Chapter 6: The Secrets of the Villa’s Son

Our way of thinking, and theirs—the wealthy—were fundamentally disparate.

“Are you leaving work early today?”

“Not exactly. I was told to leave early just for today. The Madam apparently came home after a long absence and wishes to be alone.”

“She came home after a long absence?”

Unconsciously, I shuffled closer to my mother on my knees. She playfully pushed my knee away, asking, “What’s gotten into you?” Sitting upright, she finally paused the video playing on her phone.

“The Madam isn’t usually at the villa. Aside from the day of my interview, this is the first time I’ve seen her stay here.”

This was entirely new information. The Madam rarely being at the villa… A sudden thought occurred to me: perhaps it was connected to Yoon Heesung’s frequent absences from school.

“They said she came here to recuperate. Where would a sick person even go?”

“How would your mother know? Perhaps she’s visiting the hospital?”

My mother’s conjecture seemed plausible enough, yet it didn’t appear to explain Yoon Heesung’s absence from school. Not unless he was constantly by the Madam’s side, tending to her.

I decided to ask my mother directly.

“What’s… that family’s son like?”

Having uttered the question, I worried it sounded too vague, but with more unknowns than knowns, I couldn’t precisely target a specific query.

My mother’s reply, however, left me utterly speechless.

“I’ve never even seen his face. The son uses a separate building, and I was told not to enter it without permission, so I never have.”

“They live together, yet use separate buildings?”

“There are three buildings there: a main house and two annexes.”

I’d heard it was a lavish villa, but without any visual reference, my imagination had conjured a typical home. Now, my jaw dropped. They must possess immense wealth. It wasn’t just separate rooms; I’d never heard of a family using entirely separate buildings.

“Anyway, have you met him? I heard you two are in the same class. Why did you lie to your mother?”

“Huh?”

My mother’s words took me aback. I hadn’t lied. When she’d asked before, I genuinely hadn’t known.

“I truly didn’t know. It was only today I realized we were classmates. How did you find out, Mom?”

“The Madam mentioned it to me today.”

“The Madam?”

It seemed that mother and son in that household conversed frequently. They appeared to be a family who could cheerfully chat about even the most trivial subjects.

“You’re getting along well with him, aren’t you? The Madam even asked about that today.”

“Why would *that person* ask something like that?”

“To the Madam, ‘that person’? You shouldn’t refer to him as ‘that person.’”

But Yoon Heesung must have only seen me for the first time today, so when could he have possibly mentioned it? He seemed to leave early just a while ago; did he go home and chatter to the Madam so quickly?

“We’re getting along, I suppose. We spoke once today. …But he doesn’t seem to attend school very often.”

“He’s absent, you say?”

“It seems that way. That’s why I only just met him today.”

“It sounds like the child isn’t adapting well. Is that why the Madam made such an earnest request?”

Hearing my mother’s murmuring, I began to grasp why the Madam had so earnestly entrusted me with her son. It seemed Yoon Heesung likely faced some sort of issue, one that appeared connected to his absences from school.

‘What could it be?’

Though I had only seen him once today, there was nothing about Yoon Heesung that struck me as irritating or uncomfortable. He was certainly peculiar and unique, but not in any negative sense.

…

Yoon Heesung once again dominated my thoughts. I recalled his stubborn silence in the infirmary earlier, as if patiently awaiting my response, and his invitation to visit his home.

I was curious. What was it? I desperately wanted to know what was happening with Yoon Heesung.

This sensation was akin to the thrill just before a long-awaited event unfolds. Why did I feel this way? Was it because, since moving here, I’d finally had a proper conversation with someone—someone who neither bullied nor stood by indifferently?

Without realizing it, a boastful remark slipped out.

“He invited me to his house.”

“Not just ‘getting by,’ it seems you’ve become quite close, then? So, did you say you’d go visit?”

My mother’s voice rose with excitement. I had anticipated her approval, but seeing her brighten so noticeably, I found myself adding a small lie to my reply.

“Yes, I did.”

It wasn’t a complete fabrication. I had, after all, said I would visit *next time*. I simply hadn’t committed to a specific date.

Unexpectedly, however, my mother pressed on with probing questions.

“When did you say you’d go?”

…

I saw the expectant gleam in my mother’s eyes. She seemed to be hoping that by taking good care of the employer’s son, she’d have something to subtly mention to the Madam later. Though I’d spoken impulsively out of a sudden surge of cheerfulness, I hadn’t anticipated this level of questioning. I lowered my gaze.

“Why are you asking about that?”

“What’s wrong with you? Can’t I even ask a simple question like that?”

“I’ll handle it. Just don’t ask.”

As I tried to brush her off and make my escape, my mother quickly seized my arm.

“Hey. Yunwoo, wait a moment.”

“What is it?”

The name my mother uttered was one I hadn’t expected in the slightest.

“Are you, by any chance, still in contact with Sunwoo?”

“…Lee Sunwoo?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to use informal speech with your older brother? Referring to him as ‘Lee Sunwoo’ is disrespectful.”

…

To my mother, my daring to address my older brother as ‘Lee Sunwoo’ was always the gravest transgression imaginable. Even after all the trouble he’d caused, she couldn’t bring herself to let him go. Knowing this, yet realizing it anew each time, left me utterly drained.

Barely a month had passed since we’d surrendered all our painstakingly saved money and were practically forced to this unfamiliar place, devoid of any connections. Yet, my mother was consumed with worry for my brother, as if she’d forgotten every hardship we’d endured. She chose to ignore the arduous path that stretched out before us.

Thanks to Lee Sunwoo, my sole ambition had become to live a quiet life. After enduring so many tribulations, merely existing without incident had become my deepest dream…

While I understood that worry was inevitable, if she could just refrain from expressing it in front of me, I wouldn’t feel such anger. My mother understood nothing of my feelings; she likely wasn’t even curious. Her only concern was my brother’s welfare.

“You’re not in contact with him either, are you?”

“I got rid of his number.”

“Oh, dear. How is he even managing…? I wonder if he’s eating properly. And not a word from him.”

My mother lay back down, just as before, and continued her lament, clearly intending for me to hear every word.

I, however, had no desire to offer any words of comfort. As I turned to leave, my mother’s wistful voice struck me from behind.

“Yunwoo. Still, try not to hate your brother too much.”

…

“Your brother is a truly pitiable person.”

Honestly, when my mother spoke like this, I was utterly at a loss for words.

Was I not pitiable? I had wanted to graduate from my old school. I hadn’t wanted to transfer. I had wanted to keep my part-time job at the study cafe. Im Namwoo, Kim Youngseok, and Park Hyungtae were all individuals I would never have encountered if I hadn’t transferred here.

Sometimes, I resented not only Lee Sunwoo but also my mother. This resentment had long since festered into a knot within me. Yet, I knew that spewing it all out would benefit no one. Uttering harsh words to my mother would only cause me further anguish.

I swallowed the words I longed to say, forcing them back down my throat. Instead, I uttered something else entirely.

“I’m going to my room to study now. Don’t call for me.”

“Go on, then. When have I ever disturbed your studies?”

Before the conversation could lengthen further, I quickly retreated to my room. I unfolded the small table in the corner and opened my bag. As I opened my workbook, I consciously pushed one unchangeable matter from my mind, while another I continued to ponder.

If they used separate buildings, it meant they lived independently, so his absence from school couldn’t be due to nursing. Why, then, was Yoon Heesung not attending school?

Reflecting, Yoon Heesung hadn’t seemed particularly close with his classmates. He had only recently transferred, and if he’d had even one friend, the atmosphere wouldn’t have turned so chilling, as if doused with ice water, when he suddenly appeared during P.E. Someone, anyone, would have at least offered a gesture of welcome.

The Madam’s behavior, akin to an overly particular parent, also made sense when linked to his attendance record. Even counting his brief appearance today as present, Yoon Heesung had already amassed two absences since transferring.

I scratched my chin with the tip of my pencil. My thoughts coalesced into a single conclusion.

‘…Could Yoon Heesung also be getting bullied?’

Just as I had been cornered by Im Namwoo’s gang immediately after transferring, perhaps something similar had happened to Yoon Heesung. To the eyes of those delinquents, an elegant young master might have seemed an easy target, albeit in a different way than me. That would explain why he couldn’t come to school.

But Im Namwoo had transferred away the very next day after Yoon Heesung arrived, hadn’t he?

‘Then was it Kim Youngseok? Or Park Hyungtae?’

Yet, the boys I’d seen today had been quiet. Kim Youngseok had even frozen when Yoon Heesung appeared on the field. If they had been bullying Yoon Heesung, he wouldn’t have reacted like that.

‘Then who could it be? Who would have bullied Yoon Heesung?’

Multiple thoughts swirling at once left my head spinning. More importantly, there was a greater problem.

‘When will Yoon Heesung come to school again?’

I needed to see his face to even ask him, but since he was the type to vanish home early in the morning, meeting him seemed difficult.

My concerns proved irrelevant, however, as the next day I unexpectedly found myself heading to the villa—to Yoon Heesung’s house.

As expected, Yoon Heesung was absent from school. After homeroom, the homeroom teacher suddenly called me to the staff office. It was the first time I’d been called separately since transferring.

I had expected him to merely ask if I was adjusting well, but the teacher dropped an unexpected request.

He wanted me to go find Yoon Heesung and relay the homeroom announcements.

“Tell him about today’s homework… and the seating change. And tell him to definitely come to school that day.”

“Me…?”

I asked, looking bewildered. I wasn’t the class president or anything; why was he asking me to do this? The teacher patted my shoulder and said,

“Your house is the closest to Heesung’s. Please do me this favor.”

…

“And since you and Heesung are close. I’m counting on you.”

Close? I had just met him yesterday. The teacher was stringing together all sorts of excuses to make me run an errand. I was dumbfounded, but I simply nodded, disliking the idea of prolonging the conversation.

“Alright.”