A Birthday No One Celebrated

Soon, Do Jiwan came out of the bathroom smelling faintly of soap.

I followed him again and sat near the bed as he lay down.

‘…It feels like I’ve returned to my angel days.’

Back then, I didn’t need to eat or sleep, and I never felt tired.

I had stolen his food earlier, but it wasn’t because I was hungry.

‘It was just me saying, pay attention to me.’

Watching him sleep alone in the dark room all night felt strange, so I leaned against the bed and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep.

Our strange cohabitation continued.

Every morning, I waited for him to finish washing up.

I occasionally stole side dishes from his plate and trailed after him wherever he went.

After about a month, he seemed used to me.

He still ignored me, but the sharp edge of his wariness had dulled.

Then one day, I overheard something.

“We’ve reserved a venue to celebrate the young master’s eleventh birthday.”

The man speaking seemed to be one of his father’s subordinates.

Do Jiwan’s expression did not change.

Most children his age would be excited about a birthday.

He showed no such signs.

At the venue, children his age filled the place.

They didn’t seem like close friends.

More like classmates.

“Wow, this will be fun!”

“Happy birthday, Jiwan!”

It looked like a kids’ café meant for slightly older children.

There were arcade machines and play facilities, and a buffet and drink bar along one wall.

Even from my perspective, it was impressive.

While the children screamed and ran around, Do Jiwan sat alone at a table.

There were only children and his father’s subordinates present.

His younger sibling, his father, and his mother were nowhere to be seen.

In the flashy party hall, Do Jiwan did not look happy.

But he did not look disappointed either.

After watching the others for a while, he stood and headed toward the exit.

No one stopped him.

No one seemed to care.

He took a taxi home.

I wondered if he had money.

In his wallet was something astonishing.

‘Wow… a black card.’

A ten-year-old carrying a black card.

Even the taxi driver looked startled, but seeing the wealthy neighborhood destination, he understood.

When he arrived home early, no one asked why.

As if used to it, he went straight to his room.

Inside were neatly wrapped boxes.

Obviously birthday gifts.

He did not even glance at them.

‘What could be inside?’

I was the only one curious.

Later, when he casually opened them, they contained the latest game console, a laptop, a tablet.

Expensive things.

Still, he showed no joy.

‘This is strange….’

A child who did not get excited over his birthday.

Yet he did not seem disappointed either.

Restless, I left his room after he fell asleep and wandered downstairs.

Voices came from the master bedroom.

“The boy came home early from his party, and you didn’t even ask why? Is that something a mother does?”

It was his father, shouting.

Through the slightly open door, I saw a woman at her vanity turn sharply.

“Is he my child? Yours, not mine! Why push him onto me?”

I wasn’t surprised.

I knew his biological mother was someone else.

‘She’s the legal wife… and Jiwan’s mother was the mistress.’

A predictable story.

His father had married for business.

No children came from that marriage.

Then he met Jiwan’s mother, an actress, and took her as a lover.

She became pregnant.

Because of complicated interests, he couldn’t divorce his wife.

Jiwan’s mother had to step back from her career.

Eventually, Jiwan was registered under the legal wife.

The problem came later.

‘A younger sibling was born.’

The wife had tried to accept Jiwan at first.

But when her own child was born, Jiwan became an obstacle.

If he had remained illegitimate, perhaps it would have been simpler.

But he had already been formally registered.

Unable to remove him, she distanced herself.

And the father demanded she act like a proper mother.

‘As if he did anything himself.’

He was the worst.

Lavish parties and expensive gifts.

But were those what Jiwan wanted?

Did they think throwing money at him filled the empty space?

The image of him sitting blankly at his own party left a bitter taste.

I returned to his room.

But he was awake.

He sat in the dark, watching me.

I glanced at the clock.

It wasn’t midnight yet.

Good.

“Happy birthday.”

Something flickered in his otherwise expressionless face.

There had been an unspoken rule between us.

We did not speak to each other.

It had never been discussed, but it had become so.

I had broken it.

He seemed surprised.

But he did not reply.

After his birthday, something changed.

We still didn’t talk.

But there was more physical contact.

Not anything inappropriate.

Just simple warmth.

A hand on his head.

A touch on his shoulder.

A brief hug.

The first time I ruffled his hair, he had looked at me like I was insane.

But gradually, he let me.

Even the older Do Jiwan had felt this way.

He was unexpectedly broad-minded.

Not vindictive.

Not overly difficult.

Strange, in a way.

Days piled into weeks.

Weeks into months.

Before I knew it, a year had passed.

In the blink of an eye.

And then, he turned twelve.

That evening, during another stiff family dinner, his father spoke.

“I have something to say. Come to my study later.”

I was surprised.

His father rarely addressed him directly.

‘Can I follow?’

I decided I would stop if Jiwan objected.

But he didn’t.

So I followed him to the study.

“You ranked first in your class.”

“Yes.”

“…How have you been lately?”

“Just the same.”

Their conversation was dry.

Soon, the real topic surfaced.

“Your mother will be coming to Korea in two weeks.”

I was startled.

He meant the biological mother.

‘Wow. I thought she’d died since she was never mentioned.’

She was alive.

I glanced at Jiwan.

No reaction.

No joy.

No anger.

His father awkwardly asked if he wanted to meet her.

“I will.”

“…Alright.”

“Is that all?”

His father nodded.

When we stepped out, his younger sibling looked curious.

Jiwan ignored him and walked past as usual.