Free Web NovelAs the dawn broke and morning arrived, people who had heard the news of Grandfather began to gather one by one at the funeral hall.
“Muhyuk.”
Myungsoo and Hyunseong came in together. Their suits were wrinkled, as though they had put them on in a rush.
“You’re here?”
“Are you all right?”
With a worried look, Myungsoo asked. I gave a small nod.
“First, pay respects to Grandfather.”
Hyunseong carefully patted my shoulder. Watching him silently console me, I managed a faint smile.
“Jiyoung.”
She sat there absentmindedly, as if her soul had left her body.
“We have guests. You need to get ready.”
Exhausted from crying, Jiyoung struggled to rise and came to stand beside me.
I patted her shoulder.
“He was smiling at the end. So you need to send him off with a smile too.”
“...Yes.”
Myungsoo and Hyunseong bowed before Grandfather.
I watched until they had laid their flowers and lit incense, then spoke.
“Let’s step outside.”
I brought the two of them out. I could see the worry etched on both their faces.
“Did you eat? You’re both busy, aren’t you?”
“Is that really what matters now? But shouldn’t you be in Pyongyang? How are you here in Korea?”
“I got the call that Grandfather was critical, so I came down first.”
I said it lightly as we sat at the table, but Myungsoo’s expression shifted subtly.
“...Is that even possible?”
“Well, it just happened somehow.”
Seeing his curiosity, I gave him a rough explanation of what had happened.
After listening quietly, Myungsoo shook his head.
“You really are something else.”
“When I spoke to Grandfather, I felt something was wrong. I didn’t have time to think. And when I arrived, they said he wouldn’t last the day....”
“Well, at least you were there for the end. That’s what matters.”
I nodded silently. The staff brought yukgaejang to the table.
“Eat, both of you. I’m not in the mood for food right now.”
As I watched Myungsoo and Hyunseong pick up their spoons, I glanced toward Jiyoung.
She sat there blankly, staring at Grandfather’s portrait.
“I’ll step out for a bit. You two eat.”
A vibration in my inner pocket made me take out my phone as I rose from my seat.
— Muhyuk!
“Oh, hyung.”
— I just saw the news. I’m sorry.
On the other end, Han Kyungyeong spoke, his apologetic voice mingled with the sound of typing and someone shouting nearby.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. You’re busy.”
— I need to go to Korea, but the atmosphere on Wall Street is turning strange.
So the bubble was starting to deflate? I rubbed my jaw, now rough with stubble.
“You don’t need to come. Focus on that.”
— I really am sorry. I’ll come to Korea once things are wrapped up.
“...Tell me exactly what’s going on.”
— Mm. Startup founders have started dumping their shares. And venture capital bastards are throwing theirs on the market too.
If shares flooded the market at once, chaos would follow.
But my head was too clouded to think straight.
— Prices should be falling, but someone is buying them up to defend ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the stock. This is not normal.
If someone was intervening, it meant they were trying to stop a market collapse and panic by supporting prices.
A thought flashed through my mind—that perhaps certain forces were watching me closely.
“Got it. Find out who’s buying, and use any media connections you have to keep releasing negative articles.”
— Okay.
“Once fear spreads, no matter how much they hoard shares, they won’t be able to hold the line. I can’t focus right now. Please, take care of it. I’m counting on you.”
— I’ll handle things here, so you just take care of the funeral. Sorry again, Muhyuk.
His voice was full of concern. I was deeply grateful for how much he cared.
“All right. Hyung, I need to go now.”
I cut the call short when I saw Cheon Jisoo stepping out of a car.
Her footsteps rang steadily on the floor as she walked, her expression calm—so different from Cheon Jiyoung.
Unlike Jiyoung, who had rushed here in tears without even a thought for makeup, Jisoo wore a black suit, her face neatly made up, expression composed.
“Did you see Grandfather before the end?”
Not wanting to answer, I only nodded.
“That’s fortunate. After all his suffering, maybe it was better this way.”
“...Let’s go in. Jiyoung is already here.”
“What about Father and Cheon Jiwon?”
She asked me about Cheon Sooman. It seemed relations between them had soured badly.
“I don’t know. I contacted them, so they’ll come.”
“Will you be all right? If Father comes, I think he’ll try to throw you out.”
“Me? Who, Cheon Sooman?”
I couldn’t help but scoff. Jisoo continued as if it didn’t matter.
“With Uncle in the hospital, Father’s the only son left. In terms of justification, you’re at a disadvantage. Heir or not, you’re just the grandson.”
“Well, I’d rather not see it come to that.”
I didn’t want to fight anymore. I wanted Grandfather’s final farewell to be surrounded by mourning, not conflict.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Father’s already been preparing for after Grandfather’s death. With Maternal Grandfather and Atlantic interests too.”
“...That kind of talk can wait until after we’ve laid him to rest.”
It sickened me to have to speak of such filth even here at the funeral.
My voice sharpened without me realizing.
“All my chances are gone now. If you had supported me while Grandfather lived, things would have been easier.”
“I told you to stop, Cheon Jisoo.”
Her ignorant words infuriated me. My expression hardened, but Jisoo only shrugged.
“Sorry. I just don’t have anyone else to complain to. Please understand. Oh, and Mother won’t be coming. She doesn’t want to see Father.”
“...Let’s just go in.”
I brought Jisoo inside. She glanced around, then approached Jiyoung.
“Unni....”
“Wait. I need to greet Grandfather first.”
Stopping Jiyoung, who was on the verge of tears again, Jisoo placed a chrysanthemum before Grandfather, bowed, and lowered her head in silent tribute.
“Unni.”
When she went to sit beside Jiyoung, Jiyoung began sobbing again.
Though she had cried before coming to the funeral hall, she now shed tears endlessly, like a broken faucet.
“Don’t cry. Grandfather wouldn’t want that.”
“Still....”
As I watched Jisoo comfort Jiyoung, I turned back and sat with Myungsoo and Hyunseong.
“That was Jisoo-sunbae, right?”
At Myungsoo’s question, I nodded. Seeing Jisoo’s cold demeanor, Myungsoo clicked his tongue.
“She hasn’t changed. Still icy as ever.”
“Is that so?”
“You wouldn’t know, but at Korea National University she was well known. People might not know Chairman Cheon, but everyone knew Ilseong Group.”
“I see.”
Unlike talkative Myungsoo, Hyunseong remained silent. I asked,
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Did you not get permission to marry?”
“I did.”
“Then why that face?”
At my question, his expression grew even darker.
“Are you sure you’re all right? You seem so calm it makes you look even sadder.”
“I’m fine. It’s just... I’ve always been like this.”
“You’ve always acted like someone who’s already renounced the world. But to me, that made you look so lonely.”
Myungsoo nodded in agreement with Hyunseong’s words.
I had never thought about how others saw me, but that was what they felt.
“I don’t know how you’ll accept Chairman Cheon’s death. But... we just worry for you.”
Hyunseong’s heavy words shook my chest.
“Myungsoo and I are always on your side. Don’t forget that. If it’s hard, you can share your true feelings with us.”
“...Thank you.”
They were simply good friends. With that, Hyunseong fell silent.
Perhaps uneasy with the heavy silence, Myungsoo changed the subject.
“Grandmother is coming with my mom and Hyunseong’s mom. Because of the bodyguards, they’re all riding together. Our fathers are coming separately.”
“They’re thoughtful. I’m grateful.”
Even such small things filled me with gratitude.
As we talked, the noise outside the funeral hall began to grow louder.
Condolence wreaths and banners sent from all over were being set up.
Seeing that, I muttered to myself.
“Grandfather won’t be lonely on his way.”
The Loan Shark King of Myeongdong, Cheon Taesan.
A man who had lived his entire life in the shadows as a loan shark, crossing through the turbulent history of South Korea.
He was someone who could never come out into the light.
No—he never had any intention of stepping into the light.
He was simply a man who did what he believed had to be done, from where he stood.
I only hoped that his final journey would not be a lonely one.
“Muhyuk.”
Oh Hyunwoo and the others came in together.
I rose from my seat to greet them and led them to Grandfather’s mortuary altar.
They offered flowers and incense with solemn reverence, then we returned together to sit at Myungsoo and Hyunseong’s table.
“What a thing to happen...”
Han Minkyung’s voice was heavy with concern.
Even as she sat at the table, I could feel her glancing at me constantly, worried.
“He’d been very ill for a long time.”
“Muhyuk, you’ve gone through so much.”
After my friends, others began to come and pay their respects.
As I busied myself receiving condolences, afternoon quietly settled in.
By then, Cheon Sooman and Cheon Jiwon still had not arrived. Looking at Cheon Jisoo, who was standing nearby, I asked:
“Why haven’t those two come?”
“How should I know? I haven’t seen them in ages. I live with Mom, but Father and Jiwon live outside on their own. They must be preparing something, I guess.”
“Try calling them.”
Jisoo openly showed her displeasure. Still, she pulled out her phone, sighed deeply, and stepped out.
“Jiyoung, are you all right?”
“Yes...”
But her face said otherwise. Her swollen eyes and her swaying body showed she was pushing herself too hard.
“Go inside and rest. You can stay with Jisoo.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“If it gets hard, take a break. Don’t overdo it. You’ll collapse too.”
Jiyoung nodded faintly. I patted her shoulder lightly, lost in thought.
‘Now that I think about it... where did Manager Ha go?’
I thought he might have needed some time to settle his mind, so I let him be, but it was strange that he hadn’t shown himself at all.
‘Even if he were troubled, he’s not someone who would abandon his post at the mortuary...’
Perhaps when Grandfather regained clarity, he had given Manager Ha separate instructions for what to do after his death.
“Muhyuk.”
While I was lost in thought again, a familiar and long-missed voice called out.
I turned my head, and there was Grandma, entering with Myungsoo and Hyunseong’s parents.
It had been a long time since I’d seen her face.
“Grandma.”
I stood up quickly and went to her.
Her face was dark as she bowed before Grandfather, then she came over to where Jiyoung and I were.
“He’s gone to a better place.”
“Yes...”
Grandma looked at Jiyoung and smiled.
She took Jiyoung’s hand and gently patted the back of it.
“You’re Jiyoung? I heard a lot about you from Muhyuk.”
“Hello.”
Jiyoung, flustered, lowered her head again before Grandma.
“You can think of me as your grandmother in place of your late mother.”
At that warm comfort, Jiyoung could no longer hold back her tears, and they began to flow once again.
“Whenever you need, call me. If things get hard, reach out, okay?”
“Yes...”
Grandma pulled her into her arms. Jiyoung sobbed again in that embrace.
I held back the heat rising in my throat and asked the parents,
“Was it tiring for you to come here?”
“No. Don’t worry about us.”
Hyunseong’s father replied bluntly. His expression was so much like Hyunseong’s that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Hyunseong and Myungsoo are outside.”
“Yes, we saw them on the way in. We’ll sit for a bit, then I’ll take Grandma over to our house. We’ll come back for the funeral procession. No need to clutter things here.”
“Thank you.”
Hyunseong’s father and Myungsoo’s parents patted my shoulder, their eyes filled with pity as they looked at me.
“Muhyuk, are you all right?”
After a long while comforting Jiyoung, Grandma pulled me into a gentle embrace.
“...Yes.”
“You’ve suffered greatly, haven’t you.”
Her hand stroked my hair like when I was a child. I flinched, feeling my eyes begin to sting, and lifted my head.
“Once, your grandfather told me that thanks to you, he was able to atone to your mother.” frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
I had no idea what kind of conversation had passed between Grandfather and Grandma. All I could do was quietly listen.
“There was a time when I resented him. After my son and daughter-in-law passed, I should have reached out, but I was afraid you would be taken from me... That fear held me back. But now, looking at you—Grandfather raised you well, didn’t he?”
Her trembling voice lingered as she touched my face carefully.
I could understand her heart. After losing both my father and mother, all she had left was me.
I hugged Grandma tightly.
“So, Muhyuk, don’t resent your grandfather, all right? He was a man who always put family first.”
At her words, tears finally broke free.
Whether it was from the warmth of her hand, or from the guilt I felt toward Grandfather, I didn’t know. But once they started, I could no longer stop them.
Grandma stepped back, wiped away my tears with her sleeve, and said,
“We’ll talk again after the funeral. I’ll be at Hyunseong’s house. It isn’t proper for in-laws to linger too long.”
Leaving the guests to Jiyoung, I stepped outside to see her off.
“Go back inside. The mourner shouldn’t leave his post. Don’t worry about me.”
I nodded and told Hyunseong’s father,
“Please take care of my grandmother.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll look after her well. We’ll be back on the day of the procession.”
“...Yes.”
I watched the car carrying Grandma pull away, then turned back.
“Was that your grandmother?”
Jisoo approached me and asked. Embarrassed by my red nose, I rubbed my face roughly with my sleeve.
“Don’t worry about it. When are they coming?”
“I don’t know. They’re not answering the phone.”
She shook her phone. The call log showed three unanswered attempts to reach “Father.”
A sigh escaped me without realizing. I tilted my head back, staring at the sky.
My mind grew heavy.
Cheon Sooman... if you’re even human, you’d better show up.
