Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 68: On the Edge

Kang Jinhui knew very well that Kim Seunghyun looked down on Ha Giyeon.

How could she not? She’d worked in this house long before Seunghyun and had watched over Giyeon from the start. And after Seunghyun was assigned to assist him, she observed how he behaved as well. Though he might claim he wasn’t obvious about it, the difference between how he treated Giyeon and Ha Dohoon was clear.

When Giyeon called him, he’d respond dismissively or with a mocking tone, and when something important came up, he would only inform Ha Dohoon, not Giyeon.

If anyone paid even a little attention to Giyeon, they would notice right away. But of course, none of them had even that much interest—so they didn’t notice a thing.

Even though Kang Jinhui knew all of this, she kept silent. It wasn’t her place to comment on Kim Seunghyun’s behavior, and she wasn’t supposed to. Her job was to manage the household—not report on people’s private affairs. She wasn’t supposed to interfere, and she had no desire to.

Besides, would they even listen if she said anything about Giyeon? They’d probably just tell her to mind her business or fire her on the spot.

So she chose silence—and instead, did her best to quietly care for Giyeon when she could. It might sound laughable for a housekeeper to pity and sympathize with a rich family’s young master, but before being anyone’s “young master,” Ha Giyeon was a seventeen-year-old boy.

A child who had grown up without parental love—fragile and on the edge.

And toward that child, Kim Seunghyun had finally crossed a line. Giyeon had come home soaked to the bone, without an umbrella. Meanwhile, Seunghyun had returned dry, having used one himself.

If it had been anyone else, she might never have suspected anything. But the fact that it was Kim Seunghyun who had brought him home after being discharged from the hospital made her doubt everything from the moment he walked in. The kid had just been discharged from the hospital. No matter how heavy the rain was, there was no reason for him to look like he’d just been pulled out of a flood.

Unless he’d deliberately stood in the rain, it would’ve been impossible to get that wet. Giyeon was drenched to the skin, while Kim Seunghyun had barely gotten wet and had come in holding an umbrella. On top of that, the smug attitude Seunghyun always carried was gone—replaced by awkward excuses and visible panic.

That confirmed it. Which was why, uncharacteristically, she blurted out that she’d be informing Lee Mihyun. How could anyone let a kid who’d just been discharged walk into the house soaked like that? Giyeon’s lips had turned purple and were trembling—he’d looked like he could collapse at any second.

She couldn’t understand why they were all so hell-bent on breaking this child. Did they hate him? Why? From her perspective, he was polite and kind to a fault—a boy who deserved to be loved. Hating a child like that would require some grand, unforgivable reason. She couldn’t think of one.

“Giyeon, may I come in?”

Kang Jinhui knocked gently on Giyeon’s door, holding a tray with beef porridge in her hands.

Click. Giyeon kindly opened the door for her himself, and she gave him a small smile. He seemed to have been studying—his desk was covered in textbooks and workbooks. He still wasn’t in good shape, clearly.

She placed the tray on the desk.

“Eat this and get some rest. I brought some cold medicine too, just in case, so make sure you take it.”

“...Thank you.”

“If anything hurts, don’t hold it in—tell me right away, okay?”

For some reason, she was fussing over him more than usual today. Giyeon offered her a faint smile and nodded. Even if it was just a small kindness or pity, he was grateful for it—especially now.

“Get some good rest, then.”

“Yeah... Ah, um—ajumma!”

Just as Kang Jinhui was about to leave the room, Giyeon hurriedly called out to her.

“Could you... maybe not tell my parents I came home soaked? I only just got discharged, and I’m afraid they’ll be annoyed if they hear about it...”

He didn’t know whether she was planning to tell them or not, but he didn’t want to leave even a chance of that happening. Now that he was discharged, he didn’t want to be on their radar anymore.

Kang Jinhui looked at his face, eyes flicking nervously. For him to be this afraid of getting scolded—even while he was still sick—was telling.

She had been debating whether to tell Lee Mihyun that he’d come home soaking ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ wet. After all, when it came to Giyeon, they usually didn’t want to hear anything, and had even told her not to report minor things. But was coming home drenched after being discharged really a “minor” thing?

She also wanted to say something about Kim Seunghyun.

Still, lately, his parents had shown more interest in Giyeon—or at least started asking after him. And after the allergy incident, when he’d gotten seriously ill, she thought maybe—just maybe—their relationship had started to change.

But that had all been wishful thinking. If they’d really changed, why would the boy be trembling like this, asking her not to say anything?

People really don’t change. That truth hadn’t budged.

And if they were going to continue treating him like this under the guise of half-hearted interest, then maybe it would be better to go back to when they’d just ignored him outright.

Still, she was only the housekeeper. If she couldn’t intervene more deeply, then the least she could do was grant the requests of the one she served.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”

“...Thank you.”

Only then did the boy’s face finally brighten. That was all she could do for him—fulfill the wishes of a child who had no one else.

Ha Giyeon finished his porridge and took the medication from the hospital before lying down to sleep.

He shut his eyes, but the medication made his body feel sluggish and heavy. And why was he so cold again? He pulled the blanket up tightly and squeezed his eyes shut.

Time passed without him noticing—he drifted in and out of sleep, waking and dozing again. Eventually, he was roused by a faint light filtering through his eyelids. Though he didn’t open his eyes, he heard the sound of the door opening and sensed someone enter the room.

Thinking it must be the housekeeper, he remained still.

A moment later, he felt a gentle hand brush over his hair. Then the room darkened again as the person left. The touch had been so soft and warm that it pulled him back into sleep almost immediately.

***

The next day, 5 a.m.

Ha Giyeon sat up, body heavy.

Maybe it was because he’d gone to bed early, but he woke up earlier than usual, and he couldn’t fall back asleep.

He headed for the bathroom to wash off the residual chill and grime. After a quick shower, he changed into his school uniform and packed his bag. His body still felt sluggish, but he didn’t pay it much attention.

More alert than usual, Giyeon made his way to the front entrance. He didn’t step carefully out of fear his father might be in the living room—but out of habit, he looked anyway. Thankfully, the living room was empty, and only the housekeeper was in the kitchen.

Just as he was about to quietly slip out the door, she stepped out from the kitchen.

“Already heading out for school?”

“Ah... yeah. I just woke up early.”

“Then at least eat breakfast before you go.”

“It’s okay. I don’t really have an appetite.”

“Still, you should eat something so you can take your meds properly...”

Kang Jinhui was already guessing that he simply wanted to avoid running into his parents or brother. She understood that much—and so she didn’t try to stop him.

Instead, she told him to wait a moment and hurried back into the kitchen. Seeing her rush off like that, Giyeon couldn’t bring himself to leave. He stood still in the entryway, keeping an eye out in case anyone else showed up.

“Here—take this, Giyeon.”

She returned quickly with a large thermal bottle. fгeewebnovёl.com

“I packed some porridge. Even if you don’t have an appetite, please take at least a bite so you can take your medicine. Taking it on an empty stomach will upset your system.”

“....”

He bit down on his lip at her repeated, concerned insistence and bowed his head deeply.

“Thank you... really.”

“It’s the least I can do. Just promise you’ll eat, okay?”

With a smile, Giyeon told her he was leaving and stepped out the door. He wasn’t feeling well, but for some reason, his heart felt a little lighter.

***

The place Giyeon went so early that morning wasn’t school.

He was sitting on a park bench, reading his textbook. Since the school wasn’t open yet, he was killing time in the park until he could head in.

He read for a long while, then around 6 a.m., made his way to a convenience store.

There, he bought instant vegetable porridge and took his cold medicine. He still had the porridge the housekeeper had packed in his bag, but he was saving that for lunch.

After eating only half of the instant porridge, he threw the rest away and stepped out of the store.

And across the street, Son Suhyeon was watching him.