Seobin sipped the iced tea from his tall glass carefully. The condensation on the outside of the glass ran down across his fingertips until it spilled down and dripped off the edge of the cup.
He crossed his legs and leaned his face back to soak up the warm afternoon sun. A shadow fell across his face and he opened his eyes to be staring straight into Arein’s happy face. He smiled, and she moved, he winced as the sun hit his eyes for a brief moment, stunning him. He blinked away the bright spots.
“Hey.” She said.
Arein sat down beside him in the chair opposite his own and Seobin couldn’t help but smile back at her.
“Hey, that’s all you have to say to me?” He asked.
“Mhhhm..” She pretended to be thinking.
“What cake would you recommend me getting?”
Seobin smirked. “Well, that’s a loaded question if I ever heard one. Do you mean what kind would I recommend because I like it or do you mean what kind of cake would I recommend because you will like it? Because if I remember correctly, you like all the cakes.”
Arein laughed. The chiming bell-like laughter drifted on the wind, causing Seobin to relax into the atmosphere. it had been a while since he heard that familiar sound.
“Correct. I do like all cakes, every kind of cake. As long as your cake has a cake in it, I like it.”
Arein’s aura was like a suction, her gravity pulling you in. Changing your mind, changing your mood and heart. It was nice to be pulled into that sort of infectious attitude. That hyper, life-loving world.
He wished he could stay in it. He wished that for some time he could just revel in it and let the cares of his world just slip away. It was just so exhausting all the time. Working hard at the cafe, working on the channel, being in a relationship. All of them were good things. Great things. He was happy too. It was a happy sort of hard. A hard life he was looking forward to living every day. a beautiful future with Hansol and their little ladies upstairs. It was quaint and homey. Exactly what he wanted for his future. Could he give all that up just to save his family? But then again, they had never really done anything for him. And he didn’t care about an empire. ‘What is the use in making sure an empire doesn’t burn and turn to ashes if you were never interested in being a king of one.’
Seobin sighed. ‘It was food for thought, a hard decision he didn’t want to face. Could he be the monster that abandoned his family? Was it abandonment if someone else already had? They had said he wasn’t part of the family if he dated Hansol. He made that choice already.’
Silence settled between them. A comfortable, non-awkward sort of bliss that was beautiful and comforting. “How nice is it to have someone’s family around? Loving me, accepting me and not judging me based on who I fell in love with.” Seobin said lazily.
Arein’s sigh cut through the sleepy daze.
“I know it’s not right. We are supposed to be the ones who live through everything. To hold on through everything, to always be strong. but it’s okay to not push through and meet everyone’s expectations, Seobin. It’s okay if you don’t take over the business. It’s not your problem. We tend to be loyal to our elders and show them great honor and respect. But you owe them nothing at this point. Look at the life you have made for yourself here.”
She paused, then reached out and grabbed Seobin’s glass, stealing a gulp of the refreshing tea.
Seobin raised an eyebrow. “Good?” He questioned.
She gave him a cheeky grin. “Delicious” she confirmed. She sat there for a moment, tapping her finger on the tabletop slowly.
“You are happy here. Absolutely the happiest I have ever seen you. This is home to you.” She observed.
Seobin nodded slowly. What she said was the truth, there would be no point in denying it.
“This is your home, Seobin, more than any other place ever has been.” She continued.
Seobin continued nodding his agreement
“Good, now that we have that all settled, Dad is waiting in the car across the street. I told him to give me ten minutes before he came out to talk. Hear him out before you say anything, okay? I know sometimes we can tend to have mom’s temper flare up. But give him a chance, okay?”
“We?” Seobin said quizzically. Looking across the street at the black, inconspicuous car that was sitting parked there.
“Fine. Me, I,” she accentuated. “I tend to have it flare up. How the heck you and Dad stay so level-headed all the time, I don’t know. But I am here if you need me. If you need support. I am just going to duck inside and find that adorable and gorgeous husband of yours. Oh, and that piece of cake.” She commented, she got up, leaned forward, and kissed his cheek, then squeezed his hand, and like the whirlwind, she came in as she whirled off to create chaos someplace else.
Seobin smirked, watching her go with amusement. The features on his face relaxed with a much-needed release. A tension he hadn’t realized had built up so much inside him that it had started to leak onto his very features resolved a little. Maybe that was why Hansol had looked so worried about him all day, despite how much he had insisted he was fine.
“It’s nice to see You again.” Hansol’s voice broke the calm around him as the door banged shut behind her muffling their voices, he closed his eyes with an enormous sigh and the internal sounds became loud again. Seobin opened his eyes and squinted up at his father.
His father sat down and leaned his cane against the side of the chair Arein had just vacated.
“Seobin,” He said as a way of greeting.
Seobin nodded.
“I don’t think you are here because the cake is delicious and the drinks are good, so what do you want?”
“I’m… Seobin, I’m older now, I am not as healthy as I used to be.”
“Yes.” He agreed, “That happens with age.”
“No, not this. My liver is not so good. I need to undergo some treatment and I can’t run the restaurants anymore.”
Seobin nodded. ‘Unsure how he was feeling inside at this news. His father was not a good person, but he was still his father. But he had assumed it was something like that when he saw the cane, and how his father had moved to the house. It didn’t seem easy for him.’
“I’m sorry you are in pain.” He said, sincerely.
“But you said I wasn’t a part of your family anymore, and when I walked out that door, we would no longer have any ties with each other remaining. So I don’t know how I can help.”
“I need someone to take over. If the restaurants don’t interest you, you could take over your uncle’s car lot, and mechanics building. It would be less work for you and it would free him up to take over the restaurants.”
Seobin held up his hand, stopping his father.
“That’s not what I mean. I mean, what does this family issue of who will inherit have anything to do with me, a stranger?”
“It’s a lot of money.” His father started.
Seobin scoffed. “I have money, I have love. I have success. I don’t need what you are offering.”
“But you don’t have family. Family is the most important.” His father started.
Seobin smirked. “Are you offering? What I get isn’t just money but acceptance of everything I am. So if I moved back in, I would bring Hansol with me. You are telling me the two of us would be welcome? Living in my room together?” He asked, doing his best to remain level on the outside, even though the storm of hurt was building up.
“We could find someplace for you to go, your room has been renovated to make the gallery bigger. Some areas, maybe one of the guest houses, could be converted. And, with some time… maybe… Your… friend could come along.”
Seobin laughed. ‘Friend? Guest house… They had torn down his room and wanted him to stay in a strange place alone for a while until they had figured out how to swallow the pill that was his friend. Yeah, right?’
“I’m okay, actually. But I am sorry you have to let go of your dream. I had to do that once, it was a very hard, bitter pill to swallow. But I got over it and found a new dream. I think you will too. Maybe living happily every day with your wife for the remained of your time can be your new dream.”
Seobin stood up and grabbed the cup. He bowed at a ninety-degree angle, then turned on his heel and reached for the door.
“Oh, if you sell it in pieces, you will get more than selling it all at once, don’t let someone steal your dream from you. Let it go with pride. Goodbye, I wish you well, Mr.Kang.” He said, then pulled the door open and walked inside.
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