“Come and take a look at this, elder sister.”

Eun Seo was pulled out of the room by Seung Joo, who grabbed her wrist without explanation.

“What’s this all about?”

After bringing Eun Seo to his room, Seung Joo excitedly pointed to a paused screen on his laptop and said:

“It’s Butler Kim!”

The person on the screen appeared to be an elderly man in his early 70s. Although his face was darkly tanned, his posture was upright and his gaze was sharp, not looking out of place at all compared to the high-ranking white-collar workers sitting around him.

Butler Kim was someone who had been taking care of Seung Joo’s maternal family affairs since he was young. Seung Joo explained that his grandfather had sent him along when his mother married his father.

“Even when mom started living separately from father, Butler Kim wanted to come with her, but he couldn’t in the end. Mom wasn’t in a position to pay him a salary, and more importantly, she thought it was better to leave at least one of her people at the main house.”

“So this person is on your side, right?”

Seung Joo nodded vigorously.

“After my maternal grandparents passed away, mom relied on him like an elder brother. So he’s like a great-uncle to me.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“When mom went missing. At that time, he comforted me a lot, saying not to worry, that mom would never abandon me or have bad thoughts.”

Of course, seeing that he attended the inauguration ceremony, it seems he had been in contact with the original ‘Kwon Seung Joo’, but the Butler Kim that the current Seung Joo remembered was from 16 years ago.

“He’s become almost a grandfather now.”

Seung Joo looked at the video with a sudden sense of longing. It was understandable to feel attached, given that he had no other relatives besides a father who was worse than a stranger.

“I wonder if he’s still working at the chairman’s house?”

“No. Less than a year after mom and I left home, father quickly fired him. After that, I heard he went down to the countryside to run an orchard.”

Of course, there was no reason to keep someone close to his estranged wife around for long.

“Do you remember his phone number by any chance?”

“Yes. But it’s already a 15-year-old number…”

“That’s recent enough that he might still be using the same number. Older people don’t change their phone numbers often.”

This could mean one more person on Seung Joo’s side. Moreover, seeing that he attended the inauguration ceremony two years ago, it seems they were in contact relatively recently, so he might be able to tell Seung Joo things he doesn’t know.

“Try giving him a call.”

“What if someone else answers?”

“Just say you dialed the wrong number and hang up. Just try contacting him first.”

As Seung Joo took a deep breath and picked up his phone, Eun Seo suddenly remembered something and stopped him.

“Hey, Seung Joo. It’s better not to mention that you’ve lost your memory for now.”

“Why?”

“Too much time has passed. You never know with people. First meet him, confirm that he’s still on your side, and then tell him.”

Seung Joo didn’t think Butler Kim would be like that, but he understood Eun Seo’s concern.

“Alright, I will.”

Nodding, Seung Joo dialed the number with a pounding heart.

– Hello.

A calm and dignified voice. He knew immediately. It was Butler Kim.

“Um…”

Seung Joo hesitated for a moment. What would the current him say to the butler? Should he say, “This is Kwon Seung Joo”? Or should he say, “It’s me, Seung Joo” like in the old days?

But before he could make up his mind, the other person spoke first.

– Young master?

*

– Someone sent by the chairman came looking for you all the way here. Where on earth have you been?

The butler’s voice was full of worry. It seemed he had been quite anxious, unable to contact Seung Joo.

“I’m in Seoul. I’ll tell you when we meet.”

– I’ll come up right away. How about I visit you tomorrow?

Judging by his words, it seemed he was still in the countryside. As Seung Joo was thinking about where to set the meeting place, the butler suddenly said:

– Is the house in Yeonsa-dong still standing before demolition?

Seung Joo was a bit surprised that the butler knew about the demolition. But thinking about it again, the butler originally worked for his maternal family, and this house was his maternal grandmother’s childhood home, so it made sense that the butler would have a connection to it. It was reasonable that he would have been informed about the demolition.

– I’d like to see it one last time before it’s demolished. Could you possibly ask for permission from the tenant?

The tenant, who was listening to the conversation right next to him, nodded.

“Yes, I’ll ask for permission. We’re close, so they’ll probably agree.”

And so it was arranged that the butler would come to this house around lunchtime tomorrow. It was scheduled for while Eun Seo would be at work.

“Talk to him well when you meet. Be careful not to reveal that you’ve lost your memory or that you’re living here until you confirm he’s on your side.”

“Yes, elder sister.”

“By the way, those clothes won’t do… He’ll find it suspicious as soon as he sees you.”

Eun Seo shook her head looking at the t-shirt and jeans Seung Joo was wearing. The original Kwon Seung Joo would never wear such clothes, especially not when going out.

“This won’t do. Let’s go buy a suit.”

Seeing Eun Seo getting up, Seung Joo asked in surprise.

“What? But we didn’t even have money to fix the eaves, how can we afford a suit…?”

Eun Seo pulled out a card.

“Suits can be bought on installment plans!”

*

In the morning, after Eun Seo left for work, Seung Joo neatly put on the suit.

It was a suit they had bought together at an outlet the day before. Although it was last season’s product, it was a brand item and not cheap.

[I’ll just meet him in these clothes. I can say I dressed casually since I’m meeting the butler, right?]

Seung Joo was going to go out as is, but Eun Seo insisted.

[You’ll need it anyway when you go to the company later. Are you going to wear jeans to the office?]

Because he had such a good build, the ready-made suit felt a bit tight, but that made it look like a model fit. When he came out after changing, not only the store staff but even passersby expressed admiration. Everyone came in asking to see the clothes Seung Joo was wearing.

Seeming proud of Seung Joo, Eun Seo looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

[You look handsome, our Seung Joo.]

After paying for the clothes in 12 monthly installments, they went to the next store to buy a tie, and then upstairs to buy shoes. Seeing Eun Seo not even glancing at the women’s clothing stores, Seung Joo felt sad.

‘With this money, we could have bought the coat elder sister wanted and still had some left over…’

Seung Joo decided to make sure to write it down in his notebook when he got home. That was all he could do for now.

– Take elder sister Eun Seo to the department store. Buy her clothes, shoes, bags, everything.

After waiting nervously, skipping breakfast, Butler Kim finally arrived around lunchtime.

“Young master!”

“Butler!”

Forgetting to act in his excitement, Seung Joo ran and grasped the butler’s hand tightly. It was a farmer’s hand, stiff and calloused.

Butler Kim, whom Seung Joo had known since childhood, always used to wear a neat suit, but now he had become a country farmer. A wrinkled and tanned face. The butler smelled of sunlight.

The butler had brought a box of apples from the countryside.

“These are freshly picked apples from this year. It’s not much, but I brought a few for you to taste, young master.”

The apples he called “not much” were all large and beautifully colored. It was clear he had picked only the best ones. Feeling the butler’s sincerity, Seung Joo felt a lump in his throat. It was so reassuring to know that there was still someone in this world who cared about him.

“I’ll enjoy them. Thank you, butler.”

After exchanging greetings, the butler took a look around the yard.

“The tenant has taken very good care of the house. It’s not easy to grow apple trees so well… It’s a shame to uproot them.”

Then he flinched, shook his head, and corrected himself.

“When I heard you were demolishing this house, I felt both sad and relieved. Memories should be left as memories, and the living must live on. You made a very good decision.”

Seung Joo swallowed the words about canceling the demolition. As Eun Seo had strongly advised, he needed to confirm the butler’s position before saying anything.

Eventually, the butler sat down next to Seung Joo on the wooden porch.

“Young master.”

Seung Joo wondered how to answer, expecting to be asked why he wasn’t going to work and had disappeared, but unexpected words came from the butler’s mouth.

“If it’s too hard and tiring for you, I think it’s okay for you to let go now.”

The butler carefully continued.

“The late madam would understand too. She would know how hard you’ve been fighting and enduring until now to protect the legacy of your predecessors. So even if you let go, the madam wouldn’t blame you. She would probably say, ‘Well done, my son.'”

Seung Joo understood what the butler was saying. He probably thought that Seung Joo had run away because the current situation was too overwhelming.

“If you had at least kept the shares inherited from the late madam, it would have been much easier for you, but because the chairman took them in exchange for paying the inheritance tax…”

This was something Seung Joo already knew from the news articles. He just felt sad that the butler kept referring to his mother as “the late madam”. Even though the butler cared for his mother so much, why was he concluding that she was dead?

“I don’t want to lose the company to that person.”

When he answered sharply without realizing it, the butler sighed.

“How could I not understand your feelings, young master? Even I found it hard to bear at the madam’s funeral. How dare they show their faces there? It was disgusting how they even shed tears…”

Funeral? Seung Joo flinched. His mother had been missing for a long time and was only legally declared dead. She wasn’t a dead person, so what funeral were they talking about?

Not noticing Seung Joo’s hardened expression, the butler continued speaking.

“It will be the anniversary of the madam’s passing in a few days.”

It became more and more incomprehensible. Even if they considered the day his mother left home as the day she passed away, the dates didn’t match.

“How much must the madam’s heart have ached, watching from heaven as you kept waiting all this time?”

“…”

“I’m sure she finally appeared, even if late, to stop her son’s heart from hurting anymore.”

What on earth had appeared? Unaware that Seung Joo was trembling with an ominous feeling, the butler spoke as if to comfort him.

“The madam is with your grandparents now, so she won’t be lonely anymore. So now, young master, just worry about yourself. Protecting the madam’s legacy is good, but above all, your happiness is important…”

The rest of the words no longer reached his ears.

The parents the butler was referring to meant his deceased maternal grandparents.

Amidst the confusion, Seung Joo tried his best to keep his mind straight. He needed to confirm first.

“Ah, butler. The, the memorial center in Yangju. Have you been there recently by any chance?”

When Seung Joo mentioned the name of the columbarium where his maternal grandparents rested, the butler shook his head as if ashamed.

“I haven’t been able to visit since we enshrined the madam’s remains two years ago.”