92.
#Just Once
Arriving in front of the Haedo Group headquarters building, Dawoon felt like he wanted to sew his mouth shut for what he had said a few hours ago. Why had he agreed to come here? At that moment, he had been so tense about the possibility of Hayun finding out about the grandfather’s visit that he wanted to prevent Hayun from coming to the school.
Even so, coming here wasn’t the right choice.
He sighed deeply and entered the lobby. As expected, a lobby employee who recognized Dawoon immediately rushed over to greet him.
“Welcome, sir.”
Seeing the employee bow at a 90-degree angle, Dawoon felt a groan catch in his throat. Did he deserve such a greeting? Even though he was still a student and not involved in Haedo Group’s affairs at all, everyone here knew who he was.
It was all because of Jeong Hayun. A couple of years ago, there was a time when Hayun was so busy that they hadn’t seen each other properly for days. When Hayun reached his limit, he called and asked Dawoon to come to the company. He said he could only spare dinner time, so they should at least see each other then. Dawoon had come without thinking much about it. But he got stuck in the first-floor lobby.
When he revealed that he was the brother of Vice Chairman Jeong Hayun, they looked at him as if he were crazy. Although the sibling relationships of the Haedo Group heir were vaguely known through the media, Dawoon and Haram’s faces hadn’t been publicly shown since their parents passed away. So it was natural that the headquarters lobby staff didn’t know who Dawoon was.
Even so, the awkwardness only lasted about five minutes. Hayun came down to the lobby at the time Dawoon was expected to arrive.
‘If you arrived, you should have come up.’
Dawoon couldn’t bring himself to reply that the lobby staff had stopped him from going up. They were already pale and flustered the moment Hayun called Dawoon’s name.
‘Could it be…?’
When Hayun’s gaze turned to them, they all fidgeted, unable to even raise their heads.
‘Well, they might not know.’
Hayun replied lightly with a smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all. It might have been better if he had scolded them for not knowing the face of the Vice Chairman’s brother. Although Dawoon thought it was more normal not to know Jeong Dawoon’s face, they apologized several times, bowing their heads.
After that incident, it was clear that Dawoon’s photo had been properly circulated among the security staff. It was too burdensome for them to rush up and greet him as soon as he entered the lobby.
“Do you have an appointment with the Vice Chairman?”
They assumed he was here to meet Hayun, even though Dawoon hadn’t said a word yet.
“You can go right up. Please use elevator number one.”
They even kindly offered to guide him to the elevator.
“No, I’ll just wait here. My brother will come down.”
Hayun had said he was going to leave work anyway, so there was no need to go up. If he went up unnecessarily and ran into other employees or executives, it might create another awkward situation.
Only after refusing several times, saying it was fine and they shouldn’t worry, was he able to send them back to their positions. He sent a short message to Hayun saying he had arrived and went outside. Although it was quite hot outside and he was sweating, when comparing the coolness inside the building with the discomfort of the gazes directed at him, it was better to give up the coolness.
Soon, Hayun called him.
[Where are you?]
He said he had come down to the lobby but couldn’t see Dawoon.
“It was stuffy, so I came outside. Just drive out. I’ll be standing by the roadside.”
After ending the call and waiting for a moment, a car pulled up in front of him. The passenger side window rolled down, and Hayun gestured for him to get in. He was sitting in the driver’s seat, not the back seat.
Dawoon quickly opened the passenger door and got in before the car behind them could honk.
“You’re driving yourself?”
When Dawoon asked where the chauffeur was and why Hayun was driving himself, Hayun turned and smiled.
“It’s a date, after all.”
At Hayun’s playful response, Dawoon closed his mouth and turned to face forward.
Until high school, even when Hayun occasionally talked about dates and suggested going for meals or movies, Dawoon accepted it without thinking. But now, even just that one word made his heart feel like it was freezing.
“Are you hungry?”
“No.”
It was just past five o’clock. It was too early for dinner. Dawoon had come right after his lecture as Hayun had asked, but he wondered if it was okay for Hayun to leave work this early.
“Then let’s drive for a bit and stop somewhere suitable to eat.”
“Where are we going?”
Dawoon had assumed they would just eat nearby, but Hayun’s words sounded a bit strange, so he turned to look at him.
“To get some fresh air.”
Hayun repeated what he had said during their phone call and reached out to ruffle Dawoon’s hair. It seemed he didn’t plan to settle for somewhere nearby.
“Are we going far?”
“Tomorrow’s the weekend. Haram will be going to the main house tonight.”
“Are we staying overnight?”
When Dawoon asked, sensing that was the plan, Hayun just smiled. It seemed like things were getting bigger than he had thought.
Is he really planning to go on a date?
The words that had rolled to the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.
Even if it was a date, he didn’t particularly want to refuse. Just once… wouldn’t it be okay?
Feeling his thoughts becoming unnecessarily complicated, Dawoon rested his forehead against the window and just looked outside. The street scenery flowed by quickly, matching the speed of the car. He tried to let his jumbled thoughts flow away with it.
“I think I’ll be able to take a proper vacation this summer. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
Hayun asked casually.
“Not really.”
Dawoon answered, still fixing his gaze outside the window.
“Should we take Haram along? A South Pacific island would be nice.”
Hayun continued, saying a quiet, uncrowded place would be good. Dawoon just listened silently without answering. I won’t be here for the summer vacation. There was no need to say that out loud.
***
“…sir, Mr. Choi!”
Hearing someone calling him, Choi Seon-gyeom snapped back to reality and raised his head. He was in a meeting with investors introduced by the exhibition sponsor, but he had been lost in thought and missed what they were saying.
“We asked if you’re okay with proceeding according to this schedule.”
Choi Yu-na, sitting next to him, quickly showed him the schedule.
“That’s fine.”
Choi Seon-gyeom answered after briefly scanning it with his eyes. The other party looked a bit flustered, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. Originally, he had planned to leave Korea again right after this exhibition ended. However, the sponsor wanted him to work on a video piece in Korea, and they assigned Choi Yu-na as his secretary and assistant to handle minor tasks while he worked on it.
Having someone assist him like this wasn’t Choi Seon-gyeom’s style. He had declined several times, but the sponsor’s president insisted it was a gesture of goodwill and that he wanted Seon-gyeom to work in a more comfortable environment.
“Ms. Choi Yu-na, you’re going through a lot of trouble because of me. You can just pretend to work moderately.”
After the meeting ended, he spoke with a smile, and Choi Yu-na smiled back as if she couldn’t help it.
“Working as your assistant is much easier than working at the company, so don’t worry about it.”
“That’s good to hear. Feel free to slack off, don’t work too hard.”
At his joking words, Choi Yu-na lightly retorted, asking if she could really do that. Even though she said that, after spending a few days together, he found that she was quick in handling tasks and meticulous without any mistakes. Having her as his secretary definitely reduced the things he needed to worry about.
“Please feel free to ask for anything you need. I’ll do my best as far as my abilities allow.”
“In that case.”
After organizing the meeting materials and putting them in his briefcase, he spoke.
“Could you arrange a dinner appointment with Jeong Dawoon?”
Choi Yu-na blinked and looked at him, seemingly surprised by the sudden mention of Jeong Dawoon’s name.
“We happened to meet at the charity event last time and talked a bit. I said we should have a meal together sometime, but I don’t think they’ll contact me unless I reach out first.”
“That’s… probably true.”
Choi Yu-na didn’t deny it, seeming to understand Jeong Dawoon’s personality.
“Think of a plausible excuse, will you?”
It was more like asking for personal advice than giving a work instruction. Choi Yu-na thought for a moment and then let out a small sigh.
“To be honest, I find it difficult to deal with him too. Jeong Dawoon himself has high walls, but his surroundings are even more complicated.”
“Because he’s from the Haedo Group?”
“How did you know? Ah, the charity event…”
Choi Yu-na nodded as if she could guess.
“He’s a half-sibling of Vice Chairman Jeong Hayun, right?”
At Choi Seon-gyeom’s question, she just met his gaze without answering. She seemed uncomfortable mentioning someone else’s family matters, even if it was somewhat known information.
“How’s the relationship between Dawoon and his brother?”
At the follow-up question, Choi Yu-na slightly furrowed her brows.
“I’m not sure why you’re curious about that.”
“Just… I’m a bit worried about Dawoon, I guess.”
“Did you see something?”
At her returned question, this time it was Choi Seon-gyeom who narrowed his eyes. Was there something to worry about between Jeong Hayun and Jeong Dawoon? Choi Yu-na’s question turned the suspicion that had been uncomfortably stuck in his throat into certainty.
“Is there any conflict over the succession issue or something…?”
At that question, her face contorted as if it was an absurd idea.
