OMS 97

Park Dong-sik couldn’t close his mouth while listening to Kim Yoon-ah’s story. He had asked her to check the atmosphere at the main house, but the situation was more serious than he had expected. The Chairman had supposedly gone to the villa in Yangpyeong for recuperation, but it was basically imprisonment.

For a while, only a few employees knew and kept quiet about his rambling nonsense, but now everyone knew after he stabbed his son, claiming he was killing a ghost that the Chairman had grown senile.

“I can’t believe he suddenly became like that.”

Park Dong-sik agreed. He had seemed fine when they last saw him.

“Looking at the rumors spreading, it seems the word is already out everywhere.”

Park Dong-sik sighed softly. Kim Jun-han would be busy for a while. On the other hand, he felt relieved thinking he wouldn’t have to see that old man anymore. Of course, Madam Song would be upset being left alone. She had loved her husband dearly. But people eventually forget—if she found a young, energetic lover soon, she’d regain her vitality. Though Kim Jun-han would definitely hate that.

“Madam Song has taken to her bed.”

“Why? Because of that old man?”

“No. Kim Tae-han isn’t eating anything at all. He’s just hanging on with sedatives and nutrients, so she must be worried sick.”

This was news to him. Kim Jun-han had said Kim Tae-han was fine and not to worry about him. Was this crazy guy determined to starve himself to death? He had looked gaunt when Park Dong-sik last saw him. Or was he really trying to die to beg Hee-soo for forgiveness?

Park Dong-sik looked out the window with a troubled expression on his face. Just then, lightning flashed and heavy rain began pouring. The sound of raindrops hitting the wooden deck outside the living room was refreshing.

Kim Yoon-ah stood by the window, watching the scenery outside.

“It’s raining so hard even though it’s not monsoon season.”

“Yeah…”

While watching Kim Yoon-ah admire the rain, he suddenly realized something. Why had he been looking for clues so far away? Wasn’t Kim Yoon-ah always by Hee-soo’s side? He had even heard that Lee Hee-soo was looking for someone before he died through Kim Yoon-ah.

“Yoon-ah.”

Kim Yoon-ah turned her head.

“Before my accident, was there anything unusual?”

“Unusual?”

“Like visiting places you hadn’t been before, things like that.”

“Hmm.” Kim Yoon-ah put her hand on her chin and searched her memory, then took out her phone. She opened the navigation app and looked for something.

“Actually, you hardly went out during that time, but one day you visited a church.”

“A church?”

“Yes. I heard that although your family was Catholic and you received baptism as a child, you hadn’t gone to church since your teens. But that day you wanted to go to a church in Incheon.”

“Incheon?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where?”

Kim Yoon-ah nodded and sent the location to him. Why did they go to church? To pray? Or to look for something? While pondering this, a phone rang somewhere. It turned out to be Kim Yoon-ah’s, but after checking it, she quickly silenced it and put it in her bag.

Park Dong-sik stroked his chin and looked at Kim Yoon-ah suspiciously.

“What was that reaction?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“You’re even stammering. That’s really suspicious.”

When he wouldn’t back down, Kim Yoon-ah squeezed her eyes shut before confessing.

“Actually…I had a blind date on my day off…and he keeps contacting me.”

“You had a blind date without telling me? Wow, I feel betrayed.”

Kim Yoon-ah jumped up to her feet.

“I didn’t even know it was a blind date. My friend asked me to come out, and he was just there…”

“Is he handsome?”

“Are looks that important to you, Hee-soo-nim?”

“Of course. It’s the most important thing. Why do you think I put up with those troublesome Kim brothers? It’s all because of those handsome faces! If they were ugly, would I have even looked at them?”

“…”

“You must have a photo, right? Let me see what kind of guy he is.”

Though she didn’t want to, he pestered her until she showed him, and the man was quite good-looking. While he couldn’t read faces professionally, dealing with people who commit fraud had given him some ability to judge character, and the man in the photo looked kind and gentle.

“Hmm, he’s tall and handsome. That’s good.”

Despite the praise, Kim Yoon-ah’s face was somehow dark.

“Actually, I’m a bit hesitant…”

“Why?”

“He seems too good for someone in my position.”

“What’s wrong with your position?”

When Kim Yoon-ah responded with just a bitter smile, Park Dong-sik understood her feelings.

“Don’t worry about not having parents. You have me. When you get married, I’ll walk you down the aisle.”

“No! I’m not thinking about marriage!”

“That’s just for the possibility of it happening.”

Kim Yoon-ah’s cheeks turned pink, perhaps imagining her own wedding.

“It feels reassuring just thinking about it, right?”

Kim Yoon-ah nodded, and Park Dong-sik held out his hand. She tilted her head in confusion. When she gently placed her hand on his, thinking it was practice for the wedding, Park Dong-sik shook his head.

“Who asked for your hand?”

“Then…?”

“Now that I’ve seen his face, shall we learn more about this friend? Give me his name and contact info.”

“What? Why?”

“Why? In these dangerous times, how can you meet someone without knowing who they are?”

“But you just said looks were all that mattered…”

“That’s for other people. You’re not other people.”

Kim Yoon-ah was shocked, and Park Dong-sik waved his hand insisting she hand over the information. Kim Yoon-ah was flustered.

“Ah, we’re not that close yet!”

“But you’re going to meet him anyway. I’m really happy. Honestly, I was worried you might stay hung up on Madam Song and end up alone. But still, we should verify him first. Give me his name and contact info. I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll dig up everything down to his third cousins, and if there’s no problem, then you can meet him. Got it?”

Seeing that he seemed serious about investigating, Kim Yoon-ah fled in horror. Just then, thunder crashed with a loud boom! They both looked outside startled, and saw a dark figure standing in the rain in front of the living room window.

Kim Yoon-ah screamed, and Park Dong-sik also gasped and stepped back. But looking closer, it was Kim Jun-han. He gestured from the rain and walked toward the entrance. When they opened the door, he came in completely drenched from head to toe.

Seeing his soaked state was incredible.

“What is this? Why were you standing there?”

“I left my key behind and the password didn’t work. You weren’t answering calls and knocking was useless, so I went to the window.”

“You scared me. I almost had the baby today.”

Kim Jun-han looked worriedly at his belly.

“Were you very startled?”

Meanwhile, Kim Yoon-ah quickly brought a towel. He roughly dried his hair and body before heading to the bathroom. Watching him leave, Kim Yoon-ah hurriedly gathered her bag.

“I-I should go now.”

“Where are you going?”

“It’s past time to leave work.”

“No. Wait until the rain stops. It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine if I go very slowly. I should go home and comfortably—”

She stopped mid-sentence and covered her mouth, seeming to realize something. Park Dong-sik caught on and narrowed his eyes.

“You’re scared of Kim Jun-han?”

Kim Yoon-ah just laughed “haha” without denying it. Understanding her feelings, he couldn’t press further. He walked her to the entrance with an umbrella, and fortunately, the rain was letting up.

After sending Kim Yoon-ah off, Park Dong-sik took out his phone from his pocket. Checking why it hadn’t rung, he realized he’d completely forgotten he’d put it on silent when taking a nap. After sighing, he checked the lock on the entrance.

It wasn’t working at all, so he changed the batteries, but it was still dead. While he was getting a screwdriver from the toolbox to take it apart, his pocket suddenly vibrated. The caller was the private investigator he’d hired.

Park Dong-sik glanced toward the bedroom where Kim Jun-han had disappeared off to, then went into the small room.

“Hello?”

[“I’m sorry for calling so late. Can you talk right now?”]

“Yes, go ahead.”

[“Park Chunb-ae was arrested this afternoon.”]

Park Dong-sik stopped pacing the room. It wasn’t surprising as it happened often. He only hoped Park Chun-bae would stay in prison for the sake of others’ happiness.

[“The detective in charge was my junior colleague, so I asked around. At first he denied everything, but when coaxed gently, he confessed. Thirty years ago, after being away from home for a few days, he returned to find Yoo Hyeon-oh had given birth and disappeared. A grandmother next door was taking care of the baby.”]

“Was that…Park Dong-sik?”

[“Yes, Park Dong-sik. And ten days later, a nun from a church came to visit once.”]

“A church…?”

[“More specifically, an orphanage run by the church. A newborn was abandoned in front of the church, with Park Chun-bae’s address written on a note saying he was the father.”]

“And then?”

[“The nun asked him to confirm, but Park Chun-bae refused.”]

“Why…”

[“According to Chun-bae, he was seeing so many women then that it wouldn’t have been strange if any of them had his child. With one baby already there, another would have been trouble. Afraid of complications, he moved away immediately and completely forgot about it afterward.”]

Park Chun-bae’s promiscuity wasn’t a surprising matter. He’d brought in over ten stepmothers during their time together. Sometimes Park Dong-sik wondered if his own promiscuity took after Park Chun-bae.

“This church, it’s in Incheon, right?”

[“How did you know? I just visited and got that child’s photo and personal information. Would you like to see?”]

Park Dong-sik tensely stared at his phone screen. As the message came in, thunder crashed so loudly it seemed the ceiling would collapse. Startled, he glanced outside before turning back to the photo.

[“Have you seen it?”]

Though he heard the voice through the phone, he was too stunned to respond. Even as he zoomed in on the facial features, he couldn’t believe it.

“What…is this…”

[“Looks a lot like Park Dong-sik, right? This photo was taken when he was 17. He lived in the orphanage until he was 20, visited a few times after becoming independent, but now there’s no contact at all.”]

“…”

“Hee-soo-ssi?”

Park Dong-sik released the breath he’d been holding in.

“What’s this person’s name…Do you know where they live…?”

“His name is Kim Kyungsu, and his resident registration is currently canceled—whereabouts unknown. It looks like it’ll take more time, but I’ll contact you as soon as I find anything.”

“Okay…” After hanging up, Park Dong-sik nearly dropped the phone, his strength gone. Looking at the photo again, except for the hairstyle and expression, it was identical to his own face from his youth.

Did his birth mother really have twins…?

Damn that person. If he took one away, he should have raised him well, why abandon him too?

As complicated thoughts rushed in, there was a knock and Kim Jun-han appeared, holding a tablet.

“Are you busy? I have something to discuss—”

Kim Jun-han stopped and studied Park Dong-sik’s expression.

“Did something happen?”

“No. Go ahead…”

“I just received Park Dong-sik’s autopsy report by email.”

He held out the tablet, and Park Dong-sik swallowed hard, taking it with a tense expression on his face. The report’s contents were simple. It recorded the deceased’s name, place of death, and cause of death.

The deceased’s name was, of course, Park Dong-sik, and the type of death was suicide.

His face hardened as he read further down.

There was something completely unexpected in the other physical characteristics.

[Has disability in left leg]

He unconsciously looked down at his legs. Park Dong-sik had two perfectly fine legs…He’d never even been injured, let alone had surgery. If the report wasn’t wrong, whose record was this…? It was definitely him lying in the morgue….

His fingertips tingled as he thought of the possible twin’s face.

Was that really me…?

As he stood there speechless, Kim Jun-han drove in the final nail of doubt.

“The examining doctor said there were no scars on the stomach. Said it was completely clean.”