56.
#Tiger Cub
The atmosphere was no longer conducive to continuing the meal. Congressman Choi Min-guk’s son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren put down their chopsticks and watched the two elders nervously. Chairman Jeong, who had returned to his seat clutching the back of his neck, couldn’t hide his anger.
“It seems we need to reconsider this matter.”
Congressman Choi Min-guk stood up. Even he, who had been forcing a smile while Hayun was present, no longer concealed his displeasure.
“To think that Director Jeong would oppose this so strongly…”
He clicked his tongue, leaving his sentence unfinished. Chairman Jeong stared straight ahead, not reacting to his words at all. While it would be good to establish a connection with Congressman Choi Min-guk, there wasn’t much to regret if things went sour. Chairman Jeong’s ruling party connections weren’t limited to Congressman Choi Min-guk.
‘It’s better not to get too deeply involved with politicians. You never know when they might switch parties and change their words. Real power lies with the administration, so I’ll establish connections there. You don’t need to worry.’
Hayun had said this recently when he came to report on the Saudi Arabian new city development project. He wouldn’t have embarrassed the ruling party’s floor leader like this without reason. Even as he was angered by Hayun’s rude behavior, Chairman Jeong believed that Hayun must have prepared something that made such actions acceptable. This was the only reason he was able to endure without collapsing from high blood pressure.
“See them out.”
When Chairman Jeong instructed the secretary standing beside him, Congressman Choi Min-guk’s face contorted. He seemed to have expected an apology for how the situation had turned out.
Ha! Congressman Choi Min-guk let out a hollow laugh and turned abruptly. His attitude suggested he didn’t need anyone to see him out. His son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren left behind were at a loss, trying to gauge the moods of both the departed Congressman Choi Min-guk and Chairman Jeong.
“I’m sorry for causing you trouble because of me.”
It was Choi Yu-na who broke the tense silence. She stood up and bowed deeply to Chairman Jeong. This drew his attention to her. When their eyes met, Choi Yu-na smiled awkwardly.
“If there’s an opportunity in the future…”
A bitterness spread across her face, as if she guessed such an opportunity would likely never come.
“I’ll apologize to Director Jeong as well.”
She bowed her head again and approached her father, who was standing awkwardly.
“Let’s go.”
At her words, Congressman Choi Min-guk’s second son frowned. He seemed irritated that things hadn’t gone as expected, having come with high hopes of forming a connection with the Haedo Group. His wife’s displeasure was even more apparent. She openly snapped at Choi Yu-na and turned away abruptly. Choi Yu-na’s two half-brothers also looked her up and down with displeased expressions.
“As expected. What did you think, given your status?”
Their dismissive words were audible even to Chairman Jeong.
Only after all the guests had left did Chairman Jeong lean back deeply in his chair and let out a long sigh. His temples throbbed, and he raised a hand to his forehead, but the pain didn’t subside easily.
Choi Yu-na had impressed him more than he had expected. Despite likely feeling hurt by Hayun’s words and intimidated by her family’s reactions, she had responded calmly. From what he had investigated about her, there was nothing lacking except for her status as an illegitimate child.
She wasn’t inadequate for Dawoon, if anything she might be too much for him. Of course, he had never considered her as a match for Hayun.
Jeong Dawoon and Choi Yu-na are different?
Recalling Hayun’s words, he let out a hollow laugh. To Chairman Jeong, they weren’t different. While the legitimacy of bloodline was important, so was being born in the right environment and raised properly. Even though Jeong Dawoon was indeed Jeong Seo-hoo’s son, people still doubted Dawoon’s birth. That’s how public opinion worked. Even the tiniest flaw eventually becomes a weakness.
Jeong Seo-hoo’s son…
That part still bothered him. Just as others consistently doubted Dawoon’s birth, so did Chairman Jeong. If Hayun hadn’t presented the paternity test results right after his son’s accident, he would have truly cast Dawoon out then. He had even double-checked with the testing company, suspecting that the paternity test Hayun presented might have been fabricated. However, the results were the same.
To think that Jeong Dawoon was really Jeong Seo-hoo’s son. He couldn’t accept it. Kim Min-seo, Jeong Dawoon’s mother, had been seeing a man when she was first assigned as Jeong Seo-hoo’s secretary. She started seeing Jeong Seo-hoo not long after, so he was convinced Dawoon was his son. But considering Jeong Dawoon’s birthday, there was a possibility he could be that other man’s child.
‘Grandfather, please be a shield for Dawoon, so that no one can touch him or speak carelessly about him.’
He had been inwardly surprised when Hayun said this before the funeral was even over. Shouldn’t Hayun, of all people, feel resentment towards Dawoon? It made sense if one thought about it rationally. How could he want to protect the product of his father’s infidelity, knowing full well that his father had been having an affair with Kim Min-seo while his mother was still alive?
He still couldn’t understand why Hayun continued to protect Dawoon. Was it because they were half-brothers, sharing at least some blood?
He let out a cynical laugh. On the surface, Jeong Hayun seemed to treat Jeong Dawoon and Jeong Haram equally, but to Chairman Jeong’s eyes, there was something fundamentally different. While he took good care of Haram too, his eyes were different when dealing with Dawoon.
What could it be? For what reason was he so fixated on Dawoon? Even to the point of defying him.
Until he became a director, Hayun had never rebelled against Chairman Jeong. When given an instruction, he would accomplish twice as much as asked. While it was partly due to Chairman Jeong’s backing that he firmly established himself as the heir, it was more because Hayun had proven his own abilities. Recently, he had been conducting business with an even broader perspective than Chairman Jeong.
Hayun had been Chairman Jeong’s perfect hands and feet. Yet today, he had truly upset him. The sharp-witted Hayun couldn’t have been unaware of this. He had confronted him knowingly.
The problem wasn’t simply that the plan to use Dawoon to form a connection with Congressman Choi Min-guk had fallen through. The more he thought about it, the more Chairman Jeong’s eyes narrowed. He had raised Hayun thinking he was a tiger cub, but now he realized that if he wasn’t careful, he might be the one bitten by that tiger cub.
“Ms. Kim.”
When he called the secretary standing behind him, she stepped forward.
“Contact President Jeong and have her come in.”
At the mention of his daughter, Jeong Seo-in, the secretary nodded in acknowledgment and withdrew. Chairman Jeong’s gaze turned to where Hayun had been sitting.
Even if he planned to hand everything over to him someday, he couldn’t tolerate insubordination. He couldn’t let Hayun run wild just yet.
***
Hayun didn’t say a word until they arrived home. Dawoon wasn’t in the mood to say anything either, so he kept his mouth shut and just looked out the window. When they arrived at the mansion and Director Park opened the car door, Hayun got out first. Usually, he would have waited for Dawoon to get out, but this time he went inside ahead.
After getting out of the car, Dawoon watched Hayun’s retreating back and swallowed a sigh.
Why is he angry? I’m the one who should be angry.
Even if it was for his sake, what Hayun did to Choi Yu-na was indeed too much. He couldn’t understand Hayun on that point. What Hayun did to Choi Yu-na was no different from what their relatives had been doing to him all along.
He didn’t want to think that Hayun was the same as those who believed they could look down on others because of the name “Haedo.” Maybe that’s why he was even angrier. Because he had believed Hayun was different from them.
He had kept quiet in the car because Hayun had told him not to say anything, but he couldn’t let this go. He felt that if he left this unresolved discomfort inside him, every time he saw Hayun in the future, he would be reminded of today’s events and Hayun’s dismissive face towards Choi Yu-na.
“Where’s big brother?”
Hayun wasn’t visible on the first floor. Thinking he might have gone straight to his room, Dawoon asked the butler who had come out to greet them. The butler pointed with his eyes towards the corridor leading to the annex. After their parents passed away, the annex had been completely remodeled into a space that included a home theater and a lounge bar.
The lounge bar was practically Hayun’s personal space. When the lounge bar was first created, Dawoon had thought Hayun might bring friends over for small parties, but that wasn’t the case. It was a place where Hayun occasionally drank alone quietly when work gave him a headache.
Since it was like Hayun’s private space, Dawoon hesitated to go there.
“Did something happen at the main house?”
The butler asked cautiously. Dawoon couldn’t answer and just let out a low groan.
“The young master seemed to be in a bad mood. If you’re worried, perhaps you should go check on him. Drinking in anger isn’t good.”
Moved by the butler’s concern, Dawoon finally headed to the lounge bar. Whether Hayun’s mood had soured because of their grandfather or because of him, it didn’t feel right to pretend not to know.
When he opened the door to the lounge bar and entered, it was darker inside than he expected. Only a few lights were on near the bar where Hayun was sitting. Hayun, who had been pouring and drinking whiskey, looked up at the sound of someone entering, but turned away when he saw it was Dawoon.
