Chapter 117

Peeking down at them, Yuli snapped the words out, and Gyeol Go and Yo Han Sung both shot upright in a hurry at almost the exact same time.

Sensing something strange, Yuli pressed himself tightly into Gyeol’s arms and glared at Yo Han.

“My dad’s gonna marry me......!”

Yuli’s voice was full of grievance. The fact that he was even saying things like this seemed to mean he had improved quite a bit. The adorable whining filled Gyeol with relief.

Hyesung was the first to burst into laughter, followed by Gyeol Go and Yo Han Sung in turn.

Feeling as if the adults were laughing at him, Yuli protested.

“Why are you laughing? It’s true! When I turn twenty, I’m gonna marry him! That’s why I can already count to one hundred and memorize the multiplication table......!”

Yuli, who had been talking nonstop in his excitement, broke into a fit of coughing. Gyeol quickly gave the child water and stroked his hair, telling him to calm down.

“Yeah. That’s right. Yuli and Dad promised.”

“Hmph.......”

After gulping down the water, Yuli glared at Yo Han over Gyeol’s shoulder.

Standing back with his arms crossed, Yo Han watched the two of them and smiled broadly at Yuli.

Yuli found him extremely displeasing.

He had definitely seen it. That man had held Dad’s hand. The candy was obviously just an excuse so he could hold Dad’s hand. Yuli believed this without a shred of doubt.

“Even if you’re the drama man, you can’t. Dad’s mine.”

“Yeah, that’s right. He’s Yuli’s.”

“Even if you’re, like, famous. And rich. And handsome. You still can’t.”

At Yuli’s chatter, Yo Han let out a small laugh.

“Feels like I’m being complimented.”

“It’s not a compliment. Compliments are for people who did good things, okay?”

“Look at you. Definitely someone’s son.”

Yuli stared hard at Yo Han’s grinning face, then whipped his head away.

A complete dismissal.

The adults gathered there could not possibly hold back their laughter at the child’s cuteness.

The tension and worry melted away like snow. Holding Yuli in his arms, Gyeol felt relieved, then relieved again.

***

Gyeol soothed Yuli carefully. He promised that from now on, Yuli would fold down one finger each day, and when every finger on one hand was folded, Gyeol would come back.

“So I only have to sleep five nights?”

After counting his fingers again and again, Yuli asked as if confirming it. When Gyeol nodded, Yuli pressed his lips into a straight line, firming up his resolve.

“After five nights, you have to come. For sure.”

“Yeah.”

The way he tried to be brave made Gyeol’s heart ache.

Leaving his child behind weighed terribly on him. Still, he had to harden his heart and pull himself together. Yuli was trying so hard to be mature, understanding Dad’s “work.”

Next, Gyeol tightened Hyesung’s mouth shut.

“Tell Kisoo that I just came and left with one of the cast members.”

He whispered in case anyone heard, and Hyesung, lowering his own voice to match, glanced at Yo Han.

“You don’t want me to say he came?”

“Yeah.”

“Mm... Kisoo’s probably going to be curious.”

“If he asks which cast member, just say it was someone you didn’t really know. You don’t know much about celebrities anyway.”

“Got it.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The more people who knew a secret, the higher the risk of exposure.

The R-Connect contract rules included a strict clause forbidding any leakage of information related to Pheromone Island or anything that happened during filming.

Kisoo was a good person. But he had loose spots, and sometimes he acted like he was missing a screw. His biggest gaps showed in the way he talked.

Yo Han Sung’s appearance on R-Connect was top secret, unknown even in the entertainment industry. It could not leak anywhere before the program began.

So Gyeol chose the most conservative option.

“Kisoo might feel hurt later if he finds out.......”

“I’ll explain it properly to him later. If I tell him it was because of the contract rules, he’ll understand. Just keep it secret for now. Please.”

“Yeah, okay. Don’t worry.”

After they finished talking, Yo Han Sung and Gyeol Go decided to leave at different times. No matter how careful they were, the two of them moving together would attract attention.

“See you around, kid.”

At Yo Han’s farewell, Yuli narrowed his eyes into sharp little triangles.

“I’m not a kid. I’m Yuli.”

“Right. Little Yuli.”

“Yuli, he bought you snacks. You need to say goodbye nicely.”

At Gyeol’s prompting, Yuli dipped his head.

“...Goodbye.”

Even then, he stuck out his lips and absolutely did not answer that they would see each other again.

“Yeah. Get better fast.”

Yo Han smiled at Yuli with an easy curve of his eyes. It was not a smile that put up a wall of politeness, but one that came from genuine tenderness. He had treated Yuli with that same kindness the entire time.

Honestly, it was unexpected. Gyeol had not thought Yo Han Sung would be this gentle with a child. It was not simply the ordinary tolerance adults were supposed to extend to children.

He seemed to like children. At the same time, he looked used to dealing with them.

“It’ll take a little while for me to get the car and come back up, so take your time.”

After smiling at Yuli one last time and signaling to Gyeol with his eyes, Yo Han turned to leave.

“Sir.”

Yuli abruptly stopped him.

“Yeah?”

Clutching the blanket tightly in his small hands, Yuli worked his lips as though thinking hard about something. His cheeks puffed out round.

“Yuli?”

Wondering what he was doing, Gyeol called his name.

Finally seeming to make up his mind, Yuli lifted his head and beckoned Yo Han closer.

“Wait a second.”

Yo Han looked at Gyeol, as if asking permission to approach the child. That, too, was unexpected. Feeling faintly bewildered, Gyeol nodded.

When Yo Han came closer, Yuli flapped his hand.

“You’re tall. Bend down.”

What is he doing? Gyeol watched with some concern as Yo Han bent at the waist.

Covering Yo Han’s ear with one hand, Yuli whispered something. Confusion drifted over Gyeol’s and Hyesung’s faces. What on earth could Yuli possibly have to say to Yo Han in secret from the two of them?

Soon, Yo Han nodded once. Then Yuli said something more.

“Okay. I promise.”

As Yo Han finally answered and held out his pinky, a warm smile spread across his face.

It was a smile Gyeol had seen only once before, one day in the past. A smile that seemed to melt all the tenderness in the world together, infinitely affirming the person before him. A smile so warm he felt he could have looked at it forever.

“You promised.”

Issuing the warning, Yuli hooked his pinky with Yo Han’s.

Shaking off the momentary daze that had come over him, Gyeol asked playfully,

“What did you talk about, Yuli? You won’t tell Dad too?”

“No. It’s a secret.”

“It’s a secret.”

Yuli and Yo Han answered side by side.

What was this subtle sense of betrayal?

It was an emotion he couldn’t quite describe. This was a first. It felt different from when Hyesung and Yuli teamed up to tease him.

“Then I’m leaving. Little Yuli.”

“Bye, mister!”

“You have to say goodbye properly.”

At Gyeol’s correction, Yuli pouted and muttered in a tiny rebellious voice, “Bye. Properly.”

A small act of defiance.

“Bye.”

Yo Han laughed softly, adjusted his cap and mask, then slipped out through the curtain.

“...Yuli. Are you really not going to tell Dad what you said to him?”

“A secret is a secret.”

“......”

“When you hook pinkies and promise, you have to keep it. Dad said so.”

Yeah, and that dad is standing right in front of you.

The child really must be feeling better. He was even being slippery and annoying the way he usually was.

“...How am I supposed to win against you?”

Laughing on an exhale, Gyeol pulled Yuli tightly into his arms. Yuli laughed too and wrapped his arms around Gyeol’s back.

***

Not long after Gyeol left the hospital, the familiar car stopped in front of him.

Climbing into the passenger seat, Gyeol quickly fastened his seatbelt first.

“You look like someone’s chasing you.”

“...That’s not exactly wrong.”

At Gyeol’s blunt answer, Yo Han laughed again.

This man. He seemed to be laughing a lot today.

“Traffic doesn’t look bad either. We should make it back by noon, more or less.”

“That’s a relief.”

After finishing the navigation setup on his phone, Yo Han started the car.

A soft, languid jazz melody flowed from the speakers and filled the interior. Listening to the music, Gyeol leaned back into the car seat and stared blankly out the window.

Maybe because the tension had loosened, exhaustion came rushing in. His eyes kept trying to flutter shut, so Gyeol straightened his back and stretched his arms behind him.

“If you’re sleepy, get some sleep.”

“I’m fine. You’re the one driving.”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

“I’m really fine.”

“Should I pull over and recline your seat for you?”

“......”

He really was unmatched at leaving people no room to escape. Gyeol wanted to avoid a situation where Yo Han leaned toward him and reclined the seat himself, so he obediently decided to listen.

He had reclined the seat only halfway, but as soon as his body grew more comfortable, drowsiness surged up. His eyelids felt far too heavy.

“I’ll wake you five minutes before we arrive.”

“I’m not going to sleep.......”

He would only close his eyes. Not fall asleep, just keep his eyes closed.

Repeating that over and over, Gyeol lowered his eyelids.

Before long, through his hazy consciousness, a day rose to the surface.

Several years ago. The day Yo Han Sung had held the steering wheel of a large van while Gyeol sat in the passenger seat, tense and not knowing what to do with himself.

Yo Han had laughed a lot that day too. Back then, Gyeol had mistakenly thought Yo Han was someone who smiled easily by nature.

As they sat across from each other, talking and drinking coffee, the world outside the window quickly grew dark.

A small chandelier scattered soft light over them. When Yo Han asked whether he was hungry, the two of them naturally began eating and drinking.

At some point, Gyeol got drunk.

Under the gentle light, the sight of Yo Han’s smiling face made his eyes sting.

You keep acting like this... I think I’m going to misunderstand.

Misunderstand what?

That you...

If all the tenderness in the world were melted down, it would probably become Yo Han Sung.

That you like me.