SMNTCERR, Chapter 68: Yellow #10.

   [Mother: Youngah, uncle passed away. – 11:32][1].

   [Mother: He will be buried on the 23rd, will you come back to have dinner together this evening? – 11:33].

   The short message made Jaeyoung feel worse. It meant that the family gathering in October would be more intense. Uncle was always the troublesome one, whether when he was alive or when he passed away. Just the thought of having to meet with the “blood relatives” made him feel even worse. But Jaeyoung replied with acknowledgement that he understood it.

   After finishing dinner and bathing, Jaeyoung removed all his earrings and changed into an outfit that would not be easily recognized. He prepared a black suit, clothes for three days, contacts, and the necessary food, and left the house at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

   Jaeyoung started the car and called Sangwoo, but the other side did not answer. Sangwoo often kept his phone silent, so he rarely answered calls immediately.

   [Going out of town for three days – funeral – 14:02].

   He left a message and started his journey.

   After driving for three and a half hours, Jaeyoung arrived at his destination. He could smell the sea through the slightly opened window. It was still early for dinner, even though he was right by the sea. But this province was not romantically attractive at all. It felt as if a heavy stone was weighing down on him when he reached the area near the factory buildings.

   After checking in at the hotel his mother had booked, he left his belongings in the room and headed towards the room of the other party. He met his mother for the last time at the family gathering last year so this was the first time after seven months they had met. He heard a faint knock on the door, then the door opened, and a well-dressed boy appeared. Before opening the door wide with a smiling face.

   “Hello, Phii Jaeyoung!”

   “Hi.”

   Jaeyoung walked past the boy who greeted him with a ninety-degree bow and entered the room. His surname was Jang, while the boy’s surname was Park.

   Jaeyoung felt the distance between them with their different surnames.

   The mother sat at the dressing table in a black fishtail dress with offshoulder design. Both her outfit and makeup were beautifully done, like a bride.

   Jaeyoung smirked inside at the image that he didn’t know if he should mourn or shoot a gun to celebrate.

   “Youngah? You have arrived?”

   The young woman looked at herself in the mirror and then turned to look at Jaeyoung. She looked so young and handsome that it was hard to believe she would be turning fifty next year. As Jaeyoung approached, she examined his face and outfit as if inspecting. Then she shrugged and hugged him, patting his back a few times.

   “Son, you’re becoming more handsome as you grow up.”

   “What happened to Uncle?”

   “The blood vessels in his brain burst, and his heart almost stopped. He is usually so dramatic. I’ve been thinking that it has to be like this.”

   Jaeyoung paused before pulling away from his mother’s embrace and stepped back a little. Then his younger brother ran in and hugged their mother. She patted the child’s shoulder and examined her own appearance in the mirror.

   “How about your studies? How are they going?”

   “Just as I said.”

   “Are you finally going to graduate?”

   “Yeah.”

   “What is with that apathetic expression? Joo Hyuk seems to have entered a prosecutor training institution as well. If you graduate, your grandfather will probably make a big fuss again. If you finish this, will you continue studying abroad in the same country as before?”

   “Yeah.”

   “But make sure your grandpa doesn’t find out, okay?”

   Those words meant not to let relatives suspect anything. She patted her perfectly styled hair before examining her son’s face for any signs. She wiped the corner of his mouth and turned her gaze towards Jaeyoung.

   “Young-ah, your uncle died. You know that there will be a big fuss again.

   You yourself have earned a lot of points to earn a place with your grandfather.

   We don’t know what will happen.”

   Jaeyoung chuckled without saying anything. The eldest uncle inherited the grandfather’s business and was the one who received the most inheritance.

   Now he’s gone, and there will probably be a dispute over that division.

   “Is there enough money?”

   “Yeah.”

   “Hong, hasn’t he contacted you? Is he in Korea?”

   “I don’t know.”

   Jaeyoung tried to check his mobile phone but found no calls or messages.

   From Jang Jaehong, after checking his message reply saying “I understand.” From Sangwoo, he put his mobile phone back in his bag.

   “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave.”

   “Um, let’s pay respects at the hospital first. Let’s meet for lunch at 1pm.

   Don’t be late, okay?”

   Jaeyoung turned around and heard the voice of a boy shouting after him,

   “Goodbye, Phii Jaeyoung!”

   Jaeyoung didn’t go to lunch late. Even if he was always late no matter where he went, there’s only one exception here.

   The lowest quality humans in the world gathered together in a grand hall illuminated by dim lights from crystal-decorated chandeliers hanging from the high white ceilings. Classical music was also being performed. Everyone sat around the large table without speaking. As soon as the old man entered, they all stood up and moved towards him. “Grandpa, why are you so strong? I miss you, grandpa. It’s been a while since you looked so young,” Jaeyoung sat in his usual place, looking at his mother’s son who was holding the old man’s hand.

   His grandfather was a gentleman of taste. His gray colored tailored suit looked great on his still strong figure, it was as sharp as a blade, matching his handmade black leather shoes. Below that, from his wristwatch, he displayed his high-quality cufflinks[2] which reflected his wealth, and on the finger of his left hand was a wedding ring that he never took off, despite his wife’s passing. His hair, which was mixed with white, was smoothly combed back. It’s not easy for someone over seventy years old to look this good.

   The old man sat down and swept his gaze around the large dining table. He loved the gathering of his large family, which included people from his own clan. His eyes glanced around the table, which had no one missing without a proper reason “everyone was present except for the funeral host, his wife’s large sister, his son-in-law who went to work in another province, and his two other nieces and nephews”, until he spotted Jaeyoung. Their eyes met and they exchanged playful glances.

   “Has the puppy come?”

   Jaeyoung walked over to the man with his arms crossed, smiling in his eyes. As he got closer, he smelled the familiar scent of cologne and the strong lingering smell of cigarettes that never changed since he was a child. Jaeyoung liked the scent of the other person. The warm and strong hug of his grandfather was different from his mother’s hug. With a sigh, he felt like he was transported back to his childhood.

   “Yes, I’m here now.”

   “I really miss you.”

   The man who never felt embarrassed to express his feelings whispered.

   “I feel the same way.”

   Jaeyoung spoke sincerely from his heart. This man is the only one he likes here. If it weren’t for his grandfather, Jaeyoung wouldn’t have to tread into this place. As he returned to his seat, the jealous eyes subtly glanced at his face.

   While the food was being served, the exchange of conversations followed the protocol. However, these were all insincere words. For example, “Still youthful, why did you come back so quickly?” The company lost a highly capable employee as a result. However, once the main course was served, nobody mentioned the person who had died. Because the hot-tempered and manipulative man was everyone’s enemy from the beginning. Even his grandfather didn’t like him.

   And so, This Kid Is Great phase arrived, or a period of promoting one’s own children. The three children of the old man brought their own children to show off and eagerly looked for any opportunity to impress. Among all these people, his mother was the most enthusiastic.

   “This child is very smart. I wonder if he is as smart as your grandfather. He also got into the Advanced Class. And he got into the first place too, you know.”

   “Oh, really? What is this child’s name then?”

   “His name is Soongmin. He died, now everyone should remember him, right?”

   The old grandfather valued his family and the importance of love, and he viewed the world in a democratic way. Therefore, he treated his married daughter as an outsider and did not care about relatives without the Shin surname.

   “When will Youngah go abroad to study?”

   The only exception was Jaeyoung, who came as the old man youngest’s daughter after divorcing. This grandfather had been watching him since he was a child because he looked so much like him. After the mother remarried, Jaeyoung’s position in the family became problematic. So his grandfather took him in and raised him at home, forming a bond.

   “In July.”

   “It won’t be long now. What should this old man do if he misses his puppy when he goes to America?”

   When his grandfather openly expressed his love, the sound of coughing increased from all directions. Then, various voices of praise followed, full of insincerity like “I really miss him”, “How can we wait until he finishes studying?”, “No matter where Jaeyoung goes, he will surely do well.”

   However, as soon as the grandfather left his seat temporarily, the atmosphere changed immediately.

   “So what have you been doing during this time?”

   An aunt who just got hair done in the mall asked, and the husband from the other party is a doctor. Their daughter is also a doctor and their son-in-law is also a doctor. As for their son, he is on his way to becoming a prosecutor. They all have a sense of superiority and arrogance. The older sister, who is both a sister and a cousin, wore branded clothes from head to toe and proudly said,

   “I heard that you were supposed to graduate last year.”

   “There are still things to catch up on, so I will continue my studies next semester.”

   The mother’s face that asked to keep this matter a secret began to wrinkle as Jaeyoung skillfully lied without feeling the need to do so.

   “So you’re still a student, huh? Our Joohyuk has been accepted into a training institute.”

   The uncle in-law thought his insult would leave Jaeyoung speechless, but

   Jaeyoung had undergone training like a pig or a dog. He was unaffected by such attacks.

   “If Joohyuk had gone to the military like me, then he would also be continuing studying like me.”

   “Seriously, look at this kid. How many kids can go straight to the military like this?”

   The Younger Sister in law helped to support him. Because her own son couldn’t pass the military exemption policy either. So Jaeyoung laughed and turned the conversation back.

   “There might be more people with diseases in their 20s. Your grandfather is still worried about how Eunsong can work with lung disease at this age.”

   The table went silent. Both Aunt and Aunt in-law did not withdraw their investments from this attack. Because their grandfather was a “nationalist.” He didn’t like it when his grandchildren took shortcuts to evade their responsibilities in protecting the country.

   “Jaeyoung, are you still doing that? Drawing pictures on the ceiling tiles.”

   Now it’s the youngest uncle who joined the group. This person is an alcoholic, not very bright, and always fails in every business attempt. Now he’s just a useless person working under the distribution company that his grandfather established.

   “Does this mean doing graffiti? I have been doing it as a hobby all the time, perhaps?”

   “After graduating, you might work drawing pictures in exchange for money. Why don’t you draw my face? Maybe you’d want payment for some pocket money.”

   The other party reached into his shirt pocket, took out a marker, and threw it in front of Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung replied without hesitation.

   “Uncle, maybe you can try selling phones to me. It’s time for me to change my phone, so I’m thinking whether to buy it or not to spare the waste of a salesman.”

   Then the uncle cursed him, saying, “You useless brat.” His daughter and son quickly grabbed his arms to hold him back. The aunt also helped, saying that it’s because he has diluted family blood. Even though his mother’s face turned pale with anger, she was oppressed in every aspect. Age, assets, and social status. In a place filled with only strong people like this, her right to speak almost didn’t exist.

   ________________________________________.

[1]      Young-ah comes from  ”Young,” which is a nickname for Jaeyoung, and “Ah” “아”  is a suffix used to call family members or close friends. It’s used at the end  of a spelled name.

[2]      Cufflinks, one of the accessories for men, are used to connect the cuffs of a shirt instead of using buttons.

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