Separation Anxiety

30.

#A New Encounter

“Welcome back,” the butler greeted Hayun and Dawoon as they returned to the mansion.

“Young Master Haram…”

“He fell asleep, so we left him at grandfather’s house. They said they’d bring him back tomorrow, so we should get a call before they leave.”

At Hayun’s answer, the butler looked at Dawoon. While leaving Haram behind might not mean much to Hayun, it seemed the butler thought it might be different for Dawoon.

“I’ll go up first,” Dawoon said, heading straight up to the second floor without further comment.

“Young Master Dawoon seems to be feeling hurt,” the butler remarked, watching Dawoon’s retreating figure.

“I’m sure he is. But isn’t it fortunate? That grandfather at least shows affection for Haram.”

The butler let out a groan at Hayun’s loaded statement.

“Please make sure Dawoon eats breakfast tomorrow. Something soft.”

“Did he drink?” the butler asked, perhaps thinking Dawoon might have had alcohol now that he was of legal age.

“He probably had a few drinks. I can’t be certain since I wasn’t watching him the whole time.”

Hayun thought Dawoon’s unusual fatigue compared to previous years might have been due to alcohol. He had tried to stay close to Dawoon as much as possible, but there were times when he had to take his eyes off him as various people came to talk. During those times, he had seen others approach Dawoon, offering him champagne or wine.

Despite not caring before, once Hayun started looking after Dawoon, others began to focus on him too. The moment Dawoon became not the abandoned child of Haedo Group, but the brother doted on by the Haedo Group heir, his position changed.

The change in their attitudes was ridiculous, but it also confirmed that the face of Haedo Group they were looking at was shifting from Chairman Jeong to Hayun. Chairman Jeong was still ignoring Dawoon. Nevertheless, just by Hayun being nearby, people pretended to be kind and smiled at Dawoon. They had started watching Hayun’s reactions, not the Chairman’s.

Power was not eternal. As time passed, it inevitably flowed somewhere else. Today was the first step in confirming that flow.

“Ah, right,” Hayun stopped as he was about to go upstairs and turned to the butler.

“Please look for a different tutor for Haram.”

The butler tilted his head quizzically at the sudden mention of Haram’s tutor. He had thought Hayun liked her since he had even brought her to today’s gathering.

“I don’t like having a woman with ulterior motives in the mansion. And I don’t know what kind of influence she might have on Haram.”

The butler’s face stiffened slightly at the phrase “ulterior motives.”

“Did she cause you trouble, young master?”

Instead of answering, Hayun just smirked and turned away. This much mention would be enough for the butler to handle things properly.

***

March came quickly. Despite going to school, there were hardly any proper lectures on the first day of the semester. Dawoon didn’t know any faces since he hadn’t attended the freshman orientation. Those who had already become somewhat friendly during the orientation gathered in small groups.

He wasn’t particularly disappointed about not being part of those groups. In fact, he thought it was fortunate that no one paid attention to him, unlike in high school.

Having finished class earlier than expected, Dawoon came down to the first-floor lobby, wondering what to do until his next lecture. It was too early for lunch, and there were still three hours until the next class. He thought about going to the library to read, but wasn’t sure if he could use it yet without a student ID.

“What are you doing?” 

Startled by a tap on his shoulder, Dawoon turned to find Ui-hyeon standing there.

“Huh?” 

Dawoon was puzzled to see him here, as the Social Sciences building housing the Media Communications department was separate from the Business Administration building.

“Is your phone on silent?” Ui-hyeon asked with a frown. Checking his phone, Dawoon saw missed messages and calls from him.

“I didn’t want it to ring during class.”

“Couldn’t you at least set it to vibrate?” 

Ui-hyeon shook his head, saying this was so typical of Dawoon.

“I vaguely remembered what classes you had today, so I came looking. I bet you don’t have anyone to eat lunch with either?”

He knew Dawoon’s personality too well to expect him to make friends on his own.

“It’s too early for lunch,” Dawoon replied.

“I know. But I thought classes might end early on the first day, so I came by just in case. Good thing I did.”

Ui-hyeon clicked his tongue, saying they could have missed each other. He insisted that if Dawoon was going to keep his phone on silent, he should at least check it frequently. Dawoon smiled sheepishly, explaining that in high school, he could turn off his phone all day and only turn it on after school without any problems. It was a habit that still lingered. Ui-hyeon sighed again, emphasizing several times that they were now college students, not high schoolers anymore.

“Are you going to take the Broadcasting Club test?”

“Test?”

“Didn’t you look into it? I heard university broadcasting clubs have tests for admission. Apparently, it’s a three-stage process with a written test, interview, and even a camera test.”

Dawoon had planned to join the Broadcasting Club, thinking it would help his goal of becoming a TV producer after graduation. But hearing about the extensive testing process made him realize how different it was from high school clubs.

“I heard the tests are no joke. It’s quite famous,” Ui-hyeon added.

“Well, I should at least try,” Dawoon replied, saying he’d apply even if he might not get in. 

Ui-hyeon then pointed to a wall with posters. “There it is. The Broadcasting Club recruitment notice.”

As he said, among various club recruitment posters, there was one for the Broadcasting Club.

“They really do have three rounds of tests,” Dawoon muttered, examining the poster.

“Only announcers have to do the camera test, so it’s actually two rounds for others,” Ui-hyeon clarified. Dawoon would only need to take the written test and interview for the PD position.

“They’re taking online applications. This is really professional,” Dawoon noted. Unlike other clubs asking people to visit their club rooms, the Broadcasting Club had a link for online applications.

“Should we do it together?” Ui-hyeon mused, staring intently at the poster.

“Really?” Dawoon was surprised, as Ui-hyeon hadn’t been in the broadcasting club in high school, saying it was too much trouble.

“They offer scholarships,” Ui-hyeon pointed to the bottom of the poster. It stated that club members would receive a 20% scholarship in their first year, 50% in their second year, and a full scholarship in their third year.

“Do you need a scholarship?” Dawoon asked, knowing Ui-hyeon’s family wasn’t struggling financially. The quarterly tuition at their private high school had been comparable to most university tuitions.

“The tuition will probably be covered by my father’s school. There’s some kind of faculty benefit,” Ui-hyeon explained.

“Then why?”

“Pocket money,” Ui-hyeon answered lightly. “My father’s policy is that once you’re 20, you should earn your own spending money. I’ll probably have to do part-time work too, but that might not be enough, so I thought if I get a scholarship, I could use that as pocket money.”

“Ah…” Dawoon hadn’t even considered part-time work.

Part-time job… would that be okay? Having only ever gone between school and home, Dawoon was interested in trying part-time work, beyond just earning money. But he didn’t think Hayun would easily allow it. If he mentioned wanting to do part-time work, wouldn’t Hayun just ask if he needed money and hand him a credit card?

“Ah!” 

A woman’s surprised voice was heard, followed by a wet sensation on Dawoon’s shirt sleeve. Turning around, he saw an unfamiliar woman looking at him with an embarrassed expression. The plastic container in her hand was less than half full of a blue drink. Half of the spilled drink had not only soaked Dawoon’s shirt sleeve but also stained it blue. Unfortunately, he was wearing a white shirt, making it even more noticeable.

“I’m so sorry. I was walking backward while greeting a friend…” 

Dawoon and Ui-hyeon had been standing still, looking at the poster. She had bumped into them unilaterally.

“Oh, your clothes…” 

While Dawoon, whose clothes were ruined, said nothing, the woman looked like she might cry.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” she said immediately.

Ui-hyeon frowned at her offer. Although the white shirt was ruined, usually people would offer to pay for dry cleaning, not buy a new shirt. Moreover, the clothes Dawoon wore typically had an extra zero in their price. Did she know how much it would cost?

“Here,” she held out a black card. Even Dawoon was taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to offer a card, not cash.

“First, please buy something else to wear. Of course, I’ll compensate you for the shirt you’re wearing too.”

What’s her deal? Ui-hyeon’s expression seemed to ask as he looked back and forth between her and Dawoon. If she had been acting arrogantly, it would have been merely unpleasant, but she genuinely seemed sorry and at a loss for what to do.

Her sincere desire to make amends was palpable. That’s why the card she held out was even more surprising.