  

At first, he would ignore him if they happened to cross paths, but as time passed, he began glaring at him, clicking his tongue, or bumping into his shoulder as he passed by. As if daring him to speak to him. As if demanding an apology.  

‘Yep, definitely a kid his age.’  

If he bumped his shoulder, he could just dodge. If he glared, he could leave the house. He had been through all this before, prenatal and postnatal care, so to speak. He had even nearly experienced aerial combat, so he wasn’t intimidated or bothered.  

‘At least he’s not locking me up somewhere and beating me.’  

Back when he worked at the factory, he had been beaten for two hours straight in the warehouse for being too slow. Compared to that, Ha Dohoon’s tantrums were almost cute. Since he was the one ignoring him first, he honestly felt more at ease.  

"Ha, f*ck..."

But it seemed Ha Dohoon wasn’t doing so well either. Ever since that incident, he couldn’t focus on anything. Not soccer, not games, not even eating. Out of nowhere, Ha Giyeon’s words and expressions would flood his mind, driving him crazy. Normally, when he thought of him, the first thing that came to mind was his drooping eyebrows and that silly smile of hims.

‘That’s how it should’ve been.’

But now, the image of his looking at him with an exhausted, dismissive expression wouldn’t leave his head. It wasn’t an act or an obvious display, it was the face of someone who couldn’t care less, urging him to just go away.

Ha Dohoon stepped out of his room as if he’d been kicked out, racking his brain, but he couldn’t figure out why Ha Giyeon was suddenly acting like this. Only one explanation remained.

‘He’s probably just doing this for attention.’

That was all it was. The more he thought about it, the more it irritated him. He should’ve quit while he was ahead when he gave him some attention, but no, he just kept pushing.

Ha Dohoon decided to give Ha Giyeon a chance to apologize on his own. If he got tired of his own act and admitted he just wanted attention, he might’ve even considered forgiving him. So for once, he came out to the living room. But instead of him, useless things started piling up.

“What are you doing?”

Choi Mujin and Kwon Jongseok approached Ha Dohoon, who was sitting on the couch.

"Why are you guys here?"

"To play games."

"Games, my as*."

Ha Dohoon scoffed as he watched Choi Mujin grab a controller. The guy had hundreds more games at his own place than here.

"Then why are you here?"

"Me? To play games too."

What the... This bastard didn’t even play games.

Kwon Jongseok’s shamelessness was almost impressive. It was obvious, games were just an excuse. They were bored and had come to mess with Ha Giyeon. No matter how annoying he was, when they were bored, there was no better target to tease than him.

Thud, thud.

"......!"

The two absentmindedly pressing buttons on their controllers, along with Ha Dohoon, turned their heads in unison like meerkats at the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs.

But it was just the housekeeper who came down. Ha Dohoon sighed and turned away.

"What a mess..."

"What’s up, Ha Dohoon? Were you waiting for your little brother?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"If you fought, you should just forgive Giyeon-ie already."

"Forgive? Who said anything about forgiving?"

He muttered and tightened his grip on the game controller.

Kwon Jongseok let out a sigh and shook his head at his reaction. Whatever had happened, lately, even the mere mention of Ha Giyeon made him react sharply. The guy who never lost his temper would suddenly throw things or grab someone by the collar. It was like he was bottling up anger to the point of resembling Choi Mujin, who couldn’t control his rage.

‘What the hell did he do this time?’

It was obvious that Ha Giyeon had either broken his things or done something to upset him. In the past, when Ha Giyeon had damaged Ha Dohoon’s belongings, he had been hit on the head. Even though he bled, he had barely managed to stop the beating.

He figured it must have been something similar this time. Given how long it was dragging on, it seemed like no apology had been made yet.

"Giyeon-ie’s really holding out longer this time."

At Kwon Jongseok’s muttering, Ha Dohoon took out his frustration on the game controller for no reason.

Not long after, while they were focused on the game, Kwon Jongseok turned his head at a faint sound. He caught a glimpse of Ha Giyeon’s back as he quietly tiptoed into the kitchen. Choi Mujin was absorbed in the game, while Ha Dohoon was glaring sharply in the direction of the kitchen.

‘Guess I’ll have to step in.’

If Ha Giyeon stayed like this, he’d be bored, and it’d be inconvenient since he couldn’t ask him to do anything.

Better hurry and make him apologize so this can be over.

Kwon Jongseok got up from his seat and headed toward the kitchen.

–

TL: Muji

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