53.
#The Dinner Meeting
“You look hot,” the secretary said, gesturing towards Dawoon’s forehead. When he wiped it with the back of his hand, he felt sweat. But he couldn’t tell if it was from the heat or nervousness.
“Should I ask them to lower the temperature?” the secretary suggested after Dawoon refused to change his clothes.
“Leave it be,” a voice came from behind. Dawoon reflexively stood up. Chairman Jeong was walking out of the inner study.
“I raised it on purpose for the child,” he said, implying that he wouldn’t lower it for any other reason since it was for Haram. Dawoon bowed slightly.
“Grandfather!” Haram jumped off the sofa and ran towards Chairman Jeong. Seeing the child running with outstretched arms, the Chairman naturally bent down and hugged him, patting his back.
“Our Haram, have you been well?” His tone and gaze were different from when he looked at Dawoon. Wrinkles formed around the Chairman’s eyes and mouth as he smiled. Haram nodded and answered loudly, “Yes!” while wrapping his arms around his grandfather’s neck.
“Ha ha, your grandson is adorable,” an unfamiliar voice came from behind Chairman Jeong. Only then did Dawoon notice there was another person behind him.
Choi Min-guk, the ruling party’s floor leader. Dawoon recognized his face immediately. He couldn’t not know someone who appeared on the news so often. As Choi’s gaze turned to him, Dawoon bowed again. Choi acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod and looked Dawoon up and down. Then, seemingly satisfied, he smiled and turned to Chairman Jeong.
“Why have you been hiding such an excellent grandson all this time?”
Dawoon couldn’t tell if it was mere courtesy or sincere. Chairman Jeong smiled a rehearsed smile, put Haram down, and approached Dawoon. As the distance between him and his grandfather decreased, Dawoon felt his mouth going dry. He wondered why his grandfather, who usually barely acknowledged him even when they saw each other, was acting differently today.
“The guests have arrived,” the secretary reported.
Chairman Jeong, who had been approaching, stopped. His and Congressman Choi’s gazes simultaneously turned towards the entrance. Several people were walking towards the living room, guided by a servant.
“You’ve arrived on time. Greet them. This is Chairman Jeong,” Congressman Choi, not Chairman Jeong, acknowledged them first. The middle-aged couple who seemed to be parents smiled brightly and bowed to Chairman Jeong. Soon after, two men in their mid-20s behind them also greeted. After they greeted and stepped aside slightly, it became visible that there was one more person behind them.
“Senior…” Dawoon inadvertently muttered at the unexpected appearance. Everyone’s gaze turned to Dawoon as if they had heard. Choi Yu-na also looked at Dawoon. When their eyes met, she awkwardly lifted the corners of her mouth before returning them to their original position. It was obvious she was extremely nervous.
“This is my second son and his wife. The guys behind are my grandchildren. Yu-na, come here,” Congressman Choi gestured, and Choi Yu-na came forward obediently with her hands clasped in front.
“This is my granddaughter I mentioned,” Congressman Choi introduced her to Chairman Jeong. Chairman Jeong’s gaze swept her from head to toe, similar to how Congressman Choi had looked at Dawoon earlier.
“Dawoon, come here and greet them,” his grandfather called. Dawoon swallowed hard and approached them.
“I’m Jeong Dawoon,” he said, bowing slightly. When he raised his head, his eyes met Choi Yu-na’s. The atmosphere was awkward for acknowledging each other. Yu-na seemed to feel the same, as her eyes trembled slightly as she looked at Dawoon.
“Didn’t you say they’re from the same university? Yeonhwa University, right?” Congressman Choi asked Yu-na. Yu-na briefly answered that it was correct.
“What was Yu-na’s major again?”
“Business Administration,” she replied.
“Ah, right,” he confirmed and turned to Dawoon. “And you, Dawoon?”
“Media Communication,” Dawoon answered.
Choi’s eyes widened briefly at Dawoon’s answer, as if it was unexpected, before quickly returning to normal. He seemed to have assumed Dawoon would be in Business or Economics, being the grandson of the Haedo Group. But being an experienced congressman, he didn’t show any other reaction and quickly changed the subject, saying it was a shame Dawoon wasn’t Yu-na’s junior in the Business department.
“Your grandson is quite handsome,” Yu-na’s father, the middle-aged man, approached with a smile as Dawoon stood silently, not knowing what else to say.
“Although our Yu-na is his senior, they’re only a year apart, so they should get along well,” he said, smiling kindly at Dawoon and gently pushing Yu-na towards him.
“Standing like this, they look like a perfect match. Since they’re from the same university, why don’t you two greet each other properly?” he suggested, hinting at Yu-na to speak first.
“They must already know each other. Didn’t you say Dawoon is Yu-na’s junior in the broadcasting club?” Congressman Choi asked Yu-na, then gave his son a reproachful look for not knowing this. Yu-na turned to look at Dawoon. When their eyes met, a troubled expression appeared on her face.
“Yes, we know each other,” Yu-na answered. Her father welcomed this, saying it was great. Dawoon lowered his gaze, his mind becoming complicated. He wondered why she was here. It made sense that Congressman Choi would come to meet his grandfather. But why were Congressman Choi’s second son’s family and children all here? How did Congressman Choi know that he and Yu-na were in the same broadcasting club when even her father didn’t know?
If Yu-na hadn’t told his grandfather, it meant Congressman Choi had investigated her university life. Would she directly tell the grandfather, bypassing her father? It seemed unlikely based on what she had said to him before – she didn’t seem to be close to her grandfather. So it was more correct to think that Congressman Choi was investigating her. Seeing Yu-na’s stiff face, it seemed she too hadn’t known about this gathering.
Congressman Choi’s second son’s family had clearly come with an appointment. That was evident from his grandfather’s reaction. His grandfather was not someone who met people without appointments.
‘What if grandfather had chosen Choi Yu-na as your match?’ Dawoon recalled Hayun’s words, and his heart felt constricted. He thought such a thing might happen someday, but it seemed too early. Moreover, since his grandfather had never shown any interest in him, he had considered Hayun’s worry excessive.
But it seemed that wasn’t the case. He had overlooked the fact that Hayun wouldn’t say meaningless things given his personality.
“What are you doing? Not guiding the adults,” his grandfather scolded Dawoon, who was standing blankly. At the look telling him to guide Congressman Choi’s son’s family immediately, Dawoon bit the inside of his lip hard. He himself had been treated as a guest in the main house. No, sometimes even less than a guest. And now he was being told to entertain guests.
“What’s this situation?” At Hayun’s voice, Dawoon turned to see him standing at the living room entrance. When did he arrive? His footsteps hadn’t been heard. Hayun slowly looked around at everyone. When his eyes met Congressman Choi’s, he bowed his head in greeting first.
“Director Jeong has arrived. We were just waiting for you,” Congressman Choi greeted Hayun jovially. Realizing from the title “Director” that he was the heir to the Haedo Group, Congressman Choi’s son approached Hayun with a bright smile.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, offering a handshake to Hayun. Hayun just nodded slightly and walked past him towards Dawoon. The man’s face stiffened, embarrassed at the rejected handshake, but when he turned around, he was smiling again.
“I came thinking it was a family dinner, so I was a bit surprised to see other guests,” Hayun said, smiling gently as he looked at Chairman Jeong and Congressman Choi. He seemed to not even see Congressman Choi’s second son’s family.
“Let them greet each other. That’s my second son and his family, and my grandchildren,” Congressman Choi reminded, referring to the people Hayun had ignored. Hayun turned to them and bowed his head with a smile, but that was all. He didn’t approach to offer a handshake again or ask their names.
It was obvious to anyone that he was ignoring them. Even Dawoon, who was watching, felt it and wondered if this was okay. It was different from Hayun’s behavior at other gatherings. Usually, Hayun maintained basic courtesy regardless of who he was dealing with.
He’s in a bad mood now, Dawoon thought. And he could guess why. It was because grandfather had arranged this meeting with Choi Yu-na. On the surface, it looked like a gathering for Congressman Choi, but the real purpose of today’s dinner was to have Dawoon and Choi Yu-na meet face-to-face. And they had invited Yu-na’s parents and her half-brothers too. This wasn’t just a casual meeting, it was practically an arranged marriage meeting.
Usually, arranged marriages are just between the two parties. This is closer to a family meeting.
Dawoon was bewildered by this unilateral decision made without any prior consultation.
“Soon they’ll be family, so it is indeed a family dinner,” Chairman Jeong corrected Hayun’s earlier statement. At the same time, the smile disappeared from Hayun’s face.
