52.
#Grandfather’s Call
“Is Dawoon here?”
When Hayun asked the butler who was taking his coat, he replied that Dawoon was in Haram’s room. Hayun immediately headed to Haram’s room on the second floor. He stood at the door and knocked, but there was no answer, nor could he hear Haram chattering. Finding it strange, he turned the doorknob.
Through the open door, he saw Dawoon and Haram asleep on the bed near the window. It made sense for Haram since it was past his bedtime, but it was unexpected to see Dawoon asleep too.
Taking a deep breath, he approached the bed. Dawoon was sleeping with his arm as a pillow for Haram. Seeing that he hadn’t changed his clothes, it seemed he had fallen asleep while putting Haram to bed.
He stood for a moment, looking down at the two. Haram stirred, moving his body as if uncomfortable with Dawoon’s arm as a pillow. His head slipped off the arm, but he didn’t stir and resumed his steady breathing. Though he had just turned seven, his face still had baby fat, making him look like an infant. Hayun smiled slightly as he gazed at him before shifting his gaze.
He reached out toward Dawoon’s face, which looked particularly white, perhaps due to the streetlight shining through the window, but stopped just before touching him. His gaze lowered to Dawoon’s neck, covered by a turtleneck shirt. It was clearly to hide the kiss marks.
It’s better than putting on a band-aid.
He chuckled at Dawoon’s effort to hide it. Even so, if he kept wearing clothes that covered his neck every day, someone would find it strange. It was a warning left for anyone who might be watching Dawoon closely, so Hayun didn’t mind if someone noticed.
He considered carrying Dawoon to his room but decided against it. He might wake up if disturbed. Since Dawoon had tossed and turned for a long time last night without sleeping properly, Hayun wanted to let him sleep soundly today. Instead of Dawoon, he picked up Haram.
“Big brother…”
Haram mumbled in his sleep, burrowing into Hayun’s arms. He wasn’t calling for Hayun, but for Dawoon. Hayun’s gaze naturally turned to Haram.
Do they look alike?
Comparing him to Dawoon when he was young, they seemed both similar and different. As a baby, he thought Haram resembled Dawoon, but as he grew, he started to look more like their father than their mother. Hayun thought that as Haram grew older, he might resemble himself more than Dawoon.
Blood ties were curious things. He often thought this when looking at Haram, who resembled both Dawoon and himself. Even Dawoon, who lived suppressing all emotions as much as possible, was affectionate towards Haram and always tried to show him a smiling face in any situation. Right after their parents passed away, even though Dawoon himself couldn’t sleep at night and often seemed out of it during the day, he always smiled as if nothing was wrong when Haram approached.
Dawoon’s attitude towards Haram was also mixed with guilt. He felt deeply sorry that because of him, their parents had passed away, and young Haram couldn’t receive proper care. That’s why he tried to give Haram everything he wanted.
Sometimes, it seemed more like parental love than brotherly affection.
Parents… If Dawoon was like a mother to Haram, was his role that of a father?
He chuckled at that thought. Well, it’s not so bad. Thanks to Haram’s existence, even if he didn’t marry and have children, he wouldn’t have to worry about an heir. There were only two things he was grateful to his late father for: one was remarrying and bringing Dawoon, and the other was giving birth to Haram as a late child.
Leaving Dawoon to sleep in Haram’s room, he carried Haram out. The passing butler saw this and looked puzzled.
“Dawoon’s asleep too. It’s better to move the little one than to move him, right?”
The butler nodded at Hayun’s words, agreeing that it made sense.
“Will you move Young Master Haram to Young Master Dawoon’s room?”
It was natural to think that since Dawoon was sleeping in Haram’s room, Haram would sleep in Dawoon’s room. However, Hayun shook his head.
“I’ll let him sleep in my room.”
He didn’t want Haram to sleep in Dawoon’s room, no matter what.
“Should I prepare an extra blanket?”
Though the bed was king-sized and wouldn’t be cramped even with Haram, the butler offered to prepare a separate blanket in case the child’s tossing and turning might be uncomfortable.
“Yes, please do that.”
Even though the blanket was big enough for both of them, since Hayun rarely slept with Haram, he thought it might be bothersome to have the child squirming next to him.
“Oh!”
The butler, who was about to go get the blanket, turned back as if remembering something.
“The Chairman called about 10 minutes ago.”
Hayun wondered what business his grandfather had at this late hour.
“He said he’s arranging a dinner this weekend and wants all the young masters to come together.”
It was an unexpected proposal. While Hayun often had reasons to see his grandfather due to company business, he didn’t usually call for Dawoon and Haram unless it was a special occasion. It was hard to understand even if it was because he missed Haram. When he wanted to see Haram, he usually visited the mansion when Dawoon wasn’t around.
Together. That word bothered him. Grandfather preferred not to see Dawoon if possible. He only met Dawoon face to face once or twice a year when absolutely necessary, and even then, he showed all kinds of dislike. Why did he include Dawoon this time?
It definitely wasn’t for a simple family dinner. Hayun’s eyes narrowed as he had an inkling of what this might be about.
***
On Saturday afternoon, Dawoon, who had heard they were called for dinner at the main house, already looked displeased. While it was common for Grandfather to meet Hayun and Haram separately, he never called for Dawoon. He wondered what wind had blown to make him call for Dawoon too, when he even disliked encountering him at unavoidable Jeong family gatherings.
Dawoon tried asking if he really had to go, if it wouldn’t be fine for just Hayun and Haram to attend, but his request was denied. The butler emphasized that the Chairman had specifically said for all of them to come together. If Grandfather had really given such instructions, he might hold the butler responsible if Dawoon didn’t attend.
In the end, Dawoon headed to the main house with Haram at the appointed time. Hayun planned to stop by the company for some morning business before coming directly to the main house.
“Are we having dinner with Grandfather?”
Haram asked in the car on the way to the main house.
“If so, can we sleep over at Grandfather’s after dinner?”
Since the gathering for Grandfather’s birthday last February, Haram often talked about the playroom there. He seemed to have enjoyed playing with children his age that day. He had even begged to have a similar playroom made at the mansion, but Hayun had refused. He said it would be too inefficient to create a playroom in the mansion when Haram would be starting elementary school next year. Moreover, with all his lessons with various tutors, he wouldn’t have much time to play in the playroom. He also said that giving the child everything he wanted would spoil him.
Dawoon could understand all the other excuses, but he couldn’t agree with the idea of spoiling. Hayun himself was the one who had given Dawoon everything he wanted at Haram’s age. He even removed tutoring lessons. Dawoon found it strange that Hayun’s words were different when it came to Haram.
“Do you want to sleep over?”
Knowing that Haram wanted to sleep over at Grandfather’s because of the playroom, Dawoon couldn’t bring himself to say no.
“You come too, big brother!”
Haram reached out and grabbed the hem of Dawoon’s knit sweater. Again, Dawoon couldn’t agree. Not only was he reluctant himself, but he knew Grandfather wouldn’t allow him to stay at the main house.
“We’ll see. We’ll have to ask big brother Hayun too.”
“Okay!”
Though the answer was noncommittal, Haram nodded his head vigorously with a smile.
As Dawoon responded to Haram’s chatter, they soon arrived at the main house. He hoped Hayun had arrived first. The moment he saw the tall front door after getting out of the car, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“Let’s go inside. The Chairman is waiting.”
Following the secretary’s guidance, they entered the mansion, but Grandfather was nowhere to be seen.
“He’s in a conversation with a guest. He’ll be out soon, so please sit and wait.”
Though Dawoon was part of Chairman Jeong’s family, the secretary seemed more like a member of the household. Following his guidance, they sat on the living room sofa. Haram, fidgeting beside him, tried to take off the cardigan he was wearing.
“Help me take this off.”
Unable to undo the buttons properly on his own, Haram turned to Dawoon and tugged at his cardigan.
“Aren’t you hot, big brother?”
After throwing off his cardigan, Haram looked at Dawoon and asked. Dawoon was wearing a turtleneck knit that completely covered his neck. So it was natural for Haram to think he looked hot.
“I’m fine.”
In truth, he was a bit hot. He had chosen his clothes thinking only of the outside temperature, not expecting the main house to have the indoor temperature set so high.
“If you need, I can bring you a change of clothes.”
The Chairman’s secretary, standing behind them, said.
“No, it’s okay.”
Dawoon quickly waved his hands. While there were surely plenty of clothes here that would fit him, he couldn’t change. The marks Hayun had left on his neck were still there. What would Grandfather think if he saw? If discovered, it would surely cause trouble for both him and Hayun.
