99.
#Manipulation
“What do you mean by that?”
“You really didn’t know, huh.”
Lee Won-ho sighed.
“Well, I guess not. Shortly after that, rumors spread about Kim Min-seo having an affair with the Haedo Group’s vice president. At first, I loudly told our classmates not to spread false rumors because I knew her and it couldn’t be true. But a few years later, they ended up getting married, didn’t they? By then, I started to think that maybe the child Kim Min-seo had wasn’t yours, but could have been the Haedo Group vice president’s. That’s probably why she was able to marry into a chaebol family, even as a second wife.”
Throughout Lee Won-ho’s explanation, Choi Seon-gyeom kept his mouth shut. The fact that he had thought the child Kim Min-seo gave birth to was his meant that she must have met the Haedo Group vice president immediately after breaking up with him. Even if they had broken up, could her feelings have changed so quickly?
He wasn’t sure. The Kim Min-seo he knew seemed like a completely different person from the one others were talking about.
“Do you know when that child’s birthday is?”
He was surprised by his own question. Why did he want to confirm that? But just in case… Jeong Dawoon’s face flashed in his mind, and he clenched his fist under the table. It couldn’t hurt to check.
“I don’t know that much. After you left for abroad, Kim Min-seo hardly met with our college friends, maybe because she didn’t want to be reminded of you. There were just rumors floating around that she was seeing someone, that she got pregnant.”
In the end, there was nothing he could confirm. Calculating Dawoon’s age, he could have been conceived either while Choi Seon-gyeom was dating Kim Min-seo or right after they broke up. Without checking the exact birthday, he couldn’t be certain.
If there was even a one in a million chance that Jeong Dawoon was his child, what should he do? Remembering Jeong Hayun holding Jeong Dawoon’s hand and smiling affectionately made his feelings even more complicated.
He had come out to clear his head, but meeting Lee Won-ho had only made him more troubled. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to sleep properly tonight.
***
After putting Dawoon to bed first, Hayun poured himself a glass of wine and stood on the bedroom balcony. The night breeze was cool and more refreshing than the air conditioning.
‘Are you really not going to do anything?’
Dawoon had asked after coming out of the shower. He also said it was scarier this way, wondering what Hayun was up to. Hayun smiled, remembering Dawoon’s suspicious face looking up at him.
Although he desperately wanted to hold Dawoon, he didn’t want to encourage the wariness and guilt that had just disappeared. He could hold him anytime after they returned to Seoul. He didn’t want to lose Dawoon’s smile while they were in Jeju.
Hayun leaned on the balcony railing facing the bedroom rather than the sea. He swirled the wine glass in his hand before bringing it to his lips. As he felt the wine’s aroma wafting up, he closed his eyes. A memory he had buried deep long ago suddenly surfaced.
‘Young master! The vice president…’
The person who delivered the news of his parents’ accident to Hayun seemed more flustered than Hayun himself. It was unclear whether they were worried about the shock Hayun would receive or the chaos that would ensue at the Haedo Group.
Hayun’s mind went blank for a moment at the news of his father’s death. But soon, he had to prepare for what was to come. The issue wasn’t who would become the new owner of the Haedo Group. With his grandfather still holding on as chairman, there wouldn’t be major changes immediately even with the vice president’s death. There would be intense competition over who would become the successor, but ultimately it depended on his grandfather’s choice, so it wasn’t urgent.
What Hayun was worried about wasn’t company matters. It was whether he could protect Jeong Dawoon, who was still young. The thought alone made him dizzy. The extended family members of the Haedo Group, including his aunt, thought that Dawoon might not be Jeong Seo-hoo’s son.
‘Don’t you think it’s strange no matter how you look at it? I mean that child’s birthday. That would mean Kim Min-seo had a relationship with Vice President Jeong as soon as she became his secretary… Could she have gotten pregnant from their first encounter? It doesn’t make sense otherwise.’
He had overheard adults whispering this shortly after entering middle school. Jeong Dawoon might not be Jeong Seo-hoo’s son. Hayun wasn’t shocked by this fact; rather, he thought it was for the best. If his father and Dawoon weren’t related, it meant that when Hayun became an adult, he could have Dawoon entirely to himself without having to consider his father.
However, for others, especially his grandfather, it was a big problem. There was no way they would allow Jeong Dawoon, who might not be Jeong Seo-hoo’s blood, to remain within the Haedo Group.
Even though he was over twenty, Hayun still didn’t have the power to protect Dawoon from his grandfather, who held immense authority. That’s why he needed evidence. Definitive proof that Jeong Dawoon was Jeong Seo-hoo’s son.
‘Please have this DNA test done at the genetic testing center.’
He had deliberately asked a lawyer to handle the DNA test. That way, it would be an official certification.
‘Is this for Vice President Jeong and Jeong Dawoon?’
Hayun shook his head at the lawyer’s question.
‘It’s for me and Dawoon. Please have it done as a paternal lineage test.’
Hayun had already disposed of all his father’s belongings. This was because his grandfather had tried to do another DNA test between Dawoon and his father’s remaining items.
He didn’t want his grandfather to do a direct paternity test. But he had to prove that Dawoon was Jeong Seo-hoo’s son. That’s why he chose the paternal lineage test.
The lawyer asked why he was trying so hard to prove this. If Dawoon was removed from the siblings, it would change the inheritance distribution.
‘It’s obvious. Because he’s my brother. I can’t let him be cast out.’
When Hayun insisted that the results must come out within the funeral period, the lawyer agreed and left. He returned with the results the next day, and Hayun was able to negotiate with his grandfather using those results.
No one dared to guess. That the hair Hayun had submitted for the paternal lineage test wasn’t Dawoon’s, but Haram’s.
If asked whether Jeong Dawoon was truly Jeong Seo-hoo’s biological son, Hayun couldn’t answer. His deceased father was certain that Dawoon was his son. He had even presented DNA test results to Chairman Jeong, saying he had personally conducted the test.
However, long ago, Hayun had seen two different DNA test results in his father’s room. Ironically, the two results were different. So it was impossible to know which one was the truth.
At twelve years old, when his father brought Kim Min-seo and Jeong Dawoon home on his birthday, even young Hayun could see how smitten his father was with Kim Min-seo. Jeong Seo-hoo loved Kim Min-seo so much that he even asked Hayun, whom he had never paid much attention to before, if it would be okay for them to live together. He wanted to live as a proper couple with her within the established system.
He didn’t understand it when he was young, but now he was certain. Because what Jeong Seo-hoo wanted was Kim Min-seo, it probably didn’t matter whose blood Jeong Dawoon carried. In fact, he might have been able to love and cherish Dawoon even more than his own son simply because he was Kim Min-seo’s son.
Just like Hayun did now.
He didn’t hesitate to manipulate the paternal lineage test to keep Dawoon by his side. Because Dawoon cared for Haram, Hayun also adored Haram. His father probably felt the same way Hayun did now. Although Hayun and his father weren’t close, they were clearly people of the same blood who loved in the same way.
The difference was that unlike his father, Hayun wouldn’t cheat.
“It doesn’t matter. Whether he’s my real brother or not.”
Hayun muttered softly, put down his wine glass, and entered the bedroom. He approached the already sleeping Dawoon and brushed back the bangs covering his forehead. Dawoon groaned softly and stirred at the touch but didn’t turn away.
You’re mine. So I won’t let anyone take you away.
Even if Jeong Dawoon wasn’t just a half-brother but a full brother with the same mother, Hayun’s feelings would have been the same. It didn’t matter if it went against the natural order. The feelings that had already flowed couldn’t be reversed. He had no intention of turning back.
***
Even after returning to Seoul, Choi Seon-gyeom was busy for several days. After discussing the details of the Jeju Island shoot with his filming team who had come to Korea, he had to complete other preparations. Even though he was so pressed for time that he couldn’t eat meals properly, whenever he let his mind wander, he thought of Jeong Dawoon.
“We’re going down to Jeju Island tomorrow, right?” one of his crew members asked.
“Yes. Make sure not to forget any equipment.”
“Can we relax a bit this evening? We haven’t had a chance to properly look around Seoul.”
Choi Seon-gyeom nodded at the staff member’s complaint.
“We’re going to Namsan. Do you want to come with us, Director?”
Another employee asked. Choi Seon-gyeom waved his hand dismissively, saying it was troublesome. After sending them off, he could finally take a breather. After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone and searched for Jeong Dawoon’s name in his contact list.
– If you’re free today, would you like to have dinner together?
He sent the message and waited anxiously. Ding. At the alert sound, he immediately touched the screen to check.
– Sure. Where should I go?
At Dawoon’s reply, Choi Seon-gyeom let out a deep breath, almost making an audible “haa” sound.
