#76

“Honestly, I’m happy. It makes me feel like you truly value us, President. Of course, I know it might be strange to feel this way when you just said you were scared.”

Seeing someone smiling so brightly, their cheeks flushed with genuine joy, made me feel like pouring out my worries wouldn’t be the best choice. There would be another opportunity to ask about it someday. Or maybe, Lee Gaon would bring it up himself. With that thought, I swallowed back the words I wanted to say. Instead, I simply smiled back at him, meeting his gaze.

As Lee Gaon and I grinned at each other, a deep sigh sounded from the side. Naturally, the one sighing was Lee Daon. He looked between me and his brother with a complicated, unreadable expression before shaking his head.

“You’re both way too soft…… Seriously, what if you get scammed someday……”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing. Just keep smiling. It looks nice. Well, only the president. Not you.”

Lee Daon muttered in a resigned tone before picking up the cocoa he had set on the table and taking another sip. Lee Gaon seemed to have missed what he said, but since I was sitting closer to Lee Daon, I heard him clearly.

A scam, huh……? I thought about reassuring him that he didn’t need to worry about something like that, but then I let the thought go with a quiet exhale. Even if he was pretending otherwise, Lee Daon was visibly relieved now, and I didn’t want to break his peace unnecessarily.

“Seriously, that way of talking…… Oh, by the way, sir. Does that mean you got into a fight with our mother today?”

I had been watching Lee Daon drink his cocoa with amusement, but at Lee Gaon’s sudden question, my lips stretched awkwardly to the side. Well…… hmm…… If you ask whether it was a fight, then yes, I suppose it was.

“……Yes.”

“Was it serious?”

“Well…… yes. It was serious.”

No matter how little I cared about it personally, saying to someone’s face that I fought with their mother felt…… embarrassingly awkward. But Lee Gaon, oblivious to my awkwardness, simply rubbed his chin with his fingers, lost in deep thought.

“My mother isn’t the type to just let something like this slide……”

After a long pause, Lee Gaon finally spoke, trailing off at the end. He was probably worried that his mother might try to retaliate against me.

“That’s not a problem. Whatever Rep. Oh Hahyun does, I can just return it in kind. And since she still hasn’t let go of her lingering attachment to me out of greed, she won’t be able to do anything too extreme.”

“By greed, do you mean political funding? That sort of thing?”

“Why even ask? What other reason could there be?”

“Haha, well, on top of that, she could also gain connections through me, voter support, and even some extra slush funds to use at her discretion.”

I spoke with a faint chuckle in my voice as I leaned back against the sofa.

“Of course, I rejected everything at today’s meeting. Every single thing, without exception. And then she started offering various conditions to try and persuade me. But none of them were worth considering, so I had no intention of accepting anything.”

“Is that when the argument started?”

“Yes. She kept pestering me even after I refused, and I got irritated and snapped without realizing it.”

“……Was it really just that? Or was there something more?”

There was something unsettling about the way Lee Gaon asked that question. I blinked at him in confusion, only for him to give a bitter smile before continuing.

“I just don’t think you’d get angry at someone over something so trivial. There must have been something you couldn’t tolerate. Like…… maybe my mother tried to use us to manipulate you, for example.”

He spoke as if it were just speculation, but there was an underlying certainty in his tone.

Even if I denied it, there was no way he would believe me……

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to tell the truth or not, but in the end, I let out a deep sigh and nodded.

“Yes. She outright said she would use both you and Daon-ssi. So I lost my temper and lashed out. She’s probably so furious that she won’t be able to sleep for a few days. I made sure to get under her skin.”

I intentionally spoke in a lighthearted tone, hoping to lessen any hurt Lee Gaon and Lee Daon might feel, but their reactions were far more indifferent than I had expected.

“Not surprising. It’s not even shocking at this point. To her, we’re nothing more than convenient chess pieces—no more, no less.”

He said it so nonchalantly……

Seeing Lee Daon react as if this were the most natural thing in the world, without any expectations from the woman who gave birth to him, made my heart ache.

“Um, by any chance, does your father……?”

I had intended to ask whether Rep. Oh Hahyun’s husband knew about what she had done to them, but the moment I uttered the word ‘father,’ the twins’ expressions darkened instantly. I quickly shut my mouth.

Oh no. I messed up.

I couldn’t even show my panic outwardly, only fretting internally. Then, Lee Daon let out a small chuckle and spoke.

“It’s fine, so don’t look at us like you’re dying of guilt.”

“No, I should have been more careful with my words.”

“How could you have been? It’s not like I ever told you about our parents. How would you have known about our family situation to be cautious in the first place? Seriously, it’s fine. Just remember that both of them are the same kind of people. The kind you gain nothing from being involved with.”

“……Damn.”

At Lee Daon’s unexpectedly calm response—one that carried an undertone of consideration toward me—Lee Gaon let out an expletive. His face was filled with disbelief as he stared at his younger brother with suspicion.

“So you’re actually capable of speaking this politely……? Wow, that’s a first in the 22 years I’ve known you.”

“Hey! Just what kind of person do you think I am?!”

“A foul-mouthed…… oh, wait. I mean, someone who curses a lot.”

Hmm. Even though Lee Gaon cut himself off, I had a good guess about what he was about to say. I let out an amused chuckle at his hasty attempt to change his words after glancing at me.

Well, even kind people curse sometimes. Especially with their siblings.

“Shut……! Ugh, you’re so annoying. Stop talking nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense; it’s the truth. If you had any conscience, you wouldn’t call what I just said nonsense.”

His ability to calmly deliver cutting remarks was something else. I was used to seeing Lee Daon being restrained or protected by his brother, so watching them bicker like this really drove home the fact that they were siblings.

Yeah, siblings have to fight.

Seeing them act their age for once, I simply watched their banter with a warm smile instead of intervening.

“Oh, come on. You’re really gonna be like this? You’re nice to everyone else, but with me— Ah-choo!”

But before their argument could escalate, Lee Daon suddenly sneezed mid-sentence, making me flinch.

Could he be coming down with a cold?

“Daon-ssi, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. It was just a sneeze.”

Lee Daon sniffled as he spoke, but I couldn’t easily believe his claim that he was fine.

“I miscalculated. I asked you to come down because I wanted to talk about your mother as soon as possible, but I should’ve let you rest first.”

“It was just one sneeze. Why are you being so serious? I’m really fine. I hardly ever catch colds since I’m naturally healthy.”

“You shouldn’t be too confident in your health. Illnesses come silently and all of a sudden.”

With a stern expression, I got up from my seat and walked over to Lee Daon. Placing my palm against his forehead, I tried to check his temperature.

“You feel a little warm……”

“It’s not that my forehead is hot—it’s that your hand is cold.”

Huh? Is that so?

At his remark, I pulled my hand away and looked down at my palm. Then, as if to confirm my body temperature, Lee Daon grabbed my hand.

“See? Your hand is definitely cold.”

“No. I think it’s that your body is warm. When I touched Secretary Sung’s hand earlier, it wasn’t this warm. You should take some medicine just in case. Wait here a moment—I’ll grab some from my room.”

Since it seemed best to take medicine before the cold worsened, I turned to head to my room. But Lee Daon didn’t let go of my hand.

He did this earlier, too.

Thinking that, I spoke in a gentle but firm tone.

“Daon-ssi, you need to let go so I can get the medicine.”

“President.”

“Yes?”

“You touched Secretary Sung Yoojun’s hand? Why?”

The question sounded oddly accusatory. I paused, trying to recall why I had touched Sung Yoojun’s hand.

“Uh…… well……”

How do I even explain this?

That Secretary Sung Yoojun had touched my cheek first to check my temperature, and I, feeling grateful for his concern, placed my hand on top of his as a way of saying thanks? And that’s how I ended up touching him?

……Wait. Doesn’t this sound a little weird if I explain it out loud?

As that thought crossed my mind, I hesitated to answer.

Lee Daon narrowed his eyes, his expression turning sullen as he stared at me. Reflexively, I blurted out a response.

“……While checking my temperature?”