Separation Anxiety

18.

#Someone to Take Care

The employee gestured to another staff member nearby, and immediately replaced the clerk explaining things to Dawoon with someone else. Although the previous employee seemed fine, when an even more seemingly friendly clerk approached, Dawoon appeared even more uncomfortable.

“We’ll escort you to the VVIP room.”

After a while, the department store’s VIP manager came over. He asked why they were standing there and offered to bring whatever they needed if they moved to the VVIP room. As more and more people in department store uniforms gathered, Dawoon also seemed to notice and looked around. Hayun had deliberately come quietly considering Dawoon, but because his face was well-known, the department store was overreacting.

It seemed the quiet shopping trip was no longer possible, so Hayun wondered what to do.

“Brother…”

Dawoon called Hayun with a troubled expression. He too seemed to realize the situation was escalating. They had planned to casually browse a few stores, but at this rate, the attention would make Dawoon even more uncomfortable.

“We need to move.”

There was no choice. It was better to move to the VVIP room.

Even as they were heading to the VVIP room, Dawoon wore an expression that seemed to ask what was going on. Two years ago, when Hayun was still a college student, this didn’t happen. Because it was before he officially started heir training, Hayun’s face wasn’t as well-known as it is now.

“Seems I surprised you. But this kind of thing is common. You should get used to it too.”

Hayun explained to Dawoon, who had a stiff expression. Dawoon just nodded.

“It’s not all bad. If you just sit still, each brand will select suitable clothes and bring them to you, so it might be more convenient. You don’t have to face people either.”

Hayun added what he thought would be advantages from Dawoon’s perspective. At the words that there was nothing to worry about, Dawoon’s tense face finally relaxed a little.

Regardless of his reaction, Hayun thought the bigger problem was that once Dawoon’s face became known like this, the department store itself would remember him and treat him as a VVIP in the future. He already didn’t like going to crowded places, so it seemed unlikely he would come to the department store again. He would probably just wear whatever was in his closet, not caring who bought the clothes.

“Oh my, who do we have here?”

As soon as they got off the elevator on the floor with the VVIP room, a middle-aged woman waiting in front of it recognized Hayun.

“Have you been well?”

As Hayun greeted her, Dawoon looked at her with a questioning expression.

“This is the wife of LK Construction’s CEO.”

At Hayun’s explanation, Dawoon also bowed slightly.

“Who is this?”

“Our second son.”

“Ah…”

The woman made a strange expression at the term “second son.” Her eyes quickly scanned Dawoon up and down. Hayun stepped in front of Dawoon as if to shield him.

“Go in first. I’ll follow soon.”

He told Dawoon and gestured to a department store employee to take him inside.

“This way, please.”

After watching the employee guide Dawoon away, Hayun turned around at the sound of “Hayun-gun” calling him.

“How is the Chairman doing?”

The wife of LK Construction’s CEO asked about Chairman Jeong.

“He’s well.”

“And with your brother… are you close?”

She glanced at Hayun cautiously. He could guess what she was thinking.

The second son of Haedo Group is not Jeong Seo-hoo’s child. He’s a child the second wife brought. That’s why he’s out of favor with Chairman Jeong.

This was quite a famous rumor in these circles. It was also the main reason why Hayun didn’t take Dawoon to social gatherings. He didn’t want to hurt him by making him hear things he didn’t need to hear.

“I’ve adored him since he was little. Maybe that’s why, even though he’s grown up now, I still feel like I need to take care of him, so I dragged him here against his will.”

Hayun answered with an even brighter smile on purpose. He openly showed that he was more attached to Dawoon than Dawoon was to him, which seemed to slightly surprise the woman. He wanted to impress upon her that their relationship was not the awkward and uncomfortable one they imagined.

“It’s nice to see brothers getting along so well.”

It was hard to tell if she genuinely meant it or if it was just a polite remark. Seeing her artificial smile, Hayun responded with an equally perfect smile.

“Don’t you have one more younger brother? I think he was quite young.”

“Yes. Our youngest came too, but he’s playing in the indoor playground now. He’s only five years old.”

“Oh my, he’s really just a baby. He must need someone to take care of him.”

It was laughable that she was mentioning someone to take care of the child, as if a group like theirs wouldn’t have someone to look after one child. Her intentions were too obvious.

“Hayun-gun, you should get married early. Wouldn’t it be better for your brothers if Haedo Group had a young mistress?”

As expected, the anticipated words came out, almost making Hayun laugh. But would a woman who married him really want to take care of Dawoon and Haram? No, definitely not.

Contrary to his cynical inner thoughts, Hayun just smiled at the wife of LK Construction’s CEO, neither affirming nor denying. Whatever she said, Hayun was too young to mention marriage.

“Our youngest is twenty-three this year.”

She finally started to reveal her true intentions. Hayun barely managed to hold back a scornful laugh.

“Isn’t the age difference with Hayun-gun just perfect? She’s majoring in music at university, and she has a good personality. Of course, her looks are not lacking anywhere either.”

She started listing praises about her daughter. While parents might want to marry their daughter into a good family, the daughter herself might feel differently. At just twenty-three, wouldn’t she be shocked if marriage was mentioned? If it were him, he would have run away before the topic was even brought up.

“Our daughter saw Hayun-gun somewhere. But she’s too shy, so she couldn’t even properly talk to you.”

They might have met at some gathering, but Hayun had no memory of it. It meant she had left that little of an impression.

“Could you spare some time? It would be nice if you two could meet for a meal. Wouldn’t it be good for people of the same age to meet and talk without adults around?”

If she really wanted to set up a proper matchmaking meeting, she should have approached Chairman Jeong, not him. The fact that she was saying this directly to Hayun instead meant one of two things: either Chairman Jeong had already refused once, or she didn’t dare to bring it up directly to Chairman Jeong. Either way, it meant the match wasn’t up to Chairman Jeong’s standards.

“I’ll do that.”

Hayun answered politely. He knew that if he actually agreed to meet, it would be cut off at Chairman Jeong’s level. However, the wife of LK Construction’s CEO, completely unaware of his intentions, was delighted as if she had achieved a great success. She said she would tell her daughter to contact Hayun directly before getting on the elevator with a department store employee.

She said she would contact him but didn’t ask for Hayun’s contact information. There were many ways to contact him without needing his personal contact information. But all those official routes were under Chairman Jeong’s supervision, so the contact would be cut off at that level as soon as it was made.

Hayun smirked and turned towards the corridor with the VVIP room, then stopped. Dawoon was standing a short distance away. He was close enough to have heard the conversation.

“Why didn’t you go in?”

Hayun approached Dawoon and asked.

“Just. It was uncomfortable.”

Dawoon was uncomfortable being treated as the Haedo Group’s son. As soon as he entered the VVIP room, several department store employees must have flocked to him, trying to attend to his needs, so it must have felt like sitting on pins and needles without Hayun there.

“That auntie talked a lot.”

Dawoon looked at Hayun and smiled slightly when he referred to the wife of LK Construction’s CEO as “auntie.”

“Are you going to have a matchmaking meeting with that auntie’s daughter?”

It seemed he had heard everything clearly.

“Well…”

Hayun deflected ambiguously without denying it outright. Dawoon’s eyes, which had been on Hayun, slowly moved away.

“If it’s someone to play the role of a mother, we don’t need that.”

Hayun was confused for a moment before remembering that the wife of LK Construction had mentioned Haram and said something about someone to take care of him.

What skills would that 23-year-old daughter have to act as a mother? Especially a young lady who must have been raised delicately. Those words were just an excuse to introduce her daughter to him. However, Dawoon seemed to have taken it at face value.

“Even if not for you, it might be necessary for Haram.”

At Hayun’s answer, Dawoon visibly frowned.

“Haram doesn’t need it either. Because I’m here.”

Rarely, Dawoon was clearly showing his emotions. Hayun kept trying to suppress a smile at this sight.

“You’ll be a high school senior next year. You need to study.”

When Hayun gave this very ordinary and reasonable excuse, Dawoon’s lips moved as if to argue, but then he set his mouth in a hard line. He couldn’t deny the special circumstances of being a high school senior.

“I just need to endure for a year.”

Hayun chuckled at the answer implying that after getting through senior year, he could take care of Haram as much as he wanted. It seemed he had no intention of stopping his mothering role even after going to university.

Don’t you want to date? Don’t you want to hang out with friends?

Hayun didn’t ask these questions that naturally came to mind. After all, he was the one who had knowingly allowed Haram to hinder Dawoon’s friendships and personal life.

As Hayun was about to move, saying they should go in, Dawoon grabbed the hem of his jacket.

“Are you… going to have the matchmaking meeting?”

When Hayun turned around, Dawoon’s eyes, fixed on his face, were trembling slightly. It was similar to the reaction he had shown in the car on the way to Gapyeong a few days ago.