DS Ch2

“I’m sorry I’m late, hyung.”

Joo Taehyun bowed his head slightly once more in apology, the chill from outside still clinging to him.

“It was jammed right in front of me.”

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“It’s fine. I only arrived a little while ago myself.”

Seo Baekhan leisurely looked over Joo Taehyun as he approached the table. Though he’d seen him occasionally in news photos and knew that little kid had grown up quite a bit, seeing him in person was still striking.

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When he was younger, Joo Taehyun had more of a cute, pretty look about him. If he remembered correctly, his body was so thin that Hatch’s group uniform hung loose on him alone. But now he’d grown tall enough that words like handsome and strapping suited him better.

“By the way, you’ve really grown a lot. How tall are you now?”

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“Hmm. About 180… just under, I think.”

As Joo Taehyun hurriedly unwound his scarf and took off his coat, his long fingers were bright red from the cold. Strangely, that made him look very young. No, he’s twenty this year, so while he’s grown tall, he was still young after all.

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Sure enough, the snow sprinkled like sugar on Joo Taehyun’s hair had already melted away without a trace. Judging by his high body temperature, he was still a kid indeed.

“Is it still snowing a lot outside?”

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“Yes.”

When Seo Baekhan gestured lightly with his chin for him to sit, Joo Taehyun quickly took a seat across from him. His obedient manner made him seem like a well-trained pet. Like a purebred dog with sleek, untangled fur.

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“I ordered drinks in advance, is that okay?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

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Though Joo Taehyun answered agreeably, he didn’t reach for the cup. Seo Baekhan had ordered a safe iced Americano, but it didn’t seem to be to the kid’s taste.

But what could he do? It’s not like he’d met up with Joo Taehyun to chat and eat tasty food.

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“Have you been well?”

Ignoring how Joo Taehyun kept grasping and releasing the coffee cup, Seo Baekhan chose a bland greeting.

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In truth, Seo Baekhan preferred people who could clearly express their own opinions. He absolutely hated it when acquaintances or lovers acted vague around him. If they lacked that ability, they needed to be skilled enough actors to deceive others flawlessly.

But Joo Taehyun wasn’t someone who would ever step into his domain anyway. It would be ridiculous to critique the immature behavior of a kid born with a diamond spoon, raised on only the finest things.

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“Well… Same as always for me. How about you, hyung?”

“I roughly finished my thesis, so things are a bit more manageable now. You started university early too, right?”

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“Yes.”

“Washington was unexpected. Are you interested in politics by any chance?”

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“Not really.”

More perfunctory questions were exchanged after that, with Joo Taehyun sticking to short answers. For someone who had asked to meet first saying he wanted help, he seemed rather indifferent. Well, it didn’t matter to Seo Baekhan either way, since he hadn’t planned to spend much time on this meeting.

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“By the way, Taehyun.”

“Yes?”

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“Shouldn’t you be greeting me a bit more warmly than this?”

“…Pardon?”

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Regardless, he didn’t want to put up with a green kid acting all high and mighty as if he had nothing to lose.

“You know I schedule my time down to the minute when I’m in Korea.”

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A ripple finally disturbed Joo Taehyun’s calm eyes. It seems he hadn’t expected Seo Baekhan to come at him so critically.

“I had to really squeeze my schedule to meet you today.”

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“Ah… That, yes, I know. Um, so, thank you for making time, hyung.”

Watching Joo Taehyun’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed hard, Seo Baekhan finally gave a short, satisfied smile.

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“I came out of curiosity too, so you don’t need to thank me, just be a little more pleased to see hyung, okay?”

“Yes, I will. …I’m sorry.”

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Seo Baekhan responded by maintaining eye contact while bringing the coffee cup to his lips.

Fortunately, Joo Taehyun seemed to quickly grasp what Seo Baekhan was trying to say. Judging by how he mumbled something about being shy, as hyung would know…

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Normally, he couldn’t stand having others above him, but he didn’t act prickly towards kids. What could be more unseemly than that?

But that’s only if Joo Taehyun were truly an ordinary twenty-year-old college student.

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‘Are you free that day?’

─ Yes.

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‘You do know who you’re contacting, right?’

─ Yes, Baekhan hyung. I’m contacting you.

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‘Hmm. What’s this about?’

─ …It doesn’t seem like something to discuss over the phone.

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The precious youngest son of the DH Group had requested to meet first, saying he wanted advice on a family matter from the eldest son of Special Representative Seo Honggyu. From that moment on, every conversation between Seo Baekhan and Joo Taehyun became a strategic performance where even a single sigh was calculated.

“Ah. Let me say this in advance, if you’re asking for my help with something like a tax audit-”

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“It’s not that!”

When Seo Baekhan spoke playfully to break the frozen atmosphere, Joo Taehyun’s eyes went wide with surprise. The way he opened his mouth slightly and waved his hands was not much different from when he was a little kid whose head barely reached Seo Baekhan’s waist.

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“Absolutely, absolutely not. It’s just, I have no one else to ask but you, hyung.”

“A family matter you can only confide in me? This is getting more interesting.”

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Seo Baekhan smirked and loosely crossed his arms.

“Alright. As long as it’s nothing illegal. What is it?”

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As if he hadn’t raised his voice in surprise just moments ago, Joo Taehyun returned to a calm and sullen expression. If not for the way he slowly rubbed his thumb and index fingernails, a stranger wouldn’t have noticed that Joo Taehyun was somewhat tense.

“So, um…”

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Seo Baekhan fixed his gaze on Joo Taehyun as he searched for words, slowly sipping his coffee.

‘Something you can’t say over the phone might be hard to say in person too.’

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─ It’s, um, related to my family…

‘Family matters? Are you saying you want to tell me about DH Group’s internal affairs?’

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─ …Yes. It’s something I can only discuss with you, hyung.

At first, Seo Baekhan had responded indifferently, but his curiosity was quickly piqued when he heard it was a family matter. A kid he hadn’t met separately in years suddenly wanted to consult him, an outsider, about DH Group’s internal issues? Moreover, considering the last conversation he’d had with Joo Taehyun, it was even more perplexing that he’d contacted him.

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‘I-I liked you, hyung.’

Indeed, 3 years ago, at the year-end party for Hatch, a group of independence activists’ descendants, Joo Taehyun had nonchalantly thrown out his feelings.

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‘Just… that’s how it was.’

And in the past tense, at that.

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