Chapter 82
My father was there, sitting across from Mr. Kim.
Ms. Lee was standing, just about to set a cup of tea down on the table.
All of them look at me surprised.
"Oh dear, Harin. You've returned."
What the hell is this. What's going on?
"You've arrived. We've been waiting for you," Mr. Kim said.
Why is he here?
My father's eyes softened as he looked at me, a gentle smile forming on his lips.
"How are you doing, Harin?—"
"Get out!" I cut him off.
Everyone froze.
"You have no right to be here," I said, my voice trembling but firm. "Leave. Now."
Mr. Kim stood up slowly and walked toward me.
"Harin… let's calm down first, alright?"
I shook my head hard. "No! Mr. Kim, why would you let him enter this house? You saw it yourself what he did, right? He's a dangerous man!"
My father looked at me with a pained expression as he slowly rose from his chair.
"Harin… I just came to see you. And there's something I need to talk to you about."
"I don't want to hear anything from you. Leave. Before I call the police." I pulled out my phone.
Ms. Lee quickly set the tea down and rushed over, gently holding my hands.
"Harin… please, calm down. We've heard everything from your father about what happened. I really think you should listen to him."
"And you believe him, Ms. Lee?" I asked sharply.
I turned back to my father.
"Where is my mother? Where did you transfer her? What did you do to her?"
Mr. Kim and Ms. Lee exchanged confused looks, then turned toward my father.
"Harin, you've misunderstood something here. I didn't do anything to her. I transferred her to another hospital because—"
"I don't want to hear anything!" I cut in immediately. "You're a criminal, Dad. You hurt my Mom. You almost killed her."
"Harin! Stop it."
I fell silent.
Mr. Kim cut me off this time. His voice was firm.
He let out a deep sigh. "Harin, you cannot speak to your father like that. He already told us what happened that day. It's not what you think. Please, just hear him out first."
Ms. Lee nodded gently beside him. "That's right, Harin. Your father came here just to clear things up. Give him a chance to explain."
My chest rising and falling unevenly. For a moment, I wanted to scream and run.
But slowly, I let myself loosen.
"…Just say what you want. But make it quick."
.
We ended up in the parking lot beside his car.
I didn't want Mr. Kim or Ms. Lee to hear any more of this. There was no reason for anyone else to be pulled into my family's problems.
I stayed silent.
My father cleared his throat. "…How have you been, Harin?"
I didn't answer.
He glanced at me and smile softly. "The family who's been taking care of you… they seem like good people. I'm glad."
Still, I said nothing. I just looked away, staring at the ground.
After a long pause, I finally spoke.
"How did you get out? Was Chairman Seo the one helping you?"
For a brief moment, he fell silent. Then, slowly, he nodded.
I let out a bitter smirk.
"As expected. Him and his connections. Is there really no one left in this country who can go against his word anymore?"
"Harin, don't say it like that. It's not what you think. Yes, he helped a little. But the reason I was released is that I wasn't guilty."
Anger surged up before I could stop it.
"You think I'll believe that?!"
The words came out a little too loud.
I noticed a few people nearby glancing in our direction. Realizing it, I clenched my jaw and forced myself to calm down again.
I looked away and lowered my voice.
"Say what you want to say and then leave."
My father hesitated. His expression shifted, something uncertain passing through his eyes.
"…Do you really hate me that much, Harin?"
The question caught me off guard.
It wasn't that I could say I hated him. No matter what he had done, he was still my father. But at the same time, the anger, the disappointment, and the fear he had left behind were too heavy for me to ignore.
"It's hard not to resent you after what you did to her that day. How could you do that to Mom?"
"Harin… I told you, I really didn't do that. You need to believe me."
"Then who did? Are you going to deny it again? Are you going to say my mom stabbed herself? Because that—"
"Yes."
I went completely still.
"…What?"
"I said yes. She stabbed herself."
For a moment, I thought I had misheard.
"Dad," I said slowly, my voice shaking, "do you hear what you're saying right now?"
His face is serious. There's no hint of hesitation.
"I'm not lying, Harin. She did it to herself—"
"Stop it."
My voice cracked.
I turned my face away, my vision blurring as tears welled up.
"Stop saying things like that. Please… just stop."
He fell silent.
"Dad… do you want to know something?" I said, my voice trembling. "You have no idea how much Mom has suffered this past month because of what happened that day.
The doctor told me she wasn't just hurt physically. She had also suffered psychological trauma. They said the shock was too much for her. Do you know how I felt when I hear that?"
My chest tightened as the memories came back.
"Every day, I went to the hospital hoping she would get better. I tried to talked to her and held her hand… but she didn't even look at me. She didn't react when I called her name."
My voice cracked.
"Do you know how painful that was? To see your own mother look at you like you meant nothing to her?"
I forcing myself to keep going.
"It took almost two months. Two months for her to properly recover. Do you even realize how hard it was for her all that time?"
I swallowed hard and met his eyes.
"And now you're standing here telling me she did all of that to herself? How can you say something like that?"
My father's eyes flickered, and he lowered his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Harin."
I brushed away my tears, my hands trembling.
"If you're just going to keep spouting nonsense, I'm leaving." I turned to leave, refusing to listen any longer.
I heard a heavy sigh behind me.
"Your mother…"
I kept walking, ignoring him.
"She… she's sick."
I froze, my steps halted. I turned sharply to look at him.
My father's just standing there.
"What… what are you trying to say now?" I asked, my voice trembling.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as his gaze drifted toward the setting sun.
"We really love you, Harin."
There was a weight in his gaze, as if carrying a burden he wished he didn't have to.
"That's why I always hoped… that you'd never have to know about this."
"Stop dodging around! What do you mean by that?!"
He let out a quiet sigh.
"I guess it can't be helped."
His eyes briefly closing before meeting mine again.
"It's happens three years ago," he started his story.
My gaze stayed locked on him.
He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself to continue.
[ You want to know… Harin, actually, your mother and I were married through an arranged engagement by our families. But… well, I actually knew her long before that. We went to the same high school. I had a crush on her back then, but she already had a boyfriend. They had been together for three years, so I could only like her from afar. Funny right? After high school, we went our separate ways. I went to SNU, so I didn't see her at all. Back then, I didn't have a girlfriend either, I buried myself in studying. Maybe… I still hadn't gotten over her.
Then… maybe it was fate. I didn't know our families were close friends. They suggested we get married, not just for us, but also to help your mother. She had been emotionally withdrawn and depressed after her boyfriend had to move abroad, and her family worried about her. My family wasn't entirely convinced at first, but I insisted. I knew she had little choice in this.
In the end… we got married. Of course, at first she wasn't very fond of me. But over time, she saw my effort, and she grew to like me. And then… we had you, Harin. You're the best thing that ever happened in our lives. Your mom and I, we promised ourselves that we would love you endlessly and make sure you grew up happy and safe. ]
He paused, his gaze dropping briefly. Then he looked up again.
[ Day by day, we were happy watching you grow up, Harin. From the moment you learned to prone, to crawl, to walk. Those moments… they meant everything to us.
Long story short… I know this was partly my fault. You know what my job is like, right? With Chairman Seo's health declining, there were more responsibilities on my shoulders. I was so focused on my career that I ended up neglecting my family. ]
He clenched his hand slightly.
[ You mother said she understood. She never complained. She knew I was busy, and she always said she was fine.
But maybe because she never said anything, I took her feelings for granted. I didn't realize that, little by little… she was changing.]
He paused again, longer this time.
"One day, she asked me to sit down and talk. She told me… she wanted a divorce.]
My heart tightened.
[ I was shocked. I told her I didn't want that. I told her I still loved her. But she said her feelings had already changed. She said I no longer cared about this family. She said she wanted to leave this house and take you with her, Harin. There was no way I could agree to that.
I got angry after hearing that and told her not to say nonsense. And then… I brushed her off just like that. I refused to talk about it anymore. I thought she was just upset and didn't really mean it. But what I didn't realize was how much pressure I had put on her by doing that.]
He took a slow breath.
[ Over time, she became more frustrated with me. She started picking fights whenever I came home. She accused me of things that weren't even true. She accused me of having another woman outside, and many other things.]
He shook his head faintly.
[ I was tired. I didn't want to argue anymore. I didn't respond to her provocations. I knew she was acting that way because I refused to give in to what she wanted. But what I didn't understand then… was that she had already reached her breaking point.]
His voice softened.
[ Even so, we didn't want you to worry. That's why, in front of you, we pretended that nothing had happened.
Until one night… the day you weren't at home because you were on a school trip.]
My father looked away.
[ That night, while I was asleep… she…]
His fingers tightened at his side.
[ She tried to kill me.]
My breath caught and I nearly lost my balance after hearing that.
[ I was asleep when she… she pressed the pillow over my face. I didn't understand what was happening at first. I jolted awake and struggled desperately. I could tell she was determined to kill me because she was pressing the pillow down with incredible force. But… I heard her crying while she did it.]
He swallowed hard.
[ Using my strength, I managed to push her away and sat up, gasping for air. I saw her collapse onto the floor, crying uncontrollably.
I should have been furious, but seeing her like that only made me feel sad. Before I could even go to her, your mother fainted. ]
He gave a bitter smile.
[ I quickly took her to the hospital that night and I didn't tell the doctor what really happened. After the examination, the doctor explained that your mother had fainted due to extreme emotional and mental exhaustion. Her body had reached its limit.
After running more tests and speaking with her, the doctor concluded that she was suffering from severe depression. It was not something that happened overnight. He said it had likely been building up for a long time.
He told me that in her condition, strong emotions could overwhelm her very easily. Even small things could feel unbearable. That kind of mental state could cause physical reactions, such as fainting.
The doctor warned me that, for the time being, she must not be put under stress and should avoid anything that could trigger her emotions again. ]
He paused, his voice turning heavy.
[ That night, after we returned home, your mother told me she couldn't stand looking at my face anymore without feeling hatred.
She blamed me for everything. She said I was the reason she had become like this. We almost fought again that night.
Of course, I didn't want that. I had to calm her down, so I told her I would grant her wish. But… not until you had grown up. I said it only to buy some time.
After hearing that, she finally calmed down. That was when she made me promise never to involve you in my world. I had to follow her demand because I was afraid that if I didn't comply, it would trigger her depression again.
From that day forward, she lived by that promise. The thought of leaving me someday was the only thing holding her together. To her, I no longer existed in her life. You were all she had, Harin. ]
Then he looked back at me.
[ Harin, I know I was always busy. But believe me when I say this, there wasn't a single day I worked without thinking about you. I always wanted to be with you. But at the same time… whenever I was about to spend my time with you, your mother would interrupt and take you away from me. Do you remember?]
I was at a loss for words. Of course I remember, but back then, I didn't think it was that deep.
[ You were always close to her, which made it even harder for me to do anything without making her think I might take you away from her. ]
He glanced at me.
[ But one day, when Chairman Seo told me that he wished to take you under his wing, I was so excited that I forgot about the promise I had made to your mother.
You saw for yourself what happened when I told you about it that day, didn't you? Your mother strongly opposed it, and as you know, what happened that night happened because of it.]
A small chuckle escaped him.
[ After you ran away from home, we searched for you the whole day like crazy. But we couldn't find you anywhere. We were so worried about you. But instead of keeping on looking for you, we had a huge fight that day.
Your mother blamed me for you running away. She accused me of being the reason the family was in such chaos. And that same day, she told me to divorce her because she couldn't take it anymore.]
His lips pressed into a thin line.
[ Of course, I refused. Because I knew, she would take you away from me.
Maybe because of all the stress she'd been holding in for so long, she took drastic action. She… ]
He swallowed.
[ She grabbed a knife and threatened to stab herself if I wouldn't divorce her that day. I had to keep my distance. I told her to calm down, but she was already like someone who'd lost her mind because you were missing.
She was determined. She held the knife in one hand… and her phone in the other. She asked me again, whether I would divorce her or not. I told her to calm down.
And you know what she did next?
She called the police. She said she was being attacked and asked them to come. ]
His voice turned bitter.
[ After she ended the call… she laughed at me. She didn't look like herself anymore. She said if she died, she wanted to ruin my life. Because, according to her, I was the reason everything turned out this way.
Honestly… she wasn't wrong at all.]
There was a hint of regret on my father's face.
[ I genuinely felt so sorry to see her like that.
She asked me one last time to divorce her. I still refused.
But then she…
She stabbed herself in the stomach. ]
The words left me stunned. My stomach twisted, and nausea washed over me.
[ I panicked. I rushed forward and pulled the knife out of her body. ]
He paused.
[ And then… you came home. ]