Knowing Brother-Chapter 16

As the meal was wrapping up, Uncle brought up the main topic.

"This is a meeting to make amends and try to wrap up the inheritance dispute. My sister-in-law has worked hard all this time, too. I admit I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past. What I hope for is that we can clear up some misunderstandings. The lawsuit wasn’t just me. I had to deal with pressure from my siblings and my mother. Of course, you and your children suffered much more."

Won Daeyoung wiped his mouth with a napkin and snickered.

The reconciliation was just an excuse, a way to prettify the ongoing mud-slinging inheritance battle. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

It was the relatives from his father’s side who had exploited Daeyoung’s family’s struggles with the lawsuit costs, dragging the dispute on for over ten years.

They’d been blocking the inheritance without even checking in, and now that Daeyoung seemed poised to become an Olympic star, they were suddenly pushing for a "human" resolution.

Fearful that their past shady deeds might be exposed, they were making a bold attempt to silence things with a quick agreement. Acting as though they were offering something, as if they were magnanimous.

It was nothing but a comedy.

"Daehyun went to a prestigious university and started an investment consulting firm. Daeyoung, too, has had his ups and downs, but he's grown up so proudly. Now that things are going well, we should stop the family feud over a few buildings and some land. We should talk openly and find a way to settle this."

Daeyoung nodded along with his words, as though agreeing. As his mother searched for the right words, Daeyoung responded with a smile, almost sarcastic.

"Uncle, you know better than anyone that the longer an inheritance lawsuit drags on, the more it benefits those who have already received their bequests. It gives time to secretly liquidate assets. You also know who's been dragging this lawsuit on. Your side of the family banded together to turn my mother into a villain who married for the inheritance."

"......Daeyoung, calling her a villain is too harsh. Listen, the issue of inheritance is very complicated. You can’t just follow the opinions of one or two family members..."

"You can’t give buildings to the daughter-in-law who killed your son. My mother, teaming up with the second son, basically killed my father for the inheritance. It was a marriage from the start with the goal of getting property. There was an affair. The second son isn’t even his real child. Who was it that made me undergo a paternity test under false accusations...? Oh? Are you sitting here?"

Uncle put down his spoon and twitched his mouth. Daeyoung glanced over the inheritance property list his uncle had handed over and continued.

"It looks like you want to get a few buildings and walk away, right? If you're going to do this, at least do it properly. You've said you’ve made a lot of mistakes, but this is too simple. Let’s just go with what we’ve been doing, maliciously, and according to the law."

A thin wrinkle appeared on Daeyoung's cheek as he smiled. Getting up from the table, he urged his mother and older brother, who were seated next to him.

"Let’s go, if you're done eating."

After politely greeting his uncle, Daeyoung left the hotel first. His family followed him out to the parking lot shortly after. The distribution they were offered was clearly unreasonable, which made their reactions inevitable.

For some reason, his mother didn’t get into Won Daehyun’s car but instead climbed into the backseat of Daeyoung’s. She looked like she had something to say.

"I have another appointment later. Go with your brother."

Her luxury bags and watches, items that were always present at gatherings, were clearly visible. The watch Daehyun wore was also a second-hand luxury piece. The house they bought recently was filled with all kinds of money to show off for the family’s reputation, and they were scraping by with that. On top of that, the funds for Daehyun’s business startup were draining even the inheritance they had managed to secure.

She scrutinized the possessions and shifted her attention to how they treated people based on their ability to make money. The whole thing felt repulsive.

Daeyoung had learned from his family that, in any situation, one must always be at the top, dominating the hierarchy. Therefore, it was only natural for him to take a leading position in school or anywhere else. It was a lesson he had ingrained in him since childhood.

Whenever he threw out family topics, Choi Seolwoo would make Daeyoung laugh with this:

— "Hey, you're a piece of trash with a bad personality, and you’re pointing fingers at others. The only reason you can make those people miserable is because you’re you. Know that I’m thankful for hanging out with you."

There was no one more ridiculous than that. Thinking of those words made him smile, and it lightened his heavy heart.

His mother, eyes on Daeyoung’s wallet lying next to him, spoke up.

"You didn’t accept Youngseo’s gift... but what’s so difficult about a two-hundred-dollar watch? You can return the favor later."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Seems like he’s doing better now, buying quite expensive gifts without hesitation."

She was indirectly asking, "Are you still close to Choi Seolwoo?" Daeyoung turned off the engine and turned his head toward her. He repeated the question with the same words.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Earlier, when you said you were going to the car first. Your uncle said something, asking if you and Seolwoo had been too close since childhood. He was asking people here and there, saying he heard you have a routine together."

"He must have used my name to network. So what?"

"Daeyoung, he’s not that kind of person. Your uncle was suggesting that the friend following you around might be someone who could influence you... You know, even if you’re not gay, being close to someone like that might make you fall into it."

Daeyoung asked calmly, listening to her.

"Did your uncle say that?"

"Yes, just now. When we were leaving the restaurant."

Without a word, Daeyoung immediately started the car and drove out of the parking lot. His older brother, who was in another car, stuck his head out of the window, looking surprised.

"Daeyoung! Won Daeyoung, what are you doing?"

His mother’s voice of concern didn’t reach his ears. He was driving in the direction he had planned. When he stopped at a red light, he called his uncle to ask for his location. It was not far, just by the intersection. Daeyoung quickly changed lanes and said:

"Hold on, I forgot something. Can you stay nearby for a moment?"

After finishing the call and passing through a few traffic lights, he saw his uncle’s car. He pulled up close behind it, stopped, and got out. Knocking on the driver’s side window, his uncle opened it.

Daeyoung leaned on the window ledge and began speaking in a low voice.

"Uncle, about what you said about Choi Seolwoo..."

His mouth, which had been smiling moments ago, now looked cold.

"He's like family to me. Even during my rehab, when no one was in touch, he cheered me on every day."

"......"

"He’s not that kind of person. If he were, I would have cut him off long ago. You know, the world might end and all the males might be left, but even then, I would never do anything with him. Don’t worry."

"Are you saying you stopped me to waste my time with a few words of concern?"

"It’s not concern, it’s slander. You shouldn’t talk like that about anyone. Remember, your father jumped off a building because of people's judgment, especially because of things like this from your side of the family."

His uncle, eyes flashing with anger, was silenced by Daeyoung's words. Daeyoung had no intention of leaving until he got what he wanted.

"He has no reason to be on your lips."

His mother, who had followed behind, got into Daeyoung’s car. She rubbed her furrowed brow and spoke to Daeyoung's older brother.

"Daehyun, when you’re with Daeyoung, don’t bring up that kid from the small room. Every time his name comes up, he makes a scene."

Finally, his uncle apologized for mentioning Choi Seolwoo. "That was my mistake."

Only after receiving the apology did Daeyoung get out of the car.

On the way to the meeting, he told the PD who was with him to take a break from filming the vlog.

What Eom Joobin had said earlier on the phone wasn’t just idle talk. The possibility of strange rumors about Seolwoo was turning his stomach. Especially with Seolwoo actually meeting with another man now.

If Seolwoo were just a rough, burly guy hanging out in the streets, the rumors wouldn’t have spread. Daeyoung was angry on his behalf. Seolwoo had always been the target of these baseless rumors, for no reason at all.

Now that he had won a medal, it was even worse—people were coming after him. If they were bothering Daeyoung with dating rumors, that was one thing, but dragging Seolwoo into it was something he couldn’t stand.

To even have sexual thoughts about him in this situation... Daeyoung, you crazy bastard.

At that moment, his phone vibrated. Looking down, Daeyoung parked the car in a nearby spot. It was a message from Seolwoo.

Daeyoung picked up his phone, and the PD asked with concern.

"Is it an urgent message?"

"Ah, a little. Sorry."

As Daeyoung read the message, he chuckled to himself.

I have many reasons why I need to completely detach from you, not just dating. You must read it all the way through.

I can’t date because of you. You’re too much.

To get officially hired at a Big 4 firm, I have to intern hard. I won’t have time to follow your matches. As you know, I work hard and I need to do twice as much to get results. In short, I won’t have time for you anymore.

I’m reducing my medication, and the prognosis is stable. The hospital said I could try to stop taking medicine next year. Since nothing major has happened for a few years, you don’t need to worry about my condition anymore.

Especially financially, I keep relying on you, and I don’t think I should be living like this.

I’ve said it many times, but I don’t like your personality. You’re a ticking time bomb that makes me lose my temper. Find someone who matches your personality and live happily.

I want to live my own life now. I’m going to reclaim the time I wasted hanging around with you.

We have too many overlapping acquaintances, and our daily patterns are too similar. It’s ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) uncomfortable. I’m fed up with this pattern.

Daeyoung chuckled again as he finished reading, his mind racing with mixed emotions.