LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 149
Chapter 149
[“You’re here.”]
[“Hello, Tae-il. You’re wearing the same clothes again today.”]
[“These are different clothes from yesterday. They’re just the same color.”]
[“But the stain is still there.”]
[“… Don’t you get bullied at school for being so neat?”]
After knowing each other for three weeks, Lee Jin-woo and Kang Tae-il had become much closer. Their speech was definitely more comfortable, and the distance between them seemed to have decreased as they laughed at each other.
As Lee Jin-woo took a bite of the snack Kang Tae-il offered, he recalled the report he received from the manager a week ago.
[‘As I briefly mentioned before, we investigated all the children at the Nahak Orphanage, as well as those adopted by other families, but we found no one who looked exactly like you.’]
[‘I see.’]
[‘Instead, investigating Kang Tae-il revealed a related figure. There’s a head of a loan shark organization named Kang Han-sung, and rumor has it that―’]
Lee Jin-woo calmly organized his thoughts. The manager’s cautious speculation seemed the most plausible hypothesis in the current situation. When the manager suggested ‘handling’ it just in case, he told him to wait for now.
It needed to be certain. Handling Kang Tae-il could wait until he confirmed that he was indeed who he thought he was.
As soon as he organized his thoughts, Lee Jin-woo smiled and approached Kang Tae-il.
[“Tae-il, when will you go to the hair salon with me? Your hair is so damaged; it’s a shame to look at.”]
[“No thanks. It’s a waste of money.”]
[“Why not? I need to go anyway. Look, it’s so tangled that I can’t even brush it properly.”]
[“I said no, stop touching my hair…, ah!”]
[“Oh, sorry.”]
While pretending to brush his hair gently, Lee Jin-woo pulled out a few strands. He then suggested going to the salon again, which earned him a punch from the grim-faced Kang Tae-il, making Lee Jin-woo laugh cheerfully.
[“Haha! That hurts.”]
[“It’s supposed to hurt. I hit you because I wanted it to hurt.”]
Lee Jin-woo discreetly placed the hairs into his bag and smiled. It was a more genuine smile than any he had shown on screen before, one he didn’t even realize he had.
For the first time, Lee Jin-woo laughed out loud like a child, but he crumbled that night.
[“You worked hard today. Attending school isn’t easy, is it?”]
[“No. I just need to study.”]
Lee Jin-woo, who had a faint smile on his face, cautiously raised his head. The camera followed his gaze to capture his mother’s smiling lips.
[“Right? All you need to do is study. Was there anything else you needed to do?”]
[“No.”]
As soon as Lee Jin-woo lowered his head, his body started to tremble.
[“I thought you would be happier if I got a higher math score―”]
[“That’s your problem!!”]
Lee Jin-woo flinched at the sudden shout. His frail shoulders trembled, and the atmosphere turned dark in an instant.
[“I’m sorry, Mother….”]
[“I don’t even want to hear your voice. You disgust me! What are you sorry for? What?!!”]
His mother’s voice grew louder, and the sound of her kicking grew more intense. Unlike the increasing sound from the speaker, the audience became even quieter.
“……”
The level of immersion was so deep that they even forgot to swallow their saliva. The darkness in the theater was so thick that the faces of the audience couldn’t be distinguished.
Despite the dark storyline, there had always been light in the scenes so far. Strong sunlight shimmered in the scenes by the riverbank, and even in the scene where Kang Tae-il was ambushed, the yellow light of the hanok was prominent.
[“It’s disgusting! It’s creepy having someone as filthy as you near me!”]
But now, there was no light at all. Complete darkness. This was a signal that a masterpiece scene was coming.
Several audience members, who were fans of Director Yoon, looked at the screen with anticipation because they knew this was a signature move of the director, capturing the protagonist’s confused eyes amid the fog-like darkness.
‘Oh, it seems like it’s about to happen.’
Sure enough, the camera, which had been quietly observing from a corner, started to move slowly. The screen gradually focused on Lee Jin-woo’s trembling eyes, who was silently enduring the beating like a frightened animal.
“…!”
Everyone watching was shocked. His eyes showed clear emotions.
Instead of confusion, there was boredom, ennui, and even disdain. The camera froze, almost as if holding its breath at his intense gaze.
The moment his seemingly distracted eyes changed was the next moment.
[“Jin-woo.”]
[“…!”]
Lee Jin-woo’s trembling body stiffened. His gaze, which had been fixed downward, lifted immediately.
The cool moonlight that shone through the window directly illuminated Lee Jin-woo’s eyes.
[“Can’t you please die? Please….”]
[“…….”]
[“Please… it’s too hard for me….”]
Unlike his mother, who was crying, Lee Jin-woo’s eyes were dry.
[“……I’m sorry.”]
Without blinking, Lee Jin-woo whispered dryly. His unwavering eyes were etched into the minds of the audience.
Ironically, they looked more confused than anything else in this world.
The boy’s expression, which overwhelmed everyone, disappeared into the darkness.
[“Cutie, what are you doing?”]
[“I’m trimming my nails~.”]
As if to lift the mood, Kang Tae-il’s bright voice and the screen filled with light burst in.
“Ha….”
Only then did the audience exhale the breath they had been holding. The sound of hundreds of people exhaling at once was quite loud in the theater. Surprised by their own noise, they quickly adjusted their posture like the cultured individuals they were. Some even covered their mouths.
Despite this, they couldn’t regain their composure. As if Director Yoon had anticipated this, the screen showed light, meaningless conversations that could be overheard.
As they tried to refocus on the movie, only one thought filled the audience’s minds.
‘Who the hell is that actor??’
* * *
[“Sir. There have been movements trailing us for a few days now.”]
[“You’re supposed to identify them and report, right?”]
[“I apologize, sir. We haven’t identified the exact source yet. But we’re certain they’re from the Iseum Group.”]
[“……Iseum Group? Why would a company dealing in electronics be trailing us?”]
[“I’ve added two more men to keep watch. I’ll report back as soon as we find out more, sir.”]
Kang Han-sung, after a moment of contemplation, gestured in acknowledgment. The subordinate bowed deeply and left the room.
[“We haven’t had any dealings with the Iseum Group…, suddenly?”]
Furrowing his brow, Han-sung eliminated potential suspects one by one. He suddenly stood up from his deep thoughts and approached Kang Tae-il, who was leisurely trimming his nails in the corner.
[“Tae-il. Are you still hanging out with that kid?”]
[“Who?”]
[“The one who looks just like you.”]
Kang Han-sung ordered Kang Tae-il to stop seeing him. Tae-il seemed puzzled but nodded without hesitation.
[“Good, obedient kid.”]
Han-sung patted Tae-il on the shoulder and left. Tae-il watched him go and then quietly left the hanok.
As usual, Kang Tae-il sat by the riverbank, his face filled with regret.
[“You’re here.”]
[“How do you always know even when I don’t say anything?”]
[“I can smell you.”]
Lee Jin-woo frowned.
[“What smell? If there’s any smell, it’s coming from you.”]
[“Oh, now you’re acting up. Do you want to die?”]
Their peaceful conversation matched the gentle spread of the sunset.
[“Your face shows everything. Did you hurt your stomach?”]
[“… Does it really show on my face?”]
The audience, just freed from the intense scene, unknowingly smiled.
[“Tae-il.”]
[“Yeah?”]
[“I can’t come here anymore.”]
Looking at the river, Lee Jin-woo casually brought it up.
[“Hey…, are you okay?”]
When Kang Tae-il spoke, the screen focused on Lee Jin-woo’s eyes again.
The audience was confused once more.
‘…What is this?’
It wasn’t a dark room like before. Rather, it was a space filled with dazzling sunlight.
Nevertheless, the boy’s eyes were as calm as a corpse, yet as confused as a living person.
Despite the different light and space, the emotions in his eyes were the same. In fact, they were even more intense.
Not only the meticulously calculated direction of light but also the leading actor’s solid acting skills were astonishing.
‘How…?’
The boy playing the lead looked so young. Even considering the tendency of Westerners to perceive Asians as younger, he clearly was a child.
‘And yet he acts like that?’
The audience’s minds raced. The journalists’ minds raced even faster.
As they deliberated, the movie continued.
[“You still can’t give me your phone number?”]
[“……H
uh?”]
[“We’re pretty close now, aren’t we?”]
Lee Jin-woo handed a slip of paper with his phone number to Kang Tae-il and then disappeared. Tae-il sat by the riverbank, looking dazed as if he were possessed.
* * *
[“Sir. The results of the DNA test you requested―.”]
[“It’s okay.”]
[“Pardon?”]
The manager, surprised, asked again, but Lee Jin-woo didn’t care.
[“I already know. It matched, right?”]
[“… Yes. It matched 99.9% with your hair. It’s exactly who we thought.”]
Lee Jin-woo looked out the window with an indifferent expression, as if he expected it.
The manager, waiting for instructions, asked again when no further words came.
[“Shall we send someone then?”]
[“Leave him alone. Dispose of the document.”]
[“Pardon? But why…? You’ve been looking for him since you were young. Now that we can finally deal with it, why—”]
[“Mr. Jung, that’s enough. It’s delicate right now.”]
[“… Yes, I’m sorry.”]
[“I make the judgments here. I give the orders.”]
With the clear dismissal, the manager quietly left.
Lee Jin-woo fiddled with his phone, muttering to himself.
[“I planned to kill him as soon as I found him….”]
His self-deprecating laugh followed his bitter mutter.
[“Really, this is fucked up.”]
He had searched for that boy his entire life. The reason he endured this wretched household was singular. His father had promised him.
Once he became an adult, he would be freed from this house.
And as compensation for enduring until then, he was promised his father’s position.
But that promise was only valid if Lee Jin-woo was the sole child.
[‘Jin-woo, I know how hard it is because of your mother.’]
[‘No, Chairman.’]
[‘It’s all my fault. If I had paid a little more attention when your mother was pregnant….’]
Seeing his father trying to hold back tears with a regretful face was laughable.
[‘I know it’s tough, but please bear with it a little longer. Your mother loves you. She’s just… a bit sick.’]
She had strangled one of the two babies she gave birth to on the spot.
Could someone ‘a bit sick’ do such a thing? Lee Jin-woo wondered but quietly nodded.
[‘Postpartum depression is really… When you were born, we didn’t even have that concept. If we had known, we wouldn’t have let it go like that.’]
[‘Yes. I’m just grateful you care about me like this, Chairman.’]
[‘Whose son could be this good? Yes, Jin-woo. Just endure a little longer.’]
He endured several years with those whispered words, promising the chairman’s position as his reward.
Meanwhile, he secretly searched for his twin brother.
Because he knew that the baby, who seemed to have stopped breathing, had not actually died.
Only two people knew this: the manager, who left the baby on the street, and Lee Jin-woo, who overheard the manager talking to himself.
If his twin brother was still alive, he would inevitably have to share his rightful portion.
‘I endured this fucking hell, so why should you?’
Lee Jin-woo couldn’t understand why that insignificant blood relation should take his share.
So he sought him out.
The moment he found him, he planned to deal with him without hesitation. He was certain of it, yet….
[“Really laughable. Laughable.”]
Ultimately, he was tangled up in blood ties. He found it laughable.
The boy he sought for years to kill was the only one who could read his expression.
The boy who would take his share, who was nothing, was the only one who made him laugh.
In this situation, waiting for contact, he felt…
[“Really pathetic….”]
It was just pitiful.