The laughter in the courtyard was so loud it seemed to vibrate the very roof tiles. The four "men" were currently competing to see who could pump the water the fastest, resulting in more water on their vests than in the bucket. Se-na, caught in the infectious gravity of their teenage energy, was cheering them on with a whistle that Ra-ik's lungs made feel like a siren.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound was heavy. Deliberate. It wasn't the frantic tapping of a friend or the rhythmic beat of a neighbor. It was the sound of a closing door.
The courtyard went silent. The boys froze, water dripping from their chins.
"I'll get it!" Se-na called out, her curiosity piqued. She jogged to the gate and pulled it open, expecting perhaps a delivery or a curious neighbor.
Instead, she was met by a man in a charcoal suit that cost more than the basketball team's combined tuition. He held a leather briefcase like a shield and wore an expression of practiced, clinical coldness. Beside him stood a junior assistant looking equally sterile.
"Is the Madam of the house in?" the man asked, his voice a sharp contrast to the warm evening air.
"Yes," Se-na said, her inner doctor immediately recognizing the scent of a legal battle. "Who are you?"
"Ra-ik-a! Bring the guests inside!" the grandmother called out from the porch.
Se-na led them in, but as soon as the grandmother saw the charcoal suit, her face didn't just tense...it turned to stone. Her jaw tightened with a physical click, and the soft, melting look she had for the boys vanished, replaced by the steel of a matriarch.
"Ra-ik-a," the grandmother said, her voice low and steady. "Take your friends to the porch. Entertain them. I will speak with these gentlemen in the inner room."
"But Halmoni..."
"Go," she commanded. It wasn't a request.
Se-na, oblivious to the history but sensing the danger, retreated to the porch with the four boys. They sat in a row, suddenly subdued, watching as the grandmother led the "suits" to the far end of the house. Min-ho and the others exchanged glances of sudden, heavy pity. They knew Ra-ik was the "Golden Boy" of the school, but they had never seen the shadows that chased him home.
The sliding doors didn't quite muffle the explosion of voices.
"Madam," the lawyer's voice drifted over, sharp and unforgiving. "My client, Mr. Do Hyun-joo, has made his position clear. He wishes to strip Mr. Do Ra-ik of all privileges associated with the Do name. Furthermore, he is filing to strike the boy from the family registry entirely...effectively stripping him of the surname."
Se-na's heart skipped. Stripping the name? Even in her past life, she knew what that meant in a society built on lineage. It was social execution.
"On what grounds?" the grandmother's voice rang out, vibrating with a hidden power.
"On the grounds of..."
"On the grounds of his own cowardice!" the grandmother interrupted. "Tell my son that he can try to erase a name, but he cannot erase blood. And what law is on his side? When he didn't even have the decency to get a paternity test done!"
A heavy thud echoed, as if a cane had struck the floor.
"My client has eyewitnesses, Madam," the lawyer countered smoothly. "If this drags on, we will proceed with charges of adultery against ..." he looked at her in a way that said, you know what i am saying.
"My late husband knew exactly what kind of man his son was, though I always disagreed with him," the grandmother hissed. "He left a sealed directive with the family's senior council. A secret will, specifically for the event that anyone in the Do family tried to retaliate against me. According to the foundational charter of this house, I hold the 'Matriarchal Veto' over all registry changes until the day I am buried. Alas, I have to use it against my own son; but I have no regrets. If he wants to sully my grandson's or his mother's name, then he'll have to dig through my grave to get it."
The silence that followed was deafening. On the porch, the boys were staring at Ra-ik (Se-na) with wide, shocked eyes. They weren't seeing a "King of the Court" anymore; they were seeing a boy whose own father was trying to delete him.
"You would invoke the Veto?" the lawyer asked, his voice losing its edge.
"I certainly will," the grandmother breathed heavily.
"As much as this would affect my client...as it would freeze all of Mr. Hyun-joo's discretionary funds...you won't be able to protect yourself from the fire as well."
"I would burn the whole house down to keep my grandson warm," she replied. "I don't care if Ra-ik is Hyun-joo's son or a stranger from the street; if I say he is my grandson, then he stays a Do. And I do not care if I have to burn myself to keep him warm."
The lawyer sighed, the sound of a man who had lost this round. "He will not be pleased, Madam. He will stop at nothing."
"Neither will I, Mr. Lawyer."
"I am afraid this will be a long war, Madam."
"I am old and free," the grandmother replied. "I have power and all the time in the world."
"I will consult my client. I think the next time we meet will be in court. Now, please excuse me." He got up to leave.
"Excuse you," the old woman said.
The lawyer froze, his hand on the doorframe. He turned back to look at her; she looked absolutely intentional, her eyes burning with a light that made the professional man look small. He slid open the door and scurried toward the gate in fast steps, leaving without looking back.
The grandmother came out a few moments later. She looked tired and older than she had five minutes ago...but as her eyes landed on the boys, she forced a sweet, weary smile.
"Boys," she said softly, "I think we have to end our fun for today. What do you all say?"
Min-ho and the others scrambled up, their usual boisterous energy replaced by a quiet, awkward reverence. They looked at Ra-ik with a mix of surprise and deep pity as they bowed. "Of course, Halmeoni. We'll... we'll see you tomorrow, Ra-ik. Stay strong."
They made a quick exit, leaving the courtyard suddenly, painfully quiet.
The grandmother walked over to Se-na. She reached up with a trembling hand, stroking Ra-ik's cheeks before leaning in to press a firm, lingering kiss on his forehead. Se-na felt the heat rise to her face...a deep, visceral blush.
"Why... what happened, Grandma? Who were those people?"
The grandmother didn't answer. Instead, she took both of Se-na's large, boyish hands in her small, weathered ones. She squeezed them tight, her eyes searching Se-na's as if trying to memorize the soul inside.
"Promise me," the old woman whispered, her voice cracking. "Promise that whatever happens... whatever words people throw at you, or whatever they try to take... you will not be sad. Okay?"
Se-na felt a lump in her throat that had nothing to do with medical anatomy. She saw the fear behind the grandmother's strength, the desperate need to protect a boy who wasn't even technically there.
"Of course, Grandma!" Se-na replied, her voice firm. "You are with me. Why would I ever be sad?"
The grandmother let out a choked sob, half-laugh and half-cry. "Yes... my lion. Yes. I am always with you."
She pulled the tall teenage boy into a fierce hug, her head barely reaching his chest.
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