Chapter 375 Chuseok Special
[Sept. 17, 2024; Chuseok (추석) literally means "autumn eve,". Chuseok, also known as Korean Thanksgiving Day, is one of the most important and festive holidays of the year. ]
"Uncle, I'm here!"
"Hey, how long has it been since I've seen our Hyungbin!"
"I should've come last year, but I couldn't because of my schedule. I'm sorry."
"You, man, your aunt prepared to feed you meat since yesterday."
On Chuseok, when all of the family members gathered together for the first time in a long time, Song Hyungbin smiled brightly at the family's warm welcome.
"But aunt. We're going to eat meat today, but you're making meat again?"
"I've seen you lose so much weight on TV lately that you need to eat more. Unni said the same thing."
"Oh, Mom? I eat well anyway."
"If your grandmother were here, she would've told me to give you two more bowls of rice right away."
Song Hyungbin paused slightly when he heard the word "grandmother."
Three years ago, when he was a trainee, his grandmother who had taken care of him since he was young passed away from a chronic illness.
That's why Song Hyung-bin felt even more sorry and regretful for not being able to come to Chuseok last year.
He wanted to come to his maternal grandparents' house and see his grandmother through pictures.
Song Hyung-bin sat down next to his uncle and aunt and asked if there was anything he could help them with.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"It's okay here, but help your aunt and your mother peel fruit. Oh, and Min-ho and Ho-jin will be here soon, so wait for them."
"They didn't come with uncle?"
His uncle snickered and turned the table over.
"They went shopping with your father and little uncle. They'll get some ice cream."
"Minho and Hojin must have grown so much."
"If only they could be as tall as you, I'd have no more wishes. Hey."
While waiting for his cousins to return and helping with the work, Song Hyung-bin sat next to his aunt and mother to help peel the fruit.
However, a similar scene unfolded here as before.
"How can you peel fruit when you've never peeled it before? You shouldn't hurt your hand, so go to your uncle."
"...I just heard the same thing?"
"Hyungbin can just rest~."
"Everyone is working, how can I-?"
"Our Hyungbin is enough just by being there."
Song Hyungbin's aunt always said positive and pleasant things like this.
Slightly different from that aunt, Song Hyungbin's mother shook her head.
"You're saying Hyungbin is too cute."
"It's been a while since I've seen my nephew, so of course it's nice."
In the end, Song Hyungbin was semi-forcibly exiled without being able to help with anything.
Instead, he got a chance to give his grandfather, who was in the living room, a massage after a long time.
"Grandpa, is wrestling fun?"
"Oh, it's just so-so."
Song Hyung-bin patted his grandfather's shoulder and immersed himself in old memories.
'In the past, Grandpa's shoulders looked so broad..........'
That means a lot of time has passed.
It may be the providence of nature, but a part of Song Hyung-bin's heart felt quite sad.
Song Hyung-bin kept patting his grandfather's shoulder and recalled old memories.
"Grandpa, do you remember when you took me up Mt. Dobong to catch sand lances?"
"Of course I remember. It rained a lot in the summer back then."
"I still remember the samgyetang we ate after catching sand lances."
Grandpa still laughed heartily like a tiger.
"Our Hyung-bin was small back then. I don't know when he became so taller than me."
"I'm so sorry I couldn't see you last year, Grandpa. I'll try to visit you more often in the future."
"Why are you apologizing for being busy with work? By the way, how are your friends who live with you? Are they doing well?"
Friends who live with you.
Song Hyung-bin smiled as he recalled the faces of the six people who had become so familiar to him.
He wondered if any other modifiers were needed.
The members who had developed into trustworthy, sometimes playful, sometimes serious, and the best of friends in the world.
He wanted to express his feelings to Grandpa as intuitively as possible.
"...I feel like I can do anything when I'm with them."
"Haha! I'm glad that everyone seems to get along well."
Grandpa turned around and slapped Song Hyung-bin on the shoulder in return.
His eyes, which were strong and unbecoming of his 80 years old, looked at Song Hyung-bin happily.
"I hope you can all get along well in the future."
His grandfather's heartfelt words touched Song Hyung-bin's heart.
His heart was so heavy that his throat was slightly choked up.
"Everyone, come out and eat! The table is set!"
"Hyung-bin, Min-ho and Ho-jin are here! They're making a fuss because they miss you!"
"Yes, I'll go quickly!"
Just then, he heard his aunt and uncle's voices saying that the food was ready.
Song Hyung-bin held his grandfather's hand tightly and went out to the living room.
A faint smile naturally spread across his lips at the warm and familiar atmosphere he felt after a long time.
***
"I'm here."
".....Okay. Come and sit down."
Chae Eun-gyu hung his coat on a hanger and headed straight to the kitchen where his family was gathered.
His father, mother, and brother, who had returned from America after a long time, were already sitting at the table.
"Eun-gyu is here?"
"Yeah. Hyung, it didn't seem to be that congested from the airport to here?"
"Thank goodness it wasn't."
The conversation was strangely cut off.
It was natural since Hyung didn't spend much time in Korea and didn't talk much with Chae Eun-gyu.
But Chae Eun-gyu felt like he wanted to continue the conversation with Hyung.
So he tried to find something else to talk about..........
Failed. He can't think of anything.
'Yeah, this is normal.'
He was too used to the atmosphere of the Seleste dorm.
Originally, Chae Eun-gyu's family suited this quiet and stiff atmosphere.
Chae Eun-gyu bowed to his father and mother and sat down.
The deliciously prepared holiday food caught his eye, but for some reason, his appetite was lost.
Was it because of this awkward atmosphere that he felt after such a long time?
His father, who had been quietly eating soup, opened his mouth while adjusting his glasses.
Chae Eun-gyu instinctively tightened his body a little.
He was afraid that another bleak story would come out.
"I read the article about your album winning first place this time. It says that you're continuing to do well."
"Yes.........? Oh. Oh, yes."
"It's about your team, so why are you acting like it's the first time you're hearing it?"
"Oh, no."
He shouldn't say outright, 'I didn't know my father would say something like that.'
Chae Eun-gyu smiled awkwardly and moved on, but his head was still filled with questions.
What on earth could have possibly made him say such a thing?
His two parents usually hated even the word 'I' in idol.
His mother even added.
"I heard that it's hard to get good results from music charts or albums these days, but you did well. I've been hearing your team's name a lot around me."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
The mother who hated Chae Eun-gyu's poor performance smiled slightly.
The mother who always compared Chae Eun-gyu to his brother who was very good at studying.
Chae Eun-gyu never dreamed that the mother who had opposed him, saying that she didn't like every little thing during his trainee days, would praise him like this.
The father nodded to his mother's words and cleared his throat.
"Well, I don't have anything extra special to say, just work hard like you have been doing."
It was a simple compliment, literally.
It was a compliment that was so short, stiff, and dry that other people would think, 'Is this a compliment?'
But to Chae Eun-gyu, it was like sweet honey.
His parents.
His parents who had been so against his dream had finally acknowledged it.
They had finally seen the dream that Chae Eun-gyu had been chasing for years without giving up.
Chae Eun-gyu felt something hot forming in his eyes.
What if he shed few tears?
This happy feeling is real.
"....Thank you."
***
"Oh, that's not how you make songpyeon!"
"Hey. Can you make it better than this, honestly? Show me yours."
"No!"
"This is ridiculous. Hey, why don't you show me?"
Kang Si-yoon's family's Chuseok is always like this.
All the relatives gather at his grandfather's house, make songpyeon together, eat delicious food, and enjoy endless competition among family members, such as playing Yut Nori and Hwatu.
Since he couldn't attend last year, Kang Si-yoon was working hard to make the perfect songpyeon today.
His cousin, who is now in his third year of middle school, keeps doubting his songpyeon-making skills but doesn't show his own songpyeon.
"Look. It looks so pretty, how can you say I'm worse than you?"
"Hey, hyung, that's all you were bragging about?"
"Hey, Kang Hyun-soo, give me your songpyeon. Hurry up!"
"Ah, I said no!"
This time, Kang Si-yoon used force to reveal the identity of the songpyeon his cousin made.
He wondered how well it was made that he was provoking him like this.
"Wow. Hyun-soo, can't you see that the side is all torn? The honey will all leak out before you even put it in your mouth."
"T-That was made wrong! This was made well."
"This? Hey, I wasn't going to say this, but you're even less talented than Karis."
"Karis? Who is that guy?"
"Wow, I'm really disappointed. Don't you know Karis? Don't your classmates talk about it?"
"I don't know. We only talk about games and soccer all the time."
"Sigh."
Kang Si-yoon raised the corners of his mouth as he thought of a blond young man who was good at everything else but whose cooking skills were nothing.
"He's so handsome, but he's strangely silly."
***
It was the second year that Han Ji-hyeok had been living as Karis von Walden.
The celebration of the Empire's founding anniversary was in full swing.
"Whew.......... This kind of cloak is really cumbersome."
"Next year, I'll make it with a lighter material, Your Highness."
Karis, who had just finished his congratulatory speech at the Imperial Square, handed the fur cloak to his butler and shook his head.
"What's next?"
"All the official schedules are over now. You should go back to the palace and enjoy dinner with your younger siblings."
"Is it over already? Last year, I'm sure we held a reconciliation ceremony with the heads of the household after the speech."
The white-haired chamberlain smiled.
"Of course there will be one this year too. Owen nim, on His Highness' behalf, has already finished the reconciliation ceremony."
"Owen? He must have been busy running around about the punishment of the Brandt family."
"He said that it was his mission to reduce His Highness' work by one more."
There really is no other reliable younger sibling like him.
In fact, Karis (Han Ji-hyeok) had no particular interest in this political side.
When playing
So, for Owen to step forward like this is no different from having a thousand troops accompany him.
"So is Ray alone in the imperial palace right now?"
Karis asked, hurriedly changing into an impressive white and gold banquet dress.
"Since Owen nim finished the Harmony Chapter and went straight to the imperial palace, the two of them will probably be waiting for His Highness together."
"We should hurry."
I can't be late for the place where my two younger siblings are waiting.
Karis, who got on the carriage and headed to the palace as fast as he could, looked out at the scenery outside and thought.
'....Someday I will be able to escape this world.'
It's already been two years, it really doesn't feel like it.
When he first came here, all he wanted to do was return to reality as soon as possible.
People are creatures of adaptation, don't they?
Now, it feels like he had adapted to the life of a crown prince to some extent.
Yes, if he can't go back to reality right now, he has to stay true to his current role as much as possible.
"Hyung-nim! Why are you coming so late!"
"I'm sorry. The speech went longer than I thought."
"Hyung-nim, I thought I was starving waiting for you!"
"Let's eat quickly."
It's like the role of taking care of his younger siblings.
Karis patted Ray's head as he came out to greet him in one go.
His youngest brother, with his impressive curly hair, smiled brightly.
"I wanted to eat quickly, but my second oldest brother told me never to pick up the spoon first, so I held back! Did I do well?"
"Yes, if I'm not here, you should always listen to Owen."
"I always listen well!"
"There are more things you don't listen to well."
Owen, who was sitting at the end of the table leisurely reading letters, sighed.
Owen, who had taken off the glasses he used to wear when reading letters or documents, smiled at me.
"I hope you had a good trip to the square, hyung-nim."
"Thanks to you, I was able to come back safely. When will you be the one to perform the ceremony of reconciliation instead of me?"
"Haha, I secretly left it out because I thought your schedule was really busy during the founding day. Oh, and the trial related to the Brandt family has also been completed to some extent, so you don't have to worry."
"Okay."
I sat at the head of the table where a sumptuous banquet was served and took a sip of water.
"What is the severity of the punishment?"
"Of course.......... death."
Owen said, still maintaining his refreshing smile.
He was frighteningly calm.
"Isn't it my job to ruthlessly kill anyone who is blinded by personal greed and harms the stability of the empire, hyung-nim? That doesn't change even if they are the heads of the great families."
"The court bravely accepted the death penalty."
"Haha, that was a little bit of my handwork."
I opened my eyes slightly.
"I told you not to go around killing people indiscriminately."
"Of course, hyung-nim. I remember everything you said to me. Of course I didn't kill them, but um........... I took measures to make them feel a moderate threat to their lives."
"...Yeah. That's fortunate that you didn't kill."
"This sword is for you, hyung-nim, so feel free to talk to me anytime. I'll handle anything."
He's on my side, but sometimes I see him as a grim reaper.
As our business conversation dragged on, Ray tapped his spoon with a pouty face.
"I want to eat quickly, hyung-nim! Finish the talk after eating!"
"Oh, sorry. Let's eat quickly."
"Yes!"
Ray immediately took a big bite of the well-cooked beef with a happy expression.
Owen sighed again while watching Ray hurriedly putting food in his mouth while cutting the steak.
"How many times do I have to tell you that eating quickly will cause indigestion?"
"It's okay! I'm chewing it thoroughly!"
"It's a nice day, so let him eat comfortably, Owen."
I smiled at Ray's chubby cheeks.
"If you can't digest it, you can go for a walk with Cain later."
"Oh, hyung-nim. Are you staying at the palace today?"
"Hmm.......... I think it'll be okay for today. The Demon King's army seems relatively quiet today."
"It's true! You said it!"
Ray stopped eating his beef and turned to me with bright eyes.
His face was so cute that just looking at him made me feel energetic.
"I want to keep playing with you today, hyung-nim!"
"Yeah, let's do it for the first time in a while."
"Oh yeah, so will second Hyung-nim play with us too?"
"I, I'm busy with work."
"Isn't it okay to just have one day, Owen?"
Today is National Foundation Day.
It's a public holiday where the entire empire rests and has a happy party.
When else would the three of us be able to spend the night together like this?
I smiled lowly at my two younger brothers.
"Let's get some rest today."
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