The Youngest Son of Sunyang

Chapter 5

In the backseat, my elder brother and I sat quietly until we reached our grandfathers house. While I was stirring up old memories, brother was fretting and uneasy. The silence settled like a grey cloud over our paren

ts faces.

Grandfathers house looked like a castle, in which there were four buildings with two stories above ground and two underground levels.

A paved parking lot accommodating approximately 50 cars.

Stone curtain walls enveloping the castle.

It was hemmed in by dense trees and locked up like Fort Knox.

Two guards bowed and opened the huge door, then our car slipped inside.

The garden where I pulled weeds came in sight, in which there were plenty of guests relishing the warmth of the early summer and talking.

As we stepped out of our car and began to walk into the whitewashed, main building, some greeted us with a slight nod while others pretended not to have seen each of us.

I searched my memory, trying to recall them.

It occurred to me there might be someone who was involved in my death in some way.

As we entered the foyer and went into the large living room, my heart began to race.

The family would probably treat us as if we were uninvited guests.

What would happen to us, what would happen to my family?

Would they ignore us as if we were invisible?

In the living room, eight people were sitting on the sofa.

Hungry wolves and foxes; successor candidates.

They would be counting down the days until the grandfathers death, in order to snatch a loaf of Sunyang.

The eldest son, Jin Young-ki.

Second son, Jin Dong-ki.

Third son, Jin Sang-ki.

Only daughter, Jin Seo-yun.

And the youngest son, my father, Jin Yun-ki, who would always try to avoid their sharp eyes.

A short silence followed.

As my mother greeted with a deep bow,

You are so damn late! said a shrill voice.

Its owner was the granny who had had sex with her young guard in the fitting room.

Which lingered on my head. I couldnt help but titter.

My father got baffled and gave a firm grip on my hand as if to say stop it.

Whats so funny? What are you tittering about? she asked, frowning at me.

She looked as if she was poised to knuckle me on my head.

When Young-ki told her to knock it off, raising his voice,

What the hell is going on down there? said a mans deep voice.

All the people in the living room looked in the direction whence the voice came.

It was my grandfather, Jin Yang-cheol, Chairman of Sunyang. He was standing on the steps that led upstairs.

A steel mask.

That people nicknamed him because his willpower was as strong as steel, and which was shown on his face.

And because of his cold heart and stubborn mind; he had kicked his elder brother out and taken all the power to himself.

I had never experienced him before. However, his sons and daughter were flabbergasted when he emerged.

They were afraid of him.

To be sure, the original cause of the fear was his money.

They were so afraid they would not get their share.

The chairman walked down the steps and stood in the center of the living room.

I swallowed hard.

How would he react? Would he welcome me or put me aside?

I stole a glance at my parents. They looked extremely nervous.

When they greeted him with a deep bow, he gave them a cursory glance.

He looked at my brother like he was a worm.

And then he looked at me.

Another worm? Or?

Awww, snookums! he said. My jaw dropped and my eyes boggled.

Why havent you come to see me sooner? in a friendly voice, he said.

I started to wonder why he was being so nice to me.

How should I react?

Without giving it much thought, he lifted me in his arms and said.

Ive got something to show you,

Damn, what the hell is going on?

He took me to a room upstairs, in which there was a pony in a corner of the room.

Of course it was not real, but a toy.

I assumed there would be a switch or control that would enable me to activate the toy.

I could see the wire was plugged in.

Besides,

The room was packed with various toys.

What do you think? Isnt that what you said you wanted? he asked, putting me down.

I couldnt be one hundred percent sure yet, but he seemed to like me.

His cold heart could be warmed.

Maybe he was sorry. He had felt the weight of guilt treating my father as if he was not his.

So he might be acquitting himself of the guilt by being nice to me.

I wanted to test him to see how much he liked me.

I petted the toy pony. I looked up at him with a slight smile.

I like all things real, grandfather, I said.

He tilted his head.

I want to ride a real pony, not a toy. I want to drive a real car on the road and sail a real ship on the sea, I said.

He must have been taken aback.

Though I couldnt see his face behind the steel mask.

Real Do you even know the meaning of real? he asked.

Yes, I answered, as innocently as i could muster. Yours.

This time I could see that he was taken aback.

All you have is real, I went on, Your ship, car and TV. those are all real and I want them too.

Would he translate this into adult language?

How would he feel about this?

His face looked hardened.

Hmm, Do-jun?

Yes, grandfather. I answered.

If you want something real, you have to work hard. And you may experience something scary. But if you want something that is not real, all you have to do is enjoy it, he said.

Something scary? Would there be anything scarier than the death that I had faced?

He went on and presented me with an array of unsolicited advice.

First, you need to learn, he said.

At school, you mean?

For now, right,

If I win first place at school, you will get me a real pony?

What? he laughed out loud.

A real pony is very pricey well, if you get straight As for a year, I will buy you one for your birthday, how about that?

It was predictable.

All he was asking was for a 10-year-old to study hard. What else could it be?

I tilted my head and said, Well..

Are you giving up already?

No, it is so easy. I thought it was until I graduated. But for a year, I can do that easily, I said, with a grin.

He seemed to have noticed and looked startled at how I had changed.

All right. I will look forward to it, then. Straight As, he said, and his hearty laugh ensued.

He stretched his hand out and said.

Lets go downstairs. Have dinner and play with your cousins.

I held his hand in a tight grip.