Golden Slumber 📚 ATEEZ [▶]

13

Taecyeon and Yoona were taken aback, silent. Yeosang, sitting in his chair, was shaking with anger, glaring at his father with red eyes. Yoona, beside Taecyeon, regretted everything that had happened to her son. Although she had never been partial like Taecyeon, seeing Yeosang’s disappointment in the father he once admired made her concerned.

“Honey,” Yoona whispered to her husband.

However, Taecyeon didn’t want to respond. He pulled Yoona’s hand and went into their room, ignoring Yeosang’s unchanged expression.

Yeseo, across from Yeosang, looked a bit awkward, understanding that her older brother was not in a good mood. So, rather than disturbing him, she chose to go back to her own tasks.

Yeosang himself had lost the desire to study. He was too frustrated by what Taecyeon had just said. He got up, was about to grab the car keys from the table, when he faintly heard Yoona and Taecyeon’s conversation from their room.

“You’ve hurt his feelings.” Yoona finally spoke up.

“Yoona, what’s wrong with you?” Taecyeon didn’t understand. He was doing what he thought was best. Besides, there were no specific guidelines out there on how to raise a child like Yeosang.

“What’s wrong with me! Why from the start did you treat Yeosang differently as if he wasn’t your own family? I’ve told you how happy I was with Yeosang’s birth. Have you forgotten that for years we wanted a child, and when he was born, you ignored him just because he’s a boy? What were you thinking? Why have you never treated Yeosang as well as you treat Yeseo?”

Yeosang stood still, following the silence that came after his mother’s long sentence.

“We only have two children. Is it so hard for you to be fair to both of them? Yeosang needs your attention too!” Yoona’s voice cracked with tears. “Look at him now! If you had accepted him from the start, he wouldn’t be like this. He has been longing for you, how could you be so selfish?”

Yeosang almost teared up with everything Yoona said to Taecyeon before he decided to leave, taking his father’s car keys.

With disappointment still weighing on his chest, Yeosang grabbed the car door and started it. Maybe he could run away, stay at someone’s house after this, or just go for a drive and return when he felt better. Other plans spun in his mind as he began driving, just about to pass the gate when someone suddenly stopped him.

Yeosang stared, “Mr. Park?” seeing Seonghwa walking up to him.

“What are you doing?” Seonghwa asked with his usual playful tone.

“I just wanted to take it to the parking lot. Go for a drive, just cruising around,” Yeosang made an excuse.

“Yes, I hope you don’t need to do that. First, you’re breaking the law. Second, I don’t think you have a driver’s license. And third, it seems your father doesn’t know.” Seonghwa didn’t need any other response when Yeosang sat still, not contesting his assumptions.

“I just want to drive.” Yeosang finally admitted. And that his beloved bicycle had been sold by his father after the drama department incident.

“You want to drive, right?” Seonghwa was enthusiastic, unlike Yeosang, who looked puzzled. “Alright, let’s drive.”

Yeosang’s surprise was answered fifteen minutes later when he was at a go-kart racing arena, equipped with racing gear, a helmet, and a pair of gloves.

“Are you ready?” Seonghwa asked as Yeosang got into his go-kart.

“Yes, when else will I race with a teacher?”

Seonghwa smiled wryly. “To be honest, I’m not racing with you.”

Yeosang was about to ask who his opponent was when the roar of another go-kart reached his ears. He turned and saw Taecyeon, also wearing full racing gear and driving a dark blue go-kart.

“Dad?” Yeosang was annoyed.

“I’m racing with you! If you win, you can do whatever you want, and I don’t care. Go to any college you want, and I’ll finance it. But if you lose, you have to sign up for a gym membership and marry Yuqi next year!” Taecyeon explained.

Yeosang smirked beside him. “I’m not going to that awful place.”

Seonghwa signaled with two flags and raised them into the air. Just as he yelled “Start,” Yeosang and Taecyeon’s go-karts sped past him.

Yeosang couldn’t let his father lead, even by an inch. He accelerated, making the road clearer by overtaking his father. Seonghwa, from his place, didn’t stop cheering Yeosang on, occasionally waving the flags again. At the first intersection, Taecyeon caught up again. Driving for over twenty years made him understand how to turn sharp corners without losing much speed.

But Yeosang didn’t want to fall behind. The wind rushed against his body as he accelerated back, matching Taecyeon’s position beside him. Yeosang took the opportunity to look over, giving a mocking smile before accelerating again, not caring too much about the turn ahead. Yeosang’s go-kart almost went off track if he hadn’t controlled it quickly. Even so, the earlier lapse narrowed the gap with Taecyeon again.

Seonghwa continued to shout encouragement, making Yeosang determined to increase his speed. The roar of the engine fueled his driver’s passion, as he passed Seonghwa holding the flags earlier than his father. Yeosang turned his go-kart, facing Taecyeon, who was two meters away.

“You have to keep your promise,” Yeosang said as he raised his helmet’s visor.

“What promise?” Taecyeon was not pleased with his son’s sporting victory.

Yeosang sighed heavily, already suspecting his father wouldn’t let him win. Seonghwa, hearing the father-son commotion, quickly approached them.

“Do you think you’re so great? You’re just cruising around. My steering was problematic, so the race doesn’t count. If you can win in a street race out there, then—”

“Alright!”

Yeosang turned back, driving his go-kart while deliberately making a lot of smoke at Taecyeon. Going off track, even out of the arena. Following his father’s command, Yeosang drove outside. Taecyeon, behind, tried to catch up with his son while continuously shouting for him to stop. Seonghwa sighed wearily, watching the never-ending father-son conflict.