98.
#Old Friend
Choi Seon-gyeom returned to the hotel after 8 PM and flopped onto the bed without even washing up, exhausted. Lying spread-eagled and staring blankly at the ceiling, a faint line gradually appeared between his brows.
Jeong Dawoon.
For some reason, he kept bothering Seon-gyeom’s thoughts. Usually, Choi Seon-gyeom wasn’t one to be very interested in others. He was interested in “humanity” as a subject for his work, but he was quite indifferent to individuals. His personality was naturally amiable, so he had wide social connections, but they weren’t deep. He easily made friends anywhere but never took the initiative to keep in touch after leaving a place. That’s why he was often said to be unsuitable for dating.
But why? Why did Jeong Dawoon keep circling in his mind?
Was it because of the strange relationship between Jeong Dawoon and Jeong Hayun? Even if there was something more than brotherly love between them, it wasn’t his business. In his over 20 years of traveling the world, he had seen tribes where fathers and daughters married. Whether it was incest or whatever, it was their business, not Choi Seon-gyeom’s.
While his head tried to draw a line, he couldn’t control his heart being concerned. This was a first for him, and Choi Seon-gyeom himself couldn’t understand it.
Whatever the reason, once something started bothering him, what could he do? Choi Seon-gyeom’s strength and weakness was that he always lived following his heart.
‘When our grandfathers were trying to arrange our engagement, Dawoon’s brother, Jeong Hayun, openly opposed it in front of both families.’
He recalled what Choi Yu-na had told him earlier in the day.
‘I can understand that. My situation is a bit complicated.’
Choi Yu-na’s expression wasn’t good, so he didn’t ask what the circumstances were. That was typical. Choi Seon-gyeom wasn’t one to be curious about others’ personal situations.
‘Anyway, shortly after that, Jeong Hayun came to see me separately.’
Choi Yu-na intentionally didn’t want to talk more about herself. Since what Choi Seon-gyeom was curious about was the relationship between Jeong Dawoon and Jeong Hayun, he didn’t pry into her circumstances.
‘He told me not to create any more chances to get involved with Dawoon.’
That seemed a bit excessive. If it was an arranged marriage, the adults would have set up the meeting, so why confront Choi Yu-na?
‘He even said he would introduce me to someone else who met my conditions if I wanted.’
The more he heard, the stranger it sounded. If she refused, that should have been the end of it. There was no need for Jeong Hayun to offer to introduce a marriage partner to Choi Yu-na.
‘I guess he knew I had feelings for Dawoon. And that Dawoon’s conditions were part of the reason. Oh, not anymore though.’
Choi Yu-na looked embarrassed. He didn’t think wanting someone with good conditions was something to be ashamed of. As the saying goes, if you’re going to buy the same thing, why not get the better one? Everyone considers conditions when getting married. Even the woman Choi Seon-gyeom had loved, who dreamed of a simple family, ultimately chose the heir to the Haedo Group. Choi Seon-gyeom didn’t blame her for that. He thought it was natural for people to want better conditions.
‘But he said something strange then.’
Choi Yu-na continued speaking, her gaze fixed on the distant sea.
‘He said he had no intention of giving Jeong Dawoon to anyone…’
As she said this, she frowned. It seemed to be an unpleasant memory even now.
‘I can understand if he said not to pursue Dawoon because he didn’t like me. But he said he wouldn’t give him to anyone. As if Dawoon was his possession.’
That was the end of her story. She said Jeong Hayun’s eyes were so cold it felt like they could pierce through bone. She graduated, carefully avoiding Dawoon even on campus, fearing what might happen if she tried anything more with him. Choi Seon-gyeom couldn’t say anything, his face hardened.
Was “not giving to anyone” meant in the way he thought? Did Jeong Hayun really have more than brotherly feelings for Jeong Dawoon? Was it pure affection?
He couldn’t forget the expression Dawoon had when he first saw him at the exhibition. He seemed too mature for his age, and too resigned. Wasn’t it all because of Jeong Hayun?
What if Jeong Dawoon didn’t want it? What if Jeong Hayun was forcing him?
Even so, what did it have to do with him? It didn’t seem like Dawoon completely disliked it when he saw them today…
“Argh!”
Feeling his thoughts becoming a mess, he yelled and sat up. He didn’t understand why he was agonizing so much over Jeong Dawoon in the first place.
Even if Jeong Dawoon and Jeong Hayun were in that kind of relationship, what could he do? Jeong Dawoon wasn’t a child, and if he wanted to, he could end his relationship with Jeong Hayun anytime. The fact that he didn’t meant that Jeong Dawoon didn’t want to.
A third party shouldn’t interfere in others’ affairs, especially when it came to matters of affection. He had never seen a case where meddling led to a good outcome.
Let it go. There was no need for unnecessary concern. Once this job was over, he would leave Korea again anyway. No matter how much Jeong Dawoon bothered him now, it would all end when he left Korea.
His head was just getting complicated over unnecessary things. Remembering the bar in the hotel lobby as he came in, he got up. He planned to have a drink, sleep well, and from tomorrow, really stop caring about Jeong Dawoon.
***
Choi Seon-gyeom sat at a corner table instead of the bar. As he was sipping a bottle of beer he had ordered, he saw a group of men about his age noisily entering. He had just dismissed it, but they sat not far from him and were quite rowdy. He had come to drink quietly, so he couldn’t help but frown. Until they came in, there had been few customers and almost no conversation could be heard.
I won’t be able to sit here for long.
Rather than enduring the noise, it would be better to buy canned beer and drink in his room. He decided to finish the bottle he was drinking and leave, bringing the bottle to his lips.
“Excuse me…”
As he was tilting his head back to drink the beer, he hadn’t noticed that one of the noisy group was standing right in front of him.
“Are you… Choi Seon-gyeom?”
He cocked his head as the person called his name accurately.
“It is you! Don’t you remember me? Lee Won-ho!”
Even though the man introduced himself, Choi Seon-gyeom couldn’t immediately remember who he was. He doubted if this was really someone he knew, but the other person seemed very glad to see him.
“Hey, when did you come back to Korea?”
“Uh…”
He certainly seemed to know him. As Choi Seon-gyeom hesitated, unable to pretend he recognized him, the man who introduced himself as Lee Won-ho pulled out a chair and sat across from him.
“How many years has it been? Over 20 years, right? I’ve become a complete middle-aged man, but how come you haven’t changed at all?”
It seemed he knew him well, but Choi Seon-gyeom still couldn’t figure out who he was.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you don’t remember me? We were in the same department and the same club. You even met Kim Min-seo because of me.”
“Ah…!”
Finally, he remembered. It was just as he said. The first time he saw Kim Min-seo was when he saw her talking with this man. He had fallen in love at first sight. So he asked Lee Won-ho who she was, and when he said she was a club member, he joined that club. Thanks to that, he had become quite close with Lee Won-ho as well.
“You ungrateful bastard. You left and never contacted us once.”
Lee Won-ho scolded Choi Seon-gyeom. He had a point. After hanging out with Kim Min-seo throughout college, Choi Seon-gyeom had cut off contact after going abroad. He couldn’t say anything even if Lee Won-ho felt hurt.
“It just happened…”
He brushed it off vaguely. The truth was, it was right after breaking up with Kim Min-seo, and he avoided contact because he didn’t want to be reminded of her. Naturally, this led to losing touch with his college friends.
“How have you been? Are you married?”
Given their age, the question about marriage came first.
“Still single.”
At the word “single,” Lee Won-ho looked him up and down again.
“Being alone is fine. As long as you’re living well.”
It was unexpected. Choi Seon-gyeom thought he would ask why he was alone, what he had been doing all this time without getting married, but instead, Lee Won-ho even offered a sort of consolation, saying that nowadays it’s fine to live alone if you’re capable.
“Not everyone who gets married lives happily anyway.”
Despite meeting after 20 years, Lee Won-ho acted casually. Come to think of it, he had this personality in college too.
“Did you know Kim Min-seo died in an accident a few years ago?”
Perhaps because a lot of time had passed, he asked without any hesitation.
“I saw it on the news.”
The death of the Haedo Group heir’s couple. It was big enough news to be covered even abroad, so he couldn’t have missed it even while overseas.
“I guess you would have. Of course.”
Lee Won-ho nodded.
“Who would have imagined she’d marry into the Haedo Group?”
Lee Won-ho frowned as if recalling old memories.
“I thought a group like Haedo wouldn’t accept a woman who had another man’s child.”
At Lee Won-ho’s words, Choi Seon-gyeom narrowed his eyes. Another man’s child?
“No way…”
It couldn’t be. That’s impossible.
“What? You didn’t know?”
Lee Won-ho looked at Choi Seon-gyeom seriously.
“Not long after you went abroad, rumors spread that Kim Min-seo was pregnant, and we all naturally thought it was your child. Wasn’t it?”
The following words hit Choi Seon-gyeom like a large stone striking the back of his head.
