Separation Anxiety

12.

#Guardian

“Let Haram eat first.”

Hayun stood up when he saw Haram, still half-asleep, coming out holding a servant’s hand. Although the meal was already set, he left it and went up to the second floor.

Knock knock. After knocking on Dawoon’s door and waiting for a moment, he soon heard a “Yes” from inside.

“I heard you’re going out?”

Hayun asked, leaning against the doorframe after opening the door. Dawoon, who was putting on his jacket, turned around.

“Yeah.”

The answer was excessively brief. Suppressing a wry laugh, Hayun entered his room and sat on the bed.

“With Ui-hyeon?”

This time, Dawoon just nodded.

“Why are you leaving so early?”

Hayun asked in the lightest, most casual tone he could manage.

“We’re going to watch a movie.”

“Come to think of it, you did say you were going out on the weekend. Still, you’re quite diligent.”

Although he had heard about it, it was unexpected for Dawoon to be hurrying from such an early hour. Especially when he had refused when Hayun suggested going to a movie. He felt a bit sulky.

“Na-eun rushed us.”

“Na-eun?”

At the mention of her, not Ui-hyeon, rushing them, Hayun’s brow furrowed involuntarily. He quickly smoothed his expression before Dawoon could see, but it felt as if a sharp thorn was already stuck in his throat.

“That friend from before?”

When he mentioned the day he had picked Dawoon up from school, Dawoon nodded readily.

“I thought you said you weren’t dating.”

“We’re not. It’s not just the two of us meeting, Ui-hyeon is coming too.”

“Ah…”

He had indeed mentioned at first that Ui-hyeon would be there too.

“Strange combination.”

It was odd to think of Ui-hyeon and Kim Na-eun together.

“Is Ui-hyeon close with her too?”

Wondering if perhaps Ui-hyeon liked that girl, he asked, and Dawoon pondered for a moment.

“Well…”

The answer was even more ambiguous.

“I’d say he got caught up with her.”

What could this mean?

“She said she got free tickets, and since she’s bringing one of her friends too, we absolutely had to come.”

At Dawoon’s words, Hayun suppressed a laugh.

“A double date?”

When he pointed out Na-eun’s intention, Dawoon’s expression flinched as if he hadn’t thought of it that way.

“It’s not like that.”

There was a slight pause before he answered. But it wasn’t a lie. At least, it was clear that Dawoon didn’t think of it as a double date.

“The friend she’s bringing is probably a girl.”

“…”

As if he had some inkling, Dawoon just frowned without saying anything. Yet he still hadn’t thought of it as a date. Hayun wasn’t sure whether to call this boy innocent or naive.

“Our Dawoon has grown up.”

Hiding his inner displeasure, Hayun spoke with a smile and stood up. He approached Dawoon, who was still standing with a frown, and lightly patted his shoulder. He wanted to stroke his hair, but he knew Dawoon would dodge, complaining about being treated like a child.

“Still, it’s better to be clear in your attitude. The other person might misunderstand.”

“I clearly rejected her.”

Mentioning the confession, Hayun swallowed a bitter smile. This is why people call him innocent.

“Sometimes, attitude can convey clearer intentions than words. Even if you rejected her verbally, if your attitude is ambiguous, the other person is bound to have hopes.”

If he said anything more, it would sound like nagging. This much warning was sufficient.

“Do you want to take the car?”

“How could I take the car?”

Dawoon answered with a slightly pouty face, his mind seemingly complicated by the thoughts that had arisen in that short moment. Hayun chuckled, thinking it had been a while since he’d seen such an expression.

“Of course, with a chauffeur.”

When Hayun replied that he obviously wasn’t suggesting a minor like him drive, Dawoon frowned and shook his head. His face clearly showed how much he disliked the idea of a chauffeur when meeting friends. Hayun didn’t press further.

“Have fun. Don’t be too late.”

Leaving these cliché words behind, he left Dawoon’s room and returned to the dining room on the first floor. Haram, who had eaten about half his meal, seemed to be fully awake now and smiled brightly, calling out “Hyung” when he saw Hayun. At the term of address, Hayun smiled too and stroked Haram’s hair.

“They really do look alike when they smile.”

At Hayun’s words, Haram looked up at him, blinking his large eyes. Was it because they had the same mother? Dawoon and Haram certainly had many similarities. Sometimes, just when Hayun thought Haram took after his father, he would smile and look exactly like Dawoon did as a child. Come to think of it, Dawoon was exactly Haram’s current age when he came to this house.

“Finish it all without leaving anything. That’s what good children do.”

When Hayun said this with a smile, Haram nodded, saying he understood. Except for crying and fussing when Dawoon wasn’t around, he was a gentle child. Do children also take after those who raise them in such ways? A fleeting thought brought another smile to Hayun’s lips.

“I’ll reheat your food, sir.”

At the butler’s signal, a servant came to take away the food placed in front of Hayun.

“It’s fine. Just leave it. It hasn’t cooled much anyway.”

Although the soup that had been steaming earlier was now completely cold, Hayun didn’t mind.

“More importantly,”

Hayun turned to the butler.

“Do you have a notepad? I left my phone in my room.”

The butler tilted his head at the sudden request for a notepad. Hayun’s gaze shifted to Haram. Although he was still young and probably wouldn’t understand even if he heard, it would be troublesome if he repeated anything he overheard.

Understanding Hayun’s intention, the butler immediately took out a palm-sized notepad and pen from his jacket pocket and handed them over. Hayun wrote a short note on the pad and returned it to the butler.

[Please assign someone to follow. Maintain distance so he doesn’t notice.]

The word “who” was missing, but when Hayun gestured towards the second floor with his eyes, the butler followed his gaze, let out a small “Ah,” and nodded.

***

There was another commotion when Dawoon left. Haram burst into tears, insisting he wanted to go along. Hayun didn’t try particularly hard to stop Haram. Perhaps he was hoping Dawoon would cancel his plans.

Fortunately or unfortunately, one of the servants brought Haram’s favorite game console and connected it to the living room TV, which stopped his tantrum. Only after Haram became absorbed in the game was Dawoon able to quietly leave.

Clink. At the sound of porcelain cups colliding, Hayun turned to see the butler setting down a teacup in front of him.

“Will you be staying home today, sir?”

Even on weekends, Hayun hadn’t been able to spend entire days at home until now. Besides company work, grandfather often called Hayun out. Saying he needed to build a good network to lead the company in the future, he would drag Hayun to golf outings or small gatherings every weekend.

It took a full two years. That’s how long it took to be introduced to and familiarize himself with grandfather’s network. Only recently had grandfather started calling Hayun out less frequently.

“The weather’s nice, so I thought about taking Dawoon and Haram out for some fresh air, but I’ve been stood up.”

Hayun answered with a smile, but the butler didn’t smile back. He had already grasped the hidden meaning in those casually thrown words.

“Perhaps you could take Young Master Haram out at least…”

The butler didn’t finish his sentence because Hayun was staring at him intently. The butler quietly took a breath and finished what he was going to say.

“If you go to the park with Young Master Haram and contact him, Young Master Dawoon will probably come.”

At those words, Hayun chuckled. He knew that too. Even if Dawoon had gone out because of prior plans, if Hayun said he was waiting outside with Haram, Dawoon would surely come to them.

“Probably, yes. But that would be him coming for Haram’s sake.”

Hayun didn’t like that idea. Moreover, Dawoon needed time to spend with other people. He wouldn’t know how different they were from Hayun unless he experienced it himself.

“About what I asked earlier?”

Hayun changed the subject, mentioning the note he had passed in the dining room.

“Driver Kim is following him.”

“Please remind him to be careful not to be noticed.”

“I’ve already cautioned him several times. He’s a prudent person, so you can rest assured.”

The butler answered as if he had been waiting for this question. Having worked in this mansion for a long time, he often understood and acted on Hayun’s wishes without needing lengthy explanations.

“You’re not asking why I’m going to such lengths.”

Hayun said as he brought the teacup to his lips.

“The eldest young master is the guardian of the younger ones. I think it’s natural for you to be concerned.”

The butler answered calmly and looked at Haram, who was engrossed in his game. His gaze was like that of a grandfather looking at his young grandson. His voice when answering Hayun was similar. In a sense, the three Jeong brothers were like grandchildren or nephews to the butler.

“It’s excessive concern. Other parents don’t put surveillance on their kids when they go out to play.”

At this self-deprecating response, the butler turned to look at Hayun.

“When you were young, the Chairman also assigned people to follow you when you went out, sir.”

Surprised by this unexpected answer, Hayun paused with the teacup in his hand, then burst out laughing.

“He still does, doesn’t he?”

When Hayun mentioned Director Park, the butler let out a small groan.

“That’s right. So that’s what it was.”

Hayun muttered, unable to stop laughing. It might be unimaginable in an ordinary household, but in this family, such actions were entirely possible under the pretext of ‘safety’. That’s why no one found it strange.

He had worried about what excuse to give if Dawoon noticed, but it was an unnecessary concern. As long as Dawoon was a ‘Jeong’ and a member of the Haedo Group, this was an unavoidable part of daily life.