86.
#Charity Event
“Uh…”
Seeing Ui-hyeon’s gaze fixed on the envelope, Dawoon hesitated to answer immediately.
“Was that car just now Hayun hyung’s?”
It seemed he naturally thought of Hayun, given how eye-catching the car was. Dawoon shook his head.
“I guess not. If it was Hayun hyung, he probably wouldn’t have sent someone else to deliver something.”
Unable to deny that statement, Dawoon just smiled quietly.
“So? What is it?”
Ui-hyeon returned to his initial question. Dawoon opened the envelope and showed him the contents.
“Are you planning to study abroad?”
With so many university brochures inside, anyone would think he was considering studying abroad.
“You’re graduating soon, right? Why now?”
Ui-hyeon asked, seemingly unable to understand.
“There’s always graduate school.”
Dawoon was already in his last semester of university. If he went after graduation, he could enter graduate school right away over there.
“That’s unexpected. Weren’t you going to get a job? Well, I guess it’s not strange to go to graduate school either.”
Ui-hyeon frowned, muttering. It seemed he hadn’t considered that Dawoon might go abroad. When he asked if Ui-hyeon would feel lonely without someone to nag him, Ui-hyeon glared slightly but didn’t deny it.
“But…”
Ui-hyeon frowned and swallowed his words. Wondering what he wanted to say, Dawoon stared at him, and Ui-hyeon let out a deep sigh.
“Did Hayun hyung say it’s okay?”
The short question contained many implications. Although they hadn’t specifically mentioned Dawoon’s relationship with Hayun for years, it seemed Ui-hyeon still had the incident from three years ago in mind. Instead of answering, Dawoon avoided his gaze.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re planning to go secretly?”
As always, Ui-hyeon was quick to catch on. He immediately guessed correctly just by looking at Dawoon’s expression.
“Hey, don’t. If you get caught later, who knows what kind of trouble you’ll be in.”
Ui-hyeon shook his head, saying it was scary just imagining it. Dawoon had similar thoughts. What would happen if he got caught trying to leave secretly? It might be worse than what Ui-hyeon was imagining.
“Grandfather suggested it.”
When Dawoon used his grandfather as a shield, Ui-hyeon’s expression hardened.
“Are you sure that was a suggestion?”
He probably wanted to ask if it wasn’t an order of expulsion, but he swallowed his words and frowned. Dawoon just chuckled. Whether it was a suggestion or an order, once it came out of his grandfather’s mouth, there was no taking it back. He just hoped Hayun wouldn’t find out until the day he left Korea.
“Is this what you want?”
“I think it’s not bad. It’ll be a change of scenery too.”
When Dawoon compared the grueling study abroad experience to getting some fresh air, Ui-hyeon clicked his tongue, saying he’d see about that.
“As long as you’re not being forced into it, I guess it’s fine. It might even be for the best.”
At Ui-hyeon’s words, Dawoon smiled quietly, but his feelings were complex. Although he had considered running away abroad on his own, now that he was being pushed out like this, he couldn’t shake off the bitter feeling.
***
Weekend. Dawoon arrived at the hotel where the charity event was being held, wearing the suit Hayun had prepared for him, accompanied by Hayun. As the car stopped in front of the hotel, Director Park, who was in the front seat, got out and opened the back door. When Hayun stepped out of the car, people from the charity event organizers, who had been notified in advance, came out to greet him.
Their gazes shifted to Dawoon as he got out of the car behind Hayun.
“Who is this…?”
“He’s my younger brother.”
At Hayun’s introduction, they immediately bowed their heads. Dawoon felt uncomfortable with these people, who seemed much older than him, being so deferential. It was excessive kindness shown to a member of the Group, even if he wasn’t Jeong Dawoon.
They followed them into the hall where the charity event was being held. Numerous people were already gathered in small groups, chatting while dressed in fancy clothes. The women were mostly in dresses, and the men were in sharp suits.
Is this really what a charity event is supposed to be like? It seemed more like a place for people to show off how much money they had.
Even among them, Jeong Hayun stood out overwhelmingly. Whispers began here and there at his appearance.
“That’s Jeong Hayun from Haedo Group, right?”
“He’s younger than I thought?”
“Of course he’s young. He’s only just turned thirty.”
“But he’s already a Vice Chairman?”
“The Chairman’s eldest son died, remember? That’s why he became the successor early.”
They tried to keep their voices down, thinking they might be heard, but it was pointless. Dawoon glanced at Hayun. There was no way he couldn’t hear the voices that Dawoon could hear, but he seemed to pay no attention. Seeing how calmly he acted, it seemed like he was quite used to this.
Dawoon had thought he was the only one subject to all kinds of talk within the Haedo Group, but it seemed Hayun had it tough outside as well. Well, with his young age and the title of Vice Chairman of Haedo Group, he was bound to be a popular topic of conversation.
“Hayun, you’re here?”
Jeong Seo-in approached and greeted Hayun. Dawoon was slightly taken aback, not expecting his aunt to be here.
“You’re here too.”
Her tone was completely different from when she greeted Hayun. Her expression clearly said, “Why are you here?” Hayun naturally stood in front of Dawoon, shielding him.
“Have you already finished greeting everyone?”
At his attempt to divert attention, she looked around the hall and shrugged.
“More or less.”
It seemed she had already made her rounds to everyone she considered important.
“You should go greet people over there too. It looks like Minister Yoon is waiting for you.”
At her words, gesturing towards one side, Hayun just smiled. Although Jeong Seo-in often opposed Hayun on every matter within the company, she acted particularly friendly at private gatherings like this. She knew well that rumors of being at odds with the Haedo Group’s successor wouldn’t be beneficial for her either.
Soon, someone else called for Jeong Seo-in, and she approached them with a sweet smile on her face.
“When it comes to pretense, no one can match Aunt.”
Hayun laughed incredulously, his words half-joking. Dawoon stared up at Hayun.
“Why?”
“I think you’re quite formidable too.”
At Dawoon’s blunt answer, Hayun’s lips curled up in amusement.
“I’ve never been like that with you.”
The gentle smile that accompanied his answer made Dawoon turn away.
It’s scarier that you’re sincere.
Lately, whenever Hayun subtly revealed his true feelings, it made Dawoon more uncomfortable. It was almost better when he thought it was just a physical relationship.
“Vice Chairman!”
Some people recognized Hayun and called out to him.
“Go. I’ll manage on my own and kill time appropriately.”
Dawoon pushed Hayun’s back to send him off, then walked towards a corner. Having been dragged here half-forcibly, he still had no intention of mingling with people. Unlike at Haedo Group gatherings, people here treated him as a member of Haedo and tried to impress him, but he still couldn’t warm up to such people.
Holding a glass of champagne, he leaned against the wall and watched people indifferently. Everyone wore seemingly impressive smiles, but hardly any felt genuine. Hayun was instantly surrounded by people. Among them were some famous celebrities whose faces Dawoon recognized. Especially the female celebrities around Hayun’s age were so obvious in their intentions that it made Dawoon chuckle.
They probably can’t imagine what this seemingly upright man does to his younger brother every night.
He smiled bitterly at his self-deprecating thought and shook his head.
“Ah, it’s Jeong Yu-jeong.”
Turning to the voice from beside him, he saw a familiar man standing there. The man who met Dawoon’s eyes smiled brightly.
“We meet again.”
It was artist Choi Seon-gyeom. Dawoon was surprised to see him here, not expecting to meet him at such a place.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is it that surprising?”
He asked with a smile.
“I didn’t expect it at all…”
“It’s the same for me. Anyway, aren’t you glad to see a familiar face?”
Choi Seon-gyeom slightly raised his champagne glass and smiled warmly. Thinking about it, it wasn’t strange for him to be here. With quite a few famous celebrities attending, there could easily be people from that industry as well. Maybe Choi Seon-gyeom was more famous than Dawoon thought.
“To be honest, I don’t really like these kinds of gatherings, but I was dragged here forcibly. The president who sponsored my exhibition handed me an invitation and insisted I attend.”
Dawoon smiled faintly at his words about the struggles of social life. It felt like the first person he met here who revealed his true feelings. Even his attire wasn’t the formal suit like others. He was wearing jeans with just a semi-formal jacket. Compared to those pretentious people, Choi Seon-gyeom’s vibe was completely different.
“I’m really glad to see you. I wanted to meet you again.”
Choi Seon-gyeom seemed more pleased than expected.
“You received my business card, right?”
At the mention of the business card Choi Yu-na had passed on, Dawoon let out a short “Ah.” He had certainly received it but hadn’t thought about contacting him at all, so he wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Don’t tell me you threw it away?”
He looked like he would be really disappointed if Dawoon said he had thrown it away.
“No, that’s not it.”
As Dawoon quickly waved his hands in denial, Choi Seon-gyeom smiled brightly as if relieved. Somehow, that smile felt incredibly warm.
