Chapter 14. Four-Leaf Clover
Time passed. Winter ended, and the beginning of spring came.
After getting married during the cold winter, Taeseong and Haeyoung slowly got used to living together.
Sometimes they fought hard, but one of them would always pretend nothing happened and reach out to say sorry.
Like that day when Taeseong quietly solved Haeyoung’s math problems while she was asleep.
They weren’t quite like a married couple, but also not just friends — they were somewhere in between.
Today was a Monday in March — the start of the new school year for Haeyoung and Taeseong, who were now in their senior year of high school.
Before going to school, Haeyoung called Boksun on a video call from her room.
“Grandma!”
[Oh my, my dear Kang Sae-yi.]
Boksun was still traveling around the country with Jeomsun and Cheolsu.
She had lost a little weight from her illness, but her face looked peaceful.
Whenever Haeyoung saw that, she felt calm and believed she made the right decision.
If she had kept her grandma with her out of selfishness and forced useless treatments, she wouldn’t be able to see that smiling face.
“Do you like Gangwon-do?”
[Yes, I do. It’s the same East Sea, but the color of the water feels different.]
“Oh, come on. You’ve lived next to the sea all your life.”
[Ha! This and that are different.]
Boksun clicked her tongue like Haeyoung didn’t understand anything. Then she noticed the new school uniform and her eyes lit up.
[You’ll need to make lots of friends at the new school.]
“Ugh, it’s senior year. Who needs friends? I need to study hard and get into a good college.”
[Still, studying with friends who match your vibe helps you do better!]
At that, Haeyoung pouted like she didn’t agree.
Haeyoung spoke standard Seoul Korean, since she lived in Seoul until she was 7. But her personality was totally Pohang-style.
So, the idea of mixing with Seoul kids made her feel uneasy.
“I heard Seoul kids are kind of snobby…”
[Hey! Cha Haeyoung, did I raise you to judge people? Don’t have prejudice!]
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Haeyoung shook her head and quickly changed the subject.
“How’s your health, Grandma?”
[Oh, I’m okay. Just hurts a little sometimes. But painkillers help. Maybe because I’m old, the cancer spreads slower.]
Boksun said this serious thing like it was no big deal and laughed.
Haeyoung shook her head at her grandma’s odd joke.
“I’ll be late, Grandma. Send me pictures later!”
[Okay, okay. Make lots of friends! In the end, all you have is your friends!]
After all that nagging, Boksun turned the camera and showed the dark blue East Sea before ending the call.
Free from the nagging, Haeyoung let her shoulders drop. Then she saw a new message notification.
“School starts today, right? Good luck. Let’s do tutoring this weekend.”
It was from Gijoon.
After that day, Chairman Joo assigned Gijoon as Haeyoung’s tutor.
The chairman trusted Gijoon, and Haeyoung felt comfortable with him — a good match.
Haeyoung replied with a thank-you message and stood in front of the mirror.
She checked her uniform one more time and pulled her lips tight in front of the mirror.
“Smile.”
She tried to relax with a fake smile — but it only made her more nervous.
In front of the house, Taeseong tapped his brand-new limited-edition sneakers on the ground as he waited.
He had already planned to go to school with Haeyoung since she didn’t know the bus routes yet.
Unlike other rich kids, Taeseong went to a regular public high school — because that was Chairman Joo’s decision.
The chairman came from a poor mining town and didn’t want Taeseong to grow up with a sense of entitlement.
He believed your position in life changes you, so people in high positions must stay humble.
Taeseong was born into the top of the pyramid and would stay there all his life — even if the company failed, he had enough wealth for three generations.
Chairman Joo thought teenage years were the only time Taeseong could truly learn equality and humility.
So Taeseong had gone to public schools since elementary and was taught to keep his family background secret.
Because of that, he lived a fairly normal high school life for a chaebol heir.
He didn’t use a chauffeur and rode the bus like everyone else.
Haeyoung was going to attend a nearby private co-ed high school. She couldn’t transfer into an all-boys school, so this setup made sense.
After a while of tapping his shoes, Taeseong stretched his neck toward the stairs.
“Is she trying to be late on the first day?”
Just as he muttered that, Haeyoung finally showed up.
Her ponytail was tight and full of determination. Her navy uniform fit her small body perfectly. Even her white socks matched well.
Maybe because of the navy jacket and pale shirt, Haeyoung’s face looked especially bright today.
Taeseong found himself watching her come down the steps.
But when she reached the bottom, he quickly turned his head like he hadn’t seen anything.
Haeyoung walked up and playfully punched his shoulder.
“What? Were you waiting for me?”
“As if.”
“Pfft, I didn’t expect it anyway.”
Haeyoung smirked and bent over to put on her shoes.
That made the back of her head visible — round, neat, and full of shiny hair.
Her thick ponytail and the soft baby hairs near her ivory neck made Taeseong want to pull her hair — like a little kid.
Without thinking, he gave in and yanked her shiny ponytail.
“Hey! Joo Taeseong!”
Just like he expected, she shouted sharply.
But Taeseong just stuck out his tongue and walked out the door like nothing happened.
It took less than 10 minutes to walk to the bus stop.
Along the way, Haeyoung kept nagging Taeseong, calling him childish.
But as they neared the stop, her nagging stopped.
She grew quieter, and her face slowly turned pale.
Taeseong noticed and looked down at her face.
He saw her usual sharp eyes droop slightly and asked,
“You feeling sick?”
“N-no.”
“…Wait. Don’t tell me. Are you nervous?”
He paused, surprised by the thought.
This was Cha Haeyoung — the same girl who had followed him into the boys’ bathroom yelling about canceling their wedding.
And now she was nervous… just because of transferring schools?
Not a six-year-old kindergartener — a high school senior!
But she didn’t answer, like he’d hit the nail on the head.
“…Wait, seriously?”
“I’m not, okay?!”
Haeyoung yelled in denial, but it was too late. Taeseong already knew.
“Pfft, hahaha!”
“…Don’t laugh.”
Haeyoung warned him, clenching her teeth.
But Taeseong laughed even harder.
It was just too funny — tough and fearless Haeyoung, scared of a new school.
She started making excuses.
“It’s just… I’ve never met Seoul kids before. And I’m from the countryside…”
“Hey, I’m from Seoul too. What, are Seoul kids aliens? Just act like you did when you first met me. Then…”
He leaned closer. Haeyoung caught a sudden whiff of soap from him.
Was there something in that soap? She couldn’t move. Her heart started to beat faster.
Before she could fully notice her fast heartbeat, Taeseong moved back and finished his sentence.
“…then no one will mess with you. They’ll think you’re crazy.”
His teasing broke her tension, and she punched him again.
“Ugh, seriously! I’m not in the mood for jokes! I’m really nervous!”
At that moment, Taeseong noticed her little fist trembling slightly.
Now he understood — she was really scared.
Feeling a little bad, he paused, then made a bold decision.
He took a keychain off his backpack — an acrylic charm with a real four-leaf clover inside.
He clipped it onto Haeyoung’s bag without saying a word.
The clover charm sparkled under the spring sunlight.
Haeyoung turned her head and saw the dangling charm. She asked in a slightly shaky voice,
“What is this?”
“This is my lucky charm.”
Then Taeseong answered clearly and with confidence.
As if this charm could take away all her fears.
“I’ll let you borrow it.”
