ROY ZHOU

I took the day off. What happened yesterday knocked the wind out of me. I needed to take a day off and rest for the upcoming events that were going to keep me busy.

I couldn’t sleep in like I wanted to so I went downstairs for my morning coffee.

“Good morning sir.” Ms. Han greeted me. Ms. Han was more to me than just a worker, she was like the grandmother I never had. She knew me from the day I came into this house.

“Ms. Han, what is for breakfast this morning?”

“Since you took the day off I decided to make your favorite” she smiled. “Kimchi jjigae”

“You did not” I laughed. This lady spoiled me too much.

“Good morning everyone” Rin and Leo came into the kitchen.

“I will prepare everything, don’t worry. You all should wait in the dining room. I’ll bring out your breakfast out shortly” Ms. Han hurried us off.

“Ms. Han! I can help” Rin jumped in. Ms. Han told her no and also hurried her off into the dining room.

“What do you know, she doesn’t like to share her kitchen.” I shrugged.

“I just wanted to help” her tone was sad.

Leo sat by me. He looked fine even after what had happened the night before. I decided I was going to ask him.

“Leo…how are you feeling this morning?”

Leo looked unsure. “I’m fine uncle.”

“Are you? Is there anything you would like to talk about?”

He shook his head. He was a little down. I knew him meeting Ha Na yesterday had some type of impact to him. When I noticed he hasn’t saying anything I said, “I just want to say that I am sorry that things didn’t go well yesterday.”

“Uncle…is that women really my mom?”

“She is.” I flat out told him. “I wasn’t made aware that you two had met before.”

“I had seen her before at my dad’s company.”

“Did she say anything to you?”

He shook his head.

“She just stared at me and was mean to dad. I think dad and her hate each other”

I sighed. “Leo. I need to talk to you about it but I don’t believe now is that time”

“But I want to know. If she really is my mom I want to know why she was gone for so long”

“She couldn’t be there for you before Leo.” I was really doing this now.

“Why?”

It felt wrong for me to tell him. I wasn’t there so I didn’t want to miss any details. “You should hear this from her”

Rin nodded in agreement.

“From mom?” Leo asked.

I nodded. “I can get her to come as soon as possible.”

Leo thought about it. This was a big decision to make.

“Okay” he said. I grabbed my phone and was about to dial her when Leo said, “but I want dad to be here too.”

I clenched my jaw. What?

“That…is not possible”

“I want dad to tell me if what she says is true”

Rin took Leo’s hand and held it tightly. I thought about it. Maybe this was a good idea. If Ha Na told Leo in front of Joon what he did to her, Leo would resent him and maybe he would never want to see him again.

“Fine.”

*******************************

“He wants me to what?” Joon was in shock after what his father had just told him.

“Leo wants to see you and Roy is allowing it”

“This has to be some sort of trick. Just what is he up to?”

“Son, just go. Your son misses you and wants to see you.”

Joon nodded and set out as soon as he could. He went alone.

When his driver dropped him off at Roy’s house, he ran to the door. Ms. Han opened the door. She let him in and Joon stopped right in his tracks when he saw Ha Na standing there. Rin was holding Leo’s hand and Roy was close by. He smiled deviously as he walked in.

“Mr. Kim, how great of you to join us.” he welcomed him. “Please come in”

He didn’t like what was going on here. What was Ha Na doing here?

“Daddy!” Leo went over to Joon and hugged him. Joon hugged him tightly. “Leo-yah, are you okay?” he inspected him and gave him a big kiss on his forehead. It was obvious he missed him so much.

“What is the meaning of this Roy?” Ha Na asked.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Roy walked over to his bar and served himself and Joon whiskey.

“Here, you’ll need it” he handed him a glass.

“I called you both here for a reason.” he sipped on his whiskey. “Leo…would you mind telling them why you requested they be here?”

Both Joon and Ha Na looked at Leo, confused. He requested it?

“I want to know why you hate my dad.” he looked at Ha Na with anger. Ha Na’s eyes softened. “Is that why you were gone this whole time?”

Joon looked nervous.

“Uncle said you couldn’t be there…why?”

Ha Na sat down. This was finally happening.

Leo grabbed Joon’s hand and Joon lead him to the couch. They both sat down. He kept holding on to him. It sickened Roy. He wasn’t going to kept holding him for much longer.

“He wanted you to come to confirm the validity of her story. Isn’t that right Leo?” Roy smiled. Joon glared at him. Ha Na looked terrified.

Leo nodded.

“Let’s begin.” Roy put his hands together. “Why don’t you start from the beginning. Perhaps how you two met?”

Roy was having too much fun with this.

“Is that what you wish to know, Leo?” Ha Na asked him. Leo nodded.

“Did you fall in love?” Leo asked.

“After some time I noticed your father treated me differently. He wasn’t so cold to me anymore. He was considerate and patient. I have to admit, I did fall for him– and I believed with all my heart that he had fallen for me” she glanced at Joon with sadness.

“He betrayed me”

Joon looked down.

“Betrayed? How?”

“His older brother, your uncle– your other uncle, Lee Ji Hoon also had feelings for me. Your father was always very jealous about it. He and Ji Hoon had a rivalry going on for years. After sometime it wasn’t about me anymore but instead how to satistfy their own greed and ego.” Ha Na admitted. “Ji Hoon did something very bad to me” she tried not to remember but it was useless. Ha Na started tearing up. “Your father tried to care for me after…” she continued. “but once he found out I was pregnant…with you…” she broke down. “He…he was very angry”

Leo looked at Joon. “Why..?”

“He thought you were Ji Hoon’s baby.” she wiped her tears away. “I never doubted for a second that you weren’t Joon’s.”

“Is that..true?” Leo turned to Joon. Joon couldn’t look at him.

“Do tell him Joon. I think this part of the story is better told by you”

“Roy stop.” Ha Na stood up and faced him. “I won’t say any more.”

“You need to let this happen. He deserves to know.”

Ha Na shook her head. “Not now” she proceed to walk to Leo and kneeled in front of him.

“Leo I..” Ha Na wiped her tears away. “I never wanted anything bad to happen to you. I always wanted to protect you.” she took his hands in hers. “I was going to have you no matter if he left me. No matter if I had to raise you alone...I was willing to do that.” Leo started to tear up.

“And I did.” Ha Na smiled.

“But I don’t understand…why were you gone this whole time?”

“I can’t tell you now Leo…you are too young. I promise I will tell you when you are older.”

“Ha Na–” Roy interjected.

“I am worried about how you will react. If there is anything I want more than anything in the world is for you to grow up a happy person. If you want to wait until I tell you the rest of the story and you can’t accept me until you hear it, I will wait.”

Leo nodded.

“Just know that I missed you everyday. There wasn’t a day that I wouldn’t cry for you, uri adeul. I love you so so much” Ha Na embraced him tightly. Leo took a while to react, but ultimately hugged her back.

After everything, Ha Na was in Leo’s room with Rin.

“He has always been a good natured boy. I didn’t do much Miss Jung”

“Either way, thank you. I appreciate the love and care you have given him all this time.”

“Miss Jung…I wanted to thank you for not telling Leo the whole story. It would of killed him. You know how much he loves Joon-ssi.”

“He will have to know someday. Joon will have to prepare himself for the day his own son rejects him.” she said.

Rin nodded.

“Joon ended up becoming a sad and angry person around his age when he heard the truth about his stepfather and his mother. I don’t want Leo to go through that too”

“The truth?”

“He hasn’t told you. Well…let’s just say he grew up worshipping a father that always hated him. He wasn’t his real father but he didn’t know that. To make his mother pay for her infidelity he allowed her to give birth to Joon as Lee Joon. He tormented her by ignoring Joon and treating him badly.”

“What a horrible man”

“When he found out, he passed out so hard that he lost his memories…with that his love for his big brother, Ji Hoon. He became angry and jealous of him.”

Rin was quiet.

“I don’t want that to happen to my son”

“Ofcourse”

“Rin…you love Joon, correct?”

Rin was silent. When she responded she shook her head. “I do not”

Ha Na was surprised.

“I thought that I did but i think that was my inexperienced self reacting to his attention and care. Aside from him, there was never a man that I cared for.”

“And now?”

She blushed. “There isn’t any”

“I see.”

“Ha Na…Rin” Roy came into the room. Ha Na stood up.

“Before you go, can we talk?”

Ha Na nodded. She lightly bowed to Rin and Rin did the same.

JUNG RI AN

“How’s Leo?” Roy asked as he went around his desk and sat on his chair. I sat in one across him.

“He’s fine. He went to sleep right after.”

“What are you planning to do now?” he asked me. That question was one I didn’t like to think about.

“I am going back to France” I said. Roy raised his brows.

“France?”

“Yes. I am going to marry Min Woo and we are going to live in France” It sounded weird when I said it out loud.

“With Leo, I assume.”

I shook my head. “I rather wait until he hears the entire story.”
“So you are going to wait a few years for that?” Roy clenched his jaw. “Are you going to ask him what he thinks about that? He just got his mother back”

“I don’t want him to feel pressured to give me an answer.”

“Ha Na…you still see him as a baby that can’t make his own choices. He is completely capable of making a wise choice.”

“I don’t know him…the last time I had him with me was when he was still in my belly…how can I view him as anything other than the baby I use to talk to when he was inside me?”

“I understand but that baby is grown. He needs his mother now more than ever.”

I started to cry. Roy walked over to me and gave me a hug.

“Have a little more faith in him”

“I missed him so much Roy” I cried into his shoulder.

“I know you did.”

I kept crying until I heard a knock on the door. Roy gave me his handkerchief and I wiped my tears.

“Mr. Roy, I didn’t mean to interrupt but Mr. Noh is here for Ms. Jung.”

“Excellent. Let him in”

“Roy-ssi.” Minue came in and bowed. Roy did the same. Roy looked too happy to see him. I guess hearing about our wedding make him happy.

“Well, if it isn’t my future brother in law” he said. I internally rolled my eyes.

“I suppose Ha Na told you” Minue said. Roy poured him whiskey. “I’m glad to see that you both are getting along”

“We had a rather good day I would say” Roy cheered him and invited him to sit.

“There are a few things I would like to talk about but I understand that today was very eventful for my dear sister.”

Minue was curious but didn’t ask.

“Oppa…what are you doing here?”

“It was getting late and you weren’t coming home. I got worried.”

“I see”

“Is everything okay?”

I nodded.

“Ha Na finally introduced herself to Leo as her mother”

Minue was surprised. “Really?”

“Yes.”

Minue grabbed Ha Na’s hand gently. “How was it?” he asked sweetly.

“I’m just happy he knows who I am” I said. “Oppa…can we go home? I am very tired”

Minue nodded.