It might have been his imagination, but when ‘DH Group’ was mentioned as a high-value donor a moment ago, Seo Baek-han looked directly at his face. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem like Seo Baek-han was just idly looking around and happened to make eye contact with him.
He exchanged eye contact with several people while emceeing. Joo Tae-hyun carefully observed that it was by no means a coincidence, but the result of meticulously calculated timing.
In that case… wouldn’t it be okay to at least say hello to Seo Baek-han? He had even taken the trouble to call him, and had given him a nod first.
“If we get caught now, we really won’t be able to go home. Be careful, okay?”
“…Hey, Noona-“
“Oh, Yun-woo!”
Just as Joo Yun-woo was hurrying towards the entrance, someone jumped up and wrapped their arm around her shoulder. It was Cha So-jin, the granddaughter of the president of Sinuiju University and Joo Yun-woo’s best friend.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Even though she was much shorter than Joo Yun-woo, Cha So-jin maintained her arm around her shoulder, even standing on tiptoe. Seeing her ankle become slightly precarious because of that, Joo Yun-woo sighed and lowered her neck slightly.
“I have to take care of my baby.”
“Hello, Noona.”
Joo Tae-hyun, who had been keeping his mouth shut, greeted Cha So-jin. Judging from Cha So-jin’s actions, it didn’t seem like she had fought with his sister, but that there had been some kind of misunderstanding… If that was the case, he hoped they could resolve it this time. Cha So-jin was usually abroad, so it was difficult to meet her easily.
“Oh my, Tae-hyun! You’ve grown so much! You seem taller than most adults now. But did only you guys come, without your Hyungs?”
“Yeah, so I’m the only one to take care of our baby today-“
“Oh, really?”
A playful smile flashed across Cha So-jin’s face, cutting off Joo Yun-woo’s words. Feeling a sense of foreboding, Joo Yun-woo tried to stop her, saying, ‘Hey, wait a minute,’ but Cha So-jin shouted in a loud voice.
“Hey! Seo Baek-han!”
Seo Baek-han, who was just finishing up at the podium, turned to look this way at the sudden call. Joo Tae-hyun felt his heart sink without realizing it. It was as if his organs were rolling around to any place other than where they were supposed to be.
And, surprisingly, Seo Baek-han strode towards them.
Even though it was a sudden and rather rude call, he didn’t seem upset, and his face was much gentler than he had seen in photos.
Joo Tae-hyun swallowed hard without realizing it.
Until just a moment ago, he had only been hesitating about whether he should say hello to Hyung, but now that the person was actually standing right in front of him, no, even approaching him… he couldn’t think of a single appropriate response.
The silent greeting he had secretly practiced while tossing and turning all night, or the sophisticated and concise greeting, had all evaporated. Only the sound of his heart pounding, pounding, pounding, was ringing in his ears.
“So-jin Noona, why don’t you try to maintain some decorum?”
“Ugh, why do you talk like that? Anyone would think you’re a prince?”
“Haven’t you ever thought that you’re being frivolous, Noona?”
“Ugh. Whatever, you don’t have anything to do right now, do you? The Noonas are going to have some long-awaited bonding time, so you take care of the Joo family’s baby. Got it?”
Cha So-jin grabbed Seo Baek-han’s hand and made him hold Joo Tae-hyun’s hand. Seeing Joo Tae-hyun’s hand fit perfectly into Seo Baek-han’s large palm, she made strange exclamations, saying, “Aigoo, our little ones are so cute.”
“Hey, hey! Cha So-jin!”
“Baek-han, you’re going to take a break anyway. I’m just going to hang out with Joo Yun-woo for an hour. Take care of the baby. Got it?”
“Hey, I said no!”
“When else am I going to drink with you if not now? Come on.”
Without giving them a chance to exchange greetings with Seo Baek-han, Joo Yun-woo and her friends left noisily.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you going to be okay being away from Yun-woo Noona? If you don’t like being alone, you can go stand next to her.”
Seo Baek-han shook Joo Tae-hyun’s hand, which he was still holding, and asked playfully.
“You’re still a baby who needs to have his hand held.”
“Ah, no!”
Joo Tae-hyun finally let go of his hand and stepped back.
“And I’m not a baby anymore… Noona also has her own social life. It’s not just any event, it’s a place where His Highness Second Prince has come, so nothing will happen, right? If it was a dangerous place, Hyung wouldn’t have called me to come.”
This is an event that Hyung worked hard to plan. He hesitated about whether to add the last words, worried that he might seem arrogant, but Seo Baek-han seemed to be in a very good mood at that one line. He hummed, lowering his voice and slightly lowering his eyes, and then gently gazed at Joo Tae-hyun.
“You siblings are still the same.”
“Pardon?”
“You get along so well, it’s amazing.”
With his hands in his pockets and a crooked posture, Seo Baek-han smiled, pulling up only one corner of his mouth. It was a posture and expression that should have made him look like a villain, but he felt like a hero who had saved the world all alone. What should he say? It was like someone who had returned from a very tiring job was begging for praise.
Perhaps it was because of his clothes. No, maybe it was because of his physique…
Seo Baek-han was wearing a suit with a dressy shirt underneath. The entire fabric fit his body perfectly, and the lines were revealed as if rippling with the slightest movement. He knew that he shouldn’t be appraising a person’s body like grading meat, but he couldn’t help but keep looking at the muscles in his shoulders and arms moving as if pulsating.
In a word, the lines and framework that made him up were decadent, but his gestures were virtuous.
Joo Tae-hyun erased the irreverent thoughts that had come to his mind without him realizing it and held out his hand to Seo Baek-han. He hoped that his face wasn’t as red as his flushed fingertips.
“It’s been a while, Hyung.”
Seo Baek-han, who had been scanning Joo Tae-hyun from the top of his head to his face and hands, finally threw his head back and laughed loudly.
“Ah, it’s been a long time since I laughed this hard.”
Joo Tae-hyun smiled slightly at the words he added afterward, “Because of you.”
“Yeah. How have you been?”
Seo Baek-han’s hand, which he formally grasped, was much warmer and larger than he remembered. Perhaps because he was working out more than before, there were calluses on various parts of his palm, and his knuckles were also much thicker than before. He had the image of someone who would pay attention to every detail, so he thought it was surprising in many ways. It wasn’t that it was surprisingly rough or anything like that. It was just that it was an ordinary man’s hand, and strangely, this handshake made him realize that ‘Seo Baek-han’ was also a ‘man’, which surprised him a little.
“…Yes. Well, you know.”
“Oh, right. You said you were thinking of studying abroad last time, right?”
“Yes. Nothing has been decided specifically yet.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t contact you right away because of the time difference and because I was busy.”
“No, it’s okay. I just asked you out of the blue because I couldn’t think of anyone else…”
Even though he knew it was a poor excuse, Seo Baek-han just smiled.
Even if he didn’t have any acquaintances, Joo Tae-hyun had Hyungs and a Noona, and he had the financial resources to hire an expert. But without making Joo Tae-hyun feel embarrassed by asking why he had specifically sought him out, he just smiled quietly. Yeah, the little ones do like Hyung a bit. That mischievous joke was a bonus.
He had thought he was mature when they first met, but as if that time was long ago, Seo Baek-han had become a grown man. Of course, other people might scoff if they heard that, but to fifteen-year-old Joo Tae-hyun, twenty-two was old enough to be an adult.
“But Hyung. I can be alone.”
“No, So-jin Noona is right. I’m really tired and want to rest a bit.”
Seo Baek-han leaned on Joo Tae-hyun as if collapsing. Joo Tae-hyun wasn’t short, but Seo Baek-han was so big that he would have staggered awkwardly if he hadn’t quickly put his arm around his shoulder.
“Oh, right, should I give you a tour of the inside? The office interior construction is roughly finished.”
“I’d like that… But aren’t you very busy right now?”
“I’ve been working my butt off until now, so now it’s His Highness Second Prince’s turn to be busy.”
I’ve exploited a twenty-two-year-old this much, it’s enough, Seo Baek-han sighed exaggeratedly.