Chapter 11: THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND
"DADDY!"
Yun Dujun just stared at Yun Yuhyun, who was running towards him.
He got home late yesterday, so he decided not to pick up his son at Lee Heeju’s house.
Yes, Yun Yuhyun stayed with Lee Heeju while he was filming abroad.
But I made sure my son’s nannies and bodyguards are with him.
Anyway, Yun Dujun went to Lee Heeju’s house the next morning for Yun Yuhyun.
He called in advance because it would have been rude otherwise.
It looked like Lee Heeju told Yun Yuhyun because his son was already dressed up.
I thought the boy would still be in his pajamas.
After all, it wasn’t even 7AM yet.
Yes, Yun Dujun picked up his son that early.
"I’ve missed you, Daddy!" Yun Yuhyun cried, hugging Yun Dujun’s leg. "Welcome home!"
Yun Dujun picked up his son and carried him in his arms. "I’m back, Yuhyun-ah. How have you been?"
To be honest, it seemed like his son had been well.
He got bigger and heavier than I remember.
Yun Yuhyun was only five years old, but he could easily be mistaken for an eight-year-old, sometimes even for a nine-year-old.
Just like Yun Dujun as a child.
I was taller than my older brother when I was in kindergarten, while he was already in elementary school.
"Daddy, I didn’t cry even though I’ve missed you so much."
"Very good," Yun Dujun said, gently rubbing Yun Yuhyun’s back. "I’m sorry for leaving you for so long, Yuhyun-ah."
He would call and videocall his son three to four times a week.
But, of course, that wasn’t enough.
"It’s okay, Daddy. No need to say sorry," Yun Yuhyun said, wrapping his arms around Yun Dujun’s neck. "But promise me that you’ll play with me more!"
"Yes, I will. I’m on vacation now."
Yun Dujun stayed in Europe for that long to finish all his remaining commitments.
He had already informed his agency that he wouldn’t be accepting any acting projects and brand deals in the meantime.
Hence, he had at least a whole month of complete vacation.
The promotion for my recently filmed drama won’t start until then.
"Daddy, are we going home now? I miss my room."
"Yes, we’re going home."
Yun Dujun was about to add that they had to stop by somewhere else first, but...
"Why don’t you have breakfast first, Dujunnie?"
It was none other than Lee Heeju, of course.
His friend was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest— obviously waiting for Yun Dujun for quite some time now.
"I told you to stop calling me that— we’re no longer kids, Lee Heeju."
"Whatever. Come in first, Dujunnie," Lee Heeju said, being stubborn as usual. "I know you want to talk to me."
"I’m glad you know," Yun Dujun said bluntly. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Lee Heeju."
***
"I’VE finished my breakfast, Daddy. Can I feed the koi fish in the pond?"
"You can play while I’m still talking to Lee Heju," Yun Dujun said, lifting his head to look at Lee Heeju, who was spreading jam on his croissant. "Can Yunhyun feed the koi fish?"
"Of course. Our Yuhyun has been feeding the koi for the last four months," Lee Heeju said, glancing at the kid. "Yuhyun-ah, go ahead. Feed the fish for me. Thank you."
"I will, Uncle!" Yun Yuhyun said cheerfully before running towards the door. "Bye-bye, Daddy!"
"Careful not to trip, Yuhyun-ah."
Yun Yuhyun just giggled, still running.
The child’s nannies quickly followed him out, of course.
"Our Yuhyun was really happy last night when I told him you were coming to pick him up first thing in the morning," Lee Heeju said. "He was already dressed up when I woke up. You should have fetched the moment you returned."
"I had to look for Bae Wonyoung first and make sure that he was really fine."
"So, how was your reunion with your contract husband?"
"Why didn’t you tell me that Bae Wonyoung woke up as soon as he did?"
Lee Heeju put down his bread knife. "I’m sorry, Dujun-ah. I knew that your mother made it so you wouldn’t receive the news of Bae Wonyoung waking up from his coma."
Yes, the one who stopped the news from reaching Yun Dujun was his own mother.
Eomma has never liked Bae Wonyoung for me.
Han Myung’s phone had been compromised, so the bodyguard’s calls and messages to Yun Dujun had never gone through.
Not even emails.
Unfortunately, Yun Dujun wasn’t on any social media platform.
I’m practically out of Han Myung’s reach.
When Han Myung reported it to the main house, the chief of staff assured Han Myung that they had already informed Yun Dujun about the news of Bae Wonyoung waking up after five long years.
Of course, that was a lie.
Eomma’s ’spies’ in the main house really worked hard.
"My mother couldn’t have stopped you from telling me the news even if she wanted, though," Yun Dujun said sternly. "So, why didn’t you tell me the news about Bae Wonyoung waking up, Lee Heeju?"
"Your mother begged me not to tell you."
"Since when did you become that loyal to my mother?"
"I just felt bad for Aunt Chunja," Lee Heeju said, mentioning Yun Dujun’s mother’s name. "Your mother is sick, Dujun-ah. You know that her mental health is deteriorating these days. I just wanted her to have one less thing to worry about."
"At my expense?"
"Dujun-ah, your mother had an ’episode’ when she heard that Bae Wonyoung woke up from his coma."
Oh.
No one informed me about that.
His mother having an ’episode’ meant a period where she would suffer from sudden bouts of impulsive, aggressive, violent behavior and angry verbal outbursts.
Just like what happened five years ago.
Oh, and yes— Yun Dujun’s mother was mentally ill.
"I had no intention of keeping you in the dark for long. I was just waiting for Aunt Chunja to calm down and stop paying attention to Bae Wonyoung. You know that your mother planted ’spies’ in my hospital to keep an eye on your contract husband, right?"
Of course, Yun Dujun knew that.
That was why he barely visited Bae Wonyoung in the hospital for the last five years.
Had I paid more attention to Bae Wonyoung, my mother would have lost it.
Unfortunately, Kang Chunja— Yun Dujun’s very own mother— had an irrational hate for all Omegas, especially male Omegas.
"You assigned Han Myung as Bae Wonyoung’s bodyguard, and I also have people keeping an eye on the kid in the hospital. Even so, I didn’t want to risk Bae Wonyoung’s safety by agitating your mother. And I had to be careful, too."
Right.
Even Lee Heeju had to walk on eggshells around Yun Dujun’s mother.
Lee Heeju may be a chaebol, but he has a complicated relationship with his family. So, earning my father’s wrath would only jeopardize his already shaky position as an heir. After all, my family is an important business partner of Lee Heeju’s family.
"That’s why I decided to go along with your mother’s request not to inform you about your contract husband’s condition," Lee Heeju explained. "And it worked, Dujun-ah. When you didn’t show up even after Bae Wonyoung left the hospital, she finally had the people she assigned to keep an eye on the kid withdraw."
Yun Dujun didn’t want to admit this, but what Lee Heeju did actually made sense.
It’s hard to fight Eomma since Eomma is unstable and unpredictable. Worse, she still has my father’s protection. Provoking her when she’s having an ’episode’ might have only put Bae Wonyoung in danger.
"I was about to call you, but I found out you’ve boarded your private jet. When I heard that Han Myung was in trouble, I figured he had already reached out to you."
Lee Heeju had probably heard it from the ’spies’ he planted in Yun Dujun’s family.
It’s pretty normal among chaebol families to do that to keep each other in check.
"Han Myung risked his life by stealing the chief of staff’s phone just to call me."
"Is he still alive?"
"He got beaten up, but he survived."
"Thank goodness."
"It seems like Eomma is lying low now that I’m back in the country," Yun Dujun said. "I heard she went to her villa in Gapyeong-gun. Apparently, Eomma also refuses to accept visitors. She’s probably avoiding me because she’s guilty."
"Yeah, Aunt Chunja will probably leave you alone in the meantime. I heard is episode is over, so she probably calmed down a bit," Lee Heeju said while nodding. "But it won’t hurt to be extra careful, Dujun-ah."
"I know that."
"You’ve already talked to Bae Wonyoung, haven’t you?"
"Yes, and that reminds me..." Yun Dujun paused for a moment before asking, "Have you done or said anything to Bae Wonyoung to make him think that we have a romantic relationship?"
Lee Heeju visibly froze. "No, I’ve done no such thing. Did Bae Wonyoung suspect that we’re having an affair?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Bae Wonyoung probably suspected me because I was hesitant about giving him your contact number. The kid must have thought I was doing that to keep you all to myself."
That sounded plausible, so Yun Dujun didn’t say anything.
"Dujun-ah, I think Bae Wonyoung has changed after he woke up."
Right?
"Does he remember why he gave birth to Yun Yuhyun a month earlier than scheduled?" Lee Heeju asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don’t think he remembers that your mother attacked him, and that attack was the reason he fell into a coma."
Yun Dujun flinched. "That’s what I’m trying to figure out, too."
***
WHAT THE FUCK?
Wonyoung woke up after having a long dream.
It was a pretty scary one.
After all, the dream he had was one where he got into an awful car accident. It felt so real that when we woke up, every inch of his body ached.
Did he get into an accident?
Thinking about that actually made Wonyoung realize something important belatedly.
Did I get into a coma while giving birth, or did something happen to me before that?
***
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