Chapter 45: A Friend’s Warmth

I seated Da-hye beside our parents and quietly led Go Dae-sik outside the banquet hall. Standing in a quiet corner by the wall where there were few people, we remained silent for a while.

Dae-sik’s lips moved as if he were about to speak first, but after several hesitations, he closed his mouth again. I didn’t push him and simply waited.

Just from the expression he wore when we met, it was clear he had circumstances he couldn’t talk about.

“If I said nothing happened, it would be a lie.”

After about two minutes, the words I’d been waiting for finally slipped from Dae-sik’s lips.

He gave a sheepish smile, but the dark circles under his eyes didn’t match the laughter.

A bitter feeling rose inside me.

“Ha... I don’t even know where to begin.”

Dae-sik hung his head, hesitating for a long while before collecting his thoughts.

“This summer... my family went through a lot. My dad co-signed a loan for an acquaintance, thinking he was someone trustworthy and close. But in the end, that guy just disappeared. My family was left with all the debt, and we lost everything…”

I looked at his face without a word. His cheeks were visibly thinner than before, and even his tone lacked energy. Still, he struggled to appear calm.

I didn’t interrupt and let him talk at his own pace.

“My dad collapsed from the shock and is still in the hospital. Our house was auctioned off, the credit cards are frozen… At first, I didn’t understand what was going on. Then strange notices kept showing up on our door, and I remembered something I’d read in a novel. Only then did I realize our situation and started looking for part-time work. That’s how I ended up serving at the wedding hall.”

It was a story straight out of ‘The Genius Was Adopted by a Chaebol Family.’

He said reading about a similar situation there made him realize what his parents were facing, so he started working part-time.

Every word was tinged with exhaustion, but Dae-sik never once let his hardship show.

In fact, he acted more confidently than before.

“As the only son, shouldn’t I be of some help? Ah, look at the time. I should get going. I’ve been away too long. Let’s talk later. Don’t worry too much about me. I’m really confident I can overcome this. I’ll earn a ton of money, and next time, the meal’s on me. The food here’s good. Enjoy your meal.”

With those words, Dae-sik picked up his tray and headed back into the banquet hall.

I stood there for a while.

His retreating figure lingered in my eyes.

“Dae-sik…”

Quietly, I called his name, recalling the way he’d been back in middle school.

---

After the wedding, we headed home. In the car, Dad’s favorite Cho Yong-pil song was playing softly. Da-hye had stuffed herself at the buffet and fallen asleep, while Mom, probably tired as well, had her eyes closed in the back seat.

【Dae-sik? You didn’t know? His family went bankrupt. I heard their debt is in the hundreds of millions! That’s why he cut off his phone and stopped reading novels. He’s trying to save every penny. Right now, he’s got no home and sleeps in a van.】

After parting ways with Dae-sik, I called a friend who lived in the same neighborhood and had stayed close to him, to get the details.

The situation was worse than I’d thought.

Staring out the window, I fell into thought.

Go Dae-sik’s expression kept coming to mind. That heavy, weary face. He’d smiled as if everything was fine, but there were too many tangled emotions behind it.

This isn’t the 1970s or 80s, yet he’s sleeping in a car because he’s homeless…

My heart felt heavy.

‘Wait, wasn’t Dae-sik’s birthday around this time?’

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

I pulled out my phone and checked my old birthday list. There it was—October 15th. That was tomorrow.

His birthday was tomorrow.

There was no way he could celebrate under these circumstances. His family would be preoccupied, and with how things were, even making seaweed soup would be difficult.

I felt an ache in one corner of my heart.

After thinking it over, I opened my contacts and called a friend.

“…Dae-sik’s birthday is tomorrow. I want to throw him a surprise party. Can you help me prepare?”

It was the friend who’d told me about Dae-sik’s situation at the wedding hall.

─ Whoa, seriously? Wait… I feel like such a jerk. Yeah, I was feeling uneasy about it anyway. I’ll gather the others.

“And tell everyone not to worry about giving a lot. Just collect what you can—one or two bucks each, it’s the thought that counts.”

─ You’re a better friend than me. Got it. I’ll tell everyone we’re pooling cash for him.

“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

Turning off my phone, I gazed out the window again.

“Dae-sik—isn’t he that friend from middle school who used to read a lot?”

That’s when Dad, who was driving, spoke up.

The song in the car faded to the background.

“Yes. I saw him at the wedding today. He’s working part-time at the wedding hall. He co-signed a loan for a friend, but the friend ran away. Now he’s living in a van at an amusement park parking lot.”

“Is he important to you? The kind of friend you’d want for life?”

Dad paused, deep in thought, then asked seriously.

“Yes.”

I nodded as I answered.

“Except for reading novels during class, he studied hard and was always diligent, right?”

“Yeah, and he’s kind and responsible, too.”

He might seem a bit spoiled, but seeing how he’s finding his own way to survive, he reminds me of my past self. Back then, I also threw myself into writing like mad to overcome my struggles.

I quit drinking, gave up dating for nearly eight years.

I didn’t meet anyone; I just ran forward, chasing success.

Because I know how that pain feels, I can’t just ignore Dae-sik’s problems.

“All right. Let’s help him. Even celebrities have sponsors—wouldn’t it be weird if your friend didn’t have one?”

Dad said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

“Huh?”

I looked at him in surprise.

He just smiled gently, eyes fixed on the road.

“What’s the point of saving up money? Your brother, your sister, you—everyone’s set for life. Our retirement’s taken care of. By now, our family’s nearly at chaebol level, don’t you think?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

At this rate, we’d be considered a chaebol family ourselves. Even now, several of the stocks we’re invested in are on the rise.

There’s even been interest from investors in the land I’m holding in Dongtan.

Time was on our side.

“I’ve been looking at a new villa that just finished construction. I was going to let your uncle and aunt live there, but there are still plenty of empty rooms.”

Dad has an older half-brother and sister, and a younger brother and sister who are his full siblings. We’re not particularly close with the older side of the family.

We only see them at holidays, and there was a huge fight when the grandparents’ inheritance went entirely to the elder branch.

Meanwhile, my uncle and aunt haven’t been doing so well financially.

Dad’s been helping out now and then, but I didn’t know he’d been preparing a place for them.

“They haven’t moved in yet; it’s still being readied. Let’s give one of the rooms to your friend. No deposit, no rent. And let’s pay off the debt, too.”

His voice was filled with affection for his child. In my previous life, we never had enough money to help others, no matter how much we wanted.

Even when Dad won third place in the lottery, he gave it all to my maternal grandmother. He’s always been a good man.

It was only the economy that brought us down.

But after ten years of effort, he managed to pay off all the debt.

I think he’s amazing.

“Dad, thank you for wanting to help my friend. I want to help too. But… I think we should write up a loan contract instead of just giving it. We pay off the debt, and he can pay us back little by little later. Even if it’s just in formality, it’ll lighten the burden for both sides. I think it’ll help him move forward, too.”

I looked at Dad for a while, then shook my head and suggested a promissory note, instead of simply giving him the money.

In my heart, I want to help with no strings attached.

But that should apply only to Go Dae-sik.

The debt is his parents’.

I want his parents to repay it, so Dae-sik can pursue his path without any obstacles.

“All right. If that’s what you want, let’s do it that way.”

Dad listened and, after considering it, agreed to my suggestion.

Thank goodness.

I’m glad I have the ability to help Go Dae-sik.

---

The next evening, before heading to the barbecue restaurant I’d reserved, I waited for Dae-sik outside the wedding hall. 6:20 p.m. The automatic door slid open, and Dae-sik stepped out, shoulders hunched in his gray sweats. The way he walked, eyes fixed on the ground, made my heart ache.

“Dae-sik!”

I called out his name loudly, and he stopped in his tracks.

“Seung-hyun?! What are you doing here?!”

He looked at me with wide eyes, then glanced around in embarrassment.

“I came to see you, of course.”

I approached, smiling as usual.

“Ah, sorry. I need to get home early.”

But he backed away, waving his hands to put more distance between us.

“Sorry, but I’m going to have to borrow some of your time.”

I rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and made sure he couldn’t go any farther. His eyes went wide.

“N-no. I really—”

He protested, but there was no strength in his arm. Even from this, I could tell how he really felt. He wanted someone by his side.

“It’ll just be for a moment. Really, Dae-sik. Give me a little of your time.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“You’ll find out if you come with me. You trust me, right?”

“Well, yeah… okay. Fine.”

He never used to look like that. I could tell just how hard things had been for him. With his permission, I led him by the arm to the barbecue restaurant.

As soon as we stepped inside, I started counting in my head.

3. 2. 1.

The moment I opened the door and hit zero—

“Dae-sik! Happy birthday!!”

A burst of voices erupted from inside.

“......”

Dae-sik froze in place, eyes wide and mouth half open, staring at the friends waiting inside. Friends from our middle school days, all waving and smiling.

“You idiot! You should’ve told us. You used to sleep over at my house all the time!”

“Hey, how could you ignore your own student, you math teacher!”

“You really went too far.”

They each threw in a word, circling around him. Their tone was playful, but concern and affection colored every word.

“Ahh…”

He just stood there, dumbfounded.

“You punk, once we heard what happened… We couldn’t just ignore it. We pooled some money together. You know we’re high schoolers now, right? It’s not much… but take it. It’s for your birthday, and, well, everything else too.”

One friend came forward and offered him a small box.

“Y-you guys… ngh.”

It wasn’t big, but the feeling behind it was huge. It was money everyone had chipped in. With trembling hands, Dae-sik accepted the box.

Then he bowed his head.

One drop, then another.

Tears hit the floor.

He hugged the box tightly with both arms, quietly shaking.

“Thank you… really, thank you. I… I didn’t call, I avoided you guys…”

“Don’t be like that. Here, take this too. My dad wanted you to have it.”

I stepped forward, cutting him off.

I pulled out the white envelope I’d prepared and handed it to him. He took it, eyes red, and carefully opened it.

Inside was a neatly folded sheet of paper and a memo with an address. He unfolded the paper and began to read.

“This is…”

[If you go to this address, there’s a house you can stay in. Two rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a washing machine. It’s my dad’s building, and he says there’s no deposit or rent. I know it’s hard now, but I believe you can get back on your feet. My dad and I are cheering for you.

So don’t ever give up just because things are tough. Come back to being your old self.

Dae-sik, stay strong. I’m here, and we’re all here for you.]

“Huu… waaaaaaah!!”

Before he could finish reading, his shoulders shook and he burst out crying.

He sat down right there, clutching the box and sobbing.

Some friends hugged him and cried with him, while the others turned away, creating a wall so he could cry freely.

Dae-sik’s crying filled the restaurant, but no one tried to stop him.

“You’re not alone, Dae-sik. We’re always on your side.”

I muttered softly as I watched him cry, my own eyes red.

Stay strong, Dae-sik. We’ll help you however we can.

It was a night when the autumn wind started to blow cold, but inside the restaurant, we all felt warmth.

How wonderful friends are, how precious they are…

We finally understood.

Guys, I love you.