Separation Anxiety

19.

#Show-off and Warning

Someday, the biggest obstacle will be this guy’s closed heart itself.

“No. I’m not going.”

“But you said you’d meet.”

“They said they’d contact me, but I didn’t say I’d agree to it.”

“Still…”

Hayun swallowed a sigh and reached out to ruffle Dawoon’s hair.

“It’ll probably get cut off at Grandfather’s level anyway.”

It was an unnecessary comment, but Dawoon seemed more shaken than expected, so Hayun answered as if making an excuse.

“Ah…”

Only then did Dawoon’s shoulders visibly relax, as if relieved. Then he suddenly widened his eyes and looked up at Hayun.

“Didn’t you say she’s the daughter of LK Construction?”

It was a question asking if Grandfather was opposing even a daughter from such a prominent family.

Well, LK Construction is a spin-off from LK Group, and we have no need in that field, plus Grandfather’s eyes are set on higher places.

He didn’t explain that far. He wasn’t interested in who Grandfather had in mind for him anyway.

“It’s still too early for me to get married.”

Everyone sometimes forgot because Hayun had started learning about the company so early and got promoted quickly, but he was only twenty-five. Dawoon nodded as if finally understanding.

“What about you?”

Dawoon just blinked at Hayun’s question. He seemed not to understand the intent of the question itself.

“That friend Na-eun. You’re not really dating her, are you? Are you telling me not to go on blind dates while you’re dating a girlfriend?”

When the question was made more specific, Dawoon frowned as if it was nonsense.

“We’re just friends. I told you that.”

“Wasn’t it a double date yesterday?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Are you sure you’re not the only one who thinks that?”

When Hayun kept countering every statement with more questions, Dawoon closed his mouth. He seemed more flustered by Hayun’s pressing rather than angry. Hayun exhaled deeply.

“If you’re really just friends, it could have been just you, Ui-hyeon, and Na-eun meeting. But the fact that they deliberately brought along another friend you don’t know well means that at least they thought it was a double date.”

This time, Dawoon didn’t deny it and just listened silently.

“Besides, those movie tickets probably weren’t free but bought specifically for you.”

When Hayun said this much, Dawoon frowned. It seemed his wild guess was actually true.

“How did you know?”

Hayun smiled faintly at Dawoon’s question.

“Because it was an early morning show. I can only think they chose it to match your schedule.”

In reality, Na-eun had answered that she chose an early morning show with fewer people after hearing from Ui-hyeon. It was exactly as Hayun said. Dawoon sighed, realizing that Hayun had figured all this out while he himself hadn’t known until Na-eun accidentally mentioned buying the tickets.

“Are you dating?”

“I said we’re not.”

There was a sigh mixed in Dawoon’s voice.

“I don’t understand why you keep pushing it in that direction.”

He turned his head away, saying he didn’t like Hayun’s tone.

“Because your words and actions don’t match. You said she confessed to you. But continuing to act ambiguously is cruel, isn’t it? It’s not like you’re intentionally stringing her along.”

Dawoon’s face hardened at the phrase “stringing her along.” He looked flustered, as if he had no such intention at all.

I’ll stop here. He’s understood my words well enough, and his attitude towards Kim Na-eun will probably change from now on. If, as Dawoon says, he really has no feelings beyond friendship for her.

Hayun didn’t like the idea of maintaining an ambiguous friendship either, but he had to allow that much. He thought he should have sent Dawoon to an all-boys school, but then chuckled, wondering if even an all-boys school would be safe in these times. It was equally worrying unless he kept Dawoon locked up at home.

“Let’s stop and go in. We need to choose clothes quickly and go back. Haram is waiting.”

He cut off the conversation at an appropriate point. Dawoon still looked deep in thought, but he didn’t add any more words. How to proceed from here was for Dawoon to think about and choose for himself.

“If I…”

As Hayun was about to start walking, Dawoon spoke up.

“If I don’t get a girlfriend, will you not go on blind dates either?”

Hayun paused for a moment at the unexpected question. Soon, a gentle smile spread across his face.

“Sure.”

Dawoon dating a girlfriend and Hayun going on blind dates were completely unrelated issues. But Dawoon tying the two together as if making a condition was cute.

***

On Monday, the school gate was bustling with students arriving for class. When a noticeable car stopped in front of the main gate, the passing students’ attention naturally focused on it.

“If you’re going to drop me off, at least change to a less conspicuous car.”

Dawoon grumbled with a voice full of dissatisfaction as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Hayun just chuckled. The car they were in was just an ordinary black sedan. It was just that it was a high-end luxury brand not commonly seen around.

“Have a good day. Study hard.”

As Dawoon got out of the car, Hayun gave the customary greeting. Dawoon looked at him but closed the door without replying. Soon, through the car window, Hayun could see students approaching Dawoon and talking to him. Dawoon’s face was stiff, seemingly disliking this kind of attention.

I wonder if he’d get angry if I told him I’m doing this on purpose.

Hayun thought to himself, then chuckled and turned his head.

“Will you be dropping off Young Master Dawoon before going to work tomorrow as well, sir?”

The driver asked, looking at Hayun through the rearview mirror.

“I’ll continue to do so for a while. Please prepare accordingly in the morning.”

Dawoon would probably say there’s no need to go to such trouble, but this was a kind of show-off and warning. To show who Jeong Dawoon is.

Dawoon only felt burdened by the large background of Haedo Group. However, while that background drew people’s attention, it also served as a clear warning. Don’t approach carelessly, he’s not someone you can dare to desire.

Until now, Hayun had let Dawoon live quietly as he wished, but not anymore. He had left it alone for too long, and unnecessary things kept sticking around. There was less than a year and a half left until high school graduation. Maybe he had been too complacent, thinking it was fine because Dawoon was still young.

Soon there would be the very good excuse of being a high school senior, so Hayun planned to start paying attention to Dawoon from now on.

“Jeong Dawoon!”

Dawoon, who was walking through the school gate, flinched at the voice calling from behind. He could tell who it was without turning around.

“Hey! Let’s go together!”

The voice calling got a bit louder, then soon someone came running up and clung to Dawoon’s arm.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

Na-eun, who had grabbed Dawoon’s arm, looked up and asked. Dawoon looked at her and then pulled his arm away.

“Eh?”

Na-eun was slightly taken aback, as this level of skinship had been tolerated until now.

“Don’t do this from now on.”

“Huh?”

Na-eun blinked her wide eyes.

“This kind of thing, only do it with your boyfriend.”

“Suddenly?”

She had been acting this friendly for quite a while now. To her question of why he was doing this now after allowing it all this time, Dawoon took a deep breath.

“It’s weird. People might misunderstand.”

“Who’s misunderstanding?”

Everyone at school knew that this was just Na-eun’s personality. Of course, it was also common knowledge that she liked Dawoon and was actively pursuing him. Since she had confessed publicly in the first place, everyone just accepted it as the way things were.

Instead of answering, Dawoon just took a deep breath and turned away. Na-eun kept following, asking again why he was suddenly acting like this, but he didn’t answer. Even when they entered the classroom, she sat in front of Dawoon’s desk and pressed him to explain, but the more she did, the colder his response became.

“Did I do something wrong?”

By the time homeroom was approaching, Na-eun’s eyes were brimming with tears. Sensing the strange atmosphere, the other students in the class were all turning to look and whispering.

“Go back to your seat.”

Dawoon didn’t even look at her properly despite her tears.

“What’s going on? Why are you acting like this?”

Ui-hyeon, who had come into the classroom a bit late, looked back and forth between the two. Na-eun glared at Dawoon, who wasn’t even looking at her anymore, then abruptly turned her head and went back to her seat.

“Did you two fight?”

“What is there to fight about?”

Ui-hyeon put his bag down in the seat next to Dawoon and glanced at Na-eun, who had returned to her window seat.

“But why are you like this, suddenly?”

“It’s not sudden, this is how it should have been from the start.”

“What’s really going on?”

Ui-hyeon frowned, still not understanding Dawoon’s words.

“I was told my attitude was stringing her along.”

At this casually thrown comment, Ui-hyeon blinked and pondered for a moment before letting out a belated “Ah.”

“Well, that’s not wrong, but…”

Ui-hyeon, who had been muttering, stared intently at Dawoon.

“Who said that?”

“…”

“Don’t tell me it was your brother?”

Dawoon didn’t answer. Taking that as the answer, Ui-hyeon swallowed a sigh.

But you know that’s really strange, right? Suddenly changing your attitude because of one word from your brother?

He had a lot he wanted to say, but he swallowed it all. Whatever Dawoon’s relationship with his brother was like, it wasn’t his place to interfere.

After that day, no girl dared to confess to Dawoon. Dawoon never smiled at girls either. An ice flower on a cliff. By graduation, that’s how everyone thought of Dawoon. Someone who catches the eye and is perfect in every way, but could never be yours. That was Dawoon’s image.