Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4.1

“Did you hear that?”

Hajun gestured toward his phone, shrugging as if he had only just stepped aside to take a call.

“I heard everything.”

“It’s basic manners to pretend you didn’t hear anything in situations like this.”

“You know me. I’m not exactly a guy with manners. Besides, Jinseok is going to be drinking himself into a stupor tonight.”

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you stay by his side and look after him?”

Hajun stepped up beside Yeonsu, who was walking toward the road.

“Why would I bother?”

“Where are you going, Senior?”

“Home.”

“Not drinking any more?”

“Nope. You aren’t there. It’s not fun if you aren’t around.”

Yeonsu’s eyes narrowed. She blinked at him, wondering what kind of nonsense he was spouting.

“If you’re going to talk weird, just get lost.”

“Why? You wouldn’t even open your mouth if I picked up a chili shrimp for you? And that’s after I picked it out specifically for you.”

“…What are you even saying? That’s pure narcissism. Get a grip.”

He signaled for a taxi with his fingertips.

“I’m special, aren’t I? To you.”

“Are you insane?”

“Ah, wait. I misspoke. Not special—I’m just particularly easy for you to push around.”

“…”

“Get in. Get home safely.”

As Yeonsu stood there blankly, Hajun opened the back door of the taxi that had pulled to a stop. When she bent her knees to get in, prompted by his urging gaze, he instinctively shielded the top of her head with his hand.

“Shin Yeonsu, good night.”

Yeonsu looked away at the gentle greeting. Hajun immediately closed the car door. The motion was clean, without a single wasted movement.

Feeling like she should at least say something, she rolled the window down halfway and called out to him.

“Senior.”

“What? Why.”

“Get home safely. It’s dark out.”

“Are you actually worried about me right now?”

“Worried? Hardly. Just basic courtesy.”

“Get lost.”

Yeonsu burst into laughter and hurriedly rolled the window up. Things were always like this with Hajun. They were close without any formalities, yet maintained a comfortable distance.

“Driver, please take me to the Lines Hotel.”

Only after his shadow had receded did Yeonsu open the window again. A lukewarm breeze brushed against her cheek, but for some reason, she felt a chill.

She turned back just in case, but Hajun had already disappeared into the building.

He really is clean-cut, she thought with a faint smile.

–

Dohyowon called for him at the crack of dawn. Hajun wished the older generation would stop insisting on sharing breakfast at this hour, but it seemed they had no intention of changing.

The early bird gets the worm, but it also gets exhausted. He could serve this company better if he just got some proper sleep, but no one understood—they were entirely too clueless.

In truth, Hajun had little interest in management or the company. That was exactly why he kept his identity hidden while hanging out with Yeonsu’s peers.

He was a member of the Beom Ihan Family, currently headed by Kim Seojun. The Ihan Group was infamous for having been decimated after digging into someone else’s grave for the sake of real estate expansion.

The Seomyeon Group, which had split off from Ihan, was a company his grandfather had built, but for some reason, the eldest grandsons of Seomyeon had all died early, one after another.

Born into a family cursed with the early deaths of its sons, his parents had been overprotective since he was a child, terrified that something might happen to him.

The problem was that the excessive protection only made Hajun grow more rebellious, living life entirely on his own terms.

He was the only one among the Ihan children who was supposedly bad at his studies, but he had a retort for that: he hadn’t been bad at them; he just hadn’t bothered to try.

After goofing off for all three years of high school, he had still managed to get into a prestigious university after just one year of taking the entrance exam again.

His father wanted him to walk the same path as his cousin.

Although he held the title of General Manager of the Future Strategy Office at HAN Automobile at twenty-nine thanks to the family’s influence, there were still many aspects of him that were thoroughly unpromising.

He had no interest in management and was only ever focused on the wrong things. In other words, he was the family troublemaker.

Since he was young, he had preferred staying up all night hanging out with friends over studying, and he kept his distance from other third-generation chaebols, choosing instead to mix with ordinary people.

To this day, most of the people around him didn’t know he was a scion of the Beom Ihan Family.

He knew that the more he stepped into management, the higher the chance that a news article would eventually expose him. He intended to keep hiding it for as long as he could, but… honestly, he didn’t care.

God, it’s so, so, so exhausting.

“Do you not get any sleep in the mornings, Hyung? Or is it that you just want to see my face this early at the crack of dawn?”

Seojun, sitting at the head of the table, watched Hajun, who sat down with a sullen expression.

“Both.”

He picked up his spoon, looking listless.

“I’m going to pass. Couldn’t you please call me after eight in the morning?”

“Even if I call you at six or seven, you’re always there on time, not a minute late.”

“What else can I do? No matter how I look at it, you’re the final boss and I’m just your slave.”

There were people in existence who wouldn’t even smile at the word “slave,” and Seojun was one of them.

Despite being his cousin, twelve years his senior, they didn’t share a single similarity from head to toe.

Unless you counted their looks, perhaps.