Chapter Text
Inho heaved a heavy sigh as he held the phone up to his ear. He knew that it was late afternoon over in America right now, and he hoped his younger sibling wouldn't be busy. The sooner he talked to him, the sooner he'd get Mal-soon off his back.
The line rang once, twice, three times, four times.......
Just as Inho was about to give up with an irritated grumble, a young man's voice spoke into the phone.
"Hello?"
"Jun-ho, hello. How are you?" Inho asked in English.
"Hey, man! It's nice to hear from you!" The college student responded happily, then murmured for Inho to hold on. A rustling sound could be heard as Jun-ho presumably moved to another room and closed the door behind him. "Sorry about that, I was having a pizza party with some friends. I'm doing good, but the real question is, how are you? Something must be up if you're getting in touch with me."
Despite there being no trace of hostility or accusation in Jun-ho's voice, Inho felt a pang of guilt. He really didn't keep in touch with his brother as much as he probably should, and it wasn't right; the kid wasn't at fault for Inho's misfortunes, or his own mother being a bitch.
"Yeah, uh- sorry, about that. I've just been really busy." He apologized awkwardly, clearing his throat and busying himself with his tie. "But a CEO doesn't make their empire grow by slacking, you know that. I have an entire team that depends on me, and they need me at my best." Then, after a pause, he added quietly, "I'll try to call more often from now on."
"It's okay, hyung. I understand." Jun-ho said kindly, sitting on his bed in the apartment complex he shared with his friends. "So tell me: what's going on? Is everything alright?"
"It is, for the most part." Inho began, trying to figure out how to word the situation with his stepmother. "It's actually about Mal-soon."
"What? What about her? Is she okay?" Predictably, Jun-ho's voice became tense upon learning that, and the CEO would bet he was sitting up straight with his back rigid now, if he wasn't pacing.
"That's the thing. I don't know, and I don't care to. But she recently started bugging me - actually, stalking is more like it. She asked me to take her to some supposed doctor's appointment, and she keeps going on and on about "wanting to make things right with me", like she's insinuating that she doesn't have much time left. It's all reminiscent of an awful k-drama, but I figured telling you was the best thing to do. She asked me not to, said that she didn't wanna worry you, but -"
"You don't want to be involved." Jun-ho finished the sentence for him, chewing on his lip.
"Yeah."
There was a tense silence for a few beats, during which Inho prepared himself to give his brother hell if he defended that woman or called him selfish, but the young man let out a shaky exhale and said softly, "Thank you for letting me know, Inho. Just because I'm building my life in another country doesn't mean I don't have the right to know. I'll be sure to tell eomma that."
"Anyway, I apologize on her behalf for whatever it's worth, but I'll handle this."
Somewhat stunned, Inho raised a brow. "Just like that? No dramatic lecture?"
Jun-ho laughed humorlessly on the other end and shook his head. "No, hyung. I would be way out of line if I demanded that you take care of a woman who didn't take care of you."
"I know that I'm not aware of everything," the college kid continued, "but you told me why you left Jeju when you were my age; you also told me what eomma did on your wedding day, the things she said. And that's enough. I won't ask you to put yourself in a difficult position. My mother isn't your problem, and I'm sorry that she's bothering you. I'll try and talk to her."
Inho huffed with genuine surprise. "Alright, who are you and what have you done with my kid brother, you imposter?"
The giggle that Jun-ho let out this time was real. "What can I say? Perhaps the States made me mature. I know we aren't the dearest of brothers, hyung, but I wouldn't want you to insist I look after someone who hurt me so much if the roles were reversed."
Just then, another young man's voice seemingly bursted into the room, whining at Jun-ho to hurry up and get back to the party.
"Sorry, hyung. I better go before these knuckleheads drag my ass out. We'll catch up properly next time."
Inho agreed and hung up after saying goodbye to Jun-ho, feeling a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He certainly hoped his kid brother would placate his mother, but he wouldn't give Mal-soon any more thought. Today was the day he was to interview Gi-hun and hand him the paperwork to fill out. Inho would never confess out loud that he was only bothering with the process because it was procedure, and he certainly didn't want either of them being accused of favoritism. But if it was up to him, Gi-hun would join his team today, no questions asked.
Feeling satisfied with himself and definitely not fuzzy inside at the thought of getting to see Gi-hun all dressed-up in a few hours, Inho grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door.
~~~
Gi-hun still couldn't believe it. There he stood in Inho's office, dressed to impress in a sleek cream-colored suit he'd last worn on a fancy date night with Sang-woo years ago (but that was thankfully clean and neat), filling out the paperwork Inho had handed him to officially be hired, and he still couldn't believe it.
The building of Hwang Distributions was absolutely jaw-dropping. From the moment you stepped in, it hit you: once you walked past the sparkling crystal doors, you had entered a whole different world. The marble floors - white with streaks of gold - were polished to perfection, the black walls of the same material just as gleaming. Skylight windows allowed natural light to filter through and brighten up the space, and even the elevators made a statement, with their artistic accent and luxury vinyl custom flooring. Each step he'd taken had chipped away at his confidence more and more until it left him a trembling mess. By the time he made it to Inho's office, he was convinced that this was nothing more than a cruel illusion of hope. He knew someone like him didn't belong here.
Yet roughly an hour later he'd stood there, shaking the CEO's hand as he was officially welcomed into his team.
"Your background will be thoroughly checked over the course of the next few days. I'll give you a call as soon as I get the green light, and as promised, you'll most likely be set to start first thing on Monday. I look forward to introducing you to your coworkers, Mr. Seong." Inho had told him professionally upon dismissing him, but the happy little gleam in his eye had been hard to miss. Gi-hun blushed under the other man's obvious contentment over the way things were turning out, and managed to mumble a shy but grateful thank you before walking out the door.
True to his word, it was now Monday morning, and Gi-hun's first day of work. Inho had contacted him the previous evening and informed him with tremendous pleasure that he was looking forward to seeing him at the office tomorrow.
"Good morning, everyone." Inho greeted a room full of people, a detectable hint of warmth in his firm voice. Gi-hun stood right beside him, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.
Like a well-trained chorus, all the employees stood at attention and bowed respectfully as they returned the greeting. "Good morning, Hwang-nim."
"I would like to introduce you to Seong Gi-hun, a new member of our team joining us starting today. You know my expectations when it comes to teamwork: treat him as you'd like to be treated, remember that everyone is capable of learning, and if you can do something to help a fellow coworker out, I expect you to do so. In light of unfortunate recent events, I'm stressing these pet-peeves more than ever, so please, give Gi-hun-sii the warm welcome that you received. Is that clear?"
There was another chorus of agreement, and just like that, the day began. Over the next couple of hours, Gi-hun met a total of five people: Kang Sae-byeok, the marketing specialist; Ali Abdul, the team's accountant; Park Yong-sik, Inho's personal assistant; a girl who just went by the name Jiyeong, the business analyst; and last but not least, Cho Hyun-ju, Inho's right hand in the office as the Executive, the person who would be training him. The previous employee whom Inho fired had apparently been a secretary, as that was the role assigned to him.
As Hyun-ju showed him to his area and set him up in the database, Gi-hun could only hold his breath and pray he didn't fuck this major opportunity up.
~~~
"Young-sik? Is there something you need?" Inho asked, looking up at his assistant with mild irritation he willed himself to keep in check. The workload never got any less demanding, in fact only more so quite often, and today was one of those days when he refused to give himself a break because every second was truly precious. To say that being interrupted at the prime of his thought process was a very frustrating thing was an understatement, but it wasn't Yong-sik's fault. Surely the young man had a good reason for requesting his attention right now. At least Inho hoped so, otherwise a new secretary wouldn't be the only replacement this week.
"I'm very sorry to bother you, seongsanim, but.........there's someone here to see you."
Inho frowned hard at that. A visit for him at work? Talk about something never seen before.
"To see me?" He repeated Young-sik's words in disbelief. "Who?"
"A woman by the name of Oh Mal-soon. Says she's your mother, and that it's imperative she speaks with you now." The assistant replied casually, totally oblivious to the turmoil his boss was undergoing at the mention of that woman. "She's waiting in the reception area."
It was needless to say that Inho was livid. Harrassing him over the phone or out in a street market was one thing, but hunting him down just to make a scene at his workplace was definitely off-limits.
"Very well." Inho said through gritted teeth, fighting to keep his composure intact for just a few minutes. "Thank you, Yong-sik. I'll handle it."
Oh, he would be giving that woman a piece of his mind. That was the only reason he wasn't dismissing her like the insect she was, sending his assistant to order her to leave on his behalf or better yet, having her escorted out by security.
The young man nodded somewhat nervously and left the room abruptly, without awaiting possible further instructions, as though he sensed the family drama in the air and decided he was out before he could get dragged in.
Rising to his feet and fixing his suit with slight aggressiveness, Inho braced himself for an unpleasant encounter he did not need right now, and made his way to the elevator that would take him down into the lobby.
His receptionist pointed him in the right direction, and sure enough, there stood Oh Mal-soon, admiring an elegant hand-painting of cherry blossom trees. Or pretending to admire it. Inho didn't care which it was.
"Mal-soon." He called out without preamble, gaining the woman's attention, who had her back to him. "There better be one hell of a reason for you to be bothering me at work. Seriously, if I was willing to say you at least had a tiny drop of shame in you, I take it back; you're unbelievable." He spat angrily before the woman could get a word out. Nevertheless, she didn't flinch. For the first time since her ridiculous insistence began, she didn't try to greet him with a dumb little smile. Instead, her expression was one of disappointment, even crestfallen enough to be hurt.
"Jun-ho called." She said. "I thought I asked you to keep him out of this, Inho. Your brother is out there chasing his dream in a foreign country. Not just another town or a few hours away, but halfway across the world. I told you that I didn't wanna be the reason he dropped everything and rushed back here. Why did you tell him?"
Inho blinked at her for a few beats, unable to believe his ears. The woman standing before him right now didn't corner him at his own company to keep annoying him. She wasn't sorry for being a total pain in the ass. She was only here because Inho had gotten her precious son involved, and now he might walk away from his studies to be by her side. That was the reason for the hurt written on her face. Because of course, for all she knew, she could've forced Inho to step out of an important meeting to attend her, but that was okay. His life was expendable, but golden boy Jun-ho jeopardizing his career? No, that couldn't happen.
Scoffing harshly, he narrowed his eyes at her. "That's why you're here? You came to interrupt me at work, when I have enough on my plate to drive a person mad, to whine about Jun-ho?" He spoke slowly, as though a part of him hoped that the woman would realize just how selfish it sounded.
But alas, Mal-soon argued on. "This isn't a small thing, Inho. If I came to confront you about it in person, it's only because I know you won't respond to my calls! Must you be so self-centered all the time? Your brother -"
That was it. The thread snapped, and Inho had half a mind not to punch the wall next to him as he saw red.
"Half brother." The words left him in a growl, satisfactory and not as they left a sour taste in his mouth. None of his hatred was directed at Jun-ho, after all. Inho was mature enough to acknowledge that it wasn't the kid's fault he had been the sole focus of Oh Mal-soon, that he'd received the loving childhood Inho could only have dreamt of, or that Inho's youth had been so rough. Sure, he wouldn't pretend to love his little brother to death or make some dramatic claim that he would die for him, but he didn't resent him for anything.
But hearing those words coming out of Mal-soon's mouth was like a thumb pressing into a very sore bruise, and Inho couldn't help himself.
"We only shared the same father, a wonderful man who is unfortunately no longer with us. But for you, he was always your only son, so spare me the brotherly lecture, and stop hunting me down like a fucking dog! Like we've ever been a family!" Inho seethed, internally delighted when this time, the woman flinched hard at his unforgiving tone. "If you really don't want your son making an improvised trip to Jeju, I suggest you talk to him again, properly, without putting on a show about your supposedly declining health. Or don't. I don't care, just leave me alone!"
"Mr. Hwang. Is there a problem here?" One of the security guards interrogated carefully as he approached them, no doubt intrigued by Inho's raised tone.
Looking coldly at his step-mother, the CEO responded without missing a beat. "No, Yoon, no problem. Just do me a favor and show this woman to the door, please. I believe we're done here."
"And make sure she understands that she isn't welcome here." He added cruelly, already turning away and leaving Mal-soon behind, ignoring the calls of his name.
"Sure thing, seongsanim. Come along, ajumeoni." The security guard bowed respectfully as Inho left the room and immediately obeyed his command, walking Mal-soon out.
The blood in Inho's veins still boiled as the bizarre interaction replayed on loop in his head against his will. Perhaps the audacity of that woman would never cease to amaze him. He could already picture the fury on Gong Yoo's face when he told him that she'd taken things one step too far and come to bother him at the office.
But hey, I have her contact blocked, I know not to answer a call from a private number because it's bound to be her, and now my security knows she isn't allowed on these premises. Without a clue as to where I live, and Jun-ho hopefully boarding a plane to come settle mommy down, she's got to take the hint and accept defeat.
Inho repeated these words in his head like a mantra, fighting the pessimistic little voice in his head that mocked them as it whispered that this wasn't the last time he'd hear from Mal-soon. But as he stepped out of the elevator and rounded the corner to head back into his office, his eye caught a sight that instantly made him forget he was even angry.
Perched on his leather seat, short strands of hair falling into his eyes and one leg bouncing softly, sat Gi-hun, already typing away at the computer as though he'd been here for a month and not three days. He knew the younger man was doing well, as Hyun-ju had praised his ability to adapt and pick up the flow of things quickly in her written reports, but something about seeing him like this, concentrated, giving the screen before him his undisputed attention, made a spark of pride ignite inside of Inho. Like Gi-hun's success was his to privately cheer on.
With a gleam of approval in his eye, Inho watched his new secretary work for a second longer, then retreated back into his office before one of his employees caught him staring and things got awkward, his flaming anger from before now forgotten.
~~~
For the first time in well over a year, Gi-hun couldn't complain about the way things were going for him. He'd settled into his new job at Inho's company as decently as he could have hoped to in his first week. His teammates were wonderful, and their chemistry with one another really had a way of making him feel as though he had been welcomed into a bizarre little family. Sae-byeok was the toughest in the group, the one person whom you'd least expect to ever catch smiling, much less laughing, but she was a good person, and Ji-yeong seemed to coax the best out of her. The two were practically attached at the hip, so it came as no surprise to Gi-hun when Ji-yeong proudly told him that the two considered each other sisters, despite their vastly different personalities.
Ali was the sweetest of all, the one who made it his personal mission to ensure that nobody in the group felt excluded, and Hyun-ju was the best teacher Gi-hun could've asked for, guiding him through the process with a patient but firm hand. Even that Young-sik guy was nice, introverted as he was. Gi-hun learned that he'd taken on the job to pay for his elderly mother's medication. Although he couldn't personally relate, Gi-hun respected the man for it.
Aside from finally having a job he felt proud of, Gi-hun's mental health was also seeing its best days. Apart from the understandable anxiety of starting a new employment and worrying you would fuck it up, he had yet to experience a bad episode ever since Inho hired him. In fact, he hadn't missed a single dose of his medication since the day he'd jumped into the water. Although the absence of his daughter still caused an ache that resonated in him every day, lately, it didn't feel as though it weighted him down. Instead, he felt a newfound determination when he woke up in the mornings, a determination to use his new job to get back on his feet as soon as possible and get his little girl back.
In the meantime, he had a date with Inho to get ready for. Well, a coffee date, as friends. Obviously. The two of them had missed their shot at being something more well over a decade ago, and besides, even if Gi-hun could admit quietly to himself that the older man looked hotter than ever, there was no way the latter could possibly be interested in a mess like him. He'd pulled him out of the water, looked after him, and offered him a job out of kindness, because it was true that underneath that grumpy exterior, there was a good heart. Nothing more.
He would need to get his eyes checked if he thought there was a single appealing quality in you, inside or out, a nasty voice sneered at him from the crevices of his mind. Feeling the depression threatening to make a devastating comeback, Gi-hun quickly shook his head and stepped in for a refreshing shower.
Twenty minutes later, Inho was in his driveway, texting him to come out. Gi-hun triple-checked that he had his phone and wallet, and turned the lights off before heading out and climbing into the CEO's car, greeted softly by the older man.
Haejigae Cafe was absolutely beautiful. Even in the wintertime, it offered a serene, cozy escape, featuring panoramic, stormy sea views from its modern hanok-style structure. It was a setting that Gi-hun immediately found comfort in.
The two men sipped their respective coffees and shared a delicious sponge cake at Inho's insistence, despite Gi-hun's complaints that it was definitely overpriced, engaged in light conversation as they watched people going about their business on the other side of the glass.
"So, how've you been doing? I'm sorry that I've been so busy these past few days I haven't been able to check in much." Inho stated softly. "And I mean outside of work." He added with a proud little smile. "Hyun-ju's had nothing but positive notes about you in her reports. Nice job, by the way."
Gi-hun blushed and ducked his head at the praise, trying to shrug it off. "Well, you weren't lying when you said she was the best teacher. It also helps that everyone on your team is so wonderful. It's not often that employees have such a good relationship with their boss or each other. I'm grateful for the opportunity you gave me."
"Don't mention it." Inho said, waving him away. "Just tell me how life is going. I can't help but notice that you seem to be doing better."
Gi-hun exhaled softly and nodded. "Yeah, I have, actually. I can't remember the last time I felt motivated to get out of bed in the morning, ready to face the world. But you know, ever since you pulled me out of the water that day, and you've been in touch, I........" The sentence died in Gi-hun's mouth as uncertainty gnawed at him, making him second-guess himself, but one look at Inho's encouraging face did the trick. "I don't feel so alone anymore." He finished, his voice a tad bit smaller with sudden shyness, but the CEO didn't seem to mind.
"Really?" He asked, a tentative, beaming smile edging on his lips.
Gi-hun nodded, then proceeded to ask, "What about you? You still haven't told me anything about yourself."
"That's fair. What would you like to know?"
"Well........are you living with anyone?"
Why the hell was that the first thing that came to mind? Idiot, idiot, idiot! Gi-hun chastised himself as heat immediately pooled in his cheeks, and he struggled to meet Inho's now-amused gaze.
"I-I didn't mean it like that!" He clarified, throwing his hands up. "I just - um - I just meant that........I know you don't have any family besides your kid half-brother, but do you have........friends? Roommates? Anyone in your life you'd consider close?"
The words didn't feel like a satisfying rescue even to him, but thankfully, Inho took pity on him and went along with it, although the glint of mischief didn't fade from his eye.
"Well, I don't have roommates, no. I live alone. But I do have a couple of friends. Park Yeong-il is one of them. I've known him the least between the two, but he's a chill, laid-back guy I enjoy being around. And he's a fisherman, so it never hurts to get free carp from him when the mood strikes. Then there's Gong Yoo, the man I would consider my actual brother."
The teasing edge faded from the older man's voice as he spoke about this other person, and Gi-hun could detect the genuine warmth that made itself present.
"He was there for me when I fled from my nightmarish life at home to Mokpo. He and his mother took me into their home when I was all alone. Unfortunately, Mrs. Gong passed away years ago, but her son and I remain as close as ever. He's one of the very few people I've ever let in and allowed to see the real me."
"That's nice." Gi-hun said in a somewhat clipped tone he hoped Inho didn't catch. "I'm very glad to know that there were people there for you when you had no family by your side." He added with more sincerity.
"It must've felt nice. Being part of a family that chose you." He wondered out loud, then pressed with another question - the one he really wanted to ask - before the other man could get a chance to maybe apologize for unintentionally dampening the mood. "But so, apart from........Gong Yoo and his mom, have you been alone all these years? As in.........no attachments?"
Despite catching on to Gi-hun's obvious train of thought, Inho didn't tease him for it this time. Instead, his expression became one of timely grief, like he was revisiting an old sorrow.
"No, not always." He began slowly, taking a large sip of coffee before continuing while Gi-hun listened attentively. "I had someone, a few years ago, and I was about to have a family. But she -"
"Watch out!" A woman called out to the two men, but the warning came too late. A clear brown liquid - hot chocolate - splashed onto their table, barely missing its occupants but certainly interrupting their conversation.
"Oh no! I'm so, so sorry, sinsa!" A young mother apologized profusely, bowing repeatedly and staring at the mess on their table with wide eyes.
Gi-hun looked past the woman at the real culprit - a little girl, approximately four or five years old at most, whose eyes darted nervously between them and her apologetic mother, her half-empty cup clutched in her hands.
"Hey, hey. It's okay." Gi-hun spoke first, addressing his reassurance to the child.
"It was an accident, seongsanim. I'm sorry." The little girl said quietly, bowing low like the woman, and the strings of Gi-hun's heart were tugged at the adorable sight.
"I know it was, and accidents can happen to anyone, even us grown-ups, okay? Come on now, stop apologizing, sweetheart. It's okay." He repeated, smiling gently at her.
"My friend's right, ma'am. There's no need for that." Inho stepped in, and Gi-hun blushed under the other man's intense gaze as he watched him with something like open admiration.
Tentatively, the woman raised her head and met their eyes, her body still bent halfway. "Are you sure?"
Inho nodded. "Yes, really. Just go and buy your daughter a refill. No harm done here."
"Oh, thank you! Yes, I'll get her a new drink, though I should probably carry it for her this time." The woman offered, visibly relieved.
"That's a good idea. Tell you what- here." Gi-hun pulled a few bills out of his wallet and handed them to her. "Use this to buy her another drink."
Before the mother could protest the gesture, her daughter, who had absolutely no qualms about accepting the offer, gladly took him up on it with an adorable squeal of joy. "Thank you, seongsanim!"
Gi-hun chuckled wholeheartedly. "No problem, little one. What's your name?"
This time, the child looked to her mother for permission before answering that, which the woman granted with an easy nod.
With a little more shyness now, the child replied, "Ga-yeong. Kim Ga-yeong."
Gi-hun stopped breathing. His entire world turned upside down at the sound of that name, his ears ringing as he suddenly saw his own little girl in the child standing before him, blissfully unaware as she played with the money Gi-hun had handed her.
He vaguely heard the confusion around him, the woman asking carefully if something was wrong, pulling her daughter slightly closer to her chest with uncertainty, and Inho trying to provide some logical explanation for the drastic change in his friend's demeanor, but it all sounded like static. Just like that, the depressing crash that had been successfully kept at bay for the past week swooped in to claim him, and Gi-hun was mortified to realize he was close to tears. He didn't even notice that Inho had kindly shooed the woman and her daughter away until a hand landed on his shoulder, and he was met with an expression of concern.
"Gi-hun? Are you -?"
"I wanna go." The younger man blurted out, already getting to his feet hastily. "I-I just........I need to leave. Take me home, Inho. Please."
Obviously worried upon seeing Gi-hun on the brink of a breakdown right in front of him, Inho asked no further questions.
"Okay, okay." He conceded immediately, standing up from his chair as well. "Why don't you go wait in the car, hmm? Let me just settle the tab and I'll be out there. I'll drive you home, okay?"
Gi-hun nodded and turned on his heel to rush out the door, leaving Inho behind to hastily pay their bill, apologize to the waitress for the spilled beverage on their table, and offer a final reassurance to the woman that neither she nor her child were the issue.
He snatched his coat off the back of his chair and ran outside to Gi-hun.
~~~
"Well, here we are." Inho announced as he pulled into Gi-hun's driveway.
The other man had remained dead silent for the entire half-hour drive, staring out the passenger window with a seemingly empty expression that Inho had to admit, scared him. It scared him so much that when Gi-hun made as if he would hop out of the car without saying a word, he acted on pure instinct and grabbed his wrist firmly. Because the truth was that leaving Gi-hun on his own, in his current state, didn't sit right with Inho. Looking at Gi-hun's slumped form right now, he saw someone who needed help. Someone he could help. So he would at least try.
"Hey, wait." He said as Gi-hun gave him his attention, turning those defeated eyes Inho instantly decided he hated onto him. "Can........can we talk? I mean, I have nowhere else to go or anything to do. I wouldn't mind listening to whatever's on your mind, Gi-hun."
The younger man hesitated for a long moment, swallowing thickly, loudly, his eyes shining with tears he refused to shed. When he freed his arm from Inho's grip, the CEO was certain that Gi-hun had retreated into himself and would simply leave, and that unless Inho wanted to push, he would have to let him be. But after a few more minutes of debating with himself, Gi-hun heaved a broken sigh and moved. He took his phone out of his pocket, scrolled on it a few times, and held it out towards Inho with the screen facing him.
On the screen was a photo of a girl Inho recognized. It was the girl in the family portrait in Gi-hun's house that had caught his attention that first night. Although her features suggested she was older in this picture, Inho knew it was her.
"That's my daughter. Her name is Ga-yeong."
The words were quiet, barely above a choked-out whisper, but they knocked the wind from Inho's lungs all the same.
Ga-yeong. The same name as the child from the cafè. One simple name shared between two little girls, and Inho suddenly understood exactly what had crushed Gi-hun's spirit so quickly.
"Oh." He said empathetically, trying to get the younger man to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I admit it was probably a bit much. To freak out like that, I mean." Gi-hun said, forcing a humorless laugh from his lips and shrugging his shoulders, trying to downplay his pain. "I just certainly didn't expect it. And I.......I miss her. I miss my baby."
"What happened with her, Gi-hun? Why isn't she living with you?" Inho asked, turning the engine off and turning in his seat to fully face the other man. "I want to understand how you've gotten to this point, but I can't if you don't tell me."
Gi-hun didn't respond at first. His hands shook, his head hung low, and his silence stretched on until Inho was convinced he wouldn't say anything.
Accepting that, he retreated. "Never mind. I'm sorry for pushing you." He amended, bowing his head. "You don't owe me an explanation you aren't ready to give, Gi-hun. Forget that I-"
"I wasn't always like this." Gi-hun began. Inho looked at him again, startled by the sound of his voice, but he could see that his friend had made the decision to open up, so he shut his mouth and waited patiently for him to continue.
Gi-hun's grip on his phone tightened, perhaps an unconscious gesture, or a desperate search for something to ground him. After a heavy sigh, he spoke again.
"I met Ga-yeong's mother in school. Her name was Eun-ji." He recounted, his gaze faraway as he began the trip down memory lane. "I was 17 and still hurting from your sudden departure. Pathetic, I know, but you meant so much to me, Inho. Our friendship was one I absolutely treasured, which is why I was so terrified of ruining it by exploring feelings. Then you left, and I was sure it was my fault. Needless to say that it took quite the toll on me.
Anyway, Eun-ji was a transfer student from Seoul, after her parents divorced and her mother decided to take a break from the big city life. We met in history class in a less-than-ideal way - by that I mean that she caught me copying off of her notes in class because I could never keep up."
Inho allowed himself a small chuckle at the mental image of a teenage Gi-hun falling behind in class, relieved when Gi-hun also found the humor in his own tale.
"Instead of getting angry or telling the teacher, as she very well could've, Eun-ji found it amusing. I was so ashamed when she confronted me about it, bracing myself for the trouble she'd get me in, but to my surprise, she began to help me. She would allow me to peek at her notes and get the info I needed whenever she sensed I was struggling, she'd patiently explain something if I didn't understand, and she had no problem being my partner for group assignments.
What started as an alliance in the classroom quickly became an effortless friendship as we realized that, except for intelligence, we had so much in common. We were both wild spirits with dreams to leave this wretched island behind someday. She would talk about returning to Seoul, the city she loved, as soon as she was of age and could make ends meet on her own, which I admired. We were both children without a father, even if it was for different reasons, and our mothers treated us as though the situation was our fault. We ultimately bonded the most due to our outgoing personalities. She introduced me to her friends, I introduced her to mine, and pretty soon we were all a giant circle of allies. We were the perfect youthful friendship you'd simp over in a drama."
"Sounds like a match made in Heaven." Inho commented, trying to shove the ugly jealousy threatening to rise at the thought of Gi-hun eventually finding so much happiness without him deep down. "So, what went wrong?"
Gi-hun laughed, but this one held no joy. It was a bitter sound that matched the hurt on his face.
"We fucked it all up one night. We were twenty and realizing that the whole "growing up" thing wasn't as simple as we'd thought. She was being harassed at work by a misogynist co-worker who thought that an unmated woman with no children had no value, as if we live in a fucking omegaverse, and I was struggling to make a living. I was barely making ends meet as a school janitor, and we got together one night to "vent our troubles" over a bottle of soju."
"Oh no." Inho said with a sympathetic grimace as he realized where this story was headed.
"Oh, yes." Gi-hun confirmed. "After one too many bottles, we ended up tangled in a drunken, one-night stand."
"I wanna clarify that there were never feelings involved. I was comfortable with my sexuality by then as officially bi, but I never saw Eun-ji as someone I was attracted to, and vice versa. She was far too focused on making something of herself to search for romance. But we were a mess, we were drunk........and maybe we were both lonely. Either way, that happened. I totally panicked the next morning when I woke up to myself spooning her naked body, I admit, but Eun-ji didn't. She handled it with the same grace and collected calm as she did everything else and assured me that nothing needed to change.
""We're still the same good friends we've been for three years. It's up to us whether to let one drunken mistake define us." Those were her words as she told me to quit acting like a spooked child. That was until a month later, when she showed up on my doorstep, crying her eyes out and holding up a positive pregnancy test."
"Ga-yeong." Inho filled in, completely immersed in Gi-hun's story.
The younger man nodded. "Yes. That's the story behind my daughter's birth."
"Her........conception might've been an error of intoxication, but her birth wasn't. From the moment Eun-ji and I confirmed that she was carrying my child, I already loved her, and she did too. She'd been afraid that I wouldn't support her because we clearly hadn't planned for that turn of events, that that would be what undid our friendship, and she'd be left behind, alone, unsupported, and pregnant. But I promised her that that wouldn't be the case. Even though we knew and accepted that there would never be a romance between us, I vowed to support her as the father of our baby. I promised to be involved in their lives, even if she and I were always just friends deep down. She even sold me on her grand idea to flee Jeju and find our way to Seoul, to raise our daughter together in the place where she grew up. It was a dream that became both of ours."
Gi-hun's eyes filled with tears then, and he visibly swallowed a lump in his throat as the words left him. "But she died before we could see it come true. There was a major complication at the time of birth. The doctors were barely able to get Ga-yeong out alive........and Eun-ji died minutes later."
Inho leaned in as much as he could in the limited space and took Gi-hun into his arms, whose shoulders were shaking with sobs now. "Oh, Gi-hun. I'm so sorry." He whispered into his hair. "So, so sorry."
As he comforted his friend, Inho found his own eyes growing misty as flashbacks of his own tragedy inevitably rose to the surface. The unexpected pregnancy reveal that couldn't have come at a worse time; Yu-na's declining health throughout the months; whispered promises of love, support, and a family that meant nothing in the end; his beloved wife's empty eyes staring back at him from that hospital bed, their unborn child just as lifeless inside of her.
"With her gone, it was just me and Ga-yeong." Gi-hun stated in a broken voice, pulling out of Inho's embrace gently and snapping the latter out of his own personal turmoil. "Just like that, the mother of my child was gone, and I was a single father. And you know, when my mother found out about what happened to Eun-ji, she was relentlessly on my case about giving Ga-yeong up for adoption. She said that a single parent could never be enough to fulfill a child's needs and that I should think about what was best for her. Even Jung-bae, my bestie, expressed concerns about my ability to raise her in the bleak financial situation I was in- although I knew that unlike my mother, he meant well. It felt like no one had faith in me to take care of my little girl, but I made her mom a vow, and I was gonna keep it.
So for two years, I worked my ass off, taking on a job in a car parts factory, and raised my daughter on my own. It was just the two of us against the world."
Inho's forehead creased as he failed to connect the next dot. "So where does her........stepfather come into the picture?"
Gi-hun looked away, as if he was ashamed to talk about it, but he replied anyway. "I told you that when Ga-yeong was born, it seemed like everyone was against me raising her alone, but that's not entirely true for everyone. Sang-woo was.........very supportive from the start. Back when I shared the news about Eun-ji's pregnancy, he made a joke about being the baby's godfather. After she died, he brought it up on a more serious note. He was the only person to believe in me from the very start, and although Ga-yeong and I lived alone in my tiny studio apartment, he made it known that he was there for whatever we needed. "Just say the word, hyung, and I'm there." That's what he'd always say.
What we had was nothing more than a friendship for those two years, until he invited me out to dinner one night- alone. He said his mother would happily babysit if I was comfortable with that, but he had no problem with Ga-yeong joining us if I didn't. I agreed to let Cho Mal-ja watch my daughter, and Sang-woo treated me to a fancy dinner. We talked a lot and had a great time, exactly the kind of night to myself I hadn't realized I needed until then, you know? When he dropped me off at home, the night was far from over, though."
For the first time since he began to tell his story, Gi-hun's cheeks reddened with an adorable blush as he fumbled with the words. "We had some drinks and ended up hooking up."
"I see." Inho said, his jaw clenched tight. This time, Gi-hun noticed the tension, and he ducked his head with shame.
"I thought it would be another one-night stand like my hookup with Eun-ji had been, this time out of emotional vulnerability, as the therapists say. But Sang-woo confessed that he'd had the biggest crush on me for years now, and though he'd once regretted not having said anything sooner, he now saw the beauty in the opportunity to be a family with me and my daughter. He promised that he would give us everything, that he would take care of us and make us happy.
Long story short, after freaking out and overthinking it for the next three weeks until I fried my brain, I agreed to give him a chance. We dated like inexperienced teenagers. Two years later, we were engaged, then finally married in a few short months, as Sang-woo was very much traditional. Because of Korea's unacceptance regarding same-sex marriage, Sang-woo had us board a plane to the United States, and our wedding was officiated in the state of Hawaii, where he naturally became Ga-yeong's legal stepfather, too.
Our lives were total bliss for the next couple of years. We really were the perfect family. My marriage was everything I didn't know I wanted, and more importantly, Ga-yeong adored her stepfather, and Sang-woo's love for her was obvious from the start. Even my judgmental mother seemed to finally approve of me."
A look of pure, deep sadness clouded Gi-hun's eyes, his shoulders drooping as he told Inho the rest.
"But it's true that good things don't last forever. When Ga-yeong was seven, I started feeling........off. I seemed to be down all the time, I couldn't find the motivation that had once driven me, I kept making up excuses to get out of family activities, even with my little girl. Before long, it started to affect her and Sang-woo as they grew worried about me, and my ex struggled to downplay the situation for her. I tried seeking activities outside of the house, since I stopped working at Sang-woo's insistence when we got married so that my sole focus could be my daughter. I tried eating healthier, sleeping better, exercising, writing my emotions down, but nothing worked. When it became clear that whatever it was wasn't going away, Sang-woo dragged me to a therapist, to see if they could understand what was wrong.
And they did. After numerous sessions and extensive assessments, they diagnosed me with depression."
Inho's eyes widened as he recalled the secrets he and Gi-hun had once shared as kids. "Just like -"
"My father, yes. Apparently, my mom forgot to mention that his specific depression was treatment-resistant, as is mine." Gi-hun scoffed sadly, running a hand over his face harshly. "His condition was passed on to me genetically, and as it tends to happen, it developed in my early adulthood."
"I take it your ex wasn't very understanding?" Inho assumed gently as his companion sniffled, the unpleasant memories tearing him apart. His features were conflicted as he struggled to explain, and the shakiness of his hands worsened.
"No, he-he was, at first. When I was diagnosed, I fell apart. It felt as though my father had passed his curse on to me from the other side, and my mother's less-than supportive opinion didn't help. But Sang-woo promised that we were in it together, that he would be there for me, no matter what needed to be done. And he was, for the first four or five months. I attended therapy sessions, tried a variety of different medication and doses until they found something that was as effective as can be hoped for in my case, and he would take on household or parenting responsibilities when I couldn't find a way out of my head. But the bad days eventually wore him down.
Arguments over my inability to keep the home in order, to look after Ga-yeong or him became more and more frequent- more heated, too. Some nights, he would straight-up leave, claiming he needed space to cool off. Other times, instead of yelling at me, he'd simply roll his eyes in annoyance and be glued to his phone, like I wasn't even worth the effort anymore. Our life was falling apart, and I knew that I was to blame for it, but no matter how hard I tried to get better - how badly I wanted to - I couldn't."
Inho wanted to stop him. He wanted to interrupt Gi-hun and tell him that no, it wasn't his fault. He didn't choose to live with a depression-ridden mind, he didn't ask to be dealt with such a crushing blow, and his ex simply wasn't man enough to stay and help him through it, the way Inho had shared the burden of his Yu-na's illness right alongside her, standing by her for every set of bad news and failed treatment.
But tears rolled down Gi-hun's cheeks again, and he appeared to be on the verge of hyperventilating as he said, "But the final straw was the accident. The car accident Ga-yeong was involved in because of me."
Those words shocked Inho into silence as he battled with his instinct to judge.
He's sick, he reminded himself. Gi-hun is sick. I'm sure he wasn't driving drunk or distracted. I certainly don't think he meant to harm his little girl. There's a reasonable explanation, and he'll tell me. Don't. Judge. Him.
"What happened?" He asked quietly, taking one of Gi-hun's hands and lacing their fingers together in an attempt to ground him.
It didn't seem to do much as Gi-hun was completely lost deep within the memory, but he spoke nonetheless.
"I was tired. It was nearly impossible to get a good night's rest during that time. Insomnia was a bitch, but I didn't have the luxury of catching up on sleep during the day. I had things to do, tasks to complete if I didn't wanna let Sang-woo down again. By the time I finally managed to dose off, Ga-yeong was ready to go to school. I was in charge of drop-off and pick-up.
The morning was fine, but my eyelids grew heavier as the day passed. I promised myself to at least take a nap before it was time to get her, but between laundry and dinner, I ran out of time. I got behind the wheel with a useless iced coffee and the radio on full blast, the drowsiness still threatening to overpower me."
"I didn't mean to." Gi-hun whispered shakily, seemingly to no one as his gaze was lost in the distance. "It was an accident, I swear. I would jump in front of a moving car before I harmed my daughter in any way. But I was so fucking tired, my eyes slipped shut for just a second, and I..........I crashed our car against a tree with her in the backseat."
Inho stared at Gi-hun in horror- not because of what he'd just shared, the heavy secret he'd finally unburdened. Not at all. Rather, he was horrified to know that life had certainly been no kinder to him than it was to Inho himself.
"She wasn't hurt, just terrified, obviously. And I escaped with a mere bruise. But the damage was irreparable. The minute Sang-woo found out, it all went downhill. He filed for divorce the next week, and Ga-yeong's custody right alongside it, claiming I was unfit to be her parent. He had my mother's full support, of course, who's never allowed me to forget that I failed my daughter. Sang-woo smeared my name and destroyed my reputation, painting me as an emotional wreck who couldn't even look after himself, let alone be trusted to have my own baby girl under my care.
The judge agreed with him, my chronic condition leaving me without much of a chance, and just like that, I lost it all. My family as I knew it, my financial stability as I was suddenly forced to take on a job to pay the bills without Sang-woo providing for me anymore, what little respect I'd earned from my mother. But what hurt me the most was my baby. She's my daughter, mine! And that........that bastard took her as if he had the right to. As if he was entitled to having her because I'm a fucking mess.
It's been almost a year now, and I'm desperately fighting to get custody back, but things don't look quite right for me yet. The last time the social worker checked in, she told me that my economic stability was hardly keeping me afloat, let alone Ga-yeong if I got her back. I still struggle with the bad days, as I always will, and wether I like it or not, my ex and his mother take excellent care of my daughter. She's safe, happy, stable.......all the things she can't be with me. And I haven't seen her since they ripped her out of my arms in court that day. Sang-woo makes up excuses to keep me out of touch with her, and I........I admit that I haven't had the courage to go visit her. Even though Sang-woo would probably throw my ass out the second he saw me anyway, but I haven't even tried."
"And Ga-yeong? What does she have to say about all this? Surely she misses you, Gi-hun. I'm sure that kid remembers that you were there from the very start when you lost her mother." Inho pointed out, meaning to give his friend some hope and lift his spirits up, even if it was by a tiny fraction. But the twisted smile on Gi-hun's lips quickly told him that it was a mistake.
"Ga-yeong........" He whispered, unconsciously squeezing Inho's hand until the grip became painful; the older man, however, did not pull away. "Ga-yeong is afraid something like the accident could happen again if I'm not well. She doesn't blame for what happened, unlike my mother and ex, who detest me according to her. The social worker showed me a video of her asking Ga-yeong whether she'd prefer to stay with Sang-woo or come back with me. She misses me, yes, she made that very clear. But Sang-woo and halmeoni treat her well, and she's worried I'm still not at my best. She wants me to get better first."
"Oh, Gi-hun," Inho lamented, his heart hurting for the younger man in the passenger seat. Although Gi-hun hadn't lost his kid in the same way that he had, whose unborn child didn't even get the chance to see the outside world, he'd still lost her. Every single day, he was forced to live with the memory of her smile, her presence, her laughter that had once filled the now-empty space.
Perhaps Gi-hun actually had it worse, because he had to drag himself through each day knowing what he had lost.
At the thought, Inho's eyes suddenly widened, nearly bulging out of his head as realization struck.
"Gi-hun........" He said carefully, praying that he was wrong. "That meeting with the social worker, where she showed you the video of your daughter..........is that the reason why you jumped into the water that day?"
Inho knew he had his answer when the other man looked away and let go of his hand, retreating back into himself. He was silent for a long beat, the only sounds coming from cars driving by, until Gi-hun finally nodded once.
"I just wanted to end it all." He confessed. "I figured that life isn't worth living if I can't be a decent father to my little girl."
Then, as if waking up from a trance and realizing he'd said too much, Gi-hun forced out a strained laugh, his hand flying to the door handle.
"So, yeah, I'm sure I've traumatized you enough, and I wouldn't blame you for running far away, just so we're clear. I, um, I should go -"
"No, wait." Inho's hand shot out, latching onto Gi-hun's wrist instinctively.
The unexpected gesture startled Gi-hun enough to turn back to Inho, curious to hear what he had to say.
Without letting go of him, Inho looked into his eyes and said firmly, "I'm not traumatized or freaked out, and you haven't pushed me away. I won't judge you for something you have no control over, and I will not look down on you when I've seen how hard you're trying.
I won't make empty promises like your ex did, Gi-hun. I'm not looking to fuck with your life. I just want you to know that I'm here. As someone who bears his own scars, I understand how much you're hurting, and whatever you need to do to get your daughter back, if I can help, I will. You aren't alone."
Gi-hun's bottom lip quivered as the words left Inho's mouth, but for the first time, the tears that brimmed in his eyes didn't seem to be of sadness.
"Right. Thank you, Inho." He said quietly, flashing the CEO a tiny ghost of a smile, the type that came from knowing that the people one trusted were the ones to cut the deepest in the end. "I really should go, though, but I appreciate it."
"I'll call you tonight." He added hastily, as though he sensed Inho's uneasiness about leaving him on his own when he was clearly so down. "Maybe you can lull me to sleep again with another magical story." He teased and turned away to hop out of the car. Inho let him go this time. He waited until Gi-hun entered the house before driving away.
Inho was no fool. He knew that Gi-hun wouldn't just take his word for it. Given his tragic past and the many times the people closest to him had hurt him, there was no doubt in Inho's mind that Gi-hun was convinced he was no different. But that was okay. Inho knew helping his friend would be no easy task, but he'd never been one to back down from a challenge. Someone like Gi-hun didn't deserve to suffer like this all alone.
"I'll call you tonight." Gi-hun had said, a delicate promise in his eye. "Maybe you can lull me to sleep again with another magical story."
A tender smile crept its way onto the CEO's stoic face without him knowing as the words left him beneath his breath.
"I'll be waiting."