“Your father, my son, didn’t die in an accident.”

“What do you mean?” Yujin couldn’t believe what she was hearing. By the look on her grandfather’s face, he was serious. For 20 years, had she believed in a lie? Did her grandfather knew  the truth all this time?

“I know this is shocking. To understand, I need to start from the beginning, where it all started.” Her grandfather took a deep breath and started to explain.

Back in the days where Baek-Hyeon was still in his prime, he did everything in dedicated his life for the company. He wanted to pave a bright future for his two sons, Choi Dae-Hwa and Choi Dae-Jung. Every decision he made was well thought through. One of them was to arrange a marriage between his eldest son and another major company’s daughter, Won Hyun-Ae, Yujin’s mother. Fortunately, he was great friends with the company head. They had their children grow up together. The three of them spent their childhood together happily. This was both a blessing and a curse. The Choi brothers both fell in love with the same person, Hyun-Ae. But the reality was that Hyun-Ae was promised to Dae-Hwa. For a time, Dae-Jung respected his father decision. If his two favorite people in the world can make each other happy, who has he to interfere. Even if his heart yearns for her love.

With Dae-Hwa being the next heir of the company, he was always busy with work and sometimes abroad for quite some time. Dae-Jung often visits Hyun-Ae to keep her company. For years, Dae-Jung had tried to move on from his childhood love. He went as far getting engaged with another woman but he ended up breaking the engagement off as he could not forget the person he grew up with. He started to feel jealous towards his brother. His brother had everything he had ever wanted given to him as if it was meant to be while Dae-Jung had to work for it. The turning point was when Hyun-Ae told him she was pregnant one afternoon. She wanted Dae-Jung’s help to arrange a surprise for Dae-Hwa. As reluctant as he was, he agreed. After all how could he say no the the woman he loved for decades. As the months go by, Dae-Jung started visiting less and less. It was getting too painful to see Hyun-Ae. It's not as if Hyun-Ae was alone either. After learning of his wife’s pregnancy, Dae-Hwa took the innitiative to spend as much time as possible to prepare for their child’s arrival.

It was in the middle of the night when Dae-Jung was woken up from his sleep by his phone blaring. It was a call from Hyun-Ae. He immediately picked it up only to hear a stranger’s voice on the other line. Hyun-Ae had been admitted into a hospital, there was something wrong with the pregnancy. That was all he needed to hear before he bolted out of bed and drove straight to the hospital. When he arrived, he looked around trying to find his brother. But the one who greeted them were the nurses and doctors. They needed someone to make a decision, save the mother or save the baby. They had called him, Hyun-Ae's second emergency contact, because her husband was unavailable. He was enraged by his brother’s absence. He racked his brain on where the hell his brother could be. As he was about to answer the doctor, Hyun-Ae's voice weekly calls out. She asked him to please save her child before losing consciousness again from the pain. Dae-Jung was torn. Save the love of his life or honor her wishes. He thought hard for a moment but the answer was obvious. He could never say no to her, not even once.

Dae-Hwa had arrived around an hour after the surgery was finished. He had been on board a plane and immediately rushed to the hospital the moment he saw numerous missed calls from his wife. But, it was all too late. His wife had passed leaving behind her daughter. Struck with grief, he wept for his wife. He thanked his brother for saving his daughter. If he wasn’t there to make the call, he would’ve lost the both of them. Dae-Jung did not reply. He was numb. He was staring at a newborn child from over a glass barrier. How could this had happened. It was not fair. Dae-Jung was there when Hyun-Ae wanted advice on presents for her to-be-husband at the time. He was there when Hyun-Ae was stressed about the wedding preparations. He was there when Hyun-Ae was lonely. He was there when Hyun-Ae breathed her last breath. He was always there for Hyun-Ae. But all Hyun-Ae ever cared about was another man. If Hyun-Ae was his, he would never leave her side. He would cherish her much more than his brother would. But it was all too late, Hyun-Ae was gone. The love of his life left this world because of this child, this thing created by his brother. This thing took Hyun-Ae away from him. It was all her fault. Dae-Hwa had lost his wife but Dae-Jung was the one who lost everything.

“…” Yujin now understood why her uncle never liked her. All this time he had blamed Yujin for her mother’s death. But her main question hadn’t been answered yet. “Wait, how does this prove father’s death wasn’t an accident?”

Baek-Hyeon rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. “My dear, the story isn’t finished yet”.

A few years after Hyun-Ae’s death, nothing was the same. Hyun-Ae's passing took a toll on Dae-Hwa and Dae-Jung. The Choi brothers’ relationship had soured. They were once each other’s support but now no more than strangers. Dae-Hwa started working late into the nights while Dae-Jung began drowning his sorrows with alcohol. One day, Dae-Jung made a grave mistake that cost him the life of someone he used to call brother. It was pouring in the dead of night. Dae-Jung was just kicked out of a bar for his reckless drinking and drunken behaviour. He didn’t have a destination in mind, only a bottle of spirits in his hand. After minutes of walking under pouring rain, he wasn’t that all surprised where he saw where he feet had taken him. It brought him back to the house that the had most often visited in the past. Not once had he visited the estate ever since Hyun-Ae’s passing. The servants who worked there recognized him and lead him in. Somewhere down the hallway, he hears crying, a child. Of course it was that thing. He has had enough. He just wants the pain to stop. That thing had caused him enough pain. He went over to room where the child was crying in her crib. He broke the bottle in his hand on the side table, intent on silencing the crying. He brought his arm up with the sharp edge of the broken bottle aiming for the child. Just one swing was all it would take. But to his surprise, the child had stopped crying and was looking straight at him. They stared at each other for a moment. The child reached out her hands and giggled. Dae-Jung froze. He was all but familiar with that smile. It was Hyun-Ae’s. This child looked so much like her. He resolve started to crumble.

Suddenly, the doors swung upon revealing Dae-Hwa with horror stricken on his face. In his eyes, all he saw was his heartbroken brother with broken bottle in hand standing in front of his child with an unreadable expression. Dae-Hwa immediately lunged at his brother. The brothers struggled and wrestled for the weapon in Dae-Jung’s hand. Then all movement stopped, Dae-Hwa felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. The two stood up and saw what had happened. Dae-Hwa look down and then back up to his brother in shock. Dae-Jung had stabbed him. He couldn’t believe that his brother would go this far. Dae-Hwa still intent on keeping his daughter away from his brother, lunged at him once again only to be pushed away. He stumbled and left his back crash against the windows. He heard cracking behind him and the next thing he knew, he was falling.

Dae-Jung was in shock. What had happened? His brother just fell out of the window. Had he just murdered his brother? He rushed to the edge of the window and looked down, trying to locate where his brother had fallen. Sure enough he wasn’t moving and the rain was spreading the red faster. This couldn't be real. This wasn’t what he wanted. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t his doing. A whine pulled him out of his thoughts. The child was staring at him. Yes, this was not his fault. It was all that thing's. If only it had never been born. It's trying to get revenge on him. He needed to make an alibi quick. A plan began to formulate in his mind. Assailants had come for his niece. Dae-Hwa tried to stop them. He told Dae-Jung to run away with his daughter and call for help. He can sort out the details later. He took Yujin into his arms and started sprinting down the hallway screaming for help. He promised to himself that he would rid of this thing one way or another. He has lost Hyun-Ae and now Dae-Hwa because of her. He would save her just for today but when the time comes he would have his way. He will have her suffer as he did. 

This was the secret Baek-Hyeon managed to uncover after decades of investigation. He finally understood what truly happened that night recently.

“Yujin, Dae-Jung knows someone has this information. He might come for you. Be on your guard and be very careful.” He grasped his granddaughter’s hand into his and continued.

“I should have paid better attention. I don’t even know if I can still call him my son anymore. I’m sorry I put you through this.” Baek-Hyeon apologized and offers Yujin a chance to run away from everything. He can have her be moved to their UK side branch while he makes Dae-Jung head of SK main branch, maybe that way Yujin would finally be safe. He had seen what a person empty of love is capable of. They are even willing to shed blood, even family killing family. He does not what the same to happen again to Yujin. He was worried that once he is gone, there will be no one will protect Yujin. She is his only granddaughter after all.

Yujin shook her head. “Thank you grandpa for protecting me this far. My parents gave up their lives to that I could live mine. I’m not going to honor that by running away and hide.”

Beak-Hyeon sighs. “My offer still stands. If you ever change your mind, come find me.”

Yujin nodded and got up from her chair and left the room. She has a lot to think about.