“Son, have you been well?”
Towards his father who called out to him warmly, Tae Ha responded tersely.

“Yes.”
Leon, who was fortyfive in Korean age that year, looked at most like he was in his late thirties, and every time he was called ‘son’ by him, Tae Ha had always felt awkward. To the point where he couldn’t bring himself to call him father.

“Why did you call?”
I’m considering acquiring a hotel in Seoul.
Hearing Leon’s words, Tae Ha was inwardly surprised. The last time they had talked was a month ago, and his pronunciation had improved even more since then.

Excluding pronunciation and accent, Leon’s Korean language skills had been perfect for several years now. But even that was getting closer to perfection. It meant that he was still studying Korean consistently.

“Why suddenly a hotel?”
Every time I come to see you, it’s bothersome to find a hotel, so I thought I’d just buy one.
It was a bit odd. Leon only came to Korea once or twice a year at most, and he was willing to buy a hotel just for that.

Once the discussion progresses a little more, I’ll go see it myself, but first, could you go see what it’s like?
“I don’t think my going would be particularly helpful.”
Tae Ha evasively refused. There was no reason for a developer like him to have a taste for hotels, and he wasn’t very interested in doing so in the midst of his own busy schedule.

The hotel’s restaurant is said to be quite delicious. So go, have a relaxing dinner, spend a night, and then just tell me what the feeling was like. The only one your father can trust is his son.
Leon, without a single stutter, delivered this lengthy line perfectly. Knowing that his father’s diligent study of Korean was for his sake, Tae Ha couldn’t refuse outright.

“I’ll do that.”
His father on the screen smiled brightly.

Thank you, son.
At the genuinely pleased face, Tae Ha felt a slight tug at his heartstrings.

Nearly a decade had passed since Tae Ha first met him during his freshman year of high school, but Leon had always affectionately called him ‘son’, without ever having been addressed as father by his son.

Tae Ha was originally a man of few words. He had been thinking for a while about calling him father at least once, but the words never quite came out as he intended.

‘It’s nothing, Father.’
Just as he was thinking of saying those words today, Leon asked as if he suddenly remembered something.

“So, have you still not contacted Si Hyun?”
Unexpectedly, Tae Ha lied.

“Yes.”
Leon mumbled with a sad face.

“I miss Si Hyun. I wonder how she’s doing now?”
The word ‘father’ that had been lingering in his mouth retreated.

His father was completely unaware of his feelings for Si Hyun. If he had known, he wouldn’t have met her separately.

Of course, he knew that his father had no romantic feelings for Si Hyun. It was probably just out of gratitude for looking after his son since childhood.

But the problem was that Si Hyun didn’t see it that way. He could tell just by her expression. How could he not know when she quickly turned her gaze away, blushing whenever she met his father’s eyes?

Even knowing that his father loved him very much, he couldn’t help but feel jealous as a man. At that time, he was so impatient to grow up quickly and confess to her that it felt like his heart was burning.

Leon looked a lot like Tae Ha. So much so that even when a stranger came and claimed to be his real father, he had no choice but to believe.

Seeing Si Hyun shy in front of his lookalike father, he was even more angry at the thought, ‘If only I were older.’

If it weren’t for that incident, they might have become a more intimate father and son. Of course, it was something neither his father nor Si Hyun knew.

Fortunately, Leon stopped talking about Si Hyun around that time.

“Let me know the date of your visit, and I’ll talk to the hotel in advance. Ah, you can go with your girlfriend, too.”
“I’ll go alone.”
When he replied bitterly, his father burst into laughter.

“Oh, son. Are you still single?”
“Isn’t it time for you to stop talking about others?”
Leon coughed awkwardly when he pointed out sharply.

The mother who gave birth to Tae Ha wasn’t his wife, and besides, his father, who had married once when he was young and divorced quickly, had been single ever since.

“Then son, I’m counting on you.”

((()))

On Friday evening, Tae Ha headed to the hotel that his father had informed him about through his secretary after work.

His father said he would inform the hotel if he let him know his schedule in advance, but he deliberately refused. If he formally visited, they would certainly pay attention to this and that, so he thought he could get a better understanding as a regular guest.

Tae Ha was slightly surprised as he stepped into the lobby after getting out of the car in front of the hotel.