CHAPTER 9

She shed her tears seeing the wedding invitation in her hand. She trembled hard seeing the groom's name on the invitation. The fact hit her hard, she should believe what her brother is saying. The bastard shouldn't be given a second chance. She was also surprised by the bride's name behind.

"Oppa ...," she turned her head toward him who was giving her the invitation.

"Told you so.." he coldly said to her while puffing his cigarette. His eyes strayed through the opened window in front of him. His was sitting on his work desk.

Her loving brother, the only man that wouldn't leave her, even her father left her forever. She lived with his only reliable brother. Her brother should take over the company since then, being the backbone of the family.

"But, why the bride must be Lee Seonhwa.." She asked with her trembling lips knowing she was her brother's soon to be the bride.

"Her father canceled the marriage because he thought that our company shareholdings don't have a bright future." He sighed." That is why business is scarier than you think." He didn't look even sadder as it should be, he just kept puffing the cigarette on his hand. She knew him, he was feeling broken inside, but he would never tell anyone. The sudden death of their father, the sudden cancelation of their wedding, and the sudden promotion to be CEO of HD Enterprises that would ruin him.

His free soul would never be the same again. He should act like the CEO and upgraded himself to get shareholder's attention and grab their trust in HD Enterprises in a limited time to keep the company in balance. The sudden change of him would mess him up, but he should survive. Hundred of people under HD Enterprises got their trust in the company for their living and no one can help them, other than the leader itself.

He must be clueless for the first time, but he tried his best.

He tried to grow the trust from shareholders which were difficult than he thought. Another one, the company that his fiancee’s father had left him and not giving any help to his company. And now, there she is, his little sister said that she was pregnant with her boyfriend.

"Oppa... I need to meet him before the wedding. This kid still needs to be known by the father." She rubbed her flat tummy lightly.

"You don't need to do that.." he warned her and puffing for the last before putting the cigarette in the ashtray.

"Oppa..." she sobbed in tears.

"HYUNMI...AH," he shouted at her disbelief.

"Oppa... please!! I don't have high hope... I just want to tell him that he has a child..." she said.

"Told you he would do something bad to you..." he grabbed her hand tightly giving a death glare.

"Oppa... please... I don't do it just for me. It is for the kid.." she said rubbing her wet eyes. Hyunbin exhaled his breath in anger and slowly took a deep breath.

"I will let you, but you must go with me.." He gave her conditional approval.

---

"Jaehyuk-ssi..." she said with a faintly smile to the man in front of her. They were seated privately in the cafe while her brother was looking at her a few meters away from her. The man who was called with Jaehyuk took a sip of coffee calmly.

Seeing the calmness on his face, she handed him a wedding invitation from her brother. Jaehyuk face turned serious and stared at her.

"I know you will be married to someone else.. but.. let me tell you something.." she took a sip of chamomile tea she ordered.

" I am pregnant.," she said in a low voice but can be heard enough by him. Jaehyuk's eyes diverted to her tummy in a second.

"What do you mean?" Jaehyuk furrowed his brows.

"This kid is yours," she said rubbing her tummy.

"Are you sure?" His question stabbed her heart.

"Jaehyuk-ssi... " she glared at him. Jaehyuk who seemed frustrated bit his lips nervously.

"Abort it.." the word thorn her heart into pieces. Her hand naturally throw the warm chamomile tea on her hand to his face.

"Jaehyuk-ssi..be careful with your words.." she shed her tears, leaving the seat and went to her brother with her tears keep flowing. Jaehyuk followed her and grabbed her hand in a minute.

"Just please... don't make any troubles in the future and just please do what I say.." Jaehyuk said begging her which made him received a big hit in the cheek with a man who was accompanying her the whole time.

"Don't you ever go closer to her and her kid in the future, or else I will kill you..." Hyunbin brought her behind his back and gave the helpless laid body in front of him a death glare.

*****((()))*****

Yejin kept caressing his hair slowly when he was in a deep sleep on her hug. The space on the sofa closed their gap. Hyunbin's head laid on her neck and his calm breath, puffed on her smooth skin. He was in deep sleep after tired of crying, the story about him surprised her, especially the fact that Nana wasn't his real daughter.

Yejin was the only one who was fully awake in the room, lost her mind. She didn't expect the truth about Nana's mother who would be like that. She was just speechless after hearing the fact.

"Yejin-ah.." he mumbled between his sleep. "Please, stay with me..." a tear slowly came out from his eye. This incident must be giving him a big burden. Yejin kept caressing his hair lightly and deepened her hug.

----

The morning had come and Yejin had already fed Nana with porridge, the red bumps from the last night slowly progressed into a better one. She was still quiet, not like her usual self while Hyunbin was still asleep on the sofa with a thin blanket covering him.

"Appa..." her cracked voice started to stutter a word. Yejin slowly looked at the CEO sadly and turned into Nana. She didn't see Nana and the CEO with the same look again. The view of uncle and niece appeared, but the habit of father and daughter couldn't be hidden. She slowly felt the sadness and loneliness of him.

"Appa is still tired from last night....let's get Appa a good rest first, princess.." she rubbed Nana's hair lightly and Nana nodded her head obediently.

After some minutes, Yejin opened the curtain which gave a clear natural light from outside. Nana smiled lightly at her and want to be hugged by Yejin. She wanted to see the view after getting a good meal.

***

He woke up seeing the view of Yejin who was holding Nana in her embrace to see the view outside the window melted his heart. The memory of last night reappeared and reassured him. He woke up from the sofa and came closer to them.

"Nana-ya...." he greeted them. They turned their body toward him. Seeing the red bumps on his daughter's face twitched his heart. He touched her cheek with his finger and faintly smiled.

"Nana will get better soon...." he smiled at Nana.

"Appaa... hug me.." she sprawled her arms into him. Yejin let him took Nana on his embrace.

"Daepyo-nim, I will take some necessities for us..." she asked for his permission to take necessities for days to go in the apartment. Hyunbin's hand grabbed hers before she left them. He hesitated for a while.

"Let me take it..." he replied with a deep stare.

*****((()))*****

Hyunbin packed Nana's things on the pink bag and Yejin's which placed in Nana's room. Since she worked overtime and should take care of Nana, the room was much fuller. Hyunbin took some necessities with the help of his memories of Yejin in the house. He took some simple clothes she always wears, socks that she always wears on the night, and he stopped for a diary that she always brings everywhere.

A small brown leather covered diary with a picture popping out on the edge of the book. He came closer and took a look at the diary. The different diary that was strangely he didn't even recognize. He recognized every small thing about her in the apartment, but not for that diary. He knew her blue-covered diary but not that one.

He slowly took the picture and saw a picture that was taken about 15 years ago. The picture was shabby with the view of a girl and the older boy looked at the camera dumbfounded with books shattered in front of them. It could be assumed that the boy taught her something while she was defended her face with his fingers which were readily giving a hit on her forehead. The boy with his long hair up to his neck with brown colored and piercing on his left ear. The boy's hair was also grown up to his eyes until they couldn't see his face fully. The simple loosened shirt and denim jeans wrapped the boy's body and it could be concluded that he was coming from a rich family.

He flipped the picture and found a written sentence with Oppa and Yejin inside a big heart that was drawn with a red pen. The writing was innocently neat like a young girl had found her first-ever lover. He put the picture on the table and grabbed the diary.

He took the diary and read one by one the diary that was being scribbled by her since she was a kid. It must not be the diary she always brings he thought. The diary had reached the end of the page and it was worn out already.

He opened page by page and read the letters one by one meticulously. The description of the 'Oppa' inside the diary was filled with love. The warmth, love, and sincerity of the 'Oppa' had given, were well written like a longing fan was waiting for the 'Oppa'.

His eyes stuck on the latest letter she wrote about the Oppa at the end of the diary.

'I will always wait for you Oppa~~ ^^ Wait for me until I become a writer and make you proud. I will find and marry you for sure Oppa ^^'

The innocent aggressive words from a girl to her number one Oppa twitched his heart. He closed the diary in a minute and put it back on the drawer. He chose to leave the diary and left the apartment.

*****((()))*****

Lee Munjeong tapped her pen on the desk, thinking hard on the bunch of papers in front of her. The same writing style and different great ideas inside it. The author itself still the same, and she had met her last night.

"So, what will you do writer-nim?" a deep voice in front of her, stopping her daze.

"Joon-ah, how about 2 weeks to go? I think she still needs time to take care of the kid last night.." she replied calmly to him. Lee Joon scribbled his tablet and reschedule for her long hiatus in Jeju with writers to prepare a new book and some classes for beginners. She also planned to build her publishing center too. Her hiatus would always be undefined because she always put details over anything. She kept rechecking the book before it would ready for publishing.

He had been assisting her to be a co-author of her new books for a writer outside. In his spare time, he wrote his own fictional story and he had published one novel. His name who had been known after Lee Munjeong search for a new talented writer in a competition. And for his luck, after his name was announced for the best new talented writer with Yejin, his book was sold quicker than for the first-timer.

"Doesn't it make you difficult to extend the time just for Yejin? Seems like you put her over than others." Joon said rationally.

"I don't think so, because I am very curious about her. And I want to polish her badly. " Lee Munjeong put her hand under her chin imagining what will happen if she were going with her. She found several writers after Joon, but Yejin's writing style was different and it caught her focus for a long time. She must get her no matter what.

" First, we will go for sure two weeks later, and don't forget to inform her as soon as possible." Lee Munjeong ended the conversation.

*****((()))*****

"Where are you going?" Seonhwa with her messy hair and puffy eyes said on her bed with a blanket covered her front body. Her mind was losing after hearing her husband's confession last night. Her husband had a child that wasn't her, drown herself deeper.

Her heart was in a confusion for Hyunbin and her husband. The fact that her husband was only for business always kept her challenging for Hyunbin's heart again. However, she couldn't let her past fiance go from her life. The fact that last night's confession broke her heart, confused her more about her feeling. She was messed up.

"I want to convince the fact that she is my daughter.," he said with his back against her in front of the door.

"If you are her father, what will you do?" She said being harsh to him.

"I am her father..." he sighed feeling sorry inside. His condition wasn't better than her. He was messed up, knowing that the child that he felt that she must be his daughter for 99,98% after seeing her face and allergy that he also had.

"So.." her eyes started to well.

"I am taking my responsibilities." He exhaled his breath.

"You asked her to abort the child.. why suddenly you take the responsibilities?? She has Hyunbin already.." she replied being sarcastic.

" I know I am being selfish..." he stopped his word. " I feel sorry for all I ask for her, I want to repay her struggle on raising our child. I should take the responsibilities...I am her father though.." he turned his face to her.

"You will leave me??" She asked narrowing her eyes. "Think about it.. you wouldn't get any cent from our marriage.." she said dominantly.

"I am not leaving you... I am just taking my responsibilities to my daughter...and I should beg her for forgiveness," he said leaving her in the bedroom alone.

Right after he closed the door, she grabbed her blanket tightly and threw it harshly. She threw everything in front of her eyes angrily and broke the furniture in her bedroom.

The room was messed, as a mess as the two owner's minds and hearts.

*****((()))*****

"Eonni... you will go to Jeju 2 weeks later, but how about Nana and our CEO?" a woman's voice stopped him from opening the door. He kept standing in front of the door while hearing all the conversation between someone and Yejin.

"Yoona-ya, for now, I can't think straight... I will think about it after she recharges from the hospital." Yejin voice replied to the woman. His heart beat fast just after thinking about it.

"Eonni, don't you say that you will miss this chance again..??" Yoona asked her curiously, worrying that she wouldn't make it this time.

"I don't know Yoona-ya,, I can't imagine what will happen to Nana. I don't know why. Also...Jeju is far away from here.." She sighed. The words froze Hyunbin from the place he was standing in.

"Eonni.....",

"Hyunbin-ssi... Can I get a talk with you?" a familiar voice was coming closer distracted his focus. He turned his head to the voice and gritted his teeth.

"Jung Jaehyuk.. what do you want?" His brow furrowed angrily.

"Please I am coming to reconcile... Please I am just want to know the truth and I won't do anything harm.." he begged while raising his two hands convincing his sincere deed.

"Wait here.." Hyunbin opened the door and gave the necessities he brought inside.

*****((()))*****

The two men sat side by side on the bench in the hospital garden. They were on deep thought especially for Jaehyuk who was surprised by the incident. The incident he saw for a whole when the child started eating the strawberry and the time her body turned into red. That time he was already sure that she was his daughter.

"She is mine, right..." he started the conversation gingerly.

"How can you be sure about that?" Hyunbin's furrowed his brow angrily.

" I have an allergy, like her.." he then put his voice down not to dominate the whole conversation.

"You wanted to abort her. Didn't you?" Hyunbin replied not hiding anything about Nana. He was getting enough to be disturbed by him and his wife. "What do you want exactly?" He raised his tone.

"Bring me to Hyunmi... I know that raising a child is hard and I left her like a bastard and didn't want my child. But, please bring me to Hyunmi.." he begged while kneeling in front of him. Hyunbin exhaled his breath disbelief.

"Hyunmi??? She doesn't want to meet you.." Hyunbin took a step leaving him. Jaehyuk grabbed his leg prevent him to go further.

"Please, I will take all the responsibilities I should take.. Please just bring me to Hyunmi... I want to beg her forgiveness. I can't find her anywhere.. the one who can help me just you....please I want to take all the responsibilities I would take as a father ..and I was sorry for whatever I had done.." he begged.

"Don't you have a pride Jaehyuk-ssi...!" Hyunbin narrowed his eyes taking a glance at him.

"Please, let me meet my daughter. I am not greedy enough just please let me meet my daughter and HHyunmi...I just want to get involved in raising my child...", he begged.

"Jaehyuk-ssi....I am not going to break my own words.." He replied harshly to him.

"Just please Hyunbin-ssi. I know you would go overseas and bring my daughter ... but just please let me meet my daughter and Hyunmi... I won't harm them... I am not going to take her from Hyunmi...now I am not a good father for her these whole times... " Hyunbin peeked on him feeling disturbed.

"What if you broke the words you just saying?" He asked him coldly.

"You can do anything you want from me.." he helplessly replied.

"You and your wife would stop messing my family. It is not a question, it is a statement.", he stated firmly.

"I will try..." Jaehyuk replied with a weighted heart.

"The day she wasn't coming to you, is Nana's birthday also the day Hyunmi left us." Hyunbin ended the conversation and leaving him who was still kneeling, dumbfounded.

*****((()))*****

Jaehyuk stood up helplessly in front of ash house. Hyunbin told him everything and gave him the ash house's address where Hyunmi was kept. His legs were weakened and he tried to stand his up by putting his hand on the glass. The tears were streaming down from his eyes letting out his biggest regret. A bucket of flowers was fallen from his hand and he grabbed his chest tightly.

"I am sorry, Hyunmi-ah.." he sobbed in silence even there was no one in the ash house other than him.

"I am sorry, Hyunmi-ah.." he kept repeating the words and touched the glasses that filled with a pot of ash and Hyunmi's picture. There were also filled with Nana's picture when she was just born and a picture of Hyunmi and Hyunbin on their teen. It called for his tears. His tears started welling his face. He grabbed his chest hard realizing what he was done these times. He was a coward, egoistic, and bastard. He left her for Seonhwa, trying hard to reach Seonhwa's heart but leaving the one who gave him a new life.

" I am sorry...Hyunmi-ah... I am sorry..," he stated bowing his head deeply.

 

Epilogue:

Yejin's mother's condition suddenly decreased after times. Age was playing an important role for her. There she laid helplessly with an oxygen hose. The news that was also being the main reason for Yejin to think twice to go to Jeju for her deed. Yejin should prepare for the worst. The condition that impossible to get cured. She should always beside her no matter what.

Yejin's mother's hand slowly caressed the hand that wrapped her tightly. Yejin's tired face couldn't be hidden and she was in a daze.

Yejin took a look at her mother sensing her warm hand on hers. She put her head closer to her mother's mouth. Her low voice made Yejin get closer to her to listen to everything she wanted to say.

"Yejin -ah.. " she said weakly.

"Uhm Eomma.." she nodded slightly. Her puffed red eyes started to fall in tears. She couldn't imagine what will happen to her.

"Your Oppa... I trust him.." Yejin covered to prevent sobbing. Her tears were being held and choked her instead. Her heart was hurt listening to that word again after so long from her mother.

She also missed him, her heart was a mess as hell. She wanted him, but her heart told another. Her heart throbbed hard and the one who was popping on her head was the CEO. She couldn't hide the feeling that started blooming in her heart. But, she also can't ignore her mother's wish. The blessing of her mother was the first one. She started crying in her deepest heart. Her Oppa, the one that also knows her mother and her. The Oppa would gladly help her over the small things and the one that was also leaving her after making a promise that he would be back to her at that time.

-to be continued-

Author’s note :

Thank you for reading and supporting ^^

Kindly check my other stories Through Their Lenses and The Luckiest ^^