Separation Anxiety

6.

#Gift

It was the day Hayun turned twelve. The helpers in the mansion were busy preparing for Hayun’s birthday party. Though it was called a party, no one had been invited. They said he could invite friends if he wanted, but he didn’t feel like it and declined.

This year, even grandfather was on a business trip abroad, so his secretary had just delivered a gift in advance. There was no one to congratulate him right away, but he still felt excited. For the first time, his father, who hadn’t even returned in time for his birthday every year claiming he was busy, had suggested having dinner together.

Even when his mother was alive, his father had never properly celebrated Hayun’s birthday. Even on his birthdays last year and the year before, after his mother passed away, his father had only returned after the candles on the cake had burned out and melted away.

So this year was the first time Hayun could remember his father celebrating his birthday. That alone was meaningful enough for Hayun.

“Isn’t there too much food?”

Hayun asked as he watched the helpers setting the table one by one. For some reason, there were place settings for four people.

“The vice chairman said he’s bringing a guest,” one of the helpers answered with a smile.

A guest? Could it be his aunt’s family? It wasn’t a very convincing guess. Although his aunt was his father’s only sibling, even young Hayun could see that they didn’t seem to get along very well. Someone who made excuses to skip his father’s birthday was unlikely to come for his.

“I think they’re here,” said a helper who was arranging plates of food prettily, nodding towards the window. In the distance, Hayun could see his father’s car pulling in.

He really kept his promise!

Excited, Hayun quickly ran to the entrance. The butler cautioned him that he might fall and get hurt if he ran like that, but Hayun paid no attention.

“Welcome ho…me.”

Hayun’s greeting, which he had started loudly as the front door opened, trailed off. There was someone he had never seen before standing next to his father.

“You must be Hayun.”

Even to Hayun’s eyes, she was a pretty person. Her long, neatly styled wavy hair suited her very well. She smiled gently as soon as she saw Hayun. Although he was already over 160cm tall at twelve years old, she was about the same height as him. That’s why he could see her smiling face even better.

“Nice to meet you.”

She waved her hand slightly. It was a gesture that wasn’t too frivolous, yet seemed friendly. Hayun’s gaze, which had been unconsciously scanning her, stopped at one spot. There was a small child hiding behind her legs.

“Ah, this is Dawoon.”

She pulled the child from behind her and placed him in front.

“Dawoon, say hello to your hyung.”

At the woman’s words, the child looked up at Hayun with big eyes. His snow-white cheeks looked just like rice cakes, seeming soft to touch. When his eyes met Hayun’s, he flinched and tried to hide behind the woman again. Seeing that the child seemed scared, Hayun reflexively smiled brightly. Only then did the child stop trying to hide.

“Hello.”

Hayun bent his knees to meet the child’s eye level and greeted him first. Still, the child only hesitated and didn’t come forward. Hayun extended his hand towards the child with a smiling face. Seeing the hand, the child’s eyes darted back and forth between Hayun and the woman. When the woman nodded, he looked back at Hayun.

How cute.

That was the only thought that crossed his mind at that moment. More than being curious about who this woman was or who this child was, he couldn’t take his eyes off the child who was looking up at him with those big eyes, finding him utterly adorable. Perhaps it was because he had always been alone in this huge mansion that even seeing a young child was fascinating.

“Hyung…?”

The child called Hayun cautiously. Even his voice sounded so lovable. When Hayun smiled broadly and opened his arms, the child carefully took steps towards him. The moment the child’s hand was placed on his, Hayun’s smile deepened.

“Dawoon?”

When Hayun called the child’s name that he had just heard, he only nodded.

“I’m Hayun. Hayun hyung.”

It felt strange to have the word ‘hyung’ attached after his name. A sweet feeling spread, as if his heart was being tickled.

“Hayun hyung.”

Dawoon repeated softly as Hayun had told him.

What is this? Why is he so cute?

Although he had never thought about wanting a younger sibling before, the being in front of him felt incredibly lovable. When he lifted Dawoon with both arms, the slightly surprised child wrapped his arms around Hayun’s neck.

“Do you like Dawoon?”

His father, who had been silently watching until then, asked. Hayun turned to look at him and nodded.

“That’s a relief.”

A smile with a complex light spread across his face. Even then, Hayun didn’t pay attention to why this woman next to his father and this lovable child had appeared on his birthday.

“Hayun.”

His father, who had called Hayun, moistened his lips with his tongue as if nervous. What was he going to say that made him call so cautiously? Seeing this unfamiliar side of his father, Hayun just blinked at him. Meanwhile, all his attention was focused on not dropping Dawoon, who was squirming in his arms.

“How about… living with Dawoon?”

At his father’s question, Hayun tilted his head. Live together? Here? Hayun’s gaze turned to Dawoon. Then it slowly moved to the woman next to his father. Now he was starting to get an idea of what their relationship was and who this child he was holding was.

How should he react? He pondered for a very brief moment. In a typical situation like this, should he get angry? Or should he at least pretend to be surprised? Various thoughts crossed his mind, but in reality, Hayun was neither angry nor surprised.

His father had never loved his mother. The relationship between his father and mother was close to that of business partners who only maintained minimal courtesy towards each other. After watching them for 10 years, even at his young age, he had naturally come to accept this fact. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that his father had another woman who wasn’t his mother. Perhaps even if his mother were alive and found out that his father was seeing another woman, she wouldn’t have even gotten angry.

Was it because he was well aware of their abnormal relationship? He wasn’t particularly surprised by the woman his father had brought, saying he wanted to live together, or by her child. Rather…

“I’d like that.”

Hayun answered with a bright smile. In this mansion where he had always been alone, there was now someone to spend time with him. And that someone was even more lovable and cute than he had expected.

“Then Dawoon is my birthday present.”

When Hayun said this with a smile in his eyes, his father hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to make of those words.

“Oh my. Thank you so much for thinking of it that way. Dawoon, you’ll have to be good to your hyung from now on, okay?”

Unlike his father, the woman – Kim Min-seo, who became the mistress of this mansion from that day on – agreed with Hayun’s words with a gentle smile.

“I look forward to it.”

When Hayun smiled at Dawoon, whether he understood the meaning or not, Dawoon, who had been looking at Hayun, nodded with a bright smile.

Jeong Dawoon, Jeong Hayun’s birthday present.

That lovely child was more precious than any gift Hayun had ever received. So much so that he never wanted to let go of him.

***

Beep beep beep, beep beep beep.

At the familiar alarm sound, Hayun reached out and grabbed the phone on the nightstand. With his eyes half-closed, he turned off the alarm and took a deep breath. As the drowsiness gradually cleared, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his face with one hand and lifted his head to see sunlight streaming through the half-drawn curtains.

The remnants of the dream he had after a long time still seemed to linger before his eyes.

“When he was five years old…”

Remembering Dawoon’s face from that time naturally brought a smile to his lips. It was already 13 years ago.

Knock knock. At the sound of knocking, he answered “Yes,” and the butler checked if he was awake.

“Young Master Dawoon is already prepared and waiting.”

“I’ll be down soon.”

As he answered, he got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom.

After washing up and changing clothes, he came down to the first floor to find Dawoon already sitting at the dining table, just as the butler had said. Dawoon, who had been absently looking out the window, turned his head at the sound of Hayun’s approach. As soon as he saw Hayun, a faint smile spread across his face.

Now eighteen years old, Dawoon hardly resembled his five-year-old self. The baby fat characteristic of young children had all disappeared, and now his face was slender by anyone’s standards. However, his skin was still white. It was even whiter than most girls’, so guests who came to the mansion often nagged that he must not see any sunlight and that a boy should exercise more.

They didn’t know how much care he took to prevent even the smallest scratch on that fair skin. He had his first argument with Dawoon because he disliked the idea of him getting tanned, and had insisted on having a chauffeur drive him to and from school.

‘I want to keep going like I have been.’

Two years ago, after their parents’ funeral and before the start of the second semester, Dawoon had clearly stated his opinion.

‘I want to let you do that too. But things can’t be the same as before. Everyone will know who you are now.’

Even after such an explanation, Dawoon persisted. Hayun didn’t force him to change his mind. He quietly let Dawoon do as he wished. However, that stubbornness was broken within a week.