OMS 94

He walked past Butler Yoon and headed for the outbuilding.

“Why did you want to speak in private in the room? I need to count money.”

Lee Hee-soo’s mother stared anxiously at the door. He seemed worried that his stepsons might steal money while he was away. It made no sense that he distrusted them so much yet took Lee Hoon-jae’s side instead of Lee Hee-soo’s.

“Please answer my questions honestly.”

“What…?”

“Do you really not know Park Chun-bae?”

Lee Hee-soo’s mother looked startled and nervously glanced outside.

“How many times do I have to say it? I told you I don’t know that person!”

Park Dong-sik continued his questions as if none of this fazed him.

“And you never gave birth to twins?”

The mother’s expression hardened and he became irritated.

“Hee-soo, what’s wrong with you? Did you stop taking your depression medication? Is that why they say it’s getting worse again? This is delusional, you know?”

Park Dong-sik nodded his head slowly. Right, you’ll never tell the truth. If Park Dong-sik were alive, we could do a DNA test with even just a hair. Wonder if it’s possible with cremated remains. Maybe we should try. Though part of him wondered what the point would be.

“Okay. I’ll believe you. If you say it didn’t happen, then it didn’t.”

He spat out these words and went to the living room, where Lee Hoon-jae and Lee Seon-jae were busy dividing money. Leaving them behind, he walked across the yard toward the gate. Just as he nearly reached it, he heard running footsteps behind him.

Could he perhaps hear a confession from Hee-soo’s mother? But it turned out to be Lee Seon-jae who had been chasing after him. His shoulders rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath from running so urgently just now.

“What? You have something to say to me?”

Park Dong-sik stared at him intently. If Lee Hoon-jae was openly a bastard, this one was subtly a bastard. But today, Lee Seon-jae looked somehow uneasy.

“I want to clear up what seems to be a misunderstanding—I opposed sending the video to Chairman Kim until the end. Hoon-jae hyung did that on his own.”

“Well, well, confessing with your own mouth? What do you want me to do? Praise you?”

“That’s not it…I want you to put in a good word with CEO Kim Jun-han…Actually, I’ve been too scared to go outside lately. To be honest, I’m the victim here. I only went to the hotel because Tae-han told me to…”

Park Dong-sik questioned him with an incredulous expression on his face.

“You met Kim Tae-han recently? You two went to a hotel?”

Lee Seon-jae’s face contorted.

“Didn’t you already know…?”

When there was no answer, Lee Seon-jae bit his lip and cursed under his breath, realizing his mistake. Park Dong-sik strode right up to him and flashed a threatening look, getting right in his face.

“It would be better to tell me everything without leaving anything out. Unless you want to get beaten up by a pregnant person.”

***

[“The customer is not answering…”]

As the automated message repeated, Park Dong-sik gripped his phone tightly and looked out the car window. The car had just passed through the main gate and was driving along the lush forest path that had changed since winter.

The once-barren garden was now covered in green, with sprinklers rotating here and there, spraying cool streams of water. Water also flowed from the statue in the fountain at the center of the garden.

Seeing this, Park Dong-sik couldn’t help but marvel. Just like a palace. Though it’s actually hell.

When the car stopped, the security guard got out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door. As Park Dong-sik was getting out, he suddenly felt strange and looked up. His eyes met with Chairman Kim, who was sitting on the second-floor terrace.

Of all times, that old man had to be out there.

Pretending not to see him, he entered the main house where the staff at the entrance looked at him with bewildered expressions. 

“Hello, it’s been a while.” As he greeted them with a bright smile, Butler Yoon appeared hurriedly from somewhere.

“What brings Lee Hee-soo here?”

“Where is Madam?”

“The Madam is out. Why are you here? You’re not a member of this household anymore.”

“How cold. Just the other day, Butler Yoon, you and the Chairman barged into our house, didn’t you? Don’t you remember?”

Butler Yoon’s expression soured as he became conscious of the surrounding gazes.

“Lower your voice.”

“So you do know you did wrong? I’m here to visit Kim Tae-han in the hospital, so don’t be so tense and go about your business.”

As Park Dong-sik tried to head toward the annex, Butler Yoon blocked the way.

“The young master is unwell and lying down at the moment.”

“Even if he’s lying down, his mouth should still work, right?”

He thought they would chase after him, but there was no further interference. Upon reaching the annex, he understood why. Security guards in black suits were guarding the entrance and stairs, making it difficult to get through. Sure enough, as soon as he approached the stairs, a guard greeted him and blocked his path.

“What is your business here?”

“I’m here to visit Kim Tae-han.”

“The CEO ordered us not to let anyone in.”

“I’ll only take a moment. Five minutes. No, three minutes.”

“Not possible. The CEO—”

“I have permission.”

The guard immediately had a teammate watch Park Dong-sik while he stepped away to make a phone call. Park Dong-sik furrowed his brow. Surely they weren’t checking with Kim Jun-han? Damn. He hadn’t mentioned it…Hopefully they wouldn’t be ordered to throw him out.

As he watched anxiously, the guard returned.

“The CEO is in a meeting.”

Phew, what a relief.

Park Dong-sik smiled kindly.

“Just five minutes. I’ll just have a quick talk and come back down.”

After hesitating, the guard reluctantly cleared the way. “Five minutes.” Seizing the opportunity, Park Dong-sik quickly went up to the second floor and opened the bedroom door. Kim Tae-han was lying there with multiple IV drips in his arm, and an untouched porridge sat by his bedside.

Upon closer inspection, his face had become even more gaunt overnight.

“I said I’m not eating. Get out.”

He spoke with his eyes closed, but when Park Dong-sik remained silent, he opened them and suddenly sat up. Seeing his cracked lips still trying to smile widely made Park Dong-sik’s anger rise.

“Hee-soo! How did you get here?!”

“By car.”

“Did you come to visit me? My head hurts a bit, but the doctor says I’m fine. Did the guards let you in? They weren’t rude to you, were they? You shouldn’t have come with Father here. How’s your pregnancy? I saw the ultrasound videos. Tuntun and Suksuk have grown a lot.”

“Kim Tae-han.”

“Yes?”

“I heard you’re the one who set me up with that lover.”

“…”

“I heard you drugged Kim Jun-han and tried to set him up with Lee Seon-jae.”

Kim Tae-han’s face showed panic as he stammered. There was a time when Park Dong-sik found that expression cute on this shameless person, but not today. Park Dong-sik stared at him coldly.

“Damn it, are you a matchmaker? Going around pairing people up?”

“Hee-soo… I…”

“Shut up. You’re just going to make excuses anyway.”

“I’m sorry…”

“No, you’re not sorry at all. That’s why you shamelessly came to see me yesterday and played with me.”

Kim Tae-han fidgeted uncharacteristically.

“Actually, I was going to confess everything yesterday…I didn’t know that bastard would…do that to you…Really…He just asked me to help with the divorce…And drugging hyung…when it seemed your heart was wavering…I was just so scared and hated that…”

Kim Tae-han’s eyes reddened. He stopped and started several times before grabbing Park Dong-sik’s arm.

“I was wrong. I was really wrong…”

“…”

“Hee-soo, please forgive me…Please…I must have been crazy…I’ll never do it again…”

His voice choked up, and his trembling hands conveyed his emotion. You fool. If you knew it was wrong, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place.

“Kim Tae-han.”

“Yes…?”

“I forgive you.”

Hope flickered in Kim Tae-han’s eyes, but Park Dong-sik crushed it mercilessly.

“But Hee-soo won’t.”

“What…?”

“So if you want forgiveness, go beg Hee-soo after you’re dead, you bastard. Don’t even think about showing your face to me again. Got it?”

He shook off Kim Tae-han’s hand and headed out, hearing a crashing sound from the bedroom. Though Kim Tae-han called out “Hee-soo!” from behind, Park Dong-sik ignored it and walked down the corridor toward the main house.

“Move aside! I said move! I told you it would only take a moment!” There seemed to be a commotion with the guards, followed by running footsteps. When he turned around, Kim Tae-han was approaching, blood dripping from where his IV had been. He suddenly dropped to his knees and started pleading.

“I’m sorry….I’m sorry, Hee-soo….I’ve, I’ve committed an unforgivable sin. I was too greedy…Even though I knew…I did something I shouldn’t have…”

His eyes reddened, and finally, with his head bowed, he struggled to continue speaking.

“Please don’t abandon me…You can hate me forever…Just let me see your face…Please? Hee-soo…Please…”

His suppressed emotions burst forth as his shoulders shook with sobs. Seeing him desperately pleading, so different from his usual shameless self, even Park Dong-sik’s heart began to crumble.

“I was wrong…I was wrong…”

Wiping tears with the back of his hand, he looked just like a child. A child who’d grown only in body but not in heart. But if this was overlooked, Kim Tae-han would repeat the same mistakes. That was just how children were.

Suddenly, Kim Tae-han stood up, glaring daggers straight ahead. Park Dong-sik sensed something was wrong and turned around. Chairman Kim had somehow approached them from behind, hands behind his back.

What the hell? When did this old man get here—

Before he could finish the thought, the Chairman revealed what he’d been hiding behind his back. “Die, you ghost!” The moment Park Dong-sik spotted the glinting object, Kim Tae-han grabbed his shoulder and turned him away. The blade struck precisely into Kim Tae-han’s side.

Kim Tae-han collapsed to the floor without making a sound, and Park Dong-sik instinctively threw a punch at Chairman Kim’s face. As the Chairman fell backward with a groan, an employee who had been watching the commotion discovered the three of them and screamed for help.

Park Dong-sik quickly checked Kim Tae-han’s condition. With each labored breath, bright red blood gushed from where the knife was lodged in his side.

“Kim Tae-han! Stay with me. Hey!”

He raised his head with difficulty at the shout. Tear tracks were visible on his pale skin. Seeing his eyes growing unfocused made Park Dong-sik’s heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

“Hee-soo, you…”

“Don’t talk. Keep your mouth shut!”

People rushed in from both sides, and Kim Tae-han weakly smiled after checking that Park Dong-sik wasn’t hurt.

“Thank goodness, Hee-soo…

“That it was me, not you…I’m really thankful…”