He pushed his hand through his hair as he sat back in his seat. The sun was going down and it shone through the tiny window next to him. Leaning his head on his palm, he stared out at the tarmac and thought back to the holiday he was leaving.
Ha. Holiday. A holiday implied that there was a break from responsibility. A time to let go. Relax.
None of that happened in the Jheon household. When Seok returned from school, he was expected to shadow his father and older brother every day. Silently, of course.
He sat through meetings and presentations. Business lunches. He went on errands and sat in the car while business associates and employees went from place to place.
His role was shadow. He was silent. Ignored. And yet he was the recipient of all the sidelong glances and every deep bow.
His phone chimed and he lifted it to read the message. It was a photo of his brother, Baek Hyeon, wearing a sad face. Behind him was a car pulling into busy traffic.
He chuckled. That was his car. Sorry to leave all the work to you, he replied.
Baek’s only response was a thumbs down emoji.
Seeing his brother had been a highlight of his holiday. It generally was. Seok might have expectations aplenty heaped on his head, but they were nothing compared to his brother’s. Not for the first time, he was grateful he wasn’t the eldest child.
There was a span of years between him and his older brother. For a long time, his parents believed he would be their only child. As such, his upbringing had been much stricter than Seok’s. From the time Baek could walk, the responsibility he owed to his father, grandfather, and the company they built from scratch, one that was now the leading importer of Canadian lumber into South Korea, had been hammered into his head.
But unlike Seok, Baek Hyeon seemed content enough with his role. Certainly, he enjoyed the wealth it brought: fancy cars, watches. Gorgeous girls.
Seok smiled, but hid it behind his hand when he thought about one of the few times he and Baek had the freedom to go out alone. That night he’d had a front row seat to his brother’s life. He knew his family was wealthy, but he’d never seen such a blatant display of that wealth.
At the end of a night of clubbing, his brother had settled a bill nearing six million won. Their father would have a heart attack if he saw that. He’d been educated in South Korea, and besides that, he would never spend his money on something as stupid as champagne.
Unless it was for his business associates. His pockets were deep when it came to his clients, not his children.
Seok’s phone chirped and a photo of a gold watch appeared. He waited, certain his brother would explain the photo if he just waited.
Patek Philippe.
The name meant nothing to him.
Grand Complicator.
250. US dollars.
Seok stared at his phone. “The captain has asked for all devices to be in airplane mode.” The flight attendant smiled at him, eyebrows raised.
“Sorry.” Seok turned his phone off and slid it into his jacket pocket. Two hundred and fifty thousand American dollars. How much was his brother paid?
He received an allowance every month, but it paid for books, clothes, eating out, a computer, his phone… Okay. So his allowance was nothing to scoff at, but this?
Granted, Baek did much more work than Seok did. But what twenty-five-year-old had enough disposable income to buy that sort of luxury?
They flew through the night, arriving in Canada midday. Once he made it through customs and through the gates at Saint Martin’s, Seok was ready to collapse.
He’d been sitting down, but fourteen hours of travel had to be equivalent to a marathon or something.
He struggled through the dorms, past deep leather sofas and stone walls with exposed beams, to his suite and the three roommates he’d be spending the year with.
Dylan McCabe, Jace Walters, Bai Wu.
They weren’t guys Seok particularly liked, but they were nice enough and they could get along without drama.
Suitcases stood outside doorways as if they’d been forgotten. Seok left his own outside his bedroom door. Tomorrow, the staff would arrive and put all of their things away. For right now, he had an overnight bag with toiletries for today and tomorrow.
Food, clothes, all of that was on his list of requirements. He fell face down onto his bed and fell asleep.
“Seok.” Someone flicked his ear and he waved his hand, swatting them away. “Seok.”
He opened bleary eyes to find his roommate Dylan smiling down at him. “You missed Senior Start.”
“I don’t care.” He’d known he would be arriving the same night as the traditional gathering of the senior class, and he’d known he’d probably be too tired to participate. Oh well. Had it been on purpose? Maybe he’d seen the date on the tickets and considered telling his father’s secretary to choose an earlier date. Or maybe he’d weighed the options of more time with his family against school fight songs and Saint Martin’s traditions and chosen the lesser of two evils.
“You were nominated Class Secretary.”
“Pass,” he muttered, turning on his side. He drew the sheets up over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. Take the hint.
Dylan pushed his head into the pillow. “Your hair looks stupid.”
Snorting, Seok opened his eyes. He dyed his hair when he got to school, but before every holiday, he dyed it his natural color. Once—only once—had he appeared in front of his father with dyed hair. Nothing was worth the lecture on responsibility and family loyalty that came after it.
It was easier to pretend he was someone else around his family.
“Shut up.” He smiled at Dylan and sat up, raking his hands through the inky black strands.
“What are you thinking? Senior class made bets. They want Saint Martin’s colors.”
“Like I’m some kind of mascot?” He pushed the covers back and stood. God. He needed a shower and food—wash the stink of travel off him.
“No,” Dylan dragged the word out. “They made Shipley the mascot. Obviously.” He rolled his eyes and went to the door. “Get ready. We’re waiting for you, and then we’ll go to the mess hall.”
Hmm. It sounded suspicious to Seok, but he’d been at this school for four years, and he knew what senior year looked like—pranks, drinking, more pranks.
It was probably safest to stick together. He didn’t want to be run up the flagpole like one of the seniors last year.
Grabbing clothes and toiletries, he hurried into the bathroom and took care of business. As he brushed his teeth, however, he paused. His hair did look stupid. He’d completely transformed from the person he had been last year to this version of Seok his father demanded. There was nothing individual about him. He had the same hairstyle as every intern at his father’s company. Same wan, drawn, tired, put-upon look.
He spat and shook his head. There were nine months before he had to return to that world. For now, he’d enjoy his freedom.
Chapter 6
Seok: Present
Nora’s fingers grazing his scalp lulled him into sleepiness. Sunshine poured in from the open window. It was still cold outside, but the sun was warm, so he pushed the blanket down to his waist.
“We should get up soon.”
Nora groaned and squeezed him a little tighter. At some point, he wasn’t sure when, she’d become the big spoon. Placing a kiss between his shoulder blades, she released him.