127.
#Was the trip enjoyable?
After finishing his work report, Director Park hesitated instead of leaving right away.
“Do you have something else to say?”
At Hayun’s question, he swallowed a sigh and spoke.
“The final check of the venue is complete. The invitations were all sent out yesterday too.”
Hayun nodded without any particular expression at the report on the engagement ceremony preparations.
“Are you really going through with this? I think it would be better if you canceled even now…”
“Is there any need for that?”
Director Park’s face hardened at the tone that suggested Hayun didn’t understand the reason.
“I thought you wouldn’t have the engagement ceremony if Dawoon returned.”
“I won’t.”
Director Park’s brow furrowed deeply at the nonchalant answer. Hayun chuckled and closed the documents he had been looking at.
“Please prepare it lavishly. We’ll proceed with the media release as planned.”
“…If the engagement ceremony doesn’t proceed normally, the repercussions will be no joke.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Hayun answered curtly and smiled while looking at Director Park. Confusion showed in Director Park’s eyes. He seemed to be trying to fathom what Hayun was up to, but it appeared to be beyond his capabilities.
“If it becomes too chaotic to handle, the old man won’t be able to push for engagements or marriages again.”
Hayun added an explanation to help him understand, and Director Park finally let out a low “Ah.” If they needed to experience firsthand how disastrous a forced marriage could be, Hayun was determined to let them experience it.
“The Chairman might collapse again.”
Anticipating what Hayun might do, Director Park expressed concern for the Chairman’s health. Although he had been discharged safely two months ago, the doctor had strongly advised against overexertion or excitement, considering his age and high blood pressure. Jeong Hayun was by far the biggest contributor to raising the Chairman’s blood pressure. Just when they thought he was unusually compliant with the engagement, he was planning to spectacularly ruin the engagement ceremony that had been announced to the media. Director Park worried that if the Chairman collapsed this time, it might be irreversible.
“The old man isn’t that weak, so don’t worry.”
Hayun was even more calm than Director Park. He added that he had recently obtained the Chairman’s medical records just in case, and he was healthier than expected.
At times like this, Director Park found Jeong Hayun frightening. He felt that Hayun had not an ounce of affection even for his own grandfather. The only exceptional person for Jeong Hayun was Jeong Dawoon. Thanks to Dawoon’s disappearance, the past two months had been the worst workplace experience so far.
On the other hand, the change was quick. On the day they went to choose the engagement dress, Jeong Dawoon called Choi Yu-na’s phone, and thanks to that, they were able to confirm where Dawoon was. Just that was enough to change Jeong Hayun’s tone and expression.
“The phone Dawoon was using was confirmed to be terminated yesterday. He booked a flight ticket to Korea for today. He should be on the plane by now.”
As he remembered, he relayed the information about Dawoon, and Hayun nodded.
“I should have changed his seat. Long flights can be tiring.”
Director Park couldn’t even sigh at this unexpected consideration. If Jeong Hayun treated other people the way he treated Jeong Dawoon, countless people would have been moved by his kindness.
“What time does he arrive?”
“Around noon tomorrow.”
“That’s good. We can meet for lunch.”
Hayun treated Jeong Dawoon’s return as if he had just been on a trip, despite causing everyone to worry sick by disappearing for two whole months. He seemed to be trying to brush it off as if nothing had happened.
“I’ll reserve a restaurant near the airport.”
“No. I’ll do it myself, so don’t worry about it.”
Hayun usually didn’t even bring the driver along for his private time with Dawoon. It seemed he was planning to do the same this time, so Director Park didn’t insist further and bowed before leaving the vice president’s office.
His job now was to prepare an article in case the engagement was canceled and draft an apology to Congressman Choi Min-guk’s side.
***
After getting off the plane, Dawoon tilted his head left and right to loosen his stiff neck. Including the layover and waiting time, it had been almost a 17-hour flight. He had slept throughout, so his mind was clear enough not to need jet lag adjustment. Perhaps he was also unconsciously tense from the moment he set foot on Korean soil, making it harder to sleep.
He had come to Korea, but now what should he do? While Jeong Hayun had been frantically searching for him, on the contrary, his grandfather might fall over in shock if he knew he had returned. He would find out soon enough anyway, but Dawoon wanted to postpone facing his grandfather as much as possible.
He wanted to meet Hayun quietly and talk before anyone else, but it was inconvenient not having a phone at times like this. He considered getting a phone first when he got to Seoul, then realized he could also borrow a phone from a passerby briefly, which made him chuckle.
‘Sometimes I wonder if you’re not normal? You say Writer Choi Seon-gyeom is your father? But why do you seem so clueless about the ways of the world at times?’
Jeff’s grumbling words from a while back vividly came back to his ears. He had sometimes scolded that Dawoon’s thought patterns seemed to suggest that if he needed something, he could just buy it. Indeed, having grown up wanting for nothing, Dawoon couldn’t refute.
Unlike when he left, he had bought some clothes while traveling, but it was just one small carry-on, so he had taken it on the plane. Thanks to that, he could exit a bit earlier than others without having to wait for luggage.
After leaving the arrival hall, he briefly considered whether to take the subway or the airport bus. He had always been picked up by a driver when coming to the airport, so he had never used either and needed to check the map first to see where to go. It felt strange to realize how everything was new when trying to move without involving Haedo Group.
Thinking the airport bus might be better than the crowded subway, he was about to turn around after checking the bus stop location when an arm suddenly reached out and wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him back. He was startled for a moment but quietly sighed when he smelled the familiar scent of skin.
“Was the trip enjoyable?”
A quiet voice brushed his ear. Judging by the breath touching his earlobe, Hayun seemed to be speaking with his lips almost pressed against it.
“Let go of your arm. People are staring.”
His voice came out more composed than he expected. He had worried about what expression to make and what to say first when they met, but there was less agitation than he had anticipated.
Maybe it was because the time they had spent together was longer than the time they had been apart. In a way, it had only been about the same amount of time as when Hayun had been on a long business trip.
Feeling the arm around his shoulder loosen, Dawoon turned around. However, the moment he raised his head and saw Hayun’s face, he frowned.
Hayun had lost weight noticeably. His skin also looked rough. The man who had always been impeccably neat now looked like a different person. Amidst all this, only his eyes, looking straight at Dawoon, remained the same. They were still intense, as if they could devour him whole.
“Why is your face…”
He had come back with many things to say, but seeing Hayun’s face, he couldn’t think of anything else. He just felt upset. He reached out a hand to cup Hayun’s cheek but hesitated, remembering they were still in the airport. Hayun grabbed Dawoon’s hand and pressed it to his own cheek.
The moment the warmth touched his palm, emotions welled up. In just two months, Hayun had lost so much weight that his cheekbones felt prominently sharp.
Jeong Hayun had suffered much more than he had imagined. All because of just one person – him.
His heart ached. The pain traveled up and made his eyes sting.
What should he do? He hadn’t anticipated this situation.
Having always seen Hayun as confident and perfect, he hadn’t considered that Hayun could also be someone who struggles. Seeing the gaunt Hayun made his chest feel heavy.
If he kept looking at that face, he felt like he might really burst into tears. So he deliberately turned his head and swallowed dryly. One hand was still held by Hayun, but he couldn’t bring himself to shake off that hand too.
“You must be hungry. Let’s go eat first.”
The familiar, kind voice that had constantly held onto him in his memories made him feel indescribable. He felt uneasy that Hayun wasn’t angry about his disappearance without a word, but on the other hand, he seemed to have missed this voice, this warmth that held his hand even when he said no.
With his gaze fixed on the floor, he quietly followed Hayun’s lead. Given his previous escape, he had thought Hayun might show up with a bunch of bodyguards, but when they reached the car, there was no one else. Not even the driver was in sight.
Just in case, he looked around. He thought there might be someone watching from a distance.
“There’s no one. No bodyguards, no one to monitor.”
Hayun answered first, seeming to have noticed Dawoon’s intention. Is that really true? He looked at Hayun, still half-doubtful.
“From now on, I’ll be by your side every moment, without being apart for even a second.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
