Chapter 28

“Call me, not Lee Jun,” Chaeheon said, preventing him from taking out his phone. Then, Chaeheon spoke gently to Lee Jun.

“See you tomorrow.”

“…I’m not coming to school tomorrow.”

Lee Jun said, looking reluctant, and Chaeheon replied calmly, as if he already knew.

“I know it’s the weekend.”

“I have to work. I can’t meet.”

“We met last week, didn’t we?”

Naturally, the memory of that day came back to Lee Jun, who averted his gaze from Chaeheon to hide his dissatisfied expression. Why is he asking to meet, knowing it’s the weekend? Last weekend, he couldn’t ignore Chaeheon’s calls, but this time was different.

He was about to leave, intending to ignore all of Chaeheon’s calls, when Chaeheon grabbed his wrist.

“You need to take your clothes.”

Lee Jun frowned, looking down at Chaeheon. What does he want to say?

“Aren’t you going to take the clothes you left at my place?”

Only then did Lee Jun understand Chaeheon’s excuse to keep him there. The day after he had fallen asleep drunk, he had borrowed Chaeheon’s clothes.

“There’s no need to get them on the weekend.”

Lee Jun twisted his wrist to pull it free from Chaeheon’s grasp and picked up his bag.

“Give them to me next time.”

Or you can just throw them away. He swallowed the last words and turned away. Having nothing more to say, Lee Jun left the classroom without looking back.

“Lee Jun Senior is still the same. There’s no opening to get close.”

Lee Jeong-yun grumbled regretfully, and Kim Gyeong-hun let out a deep sigh. He swept his hand over the laptop keyboard as if using a broom and spoke about what he had felt earlier.

“Still, I was worried he might not be interested at all, so it’s a relief.”

“I showed you the text. He said the group project went well before that, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Right?”

While Kim Gyeong-hun and Lee Jeong-yun chatted, Chaeheon watched Lee Jun’s retreating figure as he left the classroom. He wasn’t walking fast as if fleeing, but he wasn’t walking slowly as if wanting to be caught either. It was just his usual walking speed, and Chaeheon couldn’t do anything. He could only watch.

‘What could have happened?’

I need to know that to hover around Senior again, but nothing comes to mind.

‘Well, it’s not like I ever anticipated anything before.’

He had just pushed forward, so he thought he could do it again this time. Chaeheon, who was speeding up, stopped at the vibration from his pocket. He took out his phone and his eyes crinkled as he checked who the message was from.

“You’re here.”

Only two hours had passed since the gathering began, but Jeong Yu-han, the host, greeted Chaeheon with a half-slurred tongue.

“What is it?”

Chaeheon’s voice came out sharp, already displeased that the monthly gathering was held earlier than usual.

“I couldn’t help it. Today was the only day I was free. The day a gathering is held is entirely up to the host’s discretion.”

Jeong Yu-han, who would usually be mindful of Chaeheon, today grinned broadly and grated on Chaeheon’s nerves. It was true that the host usually chose the date for gatherings arbitrarily, except for formal events, but most of the time, they would ask for a suitable day in advance.

Especially on days when Chaeheon said he couldn’t make it, a gathering would never be held. He was the youngest of the NK Group’s three sons and one daughter, the chairman’s direct grandson. Although he was still a university student, and important positions were held by his older brother and sister, no one in the group underestimated Chaeheon.

It was more important who had the chairman’s favor than who held an important position in the company. The chairman openly showed that Chaeheon was the child he favored. Chaeheon, however, reacted indifferently to the chairman’s affection.

There was no one who would dare to ignore Chaeheon, who was a real power in a group that had firmly established itself both domestically and internationally.

But today, Jeong Yu-han had simply sent a message stating that a gathering would be held, along with the location.

“I’m going overseas soon.”

Jeong Yu-han exaggeratedly draped his arm over the sofa and crossed his legs. The woman sitting next to him laughed and fed him a grape.

“I only had time today, so cut me some slack.”

His words implied asking for understanding, but his tone suggested it didn’t matter since the date was already set and Chaeheon had arrived. Whether he was going overseas immediately or not was none of Chaeheon’s business, and Jeong Yu-han’s attitude was utterly brazen.

Han Jeong-min noticed Chaeheon’s discomfort and intervened.

“Yu-han, you seem… in a good mood today?”

No matter what, if Jang Chae-heon got upset, he was merciless, so Han Jeong-min kept rolling his eyes, signaling Jeong Yu-han to be more mindful. But Jeong Yu-han just kept grinning, oblivious.

“In a good mood? …I just called you guys because I’m feeling troubled.”

Oh, for crying out loud.

Han Jeong-min put a hand to his forehead as if his head was throbbing. Why would he openly say he called them because he was troubled, right in front of Chaeheon? Wondering why Jeong Yu-han was acting like this today, he glanced at others, signaling “what’s up?”

But everyone seemed clueless, either shaking their heads slightly or asking Jeong Yu-han what was wrong. When about three similar questions came up, Jeong Yu-han, who had been relaxed all along, irritably gulped down some whiskey.

As he began to explain why he was feeling bad, Han Jeong-min prompted him.

“You look like you’ve caused trouble again?”

At Han Jeong-min’s question, Jeong Yu-han raised a hand and wiped his drawn face.

“Damn it, they’re bringing up old stuff at home.”

“Old stuff? You mean that girl?”

“Haa.”

Jeong Yu-han leaned his head back and sighed.

“Damn it, at my age…”

Chaeheon narrowed his brows slightly and remained silent. Jeong Yu-han’s mood was none of his business, but he needed to know why this gathering was held so hastily today. Han Jeong-min, who had been watching Chaeheon’s expression, took it upon himself to explain Jeong Yu-han’s story.

“He got a kid.”

Han Jeong-min said nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.

“Remember? There was a time when he didn’t even come to our gatherings. For a while, he said he had found a girl he liked and put a lot of effort into her.”

Was it two years ago? Han Jeong-min mumbled that he couldn’t even remember clearly, then clicked his tongue at Jeong Yu-han.

“I saw her by chance once, and she seemed decent, so I even lent him my restaurant to help him out, but that bastard just had his fun and dumped her.”

Even though Han Jeong-min’s voice was clearly audible, Jeong Yu-han didn’t move. Instead, other men hurled insults like “trash” and “crazy bastard” at him, throwing objects that were on the table and jeering.

Jeong Yu-han casually waved his hand, and Han Jeong-min also threw his lighter.

“No, I still don’t get it. Why dump her when you were doing so well with her?”

Almost two years had passed, but Han Jeong-min still looked bewildered. However, even he, despite saying it was a waste, ultimately never took that woman seriously.

“Do you think I wanted to dump her right away?”

Jeong Yu-han lifted his head and retorted irritably.

“She interfered as if she were my girlfriend, so should I have just put up with it?”

The woman sitting next to him laughed and chimed in.

“You shouldn’t interfere.”

“I dumped her because I found it ridiculous how she acted like my wife, whether I drank or not. She seemed to want to be called ‘Mrs.’ and even wanted marriage, but that’s impossible.”

Jeong Yu-han put his arm around the woman’s shoulder and pulled her roughly closer.

“Do you want to marry me too?”

“I’ll just be a one-time fling.”

The woman openly shook his shoulder, asking him to buy her things. Seeing her act cute, Jeong Yu-han chuckled and grabbed her chin.

“What should I buy you? A bag? Shoes?”

“A bag.”

“I’ll give it to you after I see how you perform tonight.”

Jeong Yu-han subtly stroked the woman’s nape. Han Jeong-min finished telling the story to Chaeheon.

“I thought it was over, but it turns out she got pregnant and had the baby alone.”

“How did you find that out? Did she bring the kid?”

“Not that, I guess he just found out through connections.”

That’s why his parents found out first, Han Jeong-min said, laughing mockingly, while Jeong Yu-han chugged his whiskey.

“She did it on purpose. She gave birth on purpose.”

Chaeheon received Jeong Yu-han’s attitude of blaming the woman entirely from beginning to end with an expression that showed no surprise.

Jeong Yu-han had been so promiscuous that it wouldn’t be strange if he had a child at some point.

Furthermore, the family, who knew Jeong Yu-han well, would have only one thought. It was obvious they were sending their son overseas to make him come to his senses for not keeping his pants up. There would have been no consideration for the woman who had given birth to the child.

Chaeheon’s low, sunken gaze stared coldly at Jeong Yu-han. He had not liked this gathering from the start. If it hadn’t been for the single condition that he attend this gathering for at least three years, when he was given permission to live as he pleased, he would have quit long ago.

Three years had passed, and he was planning to observe for a bit longer before pulling out. Hearing Jeong Yu-han’s story made his already bad mood sink even lower.

“Why the hell did she have a boy and make things difficult? That woman…”

Jeong Yu-han continued to belittle the woman who had given birth to his child until the very end. The woman serving him next to him chimed in, saying, “Exactly, she has no shame,” completely oblivious to the contempt seeping into Chaeheon’s eyes.