Retire 399

399 The Path of Learning (4)

Over seventy percent of South Korea’s land is mountainous.

As a result, most residential areas are built along or upon mountains. The apartment provided by Hong Seok-yeong was no exception. The entrance to the apartment complex was a fairly steep uphill road. It wasn’t exactly hard to climb, but it was certainly a hassle. I clearly remembered complaining to my father about that hill back when we lived here together, begging to move somewhere else.

Not long after my awakening, we did move—to a place with less outside attention, bordering the mountain that was my father’s property… Most of my hiking experience came from that mountain.

Still, my first real hike with my father had been here. Not for training or anything—just a hike for its own sake. Thinking back, it was my first hike ever, with or without my father. Why did I have to climb a mountain that was just sitting there, anyway? Exercise? Sure, I liked my father’s lessons well enough.

But hiking? No.

“Ha ha. Beautiful weather today.”

Robert Blake looked up at the sky, smiling contentedly.

“Korean apartments are always fascinating. Imagine, having a tall mountain right behind your home like this.”

There was a trail leading from the apartment’s parking lot straight to the mountain path.

Robert walked that path with practiced ease. You shouldn’t underestimate a neighborhood mountain.

“Oh my, isn’t that Mr. Bart? Going for a hike?”

“Oh, hello there. I’m hiking with my eldest grandchild today.”

“This is your eldest grandchild? So tall and handsome.”

It was the weekend, so the trail was fairly busy.

Robert greeted the local women with friendly familiarity.

“You always bring the youngest ones hiking.”

“Ah, yes… I usually have to work on weekends.”

“Are you a teacher?”

“Yes, I work at a high school.”

“Mr. Bart, you’ve raised your grandchild well!”

Whatever his past, Robert looked every bit the kindly foreign grandfather. No one would ever guess he was a Hunter from the U.S. military. And his Korean was excellent. If he’d always gone hiking with Uirok or Sophia, he’d have blended into the apartment community easily.

Even if I understood it logically, the situation felt awkward.

Nothing like this had ever happened when I hiked with my father.

Not just that group of women—throughout the climb, Robert was greeted by people everywhere.

“Hey, Robert!”

“Mr. Robert!”

“Hello, Grandpa Robert!”

From elementary schoolers out with their parents, to young couples, to elderly men and women his own age.

Robert returned every greeting with a warm smile.

“These are my go friends.”

“…Hello.”

Go, not chess…

Eventually, I gave up. With his fluent Korean, it was easy for him to fit in with the apartment community. He was raising two elementary schoolers. There was nothing wrong with being friendly with the neighbors—in fact, it was a good thing.

By this point, I was starting to enjoy it, too. My father had always looked after me as much as he could, but he was so famous that no one ever approached us.

I wondered if anyone greeting Robert knew that the son-in-law he mentioned was Hong Seok-yeong.

Probably not.

That made it all the more amusing. To these people, I must have looked like a busy young homeroom teacher for a high school senior class. Not Hong Seok-yeong’s son, not a Hunter, not a government official, not even a teacher at a Hunter training high school.

It was a kind of life I’d never experienced, separate from being my father’s son.

“Your little brother misses you a lot.”

“Oh, you’ve met my brother?”

“Yes! He’s not like most kids these days—he goes hiking with his grandpa all the time. He’s a good kid.”

“He really looks up to his grandpa.”

“How’s your little sister?”

“She’s my cousin, actually. She’s really into learning knitting from Grandma. Wants to finish a scarf before winter.”

“Really? She knits?”

“She’s always liked making things. Used to make bracelets and such—guess she got interested in knitting, too.”

“Kids love that sort of thing. Won’t she make something for her big brother?”

“If she does, she’ll probably make her own brother’s scarf first.”

“Brother? You have another brother?”

“Oh, you haven’t met Tae-woo yet. He’s my cousin, a high schooler who only comes home on weekends because he’s in the dorms. I’ll bring him next time.”

As I responded warmly, the attention gradually shifted from Robert to me. For a Hunter, this neighborhood mountain was a casual stroll, even if it was considered high for a backyard hill. Robert and I had come empty-handed, so maybe people felt sorry for us—they started pulling things out of their bags and handing them to me.

Water, vitamin drinks, chocolate, cucumber… even kimbap wrapped in foil.

It was amusing in its own way, but these people were Robert’s friends, after all. I felt a bit bad that he was being ignored, so I glanced over at him…

“……”

He was looking at me with exactly the same expression as Hong Seok-yeong.

Proud, satisfied, as if just seeing me filled him up.

Not a drop of blood between us. Not that blood is the only thing that makes a family, but honestly, our relationship was ambiguous at best. He was my late wife’s stepfather! To be honest, we were practically strangers!

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t be family, but still… right?

If it were Tae-woo or Sophia, who were always supposed to be distant relatives, I’d understand. Uirok was just a kid, so that was within reason.

But for a man in his thirties to be so readily accepted as a grandson… I still wasn’t used to having grandparents.

Why did he treat me like a real grandson?

…Damn it! Not that I’m saying I’m not his grandson!!

“Hey, don’t get any ideas just because my grandson’s handsome. Today’s my special weekend with him!”

“Well, Mr. Bart, your grandson really is good-looking!”

“Come on, let’s snack as we go. I don’t know what my grandkids are doing these days. Some people’s grandkids even go hiking with them, even when they’re busy.”

“At least you have grandkids. I don’t even know if my son is still alive…”

The complaints about children continued. Robert nodded along, then said he’d better get going and led me toward the summit.

Near the top, there was a temple. Most of the hikers seemed to stop there, and after passing it, the trail grew much quieter.

Only then did Robert speak.

“My son-in-law was telling me.”

“…Yes?”

“He’s worried you think too much.”

“……”

I wanted to protest, but I couldn’t deny it.

Robert looked at my face and chuckled. No blood relation, not even legal family, but father-in-law and son-in-law smiled at each other like parent and child.

“Hee-jae, I know you’ve had a hard past.”

“…It wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, you can’t fool adults.”

“……”

“I just wanted to tell you.”

We climbed up onto a huge rock. The summit. Even in the heat, a cool breeze blew.

“Isabella and I are the sort of people who don’t change our minds once we’ve decided something.”

The city lay at our feet. Much smaller than Seoul, but the dense apartments, buildings, and green mountains didn’t look so different from Korea twenty years in the future.

…If anything, it felt more alive.

The last time I’d seen a city from this height was… that day. The day I returned to the past. The day I flew from Busan to Seoul in a helicopter.

A city and roads covered in fire, screams, and monsters.

“No matter what happens, you’re my grandson. Everyone in our apartment complex knows it.”

“…Yes. I got that impression.”

“Even if my son-in-law suddenly went crazy and claimed you weren’t his son, you, Irok, Tae-woo, and Sophia would all still be my grandkids. If anything, he’d be the one unfit to be my son-in-law.”

I blinked.

The burning city vanished.

“I know I haven’t been much of a grandfather for a long time. I’m sorry.”

Robert put his arm around my shoulders. I stared at him.

“You do remember we haven’t known each other long, right?”

“That’s one thing, but this is another.”

Like father-in-law, like son-in-law…

“If you ever have a hard time, tell this grandpa everything. Isabella and I may be retired, but we still know a lot of people.”

Robert continued, shamelessly,

“We could even… slip someone away…”

“That won’t be necessary!”

“Well, my son-in-law would probably stop me anyway…”

“I can handle it myself!”

“That’s what makes you my grandson.”

Robert winked playfully.

I looked at him, uncertain if he was joking or not.

But soon I stopped wondering. I understood what Robert Blake was trying to say.

“…I’ve never had grandparents before.”

“I figured as much.”

“So I’m still not sure how to act.”

“That’s fine. I’ve never had so many grandkids before, either.”

Robert looked up and gazed out over the city below.

“That’s why every morning is such a joy. I think about what to talk about with the kids on the way to school, and it’s fun to hear about their day when I pick them up. At first, they were shy, but now they cling to my side without hesitation, and it’s the cutest thing.”

“…I won’t be clinging.”

“Ha ha, Irok was the same at first.”

Robert laughed heartily. A few hikers at the summit turned to look.

He shrugged.

“Thanks for showing me that life can be this enjoyable at my age.”

“…You shouldn’t be thanking me. You should thank Irok, or rather, Mr. Hong.”

“Mr. Hong?”

Robert’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s not what I heard you call him.”

“…I’m not sure.”

“So shy. You and Irok really are brothers.”

But Robert didn’t cling to that word the way Hong Seok-yeong did. He just grinned knowingly.

So what was the point of inviting me hiking?

I watched Robert’s back as he started down the mountain. We could have had that conversation at home, after all.

…The truth is, I just didn’t know how to deal with having a grandfather, but I wasn’t trying to deny it.

“Robert! Heading down already?”

“Time to get home and eat!”

“Have a good meal with your grandson!”

“That way’s slippery. Be careful going down.”

We ran into the same group of hikers as before. The apartment residents waved warmly at Robert and me.

We stepped aside to let them pass. Only after everyone had gone up did Robert start walking again. He stopped abruptly at a rough stone step, then held out his hand to me.

“…Yes?”

Robert waved his empty hand.

“It’s pretty steep here. Take my hand and be careful coming down.”

I stared at Robert and his outstretched hand. Did he really think a Hunter could get hurt at this height?

But Robert was serious.

“Come on.”

“……”

“Here.”

The stubbornly offered hand left me no choice but to take it.

Robert gripped my hand tightly and smiled.

“If things ever get tough, you can always lean on me.”

…So this is what it means to be a grandson. I carefully took his hand and stepped down. Honestly, I should have been the one supporting Robert.

But feeling his firm grip, I understood what he wanted to do.