That One Pretty Day | A Lizkook AU

Pit Stop & Curiosity

When he was 15, his grandfather passed away. It marked a significant phase for Jeongguk as he considered himself quite close with the man of the house. His father was always busy traveling around the country - building his name up as the next in line and trying to impress the late pioneer - so the grandfather is always the one consistent enough to be around for Jeongguk to look up to as a father figure.

He spent most of his time quietly in his office of course, but would let Jeongguk strolls in and out as the boy pleased. They rarely talk to each other as the elder was always busy with either phone calls or looking at numbers and charts, but he never questioned it so Jeongguk never took it as a 'no'.

It started out with Jeongguk playing hide and seek with the maids - which he always ended up winning because who dares to come into the lion's den and announce the missing boy?? As he got older, he would go in to kill his time reading the books his grandfather had on the big shelves in the office. That's when he learned to eavesdrop on how the great tycoon talks.

He wanted to be that man. A man so well-respected and so sure of himself that he didn't have to say anything twice. A man who would get straight to his point and tells it how it is. Every other things would just be placed on the desk, waiting to get the man's attention - including the most necessary thing for life itself, food. 

On his grandfather's deathbed however, Jeongguk learned an amazingly, life-altering truth behind the successful empire his grandfather had built. His grandmother was sitting in an armchair at the other side of the room, emotionless. His father stood at the foot of the bed like a soldier, along with his other siblings - all looking straight at the dying man. 

The only emotions he felt visible in the room was from the faint sobs from Jeongguk's mother who stood behind him, clutching both hands across his shoulders. Of course, he was sad and nervous as well, but he was just a boy looking to become one of those men in the room. He had to straightened his spine and suppressed whatever he's feeling inside.

That night, he stayed up by his grandfather's bed. When his grandfather opened his eyes and landed them on Jeongguk, he called for the boy to come closer. Jeongguk would still pat himself at the back for not flinching at every single words his grandfather said to him, everytime he's reminded of the memory.

'Don't be like me. Stop hiding in my office, I hated it. I never chased you out because it would've wasted my time. But I really hate that you're always there, always hearing my business.'

It was harsh...but to which Jeongguk learned was necessary. Up until then, he had been idolising these 'great men'. He didn't mind not having friends from school over or spending his time trying to understand the world of finance and businesses. He honestly thought that it was normal. And he thought his grandfather liked having him around. 

When his grandfather passed away 2 days later, his grandmother shed no tears. She was a quiet woman, Jeongguk knew that. His father's eyes were red, but he wasn't crying all throughout the service. Very little emotions were felt throughout, it almost felt like another normal day at the big house. Things picked back up very quickly after that. 

Which made him wonder for the next few months - why his late grandfather would say that to him. Why would he not want Jeongguk to be like him? He's so successful and respected by many - why on Earth would he not want Jeongguk to experience that? Then came that one day when he overheard his late grandmother talking on the phone with someone.

'I don't care anymore, he's not here to stop me! I want to see you. All these while we've been lying to everyone, I don't want to lie anymore! I can't do anything when he's around but now I can. I have lived all my life with this...this contract and I can't do it anymore! He never cared - he never cared for me like you did - please!'