Lee In-Su had dinner with some of his old friends, and his wife wanted to cook for their sons. So he sent the cooks away early in the evening. He did not know his wife went to their first son's place, cooked there, and forgot the pack some for their second son, who rarely eats outside.
"What did you have for dinner, son?" Lee In-Su hoped his son had eaten something in the office earlier. After all, it was almost 3 in the morning.
Lee Whan spoke nonchalantly as he finished his first carrot. "Nothing."
"What about lunch, Whan?" The father held his breath and asked the question.
Lee Whan bit off the edges of the second carrot and spit it out before happily munching on the carrot. "I had a press conference during lunch break."
"You should have had something after that!" Lee In-Su scolded his son softly as he rummaged through the cabinet.
"I had to meet with a team of our jewel designers. Their designs were a little similar to the one Mellow jewels. We were looking for an alternative as our season release is nearby." Lee Whan felt his jaw ache slightly as this carrot was not tender, but he did not want to throw this away. So he continued to munch on it.
Lee In-Su took some eggs and looked through the refrigerator. He picked a carrot. "Please tell me you had breakfast!"
"I wish I did…" Lee Whan finally looked up at his father. He left the house early in the morning to play golf with potential business partners.
Lee In-Su closed his eyes, wondering how he used to think his second son was problematic when Lee Whan was a kid while he always thought Lee Yong was obedient and diligent. The table turned when his sons became adults.
His second son was indeed too mischievous and problematic as a kid. Then he sent the son to the boarding school. Even then, he had to make a trip to the school every ten days or so to apologise to the teacher for his son's misconduct. There were times he even went to the police station.
He did not know when his son grew more mature and even stopped complaining about any grievances at all.
Lee In-Su knew it was his fault that his son had changed. Whenever his son complained, he and his wife always ignored it. Slowly there were no complaints, and he did not realise when his son stopped sharing these details with him.
He blamed himself for turning his son into something due to society's demand for an influential family like the Lee's. He listened to people's opinions but lost the smile of his little son.
Lee In-Su felt happy when he found the leftover rice, which probably was made for lunch, in the eclectic cooker. He took a pan out and laid out the ingredients.
As much as Lee Whan did not want to cook, he knew who his father was making the food. So he simply stood up and washed his hands before assisting his father.
Lee In-Su was surprised when he saw Lee Whan was good with a knife and could cut everything perfectly and faster. He knew he did not know anything about his son, and recently he wanted to change it.
However, Lee In-Su wanted to be a better father and did not know how to be one. It was why he met his friends and asked them how to get along with his second son. Among his friends, one of his close friends was really close to his son.
His friend advised him to speak to his son, and things will fall into place. He should take the first step and be a good father. He was unsure how it would work, but he wanted to try.
So Lee In-Su spoke about the story behind the egg rice he was preparing. "I used to make it with my friends during my college days. Especially when we studied all night for the exam and started to feel hungry in the middle of this night."
Lee Whan blinked at his father, wondering why he was suddenly speaking something. When he saw his father getting awkward and embarrassed, he smiled as he indulged his father. He listened to the story even though he had already heard it from his father's friend, whom he treats as an uncle.
"I used to have ramyeon in the middle of the night when I was in the boarding school. Not because of an exam or anything. We just stay awake weekly for at least four days and spend time playing games. It was fun." Lee Whan smiled fondly at the memory.
His father prepared the egg rice in a few minutes and put it on the plate. Lee What asked his father to join him in the meal. But Lee In-Su refused using the reason of possible indigestion as it was an odd time to have a meal.
Lee Whan ate the first bite and remembered the taste.
Uncle had cooked it for him before, and he had eaten it thousand times before. But this felt special as it was the first food cooked by his father for him.
Lee Whan suddenly looked at his expectant father. Instead of commenting about the food, Lee Whan smiled as he said the words he had wanted to say all these years. "Thanks for putting me in the boarding school, dad!"
Lee In-Su's eyes teared all of a sudden. How much had he criticised his second son over the years? Not even once, not even when Lee Whan did well with the company, he has no recollection of praising his son. But this son grew up well on his own. Or maybe his friend influenced how his son turned out to be a gentleman.
"Your uncle made these for you already. You knew the story behind it from him." Lee In-Su felt jealousy rise in him and cursed his friend. But he understood how much of an unavailable father he was, and there was no point in blaming the only father figure his son had.
"Uncle usually makes it for us when we stay up all night gaming or watching something during summer vacation at his place." Lee Whan gobbled the food as he smiled at his father.
Lee In-Su felt shame wash over him when he realised his friend took care of Lee Whan and knew more about his son than him. No wonder his son chose to approach others when there was always an issue and never came to him recently.
"I am sorry. I had never been a good dad to you. I promise I am working on it. Let me make things better between us." Lee In-Su apologised to his son.
"You don't have to be a good dad to me. I am way past the stage where I need my father's support. Just don't smoke and fall sick anymore. That will be enough for me." Lee Whan concealed the sadness in his eyes as he spoke calmly.
"Yes…" Lee In-Su was determined to be a good father to his son. He felt suffocated knowing he was a failure as the father but still agreed to his son's wish. He promised never to smoke and worry his son.