Separation Anxiety

27.

#Don’t Take It to Heart

The birthday celebration was held in the garden behind the mansion. The staff were constantly bringing out food, and live music was being played on one side. Although it was mainly a gathering of relatives, there were also several figures from politics and business who were close to Chairman Jeong. As a result, there were dozens of guests.

Dawoon stood at a table in one corner of the garden, sipping only a drink. The table was laden with all kinds of food rarely seen elsewhere, but he didn’t touch it, thinking he would surely get indigestion if he ate now. Teacher Lim wasn’t even allowed into the garden. She was still lingering in front of the mansion entrance, and no one invited her in.

Dawoon wondered why they had her come along under the pretext of taking care of Haram if this was how it would be. For once, he couldn’t understand Hayun’s actions. Surely Hayun must have anticipated how Teacher Lim would be treated here.

“Oh my, who do we have here?”

Hearing a familiar voice, Dawoon turned to see his aunt, Jeong Seo-in, approaching. She held a champagne glass and seemed slightly tipsy, as if she had already drunk quite a bit.

“I hope you’ve been well,” Dawoon said, bowing his head slightly in greeting. She narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down.

“You’re different from last year. You’ve graduated high school now, right? All traces of childhood have disappeared in a year. Is it because of how you’re dressed?”

Her tone was ambiguous, unclear whether it was praise or criticism. It certainly wasn’t a kind tone, so Dawoon kept his mouth shut and lowered his gaze, listening silently.

“What’s with that attitude? An adult is speaking to you.”

She took issue with Dawoon averting his gaze. If he had looked at her directly, she would have found fault with that too. Two years ago, he had been scolded for glaring while she was speaking.

“You’re becoming more and more like your mother. Both in looks and behavior.”

Dawoon quietly swallowed at the mention of his mother. It didn’t matter what his mother had done to his aunt. Everyone in this family, including Chairman Jeong and Jeong Seo-in, and all those with the Jeong surname, treated Dawoon’s mother, Kim Min-seo, like a criminal. Someone had even called her a man-eating monster behind her back, knowing Dawoon could hear.

“Isn’t it time for you to be independent? How long do you plan to mooch off Hayun?”

Jeong Seo-in showed her contempt more blatantly than usual.

“He’s raised you enough. If you have any sense of decency, you should…”

“Watch your words.”

Suddenly, Dawoon felt himself being pulled back, and Hayun’s voice came from above his head. Hayun had wrapped an arm around Dawoon’s chest, pulling him back. Dawoon’s body, pulled back without resistance, stopped only when it bumped against Hayun’s chest.

“Who’s mooching off whom? Can someone mooch off their own home?”

Hayun spoke sharply to Jeong Seo-in. This caused everyone nearby to turn and look.

“Hey! Watch your language! How is that his home? That was our brother’s house!”

“Yes, it was our father’s house. Now it’s mine, Dawoon’s, and Haram’s home. There’s no reason for you to interfere, Aunt.”

Hayun drew a line, essentially saying she was the outsider.

“You…! I’m saying this for your own good!”

“I’m not sure how this is for my benefit. It’s unnecessary meddling.”

Jeong Seo-in’s face turned red at Hayun’s hard, almost cold tone. She exhaled sharply, fanning herself, then turned away abruptly, saying she couldn’t deal with this anymore. When Hayun looked around, the gazes that had been focused on them began to scatter one by one.

“Don’t take it to heart,” Hayun said, looking at Dawoon after everyone’s attention had turned away. Dawoon nodded in understanding, but Hayun’s eyes wouldn’t leave him.

“I’m fine. Really. It’s not like this is anything new.”

Dawoon answered, removing Hayun’s hand from his shoulder. While it was uncomfortable to draw attention due to Jeong Seo-in’s loud voice, he truly wasn’t hurt by her words anymore. Even from a younger age, even when his mother was alive, Jeong Seo-in had been much the same.

When he was very young, he had been bewildered, not understanding the meaning. As he grew a bit older, he cried, feeling hurt and wondering why she treated only him this way. After his parents passed away, he thought that maybe Jeong Seo-in was right. Unable to refute the claim that his mother had caused his father’s death, he could no longer feel upset or cry about feeling hurt.

So it was fine. He was already used to it, and it was just a minor scratch. This kind of wound had to be okay.

Hayun, who had been quietly observing Dawoon’s expression, took a deep breath and then reached out to grab Dawoon’s wrist.

“Stay with me,” he said.

Before Dawoon could answer, Hayun started walking with long strides. As a result, Dawoon had to follow, half-dragged along.

“Where are we going?”

“I still have some people to greet.”

“Go by yourself.”

Dawoon tried to pull his wrist free, but it didn’t budge. Hayun was gripping it tightly enough to make it ache.

“Hayun!”

Before Dawoon could say it hurt and ask to be let go, someone recognized Hayun and approached.

“Hello,” Hayun greeted, stopping in front of a middle-aged man.

“Say hello, Dawoon. This is Minister Ju Kang-han from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.”

Ministry of Economy and Finance? And a minister at that? Dawoon looked up at Hayun with a surprised expression. When their eyes met, Hayun nodded slightly, as if telling him to greet the man quickly.

“Hello,” Dawoon said.

“And this is…?” the Finance Minister asked, curious about Dawoon’s identity.

“This is my younger brother, Jeong Dawoon. He’s starting university this year.”

“Ah, Haedo Group keeps everyone but the eldest son so well hidden, I’ve been curious. Nice to finally see your face. Pleased to meet you.”

He extended his hand to Dawoon. Seeing the gesture for a handshake, Dawoon looked up at Hayun again. Following Hayun’s eye signal, he reached out and shook the man’s hand, though he felt awkward, never having been introduced and greeted someone like this before.

“Starting university, you say? Where…?”

“Yeonhwa University, Department of Media and Communication,” Hayun answered on Dawoon’s behalf.

“Yeonhwa University? He must be a good student. My daughter is becoming a high school junior this year, and I’m quite worried.”

“I’m sure the Minister’s daughter will do well,” Hayun replied good-naturedly. Thanks to this, Dawoon could remain silent without issue.

“Could I perhaps ask for some tutoring for my daughter later? I’m worried because she’s weak in math.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Dawoon couldn’t answer and just rolled his eyes.

“Well, I suppose an heir of Haedo Group wouldn’t do tutoring, would they?”

The Finance Minister burst into hearty laughter, as if it was half a joke.

“Still, it would be good to get to know each other under that pretext, wouldn’t it?”

That seemed to be the real intention. Hayun brushed it off with a polite laugh, but Dawoon couldn’t bring himself to laugh along. Fortunately, the Finance Minister soon turned away to greet someone else.

“Just respond appropriately. These people aren’t 100% sincere in what they say anyway,” Hayun said in a voice only Dawoon could hear.

I’m not sure what ‘appropriately’ means, Dawoon thought, but swallowed the words he wanted to say. Anyway, it probably wouldn’t be common for him to be introduced to people and greet them like this. This was just a coincidence that happened by chance.

“Oppa! Hayun oppa!”

No sooner had he caught his breath than someone else called for Hayun. This time it was a woman who looked about Hayun’s age, and Dawoon recognized her face. She was the granddaughter of Chairman Jeong’s younger brother, a sixth cousin.

She approached right in front of them in an instant and clung to Hayun’s arm.

“It’s been a while. Wow, are you getting more handsome?”

She asked in a voice full of aegyo and smiled. She must have seen Dawoon standing next to them, but she didn’t even glance his way.

“Oppa, my friends are over there. Could you come and say hello to them? Please?”

It was obvious that her “friends” would all be from similar families. It was clear she wanted to show off Hayun to them.

“Later,” Hayun said, removing her hand and turning towards Dawoon.

“Shall I bring you something to drink?”

It was clear he meant he would bring it himself, not asking Dawoon to do it. The cousin’s expression immediately hardened.

“You can just tell him to get it himself. He’s not a child,” she whined, grabbing Hayun’s arm again. But once more, Hayun politely pushed her hand away.

“I don’t see why I should greet your friends. Especially not while leaving Dawoon behind.”

Her face showed bewilderment at his blunt rejection.

“And isn’t it polite to greet Dawoon first?”

Her face turned bright red as he went so far as to lecture her on manners.

“Why should I greet him first?”

It wasn’t a matter of who greeted whom first. From the beginning, relatives rarely acknowledged Dawoon. Those who occasionally approached him first usually found fault with him, like Jeong Seo-in earlier. Hayun must have known this, so Dawoon wondered why he was acting this way today.

“Then I have even less reason to greet your friends just to save your face.”

That seemed to be what he really wanted to say. Hayun, as if there was no need for further words, coldly turned away, holding Dawoon’s arm. The cousin called out “Oppa!” loudly from behind, but he didn’t look back again.