.  It was a strange thing.

  That night at the retreat, I punched Yoo Chun Young while asking, ‘What the heck are you doing?’ but was still huffing in exasperation. In addition to this, I threw up everything I ate, which turned out to be quite a fuss.

  However, now I was feeling okay. I mean, it rather felt like nothing…


  I tilted my head.

  Still, I had no idea what it meant by Yoo Chun Young kissing me on my cheek; however, there was one thing I could say for sure. Perhaps I began to get used to this ridiculous thing.

  Smiling aimlessly, I shook my head and murmured, “What’s wrong with me? How can I say that I am getting used to it?”


  If I say such a thing like that, doesn’t it seem like there will be another one coming after?

  Rambling those thoughts in mind, I switched my gaze to the scenery outside the window.

  * * *

  Descending the stairs to the party hall, Yoo Gun slowly looked around. The party was almost over.

  He wandered around to greet other people he knew at leisure. Yoo Gun then soon picked up a glass of wine and headed to the outdoor terrace.

  That was when he leaned on the balustrade and almost finished drinking the whole glass while watching the nightscape of Seoul.

  Someone suddenly showed up without a sound and stood next to him. Taking a sip of wine in a relaxed manner, Yoo Gun looked aside and soon flaunted a smile.

  The person’s red hair, which resembled the color of fine wine, shimmered in the chandelier light. His gray-green eyes looked soft and smooth like velvet.

  When Yoo Gun smiled, Kwon Eun Hyung also showed a grin. Exchanging eye contact with those relaxed smiles, the two looked like brothers.

  While gazing at Kwon Eun Hyung, Yoo Gun fell into thought.

  Not only Eun Jiho but Kwon Eun Hyung also felt more suitable as his little brother instead of Yoo Chun Young, who was the youngest yet the most different among the Yoo brothers.

  Looking at Kwon Eun Hyung’s gently smiling face, Yoo Gun recalled the time when Kwon Eun Hyung first moved into his house.

  At that time, seven-year-old Kwon Eun Hyung always kept smiling no matter what. He was well-mannered, polite, affable, and never missed the word, ‘Thank you,’ at any time. Eun Hyung’s too genial demeanor, however, roused other household employees’ antipathy.

  They often said, ‘The kid doesn’t even cry.’


  Objectively speaking, there was nothing joyful in Kwon Eun Hyung’s life back then. His mother passed away; his family was in danger of making a living; the little boy, therefore, had to move alone into the mansion full of strangers.

  Kwon Eun Hyung, however, just smiled without a sign of anxiety or depression on his face as if someone had taught him to do so against others looking down on this little boy.

  Why on earth did this kid learn such things a child shouldn’t!

  Besides, what Kwon Eun Hyung showed as a young boy reminded Yoo Gun of himself. He resembled Yoo Gun who had to learn too many things already in his young age as the first kid of a mega-rich family.

  That was why Yoo Gun took good care of Kwon Eun Hyung when he could just leave the boy alone as a temporary foster family.

  Just like he did to Kwon Eun Hyung, Yoo Gun also felt something similar to Eun Jiho.

  That boy never defied his father’s words since his childhood. He might have seen the life of other kids and could have realized that everything he was asked for was too harsh for a little boy. Eun Jiho, however, accomplished everything that was demanded without any complaints. As if he couldn’t even think of other options or paths, Eun Jiho’s eyes looked dead-alive. This provoked Yoo Gun’s sympathy and annoyance at the same time.

  When Yoo Gun returned to Korea after a long time, however, the two boys looked dramatically different from what they had been before.

  Yoo Gun scanned Kwon Eun Hyung, who was standing beside him, at a slow pace.

  Whether he noticed Yoo Gun’s glance or not, Kwon Eun Hyung slowly detached his lips while casting down his eyes.

  “Gun hyeong, please don’t blame Chun Young too much for not attending parties. That’s because of me…”


  Turning his head, Kwon Eun Hyung paused for a second, then continued to speak.

  “Chun Young is aware that I’m not hearing any good words here. Perhaps, that’s the reason why he refused to show up in these events… You know, Chun Young is good at reading others’ moods.”


  Yoo Gun slowly nodded. Nothing was wrong about what Eun Hyung just said.

  Kwon Eun Hyung’s existence was, to the people in this party, simply Yoo Chun Young’s sidekick or the youngest son’s friend, who was freeloading at the Yoo’s; therefore, they could hardly say something positive about him.

  Although he might already know about that, Kwon Eun Hyung never lost his smile at the parties. He always did his best to look good and polite.

  No… Yoo Gun grasped that Kwon Eun Hyung’s smile was now different than usual. If his everyday smile was like armor to hide his weakness and protect himself, he was now showing a comfortable grin as if nothing was lingering in his mind.

  After a moment of silence, Yoo Gun opened his mouth.

  “You also have changed a lot. So was Jiho earlier.”


  “Hmm, yeah, maybe.”


  Kwon Eun Hyung simply agreed, which sounded cool and casual. Yoo Gun then spoke with a faint smile.

  “It hasn’t been long since I last saw you.”


  “I’ve met many good people and…”


  He slurred the end of his sentence. His green eyes were directed somewhere slightly far away. Kwon Eun Hyung then continued his words.

  “It’s quite amazing how people can change when they meet other people.”


  “Really?”


  “Yes. I definitely didn’t like this kind of party before…”


  It was after a long time to see Kwon Eun Hyung talking so honestly. Opening his eyes wider, Yoo Gun paid attention to his following words.

  “But… it’s so strange that my thoughts can completely change after someone’s words.”


  Yoo Gun slightly turned down the corners of his brows.

  With a soft smile, Kwon Eun Hyung kept on speaking.

  “It had been years of painful time, but listening to those words took only a minute or two or not even a minute…”


  “And?”


  “Whenever I recall my memories, I always think about how painful it had been before I met them; however, it isn’t that dreadful at all. Now it feels like I got to meet these kids as a reward for the painful times in the past.”


  Yoo Gun stared at Kwon Eun Hyung dropping that remark.

  He had known this kid for almost a decade; therefore, he thought he knew enough about him, but kids grew frighteningly fast. Just like now and earlier did Eun Jiho, they suddenly showed up in front of him with new looks on their faces, which he had never seen in a few months.

  Kwon Eun Hyung continued, “Gun hyeong, so I had this thought for the first time in my life… Not all shiny and happy things in the world would necessarily disappear.”


  “…”


  “It was my first time to think that those would not just flow or scatter away but would remain somewhere in the world… although she never said to me, ‘It’s okay’ or ‘Those won’t vanish away,’ something like that.”


  Looking at a group of kids until then, Yoo Gun blurted, “You’ve learned something meaningful.”


  Kwon Eun Hyung nodded.

  ‘Kids change.’ Yoo Gun, once again, found enlightenment in that proposition.

  They aren’t just changing like bugs that slowly grow bigger in proportion to the amount they have fed themselves or the days they have lived. As butterfly larvae do, they go through a stage as a pupa, then one day, suddenly turn into a beautiful butterfly.

  Thus, unpredictable changes happen explosively at some point in life.

  Yoo Gun, at last, realized that these kids were in the middle of that process.

  If someone asked him about whether he had this period in life or not, he could tell that, of course, it might have existed. Still, the time would have not been so explosive like what these kids were going through. That was because Yoo Gun never deviated from his designated path at all.

  He was always a model student and never desired or imagined something more than his given path.

  Suddenly, Yoo Gun revealed a bitter smile. He then murmured, “Oh, earlier, I put my foot in my mouth.”


  “Excuse me?” asked Kwon Eun Hyung with his eyes open round in wonder.

  “I made an improper remark to Jiho.”