Chapter 5

4. Taesan

Taeju had no idea how he spent the night. The kitten would disappear to strange places the moment he took his eyes off it, like under the sofa, behind the bookshelf, or on the bathroom mat. He was so busy that he couldn't even use the bathroom in peace, wondering how a newborn kitten could move so much.

"Ugh, I'm so tired."

Since his body had rejuvenated, he rarely felt tired, but now he felt he could fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes.

The kitten had fallen asleep after drinking formula milk. He hadn't been able to get a proper night's sleep, having to feed the kitten every two hours. Worried it might crawl too close to the fireplace, he hastily bought a fence and had to mop the floor frequently because the kitten kept crawling around.

"Is this even a cat? A cat hatched from an egg?"

He thought he had become immune to unusual things, but apparently not. When the kitten's front paws emerged from the egg, he felt his heart leap out of his chest.

He had thought the animal in the egg might be a bird, or even an adult bird, not a chick. He had imagined a large bird hatching from the egg and flying freely in the garden, like in a cartoon. But the reality was far from his imagination—a kitten that couldn't even open its eyes, which left him flabbergasted.

"I can't leave such a young one alone in the garden, but taking it to the real world feels a bit risky."

Although he knew that registering it as a pet would allow him to take it to the real world, he was worried about taking such a young kitten. He was concerned that the different environments of the garden and Earth might make it sick, and he couldn't make a decision.

"The explanation is too simple. Should I give it a name and register it to find out more?"

Hyangi, that's too common. Nyangi, that's also common. Baegolgi, isn't that a bit too much for a cat, especially with black stripes? Janggun, Daesang, Captain—none of these are good.

"Taesan. Since it's a kitten but has a dignified demeanor, let's call it Taesan. Do you like it? Taesan?"

Meow!

Taesan seemed to like the name, as it timely let out a cry. It sounded like a chick's chirp, making him laugh.

"Pet designation. Taesan."

Tiger? Tiger?

When he designated Taesan as a pet, the species name "Bakho" (tiger) appeared in parentheses next to the name. He thought it was a cat, but it turned out to be a tiger.

"You really are. Everything about you is unexpected."

Taeju sighed as he adjusted Taesan in his arms.

"Well, you're cute, so I'll let it slide."

Taeju couldn't help but smile at the sight of Taesan gnawing on its front paws and prepared to leave with the milk bottle and basket.

*

Taeju was warming milk in a bottle, his head still pressed to one side. After returning from the garden in the early morning, he couldn't get a proper rest. He had to clear away the items scattered on the floor and fold towels to cover the furniture corners with tape, worried that Taesan might bump into them. By the time he finished, it was almost morning.

"Bro, get some sleep. You've only slept for 30 minutes. This little one."

Meow!

Just as he was about to rest, Taesan started crying. It seemed hungry.

"Bro, what are you doing?"

"Ah! It's because of this one, Taesan."

Taeju showed Taesan, who was wrapped in a blanket inside his zip-up jacket.

"A cat? It's a real kitten."

"Uh, we're going to live together from today."

The kitten, wrapped in a soft blanket, was incredibly cute. Tae couldn't take his eyes off the small, adorable kitten. He knew Tae would like it, as he had always wanted to keep a pet.

"Can I feed it milk?"

"Sure. Let it cool a bit before feeding. I'll take a shower."

Taeju's steps were light as he handed over Taesan. It was his first time keeping a pet, and he had been quite tense, his shoulders stiff. He relaxed his tense body with a warm shower.

While the moving company was giving an estimate, Tae was busy taking care of Taesan. After drinking milk and falling asleep for a while, Taesan started crawling around the house energetically. Tae couldn't take his eyes off Taesan, following it around the living room and kitchen, which he hadn't protected like Taeju's room.

Thinking about how he had followed Taesan around the previous night made him laugh. Everything was new and cautious with his first pet. Tae's efforts to block furniture to prevent Taesan from bumping into them were amusing.

They decided to move the next day after the estimate, as it was the off-season and they could book immediately. Tae's expression was not good, as he didn't like moving without both parents.

"Bro, you can't raise Taesan alone. When you're not around, you have to take care of Taesan. It's still a kitten, and leaving it alone could be dangerous."

Using Taesan as an excuse, Tae reluctantly agreed. Taeju planned to talk about cleaning the house when his mother came later and started sorting items to discard.

The alley was bustling from morning. The moving company's truck was parked at the gate, and the staff started loading the large baskets with their belongings. The neighborhood was quite interested in Taeju's move, as the area was considering redevelopment.

"Hello, sir."

"Ah, you're moving?"

The man Taeju greeted had been running a laundry shop in the neighborhood for decades. Taeju chatted lightly to satisfy the neighbors' curiosity.

"I got a room near the school. I'm moving there."

"Where?"

"Mapo."

"Really? You said you got into Y University. You could just commute from here."

"I'm moving out this time."

"Good for you, good for you. You got into a good school. If our Doyeon were as good as you, how great would it be?"

"Doyeon's sports scores are great. Universities will probably fight to get her."

Doyeon, Tae's friend, was also quite close to Taeju. Doyeon was a taekwondo athlete with good scores, and Taeju remembered she went to a good university. Taeju was always grateful to Doyeon for telling him about Tae's struggles and pain.

When he moved out before, he only packed a travel bag with clothes. The room was so small that he couldn't even think about bringing furniture, and it was quite a struggle when he brought Tae over. This time, fortunately, the house was spacious, and he had enough living expenses.

After greeting the neighbors and entering the house, he found that most of the items to be moved were already packed. He checked to make sure nothing was missing and started moving.

"Really moving, huh?"

Taeju gently stroked Tae's head, who was holding Taesan. He understood Tae's anxiety about leaving the house they had lived in for a long time. Tae, who preferred stability over adventure, was sensitive to environmental changes and couldn't sleep or use the bathroom comfortably outside the house.

"Take a taxi with Taesan and go ahead. I'll lock the door and follow."

"Can't you come with me?"

"You'll get dusty. You and Taesan are still young, so it might be risky."

After pushing Tae out, Taeju looked around the house. He had returned to the house after more than twenty years and was leaving again after just a few days. However, he wasn't sad because he had resolved one regret.

*

"Taesan!"

Taeju and Tae were putting the bed back in place. Taesan, stuck under the bed, was crying, so they had to lift the bed to get it out. In the morning, it was the bookshelf. While he was looking away for a moment, Taesan got stuck between the bookshelf and the wall, and they had to lift the bookshelf to get it out.

"This can't go on. Let's keep Taesan in a cage until it grows a bit."

"How can you do that? It's still a kitten."

"Ugh, really."

"Hehe, it's cute, so bear with it, bro."

A small tiger kitten made it impossible to have a quiet day.

*

"Are you crazy? How can you bring that thing into the house? How could you do this to me?"

"Are you telling me to turn away a child who came looking for me?"

"It's dirty. How can you bring a child born to that woman into my house? Get rid of it immediately."

Before the child arrived, he had planned to take his mother out, but the child was already at the house. Previously, the child would come around evening, but this time it was different.

"I'm back."

He deliberately greeted loudly as he entered the house. His parents, who were arguing in the living room, and the child standing to one side, all turned to look at him.

"Taeju."

He saw his father's flustered face.

His father, a manager at a medium-sized company, was quite capable at work. However, compared to his mother, who was a senior executive at one of the top three conglomerates in Korea, he had some shortcomings. This made his father feel inferior to his mother.

His beautiful mother, who maintained a model-like figure even in her sixties, surpassed his father in income, ability, and social status. He later realized that everything about his mother fueled his father's inferiority complex. He also later realized that his father felt inferior to him as a child.

"It's been a while, Father. Are you well? Mother, did you have a good trip?"

He asked about their well-being calmly, regardless of the atmosphere in the house. However, his eyes were cold as he looked at the two of them. His mother, reading his eyes, was trying to calm down, while his father couldn't keep his gaze steady.

"I'm going to take care of Tae. Regardless of whether you end this life or continue, it's your decision. Personally, I hope you end it, but it's your business, so I won't interfere. I wish both of you happiness."

Holding the child's arm, who was standing pale, he said to his father.

"I'll take care of this one. Call me when you're done talking. I'll be at the coffee shop or fast food place in front of the bus stop."

*

He could hear the sound of rolling eyes. The child had round eyes and a round face. He thought Tae looked a lot like his father, but this child was identical to him.

'Ugh, no matter how old I get, this situation is still awkward.'

"The cake here is delicious. I ordered orange juice. Is that okay?"

"..."

The child only nodded, but it seemed fine.

"I'm Taeju. I'm 19. What's your name?"

"Yuminsoo. I'm 17."

It seemed to follow his mother's surname, which was fine in this era.

"Why did you come looking for your father?"

"..."

"It's not your fault, but you and your father have hurt your mother. You must have known that. But there must be a reason you came looking."

"My younger brother, my younger brother is sick. He needs a bone marrow transplant. I can't do it. I'm a half-sibling."

He didn't know before. He had taken Tae out to avoid his mother's hysteria and returned to find the child and his father had already left. He never heard from them again. His mother, using this incident as a turning point, decided to divorce.

He only learned now that he had another half-sibling who was sick. It seemed his mother decided to divorce after learning this.

"How old is he?"

"6 years old."

"Ha!"

What did his father do to create this situation? A 6-year-old half-sibling meant the two households had been living separately for at least 10 years.

"Look up. It's not your fault."

"Still, I'm sorry."

He could see how much the child had agonized over coming to the house. He must have come looking for a half-sibling as a last resort. What did he do before? Did he look for other donors? He only remembered the incident causing turmoil in the family, but now, knowing the reason, he felt uneasy.

"I understand why you came."

"I'm sorry, but please save my brother. I'm begging you."

He tried to get up and kneel on the floor, but Taeju stopped him. He was going to donate if he was a match.

"Don't do that. We'll do the tests first. If I'm a match, I'll donate. But I'll be the only one. If I'm not a match, I won't ask my brother to do it. If this gets to my brother, he won't do the tests or the donation."

"Thank you."

"Thank me after the results. And promise not to contact my brother."

"I promise."

After exchanging contact information, he asked about the hospital and his brother's name. He felt sorry for the child but didn't want Tae to get involved. If the results were good, it could be resolved on his own. He hoped for a good outcome.

His mother must have finished talking quickly, as his father came to the cafe soon after. The child greeted his father like a survivor who had found a lifeline. His reaction was completely different from Tae's reserved response. If Tae had seen this, he would have been hurt.

"What did you decide?"

"..."

"We decided to end it."

"Will you tell Tae yourself?"

"I don't think I'll have the time for that."

He didn't even plan to spend a few hours with Tae. Even as a parent, shouldn't he at least say goodbye? He knew what kind of person his father was, but the disappointing answer made him not want to face him anymore.

"Don't contact me. No matter what happens."

"..."

"I'll leave first."

The child, sitting next to his father, looked anxious, but he ignored it.

He wanted to ask if his father knew about Tae preparing family meals on weekends and looking for famous family vacation spots during holidays. Did his father know that the only family trip he remembered was a visit to his aunt in the U.S. when he was young, and his father didn't even go?

He never saw Tae feel inferior when he went on supervised field trips with friends' parents or when he, as an older brother, accompanied him. His father probably didn't know about the certificates and medals Tae received in various competitions, which he kept in a drawer without showing anyone.

Since he had ignored Tae's feelings so far, he didn't deserve to see him happy. He wouldn't let him.

"Goodbye."

This might be the last time he saw his father.