Swallowed - Chapter 46

The coffee smelled wonderful. Jaeha had discovered coffee early on, preferring espresso to the coffee milk that many students sought out. It was something he inherited from his father, Kyungdeok; having been accustomed to the aroma of coffee since he was a child, it was a natural progression in a way.

Kyungdeok had installed a top-of-the-line coffee machine, but Jaeha enjoyed making crema directly with a moka pot. With skillful temperature control, Jaeha’s coffee was bitter but without a burnt taste, and so savory that even Kyungdeok, who was particular about coffee, couldn’t help but like it.

However, Kyungdeok couldn’t praise the coffee for being delicious. It was because Jaeha had been watching him expressionlessly the entire time he was sharing the story about Hyunseon. He couldn’t find a hint of surprise anywhere on that face.

“So you knew everything.”

Kyungdeok deliberately hid Hyunseon’s reaction as much as possible and conveyed the situation objectively. Above all, he absolutely kept silent about the fact that Hyunseon had called Seyong. Judging from Jaeha’s reaction, he definitely didn’t know. He couldn’t know why Seyong hadn’t said anything, but he thought that maybe she hadn’t told him out of concern, as telling him would only irreparably damage the relationship between Jaeha and Hyunseon.

“If you know everything, you can understand your mother, right?”

Jaeha, who had been watching Kyungdeok expressionlessly the whole time, let out a dry laugh at that moment. It was close to a sneer and contained a negative meaning, so Kyungdeok let out a low groan and called his son’s name.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to understand the words ‘Don’t meet Seyong sunbae because the cause of the accident is suspicious.'”

“Your mother is worried about you. That’s how parents feel. They want to keep anything harmful away from their children.”

“Harmful?”

This time, a much clearer sneer hung on Jaeha’s lips. Sparks seemed to fly in his clear, clean eyes.

“Is she afraid Seyong sunbae will kill me or something?”

“Jaeha. Don’t misunderstand.”

“Isn’t that what ‘harmful’ means? Even though the police said there were no charges, she’s putting a murder frame on her and treating her like a murderer, so she must be thinking of her daughter as a potential murderer too.”

Ugh. Kyungdeok couldn’t immediately deny those words because of what he had heard from Hyunseon, so Jaeha snorted. Considering his mother’s personality, it wasn’t an excessive suspicion at all. In fact, that was why Jaeha had never talked about Seyong at home when he was in high school.

“What about you, Father? Do you think so too? That Seyong sunbae is harmful to me?”

Kyungdeok was so conflicted that he couldn’t answer right away. He still thought that he shouldn’t suspect people recklessly, especially since the police had concluded that there were no charges. Of course, he felt that trying to claim the insurance money before even holding her husband’s funeral was unethical, but maybe she was in desperate need of money. He couldn’t say for sure without knowing her circumstances.

“I don’t know Seyong well enough to say for sure whether she’s harmful or not. But I understand why your mother is worried. Especially if you’re thinking of spending your future with that child. Parents and children can’t be separated.”

Jaeha’s expression darkened for a moment. Seyong hadn’t mentioned her mother when they first met, or when they met again after two years. Even when they decided to live together in Jaeha’s house, she was worried about Jaeha’s parents’ reaction, but she never said anything about having to get permission herself. He never saw her contacting her either.

In Jaeha’s eyes, Seyong was completely alone. And yet, his mother was holding her back. By her mere existence. He was increasingly convinced that this might be the reason why Seyong had wanted to break up.

Kyungdeok, who had been watching his son quietly, brought the already cold coffee to his lips. The coffee, which had been savory and delicious when it was hot, tasted only sour when it cooled down, and it felt unpleasant, as if the taste buds on his tongue were bristling. But he didn’t show it and moistened his lips.

“Jaeha, what do you think? Can you be sure that child won’t harm you?”

I’m sure. Jaeha didn’t have the slightest doubt. It didn’t matter what kind of person Seyong’s mother was. He was judging her solely on Han Seyong, and she would never harm him.

Jaeha slowly sighed and recalled when he first met Seyong. Before he even saw Seyong in person, he had already heard so much about her that he was sick of it.

Han Seyong was, in a way, much more famous and eye-catching than Baek Jaeha. She had many nicknames. Mute. Murderer’s daughter. The most extreme one Jaeha remembered was “1 billion won bounty.”

‘Her mom broke the car to kill her dad. She was in the back seat at the time, so pathetic.’

‘I heard it was because of the money? My mom says the insurance money is well over 1 billion won. She didn’t like the idea of all that money going to her daughter, so she did that?’

‘1 billion won? Worth killing for?’

‘But the police couldn’t catch her. So she’s living with the murderer who tried to kill her? Wow.’

‘Crazy, I could never live with her. She’s always looking for a chance to kill her.’

Whenever Seyong was seen somewhere on campus, everyone would say things like that. So even Jaeha, who had no interest at first, couldn’t help but know who the poor woman was who lived with the mother who tried to kill her.

When he only heard about it, he just thought, “So there’s someone like that at our school.” To be honest, Jaeha also felt sorry for her. Whether her mother had really killed her father or not, the fact was that she had lost her father right in front of her. Besides, she had even lost her voice, so it would have been strange if he hadn’t felt sorry for her.

But Han Seyong went to school so calmly that such pity was overshadowed. She maintained first place in the special class, as if mocking the people who whispered about her. In the meantime, she participated in various contests and even did volunteer work during the holidays, as if showing a strong will not to let anyone pity her.

It was really by chance that he passed by the music room. The music room, along with the science lab and art room, was at the end of the hallway, so he rarely passed by it unless there was something special going on. Besides, if you used that staircase, it was much further to go to the cafeteria or the school gate, so almost no one used it except for the soccer team, whose dormitories were on that side.

But the faint piano sound drew Jaeha in. He could hear it better because it was the melody of a pop song he liked. Curious about who was playing the piano, he approached and looked inside through the window on the door.

A pretty female student with her hair tied up high was playing the piano. The moment he saw her face, he knew it was Han Seyong. He was surprised that the rumored sunbae came to school earlier than others and played the piano. The fact that she had entered the music room meant that she had the teacher’s permission.

While he was wondering how she had gotten the key even though she wasn’t a music major, he heard singing. It was a sound he hadn’t heard until he got close to the door because of the music room’s soundproofing. The voice singing the climax flowed clearly into Jaeha’s ears.

Opening the door was not a matter of will. It was instinct. By the time Jaeha realized it, the song had stopped and Seyong was looking at him. Seyong didn’t say anything and just glared at him, but her eyes were asking who he was and why he had come in.

Jaeha slowly approached and stopped next to the piano. He was unaware of what kind of expression he was making, overwhelmed by the overwhelming emotions swirling in his heart. Questions like how Han Seyong in front of him could sing were of no concern to him. If Seyong had sung with her heart, Jaeha would have believed it.

Sam Smith’s Lay me down.

Seyong, who was actually singing the song, had a nonchalant expression on her face, but Jaeha smiled with tears in his eyes. Seyong, who had been glaring at Jaeha, soon let out a sigh-like smile.

‘Do you like this song?’

It wasn’t a word, it was a song. Jaeha nodded eagerly. Seyong put her hand on the piano again. The slowly played song filled the not-so-large music room, and Seyong’s singing voice echoed softly.

Why Lay me down of all songs? Every single lyric felt like Seyong’s heart. Jaeha had only seen Seyong for the first time and didn’t know her well, but he cried. He could feel how hurt she was by the incident, and how much she missed her father, even though she seemed so calm.

Her clumsy voice and erratic rhythm were enough to shake Jaeha’s heart. It sounded much more beautiful to his ears than the original song.

‘I’m Baek Jaeha from the first grade. Can I come to listen to the song again?’

When he asked politely, Seyong’s expression looked very complicated. Jaeha could vaguely feel how isolated she was at school. Even first graders who didn’t know her well were busy whispering behind her back, so how much worse would it be for the same grade?

Seyong stared at Jaeha for a long time. From head to toe, and all over his face, and finally, she stared intently into his eyes. Strangely, Jaeha felt that she was reading how he had lived his life in that gaze. It didn’t make sense, but it was as if she could tell if he was trustworthy just by looking at him.

While Seyong was looking at Jaeha, Jaeha was also looking at her. She was beautiful. Not just her appearance, but her eyes, the energy that flowed out of her, and the fragrance she exuded were all pure and noble. She hid sadness in her firm eyes and filled them with confidence.

‘If you don’t… tell anyone.’

The voice humming a familiar children’s song melody was very secretive. So Jaeha didn’t even remember how bright and cheerful the original song was and nodded. He had no intention of telling anyone in the first place. He had no desire to share what kind of person Han Seyong was.

[You told me not to cry when you were gone.]

Jaeha, startled, rummaged for his cell phone. He had been using the song Seyong first sang to him as his ringtone. For that song to be heard at this moment.

Jaeha made a bitter expression and checked the caller ID. Of course, it was Seyong without having to check. The exam must have been over. Jaeha put his index finger to his lips as he looked at his father and answered the phone.

“Yeah, sunbae. Is the exam over?”

Kyungdeok watched his son with a serious gaze. His heart ached at the sweet resonance that was incomparable to the cold voice he had spoken with a little while ago.

“I haven’t had time to prepare yet because I was cleaning. Do you want to look around first? I’ll go down and call you.”

It seemed like he had a date with Seyong. While Kyungdeok was checking the time, Jaeha hung up the phone. As if he had no intention of talking for long because he had an appointment, he got straight to the point.

“So what are you going to do if I say I have no intention of breaking up?”