UAI Chapter 14

Episode 14

"Father. I'm here."

It was Choi Seongjun, the son of Chairman Choi.

"Why are you here without letting me know?"

"Do I need to make an appointment to see my father?"

Seongjun said this as he sat down on the sofa.

"But what’s this? What’s with this situation? Don’t tell me you secretly had a kid somewhere, Father?"

"What? You brat!! Just listen to how you're talking!"

Seongjun's words made Chairman Choi erupt in anger.

"Well, you’re with a kid I’ve never seen before, so I had to ask. It’s not like you’re the type to hang out with strangers for no reason."

"He's a guest! A guest!!"

"That makes it even more suspicious."

Seongjun's sly gaze directed at him made Chairman Choi's blood pressure rise. While the two were having their confrontation, Sejin, who had been watching them in surprise, spoke up.

"Uncle! I'm Lee Sejin. I'm three years old. Grandpa isn’t my dad!!"

"Huh? Really? Well, now that you mention it, you don’t quite resemble my father's genes. With my father's genes, the best possible result would’ve been me. But you... You’re a lot fairer and prettier. Definitely a different lineage."

"Yes!! That’s right! My mommy and daddy have gone to heaven!"

"What? Oh... Oh no. I... I’m sorry, little one."

Flustered by Sejin's words, Seongjun quickly apologized.

"It’s okay."

‘He doesn’t seem like a bad person. He knows how to apologize to a kid right away. Maybe this uncle can become a good connection, just like Grandpa.’

Sejin thought this to himself in response to Seongjun’s apology.

Nevertheless, the adults fell silent, feeling guilty that the conversation might have reopened the child's wounds, and an awkward air filled the room.

While Seongjun scratched his head and felt embarrassed, Chairman Choi apologized to Hajin and Sejin.

"Sorry about that. This guy here is my son, but he’s a bit of an idiot sometimes. Please try to understand."

"Father! What do you mean I’m an idiot?!"

Seongjun shouted in protest.

"Oh, no, it’s fine. It’s okay,"

Hajin, who had been caught off guard and confused, managed to respond faintly.

Although his nephew seemed fine, Hajin couldn’t help but worry if those careless remarks had hurt him. He glanced at his nephew sitting beside him and felt a little relieved to see that the child seemed unbothered.

However, both Hajin and the other adults could sense the tension brought on by careless words, which made them feel awkward and uneasy.

‘Hmm. This isn’t the vibe I wanted. I guess I need to liven up the mood somehow.’

Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Sejin quickly said to Chairman Choi with a calm expression,

"It’s okay, Grandpa. People make mistakes."

Hearing this, everyone in the room burst into laughter.

"Wow! What’s with this kid? Why is he so smart? So, your name is Lee Sejin?"

"Yes. What’s your name, Uncle?"

"Huh? Me? I’m Choi Seongjun. But I’m not an uncle."

"You are an uncle, though."

“No, I’m still single!”

Seongjun protested, and Chairman Choi clicked his tongue as he listened.

“Tsk tsk. What an achievement. Truly.”

Despite Chairman Choi’s remark, Seongjun continued to insist to Sejin that he wasn’t an 'uncle.'

“Then what should I call you?”

“Anything but uncle will do.”

Seongjun’s response made Sejin pause to think.

‘This guy is funny. No matter how you look at it, he’s an uncle. But if he insists, I’ll humor him. Hehe.’

“Then… how about hyung (big brother)?”

“What?”

Seongjun’s eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!! Wow! I like you, kid.”

“Sejin, you shouldn’t be so impolite,”

Hajin said nervously, trying to intervene.

“Oh, it’s fine. The kid just said that because I look young. Haha.”

“Aigoo, look at him, all pleased. I can’t believe this. Unbelievable,”

Chairman Choi muttered, looking at his son in disbelief.

“Sejin, just call him uncle. He’s way too old to be pretending otherwise.”

“Why? I can still be called hyung if I want to!”

“You’re almost 40, and you’re happy to hear a three-year-old call you hyung? Really?”

“Father, come on! I’m not 40 yet. I’m only 35!”

As the father and son bickered, Secretary Park, seemingly accustomed to the dynamic, quietly prepared coffee for Seongjun without paying much attention.

Watching this scene, Sejin realized that this was their everyday life.

After finishing his conversation with his father, Seongjun turned to Sejin.

“Hey, kiddo. I mean, I do look young enough to be called hyung, but let’s go with uncle. For the sake of society’s expectations.”

‘What the heck? This guy really ran with it after I joked about calling him hyung,’

Sejin thought, stunned but responded calmly.

“Okay, Uncle Seongjun.”

“Great. But you know, you can still call me hyung once in a while. Haha.”

‘This uncle is pretty funny. No, wait, I should call him uncle now. It’s amusing that such a refined grandfather has a son like this. They’re nothing alike.’

Despite his thoughts, Sejin felt good about Seongjun as well.

Thinking about how this could be another valuable connection, Sejin answered politely.

“Yes.”

“Good, good. And between an uncle and nephew, there’s no need for formalities. Just talk casually. I’m an open-minded person, so I don’t care about that kind of thing. Hahaha!”

Having finished his satisfying conversation with Sejin, Seongjun turned his attention to Hajin.

“By the way, aren’t you a celebrity? I think I’ve seen you on TV before. Was it in a drama?”

“Yes, hello. I’m Seo Hajin, a singer and actor. And I’m Sejin’s uncle.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you.”

Seongjun waved one hand cheerfully in greeting.

Truly, the more you watched him, the lighter his demeanor seemed.

“But how do you know my father? He’s not the kind of person to hang out with young people.”

“What?!”

“Oh, don’t get so worked up. What if you collapse again? You were hospitalized not too long ago. Even if this is a hospital and they can treat you immediately, you should be more careful. You’re not young anymore, you know.”

“Hey, you brat! If it weren’t for you, my blood pressure would be perfectly normal!”

At his son’s words, Chairman Choi grabbed his neck in frustration and shouted.

“Grandpa, calm down!”

Seeing Chairman Choi looking like he might actually collapse from a stroke, Sejin quickly ran over, patted his leg, and said,

“It’s okay, Grandpa.”

“Oh! My nephew is so kind. So kind.”

Watching Seongjun grin and give a thumbs-up, Sejin thought, ‘This guy is beyond saving. Ugh.’

Nevertheless, Chairman Choi calmed down at Sejin’s words, lifted him up with both hands, and placed him on his lap.

“Aigoo. You’re so much better than the son I raised for decades with sweat and tears.”

“Hey, Father! That’s such a hurtful thing to say.”

Though Seongjun interjected, Chairman Choi and Sejin acted as if they hadn’t heard him.

“Grandpa, Uncle hasn’t even fixed himself yet. That’s why you’re stressed.”

“Hmm? You’re right! That guy still has no sense of responsibility. Hahaha!”

Chairman Choi burst out laughing at Sejin’s words.

“Ahem. Here’s your coffee, sir.”

Secretary Park said as he approached, trying hard to suppress his laughter while placing the coffee in front of Seongjun.

“What? Hey, nephew! Are you going to sell me out like that?”

‘We’ve known each other for less than ten minutes. Where’s this loyalty you’re talking about?’

With a cold, unimpressed look, Sejin glanced at Seongjun and shook his head.

Amid the lively chatter, another knock came at the door, and someone else entered.

“Hello, Chairman.”

A man in his early fifties walked in, holding a document envelope.

“Hmm? Director Hwang, what brings you all the way here?”

“It’s about the new resort site contract I reported on earlier. I came to get your approval.”

“That? You could’ve just sent it through Secretary Park later. Why come all the way here?”

“The situation has changed since the initial report, so I thought it best to inform you quickly.”

“Is it urgent?”

“Yes, I believe it’s something you should know immediately.”

As the two continued their conversation, Hajin quietly spoke up.

“Excuse me. It seems like you’re busy, so we’ll get going now.”

At that, Chairman Choi waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh, no. I’ll just take a quick look at the report. Stay seated. I’ll only be a moment.”

Chairman Choi gently set Sejin down from his lap onto the sofa beside him and stood up, heading into the adjoining room with Director Hwang.

Feeling uneasy, Hajin shifted in his seat, prompting Seongjun to comment while casually eating a piece of cake with a fork.

“There’s no need to feel awkward, kid. If it were really urgent, Father would’ve told you to leave first.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Man, it’s been a while since I’ve had cake. It’s pretty good. Is this from our hotel bakery? Not bad. Oh! Since I’m older than you, I can drop the formalities, right?”

“Yes! That’s fine.”

“Great, great. Well, since I’ve already agreed to be the kid’s uncle, I guess we can be like brothers too. Haha!”

While Seongjun and Hajin chatted, Sejin remained quiet. No, it was more accurate to say he was frozen in shock.

‘It’s happening again! There’s another snake coiled around this person. Why? I haven’t seen this since that reporter. What’s the connection? Why can I see these snakes on certain people?’

A snake was wrapped around Director Hwang’s neck, flicking its tongue. It was slightly larger and more distinct than the one Sejin had seen before.

‘Ordinary people don’t have these snakes, but some individuals do. There must be a reason. What is it? What does it mean? Now that I think about it, both that reporter and this Director Hwang gave off bad vibes. At first, I thought it was just the shock of seeing the snakes, but no, it’s different. They’re unsettling in a way that makes me instinctively want to avoid them. Plus, the position of the snake is different. Ugh... I can’t figure it out since there are only two of them so far.’

Sejin kept pondering the situation.

‘It feels dangerous somehow. But that reporter was somewhat connected to me, while this person seems unrelated. Hmm… Or maybe the snake doesn’t just appear on people who are harmful to me, but also to those around me? Come to think of it, that reporter could’ve been a threat to Uncle as well. For now, I have to assume these snakes show up on people who intend harm to me or my loved ones.’

While Sejin was drawing this conclusion, Hajin, noticing his nephew’s unusual silence, checked on him.

“Sejin, are you okay? Do you feel sick? Did you eat too much earlier?”

“No, Uncle, I’m fine!”

“Really? Then why are you so quiet?”

“Hmm... I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Just wondering when Grandpa would come out.”

Sejin gave a vague reply, brushing off the concern.

“Oh? Why? Do you want to play with Grandpa? Should I go tell him to come out quickly?”

Seongjun chimed in.

Sejin, who had been silently watching Seongjun, got down from the sofa and approached him.

“Uncle!”