Daeul - Kwon Hyuk

7

Once she had put Daeul to sleep, she entered her designated room once more and looked around her. She leaned on the closed door and sighed heavily as she stared at the large welcoming bed which she couldn't wait to climb into. However, her luggage wasn't going to unpack itself so she glanced at the clock which read just a little passed seven.

Let's get to it, she said to herself as she clapped her hands and began to unzip the suitcase. It was at this time did she become grateful for the large closet space her employer had generously provided her with.

She looked around for any traces of evidence of former owners -- perhaps a sticker? Or a carved sentence much like the one she had read about in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Nothing there.

The last bit of her clothes were skirts and sundresses which with the months of July and August approaching, excited her greatly. She hung them up in the closet in colour range -- what she considered lightest to darkest. She shut the door quietly as to not disturb the sleeping boy in the other room.

8:15, the hands read once she had finished. It was the perfect time to have her evening shower and she would finally get to change out of the damp clothes thanks to Daeul's excitement during his own bath.

She headed into the corridor with her towel and toiletries and placed them in the bathroom which she still had yet to clean up. As she was about to close the door, her eyes caught glance of the room across the hall with the door open just a tad bit.

Out of curiousity, she approached the door quietly and something at the back of her head warned her that it was a bad idea. No snooping, Oh Hanji.

Nonetheless, she opened it a little wider and peeped her head in to be greeted with what she assumed was Kwon Hyuk's bedroom. If Daeul's appearances didn't give away that they were father and son, the similarities in their tastes definitely did.

It was possibly the largest bedroom in the house -- a king-sized bed in the center of the wall with a blue duvet and gray pillows, a long television set in mahogany, and another shelf in the same shade of gray as the walls adjacent.

She stepped inside, the lights outside shining through the large windows. Looking around her, she observed the tall shelf -- along the first row, lined up five photos of what seemed to be Daeul when he was a year old. His cheeks were much chubbier than they were now and his eyes, smaller.

In one particular photo, Hyuk held him in his arms as they both smiled toward the camera. They wore matching denim shirts and beige khakis -- it was the first time she had seen him smile so widely.

On the second and third, rested multiple awards and trophies -- "Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Composer of the Year", one read. The others also praised him for his compositions and collaborations with other artists, most of which Hanji was quite unfamiliar with.

"You know, I usually accept visitors who knock first.", a voice said in the dark which made her jump.

Turning her head toward the direction of the door, she came face to face with Hyuk himself, whose features were even more mesmerizing in the moonlight. Her expression held surprised as she sighed slowly.

"I-I didn't know you were a musician.", she said cautiously as she took a step back and avoided his piercing eyes.

You know better than this, she thought to herself as she cringed at her own actions having snooped around in her employer's bedroom.

Hyuk uttered no sound at first, still keeping his eyes on Hanji who noticed his choice of attire that evening. He wore an olive-green windbreaker which he had decided not to zip up all the way, exposing his collarbones and two inches of his chest, which were complimented with two silver necklaces.

She disapproved of his pants, however -- they were black and baggy which made him look immature. Perhaps they'd look better if they were completely off--

"That was a long time ago.", he finally spoke as he paced toward his own closet. His back was now turned toward her.

"How long ago?", Hanji managed to ask. He ran his hands through his hair and shifted his body to face her once more.

Pouting his lips a little, he said, "How old is Daeul?", making Hanji frown slightly at his oblivion as a father.

"Longer than that.", he finished. He turned around once again and removed his jacket, startling her a little. She averted her eyes quickly, scanning everything in the room except the man in front of her.

To her relief, he was quick to place a gray crew-neck over his bare torso and was fast enough to catch Hanji's reaction. He grinned tightly but kept his face away from her as to hide his expressions.

"W-Why'd you stop?", he heard her ask.

"I didn't. I still make music, I just don't sing.", he explained himself, back still toward her.

"Okay, then why'd you stop singing?", she continued. Hanji knew what she was doing -- she felt her own eyes grow larger with anticipation and curiousity despite knowing how annoying she must have been to him.

You really don't stop do you, Oh Hanji? He finally turned around to face her.

"We all have secrets we can't tell everyone, Hanji. Remember that.". His expression was almost omniscient, giving her a knowing and taunting glare with what looked like a smirk.

One would expect that she run away and hide in her own room. That she never bother him again.

Oh Hanji remained standing in that same spot, her expression almost blank. However, her slightly agape mouth and large eyes gave away that she was still very much intrigued in the man to walk away from him.

There are things you're harbouring inside, she said inside her head. Things you may not have told anyone, including yourself.

But she was bound to find out what they were.

~

That evening was the only time she had seen Hyuk within the next week. Missus Chae had explained to her that he was still caught up with work at the studio which Hanji now began to understand more after her conversation with him.

On her second Friday, Missus Chae had asked her to sit for lunch while Daeul napped. They sat out in the patio on the small glass table, a mug in front of each of them.

"How are you enjoying it here?", the older woman asked her politely.

"I-It's been alright, at least I've gotten closer to Daeul.", Hanji said cheerfully, her eyesmiles becoming more prominent the wider her smile got.

Missus Chae only nodded and they stared into the backyard in a comfortable silence. But something still lingered in Hanji's mind -- something eating at her which she knew would get her in trouble if she spoke about it any further.

"Missus Chae, there's something I want to ask you -- a-about Mister Kwon.", she said quietly as to not be heard by anyone else in the house. The older woman said nothing but her eyes told her to continue.

"H-Has he always been like this? W-What was he like before Daeul was born?"

--

Fun Story Fact #7:

Missus Chae has been working for the Kwon estate since Hyuk was in the third grade!