GTLTGIDES chapter 21

As soon as I arrived, Elliot made the first move.

He forcibly shut my mouth, saying he wanted to focus on the meal while eating.

Because of that, I could only talk about how the food was until the entire lavish course meal had passed.

It was only when the fruit came out with the dessert punch that I could gently open my mouth.

“What’s the good reason for calling me here?”

“Have you finished eating?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, I ate well.”

It’s true. I ate so well I almost felt guilty towards Eunsoo.

At first, I wondered if I could digest such luxurious food given that it was my first time eating such a feast and I was stressed from not seeing Eunsoo for a long time.

But as soon as I tasted the ‘one-bite’ dishes that came out first, my worries vanished.

Everything melted in my mouth, no matter what I ate.

I left a bit of rice, but other than that, I ate so much it wasn’t like me at all.

Originally, I didn’t have a big stomach, and Yang Heewoon’s stomach capacity wasn’t that big either.

Seeing me eat so well, Elliot looked satisfied.

“I’m glad it suited your taste. Let’s have meals together occasionally.”

“But…”

Elliot’s meals are always this luxurious and expensive, so I feel bad getting treated every time.

But it makes me want to cry just thinking about paying for it myself.

“How can I eat something that costs an extra zero compared to a normal meal? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime extravagance.”

Even just imagining it makes me dizzy.

My stomach isn’t that big, and I can happily eat soggy noodles, so coming to such a high-end restaurant feels like a waste of money.

“Let’s meet and talk about the child as well. We said we would co-parent together.”

“So, you mean…”

“Yes. I accept. But the condition is that you have meals with me from time to time.”

“Thank you! I’ll run to you like a bullet when you call! I can do anything besides just eating together!”

I shouted without realizing it.

I had almost half accepted it, but hearing it directly made me feel different.

I felt dazed yet my heart was warming up.

Elliot chuckled, seeming to like my enthusiastic response.

“By the way, Heewoon, what’s the child’s name? I thought about applying for a sponsor through our foundation, but I realized I don’t even know the child’s name.”

“Oh, the name…”

I scratched my cheek.

Come to think of it, I asked him to be the ‘dad’ but hadn’t even told him the name.

“It’s Huimang’.” (TL: Huimang also means wish or hope)

“So, it’s ‘Yang Huimang’? That might get the child teased a bit when they start school. Kids love to tease based on names.”

True. When Huimang starts kindergarten or elementary school, she might get nicknames like ‘bell pepper’ or ‘onion net’. (TL: Bell Pepper in korean is Pimang, onion net is Yangpamang)

I fiddled with the glass of dessert punch, smiling slightly as I answered.

“I planned to change it later. For now, since the child might be able to leave the hospital, I just named them something with good fortune in mind.”

Actually, that’s only half true. The name ‘Huimang’ carries more of Yang Heewoon’s determination than just ‘good fortune.’

A resolve to ‘do anything to protect Huimang.’

Yang Heewoon figured the child would be renamed upon adoption after his death, so the name’s sound wasn’t a big deal to him.

Though it was a clumsy excuse, Elliot let it slide without much fuss.

“Hmm. Well, that’s fine. There’s still time. Think about a new name slowly.”

“Yes, I will.”

In fact, I already had a new name in mind for when the child could enjoy a normal life.

But it was hard to explain the meaning, so I didn’t want to reveal it just yet.

Elliot fiddled with his device before raising his gaze back to me.

“Your child is currently only receiving maintenance treatment from a healing Esper, right? Maintenance treatment usually just maintains the status quo, so it would be best to receive intensive treatment. Even one session could show significant improvement.”

“That’s because of the cost…”

For cases not yet solvable by science alone, the treatment costs are astronomical.

The Esper involved needs to be at least A-class, and healing Espers are incredibly expensive.

The maintenance treatment alone costs 10 million won per month with all the discounts and subsidies.

Intensive treatment is much more expensive, easily running into the hundreds of millions, especially since it usually requires multiple sessions, ultimately costing several billion.

Where could Yang Heewoon possibly get such a large sum?

“I expected that, but still. So, I looked into it, and our foundation has a treatment support program for newborns. Would you like to participate?”

“Treatment support program…?”

I looked blankly at Elliot, mouth agape.

Elliot continued speaking after finishing his dessert punch.

“Yes. If you pass, all treatment costs will be covered. They will monitor the child’s progress for three years post-discharge, and if there’s a need to visit the hospital during that period, the treatment costs will be fully covered. Not bad, right?”

It’s more than not bad.

He mentioned it casually, as if saying ‘let’s grab a coffee,’ but the content was astonishing.

“…Thank you so much.”

“The foundation does it. I just confirmed the project’s existence and checked if you met the qualifications. You have to go through the formal procedures, so you don’t need to thank me. If selected, you’ll also need to appear in the foundation’s promotional videos post-treatment. That’s part of the contract.”

“Yes, that’s no problem. I can do that!”

“Here are the documents. Read them carefully and submit them by the end of this week.”

What should I do? I feel so grateful.

His words about going through the formal procedures made me even more grateful.

Of course, there’s a chance we might not pass the program, and even if the child receives the benefits, it will take months for the treatment, so I might not see the child recover.

But just knowing there’s someone other than Yang Heewoon who cares for the child in this world makes me incredibly happy. I had only pushed so hard for someone to be the dad…

I fiddled with my hands.

Setting the contract aside, is there a way to personally thank Elliot?

Is there anything I can do for him?

Elliot, perceptive as ever, seemed to understand my thoughts and looked at me intently.

“…Thank you?”

“Yes. Thank you so much.”

“Then how about this: I’ll play dress-up with a doll, and you can be the doll?”

“I’ll do it! I’ll wear anything!”

“Really, anything?”

“Anything!”

“…Why are you so defenseless?”

He grumbled, but Elliot’s red lips were smiling.

He suggested we should get up instead of dawdling around, so I stood up.

Only one thing bothered me.

“Elliot, isn’t dressing up a squished steamed bun not very fun?”

In the original story, Elliot’s hobby was to take someone to a department store and dress them up.

Eunsoo, the ‘doll’ in the story, was pretty and grew strong after becoming an adult, so there was fun in dressing him.

But I wondered if it would be the same with skinny, plain-looking Yang Heewoon.

Elliot stopped abruptly. He turned around, looking at me as if he had heard something unbelievable.

“My goodness. Squished steamed bun? Why would you say such a thing?”

“Yes? That was something Elliot said.”

“No, that…”

She pushed his bangs up and looked down at me with an expression of utter injustice.

…Though I feel like I’m the one who’s being wronged here.

“This is driving me crazy… Why do you have such a good memory despite having no sense?”

Elliot looked up at me with a gaze that seemed to silently protest, his pale face flushed with a pretty pink as he shouted.

“Hiwoon, you’re so cute! You’re like an adorable steamed bun. Is that enough now?”

An adorable steamed bun.

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

While spending time with Elliot, I was able to forget my worries about Eunsoo.

The “doll dress-up game” we played together was more fun than I expected.

I’ve never worn so many clothes in my life.

They were all high-quality clothes from department stores and had luxurious designs that suited Elliot’s aesthetic sense.

“I’ve heard the saying that clothes make the man, but it’s really true…”

I personally felt how much a person’s impression can change just by changing clothes.

One downside, though, is that no matter how good the clothes are, they can’t be showcased properly if the hanger isn’t up to par.

“If Eunsoo had worn these clothes, he would have looked incredibly cute…”

This kind of game appeared often in the original work as well.

Elliot, despite being someone who owns a beautiful appearance, would never leave Eunsoo, who doesn’t bother with dressing up, alone.

He often dragged his to department stores or busy streets, piling his with clothes.

I’m happy to have briefly filled Eunsoo’s place and felt like a successful otaku, but looking at the results, all I feel is regret.

While Eunsoo’s clothes would have suited his well, they don’t look as good on me.

“It’s beautiful.”

On the other hand, Elliot seemed to really like the slate blue suit I was wearing this time. He looked at me with a satisfied smile.

“So, you think it’s pretty… It must be receiving a relative buff since you didn’t know Eunsoo before.”

If Eunsoo had worn this, he would have looked twenty times better!

If Elliot had seen Eunsoo in it, he wouldn’t be satisfied with my appearance now!

I suppose this is what it feels like to be a thief. It’s not that pleasant.

“Let’s buy this.”

“Yes? Buy it?”