For the First Time… Someone Stands for Me

It was a relief to know it wasn’t a big problem, like his aunt and uncle discovering where he lived.

But the reason was so absurd he felt drained.

Anyway, he had been scolded for spending too much money before.

This was the first time being scolded for not spending enough…….

Whether Beomwoo knew Haejin found it absurd or not, he continued.

“Do you think I gave you the card just for you to solve the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter?”

“That’s not it, but…….”

“Even so, if that’s the reason, it seems like I haven’t failed at anything?”

“That’s also included in ‘eating well, sleeping well, and living quietly.'”

“…….”

Haejin timidly protested that if that was the reason, he had done well by eating and living quietly.

But Beomwoo was firm.

His face showed he couldn’t even imagine how one could eat and live well while spending so little money.

It was true he couldn’t say he had spent a lot of money.

He hadn’t bought anything else unless it was absolutely necessary.

But he had spent enough to live normally.

It wasn’t to the level where Beomwoo should call it absurd.

He didn’t deserve to be scolded like this…….

But the situation itself, being scolded for not using his card, was unusual from the start.

Even his standards were far from ordinary people’s.

To someone like him, who had lived without money worries since birth, it might seem like, ‘How is it possible to live on this amount?’

Haejin, not taking his words badly, gave him an explanation that wasn’t quite an explanation in his own way.

“It might seem like nothing to you, Beomwoo…….”

“But I’ve never lived this worry-free before.”

“I’ve been eating meals on time, eating well, and living well.”

“…….”

Although it was meant to persuade, it was also sincere.

After entering this house, he really hadn’t worried about anything.

Occasionally, he felt uneasy, wondering if it was really okay to be this comfortable.

A big part of this newfound peace was psychological, as he didn’t have to face his aunt and uncle or get hit.

But there was also a financial factor.

When buying necessities with his own money in that house, he would think, ‘I need to save money for independence.’

‘And if I get caught, it’ll just be taken away……,’ and would put down things he wanted to buy.

Now, he didn’t need to worry about that.

He didn’t spend recklessly just because it was someone else’s money.

But he wasn’t as cautious as he was back then.

So Haejin spoke sincerely, recalling those points.

But Beomwoo’s cold gaze remained.

It seemed he didn’t believe him.

It wasn’t easy to change a lifetime’s standards with just a few words.

Especially since Haejin’s standards were too low and his standards were unimaginably high.

They might never understand each other.

If he simply wanted understanding, he would have realized it was impossible and given up.

But that wasn’t the case for Haejin.

It felt like Beomwoo suspected he had deliberately saved money because he disliked using his.

He wanted to clear up that misunderstanding.

“U-um, most things are already in the house.”

“You even brought things for me to play with.”

“So there really isn’t anywhere to spend money.”

“…….”

When Haejin said that thanks to what he had brought last time, there was even less need to spend money, his gaze softened a bit this time.

He let out a small sigh.

He unfolded his arms, which had been crossed in a show of dissatisfaction.

He opened his firmly closed lips.

“If that’s the case, then that’s good…….”

“But if it was because you felt conscious about it and didn’t spend, I was going to tell you that’s unnecessary.”

“Yes…….”

“But I really didn’t feel conscious, I really did spend it well.”

“Thank you.”

“…….”

Seizing the moment Beomwoo softened, Haejin quickly expressed his thanks.

Although he had relaxed a bit, his face still looked like he had a lot to say.

This made Haejin wonder if he should let it pass.

If left alone, it seemed like he would tell him to spend more money.

Haejin rolled his eyes and quickly opened his mouth.

“U-um, but did you come here to talk about this……?”

“……That’s not exactly it.”

“Then……!”

“Should we sit down and talk?”

Since it wasn’t really that important a topic, it seemed the main point was separate.

As Haejin steered the conversation that way, Beomwoo frowned with an uneasy face, then belatedly nodded.

Before his mind could change, Haejin swiftly made him sit on a kitchen dining chair.

When Haejin sat facing him, Beomwoo didn’t hesitate and immediately got to the point.

“Jung Haejin-ssi’s guardians will face legal judgment.”

“……Huh?”

He had only been thinking it was good he changed the topic.

But what did he just say…….

Judgment?

It was a statement with no room for misunderstanding.

But it was so unexpected and shocking that he had to ask again.

“Legal judgment……?”

“You mean you’re going to sue my guardians?”

“Yes.”

“We plan to proceed with a lawsuit for child abuse and inheritance embezzlement.”

“…….”

No, he heard correctly…….

Just hearing the word ‘lawsuit’ was shocking enough to make him deny it.

But hearing the charges made him feel slightly dizzy.

Haejin was speechless and frozen.

Beomwoo, as if unaware of his shock, took a document envelope from his bag and handed it over.

“It seems our side had also given Haejin-ssi some support funds, and they embezzled that money as well.”

“Our side will handle a separate lawsuit for that.”

“What you need to know is separately organized in a file here; you can look if you’re curious.”

“…….”

Haejin, looking like his soul had left his body, mechanically accepted what he was given.

Tiny letters were densely written on the documents.

Perhaps because the shock was too great, no matter how he looked, the words wouldn’t register.

He couldn’t believe he was being told about a lawsuit.

He couldn’t tell what was written.

Beomwoo, perhaps thinking Haejin was reading the documents well, continued speaking quickly.

“If we proceed with a lawsuit for child abuse and inheritance embezzlement, we’ll need to prove the facts.”

“So the police will contact you.”

“It’s a simple investigation, so just receive it sincerely without burden and come back.”

“I’ll handle everything else, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Yes…….”

“But…… why do you look like that?”

Haejin answered like a person whose soul had been sucked out.

Beomwoo, who had been explaining future steps, frowned.

It seemed he had only now noticed his answer wasn’t normal.

Haejin, who had been dazed until now, suddenly snapped back to his senses under his strange gaze.

Flustered, like someone caught dozing off by a teacher, he opened his eyes wide and pretended not to know.

“……Huh?”

“Wh-what is it?”

“Your expression isn’t good.”

“Ah…….”

Was he caught……?

He probably looked obviously out of his mind to anyone seeing him, unable to hide his expression.

But Haejin, unaware, was just flustered.

As Haejin made an awkward expression mixed with embarrassment at being caught instead of speaking, Beomwoo, who had been silent for a moment, let out a breath and spoke to him.

“If there’s a problem with my plan, tell me.”

“In the end, if you say you don’t want to do it, we won’t.”

“…….”

Beomwoo said that even though he had prepared to file a lawsuit, he would ultimately follow Haejin’s will.

If he had other thoughts, he could speak without hesitation.

There wasn’t a problem with his plan.

He was a very capable person.

The documents he gave Haejin to read…… although he couldn’t read them due to shock, it was clear they were meticulously prepared.

But…….

Haejin hesitated, then conveyed the feeling he had had since hearing about the lawsuit.

“Actually…… I don’t know if filing a lawsuit is the right thing.”

“They are the people who raised me…….”

Just the phrase ‘legal judgment’ made his heart sink.

Adding child abuse and inheritance embezzlement made it feel even heavier and more frightening.

He had no idea support funds were coming to him.

Since they never supported him, it was certain they had embezzled that money too.

But making them receive legal punishment seemed too harsh.

As Haejin spoke with a guilty face, Beomwoo let out a small sigh and spoke as if he didn’t understand why.

“People who took all your property, hit you, and used you.”

“You don’t know who is being harsh?”

“…….”

“Trying to resolve it through the law is actually fortunate.”

“We could do more if we wanted.”

That was true.

Law wasn’t the only way to resolve things.

If one was full of resentment, one could use closer means than the law.

It was also true that Haejin, who hated his aunt and uncle beyond words, had impulsively thought of such methods…….

But the thought of actually retaliating against them made him flinch with fear.

Dare I do that to them?

Whenever his aunt and uncle brazenly claimed they had fed and raised him, he thought they were insane.

But even if they treated him badly, it was true they provided the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter.

It might have been the bare minimum from his parents’ inheritance.

But they were the ones who didn’t send him to an orphanage when relatives didn’t want to take him after his parents died…….

In that sense, he couldn’t help but feel mixed emotions of love and hate.

“Do we…… really have to go that far?”

“Given your personality, even if you left the house, you clearly wouldn’t be able to cut them off completely.”

“We need to make it definitive so they can’t touch you again.”

“…….”

Haejin asked if there was no other way, but he was firm.

They had only met a few times, yet he spoke as if he knew Haejin’s personality completely.

That he would be too soft to decisively cut ties.

That only such extreme measures would sever the connection.

It felt dismissive.

But recalling his past life, his words were correct.

Even though he chose marriage to leave that house, the ill-fated connection didn’t break.

Pretending to be parents, they clung on, wanting to get involved somehow.

They siphoned money using all sorts of methods.

This time, since he wasn’t marrying into a chaebol family, there would be no money to siphon.

But they were the type to stick a straw in and suck him dry, whether he had money or not.

Seeing Haejin hesitate, unable to even retort, Beomwoo let out a small sigh.

“It’s not something I can force.”

“If you decide to do it, I’ll prepare everything.”

“But ultimately, Haejin-ssi’s will is the important issue.”

“…….”

“However, I want to say one thing: you are a victim of abuse, and you don’t need to care about them.”

“If they are guilty, they should be punished.”

Beomwoo, while not understanding why Haejin hesitated so much, said he would follow his will.

But he explained that it was the natural order of the world that those who commit crimes receive punishment.

That he was a victim…….

They were the people who took in a child with nowhere to go.

They even now acted as substitutes for his parents.

That he was the victim.

Even though they had done bad things to him, he had never thought of himself as a victim.

So his head felt hollow, as if hit with a hammer.

As he realized the truth anew and was too shocked to speak, Beomwoo looked at him and belatedly added.

“And that you are a more important person than those people.”

“…….”

“I’d like you to know that.”

At his words, Haejin, whose mind had been shocked and dazed, regained his senses and looked up at him.

Clearly, Beomwoo had a clear purpose in wanting something from him.

Haejin had felt he sincerely wanted to help a little.

But this time, no purpose was visible.

It felt like he was genuinely worried about him, with all his heart.

“I’ll…… do the lawsuit…….”

He had seriously wondered if this was really the right thing to do.

But his words had such a profound impact that it felt right in an instant.

Haejin, firming his resolve at his words, answered while looking at him.

Beomwoo, who had been persuading him with such a serious expression that wrinkles formed on his brow, widened his pupils in surprise.

Then he subtly relaxed his facial muscles.

“I will change your world.”

“…….”

“So, just wait a few more days.”

That he would change his world.

Even after regression, he had thought nothing had changed.

But hearing those words made him feel that much would truly change.

Just as a god had given him a second life, perhaps the person he met a second time was also different from the one he knew then.

Feeling the burgeoning anticipation in his heart, Haejin nodded.